Sorry!

Yep, the show has come and gone.

Nope. No pics yet. In the cast were those from an actor's union and so personal pics were prohibited during dress rehearsals. Mom didn't know this until dress rehearsal night. BUT, the theatre's professional photographer took excellent shots of each scene for publicity purposes and will be giving a CD of those to each person involved. So, just hold on a little and we'll post when they come in {knowing how theatres work around here, it could be several weeks!}.

The girls had a fantastic time! All 10 shows went very well and Jackie is proud to report that she did not drop the fan at all :: during rehearsals this happened a few times, so she was a bit nervous. She received many compliments on her solo & Janelle was complimented by the lead lady that she has great acting ability! They are both sad to see it end, but it was a fun way to spend the month :: they met people from all over the US, mainly from New York and now have emails to keep in touch.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Jackie turned 18. We had the foresight to celebrate back in June since this month was full. But, hooray and happy birthday Jackie! And huge thanks to Grandaddy for bringing her friend Lauren down from CT for a birthday surprise and to see the show.

{Big breath in and then out} Now, back to normalcy, right?

Yes. A post about our school year plans is forthcoming!

Almost Showtime!

Two days...a little over 48 hours until the first show!! To update, Jackie and Janelle had auditioned back in March at a local theatre for spots in the musical The King and I {wonderful, wonderful if you haven't seen it}. They got news shortly after that they made it in; beginning of April was full of writing up bios & doing head shots {which Mama did on her own & saved oodles of $$$} ::





And then we all waited until rehearsals began just two weeks ago. The pace has been fast, but the girls were prepared. They had watched the musical twice and already memorized their songs. If you're familiar with the production, Jackie landed the part of the wife who does a solo dance ('the fan dance') and Janelle got a speaking part in the children's ensemble (there are just a few). Yes, we're proud of them!

Above the excitement of receiving roles is the thrill of working with actors and actresses who have performed on Broadway numerous times. The lead role of Anna is played by a woman who did the international and national tour of the King and I; and the girls think the king in this show is just as good as the one in the original 1956 musical. The experience has been a tremendously enriching and fun one.

In the midst of it all, we've taken the time to teach priorities. Rehearsals were scheduled each day except Mondays and start time is 10 a.m. Well, this family goes to church on Sunday mornings. :o) We had the opportunity to show that it wasn't necessary to fudge the more important to get ahead; the girls still got significant parts and simply stated they would be ready by noon for rehearsals on Sundays.

In fact, this past weekend, the start time for the entire cast was changed to noon. Hmmm.....

We'll update after opening night!!

Tea Time

It's a past time of many a girl through generations and from around the world :: tea time.

And for one little girl in our household, the tradition continues. Jordyn loves to play tea party. From the time she was a toddler with a little plastic set, then a picnic set of enamelware, and now to beautiful porcelain. She enjoys the process of setting up, choosing a treat and making the tea. At times, the sweet treats are not of the edible variety so that our visits to the dentist stay at check-ups only!

So far this summer, there have been tea parties in her room {no real tea allowed in there}, in the kitchen, the basement and outside under the shade of our maple trees. A collection of stuffed animal friends, or perhaps just a special one are the guests :: of course, Mom, siblings and even Dad in the evenings have been summoned as well to join in on the fun.

Realizing that this is such an enjoyable part of her playtime, we will be incorporating tea time into our schedule for school this year. Together, the girls and Mom will sit down several times a week for a short moment {probably 1/2 hr} to just catch our breath, together.

Maybe there will be a special story shared, poetry read, or a particular music CD to listen to. Or maybe simply a time to anticipate right after doing the hard work of phonics, language lessons or math. The primary agenda will be to enjoy one another and our tea. It's all in development stage right now, but will definitely be a part of our days. Besides, it should be mentioned that this little girl's Mama loves tea time as well!

Feeling Blessed

Just a quick note to report that the blessing party was wonderful. Such a small word to describe the gathering of many women surrounding a teen girl and showering her with encouragement :: with numerous words of praise and of wisdom as she embarks on a new phase of life. Each woman brought their words typed out on card stock {to be placed in a memory book} and also a small gift to symbolize their verbal gift to Jackie. A few highlights:

a silver chain bracelet :: to remind her that her words are like choice silver & to use them wisely

a bilingual Bible :: Jackie studied up to French 4 and Spanish 5; encouragement to use these new 'tongues' to share His word

a striking votive candle holder :: to remind her to shine

a special dance performance to the song Stand by Donnie McClurkin :: a reminder that life will bring its valleys and the appropriate response when they come

Precious. And nothing less than this.

We as a family are tremendously honored to have such pillars of faith and community in our lives. Gratitude swells in our hearts.