Coveting an Oscar

Me, Center Right With My Swim Group-Pool Hall Girls

This party was completely out-of-character for me. The Oscars on television, was on Sunday night. I attended an Oscar Party. I was invited by my close friends that I swim with three times a week for two hours a session. We talk a lot, we laugh a lot, and we plan stuff to be together on our days that we don't exercise. The one that hosted the Oscar Party, really does look like a movie star. She came to Kiely's wedding reception and so many people asked me if she was on television or in the movies. Yes, she is glamorous and exactly the same age that I am. My other friend, Janey from Arkansas helped her, she's cute and has a darling and crazy-fun personality.  They bought so much to make it a really fun theme party.  It was the Sabbath and my whole family had the feeling that I really shouldn't go. I wasn't missing a Fireside or any Church activity. My whole rationalization about going was that I really want to be her friend. She is a member of the Church, but the Church has lost track of her after she was baptized and moved from Utah to Texas when she was young. She's proud of her Scandinavian heritage and we "talk church" all the time. Was going to her party change the way she felt about my devotion to keeping Sunday a day of rest? I pray for her to go back to Church

I wrestled with the rationalizations that I why I needed to go. I would be the only one that wasn't going to drink alcohol at all. I brought my own soda pop. I needed to be a designated driver for three of my friends that live in Santa Paula.

Steve was working at his "fire-duty" and I had to stop and show him my outfit. We were going to vote for the person that showed-up with the fanciest clothes and we would vote and the winner would get "an Oscar"  Fancy clothes are not me, but I was for sure going to "dress-up" and dressing weird is completely me.

What a surprise when I entered my friend's house and saw the biggest TV I had ever seen in my whole life. We walked the red carpet into her house and I'm glad now, I didn't wear the spurs that I had laid-out. I think I would've damaged her staircase. So...ya' wanna' know how I dressed? I went all-out and even brought my cowboy band-aids in my saddle-blanket purse and also my peppermint mints that are called "Bite The Bullet." I did show everyone I even brought bullets, but they were candy.

 Have you guessed yet? Yes, I completely dressed like a cross between Rooster Cogburn and Mattie.

Yes, the stars of the nominated movie, True Grit. I even had an eye-patch and oddly enough it was made and brought-out with my daughter and her family when they where traveling to California from Fort Smith, Arkansas. There were having a pirate adventure. How could I not use the eye-patch and it was fancy-do. My daughter, Bree, made it from gold/green brocade fabric. It was a baroque accessory that really made my costume and was very formal. I did straighten-out my cowboy hat so it was flat, like, Lil' Sister, Mattie's hat.  I wore a gold or light-brown denim Levi jacket and Levi skirt and of course a cowgirl shirt with rhinestones. I had on my best Ararit cowboy boots but forgot my big gloves, darn it. My most favorite accoutrement was the turquoise and stone inlaid Bolo-tie that center was 4 inch, big buffalo. My earrings matched with Indian Head gold nickels that on one side had a cutout Native American and the other with a Buffalo. The earring dangled with gold feathers and really gave my whole outfit "the Annie Oakley look". I didn't win the Oscar. Does one get it for acting like themselves? That's not acting, but it was so fun.

I did see the True Grit movie, but all the rest were all cartoon movies. I couldn't even comment on any of the movies or even the actors or actresses in the movies. We all missed the real red-carpet interviews, so we were spared the fashion show. I thought the Oscar show would be different. It was low-key and pretty. Pretty? The stage was really wonderful and couldn't have been more richer or intricate. The topics about the movies DID come-up, but all of us talked about what our husbands were doing while we are all at the party, how we raised our children, and then to fancy furniture. The home was full of antiques that all were previously owned by her ancestors and they all were beautiful heirlooms.

 My friends that swim with me go to the movies often. I love to see movies with them because it's a chance to go to see a "Chick-flick" that my husband hates watching. Steve won't even go to see any of the Twilight Saga movies with me. But, many times I'm asked to go with all my friends to the movies, I can't go see them. I always look at the ratings. It seemed almost all the movies that were nominated, had a rating that I didn't want to upset me and put images or language in my head. It seems every time I declined, I would be faced with the argument that the movie was okay, it didn't have anything that would upset me. I heard the argument of adult themes, whatever they are... or mild violence, background scenes, or just even mild language. Do I want any of even that?

 Always, always, it's more and I'm so glad that I declined each time I didn't go with them. And I'm grateful I didn't make an excuse. Well, I did, but I didn't once lie. I didn't say I was busy, sick, or had something else planned. I just plain flat-out said that I couldn't go because I felt that I would be seeing something that didn't adhere to my firm stance on "Standing For Something" that's a famous quote by President Gordon B. Hinkley. I made sure that all knew that I couldn't compromise my standards and ideals. I couldn't break the pledge to refrain from movies with objectionable content. I say the 13th Article of Faith, everyday to give me strength and help me to remember. The 13th Article of Faith reminds me of a lot of ideals I want to develop in my life.

I suppose the movie rating are why Steve and I always see cartoons. Rarely do we ever watch a movie and I'm so tired of them. I did watch the movie Secretariat with my mother recently while she slept. She rented the movie and I was so moved by it. It had horses and celebrated one of the most fantastic horses in history. It was like I was reading an acclaimed and great book and was so exciting.  No way I could sleep, this was a really entertaining movie.

Now, each time any of the movies were presented or a clip was shown, at the Oscar night awards. I heard from my friends, "Oh, Susan, I'm glad you didn't see that movie" "We all had to hide our eyes!" "I'm so glad I didn't see those movies and they also said, "I'm glad we didn't talk you into going!"

I'm so blessed to have guidelines and  ratings from the movie industry and saves me having to make the decision of walking-out and wasting money on movies that are not of any merit, value, or entertaining. I just want to see and experience "purely" enjoyable movies that I can leave with friends or family and feel like we've shared a pleasant distraction.

My friends remember now for me, if any movie is acceptable to see and now choose movies so I can go. I even heard from them that they all hate it when they see a movie, and even a couple of scenes, in a "could-be-good" movie make them feel creepy.

I'm not at all thinking I'm better or have better judgment than anyone else. My straight forward message was not from me, it is from the counsel that I've received from attending church and adhering to the principles of virtue. It has changed all of us for good.

It made me laugh when my friends, that have seen so many movies, were rooting for True
Grit to win at least, something. They wanted it for me, the only movie that I saw that was nominated. Oh, except a couple of the cartoon movies. I want to say that True Grit for me was a must see, because I really loved the first one. I loved John Wayne and the movie was filmed in Ridgway, Colorado.

 My ancestors homesteaded there and so many of my family was raised right there where the movie was shot. Of course, not anything like Fort Smith, Arkansas. Now, I have family in Arkansas and know the places that were mentioned in the movie. I had this idea that it was a fictional, but an historical account of the real cowboy days of the mid-west. Yes, it had troubling scenes, but it was the "West".

My friends had another movie picked just for me. It's going to be the new Jane Eyre with Christian values and I would be able to go. I couldn't go because of my commitment to help with my mother's recovery, but so happy because they really are going, and hopefully be happy that they chose a real classic and have no regrets. My friends will say to me. You have to go see it, it was great.