College Day 1

Well, today was a really long day. I woke up, took a shower, ate a biscuit, packed my lunch, had a small meltdown, talked and prayed with Mom, felt better, and then headed away to my first day of college. I made it to Cajun Field to park my car without any trouble. Then I got on the bus that brings me to the campus.

When I was sitting in the seat waiting, I saw somebody I knew! It was Aaron Olivier, who was in my Kindergarten-3rd grade classes at Westminster! He sat next to me and we figured out that we had the exact same first class, which was Honors English.

When we got to the UL campus, I got off the bus and found the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) which is an organization for Christian college students to hang out together. They have get togethers and Bible studies and you can hang out there in between classes. I went and met some people over there. It turns out, one of the people in charge, who's name is Scott was attending UL at the same time as my big sister! He knew Nony! So, I left my lunch in the fridge over there and went to find my English class.

I found it very, very easily and (guess what) all by myself!!! My English class is very small. It's about the size of my dining room and kitchen. And we just have a table that we all sit around and a couple of desks behind the table. The teacher was late. And he's kind of strange. His name is Dr. Smith. The thing that was kind of strange about him was that I could never ever tell whether or not he was joking or serious or if he was being sarcastic or trying to be funny....He was a very confusing man. But he seems nice. I hope he turns out to be a good teacher! I think we'll be reading some interesting things...he likes the old stuff alot....like the ANCIENT stuff!

Next was Honors Seminar. I have to go to one of these every week. And (surprise, surprise) a boy in my English class was also going to the seminar. So we walked there together. He is one of the hugest nerds I've ever met! He's very weird. He likes computers and stuff. But he makes me laugh. Honors seminar was interesting. Right now, I'm just learning about what it really is. I don't really know what I think of it yet.

After Honors, I had a little over an hour for lunch. I went to the BCM. Once again, I found my way there all by myself! I met some more people there including a girl named Brittany and a boy named Kyle who were both really nice. After lunch I found my way back to the Student Union where Ashley Brown, a friend from the OLT was. Our next class was together and it had been moved to a different place than what was on the schedule, so she was going to show me where the new place was. When I met up with her, she introduced me to some other Theatre majors. Then we walked to our class. A few other people showed up in the same room. We waited for quite some time. But the teacher just didn't come. Eventually, we came to the realization that we must be in the wrong classroom...

We found out from somebody important that we were indeed in the wrong classroom. So, all 6 or 7 of us walked to a completely different building and found our class, which was Movement for the Actor. I'm not sure exactly what'll be going on in this class besides learning some stretches and yoga type stuff...so we shall see....

After Movement, Ashley and I walked to the bus stop. We were waiting for the bus and talking, when I suddenly realized that I had forgotten my lunch box in the BCM fridge! So, I had to walk ALL THE WAY to the BCM and get it, then walk ALL THE WAY back to the bus stop. Then I rode the bus to the parking lot. And I had to walk so very far past so so so many cars to get to mine. But finally I made it. I took a huge breath and turned on some good music! I was ready to go home!

Natalie Sibille called me on my way home, which was very nice. When I got home, I just dropped all my stuff on the floor and flopped into Dad's recliner. My sweet puppy Lottie came and crawled up and fell asleep in my lap and we barely moved until Mom and Nathan got back from the dentist. Then Mom and I went swimming and I told her all about my day.

Lydia and I watched some TV (which I never do) then we ate supper....the rest of my evening has been very relaxed. I mapped out my classes for tomorrow. And I'll be ready...

For now....Goodnight!

Ready for College

Today I am going to college. I'm going to UL in Lafayette. I have a new book sack, a new lunch box, all my school books, new notebooks, new pens and pencils, and even a whole bunch of new clothes. We made a map of how I'm supposed to get around the campus. So, I've done absolutely everything possible to make sure I'm ready for today. Only problem is that I am SO nervous! And I don't usually get nervous! I'll be leaving in just a couple minutes....I hope I don't get lost! And, Lord, PLEASE let me have some really nice teachers!

Nieces, Nephews, and Performances

Thursday morning, Jennifer dropped off all five of her kids. Claire, Ethan, Blythe, Owen, and Evelyn were staying with us for 5 days. That meant we'd have 8 kids at our house, and half of them would be 6 and under...that means we have a house full of chaos.

Thursday night, I had a show. It went well. Mrs. Heather and Catherine were there. I have to fall down onstage quite a few times in the play and I started noticing, that the bruises on my knees were growing bigger and darker each day....After a few months of rehearsal and a couple performances, my knees were really feeling the pain. Jay informed me, a little late, that for Shakespeare, he very cleverly wore knee pads all through the rehearsals, so he wasn't hurting himself again and again all throught those weeks. Pretty smart...but, to tell the truth, even if he would've told me before, I still probably wouldn't have used knee pads...I just don't like the way they look.

There's me and Natalie in our costumes. After the show, we end up taking lots of pictures. All these sweet, and usually timid little girls come up asking for our autographs and pictures with us. It's so cute!

Friday was a long boring day. We didn't do very much. We were pretty bored all day. Claire and I went with Natalie LaCombe to get her hair done. It was a waste of time and money. The lady didn't do the best job, and it costed alot. Natalie, who is going to cosmetology school was not satisfied...

Lydia and Natalie had a show that night. They are in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" at the Opelousas Little Theatre. That night Mr. Kent and Mrs. Tara Sibille worked at the door at the OLT for "Willy Wonka". On their way out of town, they picked me up to go spend the night over at the Sibille's house.

Natalie, Mikie, and I decided to watch "Rent". Michael is obsessed with "Rent". And I hate it. But I'd never actually watched it. So, I decided to give it a chance...

That was a mistake...

I didn't enjoy it at all. All I got out of it was people in bad clothes singing annoying songs...

So, before it was even half over, the disc started skipping alot. I was rather pleased. Mikie and Natalie were not.

We went to bed, but we talked for awhile in the dark, of course.

Saturday morning, we had a Theatre Workshop. Kids ages 8-12 came to the Eunice Players Theatre where we're performing "Dorothy Meets Alice". Most of the cast came. And we all dressed up in costume. Not our costumes from the play. Just any costume. We each had a character that we had to act like all morning. I dressed as a Southern Belle. Natalie was a flapper from the 1920's. Taylor was "Jacqueline" (Jack) Sparrow. Bradley was an 80's (I think) rockstar. Audrey was a hippie. Angie was a nerd. Holly was a belly dancer, I think. Chelsea was a cat. Duncan was a monk. And Mikie was Mark, a character from "Rent".

It was a very fun morning. I enjoyed playing the acting games and teaching the kids about the theatre. Saturday afternoon, we went back to Natalie's house for a little while. Then we went to the OLT to see our fellow thespians in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".

We picked up Claire from my house on the way because she wanted to see the play too. As soon as we arrived, we went in the back to say hello. As soon as a got backstage, Mrs. Pitre came up to me. She said, "Gracie, can you do a huge, huge favor for me?"

I smiled big, and said, "Sure!" (even though I had no clue what she wanted)

She sent me across the street to Walgreens to get some glue sticks for a glue gun. They needed it to do something for the play. I needed a ride to get to Walgreens, so Natalie and I stopped Hannah Stewart (a friend from Showcase) as she was coming in the door. She drove us to Walgreens, but of course they didn't have any glue sticks.

We had approximately 30 minutes before the show started, so we decided we could risk going to Walmart. We headed down Creswell lane. Me, Hannah, Natalie, and Claire. It was crazy.

Hannah and Claire dropped off me and Natalie at the door. We ran through the store to the craft section. We grabbed the glue sticks and ran to a check out. We checked out and went back to the theatre. We made it! It was 6:51, I think. And the show was supposed to start at 7:00.

There were so many people there that I knew! I was so excited! Mr. Dirk and Mrs. Liz from church were there, to see their grandson, Connor perform. Kristi and Mrs. Diana Burleigh who are involved in "Dorothy Meets Alice" were there. Angie, Duncan, and Taylor were there. Jay and his son Jude were there. It was so fun! And there were other people there, too. Plus, all the people in the cast! It was a good night.

Willy Wonka was very cute. The singing wasn't the best. It was often off-key. But they had some very good actors and actresses! Their set was cute and clever. It was a very good night! After the show, I went with some of the cast to Casa Ole to hang out. That was fun, too.

Sunday morning, we had church. We had all the Stanford kids with us, so that was an adventure.

Sunday afternoon, I had a matinee performance. Mom and Dad were bringing all the grandkids to see it. Plus Grandma-Mona was coming. Oh and Jay was bringing his son to see it, too. So, I was excited. I love when I know people in the audience!

It was a wonderful performance. I think it was our best yet! We didn't have hardly any messups with our lines. Only a couple very insignificant ones. It was wonderful. I loved hearing my family and friends laughing at us. Especially Owen. He laughed with all his heart everytime anybody else laughed. Even when I know the jokes were over his head. He's so funny...

After the show and the chaos of seeing everybody was over and we went backstage again, I realized that my ankle was really hurting. Apparently on one of my falls throughout the play, I'd hurt it, and not really noticed during all the craziness. But, man, it was really hurting, then. It was swollen too! Everybody advised me to take it easy on my ankle until Wednesday, our next performance. I don't do very well with the whole "taking it easy" concept...

Today was another "stay at home" type of day. We just hung out around here. Lydia and Claire went to a Music day camp sort of thing that's going on all week. The rest of us stayed at home. Nathan and I had the responsibility of feeding all the kids their lunch. That wasn't as big of an operation as it could have been, which was nice. Then out of all the little kids that were there, it was Nathan who made a big mess by spilling my tea...

This afternoon was just hanging out around here. Me and Claire cooked some taco soup for supper. We went for a bike ride, even though I shouldn't have cause that's bad for my ankle...

Now, I'm sitting here while everybody else is going to bed. I talked to friends on facebook and watched some of "24" with my family...and had a nice dessert of Oreos and milk...I'm resting my ankle up on the top of the table (which feels very nice, it helps it not hurt as much) and I think that I'm kinda tired, so I'm gonna head to the bed....goodnight. :-)

Opening Night!!

We had a wonderful opening night! An almost sold out audience that was full of energy, everybody very into their characters, friends that came to see it, little girls who wanted to meet Dorothy and Alice (and take pictures!), milkshakes afterwards, and we get to do it five more times! :-)

Ahhh...I love the theatre....

And my stage makeup is pretty fabulous! Hahaha. I'll put some backstage pictures as soon as I can!

Father's Day and Chocolate Cake

Yesterday was a pretty good Father's Day, I think. We didn't do anything big. We just all stayed close to home. I baked a Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake for my dad. I made it from scratch...it took forever! And it made a big mess. Also, two of the 3 layers cracked in half. So when I put it all together, there was a crack the size of the Grand Canyon down the middle...

But, hey, it was one of the most scrumptiously deliciously yummy cake I've ever eaten...I also made a few facebook friends quite jealous! :-D

Dorothy Meets Alice

We've been rehearsing for a play called "Dorothy Meets Alice". It's a children's musical about the characters from "The Wizard Of Oz" and "Alice In Wonderland". We have a fun cast. Even though it's a children's musical and some of the jokes are really cheesy, we have a blast!

Our performances July 8, 9, 15, 16, and 17.

Our cast is:
Jessica- Taylor
Alice- Me
Dorothy- Natalie Sibille
Scarecrow- Bradley
Lion- Duncan
Tin Man- Michael
Wicked Witch- Angie
Doormouse- Kristi
Mad Hatter- Darrel
White Rabbit- Audrey
Red Queen- Holly

Busy, busy, busy

The last two weeks of my life have be so busy!

On Monday, June 8 Rachel Vander Molen and I went to go house sit for the Hudson's that live in Lafayette. It was a very interesting experience. They had 3 dogs that we had to take care of.

On Monday, we got there, fed the dogs, and let them outside. Then we went to Sheridan Productions where we go to dancing. I'm not actually taking the summer session of dancing, but Mrs. Meghan (0ur teacher) had invited me to come participate in class one day. After dancing, Rachel and I went to the house and hung out all evening. We watched "Jekyll and Hyde The Musical".

Tuesday, we got up, took care of the doggies, then went out to Chili's for lunch! :-D We both ordered something very yummy, but neither of us could eat all of our food, so we brought it back with us to eat for supper that night. Then we went shopping at Charlotte Russe in the mall. Rachel and I both got a dress and I got a giant black flower for my hair. Then we happened to stop by The Icing and I found the most amazing hat! So, I bought that too!

That afternoon neither of us had anything going on, so she worked on some schoolwork and a dance that she's choreographing while I read "Pride and Prejudice" and practiced my lines for "Dorothy Meets Alice". That night we watched "Legally Blonde: The Musical" while we ate our leftover Chili's food for supper.

Wednesday, we woke up and did a little hanging around. Then we went to eat lunch at Chick Fil A. That was yummy :-) Then we came back to the Hudson's house and took a bunch of pictures.

Wednesday night, Rachel had church and I had rehearsal. So, she brought me to Southern Tire Mart, where my dad works, so he could bring me to rehearsal, then she went to church. Then Dad brought me to the Sibilles, so Mikie and I could drive to Eunice together. Natalie was in New Orleans at a school called NOCCA. She went for a 3 week program to learn about musical theatre. So, she's taking dancing, singing, and acting classes all day, everyday...I'm not jealous at all.

After rehearsal, Rachel picked me up and we decided that we were gonna watch "Step Up 2", a movie that she likes that's about dancing. We started watching it, but then we started having trouble with the movie, so we quit watching it. We just hung out for awhile having fun and being friends. Then we decided that our last day, which was the next day, Thursday, would have to be a memorable one. Rachel came up with the idea that we go into Albertsons (the nearest grocery store) dressed like secret agents, and act like secret agents the whole time....

So, we did. I was Agent A04111991, AKA Alice, AKA Ding-Dong, AKA Kitty, AKA Tall-y. And Rachel was Agent F02261992, AKA Adle, AKA Ding-Dong, AKA Giraffe, AKA Shorty. We had a lovely time :-) We also recorded the whole thing with Rachel's camera, so we've got some great memories from it!

Thursday and Friday were pretty normal. Friday, Natalie Sibille was returning for the weekend, so me and the rest of her family decided to surprise her by me going to their house to spend the night. Well, it turns out that Natalie wasn't surprised at all, but still very happy!

Saturday, we hung out, then we had rehearsal.

Sunday, we had church, then Mom and I cut out the pattern for my Alice In Wonderland costume and started working on it a little! After that, it was time for Nathan and I to go to the Hope House, which is the house across the street from our church where mission teams stay when they come on mission trips to Opelousas. Our youth group has a mission week every year and the past few years our mission trips have been right in our own city. So, we all stayed in the Hope House Sunday-Thursday.

Sunday night we all hung out and had a good time. The people there were Me, Megan, Jill, Chloe, Austin, Sam, Ben, Isaac, Nathan, Ryan, Wilder, Catherine, Chris, Mrs. Heather, and Mr. Greg. We had a fun group, although I was a smidge dissapointed that none of the girls that are my age in the youth group were there...

All of the days were spent hard at work. Every morning, we went to a place for battered women. They have a donation room with lots of clothes for them. That room was really disorganized, so we went in and did some serious reorganizing. By the end of the week, it looked really good! Monday afternoon, we went to Mrs. Nan Mitchel's house and cleaned her windows, swept her floors. Tuesday, I left after lunch to babysit Mrs. Carrie's baby boys, but everybody else went to Mrs. Betty Jo's house. Wednesday afternoon, we went to the Bihm's house and did some work outside. We had gone there last summer, which was before Mr. Bihm passed away. He died 8 weeks after we went. Mrs. Lily, his wife told Mrs. Heather that us going over there was his last really happy memory of his life. That made me feel like God had really used us!

Thursday, we just cleaned up the Hope House and left around lunch time.

Here are some pictures:

Me and Rachel fixed our hair crazy and took funny pictures

Upside down Rachel

:-O

Aaaa! :-D

Smile :-)

I love this picture!

Joyful....

I love my hat....so much!

The girls from the mission trip.

Me, Chloe, Jill, Megan, and Nicole

Me, Jill, and Chloe

Me and Catherine

Me and Jill.......and Chloe

Up on my bed