Birthday wishes from afar…

This is what I came home to.

I am giddy.
Someone remembered my upcoming birthday.
I can't help but grin.
I haven’t received flowers since I was 18; I had forgotten how special it makes you feel.


Thank you! I love them.

The Shakespeare continues….

Last night I had a change in plans. I was to go to dinner and visiting teaching (it is the end of the month after all) but people were unable to meet. This gave me yet another opportunity to enjoy the works of Shakespeare; this time in the form of Shakespeare in the Park. Doesn’t the sound of it make you think of picnics and blankets, people out under the stars, while the Shakespeare Theater Company entertains you with the pomp and circumstance befitting the prominent playwright? Yeah that was what I was envisioning too…..not quite what I got though.

I was running late, I had missed my bus and there was traffic and delays at the metro. You know how it goes. I always worry about running late, I get all flustered, and I hate to put any one out. To top it off my phone was just about dead, it had been beeping all afternoon and I was afraid it wouldn’t last me until I could meet up with my friend to get my ticket. All this means is that I was rushing, which of course means that I was even more clumsy then usual, which flusters me even more. It is a vicious cycle. Lol!

I arrived only about 5 minutes after the start time and was glad to find that there were a bunch of announcements that had to be made before the start of the performance. This allowed me to get to my seat before and take a deep breath before anything important happened.

Technical notes:

• The seats were hard and plastic and uncomfortable
• The man in front of me was tall and bored. He amused himself by trying to arouse the girl sitting next to him. There was lots of touching involved
• The play was set in the 60’s…..fascinating.
• I laughed quite a bit
• The music was cool
• The singing was not so great
• The acting was enjoyable
• The set and lighting was awesome. I loved the use of colors

Other Notes

• I do not remember reading this play in school. Maybe we read parts of it, but never in its entirety. Therefore sitting down with no preparation was a little difficult for me. I had no time to read the directors notes or even the synopsis. I had no clue what was going on. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what they were saying I just had no foundation to work with. Once I understood the premise it was much easier. I was able to follow the story and not worry that I was missing something.

• The 60’s setting was quite funny to me. They took the play and made the 3 “renowned lords” into 3 of The Beatles. The King was patterned after Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (an Indian Spiritual teacher which 3 of the Beatles studied under for a short time). Thus the setting was a mix of the ‘groovy’ feel of the 60’s rock scene and calming feel of Indian meditation. The costumes props were fun…from the go-go boots to the mopeds.

• I find that I didn’t like the story. By the end of the play I felt bad for the men. Under all of the layers of fear and cynicism, I am a romantic at heart and the repeated mocking of the men in love was a little harsh in my opinion. Plus there is no happy ending for the lovers. The final scene has each man offering all that he is to his chosen woman. Who don’t say no, but they don’t say yes either…..what do they say you ask? They say: do some task for a full year and then come see me. If you still love me then I will marry you. I don’t care if the year of mourning was required back then; it takes a lot of courage for someone to put it all on the line like that; man or woman. I wish there was another way to prove love, one in which every one ends up happy.

• I think my favorite scene was the one with the romantic fools. One at a time they appear, thinking they are alone, they try to fashion some way of telling their chosen lady how they feel, by poetry, letter, or song (the singing part was hilarious). Then in reverse order, one by one, they find that they have been watched by others; that their love is a secret no more. There is instant denial and shame which is replaced by acceptance and they plot together a course of action to find a way to woo their women.

To sum up: I enjoyed my evening; I have spent quite a bit of time thinking over the plays of the last 2 nights and I hope I have more opportunities like these in the future.

Looks like Hamlet is playing in the District…anyone up for it?

**Note: The play was titled: Love's Labor's Lost. I guess that is important information. Thanks Steph.**

It was a night of cultural enlightenment……

I was given the opportunity to attend the Washington National Opera last night with my roommate Gina. Murder and betrayal were the order of the evening as we were sucked into the world of Macbeth.

Technical thoughts:

• It was amazing.
• The music was fabulous.
• The costumes were interesting in their simplicity. They were used to imply that every person has the chance to be any character. We all have a bit of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo and all the others inside of us.
• The scenery was created with filmy screens and lighting….It was so cool. Especially the end of the second act where the screens created a look of a prison cell as Macbeth was going out of his mind with guilt.
• Thank heaven for Subtitles!

Other thoughts:

• When I first arrived at the theater I took the time to read through the program, especially the directors’ thoughts on the play. I found my mind continually returning to his insights on the characters through out the performance. I know this does not give me a completely unbiased view of the play and its characters, but I found it to be very helpful.

• I didn’t despise Lady Macbeth as I usually do. Lady Macbeth is the one with all of the ambition; she is the one who pushes and taunts Macbeth until she gets what she thinks is best. Usually, this is enough for me to hate her. But as I watched, the thought came to my mind that each of us has that desire inside of us. Somewhere inside me I can find that ambition that pushes me to do my best, that pride which tells me ‘I’ know what is best, even though I am more often then not wrong. Lol! True, Lady Macbeth uses that ambition to do despicable things which in the end drive her crazy. I have that option in my life as well. Do I take the goals I have made and achieve them any way possible, no matter what the cost? Do I use my own moral compass to achieve my goals in a way that that will allow me to be free of any guilt. Which guilt, according to Shakespeare, could drive any man (or woman) insane, as it did Macbeth and his wife.

• Macbeth, on the other hand, I disliked more then usual. Pansy is the word that came to mind (granted one with an amazing singing voice but that is besides the point). Of course, there is the argument that, Lady Macbeth is the more evil of the two characters as she is the one guiding Macbeth. But I just couldn't stomach Macbeths desire to pawn off responsibility for his misdeeds. I watched him just go along with things, he allowed her taunts and twisted logic to push him into his choices. Macbeth was not man enough to stand up for what he knew was right. Yet at the same time he wanted the things that were being pushed upon him. He wanted to be king of Scotland. He just didn't want to be responsible for the actions that would get him to his goal. As Gina said: “He had no backbone.” Any man (or woman) worth his salt should stand for what he knows is right. How can you respect a man who you can bully? How can you respect a man who will not take responsibility for his own choices and actions.
  

I have always had a love of music and theater. The opportunity to combine the two is a pleasure for me. I loved the feelings that were evoked during the show. Music has such a powerful force…and to listen to these talented men and women brought tears to the eyes.

All in all, it was an amazing experience for me. One I hope to repeat with La Boheme in the Fall and Rigoletto next Spring.

Tiana Came, Tiana Saw, Tiana Conquered!

It was a good weekend with my sister. I love when she comes to visit and I am going to miss her terribly when she moves to Texas next month.

Sat night we went to dinner and then just spent a lot of time talking. Come to think of it…Sunday was spent at home just talking too….There are some things you can only talk about with others who have shared the experiences.

Monday was spent shopping for various items until we were starving and cranky. Lol! Thanks big sister for my new dress. It is an early birthday present and I love it. It is always nice to have a pretty dress in my closet. Lol!

Hope everyone had as much fun as I did for their 3 day weekend.

Taking the day off...

My Big sister is in town for the weekend.....I might not have time to write...we have a lot to catch up on.....Hope everyone has a fabulous Memorial Day!!!

Wahoo, Boo!

I need to more then mention the graduation last weekend. It was a big deal. I am very proud of Boo. She has worked and studied hard…so hard in fact that I rarely see her any more. Lol!

We started the celebration at a small joint in Fairfax:

The crowd was huge but it was well worth the crush. It is always interesting when you mix various social crowds and family.





























But we were all there to celebrate Boo’s achievement and so despite our differences we were there.













I got the chance to sit next to Boo’s Dad; Papa Kidd is one of the nicest men I have ever met, there is no greater compliment that I can give.

After eating our fill of Seafood we headed to the Harbour house to play games. It was fabulously fun as always.

Saturday dawned gorgeously, and saw us trekking out to George Washington for the official Graduation. Our Boo was gorgeous as usual in her cap and gown.










I was a bit sad that I had forgotten paper and a pen. I did get a few notes down (Kate always prepared with a pen ) which I will blog about another day. I found some of the things that needed to be said very helpful. To bad I wasn’t one of the ones graduating. Lol!


















Afterwards there were pictures and time just to be with friends. I had to hurry home to get ready for the evening part. We headed to the gala at GW…I wore my new favorite dress….the Brown polka dots…I am hoping some one got a good picture of it. Lol!
There was free coke, and food, and fantastic company. It will be a nice memory to add….Steph, the Queen of the Camera, took a bunch of pictures. Once they are available I’ll have to see what I can post here,

All in all it was a great way to celebrate with Boo!
Congrats Boo…You are brilliant!

One Quick Question....

So my computer has been down all day long....ahahaha.....Deep breath. Alright, back to the point.

As I was driving into work with my boss, this morning we saw this on a license plate:

P8ON 34

It had a border that had the touted the Chicago Bears......

So I am a little Confused....P8ON = Peyton....and the only Peyton I know that has anything to do with football is Peyton Manning. According to my knowledge, Peyton manning plays for the Colts not the Bears (Thanks Steph:)). According to Google Peyton's Jersey number is 18 not 34.

So can someone connect the dots for me? Peyton, 34, and the Bears? How do they go together?

I have thought about writing here all day long. It was an eventful weekend (before I fell asleep…lol!). I am in a contemplative mood but I don’t know how to get my thoughts down on paper. So what I am going to do instead is immerse myself in someone else’s world and pretend that mine doesn’t exist. Lol! I love books. :)

One quick shout out to Boo…who graduated with her Masters from GW this weekend. I’m so proud of you!!

Sleep.....

It's all I have done for the past 2 days.....It's nice to be back in the land of the living.

Tonight....

The short walk from my house is interesting…..I watch suburbia fade…the tree-lined streets filled with town houses change to gas stations, a 7-11, and then the metro station. Just like that I am on the ‘other side of the tracks’. The streets are lined with lower income apt buildings, doors were open, some with screens some without. Lawns were overgrown and littered with garbage, if there was even space for a lawn. There is yelling and loud music. The walk is short; less then 15 minutes from my porch to the front door.

Upon arrival I am buzzed in by the Thursday night desk volunteer. She is new but so am I so it is okay that she doesn’t know who I am. She directs me to the library to wait for the rest of the volunteers. By 7 pm almost everyone has arrived…5 women and 2 men.

The dinner hour is over; children and adults pour out of the cafeteria. The teenagers are gathered up to go to a 'session,' All we can do is pray it helps with the emotions and fears that are swamping these unlucky teens.....“an ounce of prevention…” Adults head off to a night class in hopes of finding a way out of this place through education. The man with the keys unlocks the gate and the remaining 8 children stream into the cluttered playground. The air is just a little nippy but the kids (ranging in age from 2 to 11) are soon warm from running and playing. Someone produces a foot ball and the older boys play games of Catch and Keep Away. The small boys are content to play on the slides and the jungle gym. The only girls are 2 small, very independent, sisters. The older is probably 3 maybe 4 and she is very talkative. She loves to play with us. The younger is about 2, she doesn’t make a sound for most of the hour. She does not what to be touched but somehow she takes a liking to me. Her name is China and we get along well as she runs around the jungle gym.

When a young boy gets hurt playing catch China immediately goes to his side and remains there, even as he got angry and slugged the walls of the shed. Finally he starts to calm down and China allows me to take her to a table to read books. During Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You China makes her first sound. We have been together almost an hour, and finally she makes the animal noises with me. After that China crawls into my lap and we get comfortable. We read book after book including Where the Wild Things Are, and something about a snow fairy and an Astronaut. Soon China turns and curls up with her head on my shoulder. She begins to chatter away as her eyes droop with fatigue. It is easy to talk to children that young, a lot of unhuh and wow and really. Her big sister joins us and China sits up to be with her, but she doesn’t leave my lap. The man with the keys returns and it is time to go in. Most of the children are completely worn out from the races that were organized at the end of the hour. A quick head count shows we have picked up 2 more volunteers and a couple more children. China refuses to get out of my lap and so I carry her back to the library with her head on my shoulder. Her mother arrives and with a big smile China finally allows someone else to take her. I gather my belongings and promise to return in June.

During the walk home I contemplate my life as it is. There are so many things that I have to be grateful for. There have been so many changes in the last few years. I think the most obvious tonight was the fact that there are no children in my life. I come a large family and am used to small ones running around. But out here I have no access to that, as my nieces and nephews are all in the West.

Until tonight, I didn’t recognize how much I missed it.

Take me out to the ball game…Take me out to the Crowds…..

About a week ago I received free tickets to last nights baseball game through work. Yes I know I am spoiled, moving on. I invited Gina and Kate to come along and we were all pretty excited about it. Gina had never been to a game before and Kate is usually up for anything so I figured we were in for a good time. Lol! There was a bit of fear that they would call the game on account of the rain during the afternoon, but the weather cleared up enough for the show to go on.
The three of us each took the metro from a different stop and after horrendous delays due to traffic met up at the stadium. Of course we were late (when am I not?) and so by the time we arrived it was already the 3rd inning and our poor Nats were down by 1. By the time we hit the bathrooms, got food, and found our seats it was the bottom of the 4th…lol! We are girls everything takes longer. Lol!














The game was fun and we filled up on Crackerjacks (Thanks Kate) Cotton Candy and all the rest of the ball game food.














Gina learned how to enable videos on her phone and we practiced the art of the self portrait…














As you can see we still need a lot of work.






But it sure was fun.....







The Nats won the game 6-4 and we had a blast. The poor Braves couldn't seem to come back after Ryan Church hit a beautiful double with the bases loaded. I can't wait to go again...anyone up for cheap tickets to see the Nats and the Dodgers next week?

All good things must come to an end.....

There was a time, before I was a missionary for my church, when my big sister and I decided to bond on Tuesday nights. We would sit down with junk food and tune in to Stars Hollow. There we would find Lorelai and Rory and all the folks of their world. Tonight marked the end of that era. Gilmore Girls has finished, such a sad day.

It has been an interesting phenomenon to me. Before the Gilmore’s arrived I did not have must see TV. I enjoy TV in all its glory, but most days it can become a hassle to fit in. Who has the time? But from the moment this show started I was hooked. I loved the sarcasm and the 80’s references, the family dysfunction and the small town feel. I especially loved the cast of characters. There are so many classic moments; I wouldn’t know where to begin.

I think Brian Orndorf said it best:

“Tuesday nights just won’t be the same without Luke’s wet blanket charm, Kirk’s buffet of impulse, Sookie’s irresistible spunk, Lane’s ubercool way of the drummer, Taylor’s megalomania, Paris's destructive social skills, Richard and Emily’s unrelenting WASPness, Rory’s plucky educational spirit, and Lorelai’s coffee-stained oneness with the sprawling and tranquil Stars Hollow universe. “Gilmore Girls” was classic comfort food television that, if there’s any justice in this world, will be cherished for years to come.”

So I guess this is goodbye. I will have to be content with the reruns on the ABC family channel. *sigh*

The Gifford Clan is aflutter with good news..

Now that everyone important has been told I can finally blog the good news….




My big sister Tiana is getting married!!!






AND….




She has picked the greatest wedding date of the century:

07.07.07

Looks like I will be flying to Utah for a Hinkson Family Shoot (don’t ask and I won’t tell. Lol!) and the wedding come July!

James and Justin, I welcome you to the Chaos. T.....Congrats….I wish you all the happiness in the world! You deserve it.

A new Surprise...

Since no one else in my family will read this before the news is officially broken tonight......

I want to say congrats to my baby sister and her husband. The newest addition to our rapidly growing family will join us this fall. I am so excited for you guy! I am sure you will be great parents!

Happy Mother's Day for the Mom to be!

The cute picture was taken from THIS website.

After You....

I had an interesting experience today.

I used the elevator for the first time when leaving the metro station. This was not interesting.

I entered the elevator with 3 men, 2 of which were in their mid to late 50’s. The third man was probably in his late 30’s early 40’s. This also was not interesting.

As the doors opened for us to leave the metro station each of us paused. I was at the back of the escalator and having been raised to respect my elders gave the standard “after you” comment. Each of these gentlemen should have exited first. This is not interesting; actually, it is rather common in my life.

All three men took an extra step back; one gentleman even repeated my words: “after you”. They watched me; waiting until I walked between them and exited the elevator first. This I found interesting.

It is not often, that I find myself the recipient of such behavior. As a matter of fact, I have never had this happen. On rare occasions I will have a man hold a door for me. Usually they are strangers, as is the case in today's incident, but I can think of at least one gentleman in my life that will continually do things such as this. It gives you a nice feeling to be respected in such a way. I can understand why women of earlier generations found this appealing. I do not understand why more women of today do not appreciate it.

By the by, I did thank the gentlemen in the elevator this evening, I may have been a little flustered, but I do have manners. :)

The Goose

Today is an important day in the Hinkson Family. Today Goose turned 10. The youngest of the ‘Ours’ that makes up our “Yours, Mine, and Ours”, Goose is a kid like no other. He learned early how to hold his own in the chaos that is the Hinkson Clan. He is bright and fun with lots of energy. When he was small, he used to climb into my lap and snuggle. Even now, when I go home for a visit he crawls up into my lap, puts his arms around my neck, and tries to talk me into moving back home. Lol! He misses his big siblings that aren’t around as much any more. I am always surprised when I see the pictures on our family Wiki. This young man now plays soccer, and snowboards, and shoots guns. It is a little un-nerving for me. Lol! I know time can’t stop, and I don’t really want it to, but some days I miss the old days with the kids.

Anyway today’s blog is for The Goose. The baby of the family has made it to the double digits. But no matter how big he gets, he will always be My Goose. Happy 10th Lukas Goose. I love and miss you, more then I know how to express.

A Floozy Named Vanessa Crooner

Saturday started early with the need to clean like mad. Our landlord is trying to sell our house,subject to the expiration of our lease. There was a couple who wanted to see the house again. 3 of the girls in this house are not messy. I, on the other hand, tend to let things go. Granted I haven’t had time at home to be clean, but I had let it go for way to long. My room looked like a natural disaster had struck and my bathroom, hadn’t been cleaned in over a week. Knowing that it wouldn’t be in Showing condition but wanting it to be clean, we got up to make sure that it was presentable. Afterwards Regina was kind enough to make pancakes, bacon and eggs for my breakfast. I am continually grateful that I have a roommate who loves to cook for other people.

After the People had come and gone I made a grocery store run. Gina had sat down with me and we made a list. I then borrowed her car and went shopping. ON MY OWN. Don’t worry she has seen the error of her ways. What should have taken me less then an hour, took almost 2…I just kept seeing things that I thought we needed….or it was on sale. I got popsicles…the good kind 2 for $6….it was a good price, I swear. Then there was the Bananas…I was craving them….and Gina makes killer Banana bread. Anyway...you know how it goes....never let me go shopping hungry and alone. Lol!

Once the groceries were put away (before Gina was even aware I was home so she didn’t learn of my spending spree) I was only running 30 minutes behind schedule. I started throwing together the enchiladas for the dinner party I was to attend. I was actually pretty excited about the party it sounded like it would be quite fun. But more on that later. Kim came and we went shopping for necessities for the party.

Kim and I ran a little late but we were still able to make it to the party only 30 minutes late. Kate was already there. It was a Dinner and a Murder Mystery Game and we all had a part to play. If you ended up dead you were reincarnated as someone else. It was fun. The theme was Murder at the Four Deuces.

















Big Jim was murdered…along with some others. We had to figure out who the murderer(s) was and why. Kim was Lesterbella…a local comedian who performed in Big Jims night clubs. Kate was R.K. Oswald, a famous radio station owner. I was Vanessa Crooner, a former Entertainer, whose husband had mysteriously died leaving me with all of his money…enough for me to be comfortable for a good long time.
My daughter Carrie, 19, was recently married to Big Jim, who had a temper. He hit her. I was not a fan. Lol!

So we all set out trying to find out information, money changed hands, rumors were shared, notes were taken, and accusations were made. It was a fun time, with some fun people.


There were a good number of people there and the accents were great…..not many could hold a 1920’s gangster accent. Many of the women, me included, kept falling into a southern accent. Lol! It was funny. The food was good and so was the company. I won't tell you who killed big Jim...all I can say is that I didn't do it...but I would to thank the person who did!




Here are the women...the men took their own photo. Lol!
By the time Gina and I got home it was after midnight. Just as I was going to bed I was pinged by a friend. It was nice to be able to talk even if it meant that I was up till after 3 am. Sleep who needs sleep?

Spidey and Marriage

I don’t usually discuss my religious beliefs on this blog. Maybe there is a fear of rejection, but Friday night was an amazing time for me and I would like to record some of my thoughts. Those who do not want to read the spiritual side, you can just jump down to the Spidey part; I will not be offended.

We started the evening early, racing to beat traffic to the Centerville. Elder Richard G Scott (one of the Apostles (leaders) of the LDS Church), was giving a fireside. Kate picked me up at my office at 5 pm and we were off to save seats, knowing the crowd would be immense. We found great seats in the second row and were shortly joined by Amber, Kim, Kristi, Tara, Regina, and the rest of the singles world here in the DC area, filling the chapel and the cultural hall. The meeting was fabulous; Elder Scott has an awesome sense of humor. Yes, of course it was on the usual topic, he disguised it, at the beginning, by saying he was talking about “making correct decisions”. In reality it was about the decisions of marriage and dating. Not a topic I am usually very comfortable with though I was encouraged by the thoughts and love that was expressed. I realize that as a single person, I am very selfish. I am not sure when it happened. I don’t think I was always selfish, but now, as there is no one in my life that I have to constantly care for, I worry mostly about myself; my wants, my needs. If I don’t who will? Lol! But Elder Scott promised that (and I’m paraphrasing here) if we do not compromise who we are, our values and goals, and spend our time instead serving and worry over other people, we will find a richness in life that will allow us to find peace and happiness; regardless of marriage. I find this to be a very comforting thought. I have not given up hope on marriage; I just don’t really focus on it any more. I realize that marriage would require dating and…well…. men who lived in the area that would be willing to date me. Lol! I know that not all Mormon girls get to be happily married; some stay single for their entire lives. It is not a happy thing to live single in a church/culture which focuses so heavily on marriage and family. It is a difficult task and yet I know that God would not leave us comfortless. I might be single for many years to come, for the rest of my life even, but I know that when I serve others I can find joy. I have recognized this in the past, but it was good to be reminded.

SPIDEY

After the meeting, and with a minor communications error, we met up with Perry at the local Multiplex to watch Spiderman III. It is not a bad theater, but way out of the way, I am glad that we usually go to the movies closer to my home. Now I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone...but I am not a Spiderman fan. I haven’t really enjoyed the previous ones; they don’t really pull me in. I think they try to cater to many crowds, the sentimental loving women, the action loving men, and the kids. Plus, as Perry says, it was not true to the comic book version of Spiderman, meaning in my own words (and correct me if I am wrong Perry) Spidey wouldn’t spend the entire movie crying.

We spent time just talking afterwards, it was very nice. Kate found her favorite family and needed a picture to document. She is so excited about the upcopming movie. I have good friends. By the time I got home and to bed my clock read after 3 am and I was already dreading get up the next day.

Thursday Night Soccer

Last night the plan was to go home, clean house and relax. I have not had a nice night at home all week long. Not that I am complaining, it has been a very fun week; full of activities. But, I was looking forward to a nice quiet evening in.

Boo called at the last minute to invite me to a DC United Game. I figured what the heck; I might as well try it. Apparently the Soccer people...are trying to designate Thursdays as "Soccer Night" (I guess kind of like Monday night football) so that fans know they can tune in to ESPN and catch a soccer game.



There was a mad rush to the metro only to be delayed again and again. Poor Boo was left waiting for an hour until I arrived at RFK. When we finally arrived and found our seats, I couldn’t believe our luck. They were amazing. We took tons of pictures. This one guy walks around banging a drum to help the crowd cheer. It was cool, so we took his picture too.













It was a fabulous time, with fun people and a good game. This weekend looks pretty full…Elder Scott, Spiderman 3, and a how to host a murder party with a 20’s theme! Lots of fun and I will be taking my camera everywhere. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it later!

"I carried a watermelon.

That was the summer of 1963 - when everybody called me Baby, and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn't wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I'd never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's.

Baby, Dirty Dancing

20 years ago I was a snot-nosed, 8 year old kid running around Kearns, Utah; clueless to the fact that one of the all time greatest movies was opening in theaters. Dirty Dancing opened and I can’t say how it did in theaters or what the effect was on the rest of the world at large. What I can say is that there is a generation of women who know that you “never put Baby in the corner.” We melt when men sing to us while we dance, we never end the season with the pachenga, and we know that God did not give us maracas if He didn’t want us to shake them. In high school this was the chick flick that everyone knew. It is the movie that was watched at the sleep overs with popcorn and pizza. It was the movie that Sarah,the bishops daughter, and I would sneak in to the basement to watch. Heaven forbid, her parents find out. Lol! Every girl swooned over Johnny, hated Robbie, and sympathized with Baby.

Tonight the Ballston Theater is giving us the opportunity we were to young to appreciate in 1987. We get to see Dirty Dancing on the big screen for it's 20th Anniversary. Boo, Kate and I are going. Here’s hopin’ we have the time of our lives!