Tales
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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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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…
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Courting an Agency
Putting together an acting resume was more challenging than we had expected. First off… Ben didn’t have much film experience. He’s done a lot of acting… but most of what he has done has been in theater. Don’t get me wrong, theater is fantastic; many of my favorite film actors started on the theater stage: Hugh Jackman, Kristen Bell, Zachary Levi, lots of others. But theater credits don’t have much weight on a film resume. The little experience Ben did have in film was mostly background work, and some of it was over a decade ago. Another thing about resumes is that they showcase acting-related skills. What skills count as acting-related,…
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Changing the World
The girls and I have been plogging a lot lately! …It looks like I don’t know how to spell, doesn’t it? No worries… it’s spelled that way on purpose. Plogging is a Swedish fitness craze that is a combination between jogging and picking up trash. It not only helps you get a cardio workout, but also helps the environment! When we first moved to California, we were appalled by how filthy our new city was, especially compared to our beautiful Cache Valley. We moved into a neighborhood where there are cars constantly lining the streets. Most homes house several families, and the houses themselves are often old and cluttered. Our…
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The Dilemma: Shop With Children… or Starve?
I recently read “Marley and Me” by John Grogan. It was a great book! Definite must read. It’s about a family raising a very unruly and hyper yellow labrador. The dog, Marley, is nicknamed “The World’s Worst Dog.” The book follows the Grogan family as they balance their lives as journalists, spouses and parents, and dog owners. Throughout the story, Marley gets kicked out of obedience school, tears apart the house due to fear of lightning, eats the baby’s dirty diapers, and still manages to become a vital and endearing member of the Grogan family. At one point in the story, the Grogans needed a dog sitter for Marley while…
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Operation Bullyproof
While Jess still felt that her karate skills were more than good enough to handle the situation at hand, Ben and I decided that a bit of bully-stopping self-defense training was in order. (For the full story read this first – Girls Can’t Play Soccer). After discussing it together, we came up with a three step process to follow: Step 1: Keep a straight face and use a stern, strong voice to say, “Stop that. It’s not a game. I don’t like it.” Step 2: If they don’t stop, give them a second stern, clear warning. Step 3: If they still don’t stop, punch them as hard as you can.…
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Girls Can’t Play Soccer
For most people, moving in the middle of the school year isn’t easy. Jess, though… she took it all completely in stride. She has always been one to “just keep swimming.” As soon as we knew we were moving, we did our best to make sure the girls understood why we were leaving. It wasn’t just something that we wanted; they needed to know that God was sending us. There was a real purpose to it… not just for Ben and I, but for the girls, too. They just had to find out what it was. For Jess, that was enough. The day I dropped her off at her new…
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The Intro – Here’s to the Ones Who Dream (Part 4 of 4)
So there we were… the director of a non-profit/financial consultant, and the full-time mom. He was still building two businesses, which means the income was still unpredictable. To help supplement our income, Ben would find himself doing odd jobs here and there. This job, though, found him. A friend who works in the film industry offered him the opportunity to be in a small fan film. Due to connections he made there, he was contacted to be an extra in a tv show, and then again in a film. And he loved every minute of it. He started looking for more background work and was able to be in a…
