Yeah, High School was EXACTLY like that

Saturday we went to see High School Musical 3. By “We”, I mean me and the five kids. Noticeably absent was my husband, who for some reason does not enjoy the musical. His idea of a good movie was Valkyrie, which we went to see for our date on Friday night. It was WAY crowded, and we stood outside in the FREEZING cold for way too long waiting to get inside and buy tickets. We did end up with tickets, but by the time we got into the theater, it was almost full, and we ended up sitting on the second row. I’m glad it was kind of a slow moving movie, and I could look up Tom Cruise’s nostrils without getting totally dizzy and sick from the closeness of our seats. And although it was a good movie, and informative, and a great story, it’s not a “feel good” kind of movie, and you don’t walk out of the theater singing or anything like that. I mean, I don’t want to give away the ending, but their plan to kill Hitler didn’t work, and lots of people die.

So on Saturday, I decided to take the kids out to something fun (and cheap). Since we hadn’t see High School Musical 3, and Ryan’s nephew is totally in the movie, I figured it was about time. So, we went to our local sticky shoe dollar theater (actually, it’s one-fifty, but who’s complaining?) and set ourselves down, to prepare for the experience that is High School Musical.

And I was not disappointed. I felt like I needed to clap and cheer after every number! I wanted to get up and dance and sing in the isle! And I can NOT dance, so that would not have been pretty. I can sing, but since this was my first time seeing the movie, that mightn’t have been pretty, either. We loved watching for Italo, (the kids’ cousin), and the movie was a nice mix of fluff, fantasy, and cool songs. I didn’t get too wrapped up in the Troy/Gabriella angst about what are we going to do after high school/I have to make my own decisions stuff, but it was nice that they did address the fact that No, you can’t stay in high school forever.

Although I did have to point out to my kids that actual high school is a lot more homework and a lot less singing. I WISH High School had been like that. Although….. My senior year I had two music classes and a drama class, was in every available play or competition, sung or played bells in a ton of concerts….the only things missing were the dancing. If only I had taken dance, my high school years could have been JUST like High School Musical.

But a funny thing. My friend Melinda has been gently encouraging me (that sounds a lot better than hounding me, doesn’t it?) to join facebook. She’s been telling me about all these high school friends she’s reconnected with and how much fun it is and that I HAVE to sign up. So, this weekend, I signed up. And I must say, it IS fun. I’ve had people I haven’t seen in years, or at least since the last reunion, signing up to be my “friend”. Cool.

Maybe we can all get together and plan a musical. High School Reunion Musical! We can all dance and sing around the lunch tables and talk about how our kids are driving us crazy and our stock funds are in the toilet and how our church callings and our carpools seem to take up all our time. You’re right. Nobody would go to that one.

As we were walking out of the movie, it was VERY cold, and my kids were complaining about how cold it was, and so I started singing to them.

We’ll All be cold together
Once we know
That we are
We’re all stars
And we see that
We’re all be cold together
And it shows
as we walk
to the car
and we’ll start it up

Ericksons. sing along
Yeah, you got it goin’ on
Ericksons in the car
Everybody say it now!

We’ll all be cold together….

And my kids, true to form, said, “Stop it, Mom! You’re embarrassing us!”
Nope. Life is not quite like a musical.