M...is for Mama Mia

This is one of the best movies of all time, in my very humble opinion. The clip is a little long, I know, but the movie will be worth your time.  It has romance, intrigue, and a delicious twist, that will keep you guessing.  Mama Mia is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, and composed by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, who happen to be former members of the band.

This building is the original home of Mama Mia the musical. The Prince Edward Theatre. The musical opened April 6th, 1999 and 5 years later was transferred to the Prince Of Wales Theatre in June of 2004.

Take my advice and rent this musical, it will be well worth your time, that is, if you like this kind of thing. Blessings to you all.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

© 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

L...is for Labels

Labels are like distinguishing marks given for things we see, taste, hear, touch and smell, and all to often labels are given to people.

For example, you might assign to me the labels of;  mom, wife, sister, friend, runner, writer and so on.  These would be distinguishing marks to describe all that I am and all that I do.  Do labels make a person, or does a person make the labels? What are your thoughts on this question?  Personally I believe that it is the person who creates the labels.  

When I was born I became a daughter, the first label attached to me.  I also became a sister to my older brother Johnny...the second label attached to me.

As we go through this journey of life and we become something, or accomplish a goal we get another label attached to us, and on and on it goes, until we are no more. At the core though we are Us and that is something that is ingrained within our very DNA, and no label can completely describe or distinguish us, as we truly are.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

© 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

K...is for King

King is a family name of Scottish or English origin, according to Wikipedia.  The English name comes from Old English cyning meaning tribal leader.

This article at Ancestry.com gave me this info...

King Name Meaning

English and Scottish: nickname from Middle English king, Old English cyning ‘king’ (originally merely a tribal leader, from Old English cyn(n) ‘tribe’, ‘race’ + the Germanic suffix -ing). The word was already used as a byname before the Norman Conquest, and the nickname was common in the Middle Ages, being used to refer to someone who conducted himself in a kingly manner, or one who had played the part of a king in a pageant, or one who had won the title in a tournament. In other cases it may actually have referred to someone who served in the king’s household. The American surname has absorbed several European cognates and equivalents with the same meaning, for example German König (see Koenig), Swiss German Küng, French Leroy. It is also found as an Ashkenazic Jewish surname, of ornamental origin.Chinese : variant of Jin 1.Chinese , , , : see Jing.

 

This wonderful site gives me a little more information on my last name and it's origin etc.

King is my last name...my husbands name is George...therefore I am married to King George.

When I got married I wasn't sure I wanted to change my last name, I loved it! It was Griffin, such a nice and noble sounding name.  This site gave me information about my old last name. Not as exciting as I thought it would be.  This one sounds much better to me, read it here. I enjoyed being a Griffin for such a long time...now I enjoy being a Kings wife.  

There is a lot of history in a name, what does your name say about you?

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

© 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

J...is for Java

As in I need some Java this morning to get me go go going...

Those of you who have followed me for awhile now will know that I love my coffee Java. My day doesn't start until I have had that first cup of Java.  I love my coffee Java so much that I am excited to go to bed a night, because I know that in the morning my beloved coffee Java will be waiting for me.  Weird, I know!  Seriously, I even have dreams about it!  Maybe I need to join a 12-Step program, "Hi my name's Shannon and I am addicted to Java".  

Me without my morning Java

I'm really not that bad...I just prefer to have my Java before starting my day...if you get my drift, and I think you do.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

© 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

I...is for Intermediate

As in...I consider myself an intermediate runner, as opposed to a beginner.  I started running 8 months ago and could barely run for a minute...beginner and total newbie!

A beginner is someone who has just started to put feet to the ground, moving faster than a walk.

An intermediate runner is someone who can comfortably run/jog for at least 30 minutes non-stop.

What is the difference between a runner and a jogger? Not a lot in my opinion...they are both running, one is just running at a slower pace.  I am a runner, not a jogger...and I'll try to explain it.  When I leave the house I don't say, "I'm going out for a jog", I say, "I'm going for a run".  When I am out there I do speed work, hill repeats, tempo runs and fartlek runs. (This  is a great article on the difference, if you believe there is one.)

I'm a runner and I wear running gear, it may look fashionable but it serves a purpose besides making me look adorable.  My shoes don't just look awesome, they keep my feet, ankles and knees aligned. I own a pair of Asics trail shoes and two pair of Danskin athletic shoes.  (I have yet to have my feet analyzed by a professional, but maybe someday when I feel it is absolutely necessary.)  My compression wear also helps me to run faster, farther and better. 

 Here are some great reasons for wearing compression wear while running...Running compression tights and similar garments for other sports are quite different to medical compression stockings, although they work in a similar way. They are designed to provide the best support to the muscles of the legs and lower body, thus minimizing the chance of a muscle injury occurring. They are also designed to aid the flow of blood and the oxygen supply to the lower body and extremities, as well as reducing lactic acid build up. The chances of varicose veins and other leg conditions is reduced. The ultra supportive nature of compression socks, tights and shorts has been found to aid athletic performance and recovery noticeably.  

Everything I wear has a usefulness besides looking good, even my socks.

So now you see, I'm an Intermediate runner...and this isn't just something I do once in awhile, it's what I've become...I run! Here you can follow me on my new running blog I Survived & Now I Run

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

© 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

H...is for Harvey

That's right I said Harvey! This is a favorite character of my very favorite actor James Stewart.  

This is a whimsical movie about a local drunk and his invisible 6' 3 1/2" pooka (mischievous Irish spirit).  James Stewart plays the part of Elwood P. Dowd, who's sunny philosophy and drunken antics are tolerated by the townsfolk  Although people are certain Elwood has finally lost his mind, Harvey's presence seems to have a magical & positive effect on the people of the town except his sister, Veta Louise Simmons (played by Josephine Hull) who also occasionally sees Harvey. 

Veta tries to have Elwood committed to an insane asylum but is somehow admitted herself. (In exasperation, she admits to the attending psychiatrist, Dr. Lyman Sanderson (Charles Drake) that, after so many years of putting up with the invisible rabbit, she sees Harvey every once in a while. This causes Dr. Sanderson to let Elwood out and lock Veta up.) Towards the end, the institutions director, Dr. Chumley (Cecil Kellaway) begins to see Harvey as well.  Here is Elwood's philosophy on life handed down by his mother...

"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" – she always called me Elwood – "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

This movie was released Oct. 13, 1950.

DID YOU KNOW?

Trivia

Although James Stewart is 6'4'', he refers to Harvey as being 6'3 1/2'' tall in the film and looks up at him during the entire film. That's because this is Harvey's height in the original play by Mary Chase. In a 1990 interview, Stewart said that he had decided that for the film, Harvey was going to be 6'8'', so that he could indeed look up at him.

I hope you have enjoyed this movie at least once in your lifetime...it is worth it, I guarantee it!

(Sources are here, here and here)

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

Run To Live...Live To Run


© 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.