mostefinitely - Part 6

May 7, 2019May 7, 2019

The honor — and challenge — of a commencement speech

This past weekend, hundreds of Spartans graduated from Michigan State University as part of the Class of 2019. I was able to not only witness the College of Arts & Letters ceremony first-hand, but take part in the festivities as well. For the last five years, I have been a member of the CAL Alumni Board of Directors. As president this past year, I was given the opportunity to address the graduating CAL students on behalf of the alumni of the college.

My husband Zack was also a member of the CAL board, serving for six years before I, as I liked to joke, continued the Pohl dynasty on the board. Being a member of the CAL board gave me the opportunity to meet and become friends with several other alumni, as well as reconnect with MSU and the great things going on in our college.

While the college will be moving forward with a different way of engaging alumni and forgoing its traditional board, I was honored to be asked to speak at CAL’s commencement as a sort of last act as president.

I had several ideas of what I wanted to say and do during my speech, but in sitting down to actually write down my thoughts, I realized how challenging these things can be.

May 3, 2019

Travel must-have: Packing cubes

Our family just returned from a quick trip to Florida, and it was the first time we had the chance to try out something new with our packing: packing cubes.

I’ve seen a lot of people talking about using packing cubes on social media, so when my husband brought up that he was looking at them on Amazon, I showed him a brand that was highly recommended by several moms in a mommy Facebook group.

The Shacke Pak packing cubes come in different sets and a variety of colors. The set of 4 is available from Amazon Prime for $24.99. What I liked about this set of packing cubes was that they came with a nylon laundry bag, which is always helpful for travel. The variety of sizes allows them to fit in different types of luggage, and each packing cube has its own handle.

April 12, 2019April 12, 2019

Interview: Six questions for Mairéad Carlin of Celtic Woman

Since its debut, global musical sensation Celtic Woman’s concerts continue to touch the hearts of a huge audience that spans the globe. Both an accomplished recording ensemble and a world-class performing collective, Celtic Woman celebrates Ireland’s rich musical and cultural heritage, while continuing its remarkable legacy of introducing some of Ireland’s most talented singers and musicians onto the world stage.

On Tuesday, April 16th, the Wharton Center will welcome Celtic Woman’s newest show, “Ancient Land,” which celebrates the group’s 13th studio album of the same name. East Lansing is one of almost 70 U.S. cities that are a part of this tour.

I interviewed Celtic Woman member Mairéad Carlin about the “Ancient Lands” tour, her musical roots, and her must-haves when traveling across the country and the world.

April 11, 2019April 12, 2019

Recap: 24 hours in Detroit

Last week was a pretty rough week for me. It started with getting hit by my daughters’ stomach bug on Sunday, which had me the sickest I’ve been in a long time. It wasn’t until Thursday that I felt more like myself again. Then, it was also Stella’s spring break. Not having the routine of school and ability for her to get her energy out led to a lot of frustrations, especially when I wasn’t feeling 100%.

It was a rough week for a lot of my friends, too, between sickness, spring break, and job stress. Thankfully, we had a light at the end of the tunnel: a quick weekend getaway to Detroit to celebrate our friend Tessa’s birthday. How the group of us were all available and able to settle on a weekend of activities on two weeks’ notice was a miracle. The other miraculous component was the string of absolutely gorgeous spring weather, which always makes any situation better.

There are so many great things to see and do in Detroit, but often I find that I only make it there for a concert or special event. The opportunity to explore and spend the night in the city was long overdue, and we had the best restorative 24 hours ever.

Here are a recap and list of recommendations from our weekend in Detroit!

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019

Interview: Taking Ten with Take 6’s Alvin Chea

The Wharton Center will welcome two legendary a cappella groups on April 10th with The Summit: The Manhattan Transfer meets Take 6. With 20 Grammy Awards between the two of them, it’s certain to be a celebration of music from multiple genres, including jazz and gospel.

While you might not recognize Take 6 bass singer Alvin Chea’s name, you have certainly heard his voice. From the ubiquitous Chili’s baby back ribs jingle to the “Glee” theme to Michael Jackson’s “This Is It,” Alvin’s bass is a household voice.

I spoke with Mr. BassLines about his musical influences, career highlights, and favorite moments from The Summit.

March 25, 2019

Raising eyebrows with Riley Van Ness

One of my most prominent and expressive features is my eyebrows. I attribute them and my general hairiness to my Mediterranean heritage. Despite my best efforts in high school to rid myself of them (why were sperm eyebrows a thing we did?), they have thankfully survived and thrived over the years.

My eyebrows have been through the ringer, even beyond the over-plucking days of my teens. They’ve been tweezed, waxed, threaded, tinted, you name it. In the last year, I’ve started to embrace their near-unibrow tendencies and let them grow out in the middle. Honestly, it has changed my face. Looking at old photos helps me realize how wonky they looked when I fought how they wanted to grow.

Having my eyebrows done is one of those self-care maintenance items that I now try to make a priority. And Riley Van Ness at Kenneth Brandt Salon and Spa in Mason is the woman who helps rescue them each month.

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019

Review: “Miss Saigon” heats up the Wharton Center

There are few Broadway musicals with scenes that are a part of
“how did they do that” theatre lore — iconic moments that live beyond the stage and become a signature image or set piece. In “The Phantom of the Opera,” it’s the chandelier. In “Wicked,” it’s Elphaba defying gravity. And in “Miss Saigon,” it’s the helicopter.

As someone who loves musicals and has seen her fair share of them, I had never seen “Miss Saigon” before the tour’s opening night at the Wharton Center Tuesday. I only knew it was based on “Madame Butterfly,” my grandma loved its music, and it featured a helicopter descending upon the stage. I reveled in the opportunity to finally see it and hear the songs that —while unknown to me before — seemed altogether familiar when I saw the show.

“Miss Saigon,” though deeply sad and heavy, soars with its incredibly talented cast and dreamy orchestrations. The darkness of its subject matter and even its set design is brightened by the actors’ strong, clear voices and brief sprinkles of humor. The national tour of the 30-year-old musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, the team behind “Les Miserables,” will play at the Wharton Center through Sunday, March 17th.

March 8, 2019

Interview: Emily Bautista on her career, tapping into her emotions, and the legacy of “Miss Saigon”

The Wharton Center will welcome one of the most legendary musicals of the last thirty years this month with the arrival of “Miss Saigon.” Performances are scheduled from March 12-17th. From the creators of “Les Misérables” and based on Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly,” “Miss Saigon” tells the tragic story of a romance between a 17-year-old Vietnamese woman named Kim and American G.I. Chris.

Emily Bautista stars as Kim in “Miss Saigon”

Emily Bautista made her Broadway debut in the lead role of Kim as an understudy and performer. I spoke with her about her influences, why representation in theatre has made an impact on her career, and the role she’d love to pursue next (paging Lin-Manuel Miranda).

March 5, 2019March 5, 2019

Review: Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizer

Some things are just worth the hype. When so many people love and talk about them, you know there’s gotta be a reason. Around the holidays, so many women in a local mommy Facebook group were raving, RAVING, about this Revlon hair brush/dryer. Could not stop posting about it.

And the truth is, there is power in the mommyhood. Any product recommendation or piece of advice that proves to make life easier spreads like wildfire. There’s nothing like it.

Then, mere months later, two of my good friends Ellen and Linda were also raving about it. And these girls know their stuff.

Despite the amazing reviews, I hesitated buying yet another hair appliance when there’s a basket under my bathroom sink that has a hair straightening brush, a ceramic straightener, a blow dryer, a curling wand, and hot rollers. As it is, I only use those items every now and then.

It also costs $60, which isn’t as expensive as some of the higher quality straighteners but is more than the typical impulse buy. But when it saw it at Target this week on sale for $53.99, I decided to give it a try.

And now… I get the hype.

February 21, 2019February 21, 2019

These are a few of my favorite barre things

It’s truly no secret to anyone who knows me or follows my Instagram that I’m a bit of a barre-obsessed individual lately. Going to The Barre Code in East Lansing is something that has changed my life for the better. I am within five classes of hitting 100 total, which has been a major goal of mine ever since I started back in September.

As one might imagine, going to classes four to five times a week has helped to make a major change in my mental and physical health. I have also made friends with women who are just as crazy as I am when it comes to dutifully and enthusiastically waking up for 6am classes. But going to classes that often has meant something else: a lot of laundry.

I go through my barre clothes so quickly throughout the week that I find myself running a load of laundry at least once a week, if not twice. More often than not, I have pairs of barre socks air drying on top of the washing machine. And, as it usually happens, there are those favorite workout clothes that you wish you could just buy in bulk and wear every single time. Nothing ruins my experience exercising more than being uncomfortable, or tugging up my pants, or pulling down at my shirt.

But lately, I’ve settled into a groove now that I have discovered my desert-island must-have favorite barre clothes. Thankfully, the things I’m loving lately are as reasonably priced as they are fun to wear.