Not Since I've Been Home

LDL and I are twins. Blonde Twins. We also look scarily similar to our high school days. Thankfully we've realized that wearing clothes four sizes too big is a silly thing to do, so hopefully we're a bit more fashionable than our old-school Umbros and t-shirts. The point is that we are generally recognizable. 

We're also making an effort around here to walk/bike wherever we need to go (within reason. I mean, some days are too hot. Some days we have too much to carry. Some days we are just tired). This, combined with the above paragraph, leaves us very vulnerable to "strangers" stopping us in the midst of our "exercise" or general errand running. It's not a big deal! We're back in town after 10 years away. We need friends. If only people would introduce themselves. 

This kind of stuff happens all the time:

- While Walking Around the Lake - 

Stranger/Potential Friend/Former Acquaintance: T & L D!!! How are you guys?? Do you remember me?

T:  possibly awkward pause Hello! So great to see you again! I didn't know you lived around here. 

S/PF/FA: I just moved back here from (insert location). I'm an attorney now. Hard to believe isn't it? I mean, seems like yesterday we were hanging out at the church together. 

T: Well you look great. Are you enjoying O-town ::leans down to pet dog who has been jumping on leg:

S/PF/FA: This is my dog (insert name). 

T&L: Well, it was great to run into you. We walk this lake a lot, so hopefully we'll see you around!

-Continue Walking Separate Ways-

L: T, who was that?

T: I have no idea. I was really hoping that when I said our names out loud, she would do the same. No luck.

L: I feel terrible. 

-End Scene-

-While Shopping At Publix-

Stranger: while walking past us in the other direction. Cereal aisle. Hey. You guys went to Edgewater. 

L: Yes we did! Small pause to see if she'll introduce herself

S: Do you not remember me? 2001! 

T: No, 2000

S: No, ME! I was class of 2001. They called me (insert inaudible nickname). Motions to her face. No? Still nothing? You don't remember? I dated (insert inaudible name of old boyfriend). 

Unable to hear/understand conversation, T walks away to finish shopping

L: Well, it was nice to see you again!

-End Scene- 

It's not that LDL and I don't enjoy these interactions, its just really embarassing when we can't come up with the name of the person who recognizes us. I realize this has potential to make us sound very snobby and uninterested in others but that's just not true! A few days after that, a car stopped at the intersection of our walking lake and major road. The short version of that interaction is this: Driver stops, rolls down window and shouts our names. She immediately follows this with her name and the name of her children, who are our age. Perfection. We did recognize her, but by saying her name immediately, the awkward pause to think and place in context were eliminated. Whew. 

Now every time I run into someone I haven't seen in a while, I introduce myself and whoever I am standing/walking/running/drinking with. It's just better that way. 

I'm off to go pay more attention to my niece look alike. Right now the dog is babysitting her.  

Pax and MLL

Long Time Coming

It has been so long since I last posted, that I am struggling to come up with what to tell you...

I moved into a new place, which is actually pretty awesome.  Lots of windows and such.  Really the best part though is how much cheaper it is than the previous place.  It was a great place, but really was much more than we needed.  In potentially interesting news, this continues a streak of not living at one address for a year since high school nearly 10 years ago.  Writing this, I feel like I have written it before, so, sorry for the repeat, that'll be the end of that.

I continue to meet new people, some in the industry, some not.  It is obviously a good thing to meet people who are in the same business and who you get along with etc, but in a strange way it can be a little soul crushing. hahaha.  I mean, not really.  But kinda.  Being the new kid on the block, it clearly is normal to be the, how do you say, least successful.  There really is only one way to change that.  And sitting around thinking about how you haven't done anything since moving clear across the country certainly isn't it.  Nice little pep talk, right?  Anyway, a while ago RBD3 introduced me to his roommate's brother who makes commercials that he then tries to sell.  We have met on a few occasions, and got along well, so for his next project, he asked me to be a part of it.

Even though it was just a little commercial, that is one of 75 in competition to be bought, meaning very few people will see it and the chance of getting any money from it is really quite small, it just felt good to be in front of the camera again.  To be able to say, yeah, I can't, I'll be shooting that day.  Real good.  I have also had some people take a look at some footage from a project I did a while back, and got some good feedback with some constructive criticism that I needed some stuff that showed more range.  So I reached out to some people about trying to create some projects, you know, being proactive and all.  I've gotten some positive responses, two people asking me if I wanted to be in shorts they were working on.  Also, a casting associate I took a workshop with got back with me (I had asked him about filming some stuff too) saying to shoot him any ideas, and to be ready to start shooting some stuff in the near future.  Now, nothing has happened yet, so who knows if it actually will, but nobody said, 'no way, get away from me' so I took that as a positive.

At some point, I'm sure I've told you about the casting websites where you submit yourself for auditions.  Well, I do that on a daily basis and have had a number of auditions through the sites.  But never a callback. Until last night! boo-yah. Great timing.  Really helped turn a frown upside down.  First callback since being out here, so, success.  I have detailed 'levels of rejection' before so I won't go into it again.  But, this is success.  For now.  Of course when I go to the callback tomorrow and don't get it, the level of disappointment will be the same. But again, for now, success.

Our Last Days in Annapolis

Seems forever ago that we were moving and cleaning our little town home. It also seems forever ago that we has to wear coats outside and P was in diapers. Little L was just a few months old and we spent most of our time playing in the floor in a (clean) laundry pile when L was awake and outside when she was sleeping. Just in time for the move both babies were sick sick sick but P still managed to enjoy the hotel bath and room service for breakfast. We are missing our friends in MD but know we made the right decision in making Orlando our home - come visit!

And congratulations to our naptown friends who just had a baby girl! Hopefully our sweet girls will meet someday, in the meantime I look at this picture of P and F often!

My Favorite Pictures

Maybe an all time fav, taken on Halloween while waiting for some friends to go trick or treating with neighbors in Annapolis.

It includes sweet Peter Pan and little l's 6 week old fingers.

Dear Mom,

I downloaded the blogger app to my phone so that I don't need a computer to blog. Also nice because since we moved I have not been able to put pictures on a computer so my plan is to start at the beginning and tell our short stories of adventures in Florida.

I imagine my spelling and grammar will be even worse than before... Hopefully the cute kids will more than make up for it!

I'll start back basically in January and hopefully catch up soon. Maybe just in time for mothers day.

Love, Lea

baby, you can drive my car

I am going to blog backward since who knows how much time I will have and yesterday NEEDS to be blogged about.

After lunch yay yay (LTD) went out to the garage to gather some things and PDL followed immediately after her.  I went out with L to gather him up since he was just in his socks and it was almost nap time.  I put L in P's radio flyer car just to see his reaction which I was sure was going to be no no no no no! up! up! up! but instead he grabbed the handle and took off running down the driveway.  hilarious.

P drove L all the way down to the lake so that she could look at the ducks - we saw in P's words, baby ducks, a mamu duck, and a yay yay duck.  He even turned the car toward the lake so L could see the ducks.  He was also intent that she listen to the radio as she was riding so he stopped every 30 seconds to turn it back on.

Be sure to stay tuned for the video shot by LTD ( yay yay) while she was walking backward toward the lake...

yep, thats yay yay....falling off a ledge and almost into the lake.  P thought it was hysterical.  It was.  :)

Silent House

This past weekend, little l, LDL, LTD, and I went up and over to Pensacola Beach, FL. That beach is definitely a home a way from home (even though I've had a million plus "homes" in the last decade). LTD went to high school at Gulf Breeze High and her side of the family has lived there since. We've been vacationing there every August to celebrate our grandmother's birthday. It's always a time of great joy, high drama, and general shenanigans associated with a fun loving family that enjoys each others company.  The view from that condo is spectacular and every time we get out of the car, after 7 hours, we sigh and say "It was worth it".

This visit was a little different and was for two primary reasons. The first was to visit the wonderful J&M Treesh family and celebrate the baptism of their youngest. The second reason we were there was to visit and check in on our grandmother, who is in a giant battle with Alzheimer's. I remember her so young and vivacious. She was always happy, well groomed and bragging on one of her 13 grandchildren. Purple is her favorite color; the color of royalty. She's a queen and a child of God. I'm trying hard to use the present tense here when describing purple grandmother, but the truth of the matter is she is not the woman I remember. Alzheimer's is a terribly mean disease. So LDL and I go to pay a visit, introduce a great-granddaughter (who shares a name with purple grandmother), breathe in the salt air, and do our best to love our own mom in every way we know how.

Truthfully, it's still too difficult for me to really talk about the drastic change in my grandmother. I love her. I miss her. This new person makes me nervous. And yet, somehow, despite being completely uncomfortable, I managed to convince myself she knew exactly who I was, where I had been, and all the stories we've shared. But when the day was done, she looked at me and said "Are you the lady who does my hair?".

Guess what's for dinner?

Silent House - The Dixie Chicks

Everyday that will pass you by
Every name that you won't recall
Everything that you made by hand
Everything that you know by heart

And I will try to connect
All the pieces you left
I will carry it on
And let you forget
And I'll remember the years
When your mind was clear
How the laughter and life
Filled up this silent house

More upbeat stories to come! A scavenger hunt for a lost phone; multiple trips to the Plant City Strawberry Festival; making p a tee-ball set from a tennis ball and tights; swimming in February; passionate conversations about politics; Fawning over The Ellen Show; D family happy hours; learning, adventuring, and loving. Be kind to one another.