Kevin's a Girl?

If any of you have seen the movie “Up,” (cough, cough Bekah), you’ll understand the title of this blog. We rented “Up” after hearing rave reviews from multiple friends and family members, and we loved it…which I think is perfectly clear from the fact that we still haven’t sent it back to NetFlix and we received it on January 3rd. Whoever determined the “no late fee” rule deserves a medal. Anyways, I actually want to devote an entire post to this movie, which is centered around love and adventure, two of my favorite things, but I’ll save that for another day. During their travels, the characters in the story run into a giant, colorful, fun-loving creature who is promptly named Kevin, without much thought being given to species or gender. Some might say, including myself, that Kevin resembles a peacock.

Which brings me to the point of this post. Last night I had the opportunity to try my hand at painting, which is something that in all my years of living I have never tried. And I was the girl who tried everything. Among other activities, I had attempted to be a synchronized swimmer, a gymnast and a roller figure skater all by the age of 12. I’m thankful now that playing the piano is the one thing I stuck with because I don’t think there’s much out there for a professional roller figure skater in the real world. When my friend Kendall invited me to “Painting With a Twist,” the first thing that crossed my mind was “there’s no way I can paint and not be completely embarrassed with the end product.” Then she mentioned that they served wine during this two hour class, so I swiftly accepted the invitation.

“Painting With a Twist” is a ingenious concept for a fun, creative and unique night out with your girlfriends. For two hours you are given step-by-step instructions to create your very own masterpiece, and each night is a different theme. Not only do you get to let your creative juices flow (which is especially exciting when you didn’t even know you had them in you in the first place), but they also serve wine and have a fantastic playlist including “Living on a Prayer” and “Love Shack.” What wasn’t to love? Last night the theme was a peacock, and when I saw what we were supposed to be “creating,” I had a momentary panic attack. Having never really picked up a paintbrush other than those paint-by-numbers kits when I was a kid, I was a more than a little nervous and convinced that mine would be the worst in the class. When they sat us at our blank canvas and said “Okay, now draw the head and body” with no further instruction, my heart started to sink. But, low and behold, two hours and three bottles of wine (between us, not by myself) later, we had all painted, with our own two hands, a flock of magnificent and beautiful birds, each different in its own special way. Success! We finished our paintings with a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” and remembering that anything is possible- even becoming a fabulous artist. We’re already planning our next trip back.

When I first told Justin that I was going to a painting class and asked him where we could hang my creation when it was finished, he looked at me as if to say “You really think you’re going to want to put something you paint on display?” You should have seen the surprise and pride in his eyes when I came home and showed him my glorious work of art. Well, maybe it was more a look of sheer relief that I didn’t come home with something a 4-year-old had made, but either way, I know he was impressed. This weekend we are helping our friends Lea and Donny paint their new house, and I’m hoping they want a flock of peacocks in their living room so I can practice my new talent.

I’m a big believer in dreams, as most of you know, and maybe now that I’m capable of being an artist I can finally fulfill my dream of starting my own Hallmark card line. A lofty goal, but anything is possible. And stay tuned for more creative ventures, because I’m pretty sure that in the midst of our wine, singing and peacock painting I convinced Kendall to take a cake decorating class with me. I’ll be the next Ace of Cakes before you know it.

So, here’s my peacock in all his glory, with his crazy eye and messy feathers, which I have fittingly named Kevin after a movie that should inspire everyone to believe in love and where it can take you, and remember that “adventure is out there!”