Five Days Until Listen To Your Mother Debuts In OKC!

Five. Days.

Seems like a perfect excuse for a list! I’ve got more than five things left to do before LTYM, so maybe we’ll just go with five things you should KNOW about LTYM and if you’re on the fence about buying tickets, this should push you right over the edge!

 

5) Our local cause is Infant Crisis Services. We are doing a diaper drive, in addition to giving a MINIMUM of 10% of our ticket sales to this amazing place. They are doing the work, insuring that no one that asks for help leaves empty handed. Their mission?

Infant Crisis Services provides life sustaining formula, food and diapers to babies and toddlers in times of crisis…Because no baby should go hungry.

Because No. Baby. Should. Go. Hungry.

Let that just sit in your heart for a few minutes.

4) There is an energy flowing between each cast member that is making it difficult for me to find the best adjectives to describe it. You will feel it. It’s support. It’s magic. It’s familial. It’s empathy and understanding. It’s hilarity and bawdy and raucous and fun. All of this is happening between our cast. When you come to the show, this energy will spill out over the stage and into the audience and flow through each one of you. Better than happy hour, any day!

3) The stories of our cast are what they should be. Amazing. Touching. Heartfelt. Emotional. Hysterical. Raw. Vulnerable. Real. I dare you to sit through the show and not nod your head in agreement, not feel a connection in the sisterhood. It is impossible. These stories are the epitome of grace. Real Life.

2) The LTYM movement is growing, gaining strength the likes of an Oklahoma Spring Storm. The time is coming, and it is coming soon, when there won’t be a person that doesn’t know what LTYM is. We in Oklahoma are blessed to get to the party this year. You in the audience? You’ll have bragging rights for years. YEARS!

1) I guarantee you, that for the price of a ticket $15.00, you will not find a better afternoon of pure entertainment, good-cause-fundraising, feel good connections than at the Will Rogers Theatre at 2:00 pm. You are going to walk out of that theatre saying things like, “Ya know, Misti has been telling us…but I had NO IDEA…”

For me, personally, I have butterflies of excitement at the thought of so many of my favorite people in the same room. It’s my favorite thing in the world! Thank you for trusting me and buying your tickets and supporting this thing.

It’s gonna be a great time!

 

Here’s our newest video of rehearsal!

 

 

I am agog.

No really. I am.

I knew today was going to be one for the emo-journal-recordbook. What with the marathon this morning, and the cheering and the fabulous everything that goes along with seeing such grace and humanity in our city, and being able to share that experience with my trusted partner M’Lynn and my new partners, Mark and Amy, it was just a joy filled morning. So many great runners, so much cheering. It is my favorite day.

This afternoon was filled with even more amazement. Our first LTYM rehearsal began with some notes about general business, calming some nerves, talking about what we’ve got lined up for the week and gearing ourselves toward our performance. We then settled in for the read through. It was the first time hearing everyone’s story as told by them. The cast was just flawless. These stories…I had a few moments second guessing my lineup, the positioning of each story and it’s relation to the others in the group…but I think I got it right.

I am exhausted.

Emotionally spent. The last week at work, the client goodbyes, the cheering this morning, the stories and watching the magic unfold this afternoon…seriously. I’m agog. Little drool coming off my chin as I type.

Wow.

Tomorrow morning I’m going to put on the same shirt that I wore today *because jewel tones are good on camera I’ve been told and it’s the only shirt I like right now* and get up at the crack of hmmm-hmmmm and be at the television station at 6am. Bright eyed and bushytailed and ready to promote our show along side Sheradee who not only has just the most touching of stories in our lineup, but has gone above and beyond to hook us up with the PR connections that she still has. We will be on KFOR tomorrow at 6:15 am.

Tonight, I’m making lists, and getting ready for tomorrow. Meeting with our tech guy at the venue, meeting with our set designer, lists lists and more lists!

I’m going to probably have a bite to eat, make a list, and go to bed.

I am agog at the beauty of the show. And exhausted from the emotion

Blessed blessed friend across the miles, I thank you for your thoughts and your energy and your words. You always say what I need the moment I need it. Not a moment too soon. Nor a moment too late.

I love you.

 

Today, I just dump out all the voices onto the blog.

 

Tests for school. Scheduling study sessions at my house. remember to clean my house. 

Weekend rehearsals. Pick up cupcakes. Meet for lunch after cheering at marathon. Take gold lame Elvis cardboard cutout to marathon.

schedule walk thru appointment at LTYM venue. Call set designer. Call tech dude. Make tech punchlist. make final to do lists for Mark/Sound guy. Make photo/video shot lists for photographer/videographer.

Show order. Make copies for rehearsal. Re-adjust as necessary.

Printer. Confirm programs. Pay for it. Deposit last sponsor check. Pay dues to Ann.

Local Sponsor table. Check on that. Organize the sponsors and their “stuff”

Get show book together. Plastic sleeves, binder.

eat a vegetable. Lay off the sodium. Be on TV Monday morning. Find perfectly perfect black shoes for show. Decide on spray tan. Or not. Schedule if yes.

Start writing opening and closing remarks. Write introductions to each piece. Keep it tight. Use the show time for the stories not your jabberwocky.

Get enrolled for final hour of testing in the Fall. Double and triple check each element as to not screw anything else up.

Try to get hair done before show.

For craps sake, take that good pillow down to Norman.

 

 

Last week was perhaps the most bi-polar week I’ve ever lived through. Never before can I remember having so many personal victories overlap so many national tragedies. Adding into that mix time spent at work and school and bartending both Friday and Saturday nights…I’m still just kind of recovering.

I’m focusing on the good, because that’s what I have to do, what we all must try to do to keep our heads above water.

The new job. I told you about that. I’m so excited. I’m slowly telling everyone, getting the word out, referring my clients into the hands of extremely capable and awesome stylists. I think I’ve told you before how I hate goodbyes. As a little girl I would say goodbye to everything while choking back sobs. “Goodbye MeMe. Goodbye Papa. Goodbye fishys. Goodbye waves.  G-g-g-g-goodbye l-l-lake. sob. sob. snort. sob.”

What in heaven’s name was I thinking THIS process was going to be like? Who thought telling my clients about our breakup and my new adventure and all of the change in my life was going to be an emotionless walk down easy street?

*Misti put your hand down.

Good grief.

The last few days of last week were horrible. I went to the nail tech room and sobbed a few times. These people, I’ve become a part of their lives. This relationship we have forged saw good times and bad times, celebrations and mourning, new diets, new clothes, new boyfriends and wives and children. These relationships have all lasted longer than my marriage. This is some bonafied true investment we have going. And to know that this is our last appointment together…

sob.

The last few days of the week were also amazing.

My bestgoodfriend Trisha sent me a gorgeous grown up professional lady handbag in the mail. Kate Middleton Nude. I’m still obsessed. It’s the perfect color. She knows me so well and though we are miles apart and she has three kids and a husband and all kinds of stuff to juggle…here comes this box of shiny love in the mail.

LTYM is moving along nicely. I can’t believe that two weeks from today it’ll all be over. Our ticket sales are really exciting. I hope you don’t wait too late to get yours.

I turned in my final forever final last one forEVER research paper. Done. I’m so over it that I don’t even want to give that more space.

Finally, Mark and I didn’t see each other but maybe once last week, which was awful. But at least it was the night of the horrible weather and we were together and not worrying about individual weather…

The driving back and forth, the being 45 minutes apart, the living out of bags in two different counties…it’s not impossible. It is inconvenient. It has come to a point where we may not see each other for days, and while we both lead busy lives, and will continue to lead busy lives, we at least want to see each when we say goodnight and good morning.

The fact that my job will eventually office out of Norman was really the icing on the cake.

I’ll be putting the house on the market sometime this summer. Hopefully sooner than later. We will be tackling the project of combining stuff, as much or as little as we want, selling or storing the rest, and I’ll move to Norman.

Like he said tonight, “we can do stuff, or we can not do stuff but at least we’ll be doing or not doing it together.”

And that’s exactly it.

We just want to be doing or not doing it together.

So yeah. Some pretty big news here.

This weekend he came up and did yard maintenance  First mow of the season, ice storm debris, all of that. I started looking at the stuff in my house, in my garage and I got a little gurgly. He remains calm, “Don’t even worry about it. We need a garage sale. We’ll get a storage unit. Whatever. It’ll be fine.”

Selling this house will be just fine. It’s a good house. It’s got good bones. It will be good to it’s next owner. Of that, I’m sure. I have no idea how to begin this process, but I have friends that do. And Mark knows a lot about a lot. So I’m not going to worry about the unknown.

Everything is falling into place. It seems akin to the actors called “overnight successes” who have been struggling and working for years previous…It’s been almost 7 years I’ve been working toward something. A lifetime, really, of working towards, wanting a relationship that works, that’s healthy and supportive. I remind myself of the long seasons alone, and the really dark moments of dispair and think Ok.

Ok.

This has been coming my way for a long time.

Job. Career. Life.

All good news.

 

 

 

And finally, at 12:42 am Sunday morning…it’s the weekend. Two bartending shifts, back to back. I’m thankful that I have this opportunity. I’m equally thankful that they are both behind me and I’ve only one more on the books before I take a graceful bow off of the schedule.

I want to see my boyfriend.

I need sleep.

I’m so glad that tomorrow will bring both of those things.

After this week, it seems essential to do a Thankful Friday post. It feels like months and months ago that I was sitting in an interview at Girl Scouts on Monday afternoon. Feeling so excited about my future and hoping that it was going to come to fruition I met Lynn for swirls on the patio. I got the call from HR with the official offer as we sat there, smiling, silent high-fiving.

It was a major day of change.

That afternoon we in Oklahoma learned of the death of Officer Chad Peery, as well as the attack on Boston.

Going to bed that night, swirling thoughts of the good and exciting mixed with the devastation, we all were tossed around via about elevently million earthquakes.

The rest of the week brought Oklahoma Spring weather, the explosion in Texas, turning in my notice at work and beginning the process of saying goodbye to my clients.

I bartend my first weddings of the season tonight and tomorrow night. I wish I was looking forward to it. After this weekend I want to just be in Norman, and curl up and try to find the balance. I’ll be happy once I get there. I like doing it.

I am however, looking forward to Sunday, and being with Mark and making plans for our future and gearing up for another week.

I’m thankful to have made it through this one. I’m thankful to have finished and turned in my final research paper. I’m thankful for the support I’ve seen in the world, responding to  crisis. I’m thankful for the support I’ve felt personally, as I begin to move in another direction.

Have a beautiful weekend ya’ll. Thank God, it’s here.