Wow, it's been a long time. And so the dilemma: do I try to catch up or just move forward. The first option is way too overwhelming, so I'll start with the present.

I just took Audrey to Miley Cyrus concert last night. Justin's co-worker had won free tickets and didn't have any use for them, so we got lucky! I was excited. Audrey didn't know until the night before where the date with Mommy was going to be, but once she was in on the surprise, our house was the Hannah Montana channel.

Some of you may have already noticed my error. I didn't really do my homework for this outing-- didn't google "Miley Cyrus, Wonderworld Tour", or anything like it. I was clueless. But when Miley came out on stage (after we screamed until we were hoarse and had tears in our eyes from the excitement), I realized that this concert was not what I had imagined it to be. Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana are like night and day!

I thought I understood the Hannah/Miley juxtaposition. I mean, I saw the movie! Sure, Miley was more rough around the edges, but we liked that. She was real. And the songs she sang as Miley were even better than Hannah's repertoire. They were more real, too. But they still had that innocent, fun feel to them.

The Miley we saw last night looked like another one of Hollywood's sweet little girls turning naughty- following the same route as Mary Kate and Ashley, Lindsey Lohan, and our favorite, Britney Spears. We were so disappointed, but our shock was an opener for a great thought-provoking discussion. First, of course, we discussed what was appropriate and what wasn't about the music, dancing, and dress of the performers. Then Audrey asked why Miley changed. We talked about how changes in us happen over time, with each choice that we make. We also talked about the kind of pressure on a pretty girl star to grow into a certain image. She may not have really wanted to change in the way she did. We talked about the kind of music we like, and mourned the old Hannah/Miley a teeny bit. Now, I'm sure Hannah is still on Disney doing her show, but that was never our connection to her. We don't have cable; it is a vacation treat the kids enjoy when we stay in a hotel or go to Grandma's. We knew Hannah through the music we've downloaded and her movie we watched. So Audrey and I decided that she would live on, in our home, just the way we loved her. And there's our happy ending! When I'd had enough, I whisper-hollered in Audrey's ear that if we left early and beat the rush, we could go out for ice cream on the way home. She was out the door before I finished talking.

I think Audrey and I bonded more that night than we would have if we had gotten the concert we were anticipating.