Down the Rabbit Hole

The kids tried out for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Saturday and did very well, we got news they had been cast late Sunday night.  Chandler will be the Duchess, Ben is playing 2 smaller roles, an animal and a Spade and Jake has been cast as the Gryphon, but they have asked if he would consider the larger role of the White Rabbit if their first choice could not do it.  The casting is not settled at all, it might change by the time they start rehearsals in June, but that's where things are for now.  Matt might or might not be the Knave of Hearts.  I will not be doing any of the roles, it's another musical.

In other news, this weekend has been busy!  We were out all of Saturday then last night until 2 and ALL dang day today.  I plan to stay home until Thursday night, it's too hot and I am ready to be here a while.  I am sure June will not be my favorite month with rehearsals 4 nights a week and then Show Week.  July looks nice.  August will be a little crazy with 8 performances spread over 3 weeks, then September off and October-vacation for a couple of weeks.  We are kicking around camping at Disney or maybe just along the Atlantic Coast.  Maybe still going out west.  It's all balancing on basically house repairs and how much all of that will end up dipping into the budget and Matt's job.  Nothing is happening to his job, but he's traveling more and has more responsibility which means we can't just leave town at the end of the quarter or other busy times for the project he's on.  If we can't plan a 2-week trip until mid-October, it could be snowing in the Rockies already. 

At any rate, things will work out, I am sure of that much. 

Week End

It's been a good week around the castle, early in the week, we straightened up and ran errands, getting ready to go off camping.  We went on a short backpacking trip Wednesday and Thursday and then on Friday, Evan graduated after passing his GED with excellent scores!

 We started at the house, went to the waterfall, the point, through the boulder garden wildflower area, Linden Meadows up the cane Creek Trail through the hogback boulder area and camped at the old beaver pond.

It was around 7 miles total, a nice walk in a beautiful area!

 +++++

 The ceremony was held at the college, we arrived early and the kids were able to chat and visit a while, and so did the adults!

The spring graduating class!  The program serves around 1100 students a year in the northwest Alabama area.  Around 100 showed up for the actual ceremony.

After the ceremony, we had cake and punch at the reception and talked to everyone a while, then headed to Taco Bell at Evan's request.  We had a great time getting to chat with everyone and relaxing a while before the drive home.

Today, the kids are all off at auditions for the next play, it's a musical, so Jake worked all week learning his song. 

I am at home, I get so worked up at the auditions that it was agreed, I should just let Matt handle them.  The kids were up, dressed, fed and ready to go before we even woke up this morning, they are all so excited about another play.  I hope they do well and get cast!  Several friends are trying out, too.  It will be lots of fun for them to get to hang out with everyone again like they did with Oz.  It's an older cast, I am hoping it will be a better experience-and less germ-riddled!  haha

Play Audition

 Chandler tried out for a musical today with Keilee, she was amazing.  Just after we got there, she was called up to read lines, which she and Kei did with a British accent.  hehehe!  Then, several of the little girls were singing church songs for their singing audition and she gets up there and launches into My Eyes from Dr. Horrible.  YES!  She messed up one word, but went right back to it. 

This one is so funny, Chan's up there, looking over her lines, listening to the director and BAM, she sees the Dalmatian tissue box sitting there and it freaked her out!  hahaha
"What the..."

 

The lighting was awful, I did not want to use my flash.  I was the only person taking pictures, I wonder what's up with everyone else!  

Yes, and I was THE geek mom who pinned her number to her shirt.  Apparently past a certain age, the cool kids pin them to their PANTS.  Oh.  

Karen is taking them to see the list tomorrow, to see if they both were cast.  I won't sleep again tonight, I swear, I am SO much more stressed than the kids about this stuff.  Chan turned to me AFTER we got there and said, "So...what do you think I should sing?"  Ack!

My roommate in college was auditioning for a summer program at Julliard.  I have been around the diva type and heard the same song about 900 times the weeks before the audition.  Chan did not even hum this past week.  I think there is something in between the two.


I love her composure, she isn't rattled or silly.  I told Matt I was glad she was not me, that she did not have my fears.  I got to thinking on the way home, it's because when she goes to these things, ALL of the other kids are doing the same thing she is. Some are good, some are terrible, but they all get up there.  She's never heard anyone suggest it's a scary experience to be on stage because everyone wants to be on stage.  She's never been judged by peers for what she's wearing or her hair or...anything.  The girls all tell each other how fantastic they are.  hahaha!  And they ARE great girls, all so smart and wildly talented.  But, it reminded me that homeschooling is a gift. 

She sent word a few minutes before her turn that she was singing something by Tori Amos.  Okay...that could go either way.  Matt and I held a quick conference about potentially interfering with her choice while Karen sang and danced a bawdy tale of seduction to demonstrate the worst that could possibly happen.  We decided to sit on our hands and let her make her own decision.  Then on stage, she announced she was singing a song from Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog.

I think she did a great job, especially considering the time she spent working on it, LOL!!