Week 47

Monday, Nov. 18th

My birthday.  My expectations were low given it was on a Monday with school, dance, hockey, laundry...  We'd gone to dinner the night before with the kids and Colombo took me to breakfast, so I thought that was it.  And that was enough.  

It was a gorgeous day, so we played outside after lunch.  The kids gave me their cards and we enjoyed the warm sunshine.  That was enough.

Yoga class:

Twins:

I went to the gym in the afternoon and the coaches acknowledged my special day.  That was nice.  Then we were off to dinner, only I knew something was up.  Colombo wouldn't have taken me to breakfast with dinner plans, too.  So on our way I asked, "Who else is going to be there?"

He arranged a *lovely* evening with my dearest friends.  It was a beautiful celebration.  Great food, lots of laughs, and cards with words within that took my breath away.  How am I so lucky to have friends as these?

My heart was so full.  I felt honored beyond what I deserve.  

Lisa made a cute Crossfit-inspired cake.  The little kettle-bell had a '37' on it.

Tuesday, Nov. 19th
The kids gave me their present while Renna napped- the royal spa treatment.  All their idea, all on their own.

Wednesday, Nov. 20th
Rocco was pretty darn excited about his new shirt he got from Aiden.

Thursday, Nov. 21st
Thanksgiving preparations underway--place cards.

Friday, Nov. 22nd
I went with Meg, Larry, and Lil to see Amy and Ryan's CD release concert.

They're rock stars!  It was a fabulous evening and it was good to finally check out their church.

Saturday, Nov. 23rd
Tradition would have it that the Saturday before Thanksgiving is when we celebrate with my side of the family.  I'm going to post that separately.  Still crossing my fingers Lisa's gonna share her pictures.  Wink-wink.

Before the festivities, I went to watch Trevor's last skating lesson.  He improved so much after 4 weeks.  He enjoyed the lessons, but decided to NOT continue into the hockey program.  Until the deadline passed.  Then he changed his mind and decided he DID want to play hockey.  But then he decided he didn't...

Later in the evening we were flipping through some loose pictures I found tucked in a drawer.  Check out this winner:

Sunday, Nov. 24th
We managed to farm out three of the kids overnight, so it was a small crew to get out to church.

That evening we had our first fire of the season.

LIV

Our 2013 run of Lost in Vegas consisted of three consecutive weekends.  October 27th and November 3rd were performances at Crossroads, with a special filming night on November 1st.  Both performances went really, really well with only minor mistakes and technical difficulty.  It was good to have the cast back together and good to be on our home stage again.  It's also just a very fun show to do!  A very fun, cohesive group of people who conduct themselves in a professional manner and are very interested in the message of the show penetrating the hearts of all who come to see it.  It's truly been a privilege every time I've slipped into that red dress, or more recently, stuffed my belly to look pregnant and whack the bell hop. :)

Lisa, with camera, got hundreds of great shots.  Selfishly, I pulled just a few that either had me or Maddy in them.

The weekend of Nov. 8th and 9th, we performed twice in the tiny farming town of Botkins, Ohio.  The church pulls from 7 counties and has 2,400 regular attenders.  They Googled Christian theater and found us.  They were so hospitable.  

We left on Thursday at 5am.  I had Lisa, 3 of her kids, and Maddy with me.  We caravanned with Laura and her crew.  Easy, smooth travel except for almost running Laura out of gas.  The kids were champs and Lisa and I were thrilled to have 12 hours of talk time.

Thursday night we all met up at the church for sound check.  Big smiles, weary travelers, tired babies, goofy antics, and, of course, deer killers.

Friday we had a 'quick' rehearsal.  Forty minutes turned into four hours.  The best part of that day was having the honor to do our group's morning devotional.  Then, showtime.  A surprisingly near flawless night.  God is good!  

Saturday began with a group chat in the hotel and then some pool time for the kids.  I rested in the room for a bit before heading to the church for a meal and show #2.  We tore down after the show and tried to sleep quick before heading out by 8am to head home.  Thankfully we had another day of smooth travel.  Lisa had gone home with Shaun, so I listened to The Shoemaker's Wife on my phone with a van load of kids in the back.

Lisa, ever-so-generous, had these to share.  I took a few of my faves.

And so, so fun...Lisa came and shot backstage on the 2nd night.  Like she said, it's a whole different show behind the scenes.  The inner-workings of theater and some of the best people in the world!

Pre-show:

Amy...never less than 3 people working on her. :)

James McGuyver Guerin.  Did I mention he travels with bungee cords (which prove very helpful after hitting a deer) and air freshener.

I'm going to miss everyone until we book somewhere else.  The road trip was quite the adventure, filled with laughter and memories.  Despite a small personal challenge I needed to work through (and hopefully grew through) it was a priceless time with great friends and even some family.  It's also such a joy to have these special times to share with Madison.  Her and I are building quite the repertoire.  I'm so thankful for this ministry, for the leadership, for the opportunity, for the means, and for Colombo carrying on back at home while I'm away.