I'm Back - maybe

Yes it has been a while.  I’ll give this a try and see if I can maintain regular posting until we head back to the US.  So to make up for lost time here’s what has been going on since I last posted (briefly) –

• Allen had surgery for an infected abscess in October.  Since then he has had daily bandage changes and yes they are still on-going.
• I began teaching dance classes and was the assistant director for an after-school drama camp production of Sleeping Beauty.
• Kyra played the fairy Merriweather in Sleeping Beauty.
• Kyle and Kyra had a mini vacation to Paris at the beginning of November (Allen had to stay home for bandage changes and I stayed with him. 
• Making arrangements for Allen’s school work and in home tutoring (due to extended school absence) was quite time consuming.
• My French speaking is now improving exponentially and most of the time I am thinking in French rather than translating English thoughts to French.
• I was understudy for Martha Jefferson and Abigail Adams in a production of 1776.  I played Martha once.  Lots of fun but lots of work.
• Allen went skiing with youth group over Christmas break.  Poor Allen had to ski in the Austrian Alps.
• Kyle, Kyra and I went to the South of France and enjoyed sunshine and the sights of Nice, Cannes, Grasse, Eze and Mougin. 
• I have learned to cope with the short days and grey skies.  It helps that this year I had other things to focus on.  I was healthier and it rained less. 
• I’m way behind on scrapbooking.
• I learned I won the Army’s Festival of Arts award for second place actress in a musical for my role as Laurey in Oklahoma!

This isn’t everything, but a gist.  What’s going on now? 

Kyra is eating a vegan diet for the month of January, which means I am meal planning and cooking without meat or animal products.

I just auditioned for Six Characters in Search of an Author.

Next week I begin teaching three dance classes (I have a partner instructor – Leslee who is fabulous) and will take on more directing responsibilities for theater camp's production of Schoolhouse Rock Live.

Lunch in the Grande Place

 Last weekend Kyle and I went to Antwerp for the day.  We visited Reuben's house and the Antwerp cathedral (more on those in another post).  While in Antwerp, we had lunch in the grande place, because that's where one has lunch when in a European city.

If the weather is nice, you can sit outside and enjoy views of the city hall, various guild buildings, a fountain and/or a statue.   This was the view from our lunch table. Notice we could see all four of the above items.

As we were in Belgium we were offered the traditional Belgian menu items pictured on our placemat - mussels, fries and beer.  Kyle had a beer and fries.  I had a few fries.  I will note that Kyle and I have both tried mussels and don't find them worth trying again.  They don't taste awful, just nothing special.

I indulged in my favorite European lunch - bread and brie.  This restaurant served it as a sandwich with honey and walnuts as well.  Kyle had a sandwich on a baguette.

While the food in Grande Place restaurants is never anything terribly special, you can't beat the views and the opportunity for people watching.  And the chance to say - I've been there.  While all Grande Places have charm, unless you are eating in one, you tend not to linger long.  You walk in, admire the pretty buildings, snap a couple of photos and are on your way.  (I've been to Brussels' Grande Place three times now and probably spent less than an hour total there and most of that was spent waiting in line to view the flower carpet).  When you stay for lunch (particularly a European paced lunch) you spend much more time in the Grande Place and can watch the tourists move through, take a closer look at the beautiful architecture and soak in a bit more of the atmosphere.

I'm grateful that I'm not running through all of Europe at a high speed pace trying to check off as many sights as possible and have the time to stop, take a break and just be here. I think that's when I enjoy being here the most.

Plaza Suite

As we open this week, I should probably blog on this a bit.

SHAPE Players' fall production is Plaza Suite by Neil Simon.  The play has three acts that all take place in suite 719 of the Plaza Hotel.  Kyra and I were both cast in the play.  Kyra plays Mimsey Hubley, a bride who has locked herself in the bathroom on her wedding day.  I play Muriel Tate, a married woman who has gone to the Plaza Hotel to meet her high school boyfriend who is now a famous Hollywood producer.

Over the past few weeks I have been keeping busy with rehearsals and helping with the set (thus few blog posts).  The volunteer who used to help with set construction moved this summer so there is as much to do, but fewer trained hands to do it.  Thus Thomas (the set designer and builder) has taught me to use some of the power tools - circular saw, nail gun, staple gun and drill (already knew some drill skills).  I've also done a good amount of painting as one look at my clothes will confirm.

Rehearsal wise, I've had a lot of fun.  I most definitely prefer the shows with a smaller cast.  I guess I'm selfish that way - I like to have more time with the director, more time to run lines and the calmer atmosphere of a small cast.  Plaza Suite is essentially three small shows that share a common setting.  So in some ways we are functioning as three separate shows.  Full run throughs allow us to see what our fellow cast members are doing but otherwise we don't rehearse together.  I've seen a good amount of act 3 solely because I bring Kyra to rehearsal and then sometimes stay to watch.

The show is set in 1968 so the costuming is fun.  Yes I will post photos - keep an eye out for them.