The Jungle Play

While in Alabama I came across a week long drama camp with a performance at the end. 

Maisey cried at the try outs and refused to do it. Until suddenly she decided after an hour that she would be fine. She and Lila were cast as monkeys and Anabelle was cast as a member of the fox family.

 Anabelle had quite a few lines which she practiced and remembered perfectly. I was really proud of her because she has quite a case of stage fright and it was obvious she was really working to get over that. 

Lila & Maisey were to come out on stage making loud ape noises. Before we ever saw Lila, we heard her. It was loud, and it could not have been any more perfect. We were cracking up at the sound of it. When it was time for them to exit the stage Maisey left, along with all the other monkeys, making their ape sounds all the way. Well during that scene Lila seemed to forget that she was part of the play and became wrapped up in watching it. Baloo tried discreetly to shoo her off stage several times but she was to engrossed to pick up on it. Finally, in desperation, the cues became much less discreet. All at once she remembered where she was it seemed. Instead of creeping quietly off stage she did just what she was supposed to do-make loud ape noises all the way. It was perfect. Just three minutes late. Braden and I had tears of laughter and joy. It was hilarious and adorable. 

Maisey had a great time up there and really shone when it came time to dance. 

I'm already excited for the next one. 

{walking again through} Aldridge Gardens

In the time we lived in Alabama, this little place came to feel like ours. We ate dinner there several times a week, we played ball, we chased geese, we walked and ran the trails hundreds of times. Anabelle climbed on those statues so regularly I think she thought they were hers. It's where I developed my love for hydrangeas. It's where I went to feel grounded and think. Naturally, it was one of the places I was most excited to visit during our stay. The first time I went back I went alone on a Sunday morning and walked for several hours. It was like coming home. I was transported back a few years. I thought about a time when we had fewer kids, shaky employment, a sick baby, and a lot of stress. We also had the very best ward I've ever known wrap us up and walk us through it. Those same friends were the reason we wanted so much to return for a visit. And I truly doubt that those relationships would have the depth that they do, had it not been for our many struggles and all the kindness we received. I walked those still familiar paths thinking about the duality of that time. I'm glad to be in a better place in so many ways than we were then. But there was a tenderness to our lives then. A sincerity in relationships with people. I think it is born of sorrow, and when someone helps you carry that sorrow it forges an especially beautiful bond. This time of reflection reminded me of our tender mercies-the ones from that period of our lives and the current blessings we now enjoy. I think I can never walk among those tall tall trees and not feel wonderfully small. For all of the brain work and soul searching done on those paths I think of it as a sacred space.