I'm so excited!!!

Okay...a close friend of mine has some MAJORLY exciting news and I'm just so excited for her that I can't stand it. But...the news is so cool, that I only feel it's right for her to share, so go here if you wanna know what it is.

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do!!!

Relay for Life was amazing! Seriously. The event kick-off was a lap walked by cancer survivors. My friend Lori had some friends from her cancer community come and be a part of it. Sweet little Grady was grinning from ear to ear...the minute he arrived with his family, he was given a special survivor t-shirt and a medal and we made an extra effort to cheer him on as he passed by our booth during the opening lap.

Not only did we exceed the American Cancer Society goal for fundraising (they wanted us to bring in $42,000 and we brought in $51,000), but we also had a great time relay-ing and fundraising to help find a cure for cancer. Our team won the spirit award (I'm sure that's no surprise...), so we're definitely going to be back at the Lake Oswego Relay next year to defend our title.

There was also a luminaria ceremony at 10pm where the track was lit up with luminaria that had the names of friends and family members (decorated in honor or in memory of those who had cancer) of those who participated in the relay.

Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for us, donated time and donated money. We couldn't have done it without you!!!

Another one for that list....

After telling my oldest son to go to his room for talking back, he heads up the stairs, while saying to himself...

"Nobody in this town likes me."

Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up!

Add this to the list...

of things I never thought (or imagined) I'd say before I had kids...

"Hey! Please do not shut your brother in the refrigerator!"

Cancer Sucks

My friend, Lori, has a t-shirt that says that...and I agree. I'm sure that each one of us can say that we've been touched by cancer one way or another. But, what can we do? We can support a community that is fighting to beat cancer.

This Saturday, I will be participating in the Relay for Life at Lake Oswego High School. Lori had to watch her precious little one endure a strong fight with cancer. We all prayed for little Lillian...that she would survive, but she is now "restored to full health in Heaven" as Lori so eloquently stated on her blog. I felt so helpless watching my friend go through this with her little girl. I was, for a time, so angry with God for allowing it to happen. And through it all, Lori exhibited such grace and strength. She acknowledges it was all because of God's grace and strength, but she made a choice to allow Him to fill her up with those things. I'm still so awed by the way she has dealt with everything that has happened. I wanted to do something, anything, to support her and show her how much I love and admire her.

Participating in the relay is one way I can do that. Here's the info on the relay itself:

• We are: Team Walking with Angels - The event theme is "field of dreams and hope for a cure". Our team's interpretation of the theme is "sweet dreams of a cancer free tomorrow." We'll be selling mix & match candy at our campsite, hosting a bubble gum blowing tournament and letting people take a whack at a cancer pinata that my friend, Becci, so graciously created. And we have 2 massage therapists that will be doing chair massages for $1 per minute between 6pm and 8pm on Saturday at our campsite.
• When: The event begins at 2pm on Saturday 7/14 and ends at 9am on Sunday 7/15.
• Where: District Stadium at Lake Oswego High School.

If you would like to make a donation to the silent auction, please let me or Lori know. If you'd like to make a monetary donation to me or anyone else on the team, please go here. (We will be there all night long...2pm Saturday to 9am Sunday. Please pray that we get *some* sleep and that we raise tons of money for the American Cancer Society).

Pink Eye...live the adventure

So...what do I do to celebrate the end of a really great run of performances? Get pink eye in both eyes and a virus that causes blisters to form in my throat. I really did think that it was my allergies acting up...it only affected one eye at first and two ibuprofen every four hours were making my sore throat manageable. But then, my observant friend Wendy told me that the goop coming out of my eye made me look like a stray cat and that maybe I had something besides allergies causing that. I didn't believe her...until I woke up the next morning with both eyes crusted shut. Fun times!

For extra fun, I shared the pink eye with my youngest son-both eyes...so he gets to experience the goopiness too. He's actually enjoying being able to tell people that he has boogers coming out of his eyes and he thinks the eye drops tickle (okay, that could be because I called them tickle drops...anything to help the medicine get into his eyes).

Sally...I'll miss you!

Yesterday, we had our final performance of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown." We had the strike right after the show was over (which means that we took the set down and put all of the props and costumes away). It was so bittersweet. This marks the end of a few chapters of my life and I'm still trying to figure out how the next will begin. For those of you who know me, you know I can be a bit of a crier. Well, I didn't disappoint. Sure enough, during our finale song "Happiness", I teared up...enough for my husband to ask 'if I had something stuck in my throat during that last song.'

I made some great friends during this production...and built upon some old friendships too. I was able to work side by side with my former mentor. She played the role of Lucy, but is so far from the brash, crabby character she portrayed. She is kind, compassionate and loves God with all of her heart. I loved watching her family, with looks of sheer joy on their faces, as they watched her light up the stage. My other friend, Ben, is someone I've known since he was a boy. He's now a man preparing to get married this December. It's been such an honor to watch him grow into the man he has become...pursuing God with every ounce of his being. He worked so hard as Linus and the audience loved him. Tim, who played Snoopy, is someone I've known but not very well. I had heard that he's an amazing talent, but his schedule has prevented him from doing theatre during the time I've known him. He is so generous and intelligent on stage. I've worked with a few actors who are extremely talented but only care about themselves...getting laughs or tears for their lines and doing it at the expense of their fellow castmates, but Tim is nothing like that. He poured himself into his role of Snoopy but was a true team player onstage...and he literally stole the show with his dog-like whimpers, facial expressions and his finale song, "Suppertime". David, as Schroeder, has an incredibly powerful voice and put so much work to bring his character alive every moment he was on stage. And my new dear friend, Maury, as Charlie Brown is so much fun on and off stage. He's got the sweetest spirit but is also sassy enough to keep us all laughing.

My close friend, Wendy, was an amazing director and brought so much wisdome to us during rehearsals that helped to enhance the script and give us so much more to develop our characters with. Becci and Lori were the assistant Director and Chroeographer and worked so hard to help us look good, using the gifts God gave them to not only glorify Him but make a community theatre production look and feel professional. Our band and tech crew were also top notch. They put countless hours in to ensure that our production was well lit, sounded perfect and that the music enhanced everything happening on stage.

Is it any wonder that I'm moping around today, thinking about how I'm not going to be seeing them all again this coming weekend?

Theatre has been such a gift to me from the Lord and I spent so much of my life not knowing that. The hiatus I had taken was for good reasons...two little boys and a husband that I love spending time with. But, I think during that time, I lost a little bit of who I was/am. I started to reconnect with the lost part of me (that creative part that God created me to be) during this rehearsal and performance process. What an exciting journey it has been. To be involved in something that not only brings me so much joy but allows me to use my gifts to glorify the One who gave them to me. I can now re-add one of the things that had essentially fallen off of my "who I am" list. I am a God follower...a wife...a mother...AND an actor. It feels good to embrace that again. Especially now that I truly know why I am able to do what I love. As my husband would say...it's G-O-D, Baby!!!