Caroline Friday's Blog, page 855

Happy Birthday, Anna!!

Happy birthday to our dear 22 year old, Anna! We had a great day eating pancakes with Alex, lounging by the pool, opening gifts and then gorging on Italian food at Buca diBeppos. Cake and ice cream followed with a round of Pictionary where the young whippersnappers beat us parents, hands down. A great day! We are blessed to have such an awesome daughter! 

Iris

The acclaimed documentary, Iris, is a must see for all you readers out there who are clothes horses and accessory aficionados, like me. Part performance artist/fashion icon/designer and stylist, Iris Apfel is a cultural phenomenon who came to fame as an octogenarian, identified by her unique combination of short white hair, large black-rimmed glasses, and eccentric attire. She is a national treasure with adoring fans from all ages, despite being over ninety years old.Iris became a public persona in 2005, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York needed a quick substitute for a cancelled event. Through word of mouth, the directors discovered Iris and decided to feature her vast collection of couture clothing and jewelry as a one-woman-show. The rest is history; the show was a sensation and catapulted her to the position of fashion royalty. Bergdorf’s featured her in their 5thAvenue window, Filene’s had her presenting personal style makeovers, Martha Stewart hosted her on TV, and FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology) had her teaching a highly sought after class of ambitions fashion students. In addition to the watches, jewelry, scarves, and personally designed smoking slippers sold on Home Shopping Network, even party stores sell Iris Halloween costumes for little girls. As of this publication, VOGUE magazine is featuring her latest exhibition at Le Bon Marche in Paris. It seems that the fashion world cannot get enough of Iris Apfel.Surprisingly, this film has become one of my favorite feel-good flicks that encourages and inspires. There are two endearing themes that run through the story, the first being a classic underdog tale of a not-so-pretty girl with great style who emerged over the decades as one of the matriarchs of fashion and design. Iris tells the story of how she began her life many years ago as an interior designer for the New York elite, eventually landing a position as a White House decorator for several presidents. Over the years, her collection of furniture, clothing, jewelry, and fabrics has grown so large that numerous closets, rooms, additional apartments, and even designated storage facilities cannot contain the wonderful treasures gathered from Europe and all over the globe. I loved watching Iris dress and put outfits together. Her clothes include designer originals, as well as shaman robes, African shepherd’s tunics, and even boy’s jeans. She accessorizes everything to the hilt, sometimes adding a million beads and five hundred bracelets (an exaggeration, of course), combining garage sale finds with couture collectibles that look fantastic together. Her most unique touch (other than the large black glasses) is layering necklaces in such a way that they appear as one seamless work of art. For the simple in style, her look will appear garish, but for someone like me, it is wonderful. For those of us who are inspired by Iris, the concept of “less is more” does not exist!I also enjoyed watching Iris shop for hidden treasures. Her haunts include outdoor bazaars, specialty shops in Harlem, and the finest stores in New York. In addition, her witty quips and words of wisdom are more valuable than the baubles that adorn her frame; she eschews plastic surgery and has no time for “pretty.” To Iris Apfel, pretty only lasts a few years, but a unique STYLE lasts a lifetime. The other endearing theme in the film is the great romance with her husband of over seventy years, Carl. Even as an elderly couple, they are as sweet as can be, still holding hands in the car, singing to each other, joking, and looking into each other’s eyes with affection. The beauty of their relationship is the support he gave her over the years to develop into an unusual artist. He allows her to dress him in paisley trousers, pink baseball caps, and animal print spectacles. But he doesn’t seem to mind. He adores everything about her, hangs on her every word, and watches her move about their palatial New York apartment filled with all sorts of collectibles. It touched my heart to hear him say that he always loved watching Iris take something old, plain, or discarded and turn it into something beautiful. I believe every serious artist (including writers) needs a Carl in their lives. Sadly, he passed away in 2015, but at the ripe ole age of over a hundred years old!Iris Apfel is a true inspiration for any artist endeavoring to push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable by the gatekeepers of the creative realm in which that artist operates. For a Christian writer, like me, her story encourages me to write what the Holy Spirit inspires without sacrificing character or plot to fit a plethora of man-made rules. The same would be true for any other creative person who feels constrained by what the world says is valuable. Let Iris’s wonderful journey be a lesson to us all to be ourselves, pursue truth and excellence, and to never give up! It is never too late for those with a vision in their mind and a dream in their heart to see it manifested in all of its glory!

GRADUATION UGA 2016!

Our oldest graduated from UGA with two BAs - one in History and the other in International Affairs. We are very proud! She has worked so hard, and the hard work has paid off!

Ryan Seacrest delivered a nice speech, peppered with humor and wisdom. A great display of fireworks in Sanford stadium ended the spectacle, which was an appropriate finale to one's tenure at this fine institution.

Earlier in the day, we attended a reception for History majors and heard a great speech from John Parker, SVP & GC of Coke (who happens to be a History major from UGA!) He gave some encouraging words on the benefits of liberal arts degrees, all of which form a solid foundation in any life endeavor. I was very grateful to hear his pearls of wisdom gleaned over an unusual but illustrious - and very successful - career.

Lastly, we munched all day on sausage breakfast casserole, cheese-n-crackers, fruit, chips-n-dip,  BBQ 1's pork and chicken (yum) with sauce, slaw, homemade mac-n-cheese, beans, and delicious cupcakes from Sam's.

An exhausting day but so much fun! We missed having Rachel there, but she was with us in spirit while studying in Cape Town! Uncle Walt and Aunt Renee made it from Concord and grandparents from NC as well.

Again, we are so proud of our daughter and look forward to the wonderful things the Lord has in store for her!

Psalms 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Movie Review - Spotlight

Spotlight is a must-see film for anyone remotely concerned with the massive cover-up of pedophilia in the world’s religious institutions, particularly the Catholic Church. The story centers on the four-person investigative reporting team of The Boston Globe, known as Spotlight, who in 2001, cracked the case and figuratively opened a Pandora’s box of evil too horrible for most people to fathom. Fortunately, the Academy of Motion Pictures honored the movie with a Best Picture win for 2016, so hopefully more theaters will feature it in the coming months. Spotlight is a cerebral film that requires the viewer to be alert throughout every scene. It reminds me of a giant jigsaw puzzle, which may seem confusing at first, but comes together in the end and paints a glorious picture. The story starts off with Marty Baron (Liev Schrieber), who arrives from Florida as the newly appointed editor-in-chief of the Globe. At first, he seems boring and demure but soon makes it clear that he wants to flesh out stories that may not be too comfortable for the typical Bostonian. Case-in-point, he asks the Spotlight team to put a hundred percent of their efforts into a story by a fellow Globe columnist regarding sexual abuse allegations of Catholic priests in the Boston area. Walter Robinson or Robby (Michael Keaton), head of Spotlight, and his team of independent journalists reluctantly agree to move forward with the story, harboring doubts as to whether anything will come of it. The power of the Catholic Church and its influence on the community make things difficult to get the information needed, but finally, victims come forward and a case is made against several priests in the area. However, Baron wants more. He isn’t satisfied with an expose of a handful of wayward clergy that the Church can summarily sweep under the rug. He wants to dig deeper and get at the conspiracy/cover-up/criminal policy of moving corrupt priests from parish to parish without any reprisals and/or warnings to future victims. With no agenda up their sleeve other than to report the truth, the team sets out to uncover the story. Besides Robinson, there is Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sachia OPfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James), all of whom are true patriots and heroes of mankind. Each of us are indebted to them for their courage and tenacity.Keaton and Ruffalo emerge as the leads in the film, with McAdams bringing in a close second. Ruffalo comes across as quirky and obsessive with a penchant for late night pizzas and all-night frantic research binges that make the viewer question his competence. But he proves his worth by relentlessly pursuing a victims’ attorney, Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci), who happens to be sitting on detailed court documents which could prove their case. However, the problem is the documents have been removed from the public record with no evidence of their whereabouts. When McAdams lands an unexpected confession from a retired priest, the revelation hits the team that they are dealing with a broad, sophisticated cover-up that has been in existence for decades—just as Baron suspected. After months of piecing together the evidence, along with a bit of clever lawyering on Ruffalo’s part, the crucial court documents are recovered and the story is fully baked. Hundreds of perpetrators are implicated, with thousands of victims in their wake, and all fingers point to Cardinal Law of the Archdiocese of Boston. From then on, it is a race to publication before the Boston Herald beats them to it or the Church has the opportunity to bury it into obscurity.****SPOILER ALERT****Keaton is a more interesting character in that he is a life-long Bostonian with no desire to hurt his family and friends by exposing the ugly underbelly of the Church; he understands the importance of Catholicism and how integral it is to the fabric of the community. As it turns out, he had received evidence of these improprieties years ago but had buried the story out of fear. But now, his conscience will not let him look the other way. The cold truth hits him that that he could have easily been a victim had circumstances been different. Testimonies from close friends from his school days confirm his decision that Spotlight must “pull out all the stops” and expose these heinous crimes at all costs.There is one last scene worth mentioning. In a personal moment between Ruffalo and McAdams, they discuss their perceptions on faith and how the Church’s criminal acts affect their views on God. Because I am a Protestant, it is difficult for me to understand the pain that this situation causes Catholics. To me, these acts are the work of evil men who should know better, but to Ruffalo and McAdams (from a Catholic upbringing), they are an outright betrayal by the Lord. My hope and prayer is that all practicing Catholics come to understand that the loving heavenly Father of the New Covenant does not hurt His children.
Spotlight is a great film that is worthy of its Oscar award. It is sure to stir up a lot of healthy discussion on the depravity of man versus the goodness of a loving God. The final moment is extremely moving: the morning the story hits the press, the normally quiet Spotlight office becomes inundated with victims’ calls, proving that the power of the pen wields mighty in the battle against evil! Let that be an encouragement to all of us writers who seek to reveal Truth!

Ruck On!!

This is an awesome picture of Anna and a fellow teammate recruiting for the UGA women's rugby team. Tough ladies, indeed!

FSU Men's Rugby - 2016

Rugby appears to be the primary collegiate sport for the Friday family. Here are some pictures from this weekend's tournament where we got to see Braxton play several games of Sevens. Very exciting!

Keeneland - Lexington, KY, 2016

Bill and I are completing another empty nester trip to Lexington where we visited Rachel and Cameron at UK and took in a bit of horseracing as well at the Keeneland track. A very posh place that is gorgeous - the equine business is a unique industry that evokes much beauty and passion. I adore horses and always have, even though I haven't always trusted their temperamental natures.

First stop upon entering Lexington was Saul Good restaurant on Broad Street for the obligatory steak and beer cheese nachos. Next was brunch at IHOP, shopping at the mall, dinner at the Village Idiot (gourmet pub food), ice cream, Walmart run, Jamba Juice (I'm hooked), and then Keeneland. Love this part of the country. It was cold and windy but wonderful all the same!

UGA Women's Rugby - Regional Champs 2016!

We are so proud of Anna and her team! They did a fantastic job today of beating Tulane in a very close match, but securing the Regional Championship! They win a trophy and a check for a thousand bucks and an advancement to the Sweet 16 competition next weekend. Way to go Dawgs!

Happy Resurrection Day!

We had a great time at First Baptist Woodstock listening to Pastor Johnny Hunt and then lunch afterwards at Guston's in Marietta. Missing our Anna and Braxton!

Review - Downton Abbey!

 Several years ago, the power of Netflix brought this obscure British drama to the forefront of the American viewing public. I remember a long, boring summer trolling the drama section for something clean to watch (quite a challenge then, and more so today). Downton Abbey kept circling through the list, enticing me with its cover photo of a grand English house filled with stuffy aristocrats and their nosey servants. It looked somewhat soap-operish to me, and besides, I never have been a huge Elizabeth McGovern fan, so I initially resisted the urge to delve into hours of viewing. But, eventually I gave in and watched the entire first season in one sitting! I was hooked, and it didn’t take long for several of my family members to be hooked as well. Over time, the word spread, and now the award-winning Downton Abbey is all the rage, even rivaling the Super Bowl for obligatory Sunday night viewing in many American homes (but not this one!)So what is the appeal? Besides the grand estate set in the early 1900s England and the pomp and tradition accompanying the aristocratic English life, there must be something more to this British serial that is able to entice many American viewers away from the plethora of entertainment choices available today. Certainly it isn’t the boring Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) or his wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), or their snarky daughters, Ladies Mary (Michelle Dockery), Edith (Laura Carmichael) and Sybil. And it can’t be due to the Dowager Countess Grantham (Dame Maggie Smith) and her feisty bantering with Cousin Isobel Crawley, as funny as it may be. And let’s not forget about the servants who, at many times, are more intriguing than their masters. First, there is the stodgy Mr. Carson (the butler) and the gentle but firm Mrs. Hughes (the housekeeper), the zany Mrs. Patmore and her sidekick Daisy (the cooks), Thomas, the rebellious and tormented under-butler/footman/valet, and then Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) (lady’s maid and chief valet, respectively) who battle one obstacle after another to consummate their romance. And there are more. In fact, the cast of characters is too numerous to count, and yet, not a one of them are interesting enough on their own to cause one to watch. So again, what is the appeal?Some attribute it to the writing by the highly touted Julian Fellows, who won an Oscar for best original screenplay for Gosford Park. He certainly has an eye for historical detail and has used it in a marvelous way to give us commoners a glimpse behind the veil that separates 20thcentury English royalty from the rest of the world. Who hasn’t visited one of those glorious palaces and castles in Europe and wondered what life would’ve been like to be master of such a domain? Having lived in London for five years, I can say that the allure never dies. There are many of us who long to know what everyday life must be like for someone like the Queen of England, who was born into power, prestige, and wealth that includes a cadre of servants at one’s beck and call. While the Downton Abbey estate is not Buckingham Palace, it is about as close as most of us will get to sneaking that peek into a world that only a privileged few experience.With any great TV serial, the allure is the characters. Downton Abbeycan best be described as a wonderful ensemble piece where its enormous cast, with their quirks and idiosyncrasies, provide a rich tapestry of interactions in a sequestered, ornate world that has long since passed away. Doesn’t sound like great entertainment, but it is. The stilted, robotic life of the Granthams and their staff intrigues us; it is truly a surreal cosmos, where the house itself is a business that employs its hirelings for life, requiring strange and unsettling tasks, like putting on and taking off clothes, styling hair, brushing dust off suit lapels, shining shoes, serving food, and a number of other mundane tasks that most humans forego or do own their own. But in 1900s aristocratic England, the notion of taking care of oneself is unthinkable, and so this world seems right and appropriate to its inhabitants, from the master down to the lowliest servant. With the intrigue comes the surprise and delight when we see the humor and pain of life afflict these stoic people who do their best to keep a stiff upper lip. Their joy and suffering are a reminder that all people are the same, regardless of their power and influence or the size of their bank account. Wars, politics, sickness, death, rape, murder, and adultery confirm the truth that  the same problems we endure today are the challenges that any 20th century aristocrat faced during his or her time on earth. Despite the opulent décor, fine clothes and jewels, and gourmet fare, life for a lost Grantham is just as empty and vapid as any other lost soul who doesn’t have two nickels to rub together. Without God, all of this extravagance is just a vanity of vanities, void and without meaning.  This is a good reminder to us living in a time where people are clamoring for get-rich-quick opportunities and easy lottery wins. As the Bible says, the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.For those of you out there who haven’t been introduced to Downton Abbey and its broad cast of wonderful characters, carve out a long weekend and get caught up on what all of America has been talking about. It is good quality entertainment that will introduce you to a world that educates, enlightens, and thoroughly entertains!