Callback Week!

Wow! Last week was crazy...and it's not over yet! Monday (my birthday) were general auditions for the "Spring" season, (although they included Little Women, which goes up in December, so it's not really spring...) which meant that we performed a one minute monologue and a 30 second song for the 4 directors who will be casting the shows. The four shows are Little Women, Elephant Man, You Can't Take it With You, and Godspell. It's a little ironic that I performed in You Can't Take it With You and Godspell my sophomore year in high school 25 years ago!!! It REALLY doesn't feel like it was that long ago. Anyway, the audition went okay, although I still get so nervous when I have to sing at an audition, and I felt the song was a little weak. Definitely not as good as it sounded in my house.

But, it must have gone all right because I ended up getting called back for all four shows! For those who aren't familiar with callbacks, that means you and whoever else was called back read from several selections of the script, specifically for the role you're being considered for. Elephant Man callbacks were Tuesday night. Now, I have to confess, I'm not 100% familiar with the Elephant Man script. I read the first half of one about a year ago, and I was so bored with it I couldn't finish it. However, that must have been a different version, because I finally read most of the Pomerance version that we're doing, and it was much better. Anyway, I was called back for the role of Mrs. Kendal, and for Nurse Sandwich. Mrs. Kendal is a pretty major part...originally it was going to be someone's thesis role, but they ended up getting pregnant and can't do it. Also, the character is supposed to get naked onstage. HOWEVER, they won't be staging it here with nudity (it is Regent, after all) but only with the suggestion of nudity. I think that callback went really well.
Callbacks for You Can't Take it With You were Wednesday night. For that, I was called back for Penelope - the mother character. In high school I played Essie, the wannabe ballerina, but for some reason I'm not being considered for that character anymore!! Those were fun, but I had a splitting headache all throughout them and I was a bit distracted.
Acting callbacks for Godspell were Thursday night. We did lots of improv and storytelling games...the only named characters in Godspell are Jesus and Judas/John the Baptist, and I'm not up for one of those, so it would be ensemble...but the ensemble does EVERYTHING...and I think it would be really fun to do that show, and really challenging. Speaking of challenging, we were then taught a dance combo for the song/dance callbacks on Saturday...and I thought I was going to die. It is VERY fast, VERY high energy, and totally impossible to sing at the same time, but we have to try!
Saturday afternoon were singing and dance callbacks for Godspell. We sang parts for Save the People and All Good Gifts (I'm on alto, surprise, surprise!) and then I sang Turn Back alone. The singing went well - much better than the general audition - but I think another girl killed it on Turn Back, so she'll probably get the solo. Dance auditions went as well as could be expected. I held my own, and against kids half my age. So there.
Little Women callbacks are tonight. I'm reading for Marmee and Aunt March. (Sensing a pattern here...)

So, I'm kind of hoping for Elephant Man and Godspell. Little Women would be fun, but since it's a "studio" show, that means it rehearses from 5 -7 (as opposed to the Mainstage shows which rehearse 7 - 11) and I could have to be rehearsing for two shows at the same time. I'm already in As You Like It, which starts rehearsals tonight (after Little Women callbacks) and runs until the week after Thanksgiving. So if I do Little Women and Elephant Man, I'll be rehearsing pretty much nonstop until the end of January. And this is on top of regular classwork, which has kept me quite busy up until now.

I should find out what's going to happen within the next couple of days. Eek!

40

It's really not a big deal being 40. I'm still exactly the same person I was yesterday. However, I'm not the person I was last year! Here's last year's "birthday" post:

"There is just something about October that brings out the most incredible blue skies and color contrasts with the leaves. I remember distinctly that last year, on my birthday, I had just discovered the walking route that took me up to the top of the hills by the beautiful meadows. I remember looking at the sky and breathing the air, and feeling really happy.This year, for some reason, I'm feeling blue. Overwhelmed, tired. I spent my birthday feeling old and dull and stupid. And fat. I've been trying to walk or run almost everyday, but I'm not making any progress. It's frigging ridiculous how time consuming this application process is. If I had a full time job, I'd never be able to do it. I've spent at LEAST 20 hours this week alone on essay questions, ordering transcripts, requesting letters of recommendation, and filling out forms. And I'm not done yet!!!! And then I think about how small the chances are that I'll actually get into these programs, and it feels like a total waste of time. Of course, the chances are smaller if I don't apply, so there you are."

And now, I'm in a new city, a new house (although it's not mine), I'm an MFA student - I did it! All that work and stress and anxiety, and here I am. Not that it's not still stressful and lots of work, and if Don doesn't get a job soon we will be in a lot of trouble, but still I DID IT! I am 40, and an MFA student. I am SO glad I took this risk, and SO grateful for all the support of my friends and family that allowed me to do it.

I had breakfast in bed this morning - Cheerios and coffee (which I had to go downstairs and doctor before I could drink it) with three wonderful cards from my babies. I have to say, Tarzan's really made me laugh. The front says "Happy Birthday Mommy!" There's a picture of me with a speech bubble saying "Wow! It's my birthday already!" Then the inside says, "I'm going to miss that 39 mommy. But a new 40 mommy is here. I'm going to have a good time with new mommy." Then there's another picture of me with a really big head, and a speech bubble saying "Hey! My head is not this big! It's still my birthday!"

Frankly, I'm not going to miss that 39 mommy.

The new 40 mommy is here, and I'm going to have a good time with new mommy.

How the hell did it get to be October?

It's the weather. That's what's been deceiving me. It was 82 degrees today. We've been going to the beach every weekend. How can it possibly be October? But it is. And we still haven't had Cinderella's "friend" party. She still doesn't know kids names, so it's really hard to invite them! It will happen, though. Even if it turns out to be a 6 1/2 party.
Speaking of birthdays...someone has a pretty big one coming up. Not going to think about that though. My only wish is that we had a sitter and some moola to go out and celebrate! But since I have auditions that night anyway, it's not that great a loss. Yes, another round of auditions. This time, for Little Women, Elephant Man, You Can't Take it With You, and Godspell. Also, two midterms next week, in movement and Stage Combat. I've written 4 papers for Research and Aesthetics so far: Personal Worldview, Greek/Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance. I've gotten grades back for the first three - I think my professor is an easy grader. I'm not complaining, though. We'll be starting rehearsals for As you Like It in two weeks, and paper writing will be getting a lot harder after that.
School is getting lots better for the kids. The first two weeks were horrible. They were trying so hard to adjust and assimilate all this new input, with no Mom and Dad around, and it was just too much at first. They're really starting to get a handle on things now, I think. There are things about the school system we're not really thrilled with so far, but it's early yet, and we're all still finding our way.
Tarzan's joined the CubScouts, and we're looking for a used uniform and starting to sell popcorn. There are no active Odyssey of the Mind groups around here, and I'm seriously debating whether I have the crazy to try to start one.
Cinderella's starting to read a little better, but she's a bit behind where the boys where at this point. She has the most homework out of the three of them, though, so she'll be catching up soon.
Missing family and Pittsburgh friends, when I have time to stop and think about it. Mostly, I don't have much time. But I do love you all!!!

Sandcastles

Wow! I've been really busy and haven't had time to do much updating at all. I really want to do a full post soon, but for now, here are some photos from the Sandcastle competition we went to this weekend. I've posted some more on Facebook, but these are some of my favorites. We all had a great time!!!

This title goes with the guys below...they were my favorite! Although it was kind of hard to explain to the kids why the title was so funny!!!

Also, I met this guy and got a signed copy of his book. He was very cool, and said I was brave to do what I'm doing. I got to polish my schmoozing skills.

Time Flies

Trite, but true. The kids started school on Tuesday, and I've been pretty consumed with their school stuff on top of my school stuff. Not a lot of homework yet, but lots of forms to fill out. So far, the review are mixed. They all seem to like their teachers, and the lunches seem pretty popular. None of them seem to have latched on to a best friend, or even to know the other kid's names...but that will come. None of them like PE very much, which meets everyday, and apparently has a lot of yelling involved. At them, not by them. It's been too wet for outdoor recess, and the bus driver yells a lot too. There's some yelling, it seems. Scooby came home pretty quiet the first day, and found himself in tears pretty easily over other things. Cinderella went to the nurse on Friday with a stomachache. The nurse talked to her and decided it was probably new kid nervousness, and by the end of the day she was fine. Tarzan, so far, seems fine. It must be SO hard for them, and so scary. But they're hanging in there.
And so am I. Classes are going well...I'm really liking Movement Class and Meisner (Acting technique). Stage Combat is tough, but I'm doing all right for an old lady. Time is ticking right along, though. Auditions for Spring term are in a couple of weeks! I'm starting to get to know the others in my group, although I am a little on the outside, due to having a family and living a little farther away. Don's still looking for where he fits in with all this, and we're still looking for a home church.
It was really awesome having Lisa and Mom and Dad come visit...it's fun to show off the house, even if it isn't really ours. We went to Ft. Monroe in Norfolk and visited the place where my great-great-great-(is there one more great?) grandfather served for awhile in the Civil War. Turns out Edgar Allen Poe was stationed there for awhile too!
I've started trying to run a little bit again. There are lots of nice options of where to go, and the weather has cooled off enough that it's not total torture. Before I know it, we'll be making Thanksgiving and Christmas plans!

First Week

I have completed my first week of Grad School. Overall, a great success, I think. The only disappointment I've had has been the casting for the fall season. I was called back for a fairly big part in Dancing at Lughnasa, but ended up being cast in a small ensemble part (Le Beau) in As You Like It. I'm a little disappointed in the casting, but the good thing is, I can complete one of my required Crew Practicums in the same show that I'm in since my part is so small. This means less time spent in rehearsal during the evenings. The good things about the week are: I am excited about my classes. I'll be learning things that I don't already know and am excited to learn about. I'll be stretched mentally, physically and emotionally, and will have lots of new tools in the creative toolbox. My professors seem knowledgeable, empathetic, and enthusiastic about teaching, and my fellow "cohort" members all seem like nice people. There is one guy older than me, one about my age, and the rest are all younger. There are 5 girls and 5 guys altogether (including me.) Four of the 5 guys are married, and two have kids. I'm the only married girl. (Woman.) I took my required Entrance Exam. I needed a 70 or better to pass, and I got a 90. Yay me! I also completed my stupid required Library/Research online course tonight, so that's out of the way. We also found a sitter to watch the kids on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, when I won't be getting home until 5:30. She's a Divinity student from Regent, who has worked in Youth Ministry for several years. Now we just need to find Don a job so we can pay her! Looking forward to Cinderella's birthday - we're having a family party this weekend, and we'll have a friend party later, after school starts, when she's met some friends! I can't believe my baby is almost 6!!!

Quote for the Day

Be patient towards all that is unsolved

in your heart.

Try to love the questions themselves.

Do not now seek the answers

which cannot be given

because you would not be able

to live them.

And the point is,

to live everything.

Live the questions now.

Perhaps you will then

gradually,

without noticing it,

live along some distant day

into the answers.

- Ranier Maria Rilke

Day Two

Okay, I'm already kind of getting my butt kicked by school. It's awesome, though!
We had General Auditions for the fall season last night (yes, first day...not intimidating at all, right?) and I got a callback for Dancing at Lughnasa (apparently there's a film...with Meryl Streep. Huh) but not for As You Like It. Callbacks were tonight, and I think I did okay with my Irish accent, but didn't get asked to read much. If I don't get cast in anything, it's okay, as I think the classes are going to keep me very busy. Plus, I have to do four "Practicums" (serve on a running crew) during my three years here, so I'll get one of those scheduled and out of the way.
So far, classes have been mostly going through syllabi and expectations, etc. Lots of sitting around. And lots of meetings. And emails. And stuff. But honestly, I'm really jazzed for these classes to truly begin. I finally get to really dig into all this acting stuff and not just feel like I'm being served an appetizer and then told, "Sorry, that's all a director really needs to know."
I have homework to do now!

First Day of School

I'm off to class!
Actually, I'm off to orientation, chapel, meet and greet lunch, more orientation, part of one class, and then general auditions.
Saturday's potluck went okay. It was inside due to the torrential rains. There were lots of kids there, which was good, but between the acoustics of being inside a very large room and lots of kids bouncing around, I missed about half of the introductions. Everyone will have to get to know each other again today. There are many married students in the graduate dept., and several of them have kids. There are at least three other students older than I am....one of them is a grandmother just starting the undergrad program!
Ciao!

Progress Report

We're getting down to the end of the boxes...I hung up some pictures today (using as many existing nail holes as possible) and that cleared out a few more. I've been able to get rid of all the empty ones by posting them for free on Craigslist - apparently lots of people move around here! We got a BIG job done on Tuesday when we moved everything back out of the garage, pushed the stuff the owners left behind to the back of the attic, (more like a teeny weeny loft space over the garage - unfinished and VERY HOT) moved a bunch of stuff up into the attic, set up shelves in the garage and reloaded everything back into the garage more neatly. And it all fits now! There are still about six boxes of Don's clothes he needs to sort through and store (mostly winter stuff) and several boxes of misc. stuff that needs to find a home, but we're really making progress. We went to the beach yesterday and it was HOT even right by the water. I spent more time IN the ocean than I ever did in Maine! We also saw two jellyfish, which kind of creeped us out, but we kept going back for more wave diving anyway. I bought a glass, hexagonal patio table with wind-up umbrella from Craigslist for $30 - now keeping my eyes open for chairs to go with it. The welcome to new students picnic is on Saturday (at Regent) and I start classes on Monday. I've read three and a half of my books already, and am really enjoying them. I'm really looking forward to starting classes!!!
Don sent in several job applications today, and has a interview lined up next Wed. for a job he doesn't think he wants, but it's a start. Of course, I'm in class, so our first sitter-dilemma is approaching quickly. I'm off to read for awhile...

One week later

We're still here!
Things are strange and much is new and will take getting used to.
I have 5,000 other things I should be doing right now, so excuse the "list" form of this entry, please.
Things that cost less here than Pittsburgh:
- Groceries
- Gas
- Getting to the beach

Things that cost more here than Pittsburgh:
Everything else

Things we've accomplished this week:
Unpacked many boxes
Connected phone, internet and TV (although we're still experimenting with options and they may not be permanently connected.)
Registered cars
Inspected cars
Got new license plates
Applied for VA driver's licenses
Applied for new health insurance for Don and myself
Applied for new health insurance for the kids
Applied for new auto insurance
Cancelled our old auto/homeowner's/flood insurance
Applied for renter's insurance
Filled out a "damage" report of everything wrong with the house so we won't get blamed when we move out
Discovered about a dozen things we forgot to put on the list
Went to the beach 2x
Went to Walmart 3x
Went to Home Depot 2x
Went to Bruster's 1x
Registered the kids for school
Got my Student ID card
Returned Scooby's violin to store in Mass. to exchange for a larger size
Went back to school shopping on tax-free weekend, but they were sold out of almost everything
Lost the cat
Put up "Lost Cat" signs in neighborhood
Didn't tell the kids for two days
Found the cat
Got rid of empty boxes by advertising free boxes on Craigslist
Experienced 100 degree weather
Fixed the broken ladder rung going up to the playset
Stepped on and broke the newly repaired ladder rung, consequently hitting myself in the head with the pair of pruning shears I'd been taking up the to top to trim the tree branches with
Started reading Harry Potter to the kids
Saw the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance
Opened a bank account
Treated Cinderella for pinkeye
Bought mosquito repellent
Argued with Scooby about how often he should be allowed to apply mosquito repellent
Bought Afterbite
Scratched mosquito bites
Tried out a church that meets in the Middle School right down the street
Wrote a three act "murder mystery" play for church in Pittsburgh (previous commitment that I just got to) It stars Charlie's Angels, Starsky and Hutch, and Columbo.

Things I still have to do:
Forget it. There's too much. It's depressing to think about. I'll just look back over that long list of things that I did accomplish...Ah, that's better.

We are here, we are here, we are HERE!

Everyone survived the trip, even the cat, although he really wasn't happy riding in a car with no AC. Of course, neither was Don, so they complained to each other all the way down about what jerks the rest of us are.
But we are here, and the AC is working in the house now, so yay! We're unpacking, rearranging, trying to figure out where to put everything, copying keys, buying groceries, and tonight, for a couple of hours, we went to the beach. The kids LOVED it - rolling in the sand and the surf and coming home (home! it took 20 minutes to get back!) with shorts full of sand and ground-up shells. We had dinner (mac-n-cheese and peanut butter toast) together at 9:30pm, and now I'm sitting down with my brand new internet connection. Hooray!
I am freaking tired.

Checking in from PA

We're back in PA for a couple of days staying at Granny's house. Still don't know when we'll have our own internet, but Subway has free wireless, so we've been lurking around their parking lot. The move was stressful, but everything is there except us, the cars, the kids and the cat. We're all heading out for good on Sunday morning. Two friends from church came down with us and helped us with the move. The four of us moved everything in except the piano, for which we enlisted the help of a guy down the street who made the mistake of standing on his front stoop. While the garage is piled pretty high with boxes, everything is physically on the property, so now we just have to figure out how to arrange it. As a welcoming gift, the AC wasn't working in the house, so it was a pretty steamy move in. They SHOULD have it fixed by the time we return. Overall, things went remarkably well. We met up with the realtor today and received our check from the closing, so that end is tied up as well. Chugging right along! Still left to do, besides all the unpacking, is find new health insurance, car insurance, renter's insurance, driver's liscenses, car registrations, enroll the kids in school, find new doctors, dentist, eye doctor, and figure out how to get a good deal on phone/internet/TV. Don's being a little obsessive about that last one. Oh yeah, and he needs to find a job. Really fast. So, other than that, things are going great! I'm so grateful to Butch and Evy for coming with us, and to all the other folks who helped out on the Pittsburgh end. Moving bites.

Check - next item...

The cat has been successfully rabified. We shut him downstairs for the morning, then boxed him up for the trip. He was surprisingly quiescent and hardly put up a fuss at all. He was pretty freaked, and hid his head as much as possible, but didn't try to run away. The attic is almost emptied. I think I made about 50 round trips from the third floor to the first. I'm starting to hurt. We ate chicken nuggets, fish and meatballs for dinner. With a side of raisins. Scooby got to hang out with his friend Kaylyn today for awhile. He had fun, but came home sad. I bought my first textbook online yesterday. Most of them I think I'll get from Amazon, but they didn't have this one. I have auditions the first day and a test the first week. Need to start getting my head into school/work gear. Soon. A couple more days, I hope. Don is downstairs packing. Finally! They gave him a little going away party at work yesterday, with a cake. That was nice, and more than he expected.
Computers will be disconnected tonight, but I should have my laptop and be able to post from that when I can.

Tick Tock

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock...

Three days and counting. The sandbox is cleaned out and ready to go. The attic is all boxed and swept out, except for that one corner of Don's stuff. The wardrobe in the bedroom is empty. The kids rooms are cleaned out down to bare furniture and the only toys out are Legos, Lincoln Logs, blocks and Barbies. The living room is packed, except for the computer. The kitchen is half packed. Utilities have been notified at both locations. Tomorrow I transfer prescriptions and pick up kid's medical records. Cat is scheduled for booster shots this afternoon. Post office has been notified. Magazine subscriptions have been notified. Late thank you notes with new address included have been mailed. All nails and hangers have been removed from walls. To do this weekend: Confirm rental truck. Finish packing kitchen. Pack suitcases for kids to have at Granny's. Pack computers and desk area. Pack bathroom stuff. Return library books and redeem "book bucks" rewards at library. Break down swingset and put out for trash. Cut grass and trim hedges. Pack all of Don's stuff - bedroom, that corner in the attic, and pretty much the entire basement. Clean clean clean. The other 9.000 things I'm forgetting.
Tomorrow is Don's last day of work.
Tick tock. Tick tock.

Today

Going over to Joe and Barb's for a goodbye picnic. Reality starting to set in! Any ideas on how to best transport the cat?
We gave up on the idea of trying to be back by 11:00am for the closing on Thursday (Really? They couldn't move it later in the day? REALLY???) so we're signing papers ahead of time. Therefore, there's no real reason we both have to come back when we take the truck down. Maybe one of us will stay down there with the cat, and the other will bring the kids. Otherwise, the cat will have to live at Granny's for a couple of days. That should be interesting...

Friday night

We took the boys to a Pirate game last night as a late b-day present for Tarzan. We got poured on while standing in line, but almost as soon as we sat down we were presented with this:

Scooby wished for a long game with extra innings...and he got what he asked for. 14 innings later, the Pirates won 2-1 with a homer hit into the river. Quite a spectacular ending to an otherwise pretty boring game. Good fun was had by all.

House ps:

It no longer has a hot tub.

The house

Although we haven't signed the lease yet, our application was approved, so I'm going with the assumption that we have an address to go to at last!

Here are a couple more pictures:

It has a garage, it has a fireplace, it comes with a wooden playset, and, although we probably won't use it much, it comes with an outdoor hot-tub!

Right now, our tentative plan is to pack up the moving truck on the 27th, drive it and one of our vehicles down there, unpack, drive back here for the closing on the 30th, then drive down with the kids and the cat. All that could change, of course, except for the fact that we have to be out of here by the 30th.

One more bite of the elephant eaten...

Maybe?

It's entirely possible that we may have a new address soon.

I overnight mailed the rental application today - and we should find out the results before too long, Monday at the latest. I hope. It was a tough decision, but in a good way this time, with three viable possibilites to choose from. I'll post more details when we find out if our application is accepted. But this might, maybe, possibly be our next home...

House hunting

Note to self: Next time, before driving for 8 hours, have a better idea what square footage means and how small 1,200 sq ft. really is. Houses in our price range are tiny. At least in the good schools. So, we have a possibility for one, but it's pretty ratty and the school is only okay. I think I may have to go down again next week, and keep looking. Not that there's that much more to look at, but something new may pop up. I found a nice looking possibility on Craigslist yesterday, but when I talked to the woman she was kind of a b*&*ch, and I have a feeling it's not going to come through. Discouraging! Wish we were in Norwood this weekend...

Quick Update

I tried to post a nice long update last night, with pictures detailing what we've been up to, but the computer crapped out. So that will have to wait! Today is Scooby's birthday party, and the weather is GORGEOUS!!! (Sorry, all you folks who are slowing growing mildew in crevices you never knew you had)
Tonight we're heading south on the great rental-house hunting adventure. Hopefully, if all goes well, we may have an address by the end of the week.
I'll try posting pictures again when we get back.

Well, it's a good thing the inspector came yesterday!

Wild weather tonight!!! There was actually a tornado warning in Sewickley, right along Rt. 65. Craziness. One minute we're out on the back porch watching the thunderstorm, then Tarzan and Cinderella are running around the backyard playing, then half an hour later it literally looks like barrels full of rain are being thrown against the windows. Hail, thunder...and our back yard turned into a pond due to the storm drain being unable to keep up with the volume of water. Water was pouring over the gutters in sheets - not because they were backed up, no, because we'd gotten most of the foliage out of them - just because of the force of the rain. And Scooby is on an overnight camp-out with the church in a state park. They should have some interesting stories to tell. If you'll recall, last year when he went to week-long sleepaway camp, they also had tornado watches in effect. Awesome. Welcome to Pittsburgh, Mom and Dad!

In BETTER news, we got the results from the home inspection today, and there are only a few very minor things to be done. Totally manageable. And the roof is fine!!! So it looks as though the July 30th closing day will hold and this sale may very well go through! Yippee!

Happy 7th Birthday, Tarzan!

It was a Lego birthday this year, and although I scaled down from last year's Webkinz craziness, enough went into it to wipe me out.

Below is the "Pin-the-Happy-Birthday-Timmy-Badge-on-the-Lego-Man" game

Lego cake, courtesy of Granny. Don't know why the picture is sideways, and it took too long to load to do it again. Just tilt your head. And pretend it says Tarzan.

Lego cookies, also courtesy of Granny.

I can't believe Tarzan is 7! He's such a little ball of energy, whipping from one activity to the next. He's teaching himself to juggle, and is pretty adept with two balls right now. It may not sound like much, but you try it - it's a lot harder than it sounds! Very adept at entertaining himself, whether it's playing catch with his mitt and ball, reading, playing on the computer, or playing with, yes, Legos, he's rarely at a loss for something to do. A very sensitive heart beats beneath that skinny ribcage. He loves hard, and cries when touched or when confronted with loss. He is also, however, RESILIENT. A word that we've been exploring as a family. He will grieve his losses and move on, ready to laugh again, love again. Not much for extended cuddling, but quick to give hugs and kisses. He easily finds the humor in life, and when there isn't any, he's make his own. My little middle child - how I love you.

Tarzan and Granny

Light, part 1

Well, I've been waiting hoping I'd have two good pieces of news to post, but it looks like I'm going to have to settle for just one. We got another offer on the house (yay!) and it's even better than the first one. I'm half excited and half waiting to see what goes wrong this time. We have inspections scheduled for next Tuesday (originally they were scheduled right smack in the middle of Tarzan's birthday party, but we were able to reschedule. Maybe we should have left it...bribed him with cake!) so we'll see what happens after that. Closing date currently scheduled for July 30.
News is still squiffy on the job front. Progress bar moving VERY slowly on that end. Will let you know what, if anything, develops.

Light = end of tunnel???

Keep those prayers rolling, friends. Good things are rumbling, but I don't want to jinx them (and yes, I kind of half believe in that right now!) so I'll pass along details when things don't feel so much like a house of cards.

Last day of school today. Tarzan came home in tears. He really loved his first grade teacher - we all did! Excellent report cards from everyone...some kind of celebration is called for, I believe.

No, STILL no news

I am really bad at waiting. I mean, really really bad at it. If we could afford marital counseling, I'm sure one of the things that would get repeatedly discussed and anaylized and an action plan created for, would be the different internal rhythms by which Don and I live our lives. Mine is pretty fast. Which is kind of odd, since I'm an introvert by nature and can happily spend hours reading, listening to the ocean, or just chilling out with my loved ones and a bottle of wine. However, when I need to get things done, am working on a project, or WAITING for something to happen, my little internal chronometer is tick, tick, ticking away. I hate waiting in line, for anything. I REALLY hate waiting for someone to get back to me with information that I need in order to make something else happen, which needs to happen in order for something else to happen. Not being too cryptic here, am I? This whole house selling process is torture - not just for the sheer work involved in the preparation of it, but then the waiting around for someone to call, to see, to decide, to make an offer, or not. Those of you who knew me then, remember how bad I was with the whole waiting to get pregnant thing? But at least with that, there was something I could do. (heh, heh) Now, there are lots of things I'd LIKE to be doing, but can't because I'm WAITING for someone else to make decisions about the things which will affect me and my family for years to come. I suppose I'm supposed to be learning something through all this waiting time - but one of the main things it's reinforced is that I'm wired quicker than this and I don't like it. I do not like it, Sam I Am.

You know what I do like, though? Watching the boys play baseball. Particularly Scooby's team this year. He's moved up to the "minor leagues" which means they have umpires, and can steal bases, and scores count and everything. He had a game on Sunday which I sat and watched for 2 hours, and loved almost every minute of it. The weather was perfect, the boys on both teams were earnest and trying really hard, but being really good sports about everything and some excellent plays were happening on both teams. Scooby's team was ahead by five runs until the last inning (they only play 6) and the other team made four runs pretty quickly. It was down to the last out and they had the bases loaded. We had to put in a substitute pitcher for the last batter (the kids are only allowed 75 pitches to save their arms) and he managed to strike him out and win the game. It was great! Scooby is still not a confident player - he plays right or left field when he's not on the bench, and our big goal for his last couple of games is to get him to SWING the bat when he's up, but he's still enjoying it and the other kids on the team and his coaches are terrific. It's been a great year for baseball.

Kennywood

And then...

Little speedbump.
Buyer's ex-husband-to-be won't sign papers.
She wants to back out.
Crap.

So now...

Kudos to Lisa for noticing that the "staging" of the house uses the same plant in every room!

So we came to an agreement on the price, signed the contract and are now waiting for the house inspection, FHA inspection, radon inspection, pest inspection and appraisal to happen sometime in the next 15 days. Hoping all goes well!!!!

I spent last night and today painting the basement floor, which hurts no matter how you do it, and we're working on a few last touch up jobs before the inspectors come. I'm sure they'll have more for us to do! Just hope it's not more than we can handle.

On Friday we dropped Scooby off at baseball and Tarzan, Cinderella and I went to the "mini-prom" at their school (fundraiser for cancer research) As we left the parking lot, Tarzan (after dancing like a wild-man the whole time, air guitar and all) said "I have to admit it, Mom. That was fun."

I'm ba-a-a-ck!

Sort of. For the sake of my brother's lonliness and sanity, I will attempt to make an update. The past three to four weeks (I've lost count) have been a whirlwind of deciding to sell this house, attempting to ready the house for sale, and listing the house. In the past six years that we've lived here (and bear in mind, we moved in with a four year old, a one year old, and a newborn) we've kept just about everything that's come into the house. Baby furniture, clothes, toys, books, etc. Every now and then I'd do a sweep and send some things on to the cousins, but for the most part, we still had almost all of it. Now imagine trying to lay hands on every one of those items and sort them into catagories: Give to Mom and Dad to save for Melissa and J; Cart over to Carol's house for a yard sale; Pack into boxes now; Leave unpacked; and throw away. This process was HUGELY overwhelming, and I've literally never physically worked so hard for so long in my life. Labor was harder, but over much more quickly. During that process I literally (and I really mean literally, not literally in the sense of "figuratively" which is how most people use the word), I literally went through more than 30 large sized trash bags either in yard sale or trash. Plus about two dozen boxes. The first yard sale netted about $140 for us and about $5.00 each for the kids (we let them sell their own toys) The next one is scheduled for May 30th. We had too much stuff and not enough time to sell it all in the first one. We also carted a whole truckload of baby stuff up to Norwood to transfer to Mom and Dad, who drove it back to Mass, to save for Melissa and J, in Providence. It's a long way around, but it seems to have worked. At least the stuff isn't in this house any more!
The next step was starting to prepare the house for listing. This meant removing all personal photos from the walls, emptying about 3/4 of the books out of the bookshelves, clearing off the kitchen countertops and cabinet tops, clearing off the shelves in the entryway, packing up about 1/2 my china, Clearing out the playroom side of the attic to lay down carpeting, repairing and painting the water damage in the front hall, retouching paint on walls, doors, and mouldings, scrubbing down the exteriors that we could reach, washing all the curtains and cleaning all the windows, and cleaning all the rooms of the house from top to bottom. Oh, and getting rid of the big ugly shelves from our bedroom, and moving the treadmill to Don's sister's house for the duration. Are you tired yet? I sure was!!!
Then, last Monday (the 4th) we met with the realtors and went over the paperwork, and the house was officially listed on Tuesday the 5th. We had our first showing on Thursday, another on Friday, two more on Monday, and one on Tuesday. Yesterday, we received an offer on the house. Today we made a counteroffer. Now, we still have to go through mortgage approval, inspections, appraisals, etc., but I'm quite please at the pace this is going so far.
The scary thing is, Don's job search hasn't quite kept pace with the house sale. There have been some developments, but it's been very frustrating overall. I can't really go into details, but if you're praying folk, please send some his way.
We're looking at a tentative move date of July 1st. Thinking about all that needs to happen between now and then is enough to make me nauseous. Because in addition to all this, I've been working, Don's working, and the kids still have school, baseball, birthday parties, and lots of nerves to assuage.
One bite at a time. That's how you eat an elephant, and that's been my survival strategy for this process.

yelp

Sorry, been a bit busy. Trying to sell a house sucks. Will write when I can!

Happy Easter

Went to T-ball practice this morning, then baseball practice. Both went really well - I think this will be a good year for both boys. Good coaches, good teams, some skills seem to be kicking in. Kind of exciting! Froze my patootie, but managed to get a little sunburn on my forehead. We then went to Granny's for an early Easter celebration...5 cousins, lots of aunts and uncles, two violin and one flute recital...lots of noise and merriment. Don took advantage of a lull to say, "We have a little announcement..." which has previously always been followed by a pregnancy announcement, so moving was almost anti-climactic. Got home and did the Easter bunny thing...thinking about what I need to do tomorrow to get ready to pack up and head to NY for Grandma's funeral. If I had a second to stop and breathe, I might be more able to focus on contemplating the reason for Easter, but for now I'm just trying to keep my head in the game and do what I need to do. Love to you all!

On a completely different topic...

I stopped at my favorite consignment store today to look for a pair of baseball cleats for the boys, and discovered they're no longer selling children's clothes. I was bummed, and then I found out the reason why, and now I'm really bummed! Check out this website:
http://handsandhearts.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=98
This could mean no more kids clothes at thrift stores, no more kids books, no more used toys...that's where I do a LOT of my shopping! This is really crazy and kind of scary too. Way to make things even harder in this economy!!!

VA Beach bound!

Well, we've officially told the kids, so I guess we're going!
Lots of decisions yet to be made, but this one is at least done.
I'm feeling better about it every day - Don still struggling.

The kids reacted about as could be expected. They all cried - Tarzan first, loudly, with big wet tears. Cinderella second - louder, but no tears. Scooby last, lots of tears, but trying to be brave. None of them want to go. They brought up missing their school, Granny, their friends. Cinderella wanted to know if we were bringing her stuffed animals and her mattress. Tarzan wanted to know if we were going before spring break was over. Scooby had lots of questions - he came downstairs after the other two went to sleep and we cuddled and talked for awhile. We told them that right now we don't know the answers to a lot of their questions, but we'll let them know as soon as we can.

My brain hurts.

Well, finally...

Well, I finally tracked down the bas-tuds at BU and got them to admit that they weren't making me an offer. They took 1 student for directing and 2 for theater ed. I guess I can't feel too bad with those odds!
So, now I officially have all the information I need to make a decision. Notice, that's all the information "I" need. We are looking for a job in the VA beach area for Don - it doesn't look encouraging. The pay scale there is even lower than it is here!
Will have to make the decision "official" by Monday, and will have to tell the kids shortly afterwards, as we'll be seeing family over Easter, and will probably want to announce it then.
Schnikees - remind me why I'm doing this again?

The hole of silence

Silence propagates itself, and the longer talk has been suspended, the more difficult it is to find anything to say.
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)


So, jumping out of silence.

First the easy part - we got a van. It's not that great of a van, but it was within our price range. We decided, with other decisions looming on the horizon that have the potential to be extremely costly, that we would scale back and get what we could afford now, rather than reaching for something nicer that was somewhat out of our comfort zone. It's a burgandy (again) Chrysler Voyager, 2002, with 83,000 miles. It's very similar to the one we lost, but slightly smaller on the inside. It's very basic, not many bells and whistles, but we don't need those. I just hope it keeps running. We bought it from a private owner, who was the only owner and took great care of it (service records, oil changes, garage kept, etc.) Hopefully it will turn out to be a good buy.

Now the harder part. We are strongly leaning towards going to VA beach. However, neither of us it totally peacefull about the decision. They would like us to tell them TODAY whether or not we accept, but I'm thinking about asking for a couple more days. For one thing, I still haven't heard anything from BU. It's probably a negative, if I haven't heard by now, but I don't like making a decision without having all the information in front of me. Don thinks the fact that I would consider BU if they offered means I'm not 100% sold on Regent, and I should be 100% sure if we're going to uproot our whole lives. Well, I don't know if I'll ever be 100%, because I'm very aware of how disruptive this is going to be for everyone. But as I said, we're leaning that way. Right now my plan is to wait until the mailman comes, see if there's anything from BU, then decide from there if I need to ask Regent for more time. I'm hoping they won't have a problem with giving me until, say, Friday.

I believe in taking a step of faith - making a decision based on the belief that it is the right thing to do, even if you don't steps 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. all figured out ahead of time. Don has asked me if it wouldn't also be a step of faith to see a "good" opportunity, but pass it up for what might be a better one ahead. (A better one meaning reapplying to Pitt next year and hoping that I get in this time.) I suppose it could be, but I think if we went that way it would be more about fear and less about faith.

Is this a great time to be trying to look for a job, sell a house, get financial aid? Hm. Let me think. No. It's not. But this seems to be the time that we are in - the time that the opportunity is there.

So anyway, that's where we stand. It's very hard. Please keep praying and stuff. I'll try to stay more on top of sharing our process and not crawl back into the hole.

UPDATE: Well, the mail came, and still nothing from BU. I've sent an email to Regent asking for a couple more days.

Let me 'splain...

No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Still looking for a van - have found several possibilities. The rental car is nice. I bought a new car seat and used the rest of the insurance car-seat replacement check for groceries.

Got an official offer from Regent University for their MFA program. I'm seriously considering it, which is throwing our home life into a tizzy. Even more of a tizzy. (Except the kids don't know anything about it yet, and I don't want them to yet, so shhhh.)

I have THE most amazing friends and family. Sheesh, post one meltdown blog post and everyone comes running with love and support and stuff. Maybe I should do that more often! (Just kidding)

I have a killer headache right now, so I'm going to eat some toast and go to bed.

Love you all!!!!

Warning...turbulence ahead.

Okay, fine. Fine! I'm NOT fine. I've been trying...TRYING SO HARD...to focus on the positives, to count my blessings, to be thankful for all we have. And I AM. I am thankful, and there are lots of positive blessings.
BUT.
Right now I'm going to vent. If you don't want to be spewed on, stop reading now.

The van is totalled. MY van is totalled. Which means, the insurance company now owns it, and they will, eventually give us some money for it. About $3800. Do you know what kind of minivan you can buy for $3800? Model: Jack. Make: Squat.
And, of course, they want the rental car back tomorrow. How am I supposed to function without a car? How am I supposed to look for another car without a car???
And the car seat.
Did I mention they have to destroy the car seat? The boosters are okay, but our nice, expensive toddler seat/convertible booster has to go.
I spent the day on the internet looking for cars. I found some exciting possibilites, but none panned out. What I want, what I'd really like to salvage out of this situation, is to upgrade to a nicer van, with low mileage, that won't break down within three months.
Alas, it is not to be. Because everything in our price range is crap. Cruddy looking, high mileage, leering at us, ready to break down if you blink at it.
Why is this always what it comes down to? Stupid frigging money. Everything is about money. Where we live, what we drive, what I fix for dinner, what activities the kids can do. I'm freaking sick of it. I HATE complaining about money. WHAT could be more boring. But guess what? It's boring living it too. Boring and frustrating and shitty. I know lots of people are living with it, dealing with it every day. I know many many many people are worse off than we are. I know these things. I know it's just how things are, and tomorrow, I'll go back to putting my head down and plowing through. Facing the day. Worrying about the future. Tomorrow.
Right now, I just want to be pissed off. And about that weight loss thing? I EAT when I'm pissed off and scared and frustrated. So poop.

Update

Everyone is fine. Repeat. Everyone is fine.

The van is at the repair shop. We will find out today if it can be repaired or if it will be totaled. Until then, I have a free loaner Chevy Malibu. Just call me Barbie.

The other car had a barely scratched bumper and a tiny dent. They stopped in front of Don to make a left turn, and he just didn't see them in time. He was turning the wheel as he tried to stop, which is why there's more damage on the driver's side.

Our airbags didn't go off, and the car drove home fine, so those are good signs.

According to the insurance lady, we need to replace the carseats, though. At least Cinderellas - she's not sure about the boosters. Another thing they'll let me know sometime today.

Everyone is fine.

Just...beyond words tonight.
Don hit someone else's car with the van, with all the kids in the car.
They are all fine. Don is fine. The other person is fine.
The van is a mess.
Unbe-freaking-lievable.

Spring-eve

Not a whole lot to say today. Kids got report cards - all good. Scooby has A's in Math and Social Studies and A plusses in Language Arts, Science, Spanish and Violin. He's such an underacheiver. The other two don't get letter grades yet, but are doing really really well. I'm so proud of them. I got the scripts and the videos of the school tour shows that I'm subbing in for - three are about bullying and one is about drugs. In fact, the drug one is the same basic script that I did - what was it - 17 years ago? It's been updated, of course, and some much needed improvements have been made, but overall it's pretty much the same. Kind of funny. The bullying ones seem pretty good too, although one seems pretty cheesy on paper. I'm hoping it translates better into video or live. I've got a week to learn the four scripts, so it will be a challenge.
I was scheduled at Pitt this week as a training tool for Psychiatric faculty to learn the methodology of the upcoming Psyche "Observed Clinical Education Training" (that's not quite right, but it's close enough.) Unfortunately, 4 out of the 5 faculty that were supposed to show up didn't, so in the room were another Standardized Patient, myself, the co-ordinator of the SP program, and the head faculty member who was running the seminar - all there to train one poor guy. It went all right, I guess. The two cases I'm working this week are a Med-seeking Valium addict and a Manic-Disorganized Bi-Polar patient. They're pretty interesting. The manic one will be a challenge, because I basically have to talk rapidly and non-stop unless I'm forcibly stopped by the students. I hope I can think of enough to say! It's hard because it can't be stuff about "me", it has to be stuff that's relevant to "patient" who has her own back-story, family history, work life, home life, etc.
To those of you participating in the weight loss challenge, I will NOT be posting my starting weight and BMI here on the blog. If you want to know it, to keep me honest, I'll email you.

Small graces, part 9

1. The engine light wasn't anything serious - same emissions code as before, possibly a loose gas cap.
2. Got everywhere I needed to go today - three different jobs - and all went well.
3. Enjoyed talking to Mom for awhile.
4. Beauty and the Beast is going to be a good show!
5. Tarzan's new Ranger Rick magazine came.

On the frustrating side, I emailed Regent and BU to see if they could give me a timeline for finding out...no answer yet from BU, and Regent said it could be a couple more weeks. WEEKS! Aarrgh!

small graces, part8

1. Going walking yesterday and walking a steep hill today. You've got to start somewhere!
2. Tax refund check
3. Remembering to buy deoderant at Walmart
4. Scheduling some more acting work for the month of April
5. A beautiful warm day

Praying that the engine light that popped on today doesn't mean anything serious!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Click below:

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/KYaAXiQoOZbQ5JROXTwg

Play song - look at pictures...repeat

Random pictures

A couple more pictures:

These are the two watermelon costumes that appeared in the Odyssey project. The one on the left is the one that caused my chainsaw injury. The cut piece of styrofoam is inside the fabric. The one on the right is actually the one that Scooby wore in the presentation.

Scooby made this barrel himself - it's supported inside by a basket and a pizza pan.

Tarzan's teeth are finally starting to grow back in, but you can't tell in this picture.

This is our St. Patrick's Day cake - made out of 6 cupcakes and a square cake. Idea by Tarzan, design by Mommy, decoration by all.

Meh...Updated!

Long day today. I'm feeling pretty beat down and discouraged. The audition went...okay, I guess. They didn't give me a callback, but their rejection phone call was very polite and friendly, and at least they let me know right away. I spent last night and today doing "Play in a Day" which is a lot like an Odyssey problem squished into 9 hours. It was a lot of time to spend with 5 ten-year-old girls. Lots of squealing and hair twirling. There's lots of laundry to be folded, and the cupboards are looking mighty bare again, with no paychecks coming in in the immediate future. Off to bed now. To sleep...perchance to dream...maybe I'll dream about a way out.

Update:
Bedlam breaks out at NYC 'Top Model' auditions
March 14, 2009, 7:35 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) -- Three people were arrested and six others hurt Saturday after bedlam broke out while they waited to audition for "America's Next Top Model," police said.
Police didn't know what prompted the chaos involving hundreds of people outside the Park Central New York hotel in Manhattan.

I'm guessing...hunger.

Rolling with the punches

Could this be more generic???

"I regret to inform you that the Department of Theatre Studies did not approve your application for admission to Brown University’s Graduate School for the 2009-2010 academic year. Admission decisions are made on a comparative basis and are the result of a careful evaluation of each candidate's application, taking into account academic achievement, preparation for advanced study, and other supporting materials.

The majority of those who apply to the Graduate School have strong qualifications and demonstrate an ability to do advanced academic work. We regret that we have to disappoint many bright and talented students.

Thank you for your interest in Brown. I wish you the best in your academic endeavors."

Not a surprise, but now it's official. For the directing program, at least.

Whatevs.

Class

I started teaching a class today for Saltworks. It will be every Thursday for 9 weeks, from 4:30 - 7:00pm. I have 9 girls, ages 14 - 18. We're going to work on A Lion In Winter (one of my favorite Katherine Hepburn movies - she's amazing in it.) It's about Henry II, Eleanor of Aquataine, and their sons Richard (to become "the Lionhearted"), Geoffrey, and John (of Evil Prince John fame in the Robin Hood movies) They're quite a family, and it's quite a script. If I ever got into grad school and had to write a thesus type thing, I'd be interested in pursuing these Plantagenets. Other plays they appear in are Murder in the Cathedral, Becket, Henry IV, V, and VI (Shakespeare), and several others. Class went well, and the girls are resigned if not excited about playing men. They're part of the Saltworks "Young Company", which means they've been around awhile and taken a lot of classes, and are used to playing men. In fact, last summer, I had some of them in my Antigone class and one of they played King Creon.
It feels good to get my teaching chops working again.
I also have an audition this weekend for a Pgh Theater company's summer season. They're auditioning Equity actors too, so I don't expect much, but at least I'm getting my butt out there again. I've been hibernating since NY, as far as the acting thing goes.

Small graces, part 7

Hm. Seems I missed yesterday. Weird. I thought I wrote something, but I must have just imagined it!
It also seems that since I made the declaration that I would try to be more grateful for the little things in everyday life that more and more aggravating things have started to happen. Nothing super huge, just little niggling annoyances that make it harder to see the good. But here goes!

1. More buds coming up through the ground - Cinderella's lilac bush is frosted in green.
2. I found three Madeleine L'Engle books at Half Priced books today that I didn't have. Two poetry books and a very early novel. And they were only $3.00 each!
3. I've picked up some more work in the past couple of days - more days at Pitt and another weekend of classes.
4. I think I found a babysitter for Friday afternoon, if she doesn't back out.
5. I'm having Scooby teach me violin on his quarter-sized little one. I can play Ode to Joy almost recognizably. I think Scooby and I are about the same level right now.

Missing everyone out there...write something in your blogs! I'm lonely!

Some Odyssey pictures

David and his friend - what is it about the blondes???
Setting up during the performance - you can see the anchor sign, barrel, and mast, all created by David, if you look really closely!

Notice the two-headed Pirate Germ in the back

Team Dunlap

David - the old sea captain

Sixth place. Sigh. Frankly, I think they were robbed. But, they're taking it well. Better than me, I think! Somehow, I don't seem to have a picture of the watermelon costume that scarred my finger. I'll try to find one and post it when I get it.

Small graces, part 6

1. Lots of sleep this morning - the kids were quiet and we skipped church.
2. Quality Lego time with the boys - they built, I watched.
3. Granny coming over to spend time with the kids and bake cookies while we cleaned the office.
4. Did I mention they baked cookies?
5. A whole weekend of warm weather and only a little bit of rain.

OM

Well, they came in 6th, so no states this year. They did really well, and I was very proud of them. We're disappointed, but at least we'll have more evenings free now!
REALLY tired, so no more posting for now.

small graces, part 5

1 - 5:
By this time tomorrow, the Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament will be over!

Just Yale if you need me

So, I got my official rejection letter from Yale today. I'm not broken up about it, because it was pretty obvious they weren't going to accept me when they booted me after one round of auditions. I was going to try to write some kind of funny entry about "what Yale wrote" and "what Yale was really saying" but when I went to pull the letter out of the trash to copy what they wrote, I discovered Don had already emptied the can and I'm not digging through leftover peanut butter and coffee grounds to find it. So basically, what Yale wrote is many are called, few are chosen. And you ain't one of 'em. Eh.

Today's graces:
1. Warmth! Sunshine! Warmth!
2. Got all the copies I needed done for free.
3. Found the green facepaint I needed locally - saved me a 20 minute drive.
4. Kids did so well at Beauty and the Beast rehearsal I let them go 1/2 an hour early.
5. Coriciden is a great cold medicine.

Night all!

Oh yeah, my blog.

I was on my way to bed (nice talking to you, Lisa!) when I realized I hadn't written anything yet today. Slightly better day today. Yesterday was a lot of things - PMS, getting a cold, hearing too much bad news in a short amount of time, jumping through Medicare benefit renewal hoops. The thing that tipped me over the edge, though, was an email from one of the school's I've been accepted at, which will remain nameless due to potential dangerous Googling, (right Steve?) but if you've following along it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out which one. Anyway, I've been trying to get some questions answered for awhile now about the program and financial aid stuff, but have experience really BAD communication skills from this department. Finally yesterday I sent another respectful email requesting the answers to the same questions I'd been asking. I got one back saying that they thought I'd declined admission, so that was my status in their computers. Oh, and there's no money available for first years anyway. Oh, and this person's going to a conference for two weeks, so I can contact her again then if I want to change the status in my file. I firmly but respectfully replied that I had NOT declined admission, and forwarded the chain of emails stating that very thing, and that this person had replied to herself, saying to just let them know when I'd made a decision. I immediately got back one of those automated "out-of-the-office" replies. Tells me something about the organization of the school and the difficulty I might have ever trying to get anything done through the administration. So as of now, the two schools that have accepted me are two that I didn't have to audition for, and that I very well may not want to go to. (Savannah's a whole nother story...I'll get into it later, maybe.)
So, still waiting.

Bad day

Grateful for God's faithfulness.
The end.

Small graces, part 4

1. Going back to bed after Don went to work. Shh - don't tell him!
2. Getting enough done around the house when I finally got up again to make it look like I didn't spend the morning in bed.
3. Getting the gift package from Mom and Dad's cruise - I love my hat and earrings, the kids love their banks and "water globe" (NOT a snow globe, Mommy) and Don loves his little tiny cup. (That's what Cinderella called it...I think it's going to stick!)
4. Finding out that another Odyssey team is actually scheduled earlier than us - at 7:42! This gives me strange joy.
5. Being able to read and giggle at some very funny postings on Facebook by friends. I like having funny friends.

Quick update

Sad news today. Some friends lost a baby at 8 1/2 months of the pregnancy. Everything was normal at the checkup one week previous, then yesterday they couldn't find a heartbeat. They did an emergency C-section and the baby was stillborn. They figure the placenta detached somehow. I can't even imagine what they're going through.
Crazy week ahead, getting ready for the Odyssey tournament on Sat. We also have parent conferences on Friday - I think I put the fear of God in Cinderella today when I told her that. She's been having some discipline issues at school - too busy socializing with her BFFs to listen to the teacher!
I was so proud of myself tonight - I figured out how to burn a CD after converting a video from youtube into an mp3, and then decompressing it. And yes, I'm sure there IS an easier way, but that's not the point! I did it all by myself!
The calendar says it will be spring soon, but it sure isn't looking like it on the East coast.

Small things, part 3

1. Good mystery show tonight - good audience, nice feedback.
2. Good Odyssey meeting this afternoon - no injuries, everyone there, got a lot done.
3. Good haircuts for the kiddos this morning. Cinderella's is up to her shoulders - she's been begging to get it cut, and loves it!
4. No mail today, for some reason. And yes, I've decided to count that as a blessing.
5. Scooby and I are now reading "The Black Cauldren." I LOVE sharing my favorite books with my kids!

Late things

Late post tonight - I went out for a "work" meeting at a beer joint. We were supposed to be working on paperwork for Odyssey, but it just turned into a bitch session. With beer. The most fun meeting I've been to yet!
So, no list today. I'm tired. Although probably not as tired as Steve, who seems to be treating the whole Vegas experience as one long sleep-deprivation experiment. I got off the phone with him today and Scooby asked me, "So WHO's torturing Uncle Steve?" Hard to explain, really.
Scooby had mandatory baseball "tryouts" tonight, so the coaches could "draft" their teams. Pretty painful. He wasn't very happy afterwards. This will be the make or break year for baseball, I think.
Tarzan's reading, and greatly enjoying, the "Captain Underpants" books. I managed to steer Scooby away from them, but no such luck with Mr. Independence! He decided to strip down yesterday and BE Captain Underpants for awhile. Of course, he's been doing that for awhile...

Grace, part 2

1. I received an acceptance into Savannah College of Art and Design's MFA in Performing Arts program. Not sure if I want to go there, but it's nice to be wanted.
2. My house has been very peaceful and quiet today. It's nice.
3. An article Scooby co-wrote was published in the local paper today. He'll be thrilled!
4. Tarzan has a playdate today. He's already thrilled.
5. After tonight, all the songs for Beauty and the Beast will be choreographed - now we just have to review them. Over and over again.

Grace in small things

1. The sun is shining, and I actually had to switch the settings in my car from heat to vent.
2. I cashed my teensy tiny paycheck and it was enough to cover a week's worth of groceries.
3. All three kids, although somewhat coughy and sneezy are well enough to go to school.
4. Scooby brought home three tests last week, all with a score of 100%
5. My finger, although itchy and ugly, is healing quickly

As today is the first day of Lent, I'm going to attempt to write something in this blog every day, even if it's "only" a list of things to be grateful for. I'm going to attempt to focus on the positive, and reignite my awarenesss of the blessings in my life.

Not to say that there won't still be days of venting and complaining.

But I'm going to try, in this season of reflection, to be more present, more transparent, and more grateful.

We'll see how it goes.

Blug.

Tarzan has a new post on his blog. Click the link on the left...

Turns out, pretty darn low

How low can you go?
How low can you go?
How
Low
Can
You
Go.......

Limbo, con't

Who thought up these lyrics?????

Get you super, Limbo Girl!
Give they check to Limbo World!
There’s a Limbo Moon above,
You will fall in Limbo love!
Jack, be Limbo! Jack, be quick!
Jack, go under Limbo stick!
All around the Limbo Club!
Hey, let’s do the Limbo Rock!
Ahahahou!

Limbo

I feel like I'm in a state of limbo, waiting for these schools to get back to me. For the past three weeks, I've been in a place of having done everything that I can do to expedite the process, and am merely waiting for the judgement to fall.

Limbo
1.
(often initial capital letter) Roman Catholic Theology. a region on the border of hell or heaven, serving as the abode after death of unbaptized infants (limbo of infants) and of the righteous who died before the coming of Christ (limbo of the fathers or limbo of the patriarchs).
2.
a place or state of oblivion to which persons or things are regarded as being relegated when cast aside, forgotten, past, or out of date: My youthful hopes are in the limbo of lost dreams.
3.
an intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place.
4.
a place or state of imprisonment or confinement.

5.
a dance from the West Indies, originally for men only, in which the dancer bends backward from the knees and moves with a shuffling step under a horizontal bar that is lowered after each successive pass.

Out of the above definitions, the one that I was thinking of when I thought "limbo" was number 3, a transitional or midway state. Neither here, nor there. Incapable of making future plans, or investing in present circumstances. However, upon reflection, number 4 also seems to fit. Also, number 5. Bending backwards, shuffling, as the bar is lowered.

Ouch.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

See, there was this hunk of heavy styrofoam that was roughly shaped like a half of a watermelon, and they needed a watermelon costume, so how perfect is that? But it was heavy, and kind of too big, so we were going to cut it in half, length-wise. So we tried a hand saw, and yeah, that was working, but they're only fourth graders and not very strong, so it took about 20 minutes to cut down a quarter of an inch, and we had about 2 feet to go. So then we tried hedge clippers, but they didn't do anything. So I got out the small chainsaw that we have for tree limbs. I figured, other parents let their kids use power tools, under supervision. We were really careful, and I showed them how to turn it on and off, and had everyone else stand way back, but SOMEONE had to hold the styrofoam steady, and a kid sure couldn't do it, and...

Anyway, no one else got hurt, the styrofoam got cut, and it makes quite a nice watermelon. In retrospect, we probably should have found another way, but it DID work. And my finger will heal.

Warning...graphic picture below.

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Happy President's Day

Mine will be spent much as my Valentine's Day was...in full Mommy mode. V-Day, I took Scooby to a "Spontaneous Fun Day" at his school - to practice sponteous problems for Odyssey of the Mind. I know, it's an oxymoron. And they still haven't learned to build tall towers out of random materials. No structural engineers in this group. Then, I took Cinderella to buy a birthday present for her friend and dropped her off at the party. Then we picked her up and went to the library to renew Scooby's Battle of the Books reading selection. Hm...it's kind of a blur after that. Today, I have Beauty and the Beast rehearsal and then a LONG Odyssey meeting where we be exploring the comparative merits of liquid nails, hot glue, and sewing. I'm tired already, just thinking about it. I spent all night dreaming about subway card machines that wouldn't give me change and leaving baby strollers in the middle of the street. A tribute, I think, to both Steve and Melissa. It shows you're on my mind!

Holes

This is what the hole in our bedroom floor looked like.

For about 8 months now, we've noticed a significant dip in the floor (underneath the carpet) in our bedroom, right in the middle of the room. It was very hard to avoid. It was also, I noticed one day when I was downstairs, directly above the chandelier in the dining room. (Or what we call "the blue room" since we don't have any dining room furniture in it.) It appeared rather suddenly, and the kids, despite being threatened with a river dunking, enjoyed jumping into it. I had great trepidation about this hole, and even had dreams about it being filled with swarming termites chewing their way through our house. We didn't quite know how to go about exploring the problem, however, as we have wall-to-wall Berber (sp?) carpeting, and a very small bedroom crammed full of heavy furniture. Finally, Don sweet-talked a carpet-laying friend of his to come over and take a look. This meant the day before I had to clear off my dresser (no mean feat), carry all the drawers into the boy's room, take all the storage boxes from under the bed into the boy's room, strip the bed and put the blankets and comforter in the boy's room, put the end-of-the-bed bench into the boy's room, and hope like hell they wouldn't have to move my huge shelving unit, since I had loaded it up with everything from off the dresser. That morning, Don and I moved the mattresses into the boy's room, disassembled the bed, pulled the dresser into the hall...no wonder my back still hurts! So anyway, the guy came and pulled back the carpet, and it was no big deal. A small support piece had come off (the nail bent) and two pieces of the hardwood had dropped down. Nail the support back on, replace the boards, problem solved. Then, the best part, the guy fixed the carpet - by "kicking" it back into place. I don't know how many of you have ever seen a carpet being "kicked" but MAN, does it look painful. There's this tool that stretches the carpet flat, then you jam the end of it with your knee and it pushes the carpet under the baseboards. He did both walls in about 5 minutes. It was really something to see. So for the rest of the day I vacuumed places that haven't seen the light of day in 5 years, washed sheets and blankets, and put the room back together. Not a bad day's work.