Holiday Wishes: Idina Menzel

I remember sitting on my couch in my rented house in Vernal with my four young kids running here and there around me.  We had been relaxing to some PBS cartoon of some sort, I can't remember which one now, and at the end of the show the spell had been broken and my girls were running crazytown again.

I know you've been there.

But the TV had captured my attention.  After the cartoon finished a documentary of sorts came on, talking about a new Broadway musical coming out very soon about the Wicked Witch of the West.  I watched as they proceeded to tell a bit about the story line and introduced the singers who would be preforming in this new Broadway.

I was captivated.

It's not that I've ever really had a thing for Broadway, or even the Wizard of Oz, but of all things I always love a good villain (the wicked queen in Snow White, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, and of course, the Wicked Witch of the West) and to see a spin on the Wicked Witch's side of the story caught my attention completely.

(I'll insert here that I was as equally excited about Maleficent when it came out)

Going to New York to see a new Broadway show wasn't in the books for me.  But I bought and read the book it was based on, and I bought the soundtrack and memorized every song, trying to fill in the missing details that might be played out on stage in between the clues I was receiving through song.

At my divorce Idina Menzel's "Defying Gravity" resonated in my soul with the lines:
"So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately:
Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I am
Defying gravity
I'm flying high
Defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown!
And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!"

I was able to see Wicked in Salt Lake City and it was every bit as magnificent as I had hoped it would be.  I was on the edge of my seat, hanging on every word, drawn into every song.  And though it wasn't Idina Menzel in the production, I loved her even more after watching that song come to life in front of me.

Idina Menzel's voice has become a favorite of mine.

Enter Frozen.

Need I say more?

Actually, yes, I do.

Because she now has a holiday album called Holiday Wishes.  It's my new favorite "go to" holiday CD.  Sorry, Collin Raye Christmas, we had a good run, but it's time for something new.

Holiday Wishes is out now on Warner Bros. Records.

The album was produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” as well as Joni Mitchell’s Christmas-themed “River,” one of Menzel’s favorites.

Another highlight is a duet with international superstar Michael Bublé on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” An exclusive Target edition of Holiday Wishes features two bonus tracks, including “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”.

Can I just say that duet with Michael Bublé is on repeat in my car right now?

Spot on.



You can find the album on iTunes HERE or on Amazon HERE.

Also, Idina's official social media:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

Circus Family Pictures. Plus conference, Wicked-er, and a shout out to Sarah Sanderson's cape

If you live in the Salt Lake Valley I would highly suggest you get your pictures taken at Foto Fly.

We laughed so hard.

It only took an hour.

Our full family session only cost $79 and that gave us a cd with all of the pictures and the copyright for them.

Check them out.

I love that they just eek out the personality of the circus.  I love that the photographer encouraged them to be themselves and allowed for candid looks and moments.

 Over the weekend I found myself completely alone two mornings in a row...

How in the world did that happen???

The kids were all off with their other parents and The Man ran into work Sunday morning and then just plain old had to work yesterday while I had Columbus Day off. 

West starts complaining about how the post office was closed and the banks were closed and all the government employees...

I had to butt in and remind him, "don't bite the hand babe."

We had a lot of fun this weekend.  We went and checked out the new Scheel's which is kind of crazy with the arched aquarium and the ferris wheel right in the middle, but ultimately, it's just a sports mall.

Also, because I found myself alone on Sunday morning, I was able to watch a full session of General Conference with out interruption...

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland... there are no words to express how I felt during and after his talk.

Just. Wow.



We also saw Wicked-er with our friends Meb and Makenzie.

(P.S. Happy Anniversary to those two).

My favorite part of the play was their rendition of the song, "Defying Gravity."  We all know how I'm in love with that song anyway (here)...

Their rendition had me laughing so hard I was in tears, which isn't too hard to do to me, but seriously... you all need to go to Desert Star and see that play just for that song alone.

I sewed a cape.  Do you hear this Misti?  I SEWED it.  I didn't hot glue it (although I totally could have).  I pulled out that sewing machine The Man gave me on my birthday and I put it to use for a good hour or so.

And it even looks like a cape.

And it even fits Cali, because it's our Sarah Sanderson cape.

Holler.