Role Model

Hi Friends,
It's hard to believe that Fall Tour is almost over! Loretta and I have officially been doing this job for 6 months almost 7 months! It's so weird to think how time flies but just because we've been doing this for a while don't think that we have this job down perfectly. If you've been reading my blogs you know that there is ALWAYS room for improvement and you should be ready for just about anything. Well our week in Bellingham, Wa and the week I'm doing right now in Lapwai, Id has yet again proven that. Actually, Lapwai seems to fall under that better than Bellingham BUT you'll just have to wait and find out why later.

Bellingham was a really fun week. We actually had a cast of about 35 rather than our normally 60 and they were really young so that was an interesting twist. The knights had a really difficult time remembering all their lines but to be fair they have a lot to memorize. We also had an issue with our rehearsal spaces being taken over by a different group every night: a Bible study, the youth group, the boys scouts etc. Our contact was unaware of these prior engagements so it really wasn't her fault. Loretta and I also had a CRAZY day that week where we had to do laundry, call in, put up the set, do an assembly, set up costumes, and have dinner with Loretta's homestay. We didn't plan to do it all in one day, the fates were against us. It was a LONG day to say the least. The show did come together at the end of the week, the cast may or may not have followed the script but hey who needs scripts! Oh wait...... I had to pull out a little Improv to keep the show going. I'M A PROFESSIONAL! Ha!

Despite all that I was feeling pretty good about our week. My homestay was sooooooo awesome. They lived in this big expensive house on top of a hill and had this BEAUTIFUL view looking over the lake. You could see Canada from their house. At night the view was breathtaking with all the houses lit up and the stars.....I just wish my camera could've have captured it. I tried to take pictures but they never did do it justice. I think it might have been one of those sights that you had to experience yourself. They also had a zoo, a big dog (Gordon), a cat (Johnson but I called him Mr. Johnson), and TWO parrots (Moe and Edna). Moe was very territorial and mean so I didn't play with him but Edna was this pretty little African bird that I just loved. I felt like a Disney Princess when she flew to my hand. Mr. Johnson was also a highlight. He LOVED me. He followed me everywhere! He would scratch on my door at night, walk beside me, hop up on the counter when I did my makeup in the morning and even slept on my bed a couple nights. Granted he was not my precious minature schnauzer, Gretel back home but he helped. :) 

Another fun thing about Bellingham was I got to go to a Lyrical/Ballet Dance class! I was so excited and I had so much fun! I haven't been to a dance class since last spring and my heart misses dancing freely more than I could ever express. Dancing in a hotel room can be fun but theres never enough space or mirrors. Not very accomodating if you ask me. I feel confined. :( Loretta and I also went to an Improv show performed by the Dead Parrots Society at the Western Washington University. I. Have. Never. Laughed. So. Hard. At one point Loretta and I were both in tears holding our stomachs, it was great. Our friend Jordan told us about them because he used to be in it when he went to college there. He also gave us a few tips on things to do. He however did NOT mention that the Starbucks guy was really cute. We went there every day and everyone there (Girls and Guys) were sooooo friendly! Friendliest Starbucks I've ever been too. Although, if you work at a Coffee Franchise then you should be "perky". Its like an oxymoron if your not; I feel the same about angry gays and skinny chefs. Think about it, "Gay" used to mean happy so someone who is gay shouldn't be angry. A chef should never be skinny, he/she needs to test their food to make sure it tastes good and if their skinny then I don't trust that their food is all that great. Just a theory.

On Sunday as Loretta and I were leaving and headed towards Lapwai, Id we drove through Seattle once again, my 3rd time, and met up with Drew and Sara who are TAD's as well. Seriously, it is so nice to meet up with other TADs on the road, especially the ones we've ran into so far. They are each wonderful people with such fun loving spirits. Drew, Sara, Loretta, and I went back to the Public Market and strolled around. I tried my first ever Bubble Tea and Salmon Piroshky. I didn't think too much of the Bubble Tea. Its basically a smoothie with little balls of tapioca in it. A Piroshky is a Russian dish that is made at a bakery. I originally wanted the spinach and cheese one but Drew told me I just HAD to try the salmon and cream cheese one so I did and it was DELISH! I would get another one right now if I could. When it comes to food I'll at least try it before I decided I don't like it. People who immediately think that some kind of food is gross just by looking at it annoy me. JUST TRY IT, then decide! Anyways, I digress, it was a good week in Burlington. On the way to Lapwai we ran into some traffic and were at a stand still for an hour. Not  a good start for our week BUT we made a video.

Enjoy!
-Jen

                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oce7zCnTzK0

Sight Visit

Hi Friends!

Well I'm sad to say if you read my last blog that little cliff hanger I left you on was true. Loretta and I were feeling pretty good about ourselves and yet we knew the feeling wouldn't last. Our next week out on the road was in Grand Mound, Wa which was a small town, no big. Loretta and I actually stayed with the State Representative Dan Sweeker and his wife Debbie Sweeker so that was pretty cool. They were really laid back. Dan (we're on a first name basis ha!) and I actually had a really interesting conversation about acupuncture. Neat. Haha! Their home was very cozy and it was so nice to have a big room to myself. Yes in my last blog I stated that all I needed was a bed. This infact is true but having a big room to yourself and your own bathroom filled with colorful towels can make a girl feel like a princess. My room also had a treadmill in it so it was like I had my own personal gym.

They also were very much into farming and had 4 black cows in their backyard, a vegetable garden/flower garden and a chicken coop. I ate eggs that came straight from a chicken's bottom. Never done that before. I just thought that was kinda cool. The Sweekers also had the sweetest big dog named Bandit. Ever since I was little and was attacked by my Grandma's big dog I have had a phobia of big dogs. I'm little. However, Bandit helped me start onto the path of recovery. He was just so sweet and friendly.

What made this week nice was Loretta and I actually got to hang out with some fellow TAD's: Dan and Adam, both very nice guys. At the beginning of the week we met up with them for an afternoon in Seattle. I had never been to Seattle and I thought it seemed like a pretty cool place. We went to the famous fish market, the gum wall, and the pier where we all posed for a painting but only Loretta and I were painted in it. Haha! Later we went to Olive Garden. It was a good day indeed. We met up with them later on in the week, we went to this barn that was actually a bar where we were the youngest ones there. Everyone else was at least 60 years old and we were the "Crazy Younsters" that were "Cuttin a  Rug" on the dance floor. They didn't actually say that but I could FEEEEL their eyes saying it. Nonetheless, it was still fun. We also met up with Loretta's uncle who was a very nice man. I'm sure it was really nice for her to see her family.

Well that was the fun part. If you read the title of this blog post you may be wondering what the heck is a Sight Visit?!?! Well friends, a Sight Visit is where someone from the home office at Missoula Children's Theatre comes and watches us teach the kids for the week. We thankfully had Kepler who was our trainer and is a nice guy so we weren't too intimidated. With this job you never have it down perfect. Everday something new happens with the kids, rehearsal spaces, the accompaniest, parents etc so getting in a routine is not possible; you just have to be able to think on your toes and be able to go with the punches sometimes. Kepler was just there to give us some pointers on how to improve. Ok I'm down with that, I'm not perfect. I'll take all the help I can get to be the best TAD I can be. Still scary. Why?

WELL Kepler came during the worst possible week! Attitudes were coming from every direction and sometimes I had to go to my happy place. Although it was good to have Kepler there to give us a few friendly tips on how to avoid some of those issues and a few others which was nice. He did this job for about 5 years so he's seen it all and was really encouraging. Thanks Kep! We even got a free meal courtesy of MCT. Thanks MCT!  Looking back it was good that he came during a bad week because now we'll be more prepared for if some of those issues happen again.

This job can be so absorbing that you forget that there is another world outside of it (My brother's getting married in 2 weeks!) and it definitely seemed like our week was dragging on and on and on. SO when it was over it was nice to know that we had a whole new group of kids waiting for us the next week. A new start. We even started the next week in Burlington, Wa off well. We met up with Dan and Adam in Seattle, Wa for a little lunch. Yep next week is a new start and I'm definitely going to try to apply what Kepler told us at dinner.

"Try to suckless." If that doesn't work, "Punch a baby in the face with a bag of puppies".

Hahahaha!!!!

-Jen

Favorite Week of Fall Tour

Hi Friends!
I hope your all doing well and loving the beautiful Fall weather. I know I am, esp those Carmel Apple Spice drinks from Starbucks. Nothing says Fall like a hot drink and beautiful scenery. :)
SPEAKING of beautiful scenery, our next week of tour Loretta and I were in Mount Vernon, Wa and it was so lovely. We were not necessarily in a big town but we were at least around people. We somehow managed to go to the mall everyday. It was nice to be around people but it was also nice to be around STUFF. We didn't buy anything except maybe an Orange Julius drink which for my East Coast friends is a type of smoothie.
My homestay that week was so fun! They were from Norway and were also housing two of their friends from Norway. I was the foreigner in that house. Haha! It kind of reminded me of a movie, I would hear someone speaking Norwegian upstairs AND downstairs. I was surrounded. They were so incredibly welcoming though. Their home had a beautiful view of the mountains and it kind of reminded me of a cabin out in the woods. Each room was filled with some intricate items from places they had travelled. Something that seemed absolutely oridinary like a picture had some kind of story behind it. I LOVE that kind of stuff. An example: they had a picture of mountains hanging on their wall that was actually sheep skin that had been stained by some local artist when they were visiting Wisconson.

I stayed in their son's bedroom while he slept downstairs but it was so funny. He was OBSESSED with dogs and his room showed it. It definitely wasn't a girly room but I had a bed to sleep in so my needs were met. Their house was also next to a graveyard and across the street was an old school house. It wasn't haunted but thoughout that week I jokingly said it was but the joke was on me because I started to believe it. I had a lot of weird dreams that week. >:(

Since we were in the woods, Loretta and I went bike riding and hung out outside by going in their awesome treehouse that just so happend to have a Zip Line! Way cool. We also had many phone conversations that week. One with Kelly Combs while we had spaghetti that I fixed in Loretta's kitchen so it was like a little dinner date. (Loretta was in a barn that was made into an Apt which was pretty cool.) We also had a couple skype/phone convos with Jordan Williams. He's swell! I also got to catch up with my main Gill Allison. Now that I think about it, I think I talk to her every week. She's about to start her own adventure and is moving to Italy, I'm going to miss her.....

I digress. Loretta and I wandered around downtown at some local shops before eating the best Thia food I've ever had which was followed by watching a production of RENT. It was community theatre but I was pretty impressed. It might have been the fact that I didn't know anyone onstage so if they had quirks I didn't see them. I let myself get wrapped up in the story which was nice. I already miss going to dance class and the whole rehearsal process but it made me miss the fact that a cast almost becomes your family for a few weeks. Loretta's my cast family right now so that helps. :)

As you can see Mount Vernon has been one of my favorite weeks, it was just full of all kinds of things to do. On top of that we had an awesome cast. Every single one of them was a homeschooler and they were each very talented. Our performance space was at a church which was a first for us; normally we're in gyms or some kind of highschool theatre. One of our rehearsal spaces was Noah's Ark. Yep. Thats what I said, NOAH'S ARK! Coolest youth group building EVER! The man who is now the preacher at His Place Church went to film school and when he took over his Dad's position as the Pastor, he applied his set design and overall film education. He made a giant ark for the kids and added all kinds of fun details, it was really something.
Our contact and the cast really spoiled Loretta and I all week. The kids were sooooo well behaved and they showered us with gifts, drawings, flowers, and Origami. Hahaha! I sent some of them home but some we have pinned up in our truck. I have a blue origami frog in the truck and his name is George Hopper after George Hopper road in Mount Vernon. Sometimes I'm really creative. Loretta and I both didn't want to leave because it was such a nice area and the people were so kind. We didn't think anyone could top it or come close to their hospitality, at least for awhile.
We were right.
-Jen

A little R & R

Hi Friends!
So I told you a little bit about my week in Deer Park. Well, at least with my homestay. :) Our homestay pretty much made that week for me. Deer Park was slightly a difficult week. The cast seemed to be more excited about being cast in a show and didn't realize all the work that goes into a show for example: memorizing lines. Loretta said it best in her blog. There came a point during showday where we just looked at each other and realized that there was no point in getting upset so we just hugged it out.
(Sigh)
No one truly understands what we go through unless their a fellow TAD. Anyways! The week before in Granger was a lot more exciting with all the dinosaurs and free chilli but while we were in Deer Park we were surrounded by fields and had to drive about 45 minutes to get to a town that had a walmart or at least civilization. ROAD TRIP! Hahaha! We also were feeling a little bit sick that week so we definitely took advantage of sleeping in.

My room was filled with Disney movies too, it was downstairs next to the kids play room if that explains anything. Although, those who know me would be surprised to hear that I didn't watch a single one. :( I did however watched a VHS version of Little Women featuring Elizabeth Taylor so that was fun!!!!! I also spent most of my time reading and catching up with friends so that was nice. I had one conversation with Rebekah Anwyll and it was so refreshing to talk to her. She is actually working at Barter Theatre as a Barter Player and I couldn't be more proud of her. She and I both hit the pavement and auditioned as much as we could. We even went to UPTA's together and shared that whole intimidating experience together. She got her job offer the same week I got mine for MCT. We've gone through the entire process together. She's one of my dearest friends and I just love her!
Deer Park was a week for Loretta and I to recoup so no we didn't do anything too exciting BUT we're now all rested up for our next adventure. :)
-Jen

Random thoughts

Fall Tour Goals:

1. Learn to whistle -its in EVERY song on the radio I gotta keep up.

2. Be featured in the Road Warrior every week for our awesome adventures/pictures.

3. Read a book every week.

4. Somehow get to Forks, Wa.

5. Rememorize my spanish notecards from college.

6. Plank in fun places.

*So far that's all I got but I'm sure I'll be adding to this list.

Loretta and I are having so much fun together on this tour. I don't know if it's because we get to sleep in more or if it's just because we're awesome BUT we've become really good friends. The summer tour I think was mainly us just getting used to our jobs and each other. We've just really bonded on this tour now that we have a better idea of what we're doing. We are constantly laughing about silly things and finding a new adventure every day. Our friendship has also now gotten to a place where we can cry with one another and just let down all our walls which is followed up with a hug. She's become a very good friend of mine and I can't imagine being on tour with anyone else.

I HATE oneway streets!!!!!!!! I have authority issues when it comes to driving sometimes. I get it don't speed. Merge. Stop at a red light. BUT REALLY!?!?! A ROAD is telling me where to go annnnnd which direction toooo go. These roads always seem to pop up when you need to go in the opposite direction. Rude. DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!

This next bit is carried over from the summer tour. Sometimes we "play this game" of something being said and we say what comes to our minds first. I think it says a lot about our personalities.
Here are some examples:

"PIT"
Loretta: Orchestra
Me: Arm_____.

"ANGLO"
Loretta: Angler fish
Me: Anglo-Saxon

"HILLS IN WYOMING"
Loretta: Lion King
Me: Crossroads

Earlier I mentioned the "Road Warrior" and what that is is a newsletter that is emailed to all the TAD's at Missoula Children's Theatre. It's filled with fun stories, reminders about the job and car, fun photos and fun questions that each team is asked. Well one week we were asked what our team name was and Loretta and I actually had this figured out waaaaay before they asked us. Our team name is "JeLo", the first two letters of Jennifer and Loretta. We have now decided that we are going to "JeLo" dance in fun places and make a video montage. It's in the making as we speak......
When you watch the footage of us dancing without music, it looks like we're swatting at bees or something. It's kind of funny.

-Jen

Loop Hole

Hi Friends!
This is something that has been on my heart for a while and I just wanted to open up about it.

     I absolutely love my job! I go on all kinds of adventures and I meet all kinds of people everyday. It does have some down falls though that you eventually find yourself getting used to. Missing family and friends back home for example. Another one may not seem like a big deal but to me it kind of is. I am not allowed to talk about my personal views on politics or my religious beliefs which is incredibly hard since I was born and raised in Lynchburg, Va the home of Dr. Jerry Falwell.
     For those rare few who don't know who he was, he was the wonderful Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist. He was very vocal about his views and was very much involved with politics ever since he helped Ronald Reagan become President. I attended Dr. Falwell's schools: Lynchburg Christian Academy (Elementary-Highschool) and Liberty University. I still attend Thomas Road Baptist Church which since his passing, his son Jonathon Falwell is now the Pastor of. So you can imagine how I felt when I was told I wasn't allowed to talk about my beliefs if I was asked about them by my homestays or by anybody. My beliefs are apart of who I am, how I was raised. Not trying to sound dramatic but thats almost like asking a Zebra to trade in it's stripes for spots. I found a loop hole though.
     Most of the places Loretta and I have visted have been small town areas and they usually ask where I went to college. Those who know what type of school Liberty is and who founded it immediately know my beliefs without me saying a word. I can't express how wonderful it feels when that happens. No I'm not pushing my beliefs on anyone or having to worry about breaking contract because those who know what it is have already looked into Liberty as a plan for their child. If anything I promote how awesome Liberty is. I should get paid for that, I'll just send Becki Falwell a little Facebook message... ;) Kidding!
     While I was in Deer Park, Wa last week Loretta and I stayed with a very sweet lady named Lyla. One night I needed to print something that my Dad sent me, a Confirmation notice about a plane ticket to Florida for my Brother's wedding that he sent to my Liberty Email account because it's my "Nonprofessional" email. Lyla said that I could use her home computer/printer. Not noticing that Lyla was right behind me, she saw Jerry Jr's photo on the websites mainpage. She of course knew who he was and asked me what I was looking at. I explained to her that I was just going on my college website to pull up an email. She then put two and two together (without me saying a word) and said "Oh your a Christian! Thats great!". She then started telling me about all the mission trips her son had been on and about her involvement with the church. It amazes me how God works sometimes.
     Throughout the Summer and Fall he has placed me in situations just like this. I am so incredibly thankful. I was worried about not being able to open up about my beliefs because of this job which is weird because I fully believe I was blessed with this job BECAUSE of my beliefs. It's a long story, I'll save that for another time. BUT! The Lord provided me with this loop hole. I don't have to actually express my religious views I just say "I went to Liberty University.". Those who know what type of school it is immediately know my beliefs without having to ask a single question. No words can express how wonderful it feels when I meet a fellow Christian on the road. It renews my heart so much as I hope it renews theirs.
     Lyla,  from that point on really opened up to me the rest of the week. My last night there I even got to spend a little one on one time with her while Loretta was hanging out with her boyfriend and honestly I try not to use this word a whole lot but it truly was a blessing. The next morning I woke up and found two gift bags in the kitchen one addressed to Loretta and one to me. Inside each of our bags was a little jewelry holder as well as a card. You know how people say, "Oh you didn't have to get me anything! The card was enough.". You knoooow that they're only saying it to be nice. However, this was exactly how I felt, the card was enough. Lyla's card meant so much and as I read it I started to cry. She wrote about how she saw that I was a Godly woman and that she was glad to know another sister in Christ. She also said a few other kind words and finished up with a statement about how she was sure to see me one day in heaven. UGH! It makes me cry just thinking about it!
     Just to reiterate for those from MCT who are reading this, I did not break contract. She opened up to me. I realize that this is a fine line and I have yet to mention what my beliefs are when asked about them by homestays or others. When they are trying to get to know me the first question anyone ever asks is where I went to school and the rest is assumption on their part. I can't help it if their assumption is correct.
     I realize readers, that one day someone will know what Liberty is and not be a fellow brother or sister in Christ and it may or may not go well. When that day comes I will handle it the best way I know how. Until that day I will pray for the right words to say to avoid a sticky situation. Today though, I am thankful for Lyla and that I went to Liberty University.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."
                                             1 John 1:7

-Jen

Stayin on my Tip Toes

Hi Friends!

Where I last left you was my first week of Fall Tour in Newport, Wa and how it felt like riding a bike. Well for my second week of Fall Tour, Loretta and I were in Granger, Wa which was a lot of fun. We pulled into our hotel and I thought, "THIS is TOO good to be TRUE!". In the Lobby, before we even got to our rooms, was a little table with complimentary cookies and milk/coffee ANNNNND Chili! Yea, I KNOW! I then thought, "Ok, don't get your hopes up you haven't seen your room yet. You don't know what your walking into.". I open the room to my door and I find not one but TWO King size beds. I then proceeded with an "EEEEEE!" followed by some girlish giggles. Imediately I threw my stuff down and pushed the beds together for one Giant King size bed. Best sleep ever!

Granger treated Loretta and I like queens. When we weren't in rehearsal she and I were finding all kinds of adventures. We went exploring in this one town that had murrells everywhere of Indian Heritages and what not, went swimming, played some instruments in the school's bandroom, found an abandoned gas station that was made like a giant Teapot, played basketball and were surrounded by Dinosaurs. Thats right, I said Dinosaurs. Fun Fact about the town of Granger is that every year the city makes a dinosaur statue and places it somewhere in the area. We googled it and asked around and no one knows where this idea came from or why they do it. Needless to say Loretta and I had a photoshoot and ended it with some coffee from this drive thru coffee stop called (appropriately enough) Dino Java. Hahaha! It was so fun!

It was nice to do so many fun things when we weren't in rehearsal because it wasn't exactly the easiest week for us, so all these activities helped make the week more exciting. We were also surrounded by vineyards but we actually didn't get a chance to go to a wine tasting. However, I think my Gills will be ok with that since thats kind of "Our" thing. :) Like I said it wasn't the easiest week for us but please don't interpret that as something bad. Newport was to help us get back in the swing of things; our week in Granger kept us on our toes. We found that the kids were having a little trouble memorizing their scripts so since I was performing that week, I had to use a bit of improv to keep the show going while remembering their lines.

Yep.
I'm a Professional.
HA!

Another loop that we were thrown into was an issue of the stomach flu. In Newport we had a slight issue with some of the kids getting head lice which was bad enough but I think this topped Newport. During the dress rehearsal one of the kids threw up, then he went home, came back for the show, said he felt better, after he said his lines he ran offstage and threw up again. Then in between shows our Mini Taliesin threw up right as we were letting the parents in the gym literally 5 minutes before the show so now we were down two kids. Ok I can handle that. Oh but I'm not done yet dear readers. During the 2nd show a Damsel, Mordred and two Camelotians felt "sick" and I noticed as the show was being done somehow our cast kept getting smaller and smaller. Loretta and the teachers were backstage passing out buckets..........

Thankfully, Loretta and I had a wonderful group of teachers who helped us out that week and we didn't have clean up a single mess. Thank the LORD! Seriously, if I hear someone heaving or I see it I have to walk away before I threw up. It's just something about the smell. >:(
Like I said Granger kept us on our toes.
Hopefully stomach flu won't be an issue anymore if it is we know how to handle it. Find a teacher then go to Dino Java. :)
-Jen