A summer of craziness
This summer has been so busy that I have been:
A- not really having time for much crafting
B- not good at keeping up with my blog
C- having lots of fun doing many other things
So here is my summer months in a nutshell...
I made some major changes in my work life and left the dance studio I was working at. Instead I am now working for a variety of programs doing choreography, costuming, set and prop design and really anything that makes me heart sing. So basically what I was doing before but for various people and a lot better pay :) It was a scary choice to trust that things would work out. If I didn't have the support of my friends and loved ones I would not have been brave enough to stand up for myself and be ok with making the changes to my life. Taking this leap allowed me to be part of four wonderful productions with two different companies this summer. I am exhausted but I loved every second of it.
Now for the adventures :)
Brett and I took two trips this summer during our off time. One to Chicago land to see my friends get hitched, and one to the beach to relax.
Because of our last minute planning, and the fact that the wedding was right near Fourth of July we ended up road tripping it. In the end it was actually really nice because it meant we were able to make some stops and visit friends and family in the surrounding area. Brett got to meet my Grandma Betty and we got to have some awesome time talking with her and hearing her stories. When I was in college in IL I loved getting to drive up and have one on one Grandma time where she would tell me all about her adventures and travels. This trip she was telling us all about when she was 11 years old and the World's Fair came to Chicago. She grew up in the city so she would go down to check out the fair on a regular basis and would play tour guide to her relatives when they would come up to visit. To top off her stories she then pulled out a scrap book that had all of her ticket stubs and postcards from the fair. I love that she had cataloged all sorts of trinkets from her childhood in to a book. There were pictures she drew as a child, valentines from her school days, ticket stubs, pressed flowers and so much more. It think it is so amazing that she has created a time capsule for all the generations to appreciate.
After our visit with Grandma Betty we took the train in to Chicago for some speedy sight seeing. Brett had never been to Chicago before so it was fun introducing her to the sights, sounds and tastes of the city. We walked everywhere!! From John Hancock to Millenium Park to Sears Tower (I know I know Willis Tower...whatever) to the Picasso Statue and finally to Navy Pier for the Fourth of July Fireworks. Usually when I go in to the city I have stayed with friends but this time we tried out a hostel that we found called the Chicago Getaway Hostel. It was soooo nice! and right in Lincoln Park!
After a trip to the House of Blues (which I had never been to before) and some shopping downtown we hopped back on the train to head to visit my friend Dave. Of course no adventure can be complete without some kind of craziness and here is where we hit ours. The town where we had taken the train to the city from apparently has two train stations...when we pulled in to the station it didn't look right. I stepped off the train, realized it wasn't our stop, turned to get back on the train, and had the doors slam in my face with Brett still on the train. Oh my! The train started moving away and Brett mimes to me that she will call me. Moments later my phone rings and I pick it up apologizing for getting off and making things crazy and Brett say "Stop! Listen! There is a little boy there in a tie dye shirt. His mom is on the train with me. They got separated and he is by himself" So I found the boy and stayed with him while Brett and the mom talked and figured things out. The mom found a ride to the station were I was with her son and her car...and then she brought me to the other station where Brett was with our car (I of course had the car keys). So it all worked out well and there was a reason that I got trapped off the train so the little boy wouldn't be by himself. All is well that ends well.
We finally made it to Davey's house and enjoyed some time hanging out and talking and playing with his sweet little daughter. I feel like we are getting to real grown ups now. Scary!
The next morning it was off again to Ashley and Jocelyn's wedding! It was great to see some more of my friends and introduce Brett to some of my favorite people. The wedding was so pretty outside under a huge tree. I loved that they made the programs for the ceremony also doubled as fans and were cut out in the shapes of the states that the brides were from. I also have decided that gray and yellow are one of my new favorite color combinations. We danced the night away and laughed like the old days. It makes me wish that NC and IL were not so far apart so we could hang out more often.
The next morning we were up early for breakfast all together before it was time for Brett and I to get back on the road. Monday morning we started work on a new camp so we had no choice but to drive straight through. We passed through my favorite part of Indiana that has miles and miles of wind turbines. Wind power is cool!! When we were in the mountains of West Virginia we drove past a box of lit fireworks that was shooting all over the place. That was not so cool! And then finally arrived home around 3 and I had to be up at 6 to be ready for work. Thank god for coffee!!
One week of work and then it was time for a week of relaxation in Hilton Head. For this trip we were hanging with Brett's family and for the most part just relaxing and enjoying the beach. It was fun to sit around an play our instruments during the rainy times (Brett's brother is an awesome banjo player!) and just lay around on the beach during the sunny times. It was prefect for flying my $6 awesome kite! I had to come home for a day for some work but even that was a adventure because I road on the Greyhound bus for the first time. I miss being so close to the beach because it is really my favorite place to be. I love just sitting and looking at the ocean, it always help me refocus and recharge my batteries. The week went by so quickly...but that always seems to be the case when you are having a good time...then it was time to go home. And here comes our moment of travel craziness. As we were driving back, with Brett following closely behind me, my tire blew out. I pulled to the side and Brett pulled up behind me. Luckily my parents give me AAA every years as a present so we called the truck piled in to my car and watched "How to Succeed..." on you tube as we waited. It makes me giggle because the first time my tire blew out I didn't even own a cell phone and now here I am watching a movie while I wait for assistance. Buck came in his truck and put on the spare and we were able to make it up to Monroe. Of course the tire center was closed so we had to wait to the morning to get a new one...but that was ok because we had a Low Country Boil with the family and more hang out time before heading back to real life.
I can hardly believe that summer is about to come to an end. It was a busy but wonderful time and now it is on to the next project. This months adventures are to include moving to a new town (Yahoo!!) and starting work at a really awesome coffee shop in new town (more yahoo!!) and performing for the first time with the tap ensemble I am not part of (even more yahoo!!) Life is good :)
More to come very soon!
A- not really having time for much crafting
B- not good at keeping up with my blog
C- having lots of fun doing many other things
So here is my summer months in a nutshell...
I made some major changes in my work life and left the dance studio I was working at. Instead I am now working for a variety of programs doing choreography, costuming, set and prop design and really anything that makes me heart sing. So basically what I was doing before but for various people and a lot better pay :) It was a scary choice to trust that things would work out. If I didn't have the support of my friends and loved ones I would not have been brave enough to stand up for myself and be ok with making the changes to my life. Taking this leap allowed me to be part of four wonderful productions with two different companies this summer. I am exhausted but I loved every second of it.
Brett and I took two trips this summer during our off time. One to Chicago land to see my friends get hitched, and one to the beach to relax.
 |
| Some of the ticket she had saved. I love her notation here. |
Because of our last minute planning, and the fact that the wedding was right near Fourth of July we ended up road tripping it. In the end it was actually really nice because it meant we were able to make some stops and visit friends and family in the surrounding area. Brett got to meet my Grandma Betty and we got to have some awesome time talking with her and hearing her stories. When I was in college in IL I loved getting to drive up and have one on one Grandma time where she would tell me all about her adventures and travels. This trip she was telling us all about when she was 11 years old and the World's Fair came to Chicago. She grew up in the city so she would go down to check out the fair on a regular basis and would play tour guide to her relatives when they would come up to visit. To top off her stories she then pulled out a scrap book that had all of her ticket stubs and postcards from the fair. I love that she had cataloged all sorts of trinkets from her childhood in to a book. There were pictures she drew as a child, valentines from her school days, ticket stubs, pressed flowers and so much more. It think it is so amazing that she has created a time capsule for all the generations to appreciate. After our visit with Grandma Betty we took the train in to Chicago for some speedy sight seeing. Brett had never been to Chicago before so it was fun introducing her to the sights, sounds and tastes of the city. We walked everywhere!! From John Hancock to Millenium Park to Sears Tower (I know I know Willis Tower...whatever) to the Picasso Statue and finally to Navy Pier for the Fourth of July Fireworks. Usually when I go in to the city I have stayed with friends but this time we tried out a hostel that we found called the Chicago Getaway Hostel. It was soooo nice! and right in Lincoln Park!
After a trip to the House of Blues (which I had never been to before) and some shopping downtown we hopped back on the train to head to visit my friend Dave. Of course no adventure can be complete without some kind of craziness and here is where we hit ours. The town where we had taken the train to the city from apparently has two train stations...when we pulled in to the station it didn't look right. I stepped off the train, realized it wasn't our stop, turned to get back on the train, and had the doors slam in my face with Brett still on the train. Oh my! The train started moving away and Brett mimes to me that she will call me. Moments later my phone rings and I pick it up apologizing for getting off and making things crazy and Brett say "Stop! Listen! There is a little boy there in a tie dye shirt. His mom is on the train with me. They got separated and he is by himself" So I found the boy and stayed with him while Brett and the mom talked and figured things out. The mom found a ride to the station were I was with her son and her car...and then she brought me to the other station where Brett was with our car (I of course had the car keys). So it all worked out well and there was a reason that I got trapped off the train so the little boy wouldn't be by himself. All is well that ends well.
We finally made it to Davey's house and enjoyed some time hanging out and talking and playing with his sweet little daughter. I feel like we are getting to real grown ups now. Scary!
The next morning it was off again to Ashley and Jocelyn's wedding! It was great to see some more of my friends and introduce Brett to some of my favorite people. The wedding was so pretty outside under a huge tree. I loved that they made the programs for the ceremony also doubled as fans and were cut out in the shapes of the states that the brides were from. I also have decided that gray and yellow are one of my new favorite color combinations. We danced the night away and laughed like the old days. It makes me wish that NC and IL were not so far apart so we could hang out more often. The next morning we were up early for breakfast all together before it was time for Brett and I to get back on the road. Monday morning we started work on a new camp so we had no choice but to drive straight through. We passed through my favorite part of Indiana that has miles and miles of wind turbines. Wind power is cool!! When we were in the mountains of West Virginia we drove past a box of lit fireworks that was shooting all over the place. That was not so cool! And then finally arrived home around 3 and I had to be up at 6 to be ready for work. Thank god for coffee!!
One week of work and then it was time for a week of relaxation in Hilton Head. For this trip we were hanging with Brett's family and for the most part just relaxing and enjoying the beach. It was fun to sit around an play our instruments during the rainy times (Brett's brother is an awesome banjo player!) and just lay around on the beach during the sunny times. It was prefect for flying my $6 awesome kite! I had to come home for a day for some work but even that was a adventure because I road on the Greyhound bus for the first time. I miss being so close to the beach because it is really my favorite place to be. I love just sitting and looking at the ocean, it always help me refocus and recharge my batteries. The week went by so quickly...but that always seems to be the case when you are having a good time...then it was time to go home. And here comes our moment of travel craziness. As we were driving back, with Brett following closely behind me, my tire blew out. I pulled to the side and Brett pulled up behind me. Luckily my parents give me AAA every years as a present so we called the truck piled in to my car and watched "How to Succeed..." on you tube as we waited. It makes me giggle because the first time my tire blew out I didn't even own a cell phone and now here I am watching a movie while I wait for assistance. Buck came in his truck and put on the spare and we were able to make it up to Monroe. Of course the tire center was closed so we had to wait to the morning to get a new one...but that was ok because we had a Low Country Boil with the family and more hang out time before heading back to real life.
I can hardly believe that summer is about to come to an end. It was a busy but wonderful time and now it is on to the next project. This months adventures are to include moving to a new town (Yahoo!!) and starting work at a really awesome coffee shop in new town (more yahoo!!) and performing for the first time with the tap ensemble I am not part of (even more yahoo!!) Life is good :)
More to come very soon!
Comments
Post a Comment