Monday

Back to the office where we do all the work that goes into getting a show on the stage in Fountain Inn. We call it the "Fireplace." Good name, it feels like home to both of us.
Spending time "focused" on what's coming up in the crazy world that we've created is invigorating. What a surreal dream to sit at those silly desks and act like business women when all we really want to do is "put on a show".
Working with one of your best friends is nothing but a gas! We laugh as much as we work, but it all gets done, eventually.

Time spent catching up with my chosen brother on the phone today, too. There is great distance between us, geographically, but it is undetectable when we connect to share our daily lives, which is what we do regularly. It had been a week since we spoke so there were many things to share and laugh about.

Zachary got a new car today. A Saturn Ion. Very safe and reliable. That does this mother's heart quite well.

Galvaston Giant Jack Johnson was registered with the AKC today. He's official. Big name for a little guy.
He spent the day at work with David. They even ran some errands.

Back to school for the kids and they are tired.
A very good first Monday of 2010.

FOCUS

The word of 2010 is "Focus".

When I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer in November 2004, my world became clearly focused. I was in survival mode. That was all there was. I had a son in his senior year of High School and I had a 6 week old baby and two beautiful children in between not to mention a husband whom I adore. That was my motivation to survive and everyone on my "medical team" knew the goal and was in it for the win.

I remember the laser like clarity and I want to apply that to the life that I live each day. Oddly enough, I miss it.

I have had a recent health scare, and the answer to the question about my condition is still "up in the air"...(like George Clooney) so I have had to re"Focus" as I prepare for the coming year and how I will live the full, focused life that will allow me to accomplish the goal of raising this family and fulfilling the dream that I'm following at the Theatre.

As I relaxed over the break at our cabin in the woods, I kept coming back to that feeling of being 100% focused. I remember how my children looked when we told them Mommy was sick and it was a really bad kind of sick. I remember the trauma for Lucas when I lost my hair. I remember the first dose of chemotherapy and what I felt like, exactly. I was "fuzzy" but I was savoring the thought that those drugs were making me well, not making me sick. I never battled nausea or any of the side effects that go along with chemo and I believe that I have my "focus" to thank for that.

So...for this year, I will focus again. I might not have any battle ahead, but if I do, I will win it. I definately have a life to live in 2010 and all the fullness that entails. We are in production of West Side Story. One of the most ambitious shows to tackle in a "whitebread" community.
Next is The Wedding Singer, where I will watch Zachary shine and I will share the stage with him. My idea of heaven.
I will focus on the moment. The moment that the Overture starts, like I focused as the Overture started for Funny Girl.
I will focus on turning 45 the same week that I celebrate being married to my precious husband for 25 years.
I will focus on having two twelve year olds for 6 weeks before my precious first born daughter becomes a teenager.
I will focus on Rosey graduating from Mrs. Tully's class.
I will focus on getting to NY to see my friends.
I will focus on preparing a great season at F.I.R.E.
I will focus on nurturing my friendships that require more than I have been able to give lately.
I will focus on being the person that makes the world a better place.
I will focus on my vocation to be the mother of artists whether I've given birth to them, or not.
I will focus on living the life that I've been given to the fullest!

I have the ability to Focus, and when I do it, I feel completely alive.
So that is the word, everyone.
FOCUS.
I hope that if you're reading this, you consider one little word that might change your life.

Day 2

I'm not going to name the days of the year every day, I just have to remind myself that it's day 2 of the New Year. Being away for the week between Christmas and New Years messed with my mind.
Today I cleaned out cabinets in the kitchen....EMBARASSING! Everything was expired.
Luckily, I don't use "cream of tarter" so the fact that it hasn't been good since 1997 didn't matter in the grand scheme.
I decided on my "one little word" for 2010 today, and I'll post about it tomorrow. I want to give some thought to my explanation before I pontificate.

We've added a pup to our family and he is a BABY. He's not even 7 weeks old and David is caring for him much the way he cared for our new born children. Low Stress for me, but we really want a dog that is well adjusted and part of the home life. No outside dogs for us. He is an American Boxer and his nanme is Jackson, Jack for short. He's ADORABLE!

So You Think You Can Blog?!

January 1, 2010...

This is the year of the story.
I am going to BLOG. I mean it.
There are so many things to share, and it's time to share them here and see who is paying attention.
Stay tuned to see what I'll be doing and comment when you feel like you want to.
Dialogue. Communication. Sharing...
That's what our lives should be about.
I want to talk about ideas and things that matter and this will be the place that I start.
I did a lot last year and didn't blog it, that was a mistake. Join me to see what I come up with for the coming year and help me keep my promise. Let me know what you think.
I'll try to keep it interesting, if you know me, you know that won't be too hard!

Happy New Year!

If not now, when?

Today is September 11th.
No further explanation is needed for any American. September 11th is a day that we all pause and remember the moment that our world changed forever. It has prompted me to examine all that has happened since 2001. As good a time as any to resume Blogging. If not now when?

Wouldn't some of those that lost their lives on that day be happy to have the chance to have their voices heard and not squander the chance to be present in the moment at hand.

Eight years ago, Lucas was not yet in school. He was home with me, in this very room, as he is today. He is home sick today so it feels eerily similar.
Zachary was a Freshman at St. Joseph's High School (as it was known back then).
Regan was a K-4 student at St. Mary's Catholic School in Greenville...
David was in his office safely working for this family, thanks be to God.
Fast Forward 8 years:
Zachary has graduated from High School and Acting School, lived in NYC and is back in Greenville, living on his own, making a living as an educator at the South Carolina Children's Museum.
Regan is in 7th Grade at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School.
Lucas is in 6th Grade at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School. Two Middle Schoolers!
Then there is Rosey...she wasn't even born in 2001, so this day has no place in her consciousness. She is in Kindergarten at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School.
David has come full circle in his career and is back at IBM, the company he began working for out of College in 1983.

All those facts out of the way, the real story is that we are still here. We are still in this happy home with a couple of great life experiences under our belts, Breast Cancer for me, Job Change for David, Birth of Rosey, Graduations from Kindergarten, Elementary School, High School, Stella Adler, Engagement for Zachary to Mackensie, Rosey's Tumor and subsequent removal along with all the follow up that goes with a scare like that, Vacations to the Beach, Charleston,Paris, Disney World, Cruise to the Bahamas, Florida, New York Trips to visit Zachary while he lived there, the purchase of a Mountain get-away as sanctuary for this precious family.

There have been illnesses, fractured family ties, loss of some people that I loved dearly, but we're still here. We are "on this side of the grass" on this day as I look around and offer a prayer of Gratitude and Thanksgiving for having this day to look back and more importantly look forward to all the moments that lie ahead.

This is an anniversary of the heart, we all lost something that day and that must never be forgotten. May those who lost their lives rest in Peace as we remember.

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!

Room Helper

Rosey started talking about the "jobs" at her Mother's Morning Out today on the way home from taking the kids to school.
"I hope I'm Room Helper today."
"What's that?"
"When the lights are off, you turn them on, and just do everything in the room".
"What's your favorite job?"
"Line Leader, and Snack Helper. I like the jobs that last all day, like Door Holder".

I realized that this is when the Mothering begins. Either you like it, or you don't.
Rosey likes the idea of being room helper because she likes to "do". She'll do anything you need her to do, gladly, and offer to help with everything.

I'm Room Helper, Line Leader, Door Holder, and Snack Helper, today. David is out of town. I usually share the jobs, like in the Pre-school that Rosey attends, but somedays, Mothers are all those jobs and more. In my case, I share the load with a very capable Father, but some parents aren't good "helpers"...I wonder if they didn't like the jobs in Pre-school. Rosey talks about these jobs often and the responsiblities that go along with the assignments. I always ask her favorite and she always says "Line Leader" first.
Be careful what you wish for Little One~