Snapshots of Celtic Woman // Omaha // June 2013

A few weeks ago we saw Celtic Woman in Omaha!

We left work after lunch and drove up for the show. The drive is pretty quick, so we checked into our hotel and grabbed coffee and dinner before we needed to pick up our tickets. 

The performance was at the Orpheum Theatre downtown, which was really conveniently located with plenty of parking. 

The show was great, as always. The music was incredible and the choreography was fun to watch. It was nice to see Susan (the newest member) grow into a bigger role for this show. They brought back a lot of Lisa Kelly's old songs for her to sing. The crowd was significantly better than either of the other shows I'd been to. Everyone was clapping, laughing, cheering and crying. I didn't expect to cry at all, but Lisa Lambe's intro to Bridge Over Troubled Water really got to me. She talked about how everyone has been having such hard times and that the friends we have can really make all the difference. She dedicated that to everyone in the audience, which really touched me. I was pretty surprised that this particular song made me cry because of all of their songs, that one isn't a favorite... but it might be now. 

In addition, the theatre was beautiful! Lots of ornate detail with chandeliers everywhere. You can't say that most concert venues are beautiful! This was definitely a pleasant surprise! 

After the show, I tweeted mentioning each of the girls thanking them for the incredible show and to my shock(!) Mairead, the wonderful violinist of the group favorited it! I did a little happy dance! :)

I am excited for new music to come out, whenever that may be... and then to see them perform live again someday! Maybe even for their Christmas tour! :) 

Have you ever seen Celtic Woman live?

All for now,

Alexandra 

Summer Bucket List 2013

Finally....

1) watch Funny Face

2) open a safety deposit box

3) take a road trip, short or long

4) make a s'mores recipe from my s'mores pinterest board

5) order a rivet and sway try on kit

6) read 5 books, 2 must be classics

7) see the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibit at the Nelson (I won tickets!)

8) buy new potted herbs and plant them

9) play in the rain

10) try a new margarita recipe

11) start my travel scrapbook

12) go to a flea market ( a big one! )

13) Host 3 gatherings

14) have a sleepover with my sisters

15) make a recipe from Rustic Fruit Desserts

16) sketch

17) find an apartment

18) finish reading Curly Girl

19) make plans for global movie nights

20) make inspirational wall art

21) experience somewhere completely new

22) try a new lemonade recipe

23) have a picnic

24) sew something

25) see 5 new places in Kansas

26) watch BBC's Persuasion

27) see Celtic Woman

28) publish 15 blog posts (on this blog)

29) make fresh angel food or pound cake to eat with strawberries and homemade whipped topping

30) do something I would never normally do

31) participate in the Lawrence Public Library's summer reading program

32) see a fireworks show

33) go swimming

34) see the ocean

35) make kebabs! (or just eat them..)

36) go to Schlitterbahn

37) go to birdies

38) try gelato

39) send mail 

40) meet 3 new people and get to know them!

Check out last years list, here.

What is on your summer bucket list?

All for now,

Alexandra

See how I did! Check out my end-of-the-summer review here.

The One and Only Rebecca

I'm on a reading rampage right now.

I just finished Rebecca and am nearly half way done with Mermaids!

Rebecca is another classic that has been on my list for a while. Once I found this gorgeous vintage $2 copy (above) I was in love. However, I had it for 3 years before I began reading it... so I'm glad to be checking it off!

The book started out with and eerie scene set in the present, but quickly moved to the past. It told the story of an unnamed girl who met a mysterious man in Monaco and fell in love. She married him and moved back to England with him. From there you learn the tortured past of both Mr. de Winter and his home. 

The story is filled with scenes that almost lead you up to another piece of the mysterious puzzle, but then leave you hanging. This style is kind of unusual for modern day readers, where something shocking happens in nearly every chapter of a book or episode of a TV show. At first I found it a little underwhelming, but realized that once I got to the actual action it ended up being more exciting! 

Beyond that I found quite a lot of it depressing. I found the main character very meek and irritating. She NEVER stuck up for herself! She spent nearly the whole book being more of a narrator than anything else. Constantly obsessing about Mr. de Winter's first wife and how she stacked up, I found her pretty hard to relate to. I feel that Du Maurier created her that way intentionally though, as she is never given her own name. She is only ever referred to as Mrs. de Winter, after she is married. It was extremely strange to read a book from the point of view of a character with no name! This became a very interesting thing to think about while dissecting the novel later.

It is interesting to read an older book, this one being from the 30's, that eludes to activities that could not be written about plainly at the time. Like (I'm assuming,) sex, drugs and excessive drinking. I think that for those reasons it would be very interesting to see a movie interpretation of the novel, to see what they thought was being eluded to. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a recent movie version. Please make one BBC!! :)

Also, is it just me, or is Mrs. Danvers almost the creepiest literary figure ever?!? (picture above) I would not want to be near this woman!

The book more-or-less ended the way I expected it to, but I really enjoyed it.

Have you read Rebecca? 

What did you think of it and the main character? 

Have you seen any good movie or mini series interpretations of it?

There is also a "pre-quel" called Rebecca's Tale, which I own and might read. I think it will be a Wide Sargasso Sea to Jane Eyre sort of relationship. Very interesting, but not at the top of my list.

First Check off my Summer Reading List complete!

All for now,

Alexandra

Spice Up Your Summer Playlist!

In my never-ending search for new and interesting music, I found this fantastic album! 

I first heard about Rosemary Clooney on Gilmore Girls and soon after bought a clearance CD of hers. It was short, but it got me hooked. I wanted to add a new album of hers to my collection on a recent itunes purchase and came across this album. It was unique and didn't have any songs that I already owned. 

Here is what I found!

This album is full of Latin flavor and old stand-bys. It is extremely upbeat and irresistibly catchy! 

Some Favorites:

Corazon de Melon

Magic is the Moonlight

In a Little Spanish Town

Sway

The album is available for purchase on itunes for only $6.99!

Who doesn't love a song called Watermelon Heart?!

Download this and host a little outdoor fiesta this summer!

Or just sit back on the deck with a margarita.. :) 

You'll find yourself shimmying around the house singing "you're heart is a watermelon heart!" ... "just a watermelon heart!"

What is your favorite unusual music purchase?

All for now,

Alexandra

Summer Reading List 2013 // 2 Ways

Ah summer, time to read!

I've made 2 rough summer reading lists: the ambitious list and the lite list.

The Ambitious Summer Reading List

1) This Side of Paradise By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Started this once, and really loved it. Then I got busy and didn't have time to finish. I hope to get back into it this summer.

2) Mermaids: The Myths, Legends, & Lore  By: Skye Alexander

A (so far) awesome book filled with history and legends about mermaids. It gives you a look at where the mythology came from, all of the details recorded about mermaids, legends and tales from around the world by continent. I have always loved mythology and folktales and especially mermaids, so I am having a lot of fun with this book. I am learning a lot about the history and cultures of the places featured as well.

3) Frommer's Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island 

BECAUSE WE BOOKED A CRUISE TO THE MARITIME PROVINCES! (I'm not really excited or anything.)

4) Grayson By: Lynne Cox 

Just got this one. It's about a woman who is swimming in the ocean when she realizes she is swimming with a baby whale. She knows that if she swims to the beach the whale will beach and die. So she helps it search for it's mother. Supposedly a true story. The only thing that I love more than mermaids, is whales. 

5) Rebecca By: Daphne DuMaurier 

Look familiar from my 2010 summer book list?? ;) A gothic romance from the 1930's. Very creepy for the time. About 100 pages left and so far it's really depressing but simultaneously intriguing and I really want to check it off my list, so hopefully I can finish it!

6) Curly Girl: The Handbook (second addition) By: Lorraine Massey

A handbook on curly hair that helps you identify the type of curly hair that you have and gives you specific tips on how to fight frizz, wash it, etc plus which products to use and how you make your own. I hope that this helps my hair, because it's been kinda angry recently :S.

7)Who Are You? 101 Ways of Seeing Yourself By: Malcom Godwin

This was a book that I saw at the Discovery Store and wanted as a kid. There was also a similar one and I could only afford one of the two. I thought I would never find it again, but I did! :) It is a book of exercises and quizzes that theoretically give you insight into your personality. I find it interesting even though it's more fun than accurate.

8) Evangeline By: Ben Farmer

A book based on an epic poem based on Canadian Maritime Province history. Did that make sense? It's about the extreme deportation of Acadians (Canadian citizens who immigrated from specific parts of France) from the Maritime Provinces (see book #3 on my list) back to France, to Georgia and later to Louisiana. I started to learn some history of the area when we decided on our trip, only to find that I already had a novel based on the topic! Crazy.

9) Soul Sisters: The Five Sacred Qualities of a Woman's Soul By: Pythia Peay

This is a new-agey sort of book that is based on culture, spirituality and mythology of heroines around the world. Not my typical sort of book, but it sounds really interesting. I always enjoy learning about new topics and ideaology  so I am sure this will be really fun for me.

Summer Reading List Lite

The same list minus the F. Scott Fitzgerald (#1) and the Who Are you book (#7). 

Either way, we'll see how far I get! I will probably end up reading a bunch of other things and only half of these, but it's good to have goals. Goals and books. 

What is on your summer reading list? 

Have you read any of the ones on mine? What did you think?

Have you ever been to Canada's Maritime Provinces?

All for now,

Alexandra