Change . . .

About a month ago Geoff's job was on the line. We were unsure if he would have his job and had to wait for a week to know. They kept dragging it out and it was MISERABLE! As anyone would, we started looking elsewhere - just in case. I was on the phone with my best friend in Colorado and mentioned to her all our fears and she reassured me it all would work out. I trust this gal with my life and so I just kept praying and keeping the faith. 2 more days passed and she called me with news of her hubby's work looking at a new position. Geoff called him and discussed the details. Now we are just waiting . . . summer is slow for the company and so we are just waiting and hoping this comes true this fall. Although I have lived in Arizona my entire life (39 years) and it would be hard to leave - - we need a change. A change of seasons, change of scenery, change of employment, change full of new adventures.

I have family, students, friends, and memories here in Arizona. And I have to admit it scares me a bit but I'm ready for a CHANGE! I really feel that we NEED this!

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it,

move with it, and join the dance. Alan Watts

When we mentioned it to the kids there were tears. Kylee cried because she doesn't want to leave her friends and she is "making history" by being the last class of 9th graders at Poston Jr High before Mesa Public Schools put all of them at the high schools. Maddi cried because Geoff mentioned to them that he would be doing a lot of traveling with this job but that it would be worth it because I would be home more and the pay is significantly higher. We assured her with cell phones and computers, she'd be fine. She LOVES to Skype and so she was ok. The boys didn't seem to care, as long as they could play baseball.

This may or may not happen, but we still pray for change.

Stay TOONed!!

This is what memories are made of!

Monday morning came VERY early! My alarm went off at 5:15am and I woke up Jonathan. I love how boys are so fast. He showered and dressed and we left the house at 5:35 to hit McDonald's for breakfast. The last thing Geoff said to him when he said goodbye the night before was - -

THIS IS WHAT MEMORIES ARE MADE OF. Don't sit idly by - get out there and enjoy it!

What a great man I married and what great advice! Jonathan is a carbon copy of his Dad and I think he understood. When we arrived at the church parking lot about 5 minutes early, Jonathan was apprehensive to get out right at first but as more boys showed up, he began to relax and before I knew it, he was 'gone'. I sat with some other Mom's while they loaded up, had prayer and headed out. I picked up Geoff from work and then headed home to hit my pillow again but that was short-lived. By the time I got home it was almost 8am and the others were ready to hit the party for Memorial Day at my sisters. I gave them a small "list" of things to get done before we could go and it was about 11:30 when we pulled out of the garage and headed on our way, leaving Geoff to sleep on the couch from his nightshift.

Green chili burros, 3 kinds of homemade salsa, chips, beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and other yummy toppings were there waiting for us. We filled our tummies and our hearts and minds with loads of fun, visiting with family and swimming. All of us got a little sun, considering it was only "warm" for Arizona on this holiday. I always enjoy visiting with all of my family and although we were missing Mindy and her family (in Colorado), Liz (in Oregon), my Jonathan (at scout camp) and my Geoff (asleep), we still had 19 grandkids, Grandpa and Grandma, 7 adults and LOTS of noise and fun! Never a dull moment at the Whiting Family Parties! We arrived home just in time for Geoff to eat some food we brought home and then he headed out the door back to work. All of us crashed in the family room on couches and floor for about an hour or so until we were awaken by the doorbell. Kylee had girls waiting for her to go "lead" them as they heart attacked a new Beehive on the eve of her 12th birthday.

Tuesday started with Kylee, myself and the YW president going to the above mentioned new Beehive's home to welcome her in to Young Women's and present her with her new Personal Progress Book, journal, theme card and For Strength of Youth pamphlet. Kylee is the Beehive President and I'm the Personal Progress leader. It's fun to go together and welcome the new girls and talk about the joy and fun of Personal Progress. Unfortunately while we were there, we learned that at scout camp yesterday (their first day), one of the leaders (Rick Wheeler - who was one of Jonathan's previous scout leaders) was in an accident. He was the first to ride the zip line and he hit a tree. They worried about spinal injuries and fortunately there were none but he was air evac'd to St Joe's (they were up by Strawberry). He had some pretty serious facial damage. They had to do some facial reconstruction and wire his jaw shut since it was broken. This just about broke my heart in two when I heard this! Rick is a gentle giant and an amazing man who has had an amazing influence on both my boys! We pray he will recover quickly and that his family will be comforted. Then my heart went to my son, who was there when this happened. I hope Jonathan learned as he watched the priesthood put into action and felt the spirit as Bro. Wheeler remained calm through it all. I pray that his heart is calmed and he is ok. My Jon-boy has such a tender heart and I hope he remains strong and still enjoys himself without apprehension and fear. I hope he remembers the WISE words his Dad gave him and is getting out there to MAKE SOME MEMORIES!

Stay TOONed!

All-Star Baseball season is starting!

A "Plaid-tastic" Day!

I closed my current show today. This is always a bittersweet thing. The sweet - I LOVE what I do and LOVE my time when I'm there. The bitter - the drive, the time away from family and sacrifices that are made to be there. I went into this job a little blind. Well, everyone involved did. I mean, I knew my job title. Music Director. I would teach the songs that were in show and then put together a group of musicians to play for the productions. Easy enough. I've done it many times before. I knew "of " the music. They were from an era gone by and in a similar show. Right? WRONG! The show was a new production. And when I say new - I mean NEW! Greasepaint Theatre was the FIRST theatre to put this show on. It was still being written just 4 months ago. Forever Plaid (original show) is a show consisting of 4 men. The Sound of Plaid (show I was working) is a show consisting of 16 kids, boys and girls and a few extra characters. We added 3 extra little ones to make an additional trio, making our cast 21 kids ranging in age from 7-17 yrs. They could all sing, we heard them audition, but some had never sung in a group or sung harmonies. And these songs weren't easy. And did I mention that they had anywhere from 4-8 parts in harmony? Oh! And did I mention there were 22 songs in the show?! AND did I mention I was IN the show too? The band (piano, bass and drums) are ON stage and I was front and center at the baby grand, in a tux. I conducted with my head and played the whole show. I even had a bit part where I was featured a couple of times. I had my work cut out for me and I have to admit, I came home from the first rehearsal and cried. I felt way like I was in WAY OVER MY HEAD and I feared I wasn't going to be able to pull it off. I almost felt out of my league, but yet still knew somewhere inside that I was capable. I just had to plow through and that we did. Some nights I felt like I was making enemies with kids I didn't even know yet. Yes, there were nights of frustration but then there were what I like to call "a-ha!" moments. We'd plunk out parts until they were blue in the face and I was tired of hearing them and then we'd put them together with accompaniment and I was almost in tears. Not from the frustration but from the pure joy of hearing them! They'd sing and it was GORGEOUS! They made me smile!! Fortunately those moments outshine the bad every time! :)

To top it off - this show was set in 1964 and these kids were not even a twinkle in most of their parents eyes yet. Heck - some of their parents weren't even born yet! So needless to say, we had quite the time teaching them about the era. They didn't know who Marilyn Monroe was or what the Ed Sullivan Show was. We even had to describe was a record and record player was to some. "Oh, you mean those black circle things?" It was educational for everyone involved. So let me share with you what I learned. I learned if I keep my "momma patience" and work hard, it pays off. These kids simply amazed me. If you had asked me about the show just 2 days before we opened, I would've told you not to buy a ticket. (Not really but you get the idea.) It was rough, I'm not gonna lie. But today for the closing show, they showed everyone in attendance what hard work can do. They had an amazing show and they "showed up" for every single one of them! What a great run! GO PLAIDS!

And I would be an awful mother if I didn't add that today my Jonathan was ordained a Deacon. I can't believe he is 12 yrs old. He leaves for scout camp at 6am (thank goodness McD's is open at 5am!) and will be gone all week. I asked him tonight if he was gonna miss us. He replied, "Yeah, but I think I'll survive." Then I asked him if he was gonna miss his Mom and if he wanted a picture of me to remember me. He again replied, "I'll miss ya but I think I'll live without one. I've got you here." (He proceeded to point to his head) Lil' Stinker! Love my Jon-boy!! He's my shy and quiet kid but he's got a sense of humor that will catch you off guard and he knows how to have fun with his friends. I'm not worried and I'm sure he'll have a blast this week!!

And now, I'm off to bed - big day tomorrow.

Stay TOONed!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?!?!?!

As I mentioned before, this summer is all about CHORES! Or at least we'll start them, like New Years resolutions, right? I have never considered myself a pig or even a real messy-type person but with shows, teaching and life in general - things get away from you. I mean, laundry gets done and kids are fed and dishes are done, but I get behind on stuff that I just can't keep up on. Things that are important to me - maybe not everyone but to me. So . . . we are gonna fix that this summer.

So far, so good. I have changed things up a bit and we decided (we, as in the hubby and I) that we'd take a room a day and divide up the chores in 4 ways to deep clean it from top to bottom. This usually entails -

1 - vacuum (including the edges)

2 - dusting (including removing all items and replacing after dusted, ceiling fans)

3 - wipe down walls, baseboards, door frames

4 - windows (wash in/out, wipe down sills and blinds)

First day was my studio room. The kids were GREAT and the room looks GREAT! I did have to go in and do some "touch up" but most of that was my stuff to go through anyway. I can see through my windows, my shelves are easier to find music in and it looks and smells great! (I love the new room/fabric refresher from Bath and Body! It's about $8 a bottle, lasts forever and the SMELL is AmAZing and LASTS FOREVER!) And all of this happened in about an hour and a half and with little to no fighting.

Day two is happening now. The family room. Center was emptied and Old English'ed, blinds, windows, couch cushions removed and vacuum is running in couches (YIKES), walls washed, etc. etc. etc. BUT . . . there is a TON of fighting happening today! It's only been about an hour and it's almost done but you'd think I'd asked them all to scrub the top of the Chrysler building! Arguing about this, yelling about that! I'm pretty sure some of it has to do with the fact that they all stayed up a little TOO LATE since it was the first FRIDAY SCHOOL WAS OUT but my goodness!!! I came to the solace of my room and as I left them to finish up (hubby and I do help them - I did yesterday, he did today) I heard one of the boys tell the others . . . and I quote . . . "I don't know if I like her home more now. Maybe she'll get another show."

Does absence REALLY make the heart grow . . . FONDER??? LOL! Maybe not, but I'll have a CLEAN HOUSE in the meantime!

Hot Tub? Bathtub? Anything??

Sometimes a Mom just needs to escape!!

Although today was pretty low key, I was really craving a long soak in a tub tonight. But, alas, our master bath only has a large shower (and it is large). Our hall bathroom is just a regular size tub and I just wasn't diggin' on it tonight.

. . . then

the State Farm commercial came on - the one where the 3 guys sing the jingle (come on, you know it - ♪ ♫ Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there ♪ ♫) and they instantly get what they want. First a sandwich, then the hot girl and lastly a hot tub. My Maddi snapped her finger after the commercial and said "hot tub". When nothing happened she looked at me with a sly smile and said, "That actually doesn't work, Mom."

She's such a hoot!

Secretly, I wished it did work tonight!

A hot tub!

Wouldn't that be nice to relax in

with a good book, a cold drink and escape from the world?

What do you like to do to escape reality??

Bittersweet!

It's the last day of school for Mesa and it's a FULL day! And by that I mean ALL DAY OF SCHOOL - not a half day like Gilbert. And I'm good with that!! :) I get ONE MORE DAY to organize, clean and get my chore charts printed before they get home. They know they are "my slaves" for the summer, with some chores that require time. With school, dance, baseball, shows, and all that life brings, I enjoy the summer in that I can finally get some BIG things done. Among my list is clean the garage, finish painting the game room, touch up painting bedrooms and living areas, wiping down baseboards and doorframes and touch up painting them if needed, and lots of others.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO CLEAN UP DURING THE SUMMER?

We also have some big plans for summer and hope they can be followed through. I am working 3 weeks of summer music theatre camps, scout camp, girls camp, Journey (young women's retreat), Time to Blossom (girls retreat), trip to Colorado, trip to Oregon, etc etc etc. Here's hoping I keep my sanity!

But back to my bittersweet moment - I'm excited to have my kids home, excited to get some things done, excited to not have to get up so early, excited to enjoy some quality time together. But I'm not excited for the noise, the messes, the dozens of kids in my pool (although that is fun!), the LATE bedtimes, the lack of motivation. Can't decide which weighs heavier for me!

WHAT ABOUT YOU??

Last night of silence . . .

It's only 10pm and my house is quiet. It's the last night of "school bedtimes". And because I'm not at the theatre and Geoff is gone to work (he's on night shifts this week) - MOM SET THE LAW and THE LAW WON! Everyone had dinner, showered, and was in bed (since there was no real homework) ON TIME!! (insert song ditty - Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles)

I will miss this time. The time when I can enjoy the golden silence of just my mind and sometimes the t.v. MY alone time when Geoff is working nights and the kids are in bed at a decent time. MY time to goof around on FB. MY time to do what I WANT! Tonight I started my summer chore charts (well, I updated them from last year), I played on FB, I emailed a bunch of peeps, looked at Beatles music for summer camp (details about that another day), and text silly messages back and forth with the hubby at work. We discussed how we are going to spend the LAST day of the school year when ALL the kids are gone. He will have just come off a nightshift, so we'll have to play it by ear and see how tired he is, but we listed lunch, cuddling on the couch with a movie we've been wanting to see, looking at houses in another state (details to be explained later too), and planning out our summer fun. I'm just excited to have a day with JUST HIM to myself for one more day until the fall! I love my Geoff!

ALSO - - -

Tonight was a BIG night for my Jon-boy! Jonathan turned 12 last Friday and he got to go to mutual for the first time tonight. He and I went on an "errand" (that's what we call soda runs) and I asked him if he was nervous. His reply was a very timid "kinda". But he left with a friend and had fun! Tonight they split up into troops for Scout Camp. He leaves for his first Scout Camp on Monday at 6AM!

Lots going on this weekend . . . .

"Stay TOONed!"