This is the beautiful view from Fire Tower Lookout in Manila, UT. If you’ve never heard of Fire Towers, it’s a great story. I’m sure you can find it on Wikipedia.

I don’t understand the pull. The desire to drag my daughter back into the world of dance. I really don’t know if it was the camaraderie of other moms, or the thought that I was forcing my daughter to do something I thought was good for her. I really did think that it was what she wanted. Dancing five nights a week. Doing two competition teams and a solo. Plus numerous other classes to fill her time and hone her skills. I had convinced myself that she loved it. I know now that I was delusional.

But why? I really think it was the feeling of being involved in a group. You know, I’ve even thought to getting involved in a church to see if I could replace the feeling. Not a very bright thought as I would consider myself atheistic. It’s addictive! Always having other moms around and talking about every item and event in your life with them. And pretending that they are such great friends, that they would never take what you’ve shared and hurt you with it. Another delusion. It’s a sickness I think. Maybe instead of Dance Mom Syndrome (DMS) we could call it the Dina Lohan syndrome. I mean, her daughter is such a good roll model for my kid! NOT. Or how about the Lynne Spears Syndrome. OMG. They were Stage Moms! Not quite DMS but part of the same addictive and deviously deviant classification. I am not going to end up with my daughter shaving her head and crashing her car night after night!

So why am I sad this week?

It’s dance competition tryout week. All of her little “friends” are trying out for the teams. Of course they will all make it. Tryouts are such a joke. I didn’t know that until she first tried out of course. I’ve been thinking about it all week. I feel like I’m keeping her from her fun. Well, it turns out my little girl is so much smarter than me. I actually worked up the nerve to ask her if she missed it, if she was sad. She did admit that she is sad. But not for the reasons I was feeding myself. She said that she didn’t want to try out for the dancing, but for the friends. And after her birthday party, she realized that they aren’t very good friends after all. All of the talk of never forgetting each other, and emailing all the time, and staying best buds, it was all crap. And that’s really what she’s sad about.

So maybe she’s not a little dancing star anymore. But she’s a very smart child. And I am very proud of her.

But I also wish the DMS drug would leave my system!

Well, we went to see it today! Even better, we saw it on the IMAX screen. The last 30 minutes or so were in 3D. So totally worth the extra price. The 3D scenes almost made up for the disappointments of the movie.

I understand it’s a long book. A reallllllly long book. There was so much in this book that the movie would have had to have been three times as long. And I don’t mind that the lesser plot points were left out. But to change the story completely? I don’t understand that! It’s not happened before in this series. Why now? Was it the new director? Is this what we can expect from movie VI? The overall style of the movie was good. I rather enjoyed the ambiance of this movie. But the changes!

There was not much of Tonks at all. We see her a bit at the first. NOT how I imagined her at all. Where was the spiky bubblegum pink hair? Her hair was purple in the movie! She knocks over a vase. Changes her hair color once, and entertains Ginny with a pig face during dinner. Other than that?

Kingsley Shacklebolt. Ok, why did I imagine a very tall, very buff black dude in a leather jacket and shades as in the Matrix? What we got was a smaller black guy in full African wear. Quiet and barely noticeable. I guess I was just wrong on that one.

Arthur seemed creepy to me in this one. Dunno why but his mannerisms and facial expressions scared me.

Where was Marietta Edgecombe? She wasn’t in the screenplay I guess. We learn in the movie that the DA was ratted out by Cho. Harry learns later that it was due to Veritaserum. There was no horrible date in Hogsmeade. No jealousy over Hermione. If you ask me, they left that one wide open with the script. We, the readers, know how Harry feels about Cho at the end of the book. The average movie goer still thinks they have a chance. YUCK!

The movie had good points too.

The twins. Always a wonderful addition to the movies! Just when Harry gets too dark and angry, they “pop” in behind him to offer some levity. Thank goodness the big leaving the school scene was left in the movie. Although we never got to see the Portable Swamp, the fireworks were marvelous. Bravo.

Ginny finally got more screen time! Woohoo! It’s about time. Now, I know she was bound to in this movie seeing as how she is at the Ministry at the end. But she was a big part of CofS and we hardly saw her until the end! I love Ginny’s character. And I love that they touched on her casting skills with the Reducto curse. I was so bummed that they didn’t show the “chocolate in the library” scene with Harry, or her angrily reminding him that she too knows what it feels like to be possessed by Voldemort. They also didn’t mention her infamous Bat Bogey Hex. But, whaddayagonnado? She was in the movie. I’m holding onto that.

Nevile also had plenty of screen time. Woohoo! We didn’t get to see his parents at St. Mungos, but they did touch on their story. They really delved deep into Neville. Showing his frustration at spell casting. His wonder and performing a spell. His loyalty to Harry. He’s an outstanding character. And have you see the actor these day? Hottie!

Luna. Oh my gosh, what can I say about Luna? She was so perfect! Evanna Lynch is one bloody fantastic Luna! It’s too bad they didn’t talk about Harry giving the exclusive interview to the Quibbler. But the scene in the woods with the Thestrals? Awesome.

The best part about this movie was the 3D Ministry scene. I was upset about the statue not coming to life, but to see that epic battle in 3D, every spell shooting straight at us, it was amazing. I feel sorry for those who didn’t get to see it in 3D. Maybe the disc will be released in 3D? I hope so.

Now to wait until the 21st. Will Harry die? I hope not. But only Jo knows for sure.

Ok I admit that I am biased. But to me my girls are beautiful. Not just appearance wise. Abby looks out for Ally. She watches over her and is very protective. Ally looks up to Abby. She wants to be just like her and tries to emulate everything she does. It’s a circle that, I hope, will be impossible to break. When I’m gone, and Danny has passed on as well, they will have each other. And I believe that bond will still be unbroken and they can be there for each other.