We Invite You to Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy...The Nutcracker

As I reflect on a year of planning, four months of weekly rehearsals, two days of theater preparation and tech rehearsals, one dress rehearsal, and three shows (followed by three days of sorting, editing, and posting photos and writing end-of-the-season assessments)...I'm tired. 

I'm also proud. Proud of our dancers for their hard work and perseverance. Proud of our volunteers for their hard work and "can do" attitude. Proud of all those who, despite challenges, showed up day after day - with smiles on their faces - to get their jobs done. Proud we filled a massive auditorium with ballet-, theatre-, and arts-loving patrons THREE times. And proud we managed to get a show to the stage for our patrons to enjoy this holiday season. 

I've talked in the past about how this blog, while initially only an ongoing series about how we adjusted to a new way of life in a new state, has over the years become a legacy for my kids as well...a place where they can one day read about their lives. Nutcracker doesn't have a whole lot to do with adjusting to our life in a new state, but it most certainly is a part of our lives I want Hallie to remember. So here's this year's recap.

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A few weeks before the actual show, we start doing outreach performances throughout the community as well as radio spots and television interviews. This year I wrote my first radio spot while Hallie was involved in most of the performances and lucky enough to be included in one of the television interviews.

The girls with the reporter...

...and with their beloved Ms. Suzanne, one of our Ballet
Brazos Artistic Directors, who joined them for the interview.

You can watch the interview here - Hallie talks and dances during the two-minute spot!

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Theater week included lots of "boots on the ground" work, plus two tech rehearsals and a dress rehearsal. These two wore different Nutcracker shirts to school every single day that week to help promote the production.

Working on Front of House decorations.

Modeling the Pointe Angel headpiece as we were
trying get the right photo of it to use for Publicity.

Hallie and Savannah helped Tom fix the sleigh lights.
It was an epic late-night, last-minute, save-the-day,
talk-about-about-it-for-years-to-come moment. 

While working, Tom tried to lighten the mood (this all went down at
9:15pm on "show eve" so everyone backstage was pretty tense) by
yelling, "someone get me the Sugar Plum Fairy!" as if he needed her
help to fix the problem. Not everyone gets his sense of humor, so this
is a shoutout to Sarah-Beth, who completely understood Tom in that
moment and laughed. So thanks, Sarah-Beth. 😉

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Then came the shows - one on Friday night, one on Saturday afternoon, and one on Saturday evening. The days were LONG (Friday in particular, as we arrived at 8am and left at 9:45pm), but we knew from experience that the week would be over in a heartbeat and we did our best to soak in everything Nutcracker while we could. 

This was Hallie's first year to have two roles. She was tremendously proud of this honor, and LOVED dancing in the Spanish Corps...I think you can see her joy - as well as theatricality and her Spanish flare - on her face in many of these pictures.

Here we go!

Warming up...with Kathryn Morgan (far left) and George
Sanders (front/center). (Hallie is behind George to his left.)

Hallie's bestie, Kara, was honored to play Clara this
year. I looked out onto the stage just before the overture
began on opening night and caught this beautiful moment.
Hallie was SO proud of Kara. (And Kara CRUSHED it.)

I'm not crying, you're crying.

All of the Party Girl dresses have names. Last year Hallie wore
Blueberry Muffin...this year she wore Mint Chocolate Chip.

Party Girls ready to go!

Let's Party! (Check out the photo bomber
on the far right - we love you, George!)

~

It's hard to say goodbye and leave the theater on Saturday night, knowing it'll be a full year before we take the stage again for Nutcracker. 

Hallie with Kathryn Morgan and George Sanders. Both are 
talented dancers, but more importantly, both are good people
who are good role models and are "fighting the good fight" to
make ballet accessible for and representative of all dancers.

Hallie with her fabulous Ballet Academy
and first company director, Ms. Christi.

Hallie's grandmas couldn't attend this year, one because
of illness and one because of a funeral. Nonny (her name
is Brenda, but we've called her Nonny since the day we met
her), who is mom to my bestie, Mandi, and grandma to
Hallie's bestie, Kara, stepped in. Hallie felt so loved and
I felt so grateful. Thank you, Nonny - we love you!

Hallie and Avery with their beloved Ballet
Academy instructors, Mr. John and Ms. Aya.

Hallie and Nina 😍

Hallie and her instructor and
choreographer for Spanish, Ms. Diane. 

Hallie and Ms. Suzanne, the founder of Hallie's
dance studio and our Ballet Brazos Artistic Director.

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One of my favorite pics from the weekend!

John and Tom (with matching hair) plus Will, who
willingly took Hallie's dance bag home after the last show so
she'd have less to carry and opted to keep it on for the photo.

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The reason I spend countless hours on this endeavor:

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The two people I wouldn't want to do this without:

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And the series y'all have (probably) been waiting for:

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

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That's a wrap, friends. We're tired...and we're already dreaming about next year.

Wish Me Anything You Want

Portions of the content below appeared on Chasing Roots last December, and the December before, and the December before that. I believe that this post - with a few updates - and its overarching message deserve a share every time the season for "wishing" arrives. 

I grew up in an ethnically and religiously diverse community. Because of the plethora of religions supported, holidays celebrated, and traditions followed (and not supported, celebrated, and followed, for that matter - the Freedom From Religion Foundation began and is still based there), and because my hometown has earned its reputation as "the land of the perpetually offended", very little related to religious holidays could be found in public buildings and schools throughout my childhood years. We never sang Christmas carols or wore Santa hats in school, and in 1987, the Christmas tree that had stood proudly in the State Capitol rotunda every December since 1918 was renamed a Holiday tree in an attempt to make the building feel more inclusive and to avoid conflict.

To be clear, I understand why the tree was renamed. A Christmas tree in the State Capitol building is hardly a separation of church and state. It's not the point of my post though, so I'm moving on.

In 2011, Governor Walker re-renamed the tree, this time back to a Christmas tree. "It's a diverse state," Walker explained. "I think it's a reflection of the many wonderful traditions in the State of Wisconsin." During the month of December, the Capitol rotunda also hosted a Menorah, Festivus trees, and a nativity scene mocking Christmas, so it seemed a wide variety of people were "represented" in their State Capitol building.

Again to clarify, I understand why the tree was re-renamed. Just changing the name of an object long associated with a religious holiday doesn't necessarily lessen the association between the two. It's not the point of my post either though, so I'm moving on again.

In 2019, and try to keep up here, Governor Evers re-re-renamed (no, I'm not kidding) the tree, this time back to a Holiday tree. 

Obviously I'm moving on again, but I wanted to first make sure those of you who read this post every year know where things stand - and this is updated as of 2022 - with the Wisconsin State Capitol tree.

Pretty...and pretty controversial.

Growing up, I learned to wish people "Happy Holidays" during the month of December. I used this phrase, and this phrase exclusively, until a few years ago, not because it's lovely and inclusive (though it IS lovely and inclusive, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with wishing someone happy holidays), but because I honestly worried about offending someone.

I now live in a completely different kind of community from the one in which I grew up, so out of curiosity, a few years ago I ran an (uncontrolled) experiment. While shopping and running errands during the two weeks leading up to Christmas, I recorded what people "wished" me. I didn't track what they said when I spoke first (because people often respond by repeating whatever phrase they hear), only what they said when they spoke first. I expected to find that in my current community, I would hear "Merry Christmas" most of the time. On the flip side, I expected to find that once I arrived in my hometown, I would hear "Happy Holidays" - or a wide variety of holiday wishes - most of the time.

Imagine my surprise when here in Texas I heard "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" an equivalent number of times. I was even more surprised when in Wisconsin I heard the two phrases almost an equivalent number of times again.

Tom would have me review my methods, analyze my data using formulas and equations, and submit my results to you in the form of a journal article, formal paper, and presentation, but there's a reason he's a professor and I'm not. I don't care to do any of that; I don't really even want to think about my incorrect predictions.

I do, however, want to focus on how wonderful it felt to be wished anything at all. I celebrate Christmas, but would never take offense if someone wished me Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanza or even just Happy Winter. I would never complain about someone wishing me happiness, in any way, shape, or form.

I love that my current community now embraces "Happy Holidays" along with "Merry Christmas". And I love that my hometown community seems to be moving toward the same place of acceptance.

The beauty is in the wishing, folks. So with a kind heart, wish people a happy whatever-you-want - Christmas, Hanukkah, Full Moon, Tuesday, winter - and with a graceful heart, accept whatever they feel moved to wish you.

High Five for Friday (12.9.22)

 

One

Our family's newest driver now has his own car! He contributed to the purchase, and we covered the rest of the cost as most of his birthday and Christmas presents. 

Will desperately wanted a small, used, manual transmission vehicle, so we asked him to find one. He first located one in Houston and it sold out from under him, but he - with Tom in tow - acted quickly enough when he located a second one in Austin and was able to drive it home the Tuesday before Thanksgiving...which was also my birthday. So for my birthday, I bought my son a car. 😂

Will managed to get his school parking pass the day before two-a-day soccer practices started, which meant that while I still had to wake up at 5:45am to make sure he actually got out of bed (he's slept through every alarm we've ever tried), I didn't have to drive him to school before 6am. Hallelujah!

Two

Our house is fully decorated for Christmas! Hallie and I did most of the decorating on my birthday, and then all four of us finished the tree the following morning. 

The kittens are living their best lives climbing the tree, breaking ornaments, eating fake pine needles, and dragging the tree skirt to different rooms in the house. Popeye also unwrapped a present by gnawing through the wrapping paper...and then also gnawing through the book's dustcover and the book itself. Needless to say, the intended recipient of said book will be gifted something else and no additional wrapped presents will be placed under the tree until immediately prior to opening. We all love how the house feels in December though, so no one is complaining about having to repeatedly pull the kittens out of the tree, off of the kitchen table, and off of any other surface where I've tried to store or hide anything related to Christmas.

One night's worth of havoc.

But so pretty...

...and so handsome.

Three

We spent Thanksgiving in Dallas with Tom's aunt and uncle; two of Tom's cousins; one cousin's husband, son, and sister-in-law; and Tom's parents. Our visit was brief and somewhat complicated (Tom and Hallie went Wednesday, Will and I went Thursday, Hallie and I came home Friday, and Tom and Will headed to Austin for a College Showcase soccer tournament on Saturday), but it was lovely to see everyone. I took zero pictures, but Tom captured these two:

Tom and Hallie made a stop in Ferris, Texas.

Hallie and Ben - look at his face as he watches and listens
to her read. The two of them had fun hanging out together. 

Four

The weekend before our Nutcracker, we - along with many of our dance/mom friends - traveled to The Woodlands to see another studio's production of The Nutcracker..."starring" the girls' ballet instructor, Mr. John (Reid). He did a fantastic job, and the girls LOVED watching him on stage.

Five

Happiness Highlights

They both arrived for a Sunday afternoon playdate
wearing - unplanned - the exact same outfit. And
then rocked out to Hamilton for two straight hours. 

I finally convinced Hallie that we didn't need to keep storing
her third grade flamingo habitat project. She agreed to get rid
of it, but only if I took commemorative photos first.

Same with the diorama of the water cycle.

Hallie and I love our "night walks" during the Christmas season.

Stay (as) little (as possible)...

Their friend Paloma came to visit over Thanksgiving break!

Molly (my parents' cat, who we fostered
about a year ago) LOVES the World Cup.

Chris (the elf) arrived, bringing with
him advent calendars and new pajamas. 

Stunning.
(Photo courtesy of Ari Jones Photography)

So proud of how hard she's worked to get to this pointe. 😉
(Photo courtesy of Art Jones Photography)

Happy weekend, friends! 

Stay tuned for all things Nutcracker next week! 😉

Monthly Medley: November 2022

 

Writing

After penning many (at least by my standards) articles in August, September, and October, I took November off from writing except for the blog posts I shared here. I'm headed "back to work" in December, as I have January deadlines looming, but I truly appreciated the break.

Reading

I thought I would read more in November, but it seems I filled the time I would have spent writing not with reading but with...I don't even know. There just aren't enough hours in the day. 

I plan to return (to the library) the two books I started and then check them back out the following day, provided no one else has reserved them. I had already renewed each of them once, so renewal wasn't an option - hoping I can finish both in December!

Watching

Midway through the month Hallie and I decided that we would watch only Christmas (or Christmas-adjacent) television and movies through Christmas Day. Here's a quick review of what we've tackled thus far this holiday season! 

Disenchanted (Disney+) - both Hallie and I enjoyed this sequel to Disney's 1993 Enchanted, but in true sequel fashion, it wasn't quite as good as the original. Grade: B+

Falling for Christmas (Netflix) - Lindsay Lohan makes me sad, but I still kind of liked this incredibly predictable and sappy Christmas movie...maybe because I kind of like incredibly predictable and sappy Christmas movies. Grade: C+

Christmas...Again?! (Netflix) - This movie was also somewhat predictable, but it was cute and clever, in a Freaky Friday meets Groundhog Day kind of way. Hallie was on the high end of the target age bracket, as it seemed geared more toward young tweens. Grade: B

Single All the Way (Netflix) - Predictable? Yes. Fun, funny, and refreshing? Also yes. Hallie and I knew within the first five minutes how this one would end, but we loved watching it anyway. Grade: A- 

Merry, Happy, Whatever (Netflix) - This short television series won't win any awards and I probably could have skipped it (it's not Dennis Quaid's best work, that's for sure), but Hallie liked it and I appreciated how its creators managed to cram just about every different kind of disfunction into one family's week-long holiday gathering. Grade: C

Virgin River (Netflix) - Not Christmas-adjacent, but I started it before our Christmas/Christmas-adjacent rule... Watching Virgin River was the closest I've come to binging a show in more than a year - once I started it I just couldn't stop. And OH was I mad when I realized there were only four seasons and not five, as I'd originally thought. (They're filming a season five, but it's not out yet.) Grade: A

Listening To

Christmas music, of course!

When it comes to podcasts, I'm caught up on those I listen to regularly so I'm trying The Home Edit's (Clea and Joanna) new Best Friend Energy podcast. After listening to two episodes, the verdict is still out...I'll report back when I've had a chance to hear them chat with a few additional guests.

Following

Sadly, I have no one new to recommend this month as none of the pages and/or personalities - and I sampled quite a few - lived up to my standards for sharing here and all were deleted within a few day/couple of weeks. Hopefully December will produce better results!

Trying/Using

I think I'll have MANY fun recommendations to share in December's medley, but because I just received these goodies for my birthday at the end of November, I want to wait until I'm 100% positive they're winners before I post them here. That said, one of my birthday gifts has already won us all over:

It's an Echo Show, and aside from the fact that we can't seem to un-sync it from the Alexa in Hallie's room, I love it.

We - and by we, I mean Popeye - are also incredibly happy with this adorable cat scratcher from Chewy. (They don't have this exact cat scratcher anymore, but they have a few that are similar.) It's great for scratching, of course, but Popeye in particular loves to rest on the side of its base closest to the fire.

Wearing

Because November - into December - is Nutcracker season, I bought this lovely Nutcracker lightweight sweatshirt from Little Mama Shirt Shop. (I also bought this Grinch tee because it was just too cute.) I highly recommend this shop - it's mom/family-owned and -operated, and the products are always of a high quality and shipped quickly.

Eating/Drinking

I'm embarrassed by the amount of cooking I've (not) done this month. I know I'll get back to trying new recipes, but right now the staples - spaghetti, tacos, bagged salads, breakfast for dinner, etc. - are getting us through. I miss having more time in the kitchen...

I have discovered, however, two wonders in the semi-fast food realm. First, the smoothie bowls at Juice It Up - my favorite so far is the Strawberry Wave with strawberries, banana, and granola on top. Second, nachos - with the chips on the side (so all of nacho toppings in a dish that you can dip into) - from Freebirds. I could go to Juice It Up for lunch and Freebirds for dinner every day this month and be completely satisfied.

Feeling Good About

Holding hands with otters? Yes please.

Movie night with the puppers? Also yes.

And I still love the "life hacks" guy - I'm so happy he continues to show us how to best do life.

Happy belated Thanksgiving, happy end of November, and happy December, friends!

High Five for the Nutcracker

Today's the day, friends...Ballet Brazos' 11th annual production of The Nutcracker Ballet opens tonight!

We still have tickets available for all three shows, and they can be purchased through the MSC Box Office online, over the phone, or in person. We hope you'll join us and experience the magic of The Nutcracker Ballet for yourself.

Hallie and her fellow dancers have dedicated hours and hours to their rehearsals - and the Ballet Brazos team and I have worked incredibly hard this fall (all year, really) - in order to bring this show to the stage. In honor of our opening tonight, here are five Nutcracker "high fives" - five of my favorite Nutcracker moments.  

Hallie and Avery's first year (Kara had been a Party Little Sister
before). They were six years old and the most adorable Magic Mice.

Two years later, they were Battle Mice and LOVED dancing with
the amazing Dominick Oliver (our Mouse King and Lead Russian).

Tom's first year of involvement as the
(unofficial) "master of sleigh lights" 

My first year working backstage (and one of Hallie's favorite years
as a Polichinelle). I've grown to love this volunteer role, and I can't
imagine being a part of the show from anywhere except the wings.

Last year's party girls, all dressed and ready to party! This
scene was SO much fun to be a part of - such fond memories.

Bonus #1 - part of what makes The Nutcracker such a great
experience for me are the people with whom I get to work and play. 

Bonus #2 - this picture documents the first time Will ever brought
flowers to a girl, and marked the beginning of this holiday tradition. 

I hope to see you at The Nutcracker this weekend (remember, we have three shows for you to choose from), but if I don't, I'll see you on the other side!