Embrace what is true and let the rest fall away!

What a year, since I've posted.
What a fantastic, year!

David and I discussed at the beginning of 2015 how it was a big year for our family.  I would turn 50.
Regan would graduate High School.  Rosey would finish Elementary School. Lucas would be launching his Senior year of High School the day his big sister graduated.
We knew there would be family visits for the graduation.
We knew we would travel to NYC to celebrate mine and Joe's birthday, together, in the homage to our now, 47 years of friendship.
We knew that Regan, Zachary and I would all be participating in Into The Woods to end the season at the Theatre, and that it would be Regan's final show with the Company.  Mackensie and Lucas were on Crew, and David and Rosey made it to the show twice, so the Pelicanos were, together for the joy and the tears of this milestone.

Here is what we didn't know.  We didn't know that on Father's Day, after the curtain closed on the final show of Regan's final season at FIRE Theatre Co., Zachary and Mackensie would gift David with the news that he is going to be a Grandfather.  By association, it was a gift for the old Grandmother too!  Even on that very day filled with emotion, we couldn't have known that we would find out on the following Tuesday, that we were going to be Grandparents X TWO!  We are happy that our family is growing and that our dream of growing old together is actually coming true.
(Maybe the growing old part is happening a little faster than we had hoped!)

I can't remember another time in my life when I have so viscerally felt the transition in my bones.

I feel like it is time to change something, in a tangible way to embrace this new stage in our lives.
It can't be hasty, but it must be true.
I have only been 50 for three and a half months, and I feel like I've really begun ACT II.

We are leaving for a Beach Vacation and it will be the last time we are all together, for sure, for a Summer Trip.  Things change.  The kids could have jobs next Summer that prevent them from joining us for the whole week.  Zachary and Mackensie will be relatively new parents of seven month old twins. We'll be ready to see Lucas off on his College adventure, as Regan will be on the way to her Sophomore Year in the summer of 2016.
Things change.
I've changed.
I've changed since the first time I sat in front of this computer and thought I'd "blog,"... "this" isnt' the same as it was in 2009, but yes, "I'm really doing it, whatever it is that challenges me, or makes me content in my world.  I'm learning every day about what it is like to live in the moment, after having shed many of the ideas and, frankly, people  that held me back.  So far, 50 has been fantastic.
I expect it to only get better!


As Little Red exclaimed in Into The Woods, "I'm excited"!

Summer Wind

So this summer is blowing by...thus the Summer Wind title.
It is a wonderful moment in time.  The year Regan turned 16.  The year Rosey took Art all summer long.
The year Lucas spent many summer evenings at the movies with his girlfriend.
The year we went to the Isle of Palms for a family vacation and enjoyed a week at the ocean and eating delicious dinners in restaurants that we'd never tried before.
The year I took Regan, Lucas and Rosey to New York for a ten day visit.
It's not over yet, and I will be spending some time working on these stories.  I will share what I can about the year that is happening right now. The year that is passing in the blink of an eye.
I've gotten back to the Blog after our travels, and I'll keep plugging along!

Giving It A Whirl! Summer 2013

So long since I posted, I thought I'd start with a favorite recent photo.  This is Regan and me at the Ed Sheeran Concert that we went to at Furman University in March.
We took a night off from rehearsals from Gypsy, and we're still talking about how happy we are that we did!
I'm trying to BLOG again.  Funny how I always get bitten by the bug in the Summer months, and that is probably because I'm not as pressed for time and resources during the Theatre "off Season".
Ed Sheeran is on my "turntable" lately.
We just purchased a new vehicle, Nissan Pathfinder. Thank you Honda Pilot for 9 Happy Years!
Zachary and Mackensie moved next door.
Regan is finishing 10th grade.

Lucas is finishing 9th grade.

Regan and Lucas are both 15 until July 7th.
We're planning our trip to Isle of Palms in two weeks.
Rosey is finishing 3rd grade.
The last day of school is Thursday.
I'm going "home" to NY in July.
It has been 30 years since I graduated from Roy C. Ketcham High School!
These are just a few of the high points that are going on right now.
Getting my thoughts together as I plan how to proceed with this little endeavor, so stay tuned!
xxoo

Vacation

Im the worst blogger in history! I don't feel too awfully bad about that considering how long blogging has been a thing. I am a great vacationer,however and that must count for something. I am ever tired of Facebook because I'd like a way to stay in touch with people who interest me without having to filter those that don't. I am proud of the SCOTUS today. I deleted family members from FB this week over politics, and while it makes me sad, I had to minimize the chance of coming unglued on people that share the last name my children and their children will carry. At the end of the day, she couldn't care less what I think, so it's even Steven. Funny. Politics divides, as does religion. Love is the only right answer.

Of course, I cheat!

Gotcha!
Now that I have your attention,  I admit, I've checked my Facebook Feed.
I'll admit that I've thought about posting on this Blog many more times over the past month, but I've been LAZY. 
Too lazy to get my thoughts together in a way that is suitable for sharing.

BTW...I only put Matt Lauer's name in the "labels" because I'm mad at him for not being on the Plaza at Studio 1A on July 7th.  I had a date with him (in my mind), but he was conspicuously absent.

I've missed Facebook because of the long distance connections with people whom I don't see everyday.
I don't miss much else.
I love self examination, and my hiatus has given me time for that.
I know myself well enough to know that Facebook feeds a desire that I have to know what's going on with people who might fascinate me for all the wrong reasons.  I peer around to see how dirty some people's laundry can get, and how much they're willing to "share".

I have broken the habit of checking FB everytime I get on my computer, or every few hours on my phone. 
I plan to maintain this hiatus for another month and then I'll re-evaluate my "connections".

We only get so many summers in our lives and I've tried really hard to enjoy this one.
Now it's back to "work" at the Theatre, as Footloose rehearsals began last night.
I'm looking forward to filling my days and nights with new adventures and I'll be posting some details about those endeavors soon.

For today, I will be thinking of all the ways that I impact the lives of my family and others who care about me by my attitude and my words and actions.  It is a heavy responsibility to have so many eyes on me, reading my mood and navigating around my perceived projections that are really not about anyone but myself.   I'm thinking a lot lately about "atmosphere" and what kind of energy I create.

Are you bored yet?  I thought so. 

Monday Highlights and what's to come!

So it's been a week since the big FB sign off.  No big deal.
We finished the "homeschool" year with little flourish and learned a lot about ourselves and each other.
I watched the Pelicano Men come together and care lovingly for their Dad who had major surgery.
The pool is open.
We dined with friends on Friday and had a really great evening.
I had lunch with my friend who is leaving to spend the summer in France with her family.
Zachary and Mackensie returned from their week at the beach.
F.I.R.E. and FICC had an evening at Downtown Alive with some serious "people watching".
I am in the middle of trying to compose a schedule for the F.I.R.E. 2011/2012 Season and make sure that I hit all the high points of my responsibilities there.
Looking forward to a busy couple of weeks as Rosey embarks upon her first Summer Camp at F.I.R.E.'s Disney Cinderella Kids Camp.  Regan will be a volunteer assistant.
Lucas has his RUSH concert Wednesday night.
That's what's happening.  I'll get into the details as the weeks go on, but if I was on FB, these would be the bullets/status/newsfeed items.

Is There Life Without Facebook?

Today is the first day of Life without Facebook. I decided to take the summer off in an attempt to
stop procrastinating. There are a lot of things that I want to do...need to do...and every moment I spend "surfing" around on FB is really time I could be using in a better way.
That being said, I already miss my friends!
I have reconnected with friends from High School, Jr. High School and even folks from my adult life that I hadn't seen for a long time.
It is a ray of sunshine to get a comment on my status from people whose last names are different from when we knew each other 30 years ago, but the faces are still the same.
It is fun to hear what's going on in people's lives and know that struggles are universal and ultimately, surmountable.
There is another side for me...I am nosey. It is that bit of my personality that I struggle with that is not easy to overcome. I know that by denying myself the information, I'll be able to focus on all the great things in my life and come back to the Social Network refreshed and with inspiration to share.
So check in with me here if you're interested. I have made a personal commitment to posting and keeping this blog current.
I will try to be more engaged in the everyday, so my stories might be a bit funnier.
I'll still have quotes from people I admire, bits of inspiration that I wish to share.
I'll still share all the magic that Rosey brings to me everyday.
I'll still be here.

Summer

So, I am still doing "this" but "this" has changed.
I'm not being Fanny Brice anymore, but I am still the Resident Production Assistant at F.I.R.E.
We are about to begin our second season.
Pippin
The Music Man
Broadway's A Christmas Carol
West Side Story
The Wedding Singer
The Last Five Years

It has been a crazy year since we "started the F.I.R.E." but rewarding for me as a Company Member and a performer.

Summer has been relaxed. Lots of swimming for the kids. We have acquired a second home in the Mountains of North Carolina, so there has been excitement surrounding that.
Tomorrow, Zachary returns to Greenville after being in NYC for four years as he attended the Stella Adler Acting Studio and worked as a Writer for The Alliance for the Arts.

Things are never dull around here!