Independence Weekend

I'm winding down this Sunday eve from a low key  weekend at home (sort of) with Hubs. The gift of Independence Day being on a Thursday and the theatre also being closed Friday meant four lovely days of projects and leisure for us. I've come to the end of it surrounded by a reasonably clean house, rambunctious kitties, and various boxes and possessions we retrieved from my parent's house. Coming up on our six month wedding anniversary I figured it was high time I finished moving out! (I'm still not technically finished. We borrowed a van and maxed it to capacity with my priority items.) We also spent the weekend with excellent company in a variety of settings; my family on the 4th with a grilled steak dinner, his family yesterday with birthday cake and gifts for our niece, and a visit filled with a few drinks, cigars (for the guys), and good conversation with one of our best friends. As if all of this wasn't enough to do, we traded in our only car this weekend and acquired a serious and needed upgrade (used yet awesome). This morning the children's choir I've spent the past several months working with performed for the last time until the fall session, and with a few of them graduating it was thrilling to see them do so well. 

After a long period of blogging silence I choose to ramble all this off to you as a means of saying, I am very blessed by the things and people in my life. I'm not sure I really knew what married life would be like, but I have not regretted or wanted to change a moment of it since it began. And no, every day is not like those of this weekend. It was an oasis; a productive time of reflection in the full and fruitful time we're living. 

Blurbs Turned Bride

 On January 20th I married my favourite blogger!  Now I am figuring out life as a wedded woman, and enjoying every moment.  Married adventures and a return to regular Blurb blogging will [hopefully] debut soon!

 The gorgeous photography was by the wonderful Joel Ready of Ready Media. Location was Notre Dame of Maryland University, in the beautiful Marikle Chapel of the Annunciation.

Hi Friday!

It has become very unusual for me to be up this late at night (yay for no longer being a student!) but tonight called for it.  While I will probably regret this tomorrow, I am currently enjoying being all caught up on rehearsal notes and other production needs, some clean laundry, and just a general sense of accomplishment in life right now.

Tomorrow HTB and I are visiting four more houses, and then hopefully enjoying a relaxing evening together.  On Sunday evening I will be extra spoiled because he is taking me to see Wicked at the Hippodrome!  I am prepared to have my socks rocked. :-D  I'll try to gather a few pictures for y'all.  Happy weekend!

P.S. For those who live locally, I've updated my events page. :-)

Decision Updates.

Sorry I've been quiet.  The following events have been keeping me busy:

I worked my last regular day in the CCBC Catonsville theatre department today. I will miss the scene shop, the power tools, the jokes, the best boss ever, the heavy key ring jingling on my belt loop, the memories in every corner, and the constant creation and purging of new stories under the stage lights.

I work for my church now; I'm the administrative assistant to the children's ministry.  I have so much to learn and do starting on Monday morning.  It's going to be a crazy ride.  (I will also continue to work for Everyman Theatre.)

Nathan and I agreed on a font color for our invitations (Blue versus grey, such intense decisions. :-p).  I have to buy postage and (with the help of my bridesmaids) address envelopes, fill out RSVP cards, and mail out invites really soon!!  We are four months away from the big day. :-D

The cast and staff of Titanic at Dundalk Community Theatre has been incredible to work with thus far.  It's truly a pleasure to sit at every rehearsal, even though taking down blocking and keeping up with 30-some cast members is a big challenge!

In reference to my last post, this is what the balance looks like for me.  I had to let go of some things and hold on to others.  It hurts, but it feels good.  It will all pay off.

Greatest Of These

I think we've all heard the following at one time or another in our lives:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Even though it's hard, I'm happy that we've been learning (and learning to live) the true meaning of those words in a very personal way.  And for that, we will be even better than before.

Thoughts From The Wings

In the past two weekends I've attended or worked at the following:

-a student-produced play
-a drag ball
-a dance company recital
-an experimental fashion show (put on in a gorgeous dilapidated church)
-a coffeehouse
-a graduation banquet (featuring monologues and music)
-rehearsals for a musical based completely on Elvis music

Photo Cred

Not only is it obviously extremely hard to complete homework on weekends like these, it's hard to WANT to keep attending class at all.  For several of these events I worked or lent a hand in someway, and for two of them I got paid.

It hit me that I'm getting a taste of what life could be like to actually be done school and working in theatre/performance.  I love it, and am determined to be good at it.

I was just offered and accepted a position as props manager for an entire season at a summer theatre (five shows in all).  I may have gotten myself in over my head, but I will no doubt meet lots of people that are good to know in my professional community (and I've already befriended several such individuals this semester).

All that said, I didn't get President's Distinguished Graduate, and I'm okay with that.  It brings me a sense of contentment and pride to reflect that I'm already working in my field and building a good name for myself-that means more than any speech or plaque!

This week I'll be working tech for my current show (also as props mananger) as well as putting on my last Phi Theta Kappa induction as Chapter President.  I am counting the sweet weeks away to finals and then graduation, knowing that I have exciting days ahead of me. :-)

Tassles and Titles

I've been nominated to apply for the President's Distinguished Graduate Award at my college!

...and I'm super nervous about it.  So nervous in fact, I'm nervous to even work on the application.  I'm starting it tonight.  I was informed of my nomination a little under two weeks ago, and the application is due in under a month.  The due date is smack in the middle of Spring Awakening's tech week and the finalist interviews would be right after the show closes, so I need to get the majority of it all done now.

I wish I knew why I'm so nervous about the whole process, considering I've become used to being in the public eye of the school's community for my leadership and co-curricular involvement.  I am extremely honored to even be nominated because CCBC has changed my life in so many ways that I'm grateful for.  Leaving with not just my degree but this award and the chance to represent the entire graduating class would be beyond amazing!  Any perspective/prayers/well wishes would be appreciated.

Finals Anticipation

I've never been as close to straight A's for a semester during my college career as I am now.  I just want so badly to pull through this last week and a half of classes (plus finals week) with a strong showing and make it happen.  It's not easy with tech week for the Christmas show starting and deadlines piling up for reports on Phi Theta Kappa projects, but I know it's possible.

I started planning my schedule for the spring, and it's shaping up to be a lively but pleasant last semester.  LAST SEMESTER, PEOPLE!!  So stoked. :-)

Unrelated note:  You didn't hear it from me, but I made a Tumblr. :-x

Blurbs of Accomplishment

Hey friends!  First up on the Blurb agenda, a few thoughts that really struck me today: 

I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. -George Patton

The expression a woman wears on her face is far more important than the clothes she wears on her back

-Dale Carnegie 

I'm shocked to realize that this semester is almost over.  A month from now, finals will be complete.  At that point, I will have worked on four plays, completed a semester as honor society chapter president, and be one semester away from graduation. 

In the past few months I've been told many times "You look so healthy these days!" or "You look really happy, Debbie."  Hearing that is affirmation that my goals and hard work are taking me down a good path, and that a lot of emotional baggage that I've worked to lay down is in the dust on the path at my back.

I leave you for now with some pictures. :-)

[September] Obsessions

This month's obsession is not a person, place, or thing.  It's a mindset. 

 I'm actively working on being the strongest, healthiest, most accomplished, most confident version of me I can be.  This little cartoon kind of puts it into a lighthearted perspective.

via weheartit.com

Concerts, Sunrises, and Treasures

This weekend I saw an awesome concert and met my all-time favourite band!!!

(didn't get to meet Stephen, :-[ so his portion of the poster isn't shown)

Then, I went on a pre-sunrise adventure with two of my closest friends to one of the most special events I've ever been apart of.  It was truly so good it makes my heart hurt a bit.  Never pass up a chance to bless those who have blessed you.

This was the most amazing and memorable weekend I've had in a long time.  Life's treasures can come upon you at any moment if you are open to receive them. :-)

Doggy Days

My doggy care dictated me to be awake over an hour ago, and means I now have time to blog before work!  Shocking, right?

Once I got into a groove for this week, I've loved [almost] every minute.  It's no new thing to care for all my own needs and make my own schedule, but it's a new and exciting thing to do it without someone looking over my shoulder.  Can any 20somethings who still live with mom and dad relate? :-p

We did have a few worrisome moments a few evenings ago, involving the puppy eating medicine that was not intended for her.  After a call to the vet, the acquisition of some Hydrogen Pyroxide, and a few tears (mine) she was right as rain again.  I thought I was going to be sick when I watched her throw up all the medicine, and thankfully Boyfriend was over for dinner and cleaned it up.  (Sorry hun.)

Theatre technician duties started this week, and it's all just as frustrating as I thought it would be.  I'm insecure about my lack of knowledge and abilities and worried I won't learn quickly enough.  Also, adjusting to my boyfriend turned co-worker relationship is a bit awkward at times; though thankfully we've been great about talking any concerns through at the end of the day.  This week is a low maintenance event (a dance show put on by campers) but it's also very rushed.  Today we have two rehearsals and then an evening performance.

Tomorrow my long weekend starts!

Woman of the House

My first night alone wasn't too bad, but I don't think living alone long term is my cup of tea!  I'm kind of lonely, and a little paranoid at night.  The house I'm caring for is a lovely and old Cape Cop-style house (my favourite kind :-), in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by similar homes.  The dogs I'm caring for are a gentle elderly collie and a hyper Labradoodle puppy.  We've been taking in the "I Love Lucy" marathon on the Hallmark Channel (in honors of Lucille Ball's would-be 100th birthday yesterday).

Both Shannon and Nathan have come to visit so far, and I picked up plenty of groceries for the week.  The dogs require that I get up early and go to bed early, but since I start work this week it's a good schedule to have.  The only part of the job I hate is having to pill the collie.  He needs lots of medicine that he refuses to eat with his meals, so every 12 hours I have no choice but to literally put pills down his throat (followed with treats and hugs).  I feel so awful when I do it, but he'll feel worse if he doesn't take it.  And to think that a year or two ago, I could barely sit near a dog without squirming!

Well Then.

I failed my driving skills test due to lack of parking within 12 inches away from the curb. :-(  I'll practice more and try again soon!

Tomorrow house sitting adventures begin. :-D  Cooking meals just for me, watching whatever I want on TV, not sharing a bathroom with anyone, going to work, going to rehearsal, caring for doggies, and basically being in charge.  Bring it onnnn.

Summertime Playtime!

To me, picking strawberries, cutting flowers, and taking pictures qualifies as playtime. <3

This is a wild miniature strawberry plant I have in the back yard.  And isn't the gold and sapphire ring lovely?  It was my mom's.

Lovely colours.  The blue and white vase is one of my favourites!

Oh and...I have feet and legs again!  This time last summer -even up to a few months ago- everything up to my knees excluding my toes were wrapped in bandages.

I'm not quite ready to go out beyond my home in leg-revealing clothing (too much scarring) but I'm sooo excited and grateful none the less to be getting my ivory skin back!

Currently Loving Everything

I secretly get annoyed with bloggers who don't update their blogs for weeks at a time, return to apologize and lament about not updating, and then repeat this process three or four more times as their blog dies an obvious and drawn-out death.  Or they may claim to be "taking time for themselves" and promise to return to blogging.  As I said to Boyfriend and fellow-blogger the other day, "Hiatus is a slow and painful death."  So I won't be doing any of that nonsense.  I think you should update as much or as little as you wish and not apologize for it, because it's your blog! :-) I've been writing on here significantly less, but it's mainly because I was brain dead from the show and busy and happy with my offline life, and I don't need to apologize for any of that. However, I still love blogging, love reading blogs, and appreciate my friends from real life and my interwebs community that read my little old blog.  You rock. :-)

photo cred

I'm currently on spring break and enjoying every second!  I'm spending it at home, but I've had plenty of travel and busyness the last few months to be perfectly content with my own stomping grounds. I got my hair and nails professionally done, so I'm looking extra fabulous.  I saw West Side Story and it was every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be.  Already been to the mall several times and bought a few new items to spice up my wardrobe.  Gone out for meals and mall-trolling with various friends, and had dinner and drinks with Boyfriend.  Sleeping as much as I want, sitting around in comfy clothes, and generally being lazy without feeling guilty about it.  There are lots more things to come, and Easter to celebrate!

I've taken pause several times to thank God for how healthy and happy I am these days.  Contrasting this years' spring with the last one is humbling and makes me incredibly grateful.  If you've been along for the journey longer than a year or so, you know how grateful I am to be enjoying sleep and food and a pain-free body.  How grateful I am to be enjoying lovely clothes and being pretty close to no longer hiding my skin from the world.  I'm honestly about to tear up just typing this because I am so grateful.  I hope to never take the things I am finally enjoying for granted ever again, and to always carry the strength, faith, and perspective the last several months has given me.

Going Batty: Leaving The Cave

Yes, Bat Boy wrapped a few weeks ago.  Sorry it has taken me this long to write about it.  There are a lot of great pictures on my Facebook, should you have access to that and care to look.  :-)

Every theatre person probably understands the term "post-show depression."  It is brought on by the sudden void of rehearsal, adrenaline, creativity, and cast-family when a show closes.  It might be characterized by a sudden sadness, emptiness, and boredom, which may start during or immediately following closing night and strike.

Almost everyone in our cast and crew expressed that they experienced post-show depression, which is ironic because in the weeks before the show, things got very stressful.  Out of respect for the school and my cast family, I won't elaborate on the causes of stress.  Extra rehearsals meant that leading up to opening night we'd been together every day for over two weeks for about 6 hours at a time (to put it into perspective: this is a community college show, and we were originally scheduled to rehearse only five days a week for 3 or 4 hours).  Our dedicated technicians worked even longer hours than the cast did, sometimes from early morning into very late at night.  Technical and artistic elements slowly and painfully came together, and we were scared for what the final product of the show would be.

The night before our final dress rehearsal Carl took the time to talk to me about how obviously discouraged I was with both some people and the process as a whole.  As always, he helped me find the fire burning inside of myself to keep going and strive for excellence.  Might sound strange, but he told me the story of Shakespeare's Henry the V.  At the darkest hour of war, this exchange took place:

King Henry V: I know not if the day be ours or no.
Mountjoy: The day is yours.

That evening I went home believing that "the day" or rather, the show, would be ours.

You know what?  The day was ours.  The miracle I was hoping for happened.  We put on a show I was proud of.  I managed to sing and act and get my dance steps right, all at the same time. :-p I watched my fellow cast members do amazing things: encourage one another, power through serious sickness, help one another, and react gracefully during unexpected mini disasters.  We built upon our work and played to our audience, with each performance becoming better than the last.  I had the time of my life; spending almost every waking hour in the theatre and being a part of a community of hilarious, talented, and loving people.  We finally started to live and breath the show, quoting and singing it throughout our daily lives until we couldn't escape it even in our sleep!

Carl has a tradition of writing a poem for the closing night of a show and reading it to his cast.  There was barely a dry eye in the room, including his, on the closing night of Bat Boy.  We had left "the cave" and walked into the beautiful light of a world we had created together.  The sweat, tears, and laughter of this show will resonate with us for a long time.

My New Anthem

To break up the Bat Boy monotony, here's something new.  I discovered "The Cave" a few weeks ago (via the Bat Boy musical director, actually :-p).  As I sat at my kitchen table listening to this song for the first time, it was like hearing a battle cry from my heart shouted across a still, grassy plain.  The words aren't religious in the conventional sense, but listening to this is a spiritual experience for me. 



P.S.  I missed the Grammys and had no clue this was the song they performed that everyone was raving about, but I'm glad they got such deserved press.  :-)

Spring 2011

On Monday morning I start up classes again!  This semester I'm taking Stagecraft, Ethics, Ideas in Mathematics, and voice lessons...oh and, aiming for the Dean's list again. ;-)  Then on Wednesday, rehearsals for our "Bat Boy: The Musical" will start.  I'm excited!  I'm working on a lot of things in my life, academics included, and I have a feeling this is going to be a great semester.

I've promised myself that after Bat Boy I'll be taking a break from theatre to get my health fully under control (if it hasn't completely improved by that time).  It would be hard not to act, but it's even harder to not be able to fully enjoy and commit to opportunities and new experiences.  I'm still Vice President of Leadership for Alpha Rho Psi, so that will be my extra-curricular focus after Bat Boy wraps.  Otherwise my free time will be mine to call my own and accomplish my goals.

As always, more to come... <3

How He Loves Me

A year ago I wrote, "I've learned to live. Now it's time to learn to heal."  Now I wonder if we spend our lives in a continual cycle of brokeness and restoration, with each time making us a little more into who we're supposed to be.

In church on Sunday, I had the overwhelming realization that God has spent this year pursuing me.  I was and am unworthy in every way.  I even told Him, "I give up.  If you want me, find me."  And He did!  How ridiculous is it to tell the God of the universe that you don't care enough to follow Him?  But His love is that magnificent, that He still wants me when I don't want Him.  I asked Him to make me want Him in my life.  And He did that too.

For our last worship service of 2010 at church we sang:

"O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above."

I don't know what else to say, though I feel like I have more I could say.  I know that not everyone reading this blog understands or believes that same things I do.  Just know, it's your duty to yourself to be a whole and happy person.  And to find out that someone loves you completely, and to completely love them back.