Thank the sweet Lord baby Jesus its Friday. What does that mean no work for 2 days, no second job for 2 days, no rehearsal for 2 days. And what does that equal = FINALLY SOME SLEEP!!! I’m so tired I can not even describe how tired I am and since my brain cells aren’t firing much today I shall leave you with some funny tired pictures. Happy Friday Everyone!!!!!
This week is national infertility awareness week. With that being said I just wanted to open the conversation for anyone who is struggling with some form of infertility. You are not alone! Did you know that 1 in 8 couples struggle with infertility. 1 in 8! Can you image. Think about those numbers. That means that 6 people in my graduating class will struggle with this. 18 of my co-workers will battle this. 3 of my cast members could struggle with this. Those numbers are insane to me. Do you know why? Because everyone is terrified to talk about it. I’m not saying that things can’t stay private between you and your spouse but you can express your troubles with others and should. By being open with others about our situation it makes things a little easier for us. Yes we have been married over 6 years and don’t have a child. No this is not by choice. Anytime you are with a group of old friends or getting to know new ones this always seems to be a topic at some point.
Within the last few months my husband and I have been contemplating giving fertility treatments another go before we begin on the path to adoption. I have my own issues and so does he when it comes to fertility. My doctor gave me a pretty high chance of being able to get pregnant if I were to do shots combined with an IUI. This would only be successful however if my husbands doctor agrees on his matters. We’ve gone back and forth on this topic. What if his doctor says it won’t work out for him? Will we open up old wounds or start new fights because of this? Will we be able to afford a fertility specialist and all of the other crazy expenses that go with it? Or is saving up for adoption the better option for us?
At this point we have no idea what the future holds for us. We have a few years to go before we could be serious about either option but its nice to at least talk about. Its nice to know that we haven’t given up hope. Its also nice to know that even though I am the 1 in 8 statistic there are many more of me out there. Its nice to know we are not alone.
Sunday night was a choreography rehearsal. I am not in the big dance crew so I wasn’t called until later. When I walked into the studio the ensemble members were all over the floor looking completely exhausted. I thought to myself if that’s what we are in for I’m about to be in trouble. Since I was early I worked with some of my Mersisters on our dance while the others finished up.
Finally it was our turn to join the group. The Mersisters are jellyfish in this number. We had a good time pretending like our jellyfish were doing a Mardi Gras Second Line since they are on some sort of stick we pretended to hold the whole time. I was happy that I got a little featured jellyfish part with another one of my sisters. I don’t feel confident in my acting but dancing I got so I’m glad I’m able to show that. The music is just as fun as the movie version but better because its longer with a long dance break. I was in awe of my fellow cast mates and how they learned so much in such a short period of time. This for sure is a high energy number. I left feeling like I had taken a Zumba class and my sore muscles this morning are proving that it basically was one.
We are just starting on week 3 of rehearsals and we are already done with the first act! Its insane to me how much faster community theater can move as opposed to my high school experience. There is no way on this earth we would have finished a 5 minute song in a 3 hour rehearsal with very little break time. They would have boycotted the show lol. That being said I’m so glad to be spending my evenings with such talented people. I can’t wait to watch the first act run through so I can see what everyone else has been doing in rehearsal. Hopefully I don’t forget my 3 lines. I feel like its almost harder to remember those than to learn 30 lines.
I can’t wait for everyone to be able to see the hard work we are putting into this production. Until then here is a video of the Broadway version to get you excited! Show starts in 1 month and 8 days!!!
Watch Under the Sea with this link
For the last 5 years my school’s show choir has been attending the Southern Experience Show Choir Camp at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg Mississippi. The first year we had two teachers and 5 students attend. Shortly after I started working with the show choir and they could not say enough good things about this experience.
The following year I was able to attend camp but only for half of it. The half if did get to experience was fantastic but I wanted the full thing. So the following year I was able to attend along with almost 20 of our kids. The camp is a week long show choir and choral intensive. There is a teacher path and a student path. The teacher path is amazing! There are a ton of reading sessions where we get to sing along with other teachers and bring home tons of new music. The best part for me was the teacher’s show. We finally had a chance to put our skills and words to the test. I got a chance to show the kids I actually could dance instead of just talking about it all the time. We also got to perform choral selections and had our own vocal teachers. We also had the chance to work with professional choreographers. I met so many great people there. I wish I could go back.
The student path is even better for the kids. They show up on Sunday and audition for the group they will be in. Once they are chosen for a group they spend the next few days working their butts off for front row spaces and solos. They do dance rehearsals and choral rehearsals and recently they have started a cappella rehearsals too. Since we are from Louisiana we do not have a competitive show choir. In fact we are one of the only show choirs in the entire state. So for my kids going to this is like heaven. They work hard because they want to prove their worth. But the great thing about them is that even though they want to be good they are not malicious about it. They are truly amazing. They are the first to befriend people. They are the first to lend a hand. They enjoy every single moment of the week and when its time to perform they beam with pride. If you are anywhere in the south and are a rising 6th-12th grader who is interested in singing and dancing you should totally check this out! I won’t be able to go again this year because of the show but my kiddos will be there and they will be just as awesome as ever. So will our choir director.
Click to access showchoirbrochure2016.pdf
In 2004 Green Day came out with an album that changed the music scene. It was called American Idiot. This album contain such hits as Boulevard of Broken Dreams, 21 Guns and the title song itself American Idiot. Green Day had not been known for being a very political band before this time but that all changed. The album caught the attention of director Michael Mayer. Mayer was just coming off a world wind ride with Spring Awakening and was looking for a new project. In 2010 American Idiot the Musical was born.
Set in a fictitious town in suburban America, this musical tells the story of a group of unsatisfied youth. The story centers around 3 guys; one stuck at home with his newly pregnant girlfriend, one who is jaded with life in the city and joins the Army and one who falls for a girl in an apartment window while living through the life of a drug addicted alter ego. You travel with these young men through a years worth of experiences of ups, downs, and everything in between. The is a rock opera at its best.
Theater Baton Rouge will be running this show from August 19-28 in The Studio. The show is rated R so it is really only appropriate for theater goers 16 and older. If you are interested in being in this amazing show you should AUDITION! Auditions will be held on Saturday, May 7th being at 12:00pm. Auditions are by appointment only so call the box office and make your appointment. Make sure to prepare 16-32 bars in the same style as the show but please stay away from singing Green Day.
Side bar to this post:
I am having an absolutely amazing time as a performer with the Little Mermaid, but I appreciate and love all the work that is done backstage as well. With that being said I have agreed to become the assistant stage manager for this show. That is right I am finally following my true passion and diving right in to the world of theater. Not only will I be the ASM for this show but I will also be assistant stage managing for Evangeline the Musical. I will also get to work with two amazing ladies while helping with these shows Caty Steward and Celeste Dearie. I am extremely excited for the way things are going in my life right now. I guess that saying “This Too Shall Pass” really does mean something.
I was recently asked to do a photo shoot for a friend of mine. One of the very first shoots I ever did by myself was for a coworker and his fiance. I did their engagements and they turned out great. I love this couple and really enjoy being around them. I got a message that they wanted me to do a shoot for a new group she was creating. Raquel along with two of her friends have started a faith based all women empowerment group. Its called Brave Today. They are just getting started and will get their website up soon and I will keep you guys updated. Until then check out these photos of these amazing women. BRAVE TODAY!
I have always thought of myself as a pretty good singer and a pretty good dancer. But as for the total package of singing, dancing and acting….well not so much. While preparing for Mermaid one of my main concerns has been the acting part. I always thought that if I ever made a show I would be in the ensemble somewhere. That would mean learning some songs and contributing to the background but not having to create very much. Well somehow I managed to skip that step and get mid-level casted. Which means I have a real name, I have singing solos and I have lines. AHHHHHHH!!!!!
It sort of killing me not being confident and creative enough to just come out with what my characters should be like. I spent forever preaching to my kids during Cinderella and Honk rehearsals about finding your character and coming up with your own identity. Now faced with the same challenge I feel like the kids were much better at it than me lol. Because I am not just a Mersister but also a Jellyfish and a Princess and something else that I haven’t yet figured out, its not just one character that I have to define. I know it will progress as rehearsals move along and I have a great director that can help me out and some really amazing Mersisters to play off of so I’m not worried but I’ve been looking for some inspiration. So I turned to my favorite Broadway star ever Sutton Foster.
She is a multi-talented Broadway star that amazes me with every production she does. I love her voice but my favorite thing about her is her dance skills. She is a bad ass tapper. I know you wouldn’t normally but those words together but she for real is. I’m pretty positive I’ve seen the Tony performance of Anything Goes a million times. I watched her perform Forget About the Boy over and over on Youtube when I was preparing for my first ever show choir dance. I laughed at her unashamed humor when she played Fiona in Shrek the musical. I also auditioned for a show with one of her songs from the Drowsy Chaperon. I am just in awe of her. I want to be her. I need to start thinking more like her when making my acting choices. So from now on I think my motto will be WWSFD? What Would Sutton Foster Do? That really is the question.
For the better part of my life dancing took up a considerable amount of my time. It wasn’t just taking classes it was teaching and choreographing and coming up with themes and set lists. For the last two years though I have done almost none of those things. I sadly had to step away from all things dancing.
So as we are stepping into our first dance rehearsals for the show this week I feel like I’m learning how to be a student again. And for the first time in forever I feel like I’m second guessing myself on my dance skills. After almost 2 weeks of rehearsal in starting to feel confident in my singing abilities. I’m not trained and I can’t read music but I’m feeling like I can do this. The dancing though ehh. I’m beyond honored to have been chosen to be a sister in this show. But that means I’m chubby sister number 1 on a stage with 5 other girls. I’m at peace with that fact I just don’t want to look like a fool.
Heres to hoping that my confidence is boosted in the next few rehearsals and I get my groove back. It’s time to remember pretty hands and pointed toes. It’s time to be a mermaid.
While scanning through Pinterest I saw a blog prompt that was about explaining things in your life through quotes. So since its been quiet and I’ve been thinking about a few things I decided to find quotes to match those thoughts.
Fear of Failure – I’m struggling currently with feeling inadequate in my performing abilities. This is elevated right now because I have to learn how to be a student again in rehearsals. This is especially difficult for me during Mersister rehearsal where there are so few of us and there is no place to hide.
Concern for friends- This week some friends are struggling with a difficult situation and they have been on my mind. I’m praying they have some peace in their hearts not just this week but always.
Feeling slighted- I’ve been struggling with the realization that a relationship I had didn’t mean what I thought it did. It has especially been on my mind lately and its hard to swallow sometimes.
Feeling excited – In the past week I’ve gotten some good news about some things coming up in my life. I won’t share just yet but its gonna be awesome!
I am guilty, as I’m sure many of you are as well, of loving Pinterest. I don’t know about you guys but I have tons of boards. I have a board for Disney. I have a board for food. I have a board for Christmas present ideas. But I think we all have that one board that is slightly less realistic than the others. For some its a wedding board. For others its one for their home projects or clothes they want to buy.
Most of us will not have a $10,000 wedding dress. Most of us will not have center pieces as tall as we are. We also won’t have a rock on our hand that is the size of our face. Pinterest has given a skewed version of what real life is when it comes to things like this. Its ok to have a reception at a community center. Its ok to have a 1 karat ring on your finger. As long as the person you are marrying is right for you the rest shouldn’t matter. We live in a culture though of one upping each other. To me this is silly. You need to be investing in your future not a day. Don’t make your parents go bankrupt buying to a jeweled gown that you will only wear once. Its ok to be a little lower key. Its ok to not spend a fortune. My wedding cost less than $6000 and I loved every single minute of it. I didn’t have fancy flowers or a hugely decorated reception. What I did have was an amazing man waiting for me at the end of an aisle and that is priceless.
Wedding boards aren’t the only thing that can give you a blurred since of reality when it comes to your life compared to others. The crazy houses with amazing pools are not a common thing. Professionally photographs for every single occasion in your life probably will not happen. And most likely that recipe you are trying is not going to look exactly like the picture when you are done. I don’t say this to make it seem like everything on there is bad. I just think it can suck you into its on Pinterest world and sometimes that is just not reality.
There can also be an upside to the Pinterest board though. My example is my board title “One Day.” Many people have the same type of board. We always like looking at the cute baby clothes or nursery ideas and want to save them for later. Lots of times people actually get to use those ideas. Unfortunately for me that day hasn’t yet come but I’m not giving up hope. So I will keep pinning positive things to my “One Day” board. Adoption photo shoots, birthday party ideas, and tutus because I know one day its going to happen. Pinning these kinds of things helps me to remember that even if I can’t do it myself we can still build our family and I can’t wait for that. So stay positive Pinteresters and don’t be too hard on yourself when your DIY doesn’t come out or your wedding center piece looks weird. It will all be uniquely YOU!
Tales of a Crazy Person 