Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Rent

I saw Rent (the movie, not the show) about a year and a half ago, and I’ve wanted to blog about it ever since, but never quite had the words. A very close friend of mine saw it before I did and she was horrified. She couldn’t understand why we as Christians would want to watch a movie like that. I GREATLY respect this friend’s opinion and I understand fully what she was saying, but I had wanted to see it for so long and loved certain parts of the soundtrack so much that it didn’t stop me from seeing it. As a side note, I kind of learned from the whole Harry Potter phenomenon that I need to find out for myself what I think about things that people are swearing off, instead of just going with what others are saying. Needless to say, I'm a big Harry fan and Harry Potter vs. the basic Christian opinion could be a whole blog topic in itself--side note over. A few minutes ago, a couple of songs from the Rent soundtrack came up on the playlist I was listening to, and I felt today was the day to put down a few words. The impact Rent had on me was huge. This movie is hard to deal with. It deals with heavy issues, the biggest being AIDS. Rent is a 90’s rock version of the Italian opera, La Boheme. If I have my facts straight, La Boheme is a story about bohemians (poets, artists, writers) living in 1800’s Paris, considered the worldliest place during that time. Some of the characters ended up contracting a fatal disease. In comparison, in Rent, the characters are living in the East Village in NY in the 90’s, considered a pretty seedy place at that time, and a few have AIDS. They live for their art, they live for today, they live for love. It’s gripping. In trying to figure out why this movie haunts me, I came up with this: in the very safe Christian world I grew up in, no one uttered the word AIDS, no one knew anyone who was living lives of sin and destruction (ie, gay lifestyles, drugs, rampant sex) and that’s what the characters in Rent are doing. But it shows their minds, their insecurity, and most of all their hearts. I saw the other side of their lives; I loved these characters. I’m telling you, God used this movie to make me love PEOPLE. I never had an overwhelming desire to share my God with others—just chalk it up to immaturity, I guess. Because of this movie, my entire outlook on the people around me every day has changed. I want people to see the beauty and the art that is God. I want to see it more myself. I don’t know how to end this…I don’t think I’ve put into words exactly what I feel or what's going through my mind…

I’m ending now.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

My Life Reflected On TV

Okay, I’ll say it out loud. I like tv. Those who know me best would attest to this. I think in the past, I felt like I shouldn’t like tv as much as I do, but at this stage of my life, I guess I really don’t care anymore. I have tons of interests—yes, I am also a movie freak, but I’m also an avid reader, a cook by hobby, and an adventurer (in my own small Columbus world kind of way.) I love getting out and enjoying life with my kids. I think I have enough balance in life to admit that yes, I do love tv. These thoughts started coursing through me with the revival of an old tv favorite of mine—Kate and Allie reruns on the WE network. For those who don’t know Kate and Allie, it’s an 80’s sitcom about two divorced moms who bring their families together and live their lives in NYC. This was my mom’s favorite show when I was a kid. This was our life. After we lost my dad to cancer, she had 3 small kids to raise on her own so she had one of her single friends move in with us. Sue lived with us off and on for a while and because of our unique little household, they got a kick out of Kate and Allie. I’ve heard that the show was considered pretty ground breaking at the time because in the 80’s different kinds of families were still pretty unusual. The crazy antics happening in their lives on tv were not that far off from my reality. I vividly remember my mom and Sue getting into huge bubble wars while doing the dishes, chasing each other though the house, and collapsing on the floor from hysterical laughter. They laughed a lot, they talked a lot, they probably cried together…Sue was just part of our family. I didn’t realize how much I love this show still, until I heard the oh-so-familiar piano notes played during the opening credits. A very warm glow spread through me.

Continuing on, as kids my sister and I loved The Facts of Life. Now when I watch it, it’s very silly. It’s bad acting, it’s bad drama, and it’s goofy comedy. Nevertheless, I still love it. For my junior and senior years of high school, I went to a boarding school in New Hampshire. I LOVED it. It was strict and the teachers were a little weird, now that I look back, but it’s still one of the best experiences of my life. I made my first real friends there. Girls there accepted each other even though we were so different, unlike the mean girls I had grown up with. It was fun, they taught me to be crazy, to make memories, to have adventures, to appreciate different music than I’d ever heard…the list goes on and on. So on that note, you can see why I relate to the Facts of Life.

Now on to the present. I get teased about my Gilmore Girls obsession and part of me can understand. For people who don’t watch it, it’s just yet another teeny bopper drama on the CW with no substance. Those of us who watch know it’s smart comedy and complicated family drama. Friends who also watch have told me they can see why I like it because the Lorelai and Rory love books, movies, music, and food---my four major loves in life. They live in New England, they love going to town events, they create events out of even the tiniest happenings in their lives. This is me to a tee. I realized this morning that is means more to me on another level--watching them sometimes is like remembering my teenage years. Without a dad around and me being the oldest kid, me and my mom were always together, and very close. I was always old for my age and very protective of my family. My mom says she thinks I ended up being her adult companion as much as I was her teenage daughter. We watched zillions of movies together, we are both readers, she taught me to appreciate old musicals, we loved to eat… And on top of that, growing up, she always turned everything into an event. I have a tendancy to do this myself. Last week, instead of inviting friends over to watch a movie, I had to turn it into a “Movie Night.” All the kids had to wear their jammies and bring their sleeping bags. I made huge bowls of popcorn and other snacks. The kids had their movie in the basement and us adults had ours in the living room. What a great night! If we decide to go to the park, we GO TO THE PARK! We pack picnic lunches, we bring bubbles, etc. And of course it has to have a title, something like, our End of the Week Park Adventure. A couple of years ago, I wanted to have a bunch of girls over for fun. Instead of your typical girls night, we had a Girls Godfather Movie Marathon. I made really girly appetizery foods for our night of serious guy movies. Then last year in MN, instead of just having people over for a Christmas movie, we had a Christmas Movie Extravaganza, watching an old classic and a new classic (It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf). And of course we had a ton of festive food. And it goes without saying that when superbowl time comes around, I’m just giddy. I guess I’m saying all this to explain to you that I love turning simple things into events, and it’s definitely part of my DNA cuz I got it from my mom who also loves to do it up big. =) For those who don’t watch Gilmore Girls, this happens on a regular basis. Instead of just watching Willie Wonka, they have to hit the store first and get obscene amounts of candy and junk food, in order to properly enjoy the movie. Every year, during the first snow of each winter, they take time out for a mother-daughter walk with their coffee. How great is that? I so relate to this. I’m thankful my mom passed this goofiness along to me.

This is a pretty long post, about nothing particularly important, just putting my thoughts out there, because I can… and probably because I'm sick today and just a little bit delirious. =)

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Church (what a weird word!)

Our family attends New Life Community Church in Canal Winchester, OH. We’ve only been there since January, and in just that short time the church has been changing and evolving into something different. As a church family they have experienced some real trials in the last year, but because of them, they are reevaluating, searching the Scriptures, seeking God’s face in ways they haven’t before. They are very open and honest about this from the “pulpit” or stool, in this case. They want to be a family, a community who gives to the community around us. They are INVOLVED in life here in Ohio. Mark and I are excited about this because we’ve reevaluated how we want to raise our kids and how we want to be involved in life around US. This church family fits right into what we’ve personally been convicted about as a family. I wish I could explain to you the heart of this church—the heart that we see on a weekly basis. This past Sunday we experienced the presence of God. You know how at certain times you can actually physically feel God’s presence. New Life is an extremely contemporary church, music-wise. We love it. Our preference at this stage of life are these wonderful and amazing worship songs. But Sunday we ended with “It Is Well With My Soul,” a very familiar old hymn. And I have to tell you that God moved during that song. With hands raised in worship and hearts so full, there weren’t very many dry eyes in the room. God was there. What an experience, to sit with a room full of people that we mostly haven’t met yet, and feel connected and to know we’re with our brothers and sisters—I am part of the body. I am so thankful for His leading us to New Life.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Another Movie Suggestion

I'm writing this while my eyes are still wet. Go rent "Akeelah and the Bee"--I haven't been inspired by a movie in a long time. I'm too tired to write a real review tonight, and I haven't had a chance to watch the specials features yet (I am quite a features addict) but I had to shout from the rooftops what a great story this is!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Locks of Love


It was finally time. After years of the gigantic ponytail, I've made a change. My hair is gone, off to Locks of Love (which I'm very excited about) and instead, I have this person in the mirror that I don't recognize. This is absolutely not the style I asked for (and had a very clear picture of that I handed to the stylist), but it's a cute cut, so I can dig it. It was supposed to be way choppier and overall more funky. Instead, all the stylists were telling me how professional I look. So apparently I look like a secretary, once again, instead of my inner rocker. But that's alright, I'll just try to improve on it next time.







This is my attempt at two tiny pigtails (shout out to Abby!). I will definitely like when my hair grows into those a little more.