Resolutions 2013

Every year, Justin and I send out a Christmas letter. It is a chance to look back over the passed year and reflect on all of the adventures our lives have experienced, both the good and the bad. Sometimes it almost feels like torture to create... sometimes it is the easiest thing and editing becomes a must to keep it to the two page update.
 

This year's letter appears to have been all about life's blessings for we truly have been blessed this year. From adventures to ND, visiting friends in Omaha, a wonderful visit with Justin's parents this summer. Becoming Godfathers to a wonderful little boy whose name is Cash. Throwing a retirement party for my Mom. Adventures with school always abound both for Justin and myself. Christmas Carol for the fall play. A 4.0 GPA that continues. Mom's newest bout with cancer but a terrific diagnosis and treatment regimine.

 

We truly are blessed.

 

I found the following verses on a website I enjoy. I think that these will be my resolutions for next year.

 

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.
John Wooden

A sweet, dear friend posted this on Facebook today and I absolutely love this...I think this shall be a resolution as well. It is from the book of Colossians and has really struck a chord with me...

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

I love this very much.

 

Happy 2013 sweet friends.

Wishing you a year ahead filled with light, peace, prosperity, and above all

LOVE

Come from Love, Not from Fear

So the other night, I am watching Project Runway All-Stars. Yes this is one of my vices. I love this show very much for so many reasons. The creativity, the competition, the challenges...Not so much liking the All-Stars season...but that is for another time.

One of the challenges they usually have is their ready-to-wear challenge. One of the cool aspects of the All-Stars version was that they had to make a ready-to wear outfit that would fit into a designer's collection. The designer they selected was Elie Tahari. I had not heard of him for quite some time. Perhaps had walked passed his collection on Fifth Avenue in NYC, but had not really given him any extra thought.Elie Tahari is an Israeli-American luxury fashion designer of men and women's clothing  The competitors got the chance to design in his store, go downstairs to select fabric from his collections, and then  find out if the design would be budget essential.

One of the coolest things about this challenge was the fact that Tahari would also serve as a mentor as we ll as one of the final judges. Here's where it gets good.

One of the contestants was really questioning their choices. They were really struggling. Tahari came in with Joanna Coles, editor for Cosmopolitan Magazine and Tim Gunn wannabee, to consult the competitors. Tahari offered some amazing advice. He told the competitor, " You have got to come at this project from Love and not from Fear!"

How true! Can you imagine how much we could accomplish if this were the focus of us all? How many times have we left projects or adventures behind all because we were afraid of different issues...whether it is fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of looking stupid, or second guessing yourself and your choices.

It is my hope that we all can learn from Mr. Tahari's wonderful advice.

It's very rare...

that I remember my dreams...

I very rarely remember dreams. But when I do, they are vivid and visceral.

I am standing on a stage. I do not know what I am doing there. Cannot see myself. Cannot see what I am wearing. It is dark except for the spotlight that is on me. I can sense that the house is packed all the way up to the upper balcony...

Radio City Music Hall? Carnegie? Not specific.

I am singing and have been performing for quite some time...

For some reason, I am performing the song, "So In Love" from Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate. I repeat the phrase, " So In Love" three times, each time getting higher, louder, and longer, and remember feeling absolutely exhilarated. The orchestra swells as I hold the last note.

The cutoff...

And thunderous applause...

So loud I wake up...

I really love and hate those dreams...

I know it is something I will only acheive in my dreams....

And I am ok with that...

The view from here...

Looking back over the fall semester...I am just in awe at everything we accomplished. I am exhausted and have learned more about myself than ever.

I see myself in a different way, finding myself at a crossroads, a moment of reflection. I look back and must remember that when I am in the middle of a respit during the summer, what looks good on a schedule paper, must also be manageable in my own schedule.

Back in July, I began to look at the fall schedule and saw that there were so many wonderful possibilities. In regards to Competitive Speech, I was so excited that I was going to be able to take the team to four tournaments!! We have NEVER been able to do that in past years, so for this opportunity I was super excited to be able to take the kids to four competition venues and get North Little Rock's name out there.

We also tackled a HUGE performance this year. We agreed to tackle the beast known as A Christmas Carol and because of the theme of the show and the time of year, it was felt that it would be most successful at a later time of the semester, in the month of December, rather than the originial beginning of November. This placement looked so good on paper.

We also have our own speech tournament thrown in there for good measure. It is always the end of November, right after the Thanksgiving weekend. So with all of that in there...I was kept running from top to bottom, beginning to end.

What I was not prepared for was having to juggle so much from my own schedule. I felt on my own in so many ways. I look back it now as a growing moment.

I need to be so careful. I cannot push myself to the point of exhaustion as I had this fall. I absolutely remember being able to do this schedule, to be able to rock it out, when I was younger and more youthful. This was the time when I was trying to get a name for myself. I would push

However, there are so many more things pulling my time and focus that I juggle in my life, that this time around was extremely overwhelming. I am sitting here post Christmas and having rested a bit and keep thinking, "When the summer schedule ideas get thrown out there and looked at on paper, do a better, more refined way of scheduling. Be more respectful to my own life so that I am not spread so thin. This semester almost killed me. I went to every tournament on top of running every rehearsal." That was the nature of the beast.

And it was exhausting...I think what was most discouraging was that because of the schedule, the kids suffered...maybe not necessarily all of my students, but I feel like maybe some of my students fell through the cracks because I was too focused on the production, too focused on the tournaments. I let many thinkgs fall through the cracks that were so important to me in the prior school years. Things I should reshift and get back on track for the Spring.

But what was also inspiring was how many faculty came to my aid. When the warning flares came up, when everything turned overwhelming, every little thing that pushed me over the edge, I am so honored and overwhelmed at how many folks came to my aid. I am reminded of William Benjamin Basil King quote, "Be Bold and Mighty forces will come to your aid." He was a clergyman who became a writer after retiring from the clergy due to loss of eyesight and thyroid disease. It speaks of courage and making bold choices. I love that.  But on the flip side, I am grateful for the love and support I received when I needed it the most as it was definitely overwhelming and am glad to be on this side of it all.

One of those sweet moments...

Have had a much needed break from school and the rat-race. Had to schedule one of those life-changing moments for our "puppy" Emmy. She went in on Thursday to be spayed, or as I put it, "Have her Boogina cut out". She was also micro-chipped, got her last round of shots and had her toe-nails clipped, all while being in a deep sleep. Not even the hot pink toe nail polish she was given could help outweigh the pain she was in.

Thursday eve was a rough one. One of those drooling out of both sides of her mouth, thinking her paw was broken, drunk drunk DRUNK off her tail.

We are standing in the lobby getting ready to pay and the vet brings her out to us. The vet gives her to Justin and  begins to give us instructions on what to look for the next 72 hours. Emmy looks over at me and lays her paw on my shoulder as if to say, "Hey, I know you."

Heart melted...

And down for the count...

In it for the long haul...

I MISS BOB BARKER!!!

Hello.
My name is Annelle Boufay and I have hijacked Branden's blog. He left his computer laptop thingy open and I thought I would put my own werds down here.
I have known Branden fer about 10 years. I stopped in fer his one man singy show back in 2002 on my way from Huntsville, Alabama on my way to stardom in Television City. I hopped in my 1974 avacado green Ford LTD named Lou-Ester and put my Tanya Tucker 8-track and hit the road. I had decided I was gunna drive cross country and try out fer The Price Is Right in the hopes of meeting my one true love, Bob Barker.

It has always been a dream of mine to be a Barker Beauty. I have dreamt of so many ways for him to use that microphone thingy of his. I just want to get down to Contestant's Row and win my Price-in-Game, get me up on stage, and be able to stick my hand into that coat pocket a his and wisper sweet nothings in his ear.
Course, nowadays there have been so many changes on the Price is Right. Drew whats his name has stolen the show from my one true love and then I see that this has heppend.

I cannot believe they have allowed MEN to be the next beauties. I mean come on, they are purdy to look at, but when it comes to jobs, women do a better job of showing things and turning letters and flipping cards. We are purdier. I mean look at him...

So skinny and boney and that name tag on his chest just put there held up by all the chest hair underneath there. I mean can you imagine ripping that off? I perfer my mens to be chubby goodness with some love in em handles. My husband Bobby Lee Boufay loves me when we sit up on the plastic covered couch and eat our Cheezits and watch reruns of Saved By the Bell...Poor Tiffany Amber Theisen...to be dating Zack and loving Slater...

Yeah, I gotta thumbs up for you, Mr. Barker Beauty...Your days are numbered. I am onto you...taking jobs away from the ones who can do it right...Flipping those cards and perfectly framing those cars with those hand movements...I gott'em down and could give you a run fer your money.

well my squirrell cassarole is dingin at me. gotta go...

Don't tell Brandon bout this...I may try and get back on here again...maybe soon!!! Ya never know...

The high tech Haunted House

Around this time of year, thoughts mold to good ghost stories...

When I was in high school, I used to love this time of year. I used to get together with my friends John and Jared and we would create haunted houses in our basements. We even went as far as creating one with a HUGE graveyard and bags and bags and bags of crunchy leaves poured on the floor so the dead bodies (today's zombies) could crawl out of their grave sites. We created a mirror room, using a black light, where a face would appear in the glass and summon all the demons of hell to come and drag you away. All handmade, all amateur, all fun and a good time with best friends.

I moved on to college and the haunted houses turned to discussions of living in the South and the ghosts that haunt the mansions down here. There was stories of the home where at the right time of day, you hear the footsteps come down the stairs, come into the room, the bench of the piano moves out and the piano begins to play on its own. It is the story of a young girl who died in the house who used to play it and continues to do so to this day. Or the blue floating light on the railroad tracks that hovers a few feet into the air and looks like the lantern of a trainman who is searching along the tracks.

As an adult, I have found that I do not enjoy going through haunted houses this time of year anymore. I don't enjoy the idea of people, dressed and covered in blood, reaching out and touching or grabbing me...and blood these days...notsomuch.

What does floor me is the discussion I just heard on the satellite radio concerning today's haunted houses. The gentleman began the discussion about his haunted house that he has created this year. They begin prepping for the set up in MARCH, and begin to build the pieces in July, with move-in around the beginning of September. SEERIOUSLY???? Each room this year has a different well-known serial killer in it, ranging from well known killers like John Wayne Gacy and Dahmer to an unknown murderer who murdered 300 female virgins??? Ok Creepy factor times 100.

Gets worse from there...
Seems there are haunted houses in the US where you check in at home online. Seems once you buy a ticket, they send you a bracelet that you register. Seems that once you check-in at the haunted house, they are so high tech that when you enter certain rooms the computers in the room scan your bracelet and everything in the house customizes to you personally. For example, all the gravestones automatically change the names to family members found on your Facebook page. The pictures in the house become those of your closest friends on your Twitter account. And the CREEPY factor goes up even more times 1000.

I much prefer the safety of my own home, where I can clutch my pillow and be protected. Where I can watch my Ghost Hunters in peace and be mesmerized by the tiny little music box playing on its own...so yes I do believe in ghosts and presences...and believe that we are surrounded by presence all the time...and I feel great solace in this...truthfully...until they begin to move things without explanation and then we MOVE!! :)

What is your ghost stories??