Saturday Seven!

OK, so seven random facts so that I'll at least be making a blog post...

1) I love having teenagers... really, I do. They fascinate me and make me proud. Yes, a certain one was hard as a tween and early teen but his older years have been better. I am so thankful for change and for answered prayer. This son embodies the name he was given well. Seeing him perform as a centaur in "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" this weekend brought tears to my eyes and not just because of his performance. Seeing what teens are capable of when empowered always blows my mind. A friend of his did the choreography for the wood nymphs and his girlfriend designed the makeup for all of the characters. As it turns out, I found out that the boy who played Aslan runs his own theater company in the summer and writes the plays that they perform. He's done it for three years and he is only a junior in highschool. Facts like this blow my mind. And, he attends public school breaking thus breaking the myth that only homeschooled children have time to follow their passions.

2) I can take my time writing a story. Right now I am figuring out the main conflict overarching my entire story and it's scary and exciting at the same time. I keep encountering cliches but am beginning to believe that every story is a cliche to some extent and that what is most important is how you tell the story.

3) Volunteering at the charter school has given a huge boost to my confidence. I am able to contribute in artistic ways and actually am treated like an equal in a way due to my art degree. I am enjoying having the interaction with the teachers and sense a kindred spirit possibly in the sculpture teacher who attended the same college I did but graduated two years after me.

4) I love playing Scrabulous online with my far away friends.

5) It's never a good idea to discuss what to do when you are afraid of a dog with an 8 year old when the 8 year old is already a bit scared and your dog is in the room trying to sniff her and get in his place on the couch. Needless to say, she freaked out completely and we had to call her Mom. My dog would never bite anyone but I thought she should know in general that mean dogs will come after you if you run and act scared and that normally if you ignore them and stay still, they will go away. I was bit twice as a child. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

6) The Cure is playing a show in Philly in May and I want to go. I haven't seen them in probably 15 years.

7) Cake is also playing nearby in a few weeks. Amp and I are contemplating going. I am hesitant, though, since it is a couple hours away and would most likely require a hotel room. I'd love to hang out with Amp, though.