Akeelah and the Bee Comes to Life At Arena Stage!

(L to R) Johannah Easley, Sean Phinney, Leo James, Molly Yeselson and Ana Christine Evans in Children’s Theatre Company’s Akeelah and the Bee at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater November 13-December 27, 2015. Photo by Dan Norman.

If you are in the Washington, DC area this holiday season, you must take a trip to the south side Chicago neighborhood recreated on Arena Stage to see AKEELAH AND THE BEE – now playing through December 27, 2015!  Doug Atchison’s 2006 original screenplay was adapted for the stage by Cheryl L. West and directed by Charles Randolph-Wright.  West and Randolph-Wright recreate a modern version of the beloved film that appeals to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.  We had so much FUN – laughing, cheering, hoping and falling in love all over again with our favorite characters.  The live performance puts you right on their block,  in their homes, their school and at the National Spelling Bee itself!  The stage and theater create a sense of intimacy that really makes Akeelah and the Bee come alive!  It’s an experience you don’t want to miss.

 

Zaria Graham as Georgia, Nathan Barlow as Reggie, Aimee K. Bryant as Gail and James A. Williams as Dr. Larabee in Children’s Theatre Company’s Akeelah and the Bee at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater November 13-December 27, 2015. Photo by Dan Norman.

We all go through life aspiring to dreams and passions that people around us don’t understand.  However, Akeelah shows us that sometimes you have to do what is necessary to make those dreams come true for yourself.  If you have at least one person in your life that you can find to inspire you, the others in your life will be inspired by your ardent pursuit of your dreams and will be come your biggest fans!

(L to R) Leo James, Johannah Easley and Shavunda Horsley in Children’s Theatre Company’s Akeelah and the Bee at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater November 13-December 27, 2015. Photo by Dan Norman.

 

(L to R) Greta Oglesby as Batty Ruth and Milton Craig Nealy as Drunk Willie in Children’s Theatre Company’s Akeelah and the Bee at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater November 13-December 27, 2015. Photo by Cameron Whitman.

 

The talent in this production is BRILLIANT and EXCEPTIONAL!  Each character is flawlessly portrayed and fully developed. I look forward to following many of the actors in future performances.  They each have an amazing gift and I thank them for wanting to share it with the world.

Treat you and your family to the gift of a live performance of AKEELAH AND THE BEE this holiday season!  I promise, you will not be disappointed.  ~ @Lifeisanexquisitejourney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty in the Evening

I pray that the beauty of life that one experiences during sunrise and the early afternoon is just as beautiful in the later afternoon and during sunset.

For I have emotions, dreams and hopes that I want to be able to share in the quiet of the evening and late into the night.

I have wisdom and insight that I hope will attract the fullness of being like the sun shining on the brightest day and the moon glowing on the clearest night.

Michelle Lynn Thompson
06-16-2014

Dancing and Twirling

Each time I see you

My heart skips a beat, and smiles

Dancing and twirling

by Michelle Lynn Thompson 08/15/2012

Exquisite Haiku – Dancing and Twirling

I Got a New Bike!

Okay, so I am so excited because I purchased a “real” bike about two months ago!  It has a really nice gel seat and a total of 21 different gear combinations. The color is slick black and it doesn’t have the bar that goes across the middle.  I have very “not so fun” memories about accidentally falling on that bar.  I haven’t had a bike since I was in elementary school. It was an ugly brown bike and it didn’t have any gears. I mean really, what young girl is going to feel cute riding around in an ugly brown bike? Needless to say there was no love affair with that bike at all. I don’t really remember any memorable bike rides on that thing.

Tune to April 27, 2013. After stopping at a couple of different bike shops to survey the terrain and figure out what options were available. I finally found a local bike shop The Bike Lane where the sales person wasn’t try to sell me the most expensive model.  Where previous conversations that left me mind boggled at the other stores were clarified and my ‘silly” questions and clarifications were addressed.  I absolutely LOVE my bike!  I have ridden over 140 miles and what I love about it is that you can put on so many miles in such a short time.  I love that you can actually GO somewhere!  The whole experience has been so liberating!

I’ve had the chance to ride with my friend to the George Washington Mount Vernon Estate.  I actually had it on my list but she called one Sunday morning to see if I wanted to ride.  I don’t know why I was putting off for some other milestone.  I had so much fun!  I was so excited that I was able to meet the challenge and I got a chance to see a part of Alexandria that hadn’t seen before.  Your perspective from a bicycle is so much more intimate.  You see so much that you don’t see when riding through a neighborhood in a car.

The hills are a challenge, but I finally figured out how to maneuver the gears!  My favorite part about making it up a hill is knowing that I’ll be able to coast down the hill with the wind blowing across my face on the way back!  That is the best reward!

Stay tuned for Michelle’s Bicycle Adventures!

Where are some of your favorite bicycle paths?

Summer Solstice Serendipity

 

Christina being her spontaneous, carefree self splashing through the Georgetown Waterfront Fountain.  I just loved that she ran through without a care in the world!  This is the free spirit of what it means to be a child.  As parents we have to remember to say YES more often because children know the secret to understanding how to embrace the simple exquisite pleasures of life!  A simple YES created a moment of JOY and a lifetime memory.  Who cares that you didn’t have any clothes to change into.  “I’ll just walk around and dry off!”  ~ Christina

 

It is a happy talent to know how to play.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Always jump in the puddles! Always skip alongside the flowers. The only fights worth fighting are the pillow and food varieties. ~Terri Guillemets

 Whoever wants to understand much must play much.  ~Gottfried Benn

 

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• The Summer Solstice (dunthor.com)
• Summer Solstice 2013 (journalread.wordpress.com)

Celebrating My 25th College Reunion

I celebrated my 25th College Reunion Year last weekend!  It was great to be on campus visiting old haunts and appreciating the new construction that so perfectly seems to blend the old with the new.  It was wonderful to be in the physical presence of my classmates.  I have had the chance to reconnect with many classmates on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but nothing replaces being in the same space and time with your friends.  I was most struck by how moved I was by the experience.

It was especially wonderful to exchange hugs and smiles and reminisce about old times with a couple of lifetime friends who I love and cherish.  A classmate shared that we don’t know if we were experiencing a “collective delusion,” but we all felt like we looked as good as we did 25 years ago!  I don’t know about the rest of them, but I feel like I am only 25! And I know I AM NOT experiencing any delusions!  LOL!   How can I be celebrating 25 years of graduating from college?

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Sunshine Hugs

Like the touch of love

Wrapping its warmth around me

I love sunshine hugs!

by Michelle Lynn Thompson

August 18, 2012

Exquisite Haiku: Sunshine Hugs

Life is an Exquisite Journey Accepts the Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

Thank you to Cathie from The Cathie Barash Blog for nominating Life is an Exquisite journey for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award!  I am so appreciative of the recognition and am excited to extend the nomination to a few other bloggers who have inspired me on this blogging journey.

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated me.

      Thank you so much, Cathie!

2. Share 7 things about myself.

1. I am the mother of five children ages 20, 18, 17, 15 and 9.
2. I have my own live, call-in television program.
3. I grew up in Sicklerville, NJ.  Yes, the hometown of Olympic Gold medalist Jordan Burroughs! 
4. I enjoy visiting new cities and towns.
5. I am a Girl Scout.
6. I lived in Austin, TX for a year.
7. I was born in France.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers for this award.

At this time, I have selected the following nominees for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award:

1. http://bestmotivationalguides.wordpress.com/
2. http://upgraderealite.wordpress.com
3. http://selfimprovementdeals.wordpress.com
4. http://creativityorcrazy.wordpress.com
   
5. http://focsimama.wordpress.com/
6. http://soitgoes1.wordpress.com/
7. http://caraholman.wordpress.com/

4. Put the logo of the award on my blog site.

Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing your comments.  It has been a blast getting to know you all and I look forward to strengthening our connection.

Peace and Love,

Life is an Exquisite Journey ~ Michelle

 

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• Very Inspiring Blogger Award (thefameschoolblog.com)
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TAG, You’re It!

There’s a game of Tag in play on WordPress and it gives us an opportunity to share a little bit more about ourselves with one another.  I’ve been tagged by Yasniger and YOU might be next!

11 Fun Facts About Life is An Exquisite Journey~Michelle

1.  I am 5’10” and I am the shortest one in my family besides my 9 year old daughter.

2.  I love to roller skate.

3.  I love to laugh!

4.  I enjoy romantic comedies and foreign films.

5.  I am teaching myself French – trying to pull from some foundational training from high school and college.

6.  I love to visit new cities and towns.

7.  I have my own bi-monthly live, call-in television program.

8.  I mentor college and high school students.

9.  I am a mother of five children ages 20, 18, 17, 15 and 9.

10.  I love to line dance.

11.  I am an optimist.

My Responses to Yasniger’s Questions:

If you really had the option of changing your name, identity & nationality, would you & to what, if you could?

I would change my name to something different and uncommon.  Do you know how many times I here the name “Michelle” in the US?

What do you thing is the reasons why some people are gay & other are not?

I have no idea.

If you alone knew for certain when you will die, would you rather keep it a secret or tell anyone?

I would keep it a secret, but I would  squeeze in as much of my Bucket List as possible before my expiration date!

Do you think you will be a lot happier of you were a lot more different from what you are now?

I am very happy the way I am.

If you had the choice of killing someone painlessly, to save them and prevent them from an agonizingly slowly death, would you?

I would not participate in any act of killing.

What is cruelest comment you had made on somebody else`s blog post, was it honestly made & would you take it back if you could?

I choose not to make negative comments on anyone else’s blog.  I don’t believe in spreading that type of energy.

Has blogging made a world of difference in your life?

It has given me a voice.

Do you have any particular event that you could quite clearly identify as the most life altering occurrence in your life?

Participating in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People workshop.

Do you think educated people are a lot friendlier & more sincere than uneducated persons?

I don’t think education has anything to do with being courteous and polite.

What are the most difficult choices you made & would you change these choices if you had a foolproof chance to do so?

Staying in a relationship for the wrong reasons.  Yes – I would have left the relationship sooner.

What is the longest time you have kept a secret & did you let it out intentionally finally or someone else did?

I keep all the confidences entrusted to me.  It’s not for me to tell.

 

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Here are the rules, read them, they are important.

1. You must post the rules.
2. You must post eleven fun facts about yourself.
3. You must answer the questions your tagger set for you
4. You must create eleven questions to ask the people you tag.
5. Tag eleven people and link them on your post.
6. Let them know you have tagged them.

Questions from Life is an Exquisite Journey:

1.  What are you most passion about?

2.  How are you living a little bit of your passion each day?

3.  What is the most favorite travel memory in the country that you live?

4.  What is the most favorite travel memory outside of the country that you live?

5.  If you have a day job, what type of work do you do?

6.  How long have you been blogging and what topics do you like to blog about?

7.  Who are your favorite authors?

8.  What is your favorite type of cuisine?

9.  What is the most bizarre question that someone has ever asked you and how did you respond?

10.  Are you actively engaged with other social networking media?  If so, how can we reach you?

11.  When was the last time that you sent a handwritten letter or card to someone?

Let’s keep the game going and I look forward to learning a little bit more about you!

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• Today I Got Tagged by Mary Ann Blickhorn (garciaandwalkon.me)

Live the Life you Love ` Inspirational Quote of the Day