Now Jeremy Thinks We Should Name the Baby "Annie"

I JUST realized that my expectations for my adult life were a bit off ... in terms of how much dancing it would contain, in particular.

I definitely blame my parents.  They showed me COUNTLESS amazing musicals as soon as I was old enough to track things with my eyes (based on my recollection).  I soaked those babies in.  I loved them.  I STILL love them. And looking back on them now, I can remember imagining amazing situations in my adult life.


Here is a great example from the musical I must have watched over 400 times before I was 5, Annie.  The other day I convinced Jeremy to watch it with me because he had never seen it (horrors!), and at the beginning of this particular scene, one of the main characters (Grace Farrell) is walking and is very excited, and then when she finally sees someone to share her big news with, they break into a lovely choreographed dance number.  Please, enjoy:





While we were watching it, I sighed and told Jeremy that I always thought life would be like that when I was an adult.


"Like what?" he asked.


"You know, when I was feeling extreme emotion there would be someone ready to lift me in the air, spin me around, and then do some ballroom dancing and jazz hands with."


And he LAUGHED at me.  Then it hit me.  Not EVERYONE has these expectations for adult life.


At first I was a little embarrassed, but then I felt truly sorry for every poor sap who didn't imagine one day they might become a dancing lady at the movie theater (which I was positive I would do for at LEAST one year, minimum).


(skip to 3:30 to see my dream job)



And shouldn't everyone expect to be thrown a carnival-themed party by his or her adoptive father after being saved from near-death by Punjab?  Of course, you and your father would sing and tap dance for your guests at said party.





I think a large part of my connection to Annie might be something my mom told me that really stuck with me.  She told me they saw the movie right before or after I was born (I can't remember which) and they thought I was going to have big brown eyes and dark brown hair and look just like one of the orphans, Molly:

{source)

I must have been dressing up like her here:

And here (I really nailed the orphan look):

And here I am (center) being dramatic AND showing off my amazing lung capacity (perfect for singing on Broadway!):

Anyway, I loved that comparison, and I always imagined myself in the movie.  It didn't hurt that Molly and I both loved being in the limelight and had a flair for the dramatics (she fake faints three times in the movie!  I got really good at that trick.). 


I especially loved her doing "You're Never Fully Dressed."





Annie may have set me up for disappointment in my adult life, but ... what in childhood doesn't?  Being grown-up seems so fun and carefree, and you can EAT DESSERTS WHENEVER YOU WANT.  You never think about all the work and bills and crap and horribleness.


But, even as an adult, I can still watch Annie and pretend life will be full of singing and dancing and fireworks every five minutes.