Passion for Traveling--New York

Because I have lived in mostly one square mile my whole life, I have a Dora the Explorer inside of who who loves to travel. I love staying close to my childhood roots, but I love to go and visit new places. I love to explore.

With this in mind, I thought I would share some of my travels; both to record and relive the joy and maybe I can help others know about interesting places to go, delicious foods to eat, and things to see and do.  So I will occasionally insert a little travel blog in my blog of self discovery. It will be sort of a vacation from heavy philosophizing that I am easily and naturally prone to. I will make my travel log as brief as possible.

Our favorite thing to do is hit as many musicals as we can. Here is the list from this visit.






One actor plays several parts and is amazing. A fun night of comedy and music. Gotta love the feuding husband and wife spitting at each other. I highly recommend this play after you've seen all the other big hits.

Exquisite costumes and the Genie's extended scene of singing and dancing was unbelievably entertaining and energetic. It was still entertaining even though I knew the plot.


Kelsey Grammer from Cheers and Frazier was great. We laughed in the first half and cried in the second. Powerful and moving. A definite must see. I loved it.


I think my favorite (just a tad over Finding Neverland) was this amazing story about Carole King. I usually look forward to a little break at intermission and am ready for the ending of a musical, but not with this one. I was sad at intermission and sad that it was over. I could definitely go see this again.

Just be you

In a world that is externally driven, it is too easy to get caught up in being consumed with what other people think. I was reminded of how controlled I am with the opinions of others when I was drawn to an intensely colorful dress. I naturally loved it, but I was surprised to discover how quickly my inner inclination was drowned out by an inner critic's voice that came in the form of someone's preference against colorful clothing. I then had a chorus of voices declaring their opposition to what I was naturally drawn to.

Now the question that comes to me is, why would I let someone's opinion overshadow my own preference? What can I do to more fully find the real me and fully embrace my uniqueness.

This self discovery is so much more than giving myself permission to buy the dress I am drawn to. It is about being my authentic self. Being true to the person my Heavenly Father created me to be. It is not about seeking the easy way or the path of least resistance. It is not giving myself permission to break commandments or living a purely selfish life. It is about being so close to the Spirit that I know who I am and what I stand for. It is seeking truth and righteousness--the universal truth that applies to everyone, and the truth that applies to me individually.

The truth is I love color. I am outspoken and mostly extroverted, although I can get rather introverted when I fear the opinion of others (interesting discovery). I could always use a little more diplomacy when it comes to universal truths, but I will continue to speak out for that which I know is right for me. That includes my clothes. I will choose the colorful clothes I am naturally drawn to. Dull colors aren't for me.