Covering all parts

Today was a very full day, but one that actually turned out exceptionally well.

I started today by going to IHOP for breakfast with Debbie. After much deliberation, much to Debbie's consternation, I finally got scrambled eggs with green peppers, tomatoes and then two pancakes with just a smidgen of sugar free syrup. YUMMMY! And Zach, our super cute but oh so not legal waiter, even gave me a little bit o' salsa for my eggs which turned out to be a great addition. So much so that we told him we were taking him with us but Frank said we had to come back at one. "We'll have him back by one, you bet!" we said. No, no, no....we had to pick him up at one. OH well.

Then we went to "I...kea, that's comfortable." We stayed on level one where all the kitchen and home stuff is. I picked up a few things that I didn't need and Debbie got a few others. I hadn't been there in awhile so it was kind of fun to walk through and see some of the new cheapo Swedish stuff.

Then, we went to the Mall of Death.

(pause)

Okay...is everyone back in their seats? I know I should have forewarned you, dear reader, since I hate the place and that I was planning to go and even wanted to go.

(pause)

Oh, crap. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you fall off your chair again. Are you alright? I'm so worried! If it helps, we didn't stay long and thanks to Debbie's expertise I barely made it in one section.

We swung into Nordstroms, bought a couple t-shirts. Then I (prepare yourself) bought a new handbag from a kiosk. It's actually cute and fairly functional. I was lamenting a bit as I drove back that I spent what I did on it, but oh well. Then we went to bare ecentuals so I could get some zit zapper and sunblock. Debbie wanted to stop into Coach to see Zoey (or however she spells it) while I just chuckled. Of course when meeting Zoey turned to looking at jewelry which could have upset Tiffany, I had to pull her out.

That's it. We had a chai and left. Seriously - in and out in an hour. That's all I spent there. I SWEAR! And my trip for the second time this year is complete. Hopefully that'll be the last. Oh, wait, we did stop at Williams Sonoma but I'm proud to say I walked to the register to get a gift card and walked right out without touching a thing.

Then it was on to Kevin's ordination. This was kind of fun and one of the better sermons I've heard at an ordination (sorry, friends). Kevin's internship pastor preached and he really tied everything together well - not just of Kevin but the congregation's role in the whole process. "From this moment forward, every day for the lifetime of Kevin's call - you must be in prayer for him and for the ministry and for the Word. That is his call, but your call is to help him through that as those here supporting him today." Very true. I forget that too often. I do pray for all my friends who are in the ministry, whether I've been at their ordination or not, but do I remember to do that every day? I'm not sure. I'll have to work on that. Note to Nika - my prayer list will be as long as yours soon!

After the ordination I ended up talking with the interim pastor at Kevin's church, that pastor's family - adorable kids, and the internship pastor. What a great group of people! SO welcoming and fabulous to hear the ministry they are sharing. Shockingly, I didn't see much of Kevin, but he had a lot of supporters there. I gave him his gift - a red whisk (he didn't have a whisk! He's a chef and he didn't have a whisk!) to commemorate his ordination and the gift card to WS. I hope he'll enjoy. It was that or a communion serving thing and I'm just not as good at buying the churchy stuff as I once was.

Then I headed to the Guthrie for round two. Last night was The Government Inspector, which was funny and enjoyable, though I've seen better at the Guthrie. But like someone said today, "Even a crappy show at the Guthrie is still better than regular theatre anyday." So very true. Kris L. Nelson and Lee Mark Nelson were phenomenal. I really enjoyed their parts. Great job guys!

But tonight was "Little House on the Prairie - a musical". Despite the rough reviews it's been getting I was pleased. I mean, how do you turn a series of books into a musical, really? There were some interesting parts, but they stayed pretty true to the books I thought. The women playing Laura and Mary had voices that were beautiful and really blended together well. And the sap that I am teared up. Again, a nice show.

I'm starting to cry a lot at musicals I'm finding. It's a little odd. I'm not sure if I'm missing the theater, missing singing or a little of both. There's something about being on stage in a show, flipping the switch and becoming someone else for awhile and being able to sing your heart out.

My favorite show was The Threepenny Opera that we did in college. I got to play Lucy Brown and had a solo for the first time since high school. My friend Jason was the light guy and I sang to him - My Moon, as I called him. After the show my friend Tom came up to me, picked me up and spun me around saying, "Holy crap girl! You can sing! Why haven't you had a lead before?" Thankfully he said it really loud in front of both our stage and music director (not that it helped in the future - I wasn't the prima donna physically enough for most roles) and I was tickled pink. I loved singing on stage those nights. It was so incredible for me to let loose and be someone else. I long for those days to return.

Now it's off to bed for tomorrow is massage time! WOOHOO! And then drive home and figure out when I get to see my Godgirl...hopefully this week! YAY!