How the Rockettes saved Christmas

I freakin' love almost everything about Christmas. From hanging Christmas lights to the smell of gingerbread cookies, Christmas has always been my absolute favorite holiday.

But this year, I found myself overcome with a case of the Scrooge. Shopping on Black Friday has always been a tradition my mom and two of our family friends hold dear. We've never been the type to assault other shoppers for a $2 waffle iron, but we have always enjoyed getting up in the dark, putting on Christmas shirts and hitting the stores to find the perfect gifts for those we love. We missed out on Black Friday last year because of a trip to Disney World and I found my passion for Black Friday had greatly decreased this year, along with my Christmas list. I really don't have that many people to buy for these days and I also had no desire to head to Target at midnight. I did do some midnight shopping, online, and got a few good deals. But missing that yearly tradition got me feeling a little Humbuggy. I was contemplating not putting up a tree and even considered trying my best to skip Christmas this year.

Then, I attended my December event, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the Durham Performing Arts Center with my mom. We met up with a friend of hers from nursing school and her family and sat back, ready to enjoy the show.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. All I know about the Rockettes is that there is a lot of kicking. The show turned out to be so much more than that. Accompanied by a few actors and singers, the Radio City Rockettes danced their way through a Christmas journey, which included New York City and the North Pole. The girls had gorgeous outfits for each number and dramatic lighting. A huge LED screen made you feel like you were traveling right along with the girls.

My favorite dance number was The Parade of Wooden Soldiers, where the Rockettes line up and collapse into each other like toy soldiers.

My favorite overall number was a live nativity scene. And by live, I mean there were real camels and sheep. It was absolutely beautiful. It was also a strong reminder to me of what Christmas is really about. To me, Christmas has always been a time of magical wonder, where anything can happen. Thanks to the Rockettes for reminding me that is still true.

Ooooh I wanna take you to Bermuda...

Bahama!

2011 has been a big year for me filled with amazing new experiences and fun. Celebrating my 30th birthday was no exception. The fact that I was just able to write celebrating my 30th birthday instead of mourning my 20s is a big step for me!

About a year and a half ago, I decided that I had no desire to be in Charlotte when the big 30 hit and I would prefer somewhere tropical. I also learned to swim last year and wanted somewhere that would allow me to do that and be warm. My friends Misty, Mark and Jean joined me on the trip and we left from Charleston on the Carnival Fantasy last Wednesday, November 2.

This was my first cruise so I had no idea what to expect. There were so many new and exciting experiences, sights, sounds and motions that I don't even know where to begin.

We spent all day Thursday at sea. The most amazing thing was going to sleep in a crisp fall night and waking up to a bright, humidity free day. I went outside to watch the sunrise and it was truly one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring sights of my three decades. Misty and I spent some quality time at the pool, then we joined Mark and Jean for a game of mini-golf on the top of the ship. I pretty much suck at mini-golf anyway and blustery winds didn't really do much to help my game, but it was still fun. Mark and I mastered two water slides.

That night was formal night and we enjoyed dressing up. If I ever have a first-born child, I think I might be willing to give him/her up for the lobster I ate that night. After dinner, we went to the lounge to check out a comedy show. The waiter dropped my martini glass on poor Jean causing glass to splatter everywhere. The comedian was funny, but considering how I've probably been to 50 comedy shows this year, I was a little over it.

Friday morning, we woke up in Nassau, Bahamas to a sunny 78 degree day. Misty went off to explore a glass-bottom boat tour while Mark, Jean and I embarked on my birthday gift from them: paddle-boarding and snorkeling. Our tour guide met us at the pier and took us to another small boat and out to sea. We ended up in a shallow area where we could snorkel or paddle board for as long as we wanted. We decided to do the paddle boarding first. Mark and Jean mastered it pretty quickly. It took me a while, but I was finally able to stand up. That, however, did not last very long as I soon came across a woman snorkeling and wasn't able to stop my paddle board. I ended up hitting her in the face and making her curse at me. To say she wasn't thrilled would be a slight understatement. That little mishap caused me to lose my confidence and my legs started shaking. I went down a couple of times before giving up and grabbing my snorkel gear.

Like most things I've done this year, snorkeling was a new experience for me and was awesome. I got to see some cool fish and coral. I can't wait to get my underwater film developed and see what I was able to capture.

After the excursion, we grabbed lunch on the ship and headed back out for a little Senor Frogs. If you've ever been to a Senor Frogs, you probably understand that not much else got accomplished that day. They serve liquor there by the yard. That's all I'll say about that. We did do a little shopping afterwards. All the ladies bought a dress and we picked up a few other small trinkets.

That evening after dinner, we picked up some drinks and headed to the adults-only Serenity deck which is the most relaxing place on the ship. It is nice and quiet with lots of deck chairs and two hot tubs. We spent about an hour in the hot tub, watching neighboring ships get further and further away from us.

Saturday morning was the big day! I woke up in Freeport. After mimosas at breakfast, we headed out to explore. Mark and Jean took a taxi to check out some shops while Misty and I boarded a bus for Unexso in Port Lucaya Marina. Our bus driver Michael was on a one-man mission to make us all move to the Bahamas, bragging about everything from how to discipline children to the lack of a Bahamian income tax. But orange juice is $9 a gallon! From the marina, we took a small boat with about 20 other passengers to Sanctuary Bay, home to 14 Atlantic Bottle Nose Dolphins. I was so excited! Our boat captain was very entertaining!

Our dolphin trainer, Patrick, lead us in small groups to sit with our feet in an enclosed water area while two dolphins, Indy and Andros, swam around us. These dolphins are SO freaking fast. They can do amazing tricks including moonwalking! They can also soak you with water in about two seconds. Misty and I went to stand in the water with Patrick to pet Indy, the smallest male dolphin at 320 pounds.

My main takeaway from this experience is how much dolphins are like dogs. Indy loved being petted. He rolled over for us to pet his belly and when we did, he kicked his little fins in glee like my dogs kick their legs during a good belly rub. Dolphins are mammals so we were told not to rub below Indy's belly button so we didn't start anything we couldn't finish before our boat had to leave! We each got to pose with Indy for a kiss.

I cannot describe how amazing this experience was. Dolphins are such incredibly creatures with amazing personalities. They are at once strong and gentle. There were times it felt like they were laughing at us silly humans and there were obvious signs that Indy loved affection and attention.

Other fun dolphin facts:

Sharks swim left to right so dolphins swim up and down

Dolphin babies are born tails first and their mommies get them up to air by the time their head comes out

Dolphins literally sleep with one eye open

After the dolphin encounter, we got to hang out with some birds: macaws and cockatoos. I even let one sit on my head! I completely and totally fell in love with Indy and it turns out you can adopt him, which I plan to do. But if you were a slacker and didn't get me a birthday present, this would be a great gift for me!

That night, we tried to go to a show on the boat but it was an amateurish tribute to the Beatles that was so bad we had to leave 30 minutes in. Jean, who is not exactly a Beatles fan club member, was relieved to say the least when I said we could go. We then headed to my birthday dinner where I had fantastic lasagna, a chocolate birthday cake and some enthusiastic multilingual birthday singing. Misty, Mark and I were forced to dance with the wait staff, which Jean got out of by offering to be our photographer.

Saturday night is when things started to get a little dicey. A low pressure system along the Carolina coast caused some rough seas for the trip back. Things, and people, were falling. We heard our cabin neighbor puking. There were 12 feet swells, which we found out later is a lot. Even the cruise director who was decked out in heels for the majority of the trip opted for flats. We made it through, albeit a little worse for the wear, and returned to Charleston at dawn on Monday.

2011 has been a year of new experiences for me. It's been a year of amazing opportunities and chances to learn more about myself and the world around me. As Natasha Bedingfield would say, the rest is still unwritten. And I look forward to seeing what this 30th year will bring me.

She sits alone by a lamppost

Regular Randi Resolves readers know that my big mouth ruined my chance to see Darius Rucker in the 1990s. I did get to see him open for Brad Paisley in February, but last Thursday night, my friend Elizabeth and her husband Joe went to see Darius' headline show at the N.C. Music Factory.

The Music Factory's amphitheater is a nice new facility without a bad seat in the house. We were in the seventh row. We managed to make it through Frankie Ballard's opening act. I will just say, it was bad, you guys. It was bad.

Then Rodney Atkins was next up. He was awesome. And hot. He really interacted with the crowd, shooting out t-shirts from a t-shirt gun. He did something I have never seen before, which was toss the mic, stand and all, out into the audience to give us a chance to sing. There weren't any aspiring Kelly Clarksons in the house, but it was a great way to interact with the audience and get everyone revved up for Darius.

Darius was, of course, amazing. While a lot of focus was on his current country music, which I also love, he did manage to work in a few Hootie hits, which made me very happy. Darius managed to work in a lot of local elements. He said in his early days he played at Amos'. During a few songs, he worked in slideshows of Carolina teams and even gave Cam Newton a shoutout for his outstanding rookie performance in the NFL.

The crowd was hyped, the margaritas were huge and it was a beautiful Southern fall night as Darius brought the house down with his encore performance of Purple Rain.

Back to Brad

I've already told ya'll why I heart Brad Paisley. And I have already seen Brad in tour this year in Roanoke, which I also wrote about. So, you could naturally assume that I wouldn't have anything new to say after taking my mom to see Brad in Raleigh this past Saturday. But you would be wrong!

Mom's birthday present was a ticket to see Brad perform along with Jerrod Niemann and Blake Shelton. There was pouring rain all weekend, but we had an excellent, clear and cool summer night. Perfect concert weather.

Jerrod Niemann opened the show, as he did at Brad's Roanoke show. And yes, I love Jerrod and certainly never get tired of looking at or even listening to him, but he definitely did the exact same show I saw in Roanoke right down to a joke about his super hero pajamas. It was still great.

Brad Paisley has quite a reputation for playing pranks on tour and last night was no exception. Brad sent a very large man in very small clothes out covered in body paint to try to slow dance with Jerrod.

Next up was Blake Shelton. I've never really had a feeling for Blake one way or another, although I've figured he had to be pretty bad ass to be married to Miranda Lambert. Blake began the show by letting everyone know he'd been drinking since 12, which was sort of obvious. He still managed to put on a good show, which included a melody of Play that Funky Music White Boy, Angel is a Centerfold and Bobby Brown's My Prerogative. He also decided to sing us his oldest song from 2006, Austin. I had completely and totally forgotten that Blake sang that song and how much I love it!

Brad also managed to prank Blake by sending the same large man on stage in a honey bee costume to chase Blake during, what else, Honey Bee?

It was finally time for the main attraction! Brad came out to Mud on the Tires while standing out among the audience and the evening had truly begun! Brad's lyrics are incredibly clever (and mostly self-written) and his singing skills are superb, but where he really flourishes is when he is playing the guitar. I got to hear a few songs that Brad didn't play in Roanoke, including When I Get Where I'm Going, and Alabama. One of the highlights of the evening was Brad singing Don't Drink the Water, a new song with Blake. Blake returned to the stage wearing a long mullet wing and attempting to make out with Brad.

When Misty and I went to Roanoke, Brad came out into the cheap seats to sing and he did that again this time, except this time I was even closer, less than 20 feet away. He was pranked in return with his diving board being replaced with a toilet. Again, Brad thanked us for spending money on him, even in such tough economic times. He wanted everyone to get their money's worth. And we did.

It's Britney, bitch!

I have always had a love of Britney Spears. From the moment that Britney and Justin sang I'll Take You There, I've been rooting for my girl. Throughout the Jason Alexanders and the K-Feds, the head shaving, umbrella waving and the gum-snapping interview with Matt Lauer, Britney has been my girl. When she made her not so great comeback performance at the 2007 VMAs, I cringed like I knew her. Maybe it's because Britney and I are almost exactly the same age, or maybe it's because she has at times seemed so vulnerable, but I have always rooted for her.

I was very excited to find out Britney was coming to Charlotte. As a recently converted fan of The Jersey Shore, I was also excited (and confused) to find out that DJ Pauly D was opening for Brit. I went with one of my friends from work, Micah and her boyfriend Derek, who is a Britney SUPER FAN.

Pauly D. Sigh. I love Paul D. Yeah, buddy I do! And I do think he is a talented DJ. I just don't really get sitting in a huge arena and watching him DJ for about 45 minutes. Although, as Micah said, it was fun to have the experience of fist pumping with Pauly D! Pauly D's music choices were awesome and we had fun dancing and fist pumping, but it just felt like a giant club without really much to do.

Then it was Britney time! Britney came busting out to Hold it Against Me. Despite some oddly cruel reviews in The Charlotte Observer, Britney looked great. The show incorporated the Femme Fatale theme with a series of videos of Britney being a total badass. She had crazy costumes that included a gypsy costume and a skintight body suit.

In what I hope is not a shocking turn of events, Britney did a lot of lip-syncing. That's what I expected, but it was still a great show. I am so glad I got the opportunity to see her. I think my readers will be glad to know that I danced. I couldn't help it! That was some dance-worthy music. The best show of the night, however, came from another audience member. I had to record his magical dance moves to share here.

I saw God today

Updated with video!

So, when I originally started this blog, the goal was document all the live events of 2011. While I've been tempted to write about politics or other things that strike my fancy, I've tried to stick to that. I've had a couple of variances when I wrote blogs to remember my grandfather and grandmother, but other than that, it's been all live events all the time.

Today's blog is going to be a little different, because I did something so awesome and amazing yesterday, it must be documented.

I went sky diving yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly. The girl that is terrified of planes not only got in one, but willing accelerated to 114,000 feet and jumped out a freakin' plane.

How did this come to be? A friend of mine, Tim, from work jumps every weekend. He refers to it as stress relief and he absolutely loves it. For the last few weeks, he's been trying to talk me into doing it and I have flat out refused. I did, however, agree to go watch him jump yesterday and that's how this all began.

I watched him do a jump and was intrigued. It did take me an hour or two more of watching others and having him walk through every step for me to agree. I finally, in an uncharacteristic moment of impulse, agreed and handed over my credit card.

Because I didn't have a reservation, that lead to four hours of waiting for a plane which was definitely the most stressful part. I watched a training video which reminded me that I had signed a waiver. "Sky diving is a dangerous sport. It can kill or injure you. The waiver you just signed means that you or your family cannot sue in the event of death or injury, even if it's a result of our negligence." Awesome.

I met my instructor Andrew, and got geared up. I got to wear a medium sized suit, which was purple, so I knew it was meant to be! Tim made an arrangement to be on the plane with me, and I am glad because I am not sure I could do that without someone I know beside me.

Before I knew what I was doing, my plane had arrived and it was time to board. With his hand on my back, I boarded the plan with Andrew and Tim, along with about 10 other skydivers. This, to me, was the most stressful part as the plane kept getting higher and higher. I watched my indicator to see how high we were and really started to question my sanity. I hate heights. I hate planes. What am I doing?

At about 12,000 feet, Andrew strapped himself onto me and we got ready to go. In the video they shot, I look pretty calm. Everyone else on the plane was pretty quiet and calm and that helped me stay quiet and calm, although Tim did tell me later once we got on the plane he thought that would be the moment I backed out.

Before I knew it, people started jumping out of the plane. Then it was mine and Andrew's turn. I would like to say I prayed and made my peace with God, but honestly, I was just focused on what was happening next. And then like that, we were off!

I know it sounds incredibly corny and cliche, but I have never in my life felt so alive. Everything was so vivid and colorful. After about 10 seconds of holding my breath, I was breathing air so pure and refreshing, it was intoxicating. The sun was starting to set in Chester, South Carolina and it was beautiful. God was closer than He's ever been.

As we passed through the clouds, the ground started to come into focus. Once Andrew pulled our parachute, there was such peace. Everything was quiet. There wasn't a sound to be heard. And I was just flying.

Landing, to me, was the funnest part. Andrew asked me to pull up my legs and knees to bring us to the ground. It was amazingly gentle and fun. We just glided onto the ground. "So," Tim asked. "Do you want to do it again?"

The answer is yes.

Me, with Tim, who talked me into this craziness.

And finally: The video

An additional video taken from Tim's perspective. Watch as Mr. Crazy climbs onto the side of the plane! You can also see my awesome videographer Terry

How I keep winning Comedy Zone tickets

The last time I was at the Lake Norman Comedy Zone, I filled out a comment card, which apparently won me some free tickets to the Paul Hooper show.

I invited my friends Frank and Alisa, along with my friend Tammy, to enjoy the show. We enjoyed a great dinner downstairs at the Galway Hooker (mmmm: calamari!) and then headed upstairs to enjoy the show.

Alysia Wood was the opening act and she was hilarious. Sometimes, it was like she was in my head!

Paul Hooper, a Charlotte native, was the main act. He tells you from the very beginning that he is an angry little dude and he is-but it is hilarious. I think Alisa put it best when she said, “There were things that made you so uncomfortable, you felt like you shouldn’t laugh, but you did because it was hilarious.”

All in all, it was a great evening. And guess what? I found out yesterday that I won tickets AGAIN to the N.C. Music Factory Comedy Zone uptown, so I will be going with some friends to check out Tammy Piscatelli. Alisa won some tickets for Sept. 1, so I will be back that week and I am also going to see Flavor Flav on August 27, so I think the Comedy Zone is becoming my Cheers.