Musicals and Memories

63.  School district jobs - with time off in the summer
64.  Fans & swamp coolers
65.  Early mornings (especially when you don't have to go anywhere)
66.  Did I say musicals?

I want to say that "Wicked" is one of my favorite musicals ever. . . . but I think I remember saying that last summer after going to see "Annie Get Your Gun". . .  and of course I would also say the same about anything connected to "The Music Man", which will always be a favorite.   I also want to see "Les Miserables", which my daughter-in-law says is her favorite.  So, I think perhaps "favorites" have to do with what you happen to be experiencing at the moment.  Kind of like ice cream or frozen yogurt flavors. . . chocolate, coffee, jamoca almond fudge, orange dreamsicle, oregon blackberry, strawberry cheesecake. . . . . well, that list certainly could go on and on!!

Woody and I got to go to Sacramento for a "date weekend" last Friday night and Saturday, which is where we saw "Wicked". . . (for the second time).  We had seats way up in the highest balcony, which we weren't too excited about at first.  But let me tell you. . . .it didn't make a bit of difference. . . actually, they were great seats. . . .right in the middle. . . . and being so high up and far back gave a great perspective of the big picture.  I have always loved the story of the Wizard of Oz, and also read Tik Tok of Oz, and Rinkitink in Oz when I was a little girl.  I still have old copies of these books(copyrighted 1914 and 1916).  With that history, my expectations of this musical were pretty high. . . . and I was not disappointed. . . even seeing it for the second time.  A favorite line. . . . Elphaba to Glinda. . . "Well, we can't all come and go in a bubble!"  Which maybe can only be appreciated after you've seen the show, or at least the movie Wizard of Oz. 

It is hard sometimes when we go to musicals.  Woody and I both get emotional at random times, seemingly unrelated to the musical story line.  I think it is just knowing how much Sara loved musicals, both watching them and participating on stage.  She loved "Wicked", and often said she wished she could play Glinda.  We even named our GPS Glinda when we bought it in San Francisco, as we tried to navigate all the medical facilities we had to find with Sara that first summer after she was diagnosed with cancer. 

The other good memory from being at that theater in Sacramento was the last time we all went to a musical together as a family.  I think it was the Christmas of 2006, when all the kids came home and we went to Sacramento to see "White Christmas", another family favorite (of the girls' anyway).  We tease Brady and Brett every year we have Christmas together that we are going to make them watch it.     

67.  Good memories