JenyBean

Jeny's Happiness

2011-01-10T12:01:00.001-08:00

Jeny's Happiness by Jeny RSS featuring 3 4 sleeve tops

He That Shall Endure

2010-08-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wow...I mean WOW! It's amazing just how God works in our lives without us even realizing it. I am not one to wax poetic, but he is truly amazing! I have come to realize that if you just allow God to work in your life and you stop trying to "force" situations, beauty does occur in the strangest of places and oddest of times.

About a week and a half ago, Tony and I decided to take an impromptu day at one of our favorite spots on the west coast, Cayucos. We packed up a cooler with snacks, put the dogs in the car and made a day of it. It ended up being a beautiful day at the beach. Sun shining, cool breeze, sand and surf at our feet. Elle jumping into the waves to get her Frisbee and bounding back to Tony, Rio peacefully lounging in the warm sand. I was soaking up the sun when my phone rang and to my surprise, my friend Matt was calling. He never calls. Well, it turned out that he was filming a short movie called "He That Shall Endure" for the Christian Film Festival and one of their lead actresses had to drop out of the film. He was calling to see if I would be interested in taking her place. I was hesitant at first because I don't know these people and the filming started the next day and I had not even had a chance to read the script. On the drive home, I talked to Tony about it to see what he thought, and after our discussion and prayer I decided to take a chance. Needless to say, even though we were filming in the desert in the middle of summer it was an amazing experience. I felt like I had known those people forever, and the 4 days went by incredibly quickly. Below are some photos, but they are mostly of the car chase scenes. I promise it is not all guns and cars, but we will just have to wait until March 2011 to see!!

A brief synopsis of the short: The world is in the realm of the Apocalypse. Being chased by agents of the Evil one, 2 men and 2 women, are running for their life avoiding the mark of the beast.

"Merchant of Venice" review in the Fresno Bee

2010-06-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! "Merchant of Venice" got a great review in the Fresno Bee! I am astounded how quickly this came out, because in Bakersfield there is not a lot of love for the arts. Even more exciting for me, I was mentioned! That doesn't happen very often for costumers, or for me, so I am really excited! So, without further ado I copied and pasted the review below: ENJOY!!

(http://fresnobeehive.com/2010/06/theater_review_128.html)

June 25, 2010 3:00 PM

THEATER REVIEW: 'Merchant of Venice'

By Donald Munro

Meet Antonio. He's a little distracted. This hot-shot business guy, dressed in a sharp blazer, spiffy shoes and cool shades, is in the middle of a big deal right now -- something about a pound of flesh as collateral for a loan -- but that doesn't stop him from peering at his smartphone every few seconds, as if to say, yeah, I've got other projects, and you're not important enough to focus on exclusively. In an era of incessant multitasking, Antonio's truncated attention span is a telling signifier of power in a business relationship: He doesn't even have to give his lender, the gruff Shylock, more than 80% of his consideration.

Such is one of the lively -- and very effective -- modern-day moments created in the new Woodward Shakespeare Festival's production of "Merchant of Venice." Filled with power suits, yoga mats, boutique shopping bags and enough cell phones to fill a junior-high-school teacher's locked contraband desk drawer, the concept makes for a brisk and telling interpretation of this often problematic classic.

It's a fine opening to a new season.

Out of adversity can come good things, it seems, and "Merchant" proves this in both large and small measures.

In the larger sense: WSF was pretty much forced to move from its last venue in the park, across the street from the amphitheater, because of noise issues. By shifting to a space called the 13 Acre Stage in the northern part of the park, it had to give up such amenities as permanent bathrooms and a bigger stage. But, oh, what it's gained from the move! The new space is open and airy, and on opening night we could barely hear the Concert in the Park taking place over in the amphitheater. (A few times the volume crept up, but it was never obnoxious.) There's a gorgeous view over the stage, and thanks to a semi-stormy sky, a glorious sunset swelled into view just as the first half of the production was hitting its stride.

The stage isn't as elaborate as last year's, but that's OK: the set (designed by Jarred Clowes) gets the job done.

On a smaller level, adversity also has an impact. The company had $3,000 of sound and lighting equipment stolen from the premises on Sunday night -- may the Curse of the Bard forever rain down upon the perpetrators -- which meant that there was no sound system or light cues on opening night. And you know what? It didn't matter. The acoustics in the new setting are better than the old, and I heard every line. (Of course, until the festival is able to raise enough money to replace the stolen equipment, it might behoove you to move as close to the stage as possible.) Kudos to the well-articulated cast.

Director Heather Parish's concept and Jeny Sanchez's costumes -- a sort of "high fashion meets high finance" motif -- help tease out some intriguing elements in this problematic title. This is a world of conspicuous consumption, and less materialistic considerations -- such as integrity and humanity -- can be swamped. Thus, we're presented with Antonio (played with nicely subdued swagger by Greg Taber) as a high-flying money guy. When his dear friend Bassanio (a rollicking good Yosef Mahmood) expresses an interest in wooing the wealthy Portia (Brooke Aiello, who has a strong connection with the text), he needs a lot of money to do it in style.

That's when Antonio, whose fortune is tied up in the equivalent of the speculative import-export trade, agrees to pursue a loan from Shylock (Jaguar Bennett), the Jewish moneylender, who insists upon demanding an infamous "pound of flesh" if there's a default.

"Merchant of Venice" is a highly problematic show in terms of Jewish stereotypes, of course, and, frankly, it's tough to really pull it off without seeming highly offensive. It just isn't all the racial stuff that makes it difficult, either. It's actually considered one of Shakespeare's comedies, and a large chunk of the play has more to do with the frothy shenanigans of the Portia-Bassanio story arc. I can understand why directors in earlier times made Shylock a buffoon, and it isn't just because of racism; it's more in tune with the spirit of the play. Certainly, there is anguish in Shakespeare's words, but you can also see where almost every line could be played for comedy.

That said, I found Parish's approach as effective as anything I've seen, including versions that deemphasized the comedy and played up the treatment of the Jews in 15th Century Venice. The theme for the festival's season is "No one gets off easy," and the fact that Christians and Jews both come across rather poorly gives the material a sort of an equal-opportunity sheen. The division here is religious, but it could just as well be racial, or political, or any of the myriad ways in which humans figure out how to differentiate and then discriminate.

Taber is a compelling Antonio, and he's supported by a strong male ensemble, especially Steve Torres as Gratiano and Marcos Hammer as Lorenzo. Taryn Wettstead and Bridget Manders are well-cast as Jessica and Nerissa, respectively, and assistant director Anthony Nico Ran has a giddy turn as a gold-chain-wearing, hairy-chest-baring Prince of Morocco, played with a lounge-singer-meets-"Jersey-Shore" verve.

Mahmood and Aiello have some terrific moments together as the lovers in terms of comedy and chemistry. What I didn't care for as much was Aiello's interpretation of her role. Her Portia is a little shrill and loopy -- sort of a loose cannon. I like the idea of her as spoiled and perhaps even a little bit of an airhead, but Aiello has a tendency to overdo it, such as the scenes in which her first two suitors try to guess which box to open to win her hand in marriage while she practically writhes in the background.

I also wasn't crazy about the staging of both the "Hath not a Jew eyes" speech and the climactic courtroom scene, which lacked a certain needed punch in terms of blocking and delivery.

At the same time, however, the sensibilities of the show remain consistent. And that's what has the biggest impact. In that courtroom scene, one of the supporting characters takes a shot with her camera phone -- presumably to share with the world at large. In this "Venice," woe be to the person who's out of the loop.

Woodward Shakespeare Festival

2010-06-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Life moves on. Since my last post, I have endured. I am proud to say that I made the Deans list with a 3.55 this last quarter, but before I go ahead and celebrate my almost graduation, I have to finish 3 more classes. Luckily, those 3 classes will give me a double minor. 2 more upper division french classes, and one upper division theater class and voila, I will be an Art History major with both a french and theater minor. So close, SO CLOSE!!!! :-D

I decided that keeping myself busy has been my summer's goals. So far I have succeeded in that. I have currently been working on Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" for the Woodward Shakespeare Festival which opened last night. Inspired from the 2006 D&G ad campaign which is reminiscent of the Regency period, we took a modern twist by pulling in "High Fashion". My budget really didn't denote a lot of high fashion prices, but I think what I put together looks really nice! Opening was great! Attendance totaled at least 300 people. I have never been involved with a production that had such high attendance on opening night. But, I was in Fresno, and their admission was free, and it was set in the lovely Woodward park. That being said, I did enjoy myself working on this project. Here are some of my inspiration images, along with publicity shots for the production. (We decided to forgo the big white wigs...)

All In One Week

2010-03-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I was blessed with directing a show titled "All in One Week" for the Palm Sunday Service at my church. At first I was hesitant to pursue this because, lets face it, a large amount of church dramas are cheesy and are hard to take seriously. I was even more skeptical when I realized that our small church does not have much theatrical talent, so embarking on this was a huge leap of faith for me. Not to mention I only had three weeks to get this from concept to performance! Long story short, I was completely (for lack of another word) blessed with the people who were brought into my life for this production. They were totally professional (even more so than some of the "professional" theater dwellers I have worked with in the past 16 years that I have been involved in theater), and just amazing to work with. Their passion inspired me, and though I was pretty tough on them they took my suggestions and flew!

I can't forget to mention my Samwise who was a trooper and decided to help me out by being my Asst. Director. I honestly could not have done it without her support. She was SPECTACULAR! I can honestly boast she was the yin to my yang; where I faltered she was there with the perfect suggestions and ideas! Nor will I forget to mention my beautiful sister who lives down in San Diego and lent me the use of some theatrical lighting from the company she works for! It was her lights that really added the "cherry on top" of this production, and made it so special! I also could not have done this production without the coolest guy at our church, Caleb, who ran my sound. He is an actor, he is a techie, he made everything just perfect!! Without these three I would have been totally lost!

Steph and Caleb as "The best crew EVER!"

Since we only had three weeks to put this show together, I was amazed at how quickly the actors memorized their lines and blocking since they do not consider themselves "actors" per-say, nor is it a hobby of theirs. I was equally as amazed as to how fast all the tech came together in the end! What astounded me most, though, was how well they all worked together!! I have never been involved in a drama production with such LITTLE DRAMA! They really showed me what it is to be a church "family", lifting each other up and supporting one another! I know that the friendships I made with all these individuals will truly be life-long!

I also know it was God working the amazing way he does, because during our last week of rehearsals I was let go from the job I truly loved (and sometimes hated), and I was pretty devastated, though I didn't admit it. I know that if I didn't have these wonderful people to look forward to seeing each day during that week, I would have gone into a very deep depression. I am even welling-up thinking about it now because I don't think they realize that their commitment and their laughter and sweet friendship helped me transition through something that could have been very bleak. So I know that I was meant to direct this show, and be completely blessed with each one of these individuals. If they don't know it, I surely do, that they are a gift from God to me. They have changed me forever!!

So without further ado, a few pictures from our final tech. rehearsal. (The rest I will post on my Facebook page).

Becca as "Mary"

Chris as "Jairus" & Marilla as "Shauri"

Jonathan as "Peter"

Josh as "Caiaphas"

"I know, a DONKEY!"

"Where is my Jesus!!!"

(A breif synopsis of the show: All in One Week tells the story of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Morning from the unique perspective of five people that were forever changed by Jesus. While we never actually see the figure of Jesus himself, these five figures experience the events while Jesus is cheered on Palm Sunday, crucified on Good Friday, and, ultimately, rises on Easter Sunday. Biblically accurate in every detail, the story brings the events to life in a compelling and incredibly human way that is accessible for the modern viewer.)

Gee, that was just tricksy.,.

2010-03-23T01:53:00.000-07:00

It's been WAY too long since I have posted anything... I have been busy, too busy. Now life will slow down only for a second before it picks back up again. I'm about to finally embark on my FINAL quarter at school (hopefully, God willing) and get my much deserved BA in Art History. It as taken way too long, and I am so ready to be done. I am also starting a new chapter on the job front, lets see where that takes me. SIGH! I've been struggling as to what to do after school with my new "title" and since I will be "worth more" with a degree to back up my educated mind, maybe someone will think I am worth something more, hire me, and actually pay me what I am worth! I just hope I can find something that will embrace my creative mind as well as pay me well so my sweet husband can pursue his dreams too! I wonder why life always makes us to "work" at a job we hate for decent money, whereas when we find something we are passionate about and are good at it never allows for good pay or if we do get to do what we love for money, it is fleeting. Ah Life, you sneaky, sneaky trickster....

On Another Note...Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

I can't believe how fast 2009 flew by! I have been thinking about how to make this next year better than ever! So without further ado...My New Years resolutions (in no particular order):

College Graduation!

Closet Remix (to be expanded on later)
Visit New York and see a Broadway show!
Re-visit Portugal!
Strengthen my knowledge of the Bible!
Recycle more of our bottles & cans
Make our house "green" eco-friendly
Take our dogs on more walks
Learn to appreciate people I don't particularly understand

Under $100 dollars!?

2010-01-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

I have recently been in the depths of costuming the ever popular and overly done "Romeo & Juliet" with which the director wants to set in modern times. I was skeptical in doing so, because it is done soooo much, but through my research of the characters I found this AWESOME website called "Fashion Under $100"!!
One of my guilty pleasures is to look at celebrity fashion, and ooh and aah at the beautiful clothes, hoping one day I can afford a pair of Christian Louboutin heels. I am always a bit humbled at the price tags, and for the life of me I do not understand how the designers can justify charging the exuberant amounts they do. Let alone the celebrities who traipse around in them as if its no big deal they are wearing something so expensive. But I still appreciate their artwork, and think many of them are very talented, and OOOOH the clothes!!!
BUT that is just the reason I am so excited about this new website! The author takes celebrity styles and finds almost perfect matches of the outfit for under $100 dollars! If it's not exactly, it is really close!
I just wanted to give her props for doing what us regular fashion readers only dream of! Now I am inspired! I have a new mission! To attempt my own Under $100, but maybe I can do it for $50! Who knows! I'm just excited to try!

Urban Dictionary

2009-12-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

On a whim, I typed Jeny Bean into Google just to see what may pop up. I was hoping my blog would be first on the list just to show how popular it was, but alas, no luck. What I did happen to come across on the top of the search list was a website called "Urban Dictionary". Because I had put in Jeny Bean as my category it was showing that there was something noted on their site about that particular name. Curious, I clicked on the link and this is what it had to say:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jennybean

1. jennybean
A cute girl with big beautiful eyes.

2. jennybean
A jennybean is noun, a female of the human species, one with lovely eyes, a beautiful smile, very sweet lips, and all too often with far too much heart. A jennybean usually gives more than she takes, and like that synonym jellybean, is often something that you can't seem to get enough of.

I met a true jennybean the other day, and now can't get enough of her!

3. jennybean
a very very attractive girl. Of polish decent.
Yo pep on that fly jennybean!

Well, I am not of Polish decent, but this did make me laugh! Thanks Urban Dictionary!

Be Thankful!

2009-11-25T15:39:00.000-08:00

It is finally fall!! Fall weather has finally graced us with its presence and I couldn't be happier! It has been MONTHS since I have had time to actually update, I feel that I shouldn't pour on about all the minute details that have been going on. Instead I want to discuss things that I am looking forward to that are coming up! Thanksgiving holiday is tomorrow and I am really looking forward to spending time with family and eating turkey!! I am especially excited because my sister is coming to spend this holiday with us! She is actually driving up today!
Well here is to remembering what you are thankful for, and all the grace that God has blessed us with!

History Of Rock & Roll IV: Sounds of the 60's

2009-07-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! Thats right, it's time for our now annual show titled the "History of Rock & Roll".

For the past 3 years we have done this show in a conglomeration of rock music starting from the "birth" of rock in the early 50's up to the modern hits in music of today. But this year we did it a little differently, and I think it's pretty cool! From the first "HORR" (as I call it), I dreaded this summer show because it is such a huge undertaking. It is known for its large casts, in the past shows there were upwards from 20-30 actors portraying at least 5 "characters" each. That's at least 150 different costumes at a minimum, per show.
Thankfully this year is different. Our director decided to set it only in the 1960's, and show the evolution of music within that decade. Each of the about 20 actors only play 1-2 characters, and have 1 "dancer" outfit. I do admit that costuming the first act was a bit of a challenge, because it was all black, white and gray scale. Finding black and white paisley material was hard!! But I am pretty proud of the outcome, and I hope this is show is our summer hit!!

Act 1 begins on a mock music show titled the "Big Boss Bash" meant to be reminiscent of "Shindig" and "Hullabaloo", and it is all in black and white. Act 2 is done similarly to the musical "Hair", set in a central park "hippie commune" done in Technicolor. I enjoy the juxtaposition of the acts, but one of my only critiques is that is seems like two completely different shows.

Here are some photos of Act 1. The "Big Boss Bash"!

"I'm Telling You Now" Freddy & the Dreamers

"Sunshine Superman" Donovan

The "Soap Opera" Medley

"England Swings" Roger Miller

"Ooh Baby, Baby" Smokey Robinson

"Rescue Me" Fontella Bass

"Secret Agent Man" Johnny Rivers

Act 2: Hippie Commune/HAIR

"HAIR" with Margaret Mead and husband Hubert

"Aquarius"

5 Years!!!

2009-06-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weekends ago Tony and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary! This year we decided to go to San Diego to visit my sister, Stephanie and to enjoy the perfect So Cal weather. She was moving into a new apartment and had just gotten the keys but had not moved in, so she let us stay in her cute new dwellings while she stayed in her old apartment. It was like we had our own home away from home, which made the vacation really nice because we didn't have to rent a hotel. We decided to take a long weekend and drive home on Monday which was perfect because ended up doing quite a bit! On Saturday we spent the morning and early afternoon at Balboa Park and went to the "Body Works" cadaver exhibit. Now I am not too keen on seeing that kind of stuff, but Tony totally enjoyed himself and Steph really liked it too. There were no photos allowed, and I know Tony was disappointed because he would have loved to use them as examples in his class, but I am fine with not having those pictures because I had to avert my eyes quite a few times since seeing those plasticized, de-skinned bodies made me sick to my stomach. I will admit that I found the "Yoga" girl pleasant to look at, as well as the "Ice Skating" duo, but it was still really tough for me to stay focused. As a compromise they took me shopping at Fashion Valley for the rest of the afternoon and I got to spend some time with my old friend H&M, who made me feel much better!!! Later that evening my wonderful sister treated Tony and I to dinner on the Embarcadero!

Tony and Steph in the "greenhouse" at Balboa Park.

We really missed each other!

The only photo we got at the "Body Works" Exhibit...we are sneaky!! But look...no skin...seriously.

On Sunday we spent the whole day at Sea World! I have never been there, and we had a blast!! Steph has a yearly pass and she probably goes once a month since she lives less than five miles away. My favorite part of the day was watching the "Cirque de la Mer" show where acrobats did amazing tricks above and on the ocean, and two clowns put an audience member into what can only be described as a human hamster ball, which floated on the water. It was really cool! I can't believe what people can do with their bodies! Near the end of the day we decided to get on the "roaring rapids" ride. I still can't decide if it was a good idea because it was fun and even though everyone got wet, I got completely SOAKED! I also really enjoyed the "Shamu Light Show" which seems to be the main attraction at Sea World, and I can tell why! Those killer whales can do some amazing tricks (as well as the dolphins and sea otters)!!

We told the photo guy at the front he could only take our photo if he did it with my camera too! And he did!!

Apparently Shamu spinning like a "top" requires lots of Jedi protection!

JAWS!!!

The jet ski is pushing that crazy hamster ball thing...

Playing in the net, as one does, above the water. He was twirling himself in and out with just his legs!!!

Birthday SURPRISE!!

2009-05-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

So for my birthday Tony decided to surprise me with a trip to the coast, and a wine tour! It was so wonderful!!! To preface the surprise, he told me he was taking me somewhere, and we were going to do something. Very vague. He kept this secret for a whole month! I speculated so many different scenarios; driving down to LA for the weekend and going shopping, driving to San Diego and going to Sea World, popping up to San Francisco and visiting the "Legion of Honor" (I still have never been), or scooting over to Vegas for the weekend and watching a show or two. I even considered we would be spending the weekend at the coast, and maybe visit Hearst Castle (which I LOVE!). As we neared our destination, Cayucos (Yay! one of my favorite places in California!), Tony told me this was just the first part of the surprise, and there were two more phases to it. I was puzzled, and just excited to be at the beach with him.

We unpacked and settled into our hotel room, and then there was a tapping on our door, Tony opened it and standing there were Kevin and Angelina!! Tony revealed to me that this was just part of phase 2, but there was still more to come. Excited, we headed to dinner, and after our return Tony confided that phase 2 was almost complete…BANG, BANG, BANG!!! Our room door rattled, I paused and said, “There is only 1 person who knocks like that…” Tony opened the door and there were Greg & Joy!! The next morning after breakfast, I was told to put on my dress and get ready for Phase 3. While I was finishing up, another knock rapped on our door. Slowly Tony opened it up and Jessica and Chris walked in!! I couldn’t believe it! My friends came to join me for my birthday surprise!! Tony revealed phase 2 was finally complete, and we were ready to begin phase 3. As I walked out of our hotel room, I noticed a limo parked at the driveway, and my sweet husband confided that it was for us and we were taking a Wine Tour. A Wine TOUR!!!! I was ecstatic!

I never would have imagined he had planned a wine tour to a few of our favorite wineries! I like to think of myself as a “wine connoisseur”, but I have so much to learn. I have never really met a wine that I didn't like, but there are a few I prefer to others. To start off our wine tour, we stopped by the Tobin James wineries. We had served Tobin James champagne at our wedding, so it has a special place in our hearts. Next, Tony choose Meridian Vineyards-a favorite label of mine, and it had absolutely gorgeous grounds. We decided we wanted to pack a lunch and go pick nick there the next time we head over to the coast. Lastly we hit the Castoro Cellars. I had never had this label before and it was recommended to us. I enjoyed the grounds here too because they had an art gallery as well.

Needless to say, I had a BLAST! I couldn’t have dreamt up a better birthday surprise! My wonderful husband was even generous enough to buy me my wine of choice from each vineyard! How awesome is that?!

Oh off to Faire we go!!

2009-05-09T00:54:00.000-07:00

It's late, but I am in the mood to blog.
So, these last couple of weeks have been quite busy. Last Saturday I went to the So. Cal Renaissance Pleasure Faire (http://www.renfair.com/socal/).
It seems that it has become somewhat of an annual trip for us. The last few years we have been going as peasants because this is the one faire that Pippen or "Lily" doesn't have to perform in, and we get to run around and be goofy. We always have a blast! We decided to make up flower names for ourselves-my name is "Honeysuckle" (but you have to say it like HOOONNN-eeee-Suck-ulllll!!).

Throughout the day, our conversation veered toward the odd characters we encountered, and we have decided that it really shouldn't be called a "Ren Faire", but more like an "Anything Goes Faire" due to the fact that people come to these fairs in all kinds of get-ups. I am sure that Pippen has seen much more than my eyes have seen, because she is involved in a guild and performs in re-enactments throughout the year. This year has got to top off the oddity-factor for me, though. We met a Lord of The Rings "Ring Wraith", and saw a Jedi from Star Wars. I also saw a girl wearing what I can only describe as a white shag carpet cut into 2 strips which was wrapped around her top and bottom bearing her midsection-and she was wearing Uggs. I also swear I saw a transvestite in fishnets and stiletto boots which were teetering on obscene, and a 17th century tomato red and gold fitted mens waistcoat worn like a dress. He had nice legs-but that was just ridiculous! I shan't forget to mention the typical Gothic slutty girls, and boys in their typical garb- black trench coats.

Though I would have liked to watch the jousting, we watched the "Washing Women/Wenches" instead. It was very funny!! We also missed the "Bold and Stupid Men Show", they are one of our favorite performance acts of the faire, but they were not there this year. I did enjoy the faire food, which is always awesome! I finally broke down and bought a gigantic turkey leg for lunch! It was yummy, but not worth the $8.75 they charged for it! I had a mission to buy myself a mug, and a snood (hair cover thing), as well as a turkey leg, and I accomplished my goals! I even tried a Black Cherry Ale, which tasted like cherry flavored Sprite/beer. Not my favorite. I tend to think they poured 1/2 a cup of a light beer, and the rest some sort of cherry flavored/carbonated beverage. I did find out they do not let you leave the grounds with alcohol in your cups, so you either have to drink it in front of the "guards", pour it out, or give it to them to finish off. I opted to drink mine down, maybe thats why I decided I didn't like it much.

The next adventure on our agenda is Bastille Day in July; we decided we are going to make Marie Antoinette dresses and have a pick-nick in the park. It's going to be SO HOT!!! :-D

"Ivy" a.k.a. Carolyn

See!! There was a "Wraith" there!!!

Daisy, Honeysuckle, and Sarah

Get that Giant between the eyes, madam!! GRR!

Just Call Me Mrs. Sanchez

2009-03-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

As of Friday March 27, 2009 I am officially Mrs. Jennifer T. Sanchez!! I figured after five years of marriage it was time to finally change my name. I know it took quite a while, but it makes the change that much more special for me. I dabbled back and forth between going Rendt-Scott-Sanchez (which many people begged me not to) or just Sanchez. I decided to make it easy and just be a Sanchez.

I had always thought that if I decided to take just his name I would loose my sense of individuality, and I would loose my unique "family name". But I finally decided that in taking his name I am making my marriage commitment to him even more of a commitment because I am giving up something that was special and important to me. I also realized that it was not my name that made me a unique person, that comes from the inside!

I have a feeling I will probably still be called by my "alias" Rendt-Scott Sanchez because that is how everyone has known me for the past five years, but ALL my official documents will just be Mrs. Sanchez. :)
Here is to a new chapter...which began five years ago!!

Time to refresh...

2009-03-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

This quarter has been incredibly hard for me. It is coming near the end of the quarter, and I am wondering where the time went! I can't believe that it is almost the end! I am grateful because I am ready for a break. I need one from work (which I am incredibly unhappy at for the moment-just because I have been soooooo busy), from school, from my everyday life. This upcoming weekend we are going to the coast to relax and "refresh". It will be a short vacation, but totally worth it! Maybe it will help put my head on straight and refocus.

I feel like I am spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere-in school, work, and my personal life. I am not sure what I want to do with my life at the moment and I feel a little helpless. I am not one to just "sit back and enjoy the ride of life" type of girl. I need a mission-a reason to be. I almost feel like I am back in high school trying to rediscover who I am and what I want to be when I "grow up"...I just feel so discouraged.

Well hopefully this weekend will put me in better spirits. I do love taking pictures of the coast, and the laid back lifestyle makes me feel so peaceful. And maybe we can do some shopping (that always helps-right?). I am in desperate need of new sandals for the spring/summer. Maybe that would lift my spirits a bit...

More Millie...

2009-02-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

This weekend I decided to bring my camera to our Sunday matinee performance and take photos from backstage. I had a blast doing it! I am disappointed not to have gotten some of the Priscilla girls, or Millie's girls because I am in those scenes and I can't really take my camera on stage with me during a performance. I will share some of my faves from the bunch. Hope they entice you to come and see the show! I am having a blast performing in it even though I have a smallish role. But I had many costumes to create, as you will see, and am very happy playing Ruthie from Brooklyn! Enjoy!

Thoroughly Modern Millie!

2009-02-02T00:19:00.000-08:00

So we finally opened "Thoroughly Modern Millie"! I am ecstatic because I can not even begin to describe how many hours I spent sewing for this show. Its set in the early 1920's and nothing like the movie with Julie Andrews. I had never seen the movie up until last night, and I had done that on purpose so I would not "steal" any costume ideas. But after watching the first half, I have to admit that my color schemes and styles are very similar. I am sad that the stage version doesn't have the "Tapioca" song, but we do have the "Nutty Cracker Suite" which is just as fun! I found some photos from a dress rehearsal which I am posting, but they don't seem to do the costumes justice. We have had such great feedback from this show and people are comparing us to Broadway! Others are saying that it is the best show they have seen in Bakersfield in a long time, and one woman told me that she never realized how much talent we had in our community and how professional our performance was! I am so excited! Especially since this is the very first musical I have ever performed in, but I will toot my horn a bit and admit I am really proud of this show and the cast. I havent felt this way about a production in a very long time!

New Years, Peanuts and Crab!

2009-01-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

So, for New Years we had an impromptu "bash" with our close friends. We hadn't planned on having a party because we have just been so busy with life. We had a blast, though I am sad to say since my camera was in the shop getting fixed I was unable to get any pictures of the "Peanut War"! (I am STILL finding peanuts around the house.)
As a resolution this year I decided to do a few things:
1. Update my blog more often.
2. Exercise more.
3. Take the dogs on more walks (which would help me achieve #2).
4. Make more money to pay off my student loans.
5. Find all the peanuts.
All and all, pretty do-able, I think. Though I have not been much of a resolution maker because I don't want to be disappointed in myself if I don't achieve my goals.

Due to my lack of camera, I was also unable to take pictures of our trip to New Mexico for Thanksgiving. It was absolutely beautiful there, and my grandma was generous enough to let me borrow her camera, but I am still waiting for her to send those shots to me.

I finally got my camera back after Christmas (one of my Christmas list wishes was to get it fixed, and Tony did it for me!) just in time to use it for our trip to Gustine for their annual Portuguese Crab Feed. I am not even sure how to explain the experience, but the food was FANTASTIC!! We even had to wear the lobster bibs! I wasn't able to take too many pictures since my hands were covered in crab juices. But here are a few I was able to get.

This picture was worth the whole trip! Kevin is so funny!

Just enough time for a very quick update...

2008-11-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

It has almost been almost month since I have updated my blog, and I thought it was time to do a quick one.

I have been so BUSY recently I have just not had the time to sit down and catch up...I really shouldn't be doing it now in all truth, because I am actually supposed to be working on one of my many final papers due next week. Thats right I said many. Since we are finally at the end of the quarter, it's now finals time and you know what that means-LOTS OF PAPERS! I'm serious too! Last week I had a 10 pager and a 5 pager due on the same day, and if you know me I push it until the final last second before I absolutely must do it. Now, this week I have another 10 pager due, as well as another 5 pager. (Insert BIG sigh here!)

We are also opening up our Holiday show It's A Wonderful Life this week and that means the dreaded Tech Week. So needless to say I will be at the theatre until late, then I will come home and stay up until all hours to study for finals, and finish up my papers...
I am SO looking forward to the end of this week!!! Seriously, the actual END of the week, and I say that because Tony and I are heading out to New Mexico just after my last final on Wednesday to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with my grandma. I am definitely looking forward to it, and I am sure we are going to have a blast, but I am going to be exhausted!

Well that's about all I have time to write for now, until next week, when I can finally sit down and discuss my thoughts on the book and the movie Twilight!!!

Just an Update

2008-10-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost here! But alas, this year we have decided to forgo our annual Halloween party due to the fact that I am throwing Pippen's Bachelorette Party on Saturday Nov. 1st, so it would have been way to much for us to do. I would be too exhausted to have two parties one after the other. Luckily, Greg and Joy are hosting a pumpkin carving Halloween party on Thursday before Halloween.

Oh I almost forgot! I did something crazy this last weekend, something I would have never considered doing in a million years! I auditioned for a musical!
I was fine before getting on stage and then when they asked me to sing, my heart started fluttering. I have never EVER sung in front of anyone before without any music, only in the car with the Hobbits and Tony, and in the shower-but that doesn't count. They were very gracious to me and didn't laugh in my face, which made me feel really good! The reading was fine, but the tap dancing was horrible! That was to be expected though because my back has been on the fritz. I took about 5 or 6 lessons to "get ahead" but I haven't had lessons in almost two months due to my back pain. I think the choreographer (who happens to be my dance instructor) thought I was more advanced than I actually am, and went so quickly I couldn't keep up. Oh well! They decided to take a chance and cast me anyway!!! And in the part I actually wanted! We will see how everything turns out! Here's to a new experience!!

Noises Off! Review

2008-09-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

So, finally Noises Off! got a proper review in Valley Theater Reviews! My boss just told me about it today, and I am mentioned!!! I am really excited! Pippen is mentioned too! Below is the link, but I also put the review! YAY! We close this weekend, so if you have the chance, come and see it!

http://valleytheatrereviews.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/noises-off-spotlight-theatre-in-bakersfield/

Noises Off! @ Spotlight Theatre in Bakersfield

I suppose one testament of a good show is when you FINALLY sit down to write it up almost TWO WEEKS later, you still giggle at some of the antics you witnessed onstage.

With my profoundest apologies for not getting to this review sooner, I can honestly say that Spotlight Theatre’s current production of Noises Off! is well, acted, well paced and a well spent evening in the theatre.

This show is highly technical and requires athletic timing and precision to land the jokes (as do all farces), and the fact that this cast succeeds is a real testament to their determination and talent. Already a tough show to do, this Noises Off lost its Lloyd (the “director” in the fictional theatrical production that is at the center of the play) due to a horrifying car accident. Luckily, the original actor will pull through, but that left company artistic director, Hal Friedman, to step into the role with only three days to prepare before opening.

By the Sunday of the second weekend, when I saw it, the audience would have thought that Friedman had been part of the ensemble all along.

The Spotlight has a lovely little space, but it can feel very cramped and crowded due to its tiny stage and wall of stadium seating. But this production– which needed desperately to use every square inch it could find– stages it well. During the first act, in which a rehearsal is playing out before our eyes, the lights remain up over the audience and Friedman’s Lloyd (as well as a few other actors in the story) use the house as their playing space. Since that is the director’s domain in rehearsal it makes sense. It also give the production a tremendously open and transparent feel. As a theatre practitioner, I felt as though I were sitting in on another director’s rehearsal and watching the politics and tensions common to any ensemble unfold.

And anyone who has been involved in theatre knows intimately the characters and situations in that first act– well, throughout the play, really– and cringes with recognition. But to this production’s credit, beyond the first act I didn’t dwell on my own experiences, but rather got caught up in those on the stage. Director Jarred Clowes seems to have channeled his ensemble’s experiences within the rehearsal process to fuel the production onstage, which is a testament to his ability to lead and focus a disparate group of actors. It is far too easy to let the metadramatic aspects of this play overwhelm the direction and watch it go spinning out of control.

Standouts in the production are the aforementioned Friedman; Kathryn Brinkley (as Dotty), with a broadly comedic face and a Carol Burnett inspired mop-maid ensemble that underscores her ascerbic character; Brian Sivesind (as Freddy), whose “dumb-but-sensitive guy” routine can only be pulled off with a smart acting technique; and Jeny Rendt-Scott Sanchez who is charmingly quirky in her smallish role of stage manager, Poppy. But, in fact, each of these actors had the help and support of an entire cast of energetic, sympathetic and very, very funny characters.

And Kudos must also be given to the technical crew of Noises Off! Building and reversing a two-level stage complete with stairs and door slamming in a stage 25feet wide, 17 feet deep and 14 feet high is a bear, but these folks pulled it off. And they worked their asses off doing it!

Bridal Shower MANIA!

2008-09-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday, blessed Sunday is finally here! (Insert a HUGE sigh of relief here!)
I say that for many reasons, the first being the obvious, It's SUNDAY! Before I get into details, I want to preface my words with the fact that Frodo and Pippen are getting married! Frodo in October, and Pippen in November. Both girls offered me the honored position of their Matron of Honour. So, after weeks and weeks of planning, meetings with Samwise, hours online looking for the perfect games, refreshments, and themes; Two, thats right I said TWO bridal showers happened in just two weeks! I am absolutely thrilled they are getting married, but because these ladies are just so absolutely busy, I had to schedule their showers one weekend after the other. The funny twist is that after all the careful scheduling on my part, both girls neglected to inform me they both would not be able to make it to each others showers AFTER they both told me the dates worked. Oh Well! I am not going to lie, I was incredibly stressed, and I felt that I was dealt very minimal amounts of time for planning, and even smaller amounts for the budget because Samwise and I paid for the showers out of our own pockets. My hopes for the brides-to-be are that they both had a fun and memorable shower,which they will look back on with fond memories. I was sort of dreading both days because I read in a magazine of mine that only 39% of women actually like going to bridal/baby showers, while the other 61% of women HATE going. I think both showers went well, and everyone seemed to have a good time and there were many smiles on everyones faces. Up next are the Bachelorette Parties! Yay! After this, I just hope no one else close to me decides to get married anytime soon! I need a break!

"Afternoon English Tea"

"Mad Hatter Shower" (Only Frodo, Samwise, and I wanted to wear our hats!)

Top 10 reasons I absolutely LOVE Autumn

2008-09-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

In no particular order, here are the top 10 reasons why I Love the fall:

Our animals fur always gets so lush and soft. In particular, my cats fur is just so soft and fluffy I want to surround myself with her coat and drift away to her unyielding and hypnotic purr.
The color of the trees as they change from their electric green to the mustard yellow, burnt sienna, deep mahogany, and soft brown. I love the way the sunset hits the trees and a warm reddish-orange glow illuminates the horizon.
The cooler evenings, especially when we can sit out in the back yard and not sweat at 6:00 in the evening. I also love that we can leave the windows open during the day and not have to use the air conditioner to keep the house below 80 degrees.
We get to use our fireplace! I Love, love, LOVE having a fire going in the early evening just around dusk when we can just sit relax and snuggle together in front of the fire while enjoying our cup of hot cocoa, tea, or coffee. (Josie also loves to sit in front of the fireplace too, she is just so sweet laying there, peaceful as can be.)
Sweaters! I have too many sweaters to count! We live in a city where it only gets below 70 degrees maybe 3 months out of the year, if that. But for some reason I can't get enough of sweaters. That is why I think I would do well on the East coast, or a cooler climate where I can properly utilize the sweaters which I have so vigorously collected.
I love the change in the air, particularly the smell. There is just something about the subtle smell of woodsmoke floating on the crisp and cool air which brings a peaceful yet invigorated feeing throughout my senses. Sometimes it makes me think of my old neighborhood in the mountains where hundred foot pine trees would gracefully litter our yard with needles and sap and my sister and I would play on our rope swing in the front yard, and the leaves would float around us while we swung our cares away.
Harvest! I have never been a country girl, nor have I ever had the inkling to live on a farm, but I just enjoy the whole apple cider, pumpkin patch, log cabin experience! When I was younger, we used to go to this place called Apple Hill, and I remember having the best time. There is just something so safe and comforting about a log cabin...
I absolutely love carving pumpkins! I don't care that they are so messy and a bit smelly, I have the best time sitting with my friends and family talking and making "art". sometimes we get some really cool masterpieces. Plus, I enjoy the salted and roasted pumpkin seeds that come after the mess!
Halloween! Need I say more? What can get better than dressing up, giving little monsters, goblins, princesses, fairies, and super heroes a bunch of sugary treats and sending them on their merry way! Since I am a costumer, I love making Tony and I fun costumes (although, he gets stuck in his "I wanna be a pirate" rut) and having our friends over for our now annual Halloween party!
After a hot summer, I don't think there is anything better than finally putting blankets on the bed. There is just something so relaxing about snuggling deep into blankets of down-feathers, wrapping our freezing feet together, and drifting off into a blissful sleep.
Ok, I lied. I actually have one more favorite. I love camping in the fall. There is just something about sitting outside around a camp fire all bundled up, while roasting marshmallows, telling scary stories and looking up at the star sprinkled sky; then crawling into the tent and snuggling into our sleeping bag and drifting off while the crickets chirp the night away.

I urge everyone to take the time and think about their favorite things about the seasons, it reminds us how blessed we are to be able to experience all these things!

Noises Off

2008-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

So, the theater I work at is currently entering our 10th season! Yay for the Spotlight! I am very excited to be a part of such a special event! Now I say that because not only am I the Costume Director of the theater, I am also performing in "Noises Off" the show with which we are kicking off our 10th season! I am very picky when choosing a role, and I only choose one or two shows a year to perform in, so I have to choose good ones. We haven't had a review of the show as of yet, but we did get some publicity in the newspaper. (If you can, come and see the show!)
Here is what I found:

Camille Gavin: Spotlight opens 10th season on a high note with 'Noises Off' Last Updated: Wednesday, Sep 3 2008 11:00 AM

From what I hear, “Noises Off,” which opens Friday at Spotlight Theatre, will give theater-goers an inside look at how behind-the-scenes shenanigans can mangle what’s supposed to happen in front of the footlights.

WHAT: “Noises Off!”
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE: Spotlight Theatre, 1622 19th St.
Cost: $15
DETAILS: Call 634-0692

The play, by Michael Frayn, will keep the audience laughing from start to finish, says Hal Friedman, Spotlight’s general manager.

“It’s one of the best theater comedies produced in the last 30 years,” he said. “It’s fast-paced comedy at its best.”

“Noises Off’ is a play within a play. It revolves around a troupe of actors who are presenting a slightly risqué farce. The action begins with the final dress rehearsal, then gathers steam in the second act as various love triangles and other issues threaten to spill over onto the stage. It all comes together — or you might say it falls apart — in the final act. Or, as Friedman puts it, “the audience watches the catastrophe it has become.”

Jarred Clowes, the director, said he took special care in choosing the cast for the show.

“I believe that 90 percent of directing is casting,” Clowes said, “and, with this show, it’s at least twice that. I knew that I needed not only the best actors but the right ones, a cast that would be able to work together and trust one another.”

Obviously, he feels he’s accomplished that goal with the ensemble he’s chosen for “Noises Off.”

“Top to bottom I believe this to be the best cast put together in Bakersfield in a long time,” Clowes said. “I'm constantly amazed at how quickly they are able to pick things up, how professional they've been during a sometimes straining and exacting process, and most of all by their creative drive.”

The cast includes Brian Sivesind, founder of The Empty Space; Kat Brinkley, who turned in a stellar performance as Jo in Spotlight’s “Little Women;” as well as Jack Slider, Ronnie Hargrave, Sarah Taylor, Matt Borton, Jeny Rendt Scott-Sanchez, Alexandra Cullen and Hal Friedman, who is stepping in for Jason Monroe, who was injured Monday.

Performances of “Noises Off” continue weekends through Sept. 27.

SPOTLIGHT MARKS 10 YEARS

To celebrate Spotlight Theatre’s 10th anniversary, its board of directors has planned a party to mark the occasion. It begins at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 at the theater, immediately following the matinée performance of “Noises Off.”

“We’re saying ‘Wow! It’s been 10 years; now let’s get 10 years more,” said Cathy Butler, who is vice president of the theater’s board as well as president of the Downtown Business Association and recently was elected president of the Arts Council of Kern.

Spotlight was established in 1998 by Emily and Jacques Thiroux, and now is operated as a nonprofit organization. Emily Thiroux will be honored at the event and other awards will be given.

Cost to attend the party is $20. For reservations, call 634-0692.

Milkshakes and Cigars anyone?

2008-08-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night Annie & Kev came over for ice cream and board games. Now that may seem a little old-fashioned, but it is actually a whole lot of fun. Especially if you have the right people around to share in the fun. First though, we decided to head over to Dewars, a locally founded and incredibly popular, ice cream parlor which is still decorated in the oh-so-cute 1950's decor. Tony and I shared the banana split, and it was delicious!
On our way to Dewars, Kevin had another craving; cigars. For the life of me I can NOT understand as to why anyone in their right mind would enjoy a cigar. To me they smell like horse manure, and when cigars are lit, the essence de poo surrounds everything in the environment around them. I really don't mind pipe tobacco though, actually, I kind-of like it. Any time I smell it, I think of the marina called Pelican Harbor up in Sausalito, and the old captain who lived on his boat up the docks from Ray's boat. Anytime I would sit on the docks in the evening watching the sun set over the bay, the smell of cherry or vanilla pipe tobacco would waft through the air and always made me feel so peaceful. But when it comes to cigars, I just don't understand. It must be a guy thing. So, after we finished our ice cream and playing our board game, to my chagrin, Tony and Kevin decided to partake in an evening smoke and game of darts on the patio. Every time I walked outside, the smell practically knocked me down! I never thought of Tony as the cigar smoking type, and I think he actually liked it because he said "I could get used to this". Boo!
If he decides he wants to be a social cigar smoker, I think each time he has one he may have to sleep in the hammock outside. I just can't stand the smell!

A look back... Summer 2008

2008-08-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

Alas...Summer vacation is almost over. I will miss the free time in which I was able to lounge around and watch my favorite daytime shows on HGTV, pop into work whenever I felt, and all in all just relax. Not that I did too much relaxing this summer. I consider relaxing a time when I can just sleep until whenever I want, read by myself in the comforts of my choosing, and not having to work. But being my overly committed self, I like to keep busy and give myself no real time to actually just relax. I was incredibly busy this summer with lots of traveling, rehearsals, and work.
I was blessed with the ability to travel abroad to Portugal this summer and spent almost two weeks soaking up the culture. It was absolutely amazing. I have to say, I really love their mode of living. It seems everything in Europe has a much slower pace. People take the time to enjoy their meals, they walk almost everywhere, and really enjoy their wine.
We were also able visit my sister and our cousins on Tony's side in San Diego, it was really nice to see them. I don't get to see my sis very often and it is always a treat to see what she is up to. We visited her favorite "watering hole" called the Starlight, which is decorated in a throwback to the 1950's. Really cute.
I also went on a mini-vaca with Samwise to the town of Cambria on the coast and we enjoyed shopping, walking on the beach, and I took her on her first tour of Hearst Castle, which happens to be one of my very favorite places in California. The art collection Hearst had obtained is wonderful and I will proudly admit I have done almost every tour just to see the collection!
To end our summer, we went to the annual family reunion and it was ridiculously hot. The temperature felt like 105 degrees in the shade. Not to mention there was no breeze so it was a still heat. Tony did invest in a couple of water-guns and very graciously and elegantly doused me with ice water. (How thoughtful of him!) It was nice to hang out with family though, I hate only seeing some of them only once a year. Tony even bought me a new bathing suit because I forgot to pack one and because it was so hot, a dip in the pool was much needed.
All in all I had a very memorable summer. I love traveling, and I am looking forward to where the wind takes us next summer. But for now I will just look forward to my last year at the University and all of the homework that is awaiting my arrival.

Pee-pee Soaked Heck Hole

2008-08-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

So I hurt my back. I'm not sure how, but I did. I have started taking Tap dance classes recently because I want to audition for our upcoming show "Thoroughly Modern Millie", and I think that may be a severe agitator. That really bums me out because it is so much fun! I went to the doctor this morning and was prescribed an extreme amount of Ibuprofen, 800 mg to be exact. She also told me to do a few stretches, and take it easy. I was only taking half of that amount to ease the pain at home, but that was not strong enough. I am very wary when taking pain killers, or any drug for that matter, because I am very afraid of the side affects and possible addictions. So far I have only taken 1 Ibuprofen, but it did make me pretty drowsy and now I am not sure I am going to make it in to work. (SIGH! I really hate feeling this way!) I am sitting comfortably on the couch though, Elle is laying on the floor next to me keeping me company, and Tony has his music on the stereo. Hey, at least my back is not hurting at the moment.

Portugal Diary Day 5-Mafra

2008-07-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

We visited the city of Mafra today, this too is a small city, but it is set apart because a huge Monastery/Palace accompanies it. 50,000 workers built the Palace in only one year for King John V. John was to marry Maria Ana of Austria to fulfill a vow he had promised, so he made one half of the palace the queens domain, and the other half his. In the center was the basilica where they could go to worship. We only were able to tour the basilica, which was absolutely gorgeous! I got really excited seeing all the Baroque architecture, statues and reliefs, and felt very reverent being in the presence of all these old statues. I came to find out that they were created in the style of two very famous architect/sculptors named Bernini and Borromini. I still could not get over the fact that almost every aspect of this Palace was created by HAND. Someone placed each brick or carved each statue or laid each singular marble tile. It is just awe-inspiring to me, especially since in today’s modern society it seems that everything is machine or computer generated, and very hands-off. I just had to sit back and appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of it all. After our tour of the Monastery, we were hungry for lunch so we walked across the street to a little café called the “Paris Café”. Tony and I being the Americans that we are were craving American style food, so I ordered the “hamburger” thinking I would be safe. Tony ordered the “sausages”. When our food came out my plate had 2 plain ground beef patties accompanied with a side of rice and a side of fries. Tony was given a plate with hot dogs sliced down the center long ways and heated up, not boiled, not grilled, just warmed up. Needless to say we were very disappointed and we learned a very valuable lesson that day; Do Not order American style dishes when visiting other countries and expect to enjoy an American dish. DUH! You are not in America, smarty! It was at that moment I realized I needed to embrace the Portuguese culture and every dish after that I veered clear of anything that looked remotely American, and to be perfectly honest I was never disappointed with a meal after that!

(Buy your way out of purgatory?)

(Grounds in between the palace and the sanctuary)

(Where they still worship)

(The ceiling of the nave)

(The beautiful tiling)

(Ghosts of the past?)

(Another beautiful view of the sanctuary)

(Where the priest sits)

(The front of the Palace)

Portugal Diary Day 4-Ericeria Beach Day

2008-07-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today I don't have too much to talk about, we decided to relax and enjoy the Ericeria beaches. Good food, delicious Caipirinhas (a Brazilian drink made with Cachaca, limes, sugar and ice-yum!) , a sunny day, and the beginning of my tan! The perfect vacation day!

(View from my towel)

(Tony, always a picture perfect pose)

Portugal Diary Day 3-Sintra

2008-07-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

To my delight, we decided to take a trip to a few small cities here in Portugal. Each city has a unique aspect about it. Sintra is my favorite so far, due to the quaint little houses and interesting little shops. Plus the city is just beautiful. The city is built into the hills, below the castle, so the streets are mainly only meant for walking and are small and cobbled. The streets also labyrinth around the shopping area where there are restaurants and small shops on the main level. The windows above, which I think are small apartments look directly across to their neighbor. The buildings are tall and skinny and nicely aged so the paint is cracked revealing the stucco and brick beneath. It actually reminds me of how Paris probably looked before Napoleon re- built the city. We had to walk through the gardens and up a flight of what felt like about a million steps. I think it was only close to a few hundred, but it was still exhausting.

(Sintra- steps into town)

(Sintra- City "blocks")

We didn't have the chance to tour the castle, but we were able to drive up to the main gates up an incredibly curvy road. We all got a little carsick. It was beautiful though, bright green forest surrounding the castle grounds. I hope next time we go back we get to tour the castle, but we must make sure to wear good walking shoes, because it certainly is a hike!

(The palace walls from the center of town looking up)

(The entrance of the Palace in Sintra)

Portugal BABY!

2008-06-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

(View from the balcony of our house)

Our second day in Portugal is coming to an end. We flew in yesterday into Lisboa. I would have considered it our first day, but we were so exhausted, it doesn’t really count. We landed at the Lisboa airport at about 9:45 am local time (in California time that would be 1:45 am-8 hours ahead). We drove straight from Lisboa into Ericeria (pronounced Ed-e-say-da) where we were staying, which is about a 45 minuet drive from Lisboa. Needless to say we fell asleep as soon as we got in. We napped until around dinner time, then walked down into the city center for some Magnum ice cream bars for Kevin & Tony. They are the equivalent to a Dove Bar, but 100 times better!

Today, Tuesday, we took the Metro back into Lisboa and walked around the city. It is a beautiful old European city with lots of gorgeous architecture, and statues. We spent most of the day shopping, taking pictures, eating, and struggling with the language, pretty much all the typical tourist-y stuff that needs to be done!

(Inside the Metro station in downtown Lisboa)

(Enjoying our coffee of choice: meit de leite)

(City Street, Lisboa Portugal)

(The famous Rua Augusta with Victory Arch and Statue in Praça do Comércio Square)

There is an H&M, so I bought a few things that I didn’t think to pack and really needed, like a sweater, since we are staying on the coast and didn’t realize it would get as cold as it did at night. This is my first time in a country where I do not speak the language, so I am very much out of my element since I love to talk! In every other country Tony and I have visited, we have had the luxury of speaking English with the locals. Good thing Maria gave us the book “Just Enough Portuguese”. Now I can say a few things like: thank you-“Obrigada” (o-bree-ga-da), that’s good/ I like it- “Esta bem” (schta-baim), good day- “Bom dia” (bom-dee-a), and excuse me/sorry- “Desculpa” (de-shcool-pa). Lets just hope I can remember it all!

One...Singular Sensation?

2008-04-21T00:41:00.003-07:00

So, for the life of me I can not seem to get the song "One" out of my head. I guess it is because we just opened "A Chorus Line". I was so ready for this show to open too. Normally, I enjoy tech week because I know my job is coming to an end. I do not enjoy staying up until all hours of the night, especially when I have homework to finish, tests to study for, and early morning classes to endure. Needless to say, this past week was exhausting. I thought my job for this show would be painless, and a breeze since I only had to create one costume per person, and there are 18 of them in the same exact outfit. WRONG! Not only was it not easy, but it
was a bit overwhelming. 18 of the same. exact. outfits. I didn't really like my final product either, but everyone else tells me they look awesome. I am just not proud of them like I was for my "Little Women" costumes.
To top it off, at the end of opening night an actor bellowed up at me from down in the middle of a large crowd of patrons that I needed to change his quick change snaps on his vest to Velcro because he could not get his snap snapped for the final number. Funny, everyone else seemed to snap fine...(SIGH). I just looked at him and turned and walked away with my blood boiling in my ears. Who does he think he is to yell that at me in the middle of a large crowd telling me to change my costumes? Not only does it make him look unprofessional, it makes me and the theater look bad. NOT COOL. Needless to say I spoke to the SM and he was given a talk. He glared at me as he walked out. No apology. I didn't expect one.

Oh well...the show is now open, we had a full house and I hopefully will never have to deal with that again.
Now if I could just get this song out of my head...

Photo Shoot! Dahling!

2008-03-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

It is spring break this week and Tony and I were visited by our little 12 year old neighbor girl. A LOT. I think she was bored sitting at home doing nothing, so she would come over and hang out with us and watch us work. She and I decided it would be fun to do a "Character Photo Shoot", so she made a list of characters she wanted to portray and I did her hair and make-up to match accordingly. I actually had a good time doing it, I really love doing make-overs... just ask my sister how many times I used to make her sit down and make her over when we were younger... Thanks Steph!

Here are a few of the final products. (My favorites of the bunch.)

"The Prep"

"The Hippie"

"Pretty Girl"

"Notorious Paparazzi Street Shot"

"Movie Star Shot"

Little Women the Musical!

2008-02-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

These past two months have been a series of grueling days in front of the sewing machine amid a flurry of patterns, thread, notions, and fabric...all for the sake of one show...Little Women the Musical.
I decided I wanted to build all of the costumes starting from the inside out. So to begin this journey I started with corsets, chemises, bloomers, hoop-skirts (I didn't actually make these), and petticoats. Next I moved on to the actual dresses-insert big sigh of relief here-! Thanks to Frodo who took pictures on opening night (I am so grateful!) I can share them. Although you can't see the undergarments, here are a few of my favorite pictures of the cast! ENJOY!
(I almost forgot to mention Pippen is the part of Jo!)

One...Two...Three...A Rant.

2008-01-30T17:50:00.000-08:00

Recently I have observed that people who drive the "upper echelon" cars such as the BMW and the Lexus are, oh how shall I say this, jerk drivers! They are the most pushy, and self serving people on the road! They don't care about who they may hurt or run off the road, only that they get in front of you and make it through the yellow (notice I said yellow-not green) light as fast as they can. I say this only because for the past few months or so, I have been cut off, had to slam on my breaks, or have witnessed these drivers do the most dangerous, and in my opinion, stupid and selfish maneuvers. Today for instance, I watched a Victoria Beckham look-a-like in a white Lexus adorned with gold trim, cut off a less expensive and smaller car, when she pulled out of a parking lot and ran a red light. SERIOUSLY!? Who does this plastic mold of a woman think she is, that she can put other peoples lives in danger just because she wants to go through the light and get somewhere faster? Now to be fair there may have been an emergency, but I seriously doubt it. I think that people who drive more expensive cars think they are more important than everyone else in the world because they drive that car.
And what is with those people who never use their turn signals!? It almost seems as if they think the rest of the drivers on the road happen to be mind readers or psychics or omnipotent or something, expecting that everyone will know when to move over or slow down so they can make their move. Stupid Jerks! A friend of mine NEVER uses his turn signal when he drives and it drives me crazy when I am in the car with him! I think he does it just to mess with me because he knows how much it bothers me! BOO!

The moral of this soap-box rant, PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY! (Me too!) And remember there are thousands of others on the road along with you, not only is your life at their mercy, theirs is at yours!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

2007-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

So Christmas is right around the corner, and I can not believe it is this time of the year again. Holiday shopping is underway, and one can't go to the shops without finding themselves neck deep in other shoppers loaded down with presents, gift wrap, ribbon, and screaming children. What is it about this time of year which brings out the "bratty" in kids? Wouldn't one think since Santa is coming the kids would want to be on their best behavior for fear of coal in the stockings? I am also having the hardest time shopping for Tony, he won't give me a list and everything else I know he wants is way out of our budget.This time of year also brings about stress. When I say that I mean of the family sort. Tony and I are struggling on how to go about family-time, and we decided to enjoy a Bed and Breakfast at the coast so as to show no favoritism towards either. Avoid all contact with any parents-yeah that's the way to do it...(Insert big SIGH here).
We also did do our holiday decorating-and we did put up my notorious "fake" tree. I decided, when I first moved out on my own, to buy a fake tree so I would not be taking home a poor innocent tree which was chopped down in the prime of its life to be decorated with twinkle lights and christmas baubles. So I invested in a fake one, and I/we have saved $50.00 a year since. I think it looks pretty, but I really wanted a real one this year because I love the smell of a fresh Douglas Fir. Josie even got into the festivities and played with the lights...Tony did surprise me with a small "Rosemary Tree"so I can re-plant it when the holidays are over. My motto-instead of chopping one down, plant one!

Well Happy Christmas/Holidays!
And don't forget why we actually celebrate Christmas. And I don't mean the presents!
(If we can believe that there is a Santa, why not that there is a Jesus!?)

Post-halloween wrap up...

2007-11-14T00:20:00.000-08:00

Life is crazy. I can not believe it is already November. Tony's Birthday is coming up soon as well. He doesn't want to celebrate since it is a benchmark year (I won't say how old, but I like to think it is not that old since I will be hitting it soon enough too). Needless to say, we are keeping it mellow and family oriented. We are struggling on what we should do for our holiday plans. I think Thanksgiving will be spent with his family, and for Christmas we will be going on a cruise! YEA! We have not bought the tickets yet because he thinks that if we wait long enough we can get them for a better price. I think if we wait any longer we will not get any at all. I hope all turns out well for us! I have a really tough time deciding who we spend time with around Christmas since we are pulled in so many directions and we don't want to hurt any of our families-No favoritism here!

I will conclude with a thought on my previous blog. Our Halloween party was fun-everyone dressed up and looked great! We didn't have as many friends over this year as previous years, but I still had a blast! The rain did dampen my spirits a little, since it usually never rains until February, but Samwise brought over an Easy-Up tent and all was fine! I think next year I will make the "Halloween" Pictionary a bit harder since it was really easy to get Bat and Spider-web!

Here are some fun pictures from Halloween!

Halloween Hobbits
The Witch and Dracula
Alice and The Mad Hatter
The Princess and the Monk
The "Mummy" and Jaws
The Exorcist Duo-(green "pea soup" included)

This Is (almost) Halloween!

2007-09-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

"Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange..."

I am very excited because Halloween is right around the corner! For the past two years I have had night classes and have not been around to hand out candy to all the Trick-Or-Treaters, but this year it is going to be different! I made sure that I was in no night classes this fall quarter so I am able to be around and see all the kids costumes! I am also looking forward to our now annual Halloween Party. (I think our friends sort of depend on us to throw a party, because if we didn't they would probably stay at home and watch scary movies, plus I think they secretly like to dress up even though they always seem poo-poo about it.) This year we are changing it up a bit, we are still going to have our Costume Contest, but we decided to make it a theme Halloween party. When I say theme, I mean other than Halloween. This year everyone must come as their favorite Horror/Scary/Odd Movie character. No more boring pirates, faeries and bloody butchers. No-sir-e! It's time to dust off the thinking cap and get really creative! After all, we spend a lot of time and energy, thought and money being creative in putting this party on. Now it is time to get some enthusiasm back from our friends! Yea! We even get really creative with the costume contest awards, and it is time that the costumes match the gifts! Now I am not saying people do not put out an effort or dress up-everyone does! And we do have fun!
The costume categories are:
"Scariest"
"Most Creative"
"Funniest/Craziest"
"Pretty/Sexiest"

I already know what Tony and I are going to be, even though Tony doesn't want to be what I want to be. I am just going to make the costumes and we will look wicked...awesome!

It seems so empty now...

2007-09-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually one to complain about work. Wait, I lied.

I should first begin by saying I design costumes at a local theatre for a "living" (along with attending school). Just recently I have been informed that if our theatre does not turn around and start making a bigger profit, the theatres doors will permanently close in three months. GREAT. Right around Christmas time. That's AWE-some. This "threat" just so happened right after the General Manager put in his resignation so he could persue teaching. Odd I thought, I never knew the theatre was in such dire straits since we just closed our blockbuster summer show, which sold out the house just about every night, and there were no royalties to pay.
But what do I know, I am just the costumer.
Next, I find out that we are changing the chain-of-command, and the board of directors elects one of their own to be General Manager, and elects a new Artistic Director (who used to be the Production Manager and is now promoted to be the boss).
OK. Again, odd.
Well, he promptly moves into my old bosses office, about a week after his resignation and before my boss' last day (even before he has the chance to pack up his desk). To top it off he calls me into "his office" and tells me they have to cut my hours down to twenty a week due to budget cuts. (I heard he was getting a raise and they had to cut others paychecks so they could give him more money...that is just a rumor though.) Sucks, but I can't really complain because since school has started back up I haven't been working more than twenty. He also threatened to put me on a weekly "salary", but that didn't happen. Phew! I also just found out today that my old boss is no longer allowed to hang-out at the theatre anymore.WH-WHAT!? He is scheduled to direct quite a few shows in the upcomming season! Plus there is a cafe, what if he feels like eating lunch in there? He is not allowed? LAME!

All I can say is it now feels so empty without him around, he was the theatres heartbeat. I really hope the theatre doesn't close its doors, I really hate job searching and I really love this one.

What a beautiful time of the year!

2007-09-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again! Fall is beginning to peek its head around the corner, and so are the cool fall nights! I believe this is my favorite time of year, when the evenings are cool enough to leave the windows open but not so cold that you have to snuggle deep under the blankets. (That means Halloween is comming soon too!) Along with fall comes the "dreaded" back-to-school. I have offically survived my first week back in college after a very busy summer break, and I am ready to get back into the swing of things. Although I do not miss the homework, I did miss learning new and exciting things. This quarter I have decided to extend my creative side and take a Photography course. Now it has been years since I have taken a photography class, so I feel a bit disenchanted. But that is just due to the list of supplies we are supposed to buy. (What does the lab fee pay for anyway?) Well with that being said, I have endured my very first creative assignment; Depth of Field.

After doing the assignment I got a little bored and decided to photograph the dogs. (In my previous post I said we named our new puppy Lyra; well we decided to change her name to Elle. In French it means she. So it fits.) Maybe not as exciting as abstract candels, but fun just the same. So far Rio has been pretty tolerant of the new addition! Josie, well that's another story.

(Peek-A-Boo!)

A New Schedule

2007-09-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

This week is expected to be the week from HELL! Well that is what I am going to call it. I began my fall classes today, as well as tech week for the play "12 Angry Jurors" which I am costuming and performing in. I expect to be exhausted by the end of this week because I have to start getting up incredibly early to make it to the University, all the way across town, in time to find a parking space to get to my classes on time. (Stupid me...I almost always sign up for early afternoon classes.) I was spoiled on my "summer" schedule. It also doesn't help that we now have a new addition to our little family; Lyra our new puppy! She likes to go to bed late and wake us up really early with her serenade of a "dead-goose" impersonation. In the beginning this did NOT make for a happy Jeny. I now have ear-plugs which Tony so lovingly presented me with as to insure a blissful sleep and a pleasant Jeny in the morning. Well, day one of my Fall Schedule is coming to an end and I made it through my first class. Lets hope rehearsal goes as smoothly, I just hope I can get up tomorrow morning!

A Penny For Your Thoughts

2007-08-29T23:25:00.001-07:00

Today a friend of mine confided in me some relationship issues that they are having, and I had hard time thinking of comforting words to say. This is a new friendship and I was, at the very least, caught off guard by the conversation, and a little out of my comfort zone. Had it been someone I was closer with or knew longer, I usually would have told them to have faith that everything will be alright. I would have also sat them down and asked hard questions to get down to what the core issue was. YET, I didn't think I was the best to give advice because I don't know them very well and was not sure where I could go in the conversation, plus I feel that I don't have enough life experience to advise in certain situations.

During our talk I was quiet and listened, which is probably what they needed most, and interjected the "Oh, I am so sorrys" and "You are NOT a bad person for feeling that ways", but I really wanted to tell them to pray to God and ask for peace in their heart in regards to their situation. (I don't think they are very religious, or for that matter even have a belief in God.) At the end of our conversation I stepped over my usual "I will see you later, I hope you feel better" and invited them to church and told them I would pray for them. I am not sure if this was the right thing to do or if helped any, and I hope I didn't overstep my "New Friend Boundaries", or make them think that they can't talk to me because I will make them uncomfortable with "God" talk. I also hope they don't think I will judge them. I really hope this is not the case. I regretted saying what I did the moment it came out of my mouth, and I hope it won't hinder our growing relationship. But mostly I felt guilty for regretting what I said. I don't want to feel embarrassed bringing up God and my Faith. This brings me to the question, why is it when one brings up God, people automatically shut down and tune out? I find it very rare that I can tell someone I will pray for them, and they say Please Do! Well needless to say I hope our relationship is not ruined because I was honest about my faith. I guess only God and time will tell.

So Very Tired...A Rant.

2007-08-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

This week has proved to be an exausting one...

To start off, I have had the worst trouble falling asleep at night, and waking up at a decent hour proves a tough feat for me to conquer every morning; PLUS I have had involvments every night this week. Be it rehearsals, dinner parties, plays or just work at home, I am recently one very busy person! My Pippen told me during our shopping date earlier this week that I looked really tired (and comming from her I know it must be true). I guess it is time for a little break. Maybe a break from everyone. I need some time to myself to just be quiet and relax. Maybe a yoga class is in order, although I will be taking one next quarter and I rather not have to "relax" for a grade. If the weather wasn't so bad, maybe I would spend some more time in the hammock.To top my busy week off, my Saturday afternoon was shot-I went to a Baby Shower. Now I don't think that Baby Showers are so bad, but I think that they are a little boring especially since I have NO experience with kids. I have had minimal involvment once a week with kids at my church, but that is the most amount of time I choose to spend with children. At the shower we got to decorate onsies for the new one on the way, which is right up my ally! I am pretty artsy- but I didn't really feel I did my best work because the sun was blazing hot and all I wanted to do was hurry up and finish so I could retreat into the cool of the house. I was hoping to be the most creative, but the profuse sweating and dizzy feelings hindered me a bit. Oh Well. I don't have to wear it. ;-P. I did get to spend some much needed time with one of my very close friends, Joy. We spent the afternoon catching up, and took in a chick-flick. Now the Saturday evening task is to close the show from hell that ran for 8 weeks! And on the seventh day she rested.

A Camping We Will Go!

2007-08-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Tony, my sister and brother-in-law, and I went camping at the beach, well not exactly on the beach, but close enough. We found a nice little camping site up in the hills and had a relaxing weekend of beach walks, campfires, long naps, and clam-chowder. Not to mention scrumptious S'mores made with a cookie/cracker I have never had before called Digestives and top with Cadbury chocolates and marshmellows. They tasted so good!

(The campsite, with Rio!)

Rio came along for her very first camping experience, and I have to admit I was wary about bringing her. She behaved so well though, and she even minded Kevin and Annie. When we took her into the crowded little city I was afraid she would freak-out, but she behaved well and we were able to partake in some yummy clam chowder by the pier. I was worried because we have never taken her into crowded public places before, only walks around our neighborhood, but she was a doll! You know, it's funny how many friends you make when you have a dog with you! People just start talking to us like they had known us forever!

(Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl, MMM!)

We wandered in and out of our favorite cities along the coast and did some antique shopping, but mostly we just enjoyed the beaches. Apart from the morning fog, the weekend was absolutely beautiful. The beach was accompanied with an electric blue sky and a nice breeze off the ocean that gave just the perfect amount of goosebumps. We happened to find a small park at the end of a residental area that over looked the ocean. And were inspired by the view...all in all a very peaceful weekend. I'm looking forward to our next little beach adventure!

(Who in their right mind would not want to wake up to this view every morning?!)

Splish-Splash!

2007-08-05T19:19:00.001-07:00

The Scary-Orange-Cloud-Of-Doom made yet another cameo today and I decided to embrace the oddity and venture outside. Although I was incredibly uncomfortable being outside, I had to walk to the garage to do my weekly laundry (Boo!). I did find it was not as hot or dusty outside as I invisioned it feeling in my head. I also decided to take a few photos of the yard and Rio-who was grazing on the grass... as a dog does.

(Moo!)

We have also been working very hard (when I say we I mostly mean Tony) to up-keep our yard in the blazing summer heat, not to mention we decided to add a pond and stream as a water feature. This venture has been an ordeal, but I do have to say that all the bumps and frustrations have been worth it because the pond is looking splendid! (Though a bit greenish-which we are fighting with algea reducing chemicals that are not harmful to the fish or environment!) Tony even made a nice little bridge that goes over the stream so we can walk over it without getting our feet wet! But in this heat who cares about a little splashy-splashy on your legs and ankles, it feels SO good!

The "waterfall" into the stream.

And now for the weather...

2007-08-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

For the past two days the weather has been absolutly odd. A looming orangish-grey cloud has been lurking above and casting an eerie orange glow upon all it touches, making the world look like a horror movie set. The sun can barley be seen through the clouds, and looks like one of the orange parking lot lights that illuminate at night. Yet with the rest of the world alight, along with the still air, I feel a bit uncomfortable being outside. I want to hold my breath, as if when I breathe I am ingesting some poison or toxic gas. I blame it on the smog and the fact that we live in the valley, so all of Northern and Sothern California's dirty air slide down and sits right upon us; not to mention the temperature has been 100+ degrees and incredibly muggy with no breeze to displace the heat. Both of these factors equal Scary-Orange-Cloud-Of-Doom!
I did like the orange light it put through the window in the kitchen though, and thought it made for good composition. But now I just hope it goes away so we can go back to our "normal" blue-ish grey sky soon. Too much orange makes Jeny go something-something!

Leap before you look...

2007-08-02T11:33:00.001-07:00

I took a big leap today.
I swallowed my pride, and pulled out a big bunch of humble. I will not go into much detail about what I did until I find out if it was worth putting my pride on the chopping block. But I will say it felt very freeing! Plus it never hurts to ask, even as humiliating as it can be. The worst that can happen is I don't get what I want, the best is I will be involved in something that I have long since sworn off, but secretly wanted to be involved with again for a few years now. Heres to putting pride on the line and leaping without looking...SALUDE!

Harry Potter and the Labrynth of Jareth

2007-08-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

In the past month I have become really busy. Not that being busy bothers me, mind you, I hate floating in the lull. But a bit more busy than I prefer to be. Tony and I went to San Francisco to celebrate our 3 year anniversary (yay!), and preceeding up to that nice week long vacation I had quite a large number of mini-adventures that I was involved in.

My first mini-adventure came a month or so after my birthday. For my birthday present "my" Pippen (I am refered to as Merry in our Hobbit group) bought us tickets to go to a full fledged masquerade ball held down in Los Angeles which is known as the Labrynth of Jareth. It was nothing close to what we expected though. How do I explain this with out sounding too judgemental... well basically it was a prom for all the "gothic" kids from high school, who get to dress up as their favorite Renaissance/Fantasy/Fairy/S&M characters. Please don't get me wrong, some of the costumes were absolutely AMAZING! People put so much work into the smallest details, and that is what makes it fantastic! (Someone came dressed up as Lord Voldermort from the Harry Potter series-that was really interesting.) The others, well to put it nicely, were mainly girls dressed in skin tight bondage outfits and colorful wigs. It was fun though we were entertained with a few Cirque du Soliel style acts that were pretty amazing themselves, and traipsing down the Hollywood Walk of Stars attired in full ball gowns was a really fun expedition. People were staring like they had never seen cute girls in pretty dresses before. We were even asked to take pictures with a few people! As Pippen so eloquently put it "You didn't realize you were so famous, huh?" What a great birthday present, a night to remember!

My second mini-adventure was maybe a week later. We crazy "Hobbits" decided, because we are such nerds, to go and watch the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or a.k.a Harry Potter #5. Frodo got into line at 2:oo pm and there were already about 50 people in line ahead of her. I didn't get there until around 6:oo pm and there were HUNDREDS of people there-all dressed up as their favorite character or wearing their favorite "House" colors/robes. Before that night, the Hobbits and myself decided we would each dress up in the robes-one from each house as to show no favorites (Frodo & her brother as well as Samwise in Ravenclaw, Pippen in Gryffindor, me-Merry in Slytherin, I don't recall anyone in Huffelpuff, and Jared as Lupen).
Now we didn't think ahead of time, being Southern California girls that it would be close to 90 degrees outside until the sun went down. It was so HOT! Needless to say, we didn't put our robes on until they let us into the theatre. The moment the poor Edwards Theater employees opened the doors around 11:30 pm, there was a mass flood of people shoving and pushing their was into the cool oasis that I have never seen before, let alone be involved in. We were shoved from every angel-and to geek myself up a little-it is what I imagine Apperating feels like as explained in the Harry Potter books. Well when we got to the door where this single girl was taking the tickets from the hundreds of hands being shoved and flailed at her, I felt very sorry for her. I felt even more sorry that I was one of the people who was doing it, so I apologized profusely, and power walked to the theater in which we were assigned to. We were lucky enough to attain seats in the middle-back rows, the better seats in the house. Pippen and I were even more lucky to be sitting behind a young man around the age of ten who was dressed up as Dobby the house elf, and were immediately sucked into a very animated and detailed discussion of book 5. It wasn't until Pip smartly said , "Well, we're off to the toilet" that we were set free. As for my opinion of the movie, I of course loved it being a fan since the first. I will give no spoilers, one must see it for themselves.

Welcome & About Me

2007-07-31T16:55:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog!

I'm Jeny, and as for the formalities go I am a costumer for a local theatre, and I am persuing my BA in Art History. I am absolutely blessed!

I have been married to my husband Tony for 3 amazing years.
I have the very best friends in the world! (So close in fact we like to refrence ourselves "Hobbits".)

We have a dog named Rio, (Sometimes she is camera shy...)

and a cat named Josie. (She loves the fireplace!)

And the fish tank of the "ugly" fish. (Monster and the Eel Formerly Known As Seabisquit)

This marks the very first blog I have ever written. On the whole it is not very exciting as of yet, but I promise more interesting adventures to come!