Life imitates art?

For Black Friday, Mom and I decided to go to the movies.  Neither one of us had seen "Inception" yet - probably the last two people on the planet not to - and luckily there was ONE movie theatre left in the area that was still showing it.

I'd been wanting to see it since it first came out and EVERYONE started talking about it.  But somehow I never had a ride, or time, or money, or whatever, so I was looking forward to seeing it.  Traffic was a little crazy getting to the theatre, so we made in just as the previews were wrapping up, and before we knew it, we were wrapped up in the story.

Let me just say that all of the hype I'd heard about the film was not unfounded.  I was enthralled.  I was confused.  I was wondering if I would possible age as well as Leonardo DiCaprio (I mean, the man is nearly 40, and still looks amazing - and WHY hasn't he won an Academy Award yet??!).

So we're watching the movie and we get a little bit more than an hour and a half into it, and suddenly, just after the characters got to the "second dream level" and Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (aka my future husband ;)) are trying to dodge the subconscious projections, the filmstrip goes all wonky-sideways, and stops, and the corner of the film begins burning.  At first I thought, "Oh, crap."  And then I thought, "Oh!  It must be part of the movie - whoa, this film really IS deep!"  But the film remained stuck, and the burning corner began to turn black.....

About 5 minutes later, some audience members that had left to check things out came back in and said that the film was broken and wasn't going to get fixed, so they were giving free passes for us to come back.  All I could think was, "WHAT HAPPENS???!!"  Yeah, there was no way I was going to get any sleep until I found out the ending.

Thank goodness for IMDB, and the generous soul who posted an all-in-depth, spoiler-alert-filled synopsis.  I may know how it ends, but I still need to see it.  Hopefully January will hurry up and get here so that I can rent it.  At least I got to see the first half, so I can at least tell people that when they asked if I've seen it.  Even better, I not only got my brother's awesome reaction when I called him to tell him about it, but I now have this awesome story as well.
It's yet again one of those experiences that make you wonder, "Seriously?!  Seriously??!"
Then again, maybe it was all only a dream...... ;)

I'm a little obsessed.....

My friend posted this video on Facebook today, and I was instantly hooked.  I just can't get enough of this guy
.

 
Eat your heart out, Katy Perry.

(Check out some of his other awesome videos here.)

Best Date Ever

When I was little, I used to go for Daddy-Daughter dates, when just me and my Dad would plan something fun to do.  And of course, in my family, this usually involved a treat or food of some kind.  When we lived in Albany, one of our favorite places to go to was Toll Gate.

They had the most amazing ice cream, and I have many fond memories of going there with Dad for an ice cream cone or a malt shake.  (To this day, I have yet to find another place that has better chocolate ice cream - theirs is truly A-MAZING.)  Even though I could barely see all of the flavors over the counter, I didn't need to because I usually got chocolate - and Dad would usually have to "trim" my cone to keep from dripping (although I think he really just wanted a taste!).

We may not live near Toll Gate anymore, but last month Dad and I had one of the best Daddy-Daughter dates ever.  To celebrate my recent graduation from BYU, Dad surprised me with reservations at Victoria & Albert's, the Five-Diamond Award-winning restaurant at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. 

I'd only heard stories about this place from when Dad took my sisters there when I was on my mission, but nothing could prepare me for the remarkable and extraordinary experience that was in store.  Our reservation was for early evening, so after getting all dressed up (per the restaurant's dress code), we headed over to the Grand Floridian.

(This place is on my Bucket List of hotels I want to stay at someday!)

We hadn't even entered the hotel yet when the royal treatment began with complimentary valet parking.  Well-dressed young men opening the car door and helping me out of the car?  A girl could get used to that kind of treatment! 

We had some time to spare before our reservation, so we took in the beautiful lobby area and Dad used his photog skills to snap some pictures.







This place is so detailed and intricately decorated, from the carpet to the ceiling.

 Before the piano player (shown at the piano in the above left photo) began his set, he was kind enough to take a picture of me and Dad all dressed up.

 

 (Notice the band set up behind me - they were playing when we entered the hotel.  Just like out of a movie!)










The restaurant's on the second floor, and when we entered and gave them our reservation, the hostess welcomed us warmly and even congratulated me on my graduation.

After seating us, the waiter brought out a purse hook for me and a tuffet for Dad's camera bag.  That was the first time I ever ate at a restaurant that offered a tuffet! 







 

 Victoria & Albert's menu changes, but each patron gets their own personalized menu as a souvenir.  (It's so nice when you're name is spelled right!)  Our waiter went over the menu options, and we were left with the difficult task of choosing which dish we wanted for each course.

***Since we were too shy to take pictures of our dishes, many of these pictures I got off of Google.  Some great ones can be found at http://mealsandmiles.com/2010/04/25/foodbuzz-242424-a-dining-experience-at-victoria-alberts/, and Victoria & Albert's official website.

After the Amuse-Bouche, I started with the balsamic charred cuttlefish with watermelon and tomatoes, and Dad chose the Applewood smoked buffalo "waldorf."

My cuttlefish dish (I got this off of another website, and for some reason I'm not smart enough to figure out how to rotate it...)

 For the next dish I went with the Vegetable ash-crusted halibut.  The fish was blackened, so it didn't look like much, but it tasted incredible.  Especially because it was paired with butter clams and corn chowder, on top of a potato slice.  Talk about a party for the taste buds - the chowder was so creamy and went beautifully with the halibut.  Dad chose the sake-soy-marinated salmon with bok choy and soy beans - a very different dish from mine, but equally scrumptious!

 

When Gina had eaten here a few years ago, she'd had the duck, so I picked that as my next course.  It was prepared three different ways - duck breast, duck sausage, and confit with strawberry and rhubarb.  Each one was so different, but oh so good!  I was in awe of how thinly a strawberry could be sliced (see picture below).

Dad's dish was the roulade of ocala rabbit with pistachios and apricots, which he really enjoyed.  Throughout the meal, they brought out different breads paired with various homemade butters.

The first was a traditional French bread paired with unsalted butter, the next was a savory herb bread with pumpkin-flavored butter, and last was a multi-grain loaf and salted butter. 



















I was a little unsure what to have for the next course, but when I put in my order, the waited emphatically suggested the lamb, and I was so grateful for his recommendation because it was amazing!  Definitely one of my favorite dishes of the night (along with the halibut).  Since it was the main course, it was a little bit bigger than the other dishes.  It came with asparagus, too, which were perfectly blanched, making it the perfect dish overall. 


The restaurant manager came around to greet each patron, and he congratulated me on my graduation, even bringing a homemade gnocchi in the shape of an asparagus.  He and the rest of the staff made it such a personal, special evening - I felt like a movie star!

But the dishes just kept on coming!  After the main course, we had the choice of cheese or gelato - three guesses as to which these Italians picked!  The gelato was a white chocolate flavored covered generously with fresh white chocolate shavings, and topped with an edible orchid.  The gelato and chocolate were AMAZING!  Creamy and sweet, but not too rich.  The orchid pretty much tasted like a plant. 



THEN came dessert.  Before which came Dad's coffee, that came to our table in this little contraption where the coffee brews right at the table.  I don't drink coffee, but the scent of it as it brewed added a cozy feeling to the already-intimate and relaxed atmosphere.  Being chocolate lovers, we chose the chocolate mousse for dessert, which was shaped like a pyramid and came with fresh strawberries, a dark chocolate-champagne-chambord truffle, and chocolate ganache.  We finally overcame our shyness (or maybe it was our preoccupation with the incredible food!) and took some pictures of our dreamy desserts.

Photo taken by one of our servers.  (Notice Dad's coffee pot on the left, and my purse hook on the right!)

By the time dessert was through, I was starting to approach my wall, but the food still didn't stop.  They brought out bite sized treats - a chocolate filled with caramel, a pumpkin tart, and a strawberry jelly for each of us. 







Each woman gets a rose as part of her evening there, and not only did I get a beautiful long-stemmed red rose, but our waiter brought out a gift bag containing a fruit-and-nut bread from the Grand Floridian bakery as part of my graduation celebration.

It was truly a wonderful evening, right out of a dream!  It was so much fun to talk and laugh with Dad, just the two of us - just as fun and as special as the Daddy-Daughter dates from when I was younger.  The evening definitely was among one of my favorite memories of being with Dad.

Outside the restaurant after our meal.

My goody bag. :)

Some things never change

When I was four years old, my favorite movie was "The Wizard of Oz."  I absolutely LOVED it - and desperately wanted to be Dorothy Gale.  Specifically, Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale.  I felt I could relate to her - she had brown hair and brown eyes (liked me), loved dogs, liked to sing, wore pretty dresses, liked to have adventures, and wore cool shoes.

Seriously, how could you not love her?  And don't get me started on the dog.









I always wanted to dress up just like Dorothy, and so when Halloween came around, I finally got my chance.

(The Karate Kid behind me is my big brother, Joe.)  My parents were always the best at helping us put together the greatest  costumes, and as luck would have it, that year we found a little dress and blouse that would work perfectly for Dorothy.  Since I was only four, it was difficult to find some authentic-looking ruby slippers, PLUS this was before Target moved into town where you can buy glittery shoes all-year-round.  Add in the fact that I didn't want to be slowed down by uncomfortable shoes - especially since that was the year that we were going trick-or-treating in my cousins' neighborhood (which was so busy, people didn't wait for kids to ring their doorbell, they'd just take off their screen and sit by the front door doling out candy by the fistfuls to all the kids).  So, I decided on some very practical moccasins.  Okay, they were pink, but honestly I could care less.
With my Pound Puppy as Toto (in my pink plastic basket from a previous Easter), I made sure to have Mom braid my hair like Dorothy's, and I was all set.  Sure, the real Dorothy had longer hair, and RED shoes, and her socks weren't yellow.....but to me, that was one of my favorite Halloweens.  Everyone recognized me as  I went trick-or-treating, and I can still remember the feel of the pavement under my feet as I pounded the neighborhood in those moccasins. 

Now fast-forward twenty-four years (you do the math).  It's autumn, and my Dad said that he had received an invitation to the All Hallows' Ball, a big annual shindig in Tampa.  The whole party is invitation only, and so he tells me that he'd like ME to go along as his guest!  (I felt like Charlie Brown in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" when Lucy tells him they want him to be their model:  "ME?!  You want me?!")

Dad deliberated over what we should go as, but thanks to the wonders of on-line shopping, he found me a costume that brought out my inner four-year-old.

This time my shoes were not only red, but totally blinging.  My basket was straw (and not pink), and my hair was a little longer.  But I felt just as special as Dorothy this time around as I did twenty-four years ago.  People still recognized who I was (it didn't matter that this time it was guys in thongs as opposed to neighborhood homeowners), and I had a ball.

I'm living proof that the fun doesn't end when you grow up.  It only gets more sparkly. :)

Me with Daddy as my Lollipop Guild Munchkin (nicknamed "Snappy")

3 Years

This past Monday marked the 3 year anniversary of my homecoming from serving as a missionary in the Illinois Peoria Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On the day I got home - with our late dog, Lucas (he remembered me!)

I never imagined that I would be a full-time missionary, but during a period of my life when I was feeling particularly unsure about the direction of my life, my bishop at the time suggested that I serve a mission.  Previously, whenever someone would suggest that, I would get a little freaked out - but this time, I knew that it was EXACTLY what I needed to do, and wanted to do with all of my heart.

About 7 months after deciding to serve a mission, I arrived in the Illinois Peoria Mission - which was the best mission in the world (I don't care what anybody else says!).

The plaque outside the mission office.

I never knew corn fields could be so beautiful....

For 18 months, I traveled throughout central Illinois and northeastern Missouri, teaching the AMAZING people there why we're here on the earth, where we came from before we were born, and where we go after this life is through - also known as our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness - which all centers around the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  It was the most glorious experience of my life as I grew to love the good people of the towns in which I served, and my Savior who was the reason I was there.  (For more about what Mormons believe, check this out.)

("Gentle Healer" copyright Greg Olsen)

I was blessed to meet the most incredible people, especially my "long-lost twin" Lisa, who was one of the other missionaries with which I served.  She became the best friend that I'd been wanting since my childhood - and she was definitely worth the 20-plus year wait!

(we seriously had so much fun together)

I also had the great blessing of serving under the leadership of President Brent L. Top and his wife, Sister Wendy Top, and serving with other amazing missionaries, like Elder and Sister Rich -

I was blessed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with some truly amazing people

With Laura on her baptism day

With the Browns - one of the greatest families ever!

There were times when I felt that I didn't quite measure up....

And found myself in some interesting situations....

But "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass", and I witnessed that the tender mercies of the Lord truly ARE over all of his children.
I really can't put it any better than the great missionary Ammon declared in the Book of Mormon:
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."



I can't believe that it was three years ago - twice the length of the mission itself.  It still remains one of the greatest, most cherished experiences in my life.

Three years later, and my mission continues to bless my life in the most amazing ways.  God truly has been so good to me - and so I "will praise his name forever."

"Walk with Me" by Greg Olsen