Z is for Zoom

Today's the day - the last day of the A to Z Challenge.

 

I'm going with zoom because the month of April just seemed to fly by. I'm happy I made it to the end of this because when I first started, I wasn't sure if I would. Some days were hard to figure out what to write about and I also didn't expect to be sick for almost two weeks this month, but none of that matters - what matters is that I made it to the end. The only thing I lagged behind in was getting around to visit more blogs than what I did. I was still impressed with the creativity of the blogs I did get around to see and it's given me some ideas for next year's challenge.

 

I've tied this post to Nascar because it's a fast paced race to the finish. This is one of Jeff Gordon's cars that he's used throughout the years. Jeff is my all-time favorite NASCAR driver and since this is the last day of the challenge, I went with him because it's his last year of competitive racing.

 

Hope you have enjoyed my posts during April. If you want to see what I usually write about, feel free to continue dropping by my blog.

 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

 

~Meg~



You Can't Take It With You Book/Play Review

This is for the A to Z Challenge.

2015 Reading Challenge

5. You Can't Take It With You by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman

    Theme/Topic: a play

 

Synopsis: Sweet-natured Alice Sycamore falls for banker's son Tony Kirby. But when she invites her snooty prospective in-laws to dinner to give their blessing to the marriage, Alice's peculiar extended family -- including philosophical grandfather Martin Vanderhof, hapless fledgling ballerina sister Essie and fireworks enthusiast father, Paul -- might be too eccentric for the staid Kirby's.

My Take: Let's face it - we all have someone or certain individuals in our family who are strange or really different (doesn't necessarily mean in a bad way) or even those who embarrass us. I had an aunt who spoke her mind and told it like it was. It was fine at times, but there were definitely times where it just wasn't appropriate. That reminds me of the Sycamore Family in this play, especially Martin Vanderhof. No matter what, though, they're still family and we love them anyway. This play demonstrates the rich (Kirby's)versus poor (Sycamore's) mentality and how each was viewed differently back in the day. Love is the only thing that matters in any relationship, it's the only thing that should prevail - doesn't matter if someone's rich or poor, have different religions, or even different races. And honestly, I really believe that our families should support us no matter what - no one says that you have to always agree with them. The play, of course, is a comedy, but there were times back when it was considered a disgrace to marry out of your race, religion, etc. Times have changed since then and it's a bit more acceptable now to do just that. Take my brother and sister-in-law for instance: my family is Catholic and hers is Hindu, but we all manage together and incorporate both religions - compromising is ideal. It works for us, just like bi-racial marriages and gay marriages work for others. I for one thought the storyline was fine, but lacked a certain something to make it a bit more funnier.

Going back to the play, it stresses that everybody should have a hobby - whether it was dancing, creating fireworks, snakes, writing plays, playing the xylophone or art. Which leads me to the question:

What is your hobby or hobbies? For me, my hobbies are crocheting and knitting, collecting dolphins and theatre.

For more on the 2015 Reading Challenge, go here or visit my blog post on it.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥
 

X Power

 It's X Day of the A to Z Challenge. Since X is kind of tricky, here are five new and maybe unusual words beginning with the letter X.

 

1. Xanthometer - instrument for measuring color of sea or lake water

 

2. Xenodochial - hospitable; kindly to strangers

 

3. Xiphias - swordfish

 

4. Xoanon - primitive wooden statue overlaid with ivory and gold

 

5. Xyloglyphy - wood carving

 

 

Sentences:

1. The Coast Guard used a xanthometer in the ocean.

 

2. Mother Teresa was always xenodochial.

 

3. We saw a lot of xiphias at the aquarium.

 

4. I wonder if there are any xoanon statues in India.

 

5. Chris was into xylography.

 

There you have it.

 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

 

♥Meg♥

Guys and Dolls, an A to Z Challenge Extra

After completing all my theatre posts throughout this month, I realized that I forgot to do one show I was in. For the letter G, I decided to do it on "The Giving Tree" instead (which was a great post by the way), not realizing at the time, I was omitting one of my favorite shows I was in, Guys and Dolls. So this is an extra post for the A to Z Challenge.

My theatre company did the musical Guys and Dolls back in 2013. For once, I wasn't in chorus and I actually had a "name". I played Agatha, who is a member of the Save-a-Soul Mission band. Saying this, I had four lines during the show, which was pretty awesome, but made me a little nervous. That's why it is one the best shows I've been in. I would rather have lines than singing, but it's all good either way.

Synopsis: In New York, the smalltime gambler Nathan Detroit has been eloping from getting married with his girlfriend Adelaide for fourteen years. Nathan needs one thousand dollars in advance to rent a place for the crap game but neither he nor his friends Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet can afford. Nathan decides to bet against the gambler Sky Masterson, challenging him to have a dinner in Havana with a woman of his choice. Sky accepts the bet and Nathan chooses the prude Sergeant Sarah Brown, who runs a mission for sinners. Sky visits Sarah and invites her to have dinner with him in Havana; in return, he would bring one dozen sinners to the mission. Sarah refuses the deal, but when General Cartwright comes to New York to shutdown the mission, Sarah feels that the only chance to keep the mission operating is accepting Sky's invitation. They travel to Havana and fall in love with each other; but when they return to the mission, Sarah discovers that Nathan used the place for his crap game. Further, she believes that Sky has plotted the scheme to use her. Now Sky has to convince the gamblers and gangsters that arrived in New York to the crap game that they should go to the mission to help Sarah.

This is me (in the middle) in a scene with other mission members.
I liked my costume, except for the hat ; )





 On the left is me with two cast members. On the right is a scene from the show (I'm holding the book)

On the left, we're "Rocking the Boat" and the right, is the last scene.





Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥

The Wizard of Oz

 

Can't believe this is the last week for the A to Z Challenge. Today, for the letter W, is going to be about another musical, The Wizard of Oz.

 

I performed in The Wizard of Oz back in 2009, the second play I was in. I was in chorus, because there's more parts for children due to the munchkins and what not. It still was a fun show to put on.

 

Synopsis: Dorothy and her dog Toto are caught in a tornado's path and somehow end up in the land of Oz. Here she meets some memorable friends and foes in her journey to meet the Wizard of Oz who everyone says can help her return home and possibly grant her new friends their goals of a brain, heart and courage.

 

Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Glinda (sorry she's blurry)



Me with the Scarecrow and me with the Lion. In the middle, I had to include the picture with me and the cutest munchkin.

 

On the left is me with the Tin Man and on the right, me with Dorothy.





The Wizard of Oz is based on L. Frank Baum's story, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Personally, I prefer the film and musical versions as supposed to the book, but that's entirely my opinion.

I'm going to end this with one of the most wonderful phrases.
"There's no place like home." - Dorothy

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥





The Velveteen Rabbit

 

It's almost the end of the A to Z Challenge, 

 

After thinking about what to do for the letter V, I've decided to write about one of the most popular children's book around, "The Velveteen Rabbit". It was written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson.

 

Synopsis: A stuffed rabbit sewn from velveteen is given as a Christmas present to a small boy. The boy plays with his other new presents and forgets the velveteen rabbit for a time. The wisest and oldest toy in the nursery, the Skin Horse, who was owned by the boy's uncle, tells the rabbit about toys magically becoming Real due to love from children. The rabbit is awed by this concept; however, his chances of achieving this wish are slight. One night the boy's Nana gives the rabbit to the boy to sleep with, in place of a lost toy. The rabbit becomes the boy's favorite toy, enjoying picnics with him in the spring, and the boy regards the rabbit as 'REAL'. Time passes, and the rabbit becomes shabbier, but happy. He meets some real rabbits in the summer, and they learn that he cannot hop as they do, and say that he is not real. One day, the boy becomes sick with scarlet fever, and the rabbit sits with him as he recovers. The doctor orders that the boy should be taken to the seaside, and that his room should be disinfected, and all his books and toys burnt - including the velveteen rabbit. The rabbit is bundled into a sack and left out in the garden overnight, where he sadly reflects on his life with his boy. The toy rabbit cries and a real tear drops onto the ground, and a marvelous flower appears. A fairy steps out of the flower and comforts the velveteen rabbit, introducing herself as the nursery magic fairy. She says that because he is old and shabby and Real, she will take him away with her and "turn him into Real" - to everyone. The fairy takes the rabbit to the forest, where she meets the other rabbits and gives the velveteen rabbit a kiss. The velveteen rabbit changes into a real rabbit, and joins the other rabbits in the forest. The next spring, the rabbit returns to look at the boy, and the boy sees a resemblance to his old velveteen rabbit.

"The Velveteen Rabbit" exemplifies what true love is all about, even if it happens to be between a boy and a stuffed animal.

Obviously, toys can't come alive in real life, but what toy or stuffed animal was your favorite as a child? I still have a few of my stuffed animals/dolls from when I was really little and my favorites would have to be a baby Mickey Mouse and a doll that played "Fur Elise". When I was a baby and woke up crying in the middle of the night, my mom would put on classical music and it was the only thing that put me back to sleep. And I have loved classical music, especially "Fur Elise" as long as I can remember.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥

 

Under the Sea

This is for the A to Z Challenge.

 

In case you haven't realized, this post is inspired by the song, "Under the Sea" from the movie The Little Mermaid.

 

 

Ariel and Sebastian have a good relationship. In the song, he sings about what makes living under the sea so spectacular to have Ariel stay in that world instead of venturing to the outside world. Despite this, we all know what happens. Ariel strikes a bargain with the villain Ursula and ends up being made human and falls in love with Eric. And they live happily ever after.

 

As a young child, I absolutely loved this movie. There's beauty in everything, whether it's under the sea/river/ocean or the outside world. You can't go wrong with nature.

 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

 

♥Meg♥

 

 



Trilogy and Series Power

  For today's A to Z Challenge topic, I'm going to be writing about book trilogies and series'. 

In recent years, it seems that more and more authors are writing a book series or trilogies. And subsequently being made into movies and a TV show for one. 

For example, the following trilogies have been popular:

                  1. Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

                               Book Order: Divergent
                                                    Insurgent
                                                    Allegiant

                  2. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

                               Book Order: The Hunger Games
                                                    Catching Fire
                                                    Mockingjay

                  3. Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
                              Book Order: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
                                                   The Girl Who Played with Fire
                                                   The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

                 4. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
                              Book Order: Fifty Shades of Grey
                                                   Fifty Shades Darker
                                                   Fifty Shades Freed

As for series':
                1. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
                             Book Order: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
                                                  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
                                                  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
                                                  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
                                                  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
                                                  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
                                                  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

              2. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
                           Book Order: A Game of Thrones
                                                A Clash of Kings
                                                A Storm of Swords
                                                A Feast for Crows
                                                A Dance with Dragons
                                                The Winds of Winter (forthcoming novel)

             3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
                          Book Order: Twilight
                                               New Moon
                                               Eclipse
                                               Breaking Dawn

Out of what I have listed, I have read the complete Harry Potter series, the first two books in The Hunger Games Trilogy and the first one in Divergent and have enjoyed all of them. And yes, I plan on reading Mockingjay, Insurgent and Allegiant. I have also read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but didn't really get into it that much.

I don't mind reading trilogies and book series', but I also like reading stand-alone books as well.

That leads me to end this with a question:
Do you prefer to read trilogies/series' or stand-alone titles?

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥
                                              
                                               
                                               
                                                   

Seasons of Love

 

As everyone knows, there are four seasons: fall, winter, spring and summer. My favorite season is fall, but there are things that I like about all of the seasons. That's what today's A to Z Challenge post is all about.

Fall. I like when it starts to get cold, but not quite freezing yet. Basically, I love to wear hoodies and sweatpants - that might be a little strange, but that's me. And fall is also the perfect time to go apple picking and all that fun stuff.

 

 

Winter. I'm the person who actually likes snow, but not a whole lot of it. Each winter, I generally ask for one big snowstorm and then I'm done with it. I do like snow on the trees and such because it look so beautiful and picturesque. What I don't like about winter is ice and when snow starts to get dirty/messy.

 

Isn't that just beautiful?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. My dad and I went on vacation there to see his sister and nieces (my aunt and cousins), as well as Yellowstone National Park, in July 2011. This is from Grand Teton National Park and there was still snow on the mountains. Needless to say, they get a lot of snow.

 

 

 

 

Spring. I like the nicer temperatures before it starts getting too hot. And I also like when the leaves change colors - in my neighborhood, we get these beautiful white and pink trees in the spring. Spring also means allergy season, which I don't like, as I like all the nice flowers, but really can't stand to be around them.

 

             

       Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. And the pink leaves on the trees is magnificent.

                          

 

 

 

 

Summer. I actually don't care for summer that much. I don't tolerate the heat very well and that's all there is to it. What I do like about summer is going down the shore, of course, or the beach to most of you. Vacation is definitely a plus.

 

This was taken from my favorite spot in Wildwood, NJ.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

 

♥Meg♥

 

 

 

 

Reading Galore

I couldn't do the A to Z Challenge without writing about one of favorite things to do: reading. Today, I'm going to be writing about some of my all-time favorite books. They will be in no particular order.

 

1. Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
     This goes without saying. Hands down, the Harry Potter series is one of the best series' I have read. I'm typically not interested in reading science fiction/fantasy, but that changed a bit after reading Harry Potter. I had to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for school when I was in 7th or 8th grade. To be honest, I didn't think I would enjoy it one big, but I did and have been a fan ever since. I do believe, however, that the books got better and better as they went along.

 

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

    I personally love the story line. More importantly, I think it is the perfect example that we should live our lives to the fullest, no matter what life throws our way. Sometimes it's good (and alright) to enjoy life and laugh when we go through hard times, even if it happens to be incurable cancer like Hazel. And I like that the characters have something to distract themselves from what they're going through. That's important too. Everyone has something that they do to get by during rough patches, whether it is reading like Hazel (and being passionate about how a book doesn't end) or video games like Augustus.
 

3. The Shack by William Paul Young

4. Night by Elie Wiesel

    An incredible story about experiences in concentration camps.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    Two words: Atticus Finch.

6. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

7. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

     I believe certain people are put in our life for a reason. The story reflects upon that.

8. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

    Faith prevails, even though it doesn't always seem that way. As long as you have faith in something (God for me), you will rise above.

9. For One More Day by Mitch Albom

    We all lose someone(s) we love who we wish we could just spend one more day with. Obviously, that doesn't happen, but I think they are always with us in our hearts watching down on us.

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Anything by any of the following authors also implies: Jodi Picoult; Debbie Macomber; James Patterson; Danielle Steel; Luanne Rice; among a few others.

Runner up to this list would have to be:

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

What is(are) your favorite book/books and/or authors?

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg



Q Fun

For the A to Z Challenge today, I'm doing something different. Q is one of the harder letters to write something about, along with the other obvious letters of U, V, W, X, and Z. I skipped Y because I have something planned already for that.

 

But, for these letters, I've decided to write about five new words that I've never heard of before starting with the respective letter.

 

Quadratura - wall or ceiling painted with arches and columns in strong perspective

 

Quop - to writhe; to pulsate; to undulate

 

Quoz - absurd person or thing

 

Quisle - to betray

 

Querl - to twist; to curl

 

Sentences:

That quadratura must have taken several years to create.

 

Sophie quopped in fear when she saw a spider.

 

Can you see how Molly dresses? She's so quoz.

 

Brian quisled his best friend when he chose the opposite team.

 

The puppy querled up in a ball to fall asleep.

 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

 

♥Meg♥

 



The Pajama Game

 

Once again, it's time for a show. This time it's the Pajama Game for the A to Z Challenge.

 

I was in the Pajama Game in 2011. I was originally casted as a chorus member, but got moved up to a factory girl (like chorus but a little bit more) about a month before the show opened. I had to learn a lot of things last minute and I ended up having one line as well. The best part was getting to wear pajamas in the final scene.

 

 

 

This was an interesting show. Once I had gotten moved up in the cast, I had a great time and was able to become close with people that I'm still really close to today. We were performing one night and it decided to thunderstorm. During one of our songs (the factory girls with our boss), the power went out for several seconds. We froze for a second, but then went straight back to singing and doing what we were supposed to be. It was known as the show must go on. At the end, the audience clapped so loud for us and it was the best feeling in the world - it was almost like a standing ovation. It meant more that night and a moment that I'll never forget.

 

The Factory Girls (I'm in the red) and Hines. Sorry about the glare.



This was great looking back on this. Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm a little behind in my visits (as I've been sick this week), but will be catching up soon.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥



Once Upon a Mattress

 

It's time for another show. O is for Once Upon a Mattress for the A to Z Challenge.

It's a lesser known musical based on the fairytale of the Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen. I don't remember reading it as a child, but I have heard of the story regardless. We did this last year (2014) and had a great run. I, for the most part enjoyed myself and came to like the music.

So, this is a short post today. Hope you don't mind.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥


Niagara Falls

 

N is for Niagara Falls. This is for the A to Z Challenge. To be honest, I really didn't know what to write about for N, but then I decided to do it on one of my favorite places that I've ever been to.

 

My family and I vacationed to Niagara Falls in 1999. My brother, for his graduation trip, had wanted to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. We decided to stay on the American side of the Falls and just spend a day in Toronto instead of staying in Canada the whole week. This was before you needed a passport to enter Canada.

 

Highlight of Niagara Falls/Toronto:

1. Seeing the Falls of course!

   

2. Cave of the Winds Tour



 

3. Hockey Hall of Fame

 

Hope you enjoyed this!
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥





Music of My Heart

M is for Music...of My Heart for the A to Z Challenge.

There are always songs that remind us of someone. And songs or certain singers or groups we listen to when we are having a bad day, feeling down, or whatever it may be and that's what this post is about today.

First, I'm going to write about a song that reminds me of a loved one. Music of My Heart is a song by Gloria Estefan and *NSync. It reminds me of my grandma, who used to sing all the time and just inspired me to go after my dreams.

 

Favorite Lyrics:

"You taught me to run, You taught me to fly, Helped me to free the me inside, Help me hear the music of my heart, Help me hear the music of my heart, You've opened my eyes,You've opened the door,To something I've never known before, And your love, Is the music of my heart"

 

"What you taught me, Only your love could ever teach me,You got through when no one could reach me, Cause you always saw in me, All the best that I could be, It was you who set me free"

 

For the second part of this, I'm just going to list a couple of artists/songs who I listen to when I'm feeling down or upset, etc.

 

               1. Celtic Thunder - http://www.celticthunder.com

 

               2. Ryan Kelly (also member of CT) - http://www.ryankellymusic.com

 

               3. *NSync

 

               4. Mark Ballas - http://www.markballas.com

                       ~ Life Happens

                       ~ Light On

                       ~ Faith

 

               5. Miley Cyrus - The Climb

 

               6. The Beatles - With a Little Help From My Friends

 

Like I said, those would be my top artists/songs - any songs by the top four usually works for me, among others. I've listed the websites of the ones that you may not have heard of.

 

Who/What do you listen to?

 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

 

♥Meg♥

 

 



Long Qt: My Journey

 

I was going to write this next month, but decided to do this now instead for the A to Z Challenge.

 

L is for Long Qt Syndrome, a heart condition I have.  I'm going to give the short version of how I got diagnosed, so here goes. An explanation of what long qt is will follow.

     Most of my life, I have relatively been healthy. That would change one day back in March 1999. I was 11 and in 6th grade when I suddenly had a seizure in school. After being taken to the ER and spending several hours there, I was discharged with no real reason on why it happened and with follow up appointments. We were told I had an innocent heart murmur, which was completely normal for children to have and usually it disappears on its own. Anyway, for the next couple of weeks after that, I went through a battery of tests and also turned 12. After all of that, doctors still could not find a reason for my seizure - I had followed up with both cardiology and neurology. Life gradually returned to normal and honestly, at the time, I thought it would be a one time thing and all would be good. And it was good...until July 2000 when I was 13. I had another seizure when I was spending the day down the shore (at the beach) with my family. I was taken to the ER again there and all we were told was to follow up with my doctors back home. Once again, I went though another round of tests and yet again, no answers were found. The breaking point would come several months later when I had my third seizure in February 2001 at 13. That time I was still taken to the ER, but to the local one instead of the local children's one where my doctors were. Following up with my pediatrician, he gave us a second opinion for new doctors at a bigger and better children's hospital. Over the next couple of weeks, I went through another round of tests for both cardiology and neurology again, basically starting from scratch. We were finally getting closer to answers, but the tests were ordered to make sure. In May 2001, my neurologist made me spend the night in the hospital/24 hrs for a video EEG (I forget the exact name of it), a test typically done for epilepsy. This is the part where I'm going to mention that my cardiologist was pretty sure I had long qt back in March and my neurologist was convinced I had epilepsy. All tests for epilepsy were negative, but she told my parents and I that she was going to find a way to get me diagnosed with it some way or another and both of my doctors had an epic battle over those two months. May 15th (if I remember correctly) was the day that it ended and I was officially diagnosed with long qt syndrome when I was 14.

     Long Qt Syndrome is a heart condition similar to an arrhythmia, as it causes really fast heartbeats, but it's also slightly different. It deals with the electrical system of the heart. It takes longer for the heart to recharge after a heartbeat than usual and as a result, blood gets blocked up and can't go anywhere. This can result in the following symptoms: fainting; seizures; and cardiac arrest/death. Unusual chest pain can also be a symptom, but it's not as common. It did happen with me. Long qt syndrome is genetic, but as of right now, I am still the only one to have it in my family (others tested negative), but long qt can also be acquired from certain drugs.

Lifestyle Changes and Where I'm at Today:
     It's been 14 years next month since my diagnosis and 16 years since my symptoms started. I have been successfully treated with beta blockers for half of my life now. I still have to deal with hiccups along the way, but it's under control for right now. Being diagnosed with a heart condition, I was told I could not do any competitive sports and had been put on exercise restrictions. Most of that I can actually do now, except I still have to be careful. Symptoms of long qt can occur during or after exercise, being startled, or intense emotions, among other things. The biggest thing I've had to deal with is not being able to take certain medications. There is a big list of medications that we are not allowed to take because they can worsen symptoms or contradict with the beta blocker. This means not being able to take a majority of cold and allergy/sinus medication and having to tough it out. I couldn't imagine my life without long qt nowadays and it is the best thing that has ever happened to me for certain reasons.

I do plan to eventually write a book about my long qt journey because there's more than meets the eye and more than what I can put here. It is hard to look back on that time, but I've come a long way in this battle over the years.

More information can be found at:
SADS Foundation: www.sads.org - they're an organization that deals with long qt, along with other sudden arrhythmic death syndromes (SADS) and disorders. They are dedicated to research and public advocacy for not so common heart rhythm disorders.

 Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
♥Meg♥

 



The King and I

 

For the A to Z Challenge today, K is for The King and I. It is a popular musical. I'm not going to lie, The King and I is good, but can be slow at times. I was one of the king's wives when my local theatre company did it in 2012. I enjoyed the part because it was what I wanted. The only scene that everyone didn't like was "The Small House of Uncle Thomas." It just didn't really fit in with the rest of the show (or the movie/musical in my opinion).

In case anyone didn't know, The King and I is based on the book "Anna and the King of Siam" written by Margaret Landon. I read the child's version of it as a kid and loved the book. And also in the show, we had to wear ballet shoes which was cool to me.

Synopsis: Mrs. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis arrive in Bangkok, where she has been contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household. She threatens to leave when the house she had been promised is not available, but falls in love with the children. A new slave, a gift of a vassal king, translates "Uncle Tom's Cabin" into a Siamese ballet. After expressing her unhappiness at being with the King, the slave decides to make an attempt to escape with her lover. Anna and the King start to fall in love, but her headstrong upbringing inhibits her from joining his harem. She is just about to leave Siam but something important she finds out makes her think about changing her mind.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. In The King and I, it get translated into a play and gets acted out. I have never read the book either prior to the show or to this current day, but I do have it on my tablet. When I do get around to reading it, I will do a review.

My favorite costume from the show (I'm in green)

Me (in the black) with one of my friends, also a wife of the king

Me with "The King"

Me with "Anna"

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
♥Meg♥