Step #31--Find those moments to shine

I recently auditioned for the children's melodrama "The Horrible Monster of Danky Swamp." It's a 45 minute show following the Everwhine family and their cousin, Serenity Braveheart. The Horrible Monster of Danky Swamp has been terrorizing the town of Prissy Point, so that nearly everyone has left. So, Serenity sets out to vanquish the Monster and restore peace to the town. It's a part of my Reader's Theater class, but it will also be a part of a Main Stage production this semester. There will be special performances for neighboring elementary schools during the day and night performances for the BYU-Idaho audience. I wasn't planning on auditioning for a show this semester once I found out that they weren't doing "The Drowsy Chaperone," but I went for it anyway, and after a monologue and a few cold reads, I was given the part of Serenity Braveheart!!!!! It should be a blast. I've never been the heroine of a melodrama before. I feel really good about it. Now I just have to start memorizing my lines!

Step #30-- Both sides

Never again will I have to smile instead of scream

or be sympathetic instead of yelling “You idiot!”

Never again will I be forced to park a thousand strollers:

the Eddie Baures,

the Gracos,

OR the Maclarens

Never again will I watch an Elephant, Ostrich, or Rhino relieve itself

Or smell it

Never again with the language barriers, the “Stand behind the yellow line!”s, or the radio chatter

Never again will I wait for a bus that should’ve arrived 25 minutes ago

Never again will I be asked where to get a Fastpass or where the bathrooms are

over

and over again

On the other hand,

Never again will I get seven two week safaris in one day,

catching those poachers every time

Never again will I greet people with JAMBO!

or pretend I live in Africa

Never again will I get to help little princesses in poofy dresses

or five year old pirates with whiskers

Never again with Rock ‘n Rollercoaster on Friday

Space Mountain on Saturday,

Followed by church on Sunday,

and Expedition Everest on Monday

Never again will a Lion be in my rear view mirror

or a Giraffe be within arm’s reach

Never another chance to give magical moments

or make dreams come true

But I can stop the pixie dust from dissolving

and the magic from disappearing

by keeping it in my heart

Then the world will never be bleak again

Never again

Step #29-- Maturity

In life, it's important to know when to be mature.

I did my best the other day, but sometimes things are just funny, no matter how much they shouldn't be.

It was a slow morning, one of the slowest I'd ever seen, but as the weather cleared out, we were flooded with guests. I was then assigned to a truck where they left me for three and a half hours. HORRIFIC! But some interesting events took place during those three hours. On one round, a white Rhino came up to my truck, put its horn by my front tire and started to rock my truck back and forth, back and forth. Just as I started to get sea-sick, it got bored and walked away. Weird.

A couple rounds later, I saw that the male rhino had his head resting upon the female rhino's rump. The guests thought it was adorable and started to take pictures, but I was concerned. I remembered that Animal Programs had trained us on how to spot the signals animals send to each other before beginning the mating process. I also remembered that this specific rhino action was one of those signals. What would I do if they started to mate in the middle of my safari? Just as I thought this, the male began to mount the female. Fortunately, the female was not in the mood, and she moved away. My guests were laughing their heads off and I let out a snicker or two. I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. I called it in.

The next round, we came around to the same point and the trucks in front of me were stopped. I figured it would be a small delay, so I stopped, put my vehicle into park, and began chatting with my guests. Over the radio I heard that we were stopped for a white rhino. Not a big deal, that was pretty much what I'd been expecting. A few moments later, I heard that all five white rhinos were in the road. ALL FIVE. Kind of a big deal. We'd already been stuck for seven or so minutes at this point. next, I hear this on the radio:

"Reserve Warden from Safari 12."

"Warden by."

"The White Rhinos are breeding."

"10-9?"

"The White Rhinos are breeding...in the middle of the road."

Oh boy, the White Rhinos were making a baby in the middle of the ride path. Big deal.

I gasped into my microphone but tried to regain my composure. The guests in the front row over heard the radio and started to laugh. There wasn't much to do at this point except to sit and wait for Animals Programs to come and do...something. We were stuck there for about 20 minutes. 20 awkward minutes. When we were finally able to get back on the move, we were forced to take an alternated route so we didn't interrupt the rhinos. As it turned out, I was only two trucks behind where the event was taking place and as we turned onto the alternate route, we could see that there was still one truck stuck behind the action, helpless and unable to move. But beyond that truck, blatant and unashamed, were two mating rhinos. I'd never seen anything like it. The male was on top of the female--like rhino Jenga. There was no hiding it, and no changing what we'd seen. That's the circle of life for you. I hurried my chuckling guests away trying to keep my composure, but even I couldn't suppress the laughter. Can you blame me?

Sorry maturity. Maybe tomorrow.

Step #28-- Be a character or be a kid, but don't be boring

So meeting Disney Characters made me feel more like a kid than I have felt in a long time, and it made me realize that, when you're a kid, the simplest things can make you happy. I saw little kids wait for more than thirty minutes just to say hi to Belle. We met a little girl dressed like Rapunzel and she was so excited to show us all the pictures and autographs she'd accumulated since coming to Disney World the last year. I'd never cared about meeting characters before, but it was such a fun experience. It's made me realize what a kid I am, and what a character I am.

Step #27--Tacky clothes and bad hair styles never hurt anyone

I went into music video mode this past week. My other two videos are more serious and took a lot of work, but this one was just pure fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFnypZtAcrc

The Story of Waldo

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Debbi Randall. She was happily married to a wonderful man named Kelly and they had six children: Tricia, Rachel, David, Nicholas, Brian, and Emily.

Debbi was famous for her astounding birthday cake creations. Each birthday, she’d contrive, construct, and decorate a unique themed dessert to match and delight the birthday boy or girl. The cake she planned for young David’s birthday that legendary April morning, would forever be a legend in the Randall family household.

It was a simple bunt cake, but strategically planted in the middle was a small Waldo figurine. Dressed up in his classic red and white striped sweater and hat, he waited in the center of the cake, encompassed by frosting, for an eager party guest to find him. And find him they did.

Not so long after that, David slumped through the garage door, discouraged after having a bad day. Debbi wondered, in the way mothers typically do, how she could bring a smile back to her son’s face. With a snicker, she picked up Waldo and hid him in an unsuspecting place. Satisfied with her plan, she called to David.

“Oh, Dave!” She chimed, “There’s something special for you in the shower!”

“What is it?” David asked, confused and set aback.

“You’ll just have to look and see what you find!” Debbi giggled.

Well, what would you do if you found Waldo hiding under a washcloth in the shower? It was an immediate success, and soon Waldo began to appear in strange places: hanging down from the front door, in the washer, in drawers, just about anywhere. The person who found him got to hide him next.

But the family started to grow and spread. The siblings started to go off to college and travel the world. Did Waldo retire? Of course not! Waldo visited Tricia at a girl’s camp and in the Czech Republic. He travelled to Peru to help David on his mission in Lima. He went on a cruise with Debbi and Kelly and all the way to Argentina to see Brian. Emily even had him for a while in China. He currently rests with her at Walt Disney World, enjoying the magic and the pixie dust. Where will he go next? Will the legend of Waldo continue on? Will he and the Randall family live happily ever after? Yes. Yes they will.

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