Last Saturday was my son's 30th birthday... yes, he was born on Valentine's Day and no, it wasn't planned. But it was a happy accident that we've been amused by over the years.
Since this birthday number was fairly significant, a bigger than usual celebration was needed so he opted to go to Disneyland. This is one of my favorite places so we all went, hubby and I driving down from the Bay Area to do so. We went on our favorite rides, sometimes more than once, and saw a show or two, and generally enjoyed being together and the way Disney tells a story. It is all about story there, just as it is in our writing.
Everything about the park is about story telling. Most attractions tell some kind of story, be it the pirates looking for Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, or that sinister bride with her sequence of beheaded husbands in Haunted Mansion. They even had big signs on temporary walls hiding construction that told of how Walt Disney had planned out the attraction being modified... which was odd but kind of cool.
One of the better examples of story telling was this little stage show at the Royal Theatre. For those who haven't seen this, the Royal Theatre is relatively new and is a part of Fantasyland, sitting next to the castle on the hub. Several times a day they have a short 30 to 40 minute live show featuring the story of one of the Disney princesses. I've seen them do Tangled and Beauty and the Beast in the past. This time they were doing Frozen.
The cast consists of a piano player who performs the music, a pair of comic song-and-dance men, Mr. Smythe and Mr. Jones, and the princess whose story is being told. In the case of Frozen we had Queen Ilsa and Princess Anna. The princesses play themselves, Smythe and Jones do all the other characters, and there are four "damsels" dressed in medieval costumes who move stuff in and out, do props, chime in on the singing, and also work the crowd in the beginning to get the audience ready to participate, particularly the little kids sitting on large rugs in the very front, yelling huzzah or hissing the villian. If you've ever been to a show at a Renaissance Faire then this will be very familiar. Lots of interaction with the audience and participation is welcome. They even did a sing-along with the "Let it Go" song.
And that is the brilliance of it. This is a wonderful way to introduce theatre to young children. Most already know the story, they are enthralled with seeing the "real" princesses in person, and the two gentlemen are so funny with the way they shrink a 90 minute plot into a thirty minute time slot.
It was great fun and now I feel inspired to get back to finishing one of my new stories. After all, that is what a story-teller does, tell stories.
Cheers,
Janet Miller
Showing posts with label valentine's day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label valentine's day. Show all posts
Monday, February 16, 2015
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Books, Authors, Prizes! Oh My!
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| Valentine Special 20% off Kindle & Nook |
I adore the Month of Love. I drape the house in red and place heart this-and-thats all over the place. Add candles and a few strings of white lights for atmosphere. And with red poinsettias left over from Christmas, the house feels oh so romantic.
The perfect place to cuddle with a hunky Highlander. Uh...book I mean.
Do you decorate your house for Valentine's Day? I'd love to get some new ideas for next year.
In celebration of Valentine's Day, authors are gathering at events and giving away prizes. Here are a few places you'll find me and some friends. Consider visiting. You might find a new favorite author and/or snag a great book.
Two Weeks of Romance at Heart of Romance
28 Authors Offering Book Giveaways
February 1st - 14th
Love Your Authors Valentine's Day Bash
34 Authors ~ Lots of Prizes
Kindle Fire Giveaway
February 10th - 14th
Valentine's Day Gift Hop
175 Authors/Bloggers ~ Lots of Prizes
Two Grand Prizes: Kindle Paperwhite and Digital New Adult Romance Basket
February 10th - 15th
Have a fabulous Valentine's Day!
~Dawn Marie
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Countdown to Valentine's Day
Stores are full of hearts and chocolates and sexy red
lingerie. The internet is popping up ads for gift ideas. Notably, most of the
ads are gifts for women. I even saw an ad for Love Heels. Cute twist on love
heals.
Of course, Valentine's Day is a holiday for the ladies.
Right?
When I was younger and working in an office, I dreaded
Valentine's Day. Oh the pressure! Didn't boyfriends know they should send
flowers to the office so you wouldn't appear to be among the have-nots?
And when I wasn't dating anyone, I hated restaurants were so
crowded with lovebirds; the wait for a table was overlong. Once seated, couples
surrounded you, reminding you of what you lacked.
Don't get me wrong. During February, my house is decorated
with hearts. A heart-shaped candle sits on the shelf over my desk. Heart clings
cover the window. Tiny glass hearts fill a clear vase. And I enjoy using heart-shaped
baking pans and a serving dish.
I'm older now. Settled in a loving marriage. Now the holiday
is about spending private time with my personal hero.
What is your take on the Valentine's Day holiday?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Valentine's Day Proposals
I love Valentine’s Day. Besides being a romance writer, I’m a romantic at heart. I love the chocolate, the flowers, the special candle lit dinner, you name it, and I’m there.
Did you know that Valentine’s Day is also the most popular day of the year for proposals? And some absolutely unique. So, in honor of this special day, I decided to share three unique proposals I know about.
I have a friend who went out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant. Having made the reservations a week in advance, he asked the owner if they would make a fortune cookie with his proposal written inside. They agreed.
When the night finally arrived, dinner was all finished and the fortune cookies came out on a plate. He wasn’t sure which one had the proposal and was actually worried he might choose the wrong one. I guess that was something he’d forgotten to ask the owner. He let his girlfriend choose first hoping she’d choose the right one. As it turned out, none of the cookies had a proposal. He gracefully left the table using the excuse of the men’s room and spoke to the owner. Much to his chagrin the fortune cookie was inadvertently given to another table, and the woman gave a resounding yes to her boyfriend who had no interest in getting married. He later sued the restaurant. But not all was lost on my friend. He ultimately got down on bended knee in front of all the patrons and proposed. She said ‘yes’.
On another occasion at Thornton Winery in California, hubby and I attended a weekly jazz concert. After awhile, the same people attended and we all became quite friendly. On one such evening, just before Hiroshima took a break, the singer came out into the audience and walked up to the groom to be and handed him the microphone. No one knew what he was going to do, but we watched every move that he made. Suddenly he was down on one knee proposing to his girlfriend. She said ‘yes’ of course, because seriously, what else could she say?
On a shopping trip to the supermarket where I worked, my supervisor had been involved with her boyfriend for over a year. She used to tell me he was a romantic, but she didn’t know if they were ever going to get married. Sure, she’d hinted, but he wasn’t biting.
Valentine’s Day arrived and we’re all at work. Her boyfriend has come into the store at least four times throughout the day, each time leaving a small gift for her at the front of the store. We were so busy she never got a chance to open them. Finally, on his fifth visit, he was extremely frustrated she hadn’t opened the boxes and decided this time he’d get her attention. He walked to the front of the store with a huge bouquet of roses and over to the manager and asks to use the PA system. With microphone in had, he calls her to the front of the store. She dropped what she was doing and walked to the front of the store. While the microphone is still in his hand, he hands her the bouquet and an envelope containing the ring. When she discovers the ring he proposes over the PA system so everyone could hear.
Do you have a unique story about a proposal you can share?
Did you know that Valentine’s Day is also the most popular day of the year for proposals? And some absolutely unique. So, in honor of this special day, I decided to share three unique proposals I know about.
I have a friend who went out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant. Having made the reservations a week in advance, he asked the owner if they would make a fortune cookie with his proposal written inside. They agreed.
When the night finally arrived, dinner was all finished and the fortune cookies came out on a plate. He wasn’t sure which one had the proposal and was actually worried he might choose the wrong one. I guess that was something he’d forgotten to ask the owner. He let his girlfriend choose first hoping she’d choose the right one. As it turned out, none of the cookies had a proposal. He gracefully left the table using the excuse of the men’s room and spoke to the owner. Much to his chagrin the fortune cookie was inadvertently given to another table, and the woman gave a resounding yes to her boyfriend who had no interest in getting married. He later sued the restaurant. But not all was lost on my friend. He ultimately got down on bended knee in front of all the patrons and proposed. She said ‘yes’.
On another occasion at Thornton Winery in California, hubby and I attended a weekly jazz concert. After awhile, the same people attended and we all became quite friendly. On one such evening, just before Hiroshima took a break, the singer came out into the audience and walked up to the groom to be and handed him the microphone. No one knew what he was going to do, but we watched every move that he made. Suddenly he was down on one knee proposing to his girlfriend. She said ‘yes’ of course, because seriously, what else could she say?
On a shopping trip to the supermarket where I worked, my supervisor had been involved with her boyfriend for over a year. She used to tell me he was a romantic, but she didn’t know if they were ever going to get married. Sure, she’d hinted, but he wasn’t biting.
Valentine’s Day arrived and we’re all at work. Her boyfriend has come into the store at least four times throughout the day, each time leaving a small gift for her at the front of the store. We were so busy she never got a chance to open them. Finally, on his fifth visit, he was extremely frustrated she hadn’t opened the boxes and decided this time he’d get her attention. He walked to the front of the store with a huge bouquet of roses and over to the manager and asks to use the PA system. With microphone in had, he calls her to the front of the store. She dropped what she was doing and walked to the front of the store. While the microphone is still in his hand, he hands her the bouquet and an envelope containing the ring. When she discovers the ring he proposes over the PA system so everyone could hear.
Do you have a unique story about a proposal you can share?
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