It's almost time for my 20 year high school reunion. Sheesh--time flies! I watch Cody as he enters his senior year of high school and it seems like I was that age only a few years ago. I had planned to travel with friends to Cedar City to see some Shakespeare (an annual tradition for us) that weekend, but when I realized the dates conflicted, I decided to go to the reunion instead. I don't know--it just seems like the sort of thing I would regret missing. I'm very curious to see how people have changed--or if I'll even remember people? Should be good times.
I'm not in a play right now. Don't worry, though--I get a little performance fix every time I train, and since I'm supposed to be in front of a classroom 50% of my time at work (?), I'm getting a lot of performance time...This week I'll be closer to 80% facilitation time--whew! I imagine it won't be long before I'm ready to hit the stage again, but for right now, it's kind of nice not to have regularly scheduled rehearsals. I really was crazy during the first half of this year!!

Happy Memorial Day!

This summer is starting out really well! I've been working out for 3 weeks now with friends from work (they're making me, really, which is the only reason I've lasted this long... Bless them!). Weirdly, although I'm not seeing a difference in my shape, and I'm not yet able to lift heavy things, I'm not discouraged. I think there's a huge mental lift in knowing you're doing something good for you.

I'm working on just one play right now, and Guys and Dolls is shaping up nicely. What a great cast! The set is going to be amazing--a lot of work still needs to be done, but what's there already is fantastic.

Shawn and Rhoda are moving into a new home--smaller yard, but WAY more bathrooms, and bedrooms for everyone--should be fabulous! I'm excited to see it!

And the weather--okay, it rained a little, but really, just gorgeous! I'm looking forward to spending some time outside this year. I know, I always say that--this year for real, though! :)

Looking forward to many more beautiful things!

Turns out if you never write anything here, it's not a good way to keep track of what's going on in your life... :)

I'm now in THREE plays at one time (this is the crossover week), and I don't know quite what I've done to myself. I just finished the Stake melodrama (or it would have been FOUR plays), I'm performing (and assisting with production for) "Don't Drink the Water" at the Sugar Factory, I'm performing in StageRight's "A Grand Night For Singing" (a Rogers and Hammerstein musical review) and I'm assistant director for "Guys and Dolls" at the Sugar Factory (auditions were/are this week). Luckily, after this weekend I'll be down to two shows, and the StageRight show only really impacts the next two weeks or so. I love being on stage--timing-wise, this might be pushing it....

"Hello Dolly" auditions are next week at Hale, though, and I'm totally going... :) I'd be more worried about that if I was sure I'd get in, but since I think I'll be very lucky to make call backs, I'm going to just live for the moment.

I have a friend who is stressed because her dating life is dismal right now--dating? Who has time for that? I have another friend getting married next Friday, and I must ask again--marriage? Who has time for that? Hmmm--I may have some skewed perspective here. This may require a little more thought on my part.

I'm in two plays right now--THAT's kind of crazy. Jack of all trades, master of none... The stake melodrama opens this week and plays 3/11, 3/13, 3/14, and 3/16. "Don't Drink the Water" at the Sugar Factory Playhouse opens the 19th and plays through the 30th. What a crazy month!! Good thing I love it... :)

Remember the scripture about the beam and the mote? While we're being critical of others for the tiny faults they exhibit, we're completely missing the huge problems we need to fix in our own lives? I had a recent aha moment...
I've been studying a class for work (I'm certifying to train it) called "Crucial Conversations". This training is all about sitting down and calmly talking about the "elephant in the room" things that are keeping us from making progress.
This isn't the first communication class that I've taken--far from it. As I sat back watching a recent "conversation" (read: argument) between two people, I was mentally reviewing the tactics that would make the conversation better. Smugly, I considered how the two people involved "just needed to..." when I remembered a similar conversation I had recently had. A VERY similar conversation. When I had made several similar mistakes. I think sometimes we have to see the mote in another's eye to even begin wondering if we HAVE a mote or a beam in our own eye. The trick isn't noticing the mote--that's easy. The trick is looking BEYOND the mote, to the lesson WE need to learn.
Hmm--very profound. Good thing I'm the only one reading this blog.

It occurs to me that I will never really have time to sit down and document all the fabulous things that happen in my life. The longer I wait to start, the more things happen, and the further behind I get.
Although I won't have all the cute kid pictures my sister in law posts on her blog, with my crazy family and my 9 nieces and nephews, I'm bound to think of stories I want to add. Add on Community Theater, the "old-folks" singles ward, and the life of a Training Specialist, and I'll never run out of experiences!

The only trick now is finding someone besides me who wants to read about them!! :)