Our next big adventure

Sorry to any of my regular or semi-regular readers. I know it's been forever since I last posted. It's just that over the last two months a lot has happened and we've been busy trying to figure it all out. I am going to do my very best to post more often, especially because of what is going to happen to us in the next few months.

As many of you know, I had decided it was time for me to go back to school. I applied to several schools for a master's degree in playwriting. Unfortunately, I chose a very competitive field with few schools. Although my writing has really improved over the last few years, it's obvious that I'm not ready to be in a graduate program yet. I wasn't accepted to any schools, so I'm back to the drawing board. I am taking this rejection in stride--it almost seemed to bring things into focus for me. I feel like I was going back to school to have someone else just "fix" my writing for me. It's obvious that I need to put extra work into my writing on my own. If I'm not willing to do that, then maybe it's not the right field for me anyway. I never felt 100% comfortable with playwriting anyway, and I have begun to explore other places I can use my writing skills, especially online where there are tons of freelance writing opportunities. So, for now, school is on the back burner.

However, we are about to get Jeff graduated! He will officially receive his MFA in theatrical lighting on May 10th and he will start life as a professional lighting designer. He has truly developed his skills and made some great contacts in the business, so we are very excited about his future. He is really ready to be in the working world. He's going to stay here with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival for a few weeks this summer with an actual paycheck (rather than the stipend we've been living on) to save some money for our move.

And now we come to the big news: we are moving to California! For those of you who know me well, you are probably scratching your heads right now. Los Angeles is about the last place I ever thought I would be moving to, but this is happening and I am really excited about it. We are joining some other friends out there to work for a few years. Jeff is hoping to work in the film industry in some way. He's already been in contact with the unions out there to see about working on film and TV as an electrician. He is super excited about this--it's kind of a life-long dream come true for him to do this. This will give him the opportunity to learn about film and just have some awesome experiences. Our friend Andrew, who has recently moved back to LA after grad school, is currently working as a commercial casting agent. He is doing his best to help me find a job in the industry somewhere, so it looks like it is back to the office world for me.

I am excited about the openness of our plans. We have no concrete plan about what our future is going to look like, but somehow, (for probably the first time in my life) that feels okay. I am finally at a place in my life where I am ready to have an adventure, take a risk, and just see where it takes me. Part of this new found freedom is courtesy of my husband. He has no fear of the unknown, no concern that things won't work out for the very best for him. Though this has sometimes lead him to want to be wreckless, God sent him ME to remind him that a little planning goes a long way. We are making smart choices so that we can take this risk without completely throwing ourselves off a cliff.

And maybe we are throwing ourselves off a cliff, but at this point, I don't even care. It feels so much like the right decision that I am almost giddy with readiness for it. We just have this firm faith that we are making the right decision and God is going to continue to provide for us. I mean, let's be honest, three years ago, we were so clueless as to how and where our lives were going to go. As a kind of last minute decision, Jeff decided to go back to school for something he liked and thought he was kind of good at just so he didn't live the rest of his life having to work in crappy retail jobs. Now, he has honed his talent and found his passion. At the same time, I had to leave a job I loved and thought my professional life was over. But I found a home as a secretary and learned about my own passion for both social justice and, somewhat sadly, spreadsheets. Having honed my own skills in organization and customer service, I've discovered I'm good at more things than I knew and am ready for a career in the business world. If you ask me, God has been good in answering the prayers we didn't even know we needed to pray.

I am going to try my hardest to document this next step. Especially for my family I am leaving behind, I need to be able to voice what my new life is like to stay connected. But most importantly, I know that the next few years are going to provide some incredible life experiences that I need to expand me as an artist and a person. So, stay tuned for our little adventure!