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House Guests
Some people are gifted at entertaining guests. You’d think that as a performer that would come with the talent like a package deal. Entertaining, entertainer. Basically the same thing. I guess not. I struggle. There’s something about inviting people to my house that suddenly makes me very aware of anything that looks non-Pinterest worthy. Yes… it’s a problem. I know… Of my four girls, I have two children that are of the age where they can help with quite a few chores with very minimal direction (finally). I have one child that needs me to watch her and tell her exactly what to do step by step. And then… I…
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Making Plans
What are you up to Saturday night? Seems like a simple question… Just don’t ask it to me. Don’t ask if we’re coming to visit. Don’t ask if I’m planning on going to the park. Don’t ask if I’m coming for Christmas. I mean… you can ask all you want; it’s not like it offends me… I just won’t know what to tell you. The thing is, we genuinely don’t know. Ben’s work is, as we have already established in other posts, not a very traditional job. It’s not like he has a set schedule… ever. There’s no 9-6 job, with dinner and a bedtime routine. Ben loves singing the girls…
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The Preschool Teacher
At the end of the summer, I took my girls and mom to a carnival the local school district put on to celebrate the upcoming school year. There were many booths, giveaways, performances, free food, and free backpacks for all the children. We all were having a great time. I had just finished a singing competition (cause, why not), and had gone to find my children in the food line. I know you’re all wondering… but no, I didn’t win the competition; it was based on cheers. Never a great way to determine a winner. Not that I was bothered by it; it was just fun to get up and…
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A Commercial Reel
Have I told you that Ben, Jess and I are in a music video together? This past October, one of our dear friends was making a music video for a song that she had done the vocals for… and she asked us if we would be willing to be actors in it! Acting in a music video? Um, yeah! We all thought it would be super fun! How hard could it be? I thought we would be the background… you know, walk through the scene, or sit on a park bench as someone walked by. I didn’t realize that they would be zooming in on my face! I claim to…
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I survived potty training
Okay, so this is my third child that I’ve needed to potty train. You’d think by now that I’d be a pro. Haha. No. I have no idea. Potty training my oldest was so hard. We started training, then stopped, at least 3 times before finally finding a solution that worked for both of us. With my second child I was determined not to have that happen again. So… I gently allowed her to make her own choices about using the potty. Well… that too backfired. My brilliant little 23 month old Liz figured out how to use the potty and basically potty trained herself (with some help and encouragement…
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Whither Thou Goest…
Going into this new adventure we’ve embarked on, I never really realized what I would be willing to give up. Honestly, I probably still don’t know. Uprooting our own family, leaving other family and friends behind, sacrificing stability and financial expectations, and so on. I know that God wants us to be where we are. I know He wants me to be an actor’s wife. But each new experience shows me that I am just beginning to learn all of what that really means. I guess I thought we’d just go to California and live with my parents for five to ten years (hopefully closer to five); after the first…
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God loves things that grow
When we first moved into our new home, our backyard was a bit neglected. It hadn’t seen children for quite some time, and had forgotten its usefulness. So we decided to give it a facelift. First and foremost, we needed a garden. Part of the reason was that our little Liz had had a hard time with the move. There were days where I was sure that she was not okay, and that she would need a therapist to treat her for depression. Turns out that Ben is also a part-time therapist. Okay… well, not really. But he does have a talent for helping people process their emotions, and feel…
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A Show for the Waiting Room
Soon after we arrived, I needed to take Adrie to the doctor’s office for her 12-month checkup. All we had to do first was find a doctor, and make an appointment. A cinch, right? The entire process only took us three months, and turned the 12-month into a 15-month checkup. Honestly though… it was a huge process. The insurance company sent me a huge booklet (kind of an ironic name, right?) with all of the available doctors, hospitals, and clinics in the state. And it had all the information available in no less than 16 languages. Talk about a waste of paper! Maybe they could try asking what language people…
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Four girls?!
Ben is definitely peculiar to many of the actors he meets. For one thing, he’s happily married. I guess they believe that being in a committed relationship hinders your options as a performer, or maybe that acting destroys relationships. I admit, there have been jobs that he decided not to apply for because they would require him to leave us for a long period of time, or do things that would make me uncomfortable. Apparently, that’s strange to them. What really makes him a sensation, though, is that we have so many children… and that we want more. We’re the unicorns of the entertainment world… they have heard of people like…
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Adventures with Central Casting
Alright, just to recap, here is our to-do list. With the first four items checked off, it was time to register with Central Casting. The next big movie you watch, check the credits. Chances are, Central Casting is listed; they are the most well-known background talent agency in the country. Background actors, also known as extras, are exactly what they sound like… they are all the people you see in a movie, but probably don’t notice. In fact, a background actor who draws attention is probably not doing the job right. And in places like L.A., the entertainment industry needs thousands of them. To register to work as an extra…
