Happiness Is....

*waking up refreshed and glowing after some romantic time with My Man followed by a good nights sleep..ahhh...



*the fact that after today Beren and I are on vacation! Whoo-hoo! Although we're not planning to go anywhere, I know that plans can change in a heartbeat around here and I might find myself packing up Bettie for a little road trip, who knows? (If Tabitha will give up my luggage, that is!) Either way, I'm looking forward to a 10 days of puttering around the Castle, frolicking in the pool and just generally relaxing with my family and friends.

*the sense of accomplishment having done a good day's work yesterday. I hate leaving unfinished business before vacation so I kicked a** yesterday to tie up some loose ends. I worked late, came home tired yet satisfied. Today will probably be another long one but well worth it for peace of mind while I'm away.



*booking a beautiful hotel room for Kali & Kevin's 1st Anniversary, I can't believe it's been a year since their wedding! They've had a lot of stress over the past 12 months, they deserve a night to themselves to unwind and just celebrate each other.



*Inspired by La Belette Rouge (love her blog!), I looked up one of my favorite musical movie moments and enjoyed it all over again. My dear friend who is a phenomenal opera singer in her own right (I must introduce you to her soon!) provided me with this link for further auditory pleasure as well as translation. Swoon...what better way to start my day than with beautiful music?

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Now Showing at the Castle: Phenomenon

Yesterday Beren and I watched one of my old favorites, Phenomenon. Since he'd never seen it before, I was anxious to share it with him. He wasn't disappointed, nor was the film any less enjoyable 11 years after my first viewing. I still believe that the shaving/hair cut scene is one of the sexiest ever filmed, and there was absolutely no sex. Just tenderness and love...and who doesn't want to see John Travolta in a romantic role again? *swoon*

I'm pulling out the soundtrack to enjoy as I drive to work this morning..sigh..what a lovely, lovely flick.

Now Showing in the Kingdom: Candye Kane!

Finally, tonight I get to see the fabulous Ms. Candye Kane!! Ever since the horrible hurricane season of '05 destroyed my last chance to see her, I have been waiting for her to return to My Town and finally here she is! Whoo-hoo!

Wish you all could be here with me, if by chance you find yourself in The Kingdom, join me! Just look for the corset-wearing brunette guzzling chardonnay, pressed up against the stage singing Work What You Got at the top of her lungs...yep, that'll be me. (Silke, I know how much you love Candye! You'll definitely be with me there in spirit..or hop on a plane, you'll be here in plenty of time. *wink*)





P.S.Sorry I couldn't find a better video of her, but Youtube didn't have any good ones so this is the best I could do.

Now Showing at the Castle: Fur

Beren and I watched this movie last night and all I can say is, Wow! I know that it's been criticized for being "highly fictionalized" and that's just fine, the filmmakers stated that in advance so I have no problem with it. I didn't know anything about Diane Arbus before but have been googling madly ever since. The story is sexy and seductive and dangerous..I absolutely loved Nicole Kidman in this and Robert Downey Jr...sigh...he is just incredible! Love, love, love the scenery, the set design is just breathtaking and makes you feel as if you've been placed in another world..colors are so lush, just absolutely delicious!

Now Showing at the Castle: Women in Art

This is so absolutely gorgeous,I just have to share!

Now Showing at the Castle: Mozart and the Whale

I just watched this movie from Netflix and am now adding it to my Amazon wishlist. One viewing is simply not enough! From Wikipedia: The film tells the story of two people with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism). Donald (Josh Hartnett) runs a small self-help group for people on the autistic spectrum who are more affected by their autism than he is. Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) is referred to the group by her therapist. Mozart and the Whale is a fictional account, using characters loosely based on the real-life relationship of Jerry Newport and Mary Meinel (now Mary Newport).

The costumes and sets in this film are gorgeous, the actors are just adorable. I want to watch it again slooooly just to devour those aspects.

The cool thing is that when I logged onto imdb I noticed that Jerry Newport posted his own positive comment about the film, certainly can't beat that review!