The Summer that Was

Hello All,


First off please accept our apologies for not being more consistent with updates :) Thomas is also blogging about our Hollywood experience at http://findtheblueflower.blogspot.com/, and I am not as eloquent of a writer. But we will try to do better.

So where we left off was last spring: Thomas has continued to work the internship with Master Media; they had their big Summit Convention the weekend of Sept. 23-25th. He also was blessed enough to get hired to direct a music video in July and an upcoming Webseries in October.

Late in May we made a trip back to Texas. I was excited to return to something familiar and a full-time job with Kids Who Care Musical Theatre. Yipeeeee! During this time Thomas was finishing up a Grey’s Anatomy TV script for the Disney and NBC writing fellowship program submission deadline.

Being back in Texas for the summer was a great break from the chaos that is LA. It was nice to be surrounded by family, friends and coworkers that similar beliefs. The summer held many surprises for us, within my first week back my boss tore her achlesis tendon at a Lessac work shop and my life went from 100 miles per hour to 200! Stressful at times, but a great two months of wearing many hats, tackling challenges, and opportunities to learn and grow into a better leader. Simultaneously on the home front Kathleen (Thomas’s) mother was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy due to the brain tumor they discovered a few months prior. It was a blessing to be there during this journey and I am sure not a coincidence at all that here entire treatment time was during my time back. It was nice to be able to be a second pair of hands/driver around the house.

After the summer we have returned to the wonderful world of struggling artists. I returned only to the one-woman show I started directing “Into the Torrent Sea” with a former UCLA professor, which will have its first staged reading at the Santa Monica Library Nov. 20th-21st.

Within my first 3 weeks back I have auditioned to join a Christian Theatre Membership - Actor’s Co-op Hollywood ( http://www.actorsco-op.org/). I got accepted in and within a week of membership was asked to audition for the second show of the season. It just so happens that the role they hadn’t cast yet was that of a short, blonde haired, blue-eyed, comedic actress! So I auditioned and with God’s blessing am cast in my first Theatre Production in Hollywood! Oh yeah! And somewhere in there I taught a modern dance workshop with D.C. Dance Center. We are learning to embrace all victories not matter how small :) At first we struggled with getting excited at what would seem to be an insignificant thing in the world of those who have been in LA for years, but in the best interest in our battle with insanity we have chosen that for us….even insignificant is exciting and signs that God is still in it beside us!

At the same time as I am auditioning for Actor’s Co-op, I am interviewing to direct with Althea Christian Theatre ( http://www.alethiatheater.com/Home_Page.html ). A little bit of a drive from Burbank since they are located in Garden Grove, but a great chance to build a relationship with another Christian theater and for me to finally work with kids out here in an environment that is respectful. The only down fall is that they only rehearse on Monday evenings, which normally would be a moment of rejoicing due to the drive and the ability to still pursue other work. The problem? Well, Actor’s Co-op has their membership meetings on Monday nights. So now…the choice was to direct and get paid, or to stay an active member in the co-op so I can continue to be involved and grow into the co-op family. The choice was that I needed the job, and since it is, in fact still, a job in my desired career field, it is a must to take. And we will pray for God’s grace and provision in ways that I can still be as active as possible at the co-op.

Currently, I am still job hunting looking for little gigs to help fill in my time and our pocket book. My days are now filled with daily job hunting, directing prep for my first show with Alethia theatre and rehearsal for God’s Favorite with Actors Co-op…. not bad :)

Updates on California Life

Today marks our two month anniversary of being here in LA (actually the Burbank/Toluca Lake area if you want to get technical). It's been a quick, tumultuous 60 days, but God continually proves himself faithful in every aspect of our lives. We live near some friends from graduate school, so we are starting to get plugged into a community of like-minded believers and wanna-be moviemakers. We hosted an Oscar-watching party and are going to start a regular movie-screening night soon. We've already noticed how easy it is to feel disconnected and isolated out here, so we're looking for opportunities to keep building real connections.

On the job front, Thomas has continued real estate work via telecommuting and recently signed-on to a part-time internship with Master Media, helping put together their annual summit, which is composed of 300+ of the "A-list" Christian Executives in the film industry. He's hoping this event leads to more interaction down the road. He's also become a theater reviewer for the local paper (The Tolucan Times). He's only reviewed one show so far, but it was a doozy (top ten worst, all-time).

Rhonda is much more productive, having snagged a job teaching theater directing at the LA Feature Film Academy and having just gotten an offer to start teaching with Star Education, which does theater/arts classes and outreaches in local schools. She also went on her first LA audition to be the host for a children's video series. We'll let you know if she gets it (actually you'll probably by able to hear her yell in delight).

Six weeks in

Here's our California Talley, so far . . . .

Rhonda Job Interviews: 7

Rhonda Job Offers: 5

Rhonda Jobs accepted: 2 (One teaching theater directing courses and one teaching outreach theater classes in underpriviledged schools)

Thomas Job Interview: 2

Thomas Job Offers: 0

Thomas Jobs accepted: Don't really need to fill this one out, do I?

Churches Visited: 5

Churches Enjoyed: 1.5

Parking Tickets: 1

Trips to Disneyland: 2     (thank you, "2 for the price of 1" coupon)

Trips onto an actual movie studio lot: 3

Times stuck in horrendous traffic: 4

Number of times the temperature has been outside of the 70's: 5

The Leap

After 25+ hours in a car, we have arrived and are now officially Californians.  We, along with Thomas' dad, Tom, drove two cars and a U-Haul across the barren wastelands of West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to finally reach Los Angeles.

The drive was peppered with firsts, including:

*  The first time Rhonda rode in the cab of a U-Haul truck, leading to much anxiety and checking of sideview mirrors after every bump. 

* The first time Thomas heard his father utter the phrase, "About twenty minutes from this here is the house you were conceived in."

* The first time Thomas saw the house he was conceived in.

* The first time Rhonda uttered the phrase, "I'd be fine with Subway." 

Thanks to God not only for the safe trip, the minimal loss of property (one lamp down), but also for clearing the weather up.  The morning we were due to arrive in Burbank started with a torrential downpour.  Apparently, twice a year, So Cal has something called "rain."  And this "rain" has co-incided with Thomas' apartment hunt of two weeks ago and now his moving date.  A fact he is trying not to take personally. 

As we were driving the final 10 miles west, however, the sky parted, and a window of calm settled over the area just long enough for us to un-load everything.  It was an encouraging, needed moment. 

Your prayers have been and will continue to be so important to us.  Especially now that the unpacking and job hunt compete for our attention.  Love to all. 
 

Our California Address

Hi all -

Our new address in California is

4201 W Kling St #12
Burbank, CA 91505.

Our emails will be staying the same, and as we will update as we get new cell phone numbers.   Check back every once in a while to see what's new with us.