My boyfriend has proposed! And how romantic it was...on the beach at our favorite location! We're engaged and I'm glowing with happiness!!


Forever n Always!

Summer!!!!

This weekend Summer will officially be HERE!!! I don't know whether I want to make a "Summer" to do list or just go with the flow. There are many things I want to do and places I want to go and I want to make sure I do and see some of them. Of coarse many people want to head to the beach during the summer, some don't, but I am definitely one of the many that do. Right now the sand, ocean, boardwalk, rides and just the whole atmosphere of it all are number one on my "Summer" to do list. I need to dip my feet into the sand and feel the grains run beneath my toes. I need to dive into the ocean and see if I am brave enough to adventure into the deep waters. I want to stroll down the boardwalk with my boyfriend's hand in mine while we search for the perfect Summer beach bracelet. I want to scream at the top of my lungs on the log flume when I'm the only one who gets drenched because I'm six feet tall!!
I want to get away from all the chaos of life and wish my worries away. I want to run away and have lazy summer days forever. Lately all I can think of is swimming in the pool, burying the kids in the sand, taking a late night walk on the beach with my boyfriend, and letting the wind blow through my hair while I'm stopped high atop the ferris wheel.
I write this entry as a tribute to Summer: here's to tank tops, shorts, bathing suits, flip-flops, beach towels, sandcastles, boogie boards, salt water taffy, and everything summer.

"Wicked"

I heard that the broadway musical "Wicked" is magical and a must see. In March we tried to get tickets for a May showing but they were sold out. Now I am waiting for next May's tickets to go on sale. A few weeks ago at a yard sale I picked up the book from which the musical was inspired. I am a hundred pages in and feel like I am 300 pages deep. The book is filled with astonishing details and such imaginative words. I love the way the author, Gregory Maguire, has given a voice to the Wicked Witch of the West; where she has come from, why her skin is green, and who she really is. This is definitely a "can't put it down" book. "The Wizard of Oz" has been a childhood memory for many people for many years. In 1900 Lyman Frank Baum wrote the original "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and in 1939 Judy Garland graced the screen as Dorothy Gale. 95 years later Maguire twists the story around and shows the world a new side of Oz. He makes his reader feel a connection towards the vixen who has been hated for so many years after keeping our little Dorothy captive in her castle.

I know that Maguire has great inspiration from the orginal "Oz", but what made him want to give the green-skinned witch a voice? Some might question why he is giving evil a voice and wonder why we should listen to her side of the story. So far I have discovered that everyone deserves to be heard, no matter how green their skin is. Every child deserves a chance in this world no matter where they were raised or how much money their family has. I will continue on through the magical pages and dare to step inside "The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West"