The Drive of the WitchHunters

Ah, how wonderfully Wicked of a week I have had. Tuesday night, we went to see Wicked in Cincinnati. Tim and I ended up with a couple extra tickets, and we invited Scott & Cindy to join us for the evening. Now, I've known them both awhile. In fact, it was basically six years ago that Scott first interviewed me for a job at Sherwood Oaks. As his assistant, I got to know the fun and wacky work-Scott. Then, through him I met and worked with Cindy on musicals and VBS programs. I even babysat for them a couple times - but getting to know them better on Tuesday was a wonderful experience.

What I learned? Cindy and I have more in common than I could have imagined! Books, theater, scrapbooking, food, friendships, family...it was a, pardon the 80's expression...blast to chat with her on the way to Cincy and back. The whole evening was just so much fun. Dinner, a GREAT show, and time with friends. What more could one ask for? Even though I also managed to shut my thumb in the car door (it's about 10 different shades of purple today).

So the company was great, and the show? WONDERFUL! I cannot express how much I love this show. The music, the costuming, the lights, the characters - it's all just amazing. I could watch it again today and get something completely new out of it!

Random thought from this week...

Since I haven't really posted anything in a week, here is rough synopsis of the comings and goings of my life!

LASIK is awesome. I see a little better every day. It is taking awhile to get used to, and looking at the computer is still the hardest part (hence the not blogging for a week). The surgery itself took a whole like 12 minutes - and I went from being basically blind to being able to see. Talk about a humbling and amazing experience. The first couple hours afterward were definitely the worst part of the whole thing - but still nothing that a nap, once I finally fell asleep, didn't help remedy. I have my one-week appointment tomorrow and after that i will not have to put eye drops in ALL the time (seriously one of them is every two hours - and that goes fast when you stop to really think about it). I will also hopefully be able to actually wash my face again after tomorrow. Now, before you think I'm gross, the shower water is allowed to beat my face clean, I just can't apply cleanser and scrub like I want to!

Beside the itchy eyes, though, I'm loving it. It's strange to be able to see when I get up in the middle of the night, when I take a shower, stuff like that. My outside/distance vision is much clearer than the close-up stuff, but I am still functional now and know it will only get better!

The weight-loss has not gone as well this week. I am officially weighing-in tomorrow, but I don't have too high of hopes. Maintaining what I lost last week would be good. It's been a busy week, and busy means I've been eating less than well...so I hope to get back on it this week. Between messed up food of Friday because of the surgery and then just a series of busy nights and being burnt out on lean cuisine, yeah...So I'm still hopeful for a 0 gain/0 loss week, and am back to drinking my water hard-core today and writing down everything I eat again.

The play. Ah, the play. I was very excited about it, and still am interested in it, but am also a little frustrated. I was a little misled on my part (being much smaller than they told me) but know that it's still a way in. And, i know that anything is better than nothing and I'm not complaining (too much) about that. What i AM complaining about is the fact that I don't have a schedule, don't know when I'm expected to be there, where we're rehearsing any given night, or even the official run of the show. Now, those things are probably to be expected with some community theaters, but the others I have been involved in have NOT operated that way at all, so I am a little annoyed at the whole thing. I'm supposed to be stage-managing, but don't know when rehearsals are! And, I cannot let it rule my life, but also know I made a commitment. I have had several things come up this week and it's annoying that I don' t know when the next rehearsal is, so I'll let you know how all that goes down!

Other than that, it's just been one of those weeks - small group, Wednesday night stuff here at the church, went to a movie last night...

how has your week been?

Weigh In

I posted my weight in from the first week of my new year's diet on my weight loss blog. Check it out :)

Today's the Day!

I will be having LASIK in about 3-3.5 hours. my appointment begins at 12:50. I'm nervous and excited....say a prayer it all goes well and i'll be sure to blog about it when I can once again see the screen :)

Another Reading Challenge...

....brought to me by the beautiful and amazing Nicole!

This time I'm signing up for the Decades '08 Challenge. And because I'm cool like that, i've added another set of criteria - all my books are newberry winners from their respective decade.

So, here's my list:

1920's - The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting

1930's - Invisible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs

1940's - The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pende de Bois

1950's - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare

1960's - Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

1970's - Sounder by William Armstrong

1980's - Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

1990's - The View from Saturday by EL Konigburg

These may change depending on how hard they are to find, but at least I have them off my desk an on my blog now!

I'm In!

So, for all of you waiting restlessly to hear whether or not I auditioned for "Through the Looking Glass," the answer is yes! Auditions were a lot of fun. They made me realize just how much I've missed theater and being on stage. They also made me realize how important it is for me to have a creative outlet with all the number-crunching madness I usually have in my life.

I was excited when I left, but also a little disappointed. I had re-connected with something that has been missing from my life for awhile and I realized how much I wanted to be part of something like theater again...and I was sure I wouldn't get a role. There are always a lot more girls than boys at these kind of things - and everyone there seemed to know everyone else - except me. I figured it was good I auditioned and that would be it.

Then, the email came this morning. The cast list was announced. And, guess what?!? I'm in! It's a small part, but it will be a lot of fun, and I am also going to help stage manage, so that gets me involved on many levels. I am soooooo excited. I almost cried when I saw my name on that list. It was like the first time I saw a cast list where my name was with a character instead of just "extra" or "townsperson."

Rehearsals begin Sunday and I cannot wait! I am sooo excited to have this opportunity!!!! Watch out stage, here I come!

To Audition or Not to Audition....

....that is the question.

I received an email today that says open auditions for the next MCCT production are tonight and tomorrow night at the library. Funny, considering I was going to the library tonight anyway...and i do miss acting. But I also know that one of my goals was to volunteer less this year - and will adding a production hinder that?!? And what are the chances I'd even get cast as an unknown person in the community theater world? And why do I feel the need to overthink this whole process so much?

Auditions are a good way to practice your skills and to get your face out there in the community. Auditions are a good way to meet people outside of your normal circle of friends and collegues. Auditions are a win-win situation.

And, honestly, my reasons for not auditioning are kind of silly - so maybe I will audition after all....

New Eyes

So, in less than a week I will have 'new' eyes. that's right, my LASIK appointment is Friday at 12:40pm in Indianapolis. I am nervous and excited all at the same time.


Here are some of the things I'm most looking forward to as I think of a glasses/contacts free life.

1. No longer being dependent on something else to be able to see.
2. Being able to see in the shower and as I get out of the shower.
3. The numbers on the clock during a sleepless night no longer being a blur.
4. Not having to take contacts, solution, glasses, and extra contacts with me everywhere I go.
5. Saving money over the remainder of my life due to lower medical costs.
6. Being able to fall asleep watching TV or reading without having to worry about dry eyes or my glasses getting broken.
7. Temperature changes inside and out won't matter nearly as much (no more foggy eyes).
8. The freedom.
9. Actually being able to see 24/7.

Things I'm a little nervous/worried about....

1. Those less than one half of one percent fluke risks - blindness, loss of eye, etc.
2. Being awake for the surgery, even if they give me drugs to keep me calm.
3. Dry eyes.
4. Accidentally rubbing my eyes during those first few weeks.
5. Something going wrong.
6. Eye pain - I don't handle pain well at all.
7. Not being able to see well for a small amount of time.
8. The unknown.

This is one of those things that is so exciting and a little scary all at the same time! I'll let you know how it goes!

(p.s. I've changed/updated the weight loss blog. Check it out!)

Thoughts for 2008

I stopped making resolutions awhile ago. They never seemed to work out for me anyway and I would often feel like I failed too much when I made them and they didn't work out. So, these are not resolutions - just goals/plans/hopes for 2008 :)

Lose Weight. Yeah, I know it's the usual new year's resolution, but still...it's mine, as well. I have set a couple reasonable goals - 15-20 pounds by my March 31 doctor's appointment, another 15-20 by mid-June. I've started keeping track of what I eat and drinking a ton and 1/2 of water, so I should be able to do it. Heck, i KNOW I can do it, because I've done it before. I just seem to be lacking the motivation for the last...I don't know...3 years :)

Write More. It's hard to follow your dreams when you don't put any effort into them. The only way I'll get published is to step up and actually put the pen to the paper on a regular basis.

Spend Less. The less we eat out, the more money we have to do other things we want to do - travel, etc - so eating out less is a definite this year.

Scrapbook Again. I have the tools and the pictures, but haven't even finished or really started the wedding/engagement book. Time to get on it already.

Say No. I'm bad at volunteering too much, agreeing to do too much, and spending too much time being busy. So, as strange as it sounds, I want to say No to more things and spend more time doing some of the other things I want to do, like writing and scrapbooking.

Learn More. My job is a great opportunity to learn more, and that's not the only thing I want to do. Since I was little, I've wanted to learn American Sign Language, so I think this is the year to pursue that on some level. I know a couple people who are fairly fluent, and hope they will be willing to help me in my journey.

Pray Daily. My prayer life ebbs and flows, and lately it's been doing a lot more ebbing. I want to get back into the habit of turning OFF the radio in the morning and praying on my way to work and similar, easy, ways to pray.

Be Open. "The best laid plans..." I know for all of my goals, everything can change in a heartbeat. I don't always handle change well, so I want to work on being open and flexible more this year.