Blogging Backup

My life has been a bit haphazard for the past month so I freely admit to a complete neglect of the blog. There have been lots of new developments in my life, to be disclosed at a later point. For now I will try to do a short recap of the past month. Most of my time in the recent weeks has been spent between Nashville and Atlanta, and during the course of this time, I have been able to see many people who are dear to me -- one being Becca Dawahare. When I was in Nashville, I made a stop by Belmont to visit my friend Becca who is studying music there. Not only did I get to spend an afternoon with her, but I also got to sit in on one of here vocal rehearsals and hear her. I was pretty blown away. She has gone from the little teenager I knew singing Billy Gillman (was that his name?) to singing classical arias, and quite beautifully I must add. It was wonderful to see her, and I am so proud of you, Becca.

The next stop I made was Fido's where my friend Ryan and I met up. We met in Nashville last fall and have remained friends. Although the time we have known each other is short, we have that connection like old youth group friends. It was great to see him, and I look forward to living near him soon!

A definite blast from the past was staying with my friend Steve. I met him in 1997 at Triple-R Ranch and despite a long history, we are now friends again. :) He was gracious enough to let me crash at his place, despite having a house full of company. We both were pretty busy during this trip so we didn't see each other much. His son and dad were visiting which kept him busy, but I was glad to meet Tristan and to see his dad again after so many years. Here is a pic of him and Tristan. (Meg, this is for you :) Thank you, Steve, for letting me stay!

The next friends I reunited with were the Wisconsin gang. Unfortunate circumstances brought us all together, Keith's dad passed away. The service was beautiful, and the number of persons present spoke volumes about his father. Although it was not the ideal circumstance to get together, I enjoyed my time with the three of them. Keith and Kevin also produced a show called "One Kiss Cafe" that played at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Angie and I enjoyed watching the show.

I don't know when I will see all of them again so I was glad for the short reunion.

Last but certainly not least, I was able to stay with another dear friend of mine that I had not seen for six years or so. Shari and I knew each other when I lived in Nashville in 2003, and we have kept in touch since. She and her husband were kind enough to let me stay with them for a few days, as well as getting me connected in Nashville. I had never met Red so it was a double delight to finally meet the man she had told me so much about. If I have ever had a fan, I would say next to my aunt Barb, Shari is the biggest. She certainly believes in me and does all she can to help further my career. Thank you!!! Thank you also for your hospitality, help, and encouragement. I look forward to seeing you soon in Nashville!

After Nashville, I headed to Atlanta. Bethany was traveling back from Nashville that day so I picked her up, and we did the drive down together. It was great having a few hours in the car to do all our chatting and catching up.

One of the neatest surprises was finding out that two of my favorite men in theatre were working at the Legacy. Matt and Larry were rehearsing for the current show so I got to see them. Matt and I played opposite one another this summer and became instant friends.

Larry and I have been friends since my Hershey Park days. I actually lived in his basement during that contract so I was overjoyed to see him after all these years.

The neat part was we all hung out with Mark and Bethany one night so I was in the room with years of friendship all coming together. God definitely has blessed me with some great friends from theatre, plus Biscuit (the dog). :)

Another great friend I am always glad to see is Becky who also served as my hostess that trip. She and her husband let me stay with them and as always I had a great time at their house, despite Becky's 3 am bedtime. Talk about chatting, I think if we didn't cut ourselves off, we could stay up for two days just talking. I'm looking forward to you being my Mama again!

:)

While there I got Becky hooked on The Tudors. I had season two with me so she got hooked and watched quite a few. She, Larry, and I ended up watching the Season Finale together at Mark and Bethany's. Good times.

The next day Mark and Bethany had a cook out in my honor, at least that is the excuse they gave. We had a great time lounging around the pool, enjoying the Georgia sun and just being with friends.

After blogging this, I realize how truly blessed I am with not only good health and a good family but also great friends who love me. I'm not sure I could ask for anything more out of life.