Wow. December's half over. How did that happen? I figure I'm due for an update here. Pictures will follow in the next few days or so. It has been a crazy few weeks.
My show opened Nov. 28 and closed yesterday, the 13th. We had 10 shows in total and it was a blast! I wasn't so sure, even 3 weeks ago how this show would turn out. Seriously, just days before opening, people were still missing cues and lines and just generally messing up (me included, but not often, I'm too much of a perfectionist to let it happen too much at that stage of a production). Some people didn't even have costumes yet! Everyone kept telling me, Amdram (Wanganui Amateur Dramatists) always "pulls it together at the last minute". Yikes! But they/we did!
Our final dress rehearsal was on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and it was phenomenal! Colin actually brought Ethan to it, as Ethan was begging to see me on stage. He only lasted for the first half. He was SO tired by intermission. His favourite part was when "Mommy was pretty." Um, yeah, that would be when Mommy walked on stage dressed as a streetwalker. Yes, pictures will be forthcoming.
We performed for sold out crowds pretty much the whole run. Expectations run high when "Allo, Allo" is staged here, due to the cult success of the TV program. And I think we met those expectations. It was fun. I'm so glad I did it. I'm so glad I got my foot in the theatrical door here, so to speak. I may not do another show for awhile, but at least they all know me now.
Colin has been finishing the school year here. It hasn't been too bad, but he IS very busy with another job, which is super top secret and I'm not allowed to say what it is. Haha! Seriously, though. I'm legally not supposed to share, but suffice it to say he'll be done on the 19th and we will *finally* have some down time. At the moment, his super-top-secret job is taking up every waking moment that he is not at school or anywhere else we need to be.
He will continue to work at Stellar (his restaurant) for the summer, but without the pressure of school and the everyday "grind", that won't be too bad. We plan to take a few days to visit the east coast of the north island (we've never been over there), but otherwise, we'll just stick around Wanganui and maybe take in some activities near here that we haven't had a chance to explore yet.
And another milestone for Colin is that he is an officially registered teacher in New Zealand. Colin's never actually been a registered teacher "officially" anywhere we've lived. In Lethbridge, he only substitute-taught. Last time we lived here, he couldn't apply for it because you had to have taught here for two years first. We were only here a year and a half. And then we were only in BC for two years, and he didn't actually have all the course-work done there to become a fully registered teacher.
A little side-note here. In the almost year and a half since we left Victoria, we have come to see MANY blessings that came from something that, at the time, felt like the worst thing in the world. I won't go into all of those today, but this teacher registration is one of those. When Colin was hired there, he had 3 years to complete 4 extra courses that BC required on top of the 6 years of university Colin already had under his belt. So annoying. And we couldn't afford it. Not to mention, that particular school worked Colin to the bone and with his second job, he had no time. Just before he lost his job, he was seriously looking into the coursework, since he only had one year left to get it done before his temporary teacher registration would have been cancelled. We had no idea how we would have afforded it, but he had to do it.
If we'd stayed, he would have paid whatever 4 university courses cost (a lot!), and who knows the toll the whole thing would have cost him and our family. As of this year, BC's policies have changed and they now accept Alberta-trained teachers and no longer require them to take any extra courses to receive full registration. If we'd stayed, he would have already taken the courses before hearing this news and we would have been SO devastated, having spent that kind of time and money.
And SO, another way God has used that horrible time in our lives to OUR benefit. We serve an amazing God, indeed.
Colin is very proud of his NZ teacher registration. And I'm proud of him. It's a bit of "permanency" that makes us feel like our life is approaching stability. That we may actually be in one place longer than 2 years! Imagine that.
And our Ethan! We couldn't be prouder of our little Zacchaeus this morning. He was so excited to be in his own play. He wanted it to be performed many more times than just once (like Mommy's play). It was short and was narrated, so he didn't have any lines. It was performed like a slide show, with a curtain showing the kids in "tableau" for the various scenes. It was really cute. It was all part of the Oasis Club presentation in church this morning, showing everyone what they have been talking about and learning all year in Oasis (Sunday School). It was great.
And a Silas update. Well, he's turned into a chatterbox like his brother. This whole notion of boys talking "later" (than girls) hasn't seemed to apply to my boys. Every day, I notice something that really drives it home that he is not my little baby anymore. He turns 2 in less than a month! He loves swimming (just did lessons with him), is ever on the go and ever into mischief. It's like living with a mini tornado somedays. I feel like I JUST keep up and can never really get on top of things. But that is our life. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. (Although, I do plan on some good naps, for ME, once Colin's done for the year).
For those who read this blog and generally get a Christmas card from me every year? Don't hold your breath. It just is not happening this year. If I have your e-mail, you will likely get a very lame E-card, expressing my warm wishes for a very happy Christmas and New Year. Also, at $2 per stamp (eek!), cards sent overseas start to look a little bit above our current budget. I know you all will understand and know that my love for all my friends and family is not dependent on a Christmas card. :)
Watch for pictures soon!!
No comments:
Post a Comment