Best Birthday Present EVER!!!!

Yesterday was my 52nd birthday. Yes, it was also Halloween.Growing up with a Halloween birthday and having a flair for the dramatic made every birthday party a dream. Of course they were always costume parties. As  I grew older, each year became a challenge as to what my costume would be. Consequently, as I grew older, and had children it became about the perfect costumes for them. To say we love Halloween in this house is an understatement. We start planning next year's costume almost as soon as the last trick-or-treater has left the house.  This year was no different. We started planning early and had a theme. Then something happened. Surgery was going to change my Halloween and birthday plans this year. I didn't get to dress up. I didn't get to go out. I couldn't even put fun make-up on because of the swelling in my lips and nose. You know what? It was still a great birthday! My youngest spent all morning decorating the house. I had a visit from one of my very best friends. Topping it all off, strawberry shortcake for my birthday.
Those are not the reasons this birthday is different than any other. At the risk of sounding corny, this year I got the best gift I have ever received. I got my sight back and maybe my life. Not a bad trade for not being able to dress up. I'll take it!

Age is Just a Number, Right?

Today is Halloween, but it is also something else for me, and this year, it is a milestone! I was born on October, 31, 1963, at 1:20 in the afternoon. My mother swears that the reason she went into labor is because she had spent the entire previous day walking the sidewalks of Willow Lawn Shopping Center searching for just the right shoes to go with my older sister's Halloween costume. It was later discovered that my sister just wanted to ride the little mini coin operated Merry-Go-Rounds in front of the shoe stores, but I digress. I guess I have my sister to thank for the fact that I am born on Halloween, which I have to say is a pretty cool birthday to have! All of my birthday parties growing up were costume parties, and that turns out to be a pretty neat thing when your passion in life is acting and theatre! Everybody celebrates your day, and you get FREE candy. As a kid, what can be better than that? But this post isn't about Halloween or costumes or candy. Today this post is about turning 50! That's right, folks, I have lived half a century! Wow, when you put it that way, it sounds really ominous! But I am in pretty good company of people who have also turned the 40's corner this year, Brad Pitt, Lisa Kudrow, Mike Meyers, Benjamin Bratt, Vanessa Williams, Helen Hunt, John Stamos, Gail O'Grady, Eric McCormack, Michael Jordan and Kathy Ireland to name just a few celebrities. I've never really been obsessed with age. That could have something to do with my genes. My grandmother never looked her age, and nor does my mother at age 74. My grandmother also lived to be 96, so I'm certainly not at death's door at 50. I won't lie, this is a BIG one for me, not because I feel old, or, I'll say it, I don't think I act or look old, it's because of the perception of 50 and above. I am now, officially a Senior Citizen, and that's a whole different group than people in their Forties. I probably wouldn't be focusing on that as much if I were not single. I feel like it will become more difficult to find a companion now. I mentioned this scenario to my sister, and, ever the optimist, she said that maybe it would now become easier! So...let's go with that. This is also not a post about finding a man, but if you have any extras laying around, throw them my way! <Cue rim shot!> Thank you, ladies and germs, I'll be here all week! Tip your waiters and waitresses! 
50 Years! What have I done in 50 years? Well, pretty darn much! I've been a professional actor, defining that as being paid to act upon the stage, since I was 10 years old, and have been pretty lucky to have worked pretty consistently all of my adult life! That's not too shabby when you live and breathe on the stage! I had the incredible opportunity to co-star in an independent feature film, and win an award for my performance. I have been nominated for my work on the stage, and I have won awards in drama and speech. All of this has happened pretty much without ever leaving "my own backyard" so to speak. Pretty lucky, if you ask me. But before this starts to sound like a brag sheet, let me focus on the intangible, the things that mean the most to me, good and bad. I have experienced the deepest love imaginable, and felt profound loss. I have laughed until I cried, and cried until I felt I couldn't cry anymore. I have been thrown into a fire of despair but forged that much stronger because of it. I have two amazing daughters, and, yes, I know every parent says that, but in this case, it's true. They truly are my best friends, and I am lucky enough that they consider me the same, a rare, rare thing these days. I had two parents who believed in my dreams even when I didn't, and always encouraged me to go after them, and even though our childhood relationship wasn't the best for lots of reasons, I have a sister who loves me and my kids, and is there when I need her always. Don't even get me started on how blessed I am in the friend department! Would I like to have more money? Sure! Would I like to be able to give my girls all the things they NEED, not want? Absolutely! But all things considered, these 50 years have been a wonderful ride, and I can't wait to see what the next 50 bring!

HAPPY Birthday to me!

Me on my 49th Halloween Birthday

At 1:20 PM today, I turned 49 years old. Birthdays change as you get older. When I was little, especially having a Halloween birthday, my thoughts were of what costume I would wear, and what costumes would be worn to my party, candy, treats, what special cake I would get that had to do with the Halloween theme. As an adult, my birthdays are spent reflecting on my life and how quick the years seem to pass now. Ok, so I still like to dress up, sue me. This past year has been chocked full of wonderful things! I spent the better part of 2012 playing a wonderful role in a play called "Always, Patsy Cline" It ran for 15 weeks last winter and spring, and then because it sold so well, they brought it back for 6 weeks in the summer. It was such a treat to be able to act for most of my 48th year, and I was honored to be nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a musical by our local critics here in Richmond. At last birthday, I was in the middle of directing my first show, Anything Goes, at my Alma mater, J. R. Tucker. The show opened in December, and it was a hit. I had a wonderful experience, and it left me with a hunger to direct again. Along with that show, I adopted a whole new group of children that I love and adore, and have formed special ties with that will never be broken. I watched my youngest daughter turn 16, and shopped for a dress for her first prom. In June, I had the privilege of chaperoning 4 very talented young ladies, one being my youngest daughter, to something called Harmony College, a 4 day session of workshops and coaching sessions and performances with her Beauty Shop quartet. I loved having the time with her, of course, but I also made a new friend, the other chaperoning mom. We roomed together in the college dorm, and became fast friends, as my youngest terms us "besties" In August, I had the bittersweet task of moving my oldest into college. It was very exciting, as she is the first one in our family to attend college, but it was also very sad for me letting go. I was proud of myself as I did not fall apart, thanks very much to my youngest and her support through it all. I have watched the posts on Facebook from my oldest daughter as she absolutely flourishes personally, academically and theatrically. She was cast as the lead in her freshman show, and she was asked to be the Freshman blog writer for the Theatre Department. She is very happy, and that makes things infinitely easier for me. Do I miss her? Of course, but as someone told me, it's the next step in her life, and if she didn't take it, things would not be right. My oldest away at college has also given me some wonderful one-on-one time with my youngest. She has spent much of her life getting slighted as the youngest often does. I even wrote a post about it. So I am glad to be able to give her some attention and really be there for her when she needs me. I attended my 30th High School reunion, and actually had a great time! I was with a dear, dear friend, and loved catching up with everyone else! And finally, just two weeks ago, I got to be an extra in my first commercial shoot. All in all it's been a grand year! For 49, I am extremely happy. I like myself, and who I am. I am proud of my accomplishments, but most of all, I am blessed, blessed with amazing kids, family and friends, but, most especially, blessed with love in my life. I won't receive any big gifts today, no diamond rings, no cars, no extravagant trips. I don't need those things. My life is just fine the way it is because I am truly happy! How many people can say that?

It was a dark and stormy night......

From the time I was very little I have kind of always been fascinated with the SUPERNATURAL, the UNEXPLAINED. Now, before my friends that read these posts that are Christians freak out and think I am talking about the occult or  black magic, no, I have not become a devil worshiper  I am still a Christian. I have a very strong faith. I happen to believe that this fascination can coexist with my deep faith. I have always liked, for lack of a better term, "Ghost Stories" I am not sure why I have this fascination. Perhaps it is because I was born on Halloween. It really doesn't matter, I have always been curious about ghosts and haunted houses, dreams that come true, clairvoyants, psychics, you name it. A friend of mine posted on Facebook that he was writing a blog about one of Virginia's oldest theaters and the "ghost stories" surrounding it. It got me to thinking. What a cool idea, and thus, this post. So, what I would like to create with this entry is a virtual campfire where we all sit around and tell "Ghost Stories" Not the Jason of Friday the 13th fame kind of story. I want to hear your real encounters, those strange things that happened to you that you can't explain, that you long filed away telling yourself there was a logical explanation, but secretly knowing that was a lie to make yourself feel comforted.
I'll start. When I was 10 years old, I was doing a show at a local theater. Theaters are notorious for having hauntings associated with them, but at age 10, I didn't know this. Later I would find that this theater did have a ghost, but when I had my encounter, I didn't know anything about it, so, all of you who are saying right now that I let my imagination get the best of me, I'm shooting a hole in that theory. There was a flat on the set that had a door in it that opened and closed. During the show, it would never stay closed. No matter how we tried to fix it, it would always drift open. I was crossing backstage behind that door, and someone grabbed my waist. I turned immediately, but no one was there. I thought it was odd, but I wasn't really scared until I walked back by the same place on my way back and whatever grabbed me, now pushed me, not hard, not a knock me to the ground push, more of a nudge, I guess, but definitely something physical. You guessed it. When I turned around, no one was there. I high tailed it back to the dressing room. Once I shared my experience, the stories just flowed about the theater's other worldly resident.
What's your story? If you would be so kind as to share by posting in the comment field of this blog, we can all share in the scare.

Wonder How Santa Would Look in Orange and Black?

"Hi, my name's Terri, and I'm a Christmas Junkie"....."Hi, Terri"
 I love Christmas! I love everything about it from the tiny twinkling lights, to the Tacky, seen-from-space, displays, to the music, to the tree, and so on and so on and so on. I start playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving, and I try to put my tree up then as well. The day after Thanksgiving is the official foray into the Christmas season, shopping and otherwise. Well, that's the way it used to be when I was little. We had a tradition in our house. My two cousins would come to our house for Thanksgiving. They spent Thursday night and on Friday evening the four of us, me, my sister, and my two cousins, would get all dressed up in our Sunday best and my grandparents would take us downtown to Miller & Rhoades Department Store to see the REAL Santa Claus. Most years we were even lucky enough to dine with Santa, the Snow Queen, and one of Santa's elves in Miller & Rhoades' famous Tea Room. After dinner,  complete with linen table cloths and real cloth napkins, we'd venture on the elevator to the floor that contained Santa's Winter Wonderland and stand in line with countless other children anxiously awaiting our turn to see the REAL Santa Claus. He was the real one, all the others were just his helpers. He knew our names when he called us over after we had spoken with the Snow Queen. He even came down the chimney when he entered his Wonderland. It was, and still is, one of my fondest memories of my childhood. It was MAGICAL! It was something I looked forward to every year! It was tradition!
I heard something disturbing last week on the radio. It was an add for a local mall, and the big news was that Santa would be arriving there on November 12th. Are you kidding me? 6 weeks before Christmas Eve. It isn't about MAGIC anymore, it's about business. How many photos with Santa can we grind out before 6PM on Christmas Eve? How much money can we make? Don't get me wrong. Like I said, I love Christmas, but I do not love VeteraThanksistmas. Pretty soon Santa will arrive with the Halloween costumes. I don't know about you, but I think it would be awfully hard to carry all of those toys flying on a broom.