Weekly Update

Can you really call it a weekly update if it's been months since you've actually had a post called "Weekly Update?" Enquiring/Inquiring minds want to know.

March is the month of the big 3 for me: middle school play, History Day, and Images of Greatness. I have the first one checked off, as of last weekend. The middle school play went very well. I was so proud of the kids, and really, the only hitch was a early dismissal on Friday, the second night of our show. We had a bizarre snow shower, and to be safe, they let the kids out of school at 1:30. When that happens, all evening activities are canceled too. After some frantic running around like a chicken with my head cut off, we got things rescheduled for Saturday night. Never mind that by 3:00, it had stopped snowing, and by showtime, the streets were dry and there was barely a dusting on the ground. Oh well. :P

We did a play adaptation of the book Number the Stars (Have I written about this before? I feel like I'm losing my mind...) and the kids really took the drama aspect seriously. I was so proud of their growth & work. They had fun at their cast party on Saturday night (so did I). I'm so lucky to have parents who volunteer space, time, and money to that adventure.

Now, we're in the middle of prepping for History Day & Images of Greatness. They will be the the week before spring break, which is also the last week of the quarter. Busy, busy.

Andrew and I got our plane tickets for the Sutherlin family reunion which will be at my California cousins' ranch in California, right in the heart of gold mine country. We're spending a couple of days in San Francisco before, because I've never been there. I'm also on a mission to hug a redwood tree. I can't explain this need in me, but I must see and hug a redwood tree during this trip. I want to feel tiny and young... maybe that's it. LOL

I'm also working on several upcoming shows. Tonight I'm singing in a benefit for Way Off Broadway. Robby Benson & his wife Karla DeVito will be there to sign things and lead our auction. Margaret Clair & I are singing a selection from Forbidden Broadway. It's a spoof of "Mamma Mia," and it's pretty funny. Forbidden Broadway is the show I'm getting ready for in April. In June, I'll be playing Mrs. Shinn, the Mayor's wife, in WOB's Music Man, and then I can focus on playing Goneril in Andrew's production of King Lear. Whew! I'm going to be ready for a break when school starts. Ha ha.

Off to practice my choreography for tonight... here I go!

Love Me Some American Gothic!

I'm proud that Grant Wood is Iowa's artist. I love having the American Gothic house just 15 minutes from where I live. If you're ever coming through southeast Iowa, make sure to stop off at the American Gothic house. They have a wonderful little visitor's center. The best part is that they have costumes that you can use to dress up and have your picture taken in... just like Claire & I did summer before last.

Today one of the blogs I follow showed a fantastic American Gothic-inspired cake... check this baby out at Cakewrecks.com (scroll down a bit on the post to see the American Gothic cake)! Here's to inspiration... hope I find mine today! :)

Whirlwind Weekend

Friday I hitched a ride with my friend Julie and caught a plane from Des Moines to Los Angeles. I had a short layover in Denver, and everything was on time. Bonus. I got in a little before 11:00 that night. Andrew picked me up at the airport in our cute little rental car, and we went to our hotel. We stayed at the Marriott in Burbank which, despite not having wireless internet in the rooms, was very nice. I was exhausted after a long Friday!

Andrew and I ate in the hotel restaurant (pancakes!!!) on Saturday morning and decided to check out the Getty Museum. It was fabulous. You park in a garage that has seven levels below ground. Then, you take a tram up to the museum. You climb the steps and enter a mini city. There are several buildings, and we only saw a smidgeon of what was there, but it was a wonderful way to blow a few hours. We stopped back at the hotel to change clothes before meeting up with my California Cousins.

We all met for a drink and a snack at Chateau Marmont, a Hollywood legend in itself. John Belushi died here, Led Zeppelin rode motorcycles across the lobby here, Jim Morrison jumped out of a window into the swimming pool below here, James Dean and Natalie Wood first read the script for Rebel Without a Cause here. On the way to Chateau Marmont, Andrew and I drove right down Hollywood Blvd., right past Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We had been following our little Mapquest directions, and suddenly, we were surrounded by Hollywood! We had a spirited little reunion in the lobby with Kelly, Kate, & Claire McLeod, Kate's boyfriend Noah, and Claire's friends Nick & Jalon.

After Chateau Marmont, we drove to a fun Italian Restaurant with singing waiters called Miceli's. We met up with the rest of the clan... Aunt Twila, Uncle Ben, T.J. & Randi, Taylor, Claire's friend Allie, and Carol and Larry Kline. We were quite a group. It was such a fun night. I got teary a couple of times, just looking around at this wonderful group of people laughing and eating and enjoying each others' company. I have the best family in the whole world!

We braved the terrible traffic and made it just in time to the theatre (they ended up holding curtain for another 15 minutes for someone else who was caught in traffic, so we really didn't need to hurry so much, but oh well... we made it on time). Seeing another person performing Andrew's Churchill play was surreal. It was wonderful because it was like seeing a child grow up and be on his own for the first time. There were things that we loved, and there are bugs to work out. I think it was a little stressful on Andrew because he knows how he performs it, and this performance was definitely not the way he performs it, but he's going to work with the director this week to help their production go more smoothly. The theatre was a tiny venue, but I think it works for a one-man show. Surreal is the best word I can use to describe the experience.

It was late when we got out of the theatre, and the California Cousins had a long drive back, so we said goodbye. I was so proud to have my family there to support Andrew and his work. It meant so much to me having them there. I really don't have the words. I just felt so blessed. Blessed, blessed, blessed.

Andrew and I were out of the hotel by 7:30 on Sunday morning, and after a day of travel, we were back in Fairfield by 9 that night. It was a frenzied but unforgettable weekend. I'm tired today, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

waiting for the tram at the Getty Museum

at the Getty Museum in my Hawkeye finery... comments from 2 different people... Go Hawks!

Andrew & his ginger beer outside Chateau Marmont

waiting for the California Cousins outside Chateau Marmont

dinner at Miceli's with family & friends

Randi & T.J. at dinner


Kate, Noah, Nick, Allie, Claire, & Jalon at dinner

Aunt Twila & Uncle Ben at the theatre

the proud playwright of Churchill and his adoring fan