We’re Crazy For Swayze

June 19, 2008 at 1:37 pm | Posted in Fun Times, Life | 23 Comments
Tags: Entertainment, Movies, Patrick Swayze

Yesterday, after the culmination of a very bad couple of days, I finished all of my responsibilities and went to meet Rosy, Anne, and their four legged babies, Atticus and Duke, for dinner. We then headed to the airport to pick up Mae, who is quite the jet setter these days. We had a whole night planned. A whole Crazy for Swayze plan.

One of the greatest things about Nashville is the summer activities. Big Band dancing in the park, picnics, hikes, movies in the park, ghost walks, picking parties (guitars not fruit), Frist Fridays, etc. etc. etc. All so much fun!

Last night was Movies In the Park at Centennial, one of the city’s many great parks. Us girls, B-Man, Atticus, Duke, and a couple thousand of our closest friends converged on the lawn to watch Dirty Dancing.

We had all the essentials for a fun movie night. 

1. M&Ms-check

2. Sour Patch Kids-check

3. Twizzlers-check 

4. Three Muskateers-check

Oh yeah, and a couple of a blankets, doggie treats, and cameras. I however forgot that I had run the battery down in my camera so you will all have to deal with the run-down of the night without any pictures. Sad, I know.

We arrived with all the essentials in tow and tried to find a spot on the very crowded lawn. People were everywhere and unwilling to move their blanket a quarter of a inch to make a comfortable spot for us, so we wound up sitting on the side tyring to sneak peaks of the screen in between a million walking bodies, dogs, babies, and a few rogue tree branches. But, we were there and that is what counts.

As Mae and I annoyed everyone around us by quoting the entire movie, Rosy and Annie tried to maintain their four legged children. We all cheered when it came on the big screen. Watching a movie in the park amongst so many people will always be one of my favorite summer experiences. So many different people all around you all there to have a good time and just be with the people they love. And it is so awesome.

Well, almost all people anyway. During the last few scenes of the movie, some guy runs up to a jogger (seriously who jogs during movies in the park) beside us and starts asking in a very frantic voice where the park ranger was, where the security people were, wanting him to call 911, etc. He was very loud and I was annoyed because I did not understand the seriousness of the situation. Annie and I proceeded to shush him until we realized someone had stolen his friends purse at knife-point as she sat and watched the movie. Sure enough, sirens and crying woman made me realize that even in such a perfect place where all seems to be right there are still bad things that go one. We couldn’t for just a few hours feel like we were a community of people all just out to have a good time. Our perfect little world was shattered and as I walked back to my car Rosie and I remembered how back when we were in college no one ever came to this park at night. It is not the safest place at night even today, but really, to rob a woman in the midst of thousands of people is just unreal to me.

There is no such thing as total safety. Even with Johnny Castle around. Really, don’t we all just need a Johnny in our life to stick up for us and rescue us when we need it?

All in all, it was a very fun night surrounded by people I love. We all cheered when he rescued baby “from the corner” and when they did the perfect practiced lift at the end, and when they took over the resort hall. Seriously, a great movie experience. I am only regretting the M&Ms!