Opening Day

So, High School Musical 3: Senior Year came out yesterday. It's the highly anticipated, final installment of the Disney gold mine we lovingly refer to as HSM. Technically, I don't think Disney considers this the "final installment" of HSM, but for now it's the last one starring Zac Efron. And really? Would it be HSM without Zac?

We haven't been to see a movie on it's release date since . . . ever. I am not a crowd person. I don't like to wait my turn, or sit right next to complete strangers who may or may not have brushed their teeth that morning and listen to them chomp their popcorn. But several weeks ago, I read a special Disney insider message in my in-box and decided to put my personal feelings aside and take the kids to see their favorite movie stars ever in their last days as East High Wildcats.

We did cheat a little though. I bought our tickets weeks ahead on-line through the Disney insider thing. When I purchased the tickets, I had to choose a movie time. They were offering 11 am, 2pm, and 4pm shows at our local theater. I imagined the pre-pubescent after school crowd at the 4pm show and decided to buy tickets for 2pm. I began in earnest the plans to pull off HSM3: Opening Day. It would be complicated since, technically, Bubba is scheduled to be in school on Fridays until 3:15pm.

All the planning paid off, and the day went off without a hitch. Honey took the afternoon off and took the girls in at 1:20 to save us some good seats. After packing our contraband of M&Ms and Weight Watchers cakes in my purse, because they do not sell anything diet friendly to snack on at the movies, I checked Bubba out of school at 1:30, giving him plenty of time to take his spelling and math tests for the week. We made it to the theater by 1:50, and found Honey and the girls at the very front of the line waiting to find seats.

The girls couldn't have been more excited. Honey was . . . whatever it is when you want so much to indulge your kids but realize that you're the only Dad in the place . . . uncomfortable. He felt better when I showed up. It felt more like a "family thing", and way more macho than an "I couldn't wait to take my girls to see Zac Efron so we got here 45 min. early to be first in line" thing. He muddled through and loved being there to see the kids reactions and excitement first hand.

As for the movie? Well, it was cute. For me, High School Musical has always been a fairy tale. It's a show about the way kids picture high school to be, but they know it really isn't. Troy is the guy every girl wants to date and the ruler of the school that every guy wishes he were. I loved that this movie allowed us to get to know some of the supporting characters like Taylor and Kelsie and Ryan. I loved that it was so over the top, kinda like Grease was. I loved that it had a happy ending, just like every fairy tale should.

We'll do our part to support the economy and pick up the soundtrack some time this weekend. We'll listen to the songs over and over remembering all of our favorite parts. And the DVD will be at the top of our Christmas list, along with the dance mix DVD that is sure to come out in the spring. I anticipate many more hours dedicated to HSM in the Hairdryer house. Once the last DVD comes out, we'll be proud owners of all three movies. I'll let you know when we plan the first HSM marathon.

Have a great weekend!