The Girl from Yesterday

This is a “tag” post without the tagging. If you are reading this, then you've been tagged (hahahaha, the joke is on YOU).

Here are the rules:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. Write down the song name and (if applicable) the movie it came from, no matter how silly it sounds.
4. If you read this blog, then consider yourself tagged. Have fun, and I’d love to read your answers if you do it, so please leave a comment so I can go to your blog!

Here we go!

If someone says "Are you okay?" you say... Credo: Et incarnatus est (Mozart Requim Mass in C minor)
Maybe I should just eliminate all classical music from this right now? I guess we'll see.

What would best describe your personality? Outside Looking In (Kelly Coffey)
Maybe I don’t know myself as well as I thought…

How would you describe yourself? Symphony No. 8 Mvt. 4 (Beethoven)
I’m okay with this. It’s a very spirited, lively, happy tune, and it has a beautiful melody.

What do you like in a guy/girl? Sweet Magnolia (And the Traveling Salesman) (Dan Fogelberg)
Well, Mr. Perfect does smell very sweet.

How do you feel today? Stay (Poets of the Fall)
But I love traveling.

What is your life's purpose? Don’t Ask Me Why (Billy Joel)
That’s what you get for asking.

What's Your Motto? Vincent (Josh Groban)
What's a motto? I suppose that’s really very fitting for someone as random as I can be.

What do your friends think of you? Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Nu Colors from Four Weddings and a Funeral)
Well, thanks a lot!

What do your parents think of you? O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) (OperaBabes)
My parents love me.

What do you think about very often? Me, You and My medication (Boys Like Girls)
Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

What is 2 + 2? Slavonic Dances #2 in E Minor, Op. 46 “Dumka” – Allegretto Scherzando (Dvorak)
This is why I choose a major in college that didn't require math.

What do you think of your best friend? Home to Stay (Josh Groban)
This one is for you, Mr. Perfect.

What do you think of the person you like? Wolf Trapped in Ice (Ladyhawk soundtrack)
Hey, if it’s that wolf, that’s okay.

What is your life story? I’ll Wind (Patti LuPone)
Hmmmm…

What do you want to be when you grow up? Did You Give Enough Love (Celine Dion)
Wow, I have to admit that I have her on my iPod? That’s so sad.

What do you think when you see the person you like? Poison (Hayseed Dixie)
Sorry, Mr. Perfect.

What will you do at your wedding? The Morning After (George Duke)
I need to clean out my iPod. This was not in any way a part of my wedding.

What will they play at your funeral? Prologue and Tradition and Main Title (Fiddler on the Roof movie soundtrack)
I’m okay with this if they can get Izhak Perlman and Topal to perform.

What is your hobby/interest? Ageless Medley (Amy Grant)
If this is suggesting that church is currently my hobby/interest, then that is true. YW is taking up almost all of my free time.

What is your biggest fear? Box of Photographs (Johnny Rodgers)
Don’t pull them out! I look so bad!

What is your biggest secret? Theme (Il Postino soundtrack)
Shhhh...

What do you want right now? L’Ultima Notte (Josh Groban)
I want something on the last night? The last night of what?

What do you think of your friends? Conversation (Marian McPartland & Rosemary Clooney Piano Jazz)
I do enjoy talking with my friends.

What's the worst thing that could happen? Z-Row Gravity (Mannheim Steamroller Fresh Aire V)
Wouldn't it be horrible if we were all floating around instead of securely on the ground? No?

What is the one thing you regret? Introduction and Prologue (Brigadoon cast recording)
I'm so sorry for making you sit through this.

What makes you laugh? “Hm, what kind of a token?” (Man of LaMancha cast recording)
Hahahahahahahaha (I really miss doing this show)

What makes you cry? More than Just This Song (Brad Paisley)
Sorry, I can’t comment. I’m all choked up.

Will you ever get married? Bugler’s Dream (Utah Symphony Salt Lake Olympics soundtrack)
This is the official fanfare of the Olympics, so I guess that means “Yes!” Of course, I’m already married, so was this answer really needed?

What scares you the most? Out of the Ashes (A Tale of Cinderella cast recording) I've seen a production of this show, and this is more appropriate than you might imagine.

Does anyone like you? I Cannot See His Color (The Village soundtrack)
Oh, please say it isn't so. This is from the part of the movie where Juaquin Phoenix’s character is dying. I don’t want Mr. Perfect to die because he likes me.

If you could go back in time, what would you change? The Time of My Life (King’s Singers)
I'm not entirely sure what this means…

What will you name this post? The Girl from Yesterday (Eagles)

This is Post #495

Which means that it's almost time for the next

Are you just so excited? I know I am.

Once again, entrance to the contest and giveaway will be super easy (just ask the 5 people who entered last time). So come back in the next few days for the official announcement.

That is all for now.

What you can do with 12 cellos (Merry Christmas)

Wordless Wednesday

Missing Peter Pan photo

I don't know how I did this, but I missed posting our favorite picture of Game Boy from Peter Pan. So here it is:

I love the blur of action behind him, too.

Drama Queen's birthday dinner

Drama Queen was home for Thanksgivings, and even though we didn't get a chance to see her on the actual holiday, her birthday was the day after, so we took her and PaintBall Boy to dinner to celebrate.

Happy Birhtday!

Thanksgiving has come and gone...

...and I've been a slacker (at least as far as blogging goes) and didn't write anything on Thanksgiving about how grateful I am for everyone and everything. blah blah blah. Okay, so that's sounds just too snarky. I really am grateful for everyone in my life (or at least trying to be grateful for them) and I am truly grateful for everything Heavenly Father has given me. More than anyone else knows, I know that He blesses me every day, and I'm not sure why. Here are just a few of the things that show me Heavenly Father knows and loves me:

• Mr. Perfect
• Better relationships with the kids
• The rental dishwasher getting fixed without parts and not needing to be replaced
• Leading me to my keys/wallet/Bluetooth/phone/whatever-I've-misplaced-this-time (anyone who has watched me freak out over this stuff knows exactly what I'm talking about here)
• Great extended family on both sides. Huge kudos to the Merrill family, who love me and treat me amazingly. Bigger kudos to the Parker family, who didn't have a choice about me being in their family, but have elected to not kill me anyway.
• The ability to trip and not fall or die. Seriously, I am the world's clumsiest person.
• Near misses almost every time I get on the freeway (you'd think that my car was an invisible color instead of silver)
• Did I mention Mr. Perfect? Oh, I did, didn't I. Sorry, but he's so great that he gets two mentions.

I was also finally able to make Little Big Sis happy and get my turkey out of her freezer. We had Thanksgiving dinner with Mom & Dad M, and we supplied the bird. Crazy Old Bird stuffed and cooked it (delicious!).

Before filling our bellies, we called Lawyer-in-the-Works who wasn't able to come home for Thanksgiving (ah, the joys of being a first-year law student -- grrrr!). It was wonderful to talk to her, and she'll be home for three weeks for Christmas. Yay!!!

Game Boy was also on hand for dinner. Poor thing. He had two full Thanksgiving meals, but was a real trooper and ate with us like he hadn't just finished one with his mom's family.

After dinner, we went for a walk before dessert. And how cute is Little Artist in her borrowed coat? I know, right?

For dessert, I made an apple pie with Swiss cheese in the crust. It tasted great, but browned a little too much. Next time, must adjust baking time.

And we love this picture of Dad M in his chair. He's proof that rest is for the righteous.

Once the festivities were done, Game Boy, Mr. Perfect, and Most Happy Girl took in Wreck-It Ralph. Great flick. You can tell that Disney and Pixar are really starting to blend their studios. Even though it was released under the Disney label without the Pixar bouncing lamp, half of the production team is from Pixar, and it shows.

It was a very good day.

Never Never Land is never far away

Game Boy just wrapped up a wonderful performance as Smee in Cottonwood High's production of Peter Pan. The whole cast did an amazing job. Mr. Perfect and Most Happy Girl happily came out twice to see it (opening and closing shows). Kudos to everyone involved!

Here are some pictures from the closing night performance.

Drama Queen came up from Cedar City to see the show (and to stay for Thanksgiving). It's always so fun to see them together.

Thanksgiving thought for the day

Apparently this video is going viral on facebook and YouTube. I have to say that this makes me very glad, and a little less scared for humanity.

I love a man in booties

Okay, I love this man in booties. Mr. Perfect had some minor surgery this morning, and he was given these booties to wear at the hospital. At 7:00 this evening, I noticed that he was still wearing them. It really made me smile.

We'd like to thank Dr. Scott A. Leckman, Dr. Dennis L. Morris, and all the great folks at St. Mark's Hospital here in Salt Lake City. They really did a great job taking care of Mr. Perfect.

Wordless Wednesday

So much for fall

This year, fall lasted a little longer than usual in Utah. Halloween was the warmest on record (70+ degrees), and the leaves were beautiful. Of course, that was because it was so dry this summer and the fire hazard has been off the charts. Well, apparently fall is now over for the Beehive State. Today we are experiencing our first "real" snow storm. I have friends in New Jersey who will probably look at these pictures and say "Really? You call THAT a snow storm? Really?" as they were just hit by a hurricane followed quickly by a true Nor'easter that makes a heavy snow storm in Utah look like mild spring sprinkling. Whatever. I'm here in Utah. I'm cold. And this is what I see outside my office.

I'm now officially missing my favorite season of the year.

What has a pigeon every done to you, Mr. Lehrer?

About three years ago, Mr. Perfect and I had the great fun of being in a production of The Odd Couple together.

Performing the role of Gwendolyn Pigeon is one of the highlights of my acting career. From the director to the cast to the crew, it remains one of my top three theatre experiences. Plus, it's where we met Sweet Cecily. However, being in The Odd Couple playing a woman with the last name of Pigeon also reminded me of a song that I first learned about as a music major at the University of Utah. I hope you enjoy it, though please take pity on the poor pigeons you come across in life. Some of us really are just English girls looking for some fun.

(The song starts about 20 seconds into the video, so if you want to skip all the intro stuff, you can forward to that point.)

Welcoming Princess Leia!

Okay, this just made me laugh so hard! Thanks, Sweet Cecily!

Wordless Wednesday

Election Day 2012

I try really hard to keep politics out of my blog. I know that this blog is read by people who do not, for one reason or another, vote in the elections here in America. For those of you who are interested, I'm not going to tell you who I voted for (so please don't ask me), and I won't tell you who to vote for, either. Mr. Perfect and I both voted early. It's a great feeling, and I highly recommend it.

I really only have one thing to say about this election: Vote, please. And if you are using an electronic voting booth, please check to make sure it's registering your actual vote. There are several reports of the machines being inaccurate. If you're unsure, ask one of the polling judges to help you. That's one of the reasons they are there.

One last thing about this election: I will be SOOOOOO glad when it's over and the campaign ads stop, all the signs are taken down around town, and I can visit facebook again without feeling like I'm on the wrong website. This has been a nastier than usual campaign, and I, for one, will not be sorry to see it gone.

But don't let all of that nastiness stop you from voting, please!

Because everyone should have their own picture of the moon

I took this picture. No seriously. While we were in California, we stayed with Mr. Perfect's sister, California Girl, and her family. Her husband, Financial Wizard, is part owner of some pretty impressive telescopes. We went up there on our first night, and we each got to take our own picture of the moon through this really cool telescope.

Now, aren't you jealous? I knew you would be.

And the winner is....

....drum roll, please.

Megan!

Woot woot! Megan, please contact me at nadiaparker@gmail.com to let me know which prize you'd like. Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who entered.

If you didn't win this time, this is not the last contest I'll be having. Another big milestone is not too far away: Blog Post #500. So be sure to come back for more chances to win stuff I think is cool!

Happy Halloween!

While grocery shopping in late September, I found the most perfect pumpkin for Halloween. My only concern with buying it was that it was so early, I didn't want to cut into it the end of October and find that it had spoiled so badly I couldn't use it. After three different trips during the week to this same store, I finally gave in and bought not just the perfect pumpkin, but a second, almost-perfect pumpkin for Mr. Perfect to have as well.

Boy, was I in luck. We kept it in the kitchen at first, then the basement, and finally out with Psycho Wunderhund in the backyard. Apparently, we hit on just the right combination for our pumpkin storage technique, because when we cut into those pumpkins last night to carve them, there was nary a spoiled spot in sight. Hurrah for our side!

I found a really fun face online, but Mr. Perfect went for the gusto. Disneyland was all decorated up for Halloween while we were there, and they had "carved" pumpkins in the town square surrounding Walt Disney's statute. Mr. Perfect took pictures of a couple he was considering for his pumpkin:

Can you guess which one he chose? That's right: Jack Skellington. Here he is, the Grand Artist (said with a French accent), hard at work.

And it turned out amazing. I like it better than the one at Disneyland.

Here's mine, too.

And together.

Contest is now closed!

Thanks to everyone who entered the First Official Contest and Giveaway!! Entry for the contest is now closed. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 2.