Lovely Lyrics: Circle of Life

The Lion King was released twenty years ago today.  Twenty years!  That seems crazy to me!  It remains one of my favorite movies ever – Disney or otherwise.  I acknowledge that I am a sobbing mess whenever I watch a Disney movie, but The Lion King is particularly emotional for me because of the connections I have with the movie.  First of all, it came out the year C and I got married and we took several trips to WDW that year in preparation for our wedding there.  The Lion King was everywhere and it is inextricably linked to that year of our lives.  Secondly, I was so completely in love with the soundtrack that I incorporated the music into our ceremony.  We had a string quartet perform only Disney music for us, and when my dad escorted me down the aisle, it was to “Circle of Life” and it was wonderful.  So on this Father’s Day, its lyrics are the perfect choice to reflect on the movie and on my amazing dad.

Circle of Life

from The Lion King

From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There's more to see than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done

There's far too much to take in here

More to find than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high

Through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the circle of life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

’Til we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the circle

The circle of life

Music by Elton John

Lyric by Tim Rice

A few other thoughts about the film:

“Lion King” – same initials as me!  How could I not love it!

Whenever a conversation arises about which Disney villain is the most evil, in my opinion, there is only one answer.  Scar.  He.Kills.His.Own.Brother.  End of discussion.

There are a lot of great dads in Disney movies (Pongo from 101 Dalmatians, Maurice from Beauty and the Beast, James from The Princess and the Frog, and King Triton from The Little Mermaid come to mind), but no Disney dad is better than Mufasa.  He is kind, brave, and wise.  Even after he is gone, his importance in Simba’s life is incalculable.

Finally, Disney movies are known for their poignant messages and The Lion King offers a powerful one:  Remember who you are.

So Happy Father’s Day to the magnificent men in my life:  my dad, who chose me, who has given me every opportunity and created priceless memories for and with me, and who supports me no matter what; my father-in-law, who is my second dad and incredibly kind and generous and has treated me as nothing short of a princess since the moment I met him; and YaYa, my grandfather for whom there are no words strong enough to express my love.

Last, but certainly not least, Happy Father’s Day to C.  You are the most fabulous dad on the planet to our four-legged children and the highlight of their day is when you walk in the door after work each evening!  They thank you for the endless treats and car rides and also apologize for hogging the bed and barking incessantly.

Happy Tails to you!

We Are All Kings

The Kings have won the Stanley Cup!

What a playoff run!

Twenty-six games.

A rocky start, falling 0-3 to the Sharks before an epic comeback in the series.

Three game-seven wins on the road.

Three overtime games in the final round.

Yet somehow, the team kept finding ways to win and was 7-0 when facing elimination.  As a fan, it was both exhausting and exhilarating to watch these games!

I have written about my love of the Kings before.  Those of you who know me understand my connection to the team and for many years, my personalized license plate read LAKNGS.  So I could not be more thrilled with the outcome of this NHL season (well, we’ll see how I feel when the Leafs finally win the Cup…)!

You may recall that I met Dustin Brown at LAX last summer.  We happened to be on the same flight, as we were flying home after our trip to California and he was flying to Washington for the Olympic hockey training camp.  In my opinion, he is a phenomenal captain and I was beyond excited to speak with him; he was incredibly kind and patiently endured my jibber-jabber about the Kings.  I’m not sure what I was expecting, perhaps someone less friendly because he is a tough and focused player on the ice, but he was humble and rather soft-spoken.  It was a highlight not only of the trip, but also the entire year.  When I saw him at baggage claim after we landed the next morning, I told him to have a great season, so I like to think my encouraging words played a small role in the Stanley Cup victory.  ;-)

Dustin Brown

Back in April, NHL.com hosted a Bracket Challenge and I picked the Kings to win the Stanley Cup.  At that point, the Kings were far from being the “favorite” to win; I would go so far as to say they weren’t even favored to win the Western Conference.  Looking at the results below, please note that my bracket was on the 98th percentile – not too shabby!  Of course, C’s bracket was on the 99th percentile, but I just could not pick Boston over Detroit in the first round even though I sadly suspected that would be the actual outcome.

my bracket - April 2014

Finally, my brother got married two weeks ago, and at the rehearsal dinner, C, my two brothers, and I put on matching shirts and presented one to my new sister-in-law to “draft” her onto our team.  We gave a speech about how it’s been the four of us for a long time and that we were thrilled she was joining our clan.  We called her up to the front and she put on her shirt so that the five of us matched.  I felt SO much love in that moment.  And obviously, this works on multiple levels.  :-)

our shirts

So yes, my poor facebook friends have had to deal with me posting “KINGS!!!!!!” after their victories, and I thank them for tolerating me.

It’s been a very successful 2014 hockey year for us – the Leafs won the Winter Classic, Canada won the Olympic gold medal, and the Kings won the Stanley Cup.  I’m not sure it can get much better than that for this household.  But again, ask me about this statement when the Leafs win the Cup.  :-)

#GoKingsGo

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: All in the Golden Afternoon

All in the Golden Afternoon

from Alice in Wonderland

Little bread-and-butterflies kiss the tulips

And the sun is like a toy balloon

There are get-up-in-the-morning glories

In the golden afternoon

There are dizzy daffodils on the hillside

Strings of violets are all in tune

Tiger lilies love the dandy lions

In the golden afternoon

There are dog and caterpillars

and the copper centipede

Where the lazy daisies love

the very peaceful life they lead

You can learn a lot of things from the flowers

For especially in the month of June

There's a wealth of happiness and romance

All in the golden afternoon

Music by Sammy Fain and Lyrics by Bob Hilliard

This is how the girls spend their afternoons - they definitely prefer the air-conditioned house to the heat and humidity!

Maddy

Chelsea & Ginny

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: Once Upon a Dream

At long last, the day has finally arrived…I am getting a sister today!

My brother is marrying the girl of his dreams and our family could not be more thrilled because we absolutely ADORE her!

And so begins their happily ever after!

In honor of their big day, I selected lyrics from what I think is one of the most romantic Disney songs ever.

Once Upon a Dream

from Sleeping Beauty

I know you,

I walked with you

once upon a dream

I know you,

the gleam in your eyes

is so familiar a gleam

Yet I know it’s true

that visions are

seldom all they seem

But if I know you,

I know what you’ll do,

you'll love me at once,

the way you did

once upon a dream

Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Lyrics by Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: Golden Dream

May 27 is a big day for me.

While it is my birthday,

it also marks a very important anniversary in my life.

Ten years ago today, I became an American citizen.

Absolutely one of the BEST days of my life.

Golden Dream
from The American Adventure at Epcot

America, spread your golden wings,

sail on freedom's wind, across the sky.

Great bird, with your golden dreams,

flying high, flying high.

Restless one in a world of change,

keeping dreams aloft in the rain.

Spirit free, soaring through the clouds

of time, of time. 

America, you must keep dreaming now,

dreaming the promised vow of your pioneers.

America, keep on flying now,

keep your spirit free,

facing new frontiers.

Spirit free, you must keep flying now,

reaching to touch the sky

on the winds of change.

Oh, restless one, search for brighter days,

soaring through stormy skies

with our head held high.

America, spread your golden wings,

sail on freedom's wind, across the sky.

Great bird, with your golden dreams,

flying high, flying high!

Music by Robert Moline

Lyrics by Randy Bright and Lynn Hart

Happy Tails to you!