Someday my Duke Will Come

My niece, Skylee has her own bedroom in my house. She has fully taken over one of the sets of bunk beds that once slept those precious aliens. We have decorated 'her bathroom' and she has toys and books and clothes and tooth brushes and hair clips and her own space. Its nice that sometimes I can just pick her up from her mom or dad and she can just stay over - no bag necessary. We even have a bedtime ritual. After pajamas and teeth brushing, she takes her place on the top bunk and I lay on the bottom bunk with the lights off and we tell stories. Skylee is 6. The stories that interest her all take place in a land far away with castles and Princesses and fairies and Princes...and one very important element - all of the Stories must have a character named Skylee. The many adventures of Princess Skylee have taken us to many castles with many Princes, Fairy Godmothers, Grand Balls, Beautiful Dresses and Happily Ever Afters. Sometimes, Aunt Jen appears in the Stories - but since I am not Princess Skylees mother, the Queen, I am deemed the Duchess. I am Duchess Jen. Of course, I am the grandest of Duchesses.

In the heat of one of Skylees very detailed and involved stories of make believe - when Duchess Jen again arrived at the Ball alone. I said, "Hey! Where is my Duke?" Skylee hesitated, she said "ummm" a few times and said, "you can't be married!" I protested, and tried to reason with the 6 year old above me - 'but you aren't married and Princess Skylee always has a Prince!'. Then, I asked a very serious question, 'Skylee, don't you want me to get married?' And she said, 'well, ummm, no." She got very quiet as I said - 'Why don't you want me to get married? 'you could be praying to help me find a husband!' And she peeked her head over the edge of the bunk bed and looked down at me and said - 'because I like it just you and me. And if you got married, I wouldn't be able to sleep over. And I what if your husband doesn't like me?!" Ahhh....well, I told sweet, but worried Skylee that all the Dukes in the world would love her and that I could never marry anyone that didn't like her. And I told her we would still have fun all by ourselves, and we would kick my husband out and make a "Girls Only" sign for the door for story time. And she became convinced that it was okay for Duchess Jen to have a Duke.

Story time has become more interesting as now, she lets me pick the name of the Duke vying for Duchess Jen's attention each time and she sometimes has the Prince and Duke fight over Princess Skylee until the Duke meets Duchess Jen. On our last story telling night, my story was about how Princess Skylee lost all of her money and she had to live as a pauper and work in a shoe store to make money to fix up her castle. Princess Skylee had magic skills to find the right and most beautiful shoes for all the people in her town and she changed her stars. Skylee's story had Princess Skylee morphing into a fairy periodically to help a Duke realize that he loved Duchess Jen, and the fairy put a magic spell on the Duke and it accidentally got her precious Prince too - and they both fell in love with Duchess Jen. Oh no! The spell wore off and all was right with the world...but I am in love with her earnest storytelling match making for me..and for herself.

When we were saying prayers that first night I convinced her that a Duke would be a GOOD thing, she offered this, "Please bless Jen to find someone to marry, and bless that he will like her... and me."


Someday my Duke will come and I know he will love Princess Skylee.



PS - I would be totally okay with my Duke looking a little like Flynn Rider.

PPS - Happy Birthday to my lil sister Nichole - who always credits her interest in music and singing to wanting to sing and be like me, but whose development of her amazing vocal instrument has me wanting, now, to be like her.

The Good Samaritan

Some years ago, I was visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris with my family. Truth be told, I am terrified of heights - and at the time, I was NOT keen on admitting it. (Much more keen now...obviously). So, I 'volunteered' to stay on the ground with my 1 year old niece who was sleeping soundly in her stroller. Everyone left their 'excess' bags and stuff with me - so I was loaded up with stacks of bags and sitting on a bench for a great while. The area around the bottom of the Eiffel Tower is just a big cemented area, surrounded by large grids of grass, bushes and flowers with cement benches randomly throughout. That day there were a great many meandering people entering and exiting the tower and milling about, so I purposely chose a bench on the outskirts of the area, so it was the most quiet.

My cute niece began to stir and I tilted the stroller back and was rocking the stroller gently to keep her sleeping, when I saw them. 3 or 4 hoodlum-esque young men had just entered the area - leather clad, tatooed with some interesting piercings- but the reason I noticed them - was that one of them was carrying a music box on his shoulder and it was blaring (does it date me more to call it a music box or a ghettoblaster???) They were walking right toward me with all their noise and rambunctiousness. I began to scramble to gather everyone's 'stuff' to relocate, when the young Italian (I'm guessing, it sounded like Italian (not French) that they were speaking) man carrying the music, noticed me and the stroller and the stuff and made eye contact with me and immediately reached up and turned off the music and quieted his buddies. He and his friends reverently walked passed us and when they were a good distance away, I saw him look back at us and then reach up and turn his music back on.

I have thought back on this experience many times since it happened and am so moved by this young man, whom I never would have expected to show a gentleness of heart, that I believe I've romanticized the experience some - as now as I reflect back on it, I can almost see that young man smiling at me (though I really don't think he did) as if to say, "I know Jesus Christ. I'm a believer, too" This experience has always reminded me of the parable of the Good Samaritan. I imagine the people of this time in this parable were as surprised (if not more so) to hear that a Samaritan was the one to help the wounded man as I was to have received mercy from an unexpected source.

Last Sunday, we read the parable outloud in both Relief Society and Sunday School. I have been thinking about that kind young hoodlum all week.

Luke 10:25-37

25¶And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit aeternal life?

26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt alive.

29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and awounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had bcompassion on him,

34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took acare of him.

35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the ahost, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Thanks to that experience in Paris years ago, When I read this parable, I think of this tender mercy paid to me. And I like to say to myself 'Go and do thou likewise'.

This young man is just one of many who have been the Good Samaritans of my life. Who have been the Good Samaritans in your life?

A Case of the "Misters"

I was putting together some ideas on my "Character Crushes" from TV and Movie land - when this last weekend - I got a case of the "Misters". Mr. Rochester, Mr. Thornton, Mr. Ferras, Mr. (Col) Brandon, Mr. Lafroy, , Mr. Bertram, Mr. Bingely, Mr. (Capt) Wentworth, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley - that is.

Peep and I went to see the new Jane Eyre. I've seen several versions of Jane Eyre. And shhh - don't tell anyone - I've never read it. I enjoyed this version - but I am one to appreciate the modern day nuances of cinematography, film, color - and so, thusly - this one is my favorite. Mia Wasikowska (best known for taking a trip to Wonderland with Johnny Depp) was great as the supposedly "plain" (it always cracks me up when they try to mute the looks of the Hollywood starlets) and poor Jane. But, Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester - was, well divine. His voice was mesmerizing for me. I felt happy sinking deeply into another time and fully entrenching in Jane's world. I'm a girl. I like this stuff. Don't judge me. I heard several women at church on Sunday discussing this version of the story - picking it apart for its missed plot points and too-short length. Lovers of the book - all - they felt like it skipped through some of the crucial - Jane-Rochester relationship affirming interactions. Never read it. Didn't know. Thought many of the other movie versions of this story were too long. Loved this one. However, with how much I enjoyed disappearing into this movie created world of years ago - I imagine had I read it - I would have sunk as deeply into all the details that these women were bemoaning were missing. So, I get it. But, I still couldn't hate this telling of this strangely romantic tale. Mr. Rochester never sounded so good.

We headed back to peeps house after the movie - and while I suggested Mario and Toad - she suggested North and South. A 4 hour BBC America TV film of the 22 part serial printed in 1854 in the magazine Household Worlds written by Elizabeth Gaskell and edited by Charles Dickens. Haven't read this novel either (I am a reader...I swear!) and didn't know anything about it. But, 10 minutes in and I was hooked. I was hooked for 4 solid hours! I love these movies. I love in these movies that the be-all, end-all of the romantic experience can be the touch of a hand. Four hours is a long time to wait for some hand holding and a kiss - but, swoon - it was so worth it. Interesting story of industrial England, striking workers, starving poor - an embattled and emblazoned back drop - that just makes it all the more exciting. The same women unhappy with 2011 Jane Eyre, loved North and South save one - who didn't like Richard Armitage - which caused my mouth to gape open. Unbelievable - in this movie he is beautiful - and I love a good complex, thinking, good man. They do not exist in the world I live in - but they do exist in the North and South!




So, yes, all weekend - I had a serious case of the Misters...and I abandoned my Character Crush list for my Misters list. I love these characters and the actors who played them... they are similar in all the best ways. Noble men, respecters of the thinking woman, many of them complex, misunderstood, brooding, gorgeous, courageous, self-sacrificing, good, good, dreamy men - with British accents to boot.

Mr. (Col) Brandon, Sense and Sensibility 1995- Long before Professor Snape appeared on the big screen, Alan Rickman captured the goodness of this patient, devoted man.

Mr. Bertram, Mansfield Park 1999 - Angelina Jolie knew. She was once married to lovely Johnny Lee Miller. He was so charming as Fanny's honest and steadfast, though slow of heart Edmund, it made me mostly breeze right by the fact that Fannie and Edmund are sort of related. The more I think of Mr. Miller, though, the more - I think - he'll always be Eli Stone to me. PS- he also was a fabulous Mr. Knightley in a version of Emma.

Mr. Bingely Pride & Prejudice 2005 - Simon Woods so embodies Mr. Bingelys sweet, unassuming nature - the pairing of Bingely and Jane, the eldest of the Bennett sisters, seem so obvious amidst their very subtle personalities. Simon Woods skin in this movie has a porcelain like beauty.

Mr. Lafroy Becoming Jane2007 - this one is a cheat - I know. Becoming Jane is not some great novel - but it all relates, as the story is a fictional(partially? wholly? who knows)telling of life of Jane Austen. Its still set in the same time period and the characters are still named Mr... and well - I couldn't pass up an opportunity to gush about James McAvoy. I love him. I really love him - even if he did have to wear 3 inch lifts for this movie to be taller than Anne Hathaway. Mr. Lafroy is the least noble of all these Misters as well. He is somewhat forced (by beloved Jane) to choose money over love. But, James McAvoy so convincingly falls in love with Jane that all un-nobleness is forgiven. A good heart break also makes for a good story.

Mr. (Captain) Wentworth Persuasion 1995 - Though he also played Mr. Rochester in a TV version of Jane Eyre, Ciarán Hinds broody aloof-ness - was the perfect fit for the ambitious seaworthy Captain. Always with scour, Hinds is the quintessential Mister in some respects - embodying all the complexities and nobilities of a "Mr." with such ease.

Mr. Ferrars Sense & Sensibility 1995 - Hugh Grant at his bumbling best. With all goodness of heart, Mr. Ferras must resolve his previous engagement before offering his hear to the silent, sensible, but desperately in-love Ms. Elinor Dashwood. Usually, I have such an issue with well known faces in these Mr. roles - I like when they are unknown actors - because they can forever be that character. But, for some reason, Hugh's Mr. Ferras transcends this rule, and his patient bumbling and constant misunderstanding of circumstances makes me love Mr. Ferras even more.


Mr. Knightley Emma 1996 - Jeremy Northam is just lovely, lovely, lovely as the honest and true, noble and kind friend to Emma, Mr. Knightley. "I shall now call you MY Mr. Knightley." Um..yeah, Emma - took the words right out of my mouth.

Mr. Rochester Jane Eyre 2011 - Michael Fassbenders voice is "like butta" to me. And Mr. Rochester is so complex, so many secrets, so dark, so needing to be saved by a woman - Michael Fassbender made me really believe he wanted to tell Jane, and made me overlook - the general ickiness in the crazy, dangerous wife in the house part of this story. In the end, though, he is found to be noble and good and only after he is wounded (read: redeemed) do we find him truly worthy of Jane.

Mr. Thornton North & South 2003 - Richard Armitage come stand sideways in my window so I may forever stare at your profile. He made Mr. Thornton so complex - so clearly troubled, so trying to do the right thing. The slow reveal of his true character in this story is intriguing - and it is easy to understand Margaret's draw to him AND refusal of him all at once. A furrowed brow never looked so good.

Mr. Darcy Pride & Prejudice 2005 (1995?) - There are so many arguments about the best telling of this story. And I gotta say I'm squarely on the Matthew McFadyen team. I love Colin Firth - he is many things to me...Mr. Darcy, Mark Darcy, Henry Dashwood, Harry, Lord Wessex, George and most recently King George VI (never has there been an Oscar so deserving!) Because of all of this - he can not be my Mr. Darcy. Though he is dreamy as Mr. Darcy, Matthew McFadyen has my heart as his portrayal of this iconic character overtook me! Walking through a field as the sun rises in an ankle-length jacket - wow. He was icy, but still mysterious...and then mysteriously compassionate. It was much easier to understand and replicate the feeling and draw to Mr. Darcy from the book for me with Matthey McFadyen. Mr. Darcy is all of the Misters in some way - misunderstood, brooding, complex, noble, devoted, patient, good and still prideful with prejudice - and somehow perfect.

Oh, great - how will I ever get over this case of the Misters? I need to return back to reality - but seriously - sometimes I don't like it here - anyone got a good book - preferably a period piece?

A Kinder, Gentler Idol

I just wrote a blog entry with the same title on my-much like this one -long neglected, OTHER blog about this years American Idol. But, this entry is about a different idol. My branch puts on an annual Idol competition - complete with a Ryan Seacrest, a panel of judges, audition rounds, commercials, voting and of course the talent. Talent is used loosely here - as merely enjoyable entertainment by anyone willing to try.

I invited my musical snob peep to attend. First, you should know she has an incredible voice. Incredible. I have been to many church events - stake conferences where she has been asked to sing. She knows music. She does. I like to talk American Idol with her - because she is a music snob - she rarely likes anyone (I tend to like most) and really understands the technical aspects of singing - she really appreciates a good key change, a difficult harmony and is very discerning about who is "good". I tend to get wrapped up in the emotion of the moment...and while I am keen to break down the elements that are making me fall in love with a particular contestant - I still fall in momentary love. That kid with turrets - love him! Now, I had never been to one of these branch Idol events. I did not know what to expect. I was not disappointed - and had the unexpected joy of watching my peep squirm, cover her ears and finally surrender to it - and begin suggesting we do a number next year playing our "nose flutes".

Now, the mention of nose flutes might suggest that the show was some sort of silly variety show - but it wasn't. It was all singing save one contestant who played the keyboard and guitar - whose musical genre - I can best describe as akin to John Corbetts character's music in Serendipity. And if you don't know what kind that is, I've just given you a good reason to watch this delightful movie. He was the first number - and peep sent me a text in the middle that said, "is there a time limit"? She had not yet surrendered... the number was long - but the guy could really play and had a vibe all his own. A few contestants sang along with the original singers/tracks of their chosen numbers - my particular row in the crowd discussed charging the stage during a lively Bon Jovi and contestant version of "Its My Life". A few funny characters emerged - Ms. Marmalstein and Hanz - in character and costume and delivered quite entertaining numbers. The sheer irony of a girl singing "I'm just a girl who can't say no" from Oklahoma to a crowd of singles was hilarious. She was good too. There were several truly earnest numbers - a few who accompanied themselves and sang from the piano, and a few willing to tackle the big voices - with a Josh Grobin number and a Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand duet. Many contestants had their nerves get the better of them, many experienced sound and technical difficulties, one even had a wardrobe malfunction. But many didn't - and for each number there was at least one moment when their true talent shone through.

The judges - the judges were amazing. Finding the kindest, gentlest, funniest comments to make despite the performance trials facing a few of the numbers. There was a Simon judge - like Simon only in his tone of delivery - because no one was out to dash dreams here. There was a Paula - kind hearted and silly - and a Randy of sorts - using his "dawg" whenever possible and relying heavily on his personal relationships with the contestants to comment. He was fun to watch during the performances as he and the Paula judge muffled their giggles and did their best (quite unsuccessfully) to hold a straight face during some of the more earnest and unintentionally funny endeavors. And then there was the last judge - she completely transformed herself into a witty, famous persona - with something to say. She committed to the character and her delivery was always funny. Her performance as judge was one of the most entertaining numbers of the night.

The Branch Presidency and their wives did an intermission number titled "Sonny and Cher, Sonny and Cher and Sonny and Cher" complete with costumes and some amazing lip syncing and choreography. Hey, you don't get such entertainment during commercials for TV Idol! It was a sight to behold!

The emcee - the Ryan Seacrest if you will - was a born host. Sticking to the American Idol script - announcing over and over again how much we need "your vote" very Seacrest. She was amazing and brought the house down at the end of the night with a specialized version of "9 to 5". I seriously dug her. She spoke in church once and gave one of those talks I can still remember for its amazing message and her presentation - she is a natural performer. I gotta get to know her. I think we would be fast friends.

Finally, kudos to all the work on this event. They even had pre-taped "audition" rounds set up exactly like idol...with the yellow papers and contestants "going to Hollywood". They had the big microphone image displayed on the back of the stage. The Idol music, their own version of the Idol icon. I noticed it all and took it all in. For a girl who would LOVE to put together an event like this - who would love to put all those details into a night like this - who would love to direct or produce one of the 'talent acts' - I loved it. I appreciated it. I know how much work it was and I was so happy to enjoy it - even my peep got it and eventually came to love it.

All in all - definitely a kinder, gentler idol than the one seen on TV. More a contest of courage dashed with a display and array of talent and entertainment. The winner was humble and happy and quick to get out of the limelight. As all bravery had been used for her performance. Brave and amazing. That is the best description of the talent. Because, tell you what, you wouldn't catch me up there - not even playing the nose flute. Edwards out!

PS- Happy Birthday, Amber! Miss you cute girl! Love you! You'll always be my frog!