There is this wild child that we all have been watching grow up. He is crazy and bright and creative and full of out of control ideas that a lot of times he makes happen. I am completely amused by him. We simply call him Flembone, and here begins the chapters of him:
(Thanks to who ever stole my camera and taped this…yeah, you know who you are.)
I always think that if more work gets done before the summer blur begins, then there will be more time in the day. So, this year, with an amazing team assembled, I really believed that would be true. Can you say wriz-ong? Haha. However, much fun has been had. Unfortunately, I have not really been documenting it. I am going to start now…mostly so I can remember.
Carrie by the “Carrie B.”
My room before the tornado hit…
Umm…this picture of Maria was taken just after we tried to buy her an iPod out of a vending machine. Yeah, a vending machine. After I talked her into it, the dumb machine would not take her card because it was foreign. Boo.
————–
Also, if you are interested, check out the lovewell blog where students from around the world will be posting entries all summer. Go to www.lovewell.org and click on FORUM.
————–
We have film crew taping our every move. It is like being on a reality tv show. Seriously, I feel like the are with me everywhere I go. We are trying to finally get a real view of what this process is and in order to do so, the cameras are IN OUR FACE all the time. At first, everyone sort of rebelled. After making friends with Laz, Justin and Fern (our film crew) we have now all embraced it. As a matter of fact, the more we can mess with them the better. We have learned lessons like if you do want them to use the footage, simply talk straight into the camera and use their names. Or, it is always fun to just walk up and put your arm around them while they are working. Then there is my favorite, trying to take the camera away from them. Ahhh, sweet sabotage.
————–
I am really struggling to get my Visa to go to Russia. After discussing it with some of my pals, they proceeded to give me a hundred reasons why I should not want to go. If I were to post some of them here, well, my pals may get rat-tatted by the Russian mafia. So, I will not out them, but, beware, as I mentioned above, it is all on tape.
————
We started to actually write the show on Monday. With 40 students, actually getting to the writing takes some time. So, now we must write this beast in 5 days. So far, so good. We are about 33% done in just 2 days. It is a small miracle. Below is a short video of a piece of the opening number. These people have been invited to this strange place, where they will meet the keeper of all beliefs. This is a part of the invitation. It is going to be out of the box and cool…
—————-
In the midst of total summer madness…and loving every minute of it. We started a teen Lovewell workshop with 40 students today.
—————-
At the super last minute, we lost our choreographer for this giant program. Out of pure faith, I called in someone from the Salina crew and I must say…that never fails. Everyone used to say “there must be something in the water.” Maybe there WAS.
—————-
Sometimes when you are driving a gi-normous 15 passenger van, you run over some giant roots and scare the living ba-jesus out of everyone.
—————-
Yesterday was Katy Hawley’s birthday, HEY HEY!
—————-
My car got eaten alive by the horrible hail in Kansas last week. It was as big as a tennis ball. FOR REAL! Check out the pic that my Mom sent me!
—————-
This week, the Lovewell staff that is here already moved into the new dorms on Nova’s campus. Yesterday morning, I awake to the sound of someone banging on my door. Ugh. I get out of bed, do not get dressed, stumble to the door, look through the peep hole and see Shelly (our administrator and all around super woman), Meagan, Halle and Tobi (they are all sisters…and Shelly’s daughters.) They are holding a bucket full of bagels and are all talking a mile a minute. I open the door, turn around, walk back to my room, get back in bed and they all follow me. Next thing you know, Marcus (who had a sleep over with all of us) is awake and joining us and Andy comes over from his room across the hall. There are now 7 people in my dorm room that fits about 3, there are a dozen bagels, 2 containers of cream cheese, a bag full of 25 movies that Shelly brought us and mouths moving endlessly. This is all before an hour where people should even be awake. I look around. Someone hands me a bagel. There is laughing and passing and Hallee is sitting at the desk designing and drawing a new shirt that we are going to make and phones are ringing…and I stop. I stop to take all this in. For some reason, this is an amazing moment. It strikes me, the people piled into my room at this early hour are just a slice of this giant family, community that we all have created together. We can move and flow and fix and soothe and steady and invent and conquer anything that needs conquering. Damn. It really is so freeing to let go of the things that you tend to judge people for and just let them do what they do best. I try to imagine what the world would be like if we all did that. And then, there are times like yesterday morning, where I don’t have to imagine at all.
My mother and I headed to NY to spend a couple of days together before I take off for the summer. There is a reason why trips are called trips. In all of my brilliance, I brought the wrong keys to the apartment where we were supposed to be staying and we ended up on the streets of Spanish Harlem at 1a.m. Umm, can you say “oops?” Yeah, well my mom was cool and rolled with the punches even as the homies on the corner eyeballed us in all our green glory. After that major debacle, the rest of the journey was a joy. It is so amazing to have an adult relationship with your parents. Being with my mom there made me feel so very lucky and blessed for having…time.
Doesn’t my mom look like she could kick New York’s %!*?
We went to see “Mary Poppins.” Yeah, yeah, I can hear your reaction now. However, I must say I was throughly entertained. Come on, the guy tap danced on the ceiling. Tap dancing=awesome. On the ceiling!?!?
St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Did you know that tourists just come and go as mass is going on? What? The big man cannot be down with that.
Random street fair we found and proceeded to buy things and play carnival games.
Katy Hawley (hey, hey) and bulls balls. Funny.
My mother and bulls balls. Priceless.
We decided to be tourists and go over to Ellis Island and even Katy the snappy New Yorker went with us=) My Great grandparents came through there and it felt important to stand where they stood. I have been to NY many times and never gone. It was probably because I was supposed to go there with my mother.
The great hall, where every immigrant waited to be processed and let into the the land of the free and the home of the brave. Geesh, the energy in that place was indescribable.
My friends have a sign that hangs in their gazebo, looking out over the lake. It reads “We do not remember days; we remember moments.” Hmm…there were so many moments.
Seriously, this is one option.
Ryan and I have a long tradition of having birthday bashes to start the summer off right. This year is a big one for us both and it seemed appropriate to celebrate in the SA before we took off on our summer adventures. Ryan was nice enough to share the party with me, even though my actual b-day isn’t for another 3 weeks. Nothing like starting early. A month long birthday party? Yes. I think so. Why not?
The Paramount- A family place. Yes, that is Arlene (my Grandfather’s wife), in a bar.
Guess who had this cake made…just guess. Bobble head animals?
That is my dad, schooling the b-day boy in Ms. Pacman.
Boys, can someone please explain what is going on in this picture?
Somehow, someone captured the look that is given when my father says what has come to be known as a “Phrank-ism.” You know you have heard them and you know you have given him that look.
…and Alison was sober.
Aaaaannnd, black out.
————–
Just got back from NYC. My Mom and I had our first girlie trip together. It was wonderful. More about that later.
————-
Getting ready for the summer roller coaster ride is so intense. It involves so much planning and work that I almost cannot sleep until it all starts. Who needs sleep? Umm…I do.
————-