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It's all blending together

Happy August!

August marks a shift in the schedule of the past three weeks. Although there has been much to celebrate and enjoy, we could all really use a change of pace!



Who's that girl?

CJ just had the wrap-up party for three weeks of theatre camp. (Yes, they use the British spelling. It is the theatrrrrrrr, after all!) The afternoon camp included sessions on make up, costuming, the psychology of color, stage combat, improv, commercial scripting and production, headshot photography, and music (and other things I've probably forgotten that CJ will probably mention on her blog).

Last Friday night at the camp Showcase, CJ demonstrated her stage combat skills in the recreation of an historical battle scene.



The young warrior is the first to take her position on stage.



The battle begins.



A duel--and dual--hit!



And CJ becomes the battle's first casualty, leaving her duel partner blinded, but still able to participate. (Apparently, she dies the following day. Fortunately, this was a time-lapse recreation!)



CJ also was a lead "cuckoo" in the Showcase's finale, "So Long, Farewell," from [Mom's] favorite musical, The Sound of Music. We played her rehearsal CD in the car to and from camp for two weeks, giving RJ2 ample opportunity to memorize the song, which she now sings all the time!



If you asked CJ what her favorite part of camp was, I'm fairly certain she would point back to week #1, in which small groups of kids brainstormed ideas for a commercial. They worked with a director to script the commercials and to gather the necessary props, rehearse the lines and more. (It was also nice to have an Emmy-winning commercial producer on hand to supervise all the projects!)

CJ really loved everything about the process. This is the closing scene from her commercial--in which she is the lead narrator/product endorser (for chocolate). When we receive her camp DVD, perhaps she'll post the actual commercial. [It's very good, and I'm really not being biased!]

Many kids from the camp go on to participate in a full-blown musical in a production that is separate (yet related) to the camp. CJ wasn't ready for that step this year. But, so she can see what next year might hold, we will go see "Willy Wonka" this Friday. She might come home dreaming about next summer....



* * *

RJ2 has delighted everybody in the house with her sudden attachment to a pet dog.



She calls him Kibbles, which is the name of the dog on a video that she watched frequently at school. Kibbles is really a human in a dog costume who teaches kids about issues that can be socially challenging, like understanding feelings. Although Kibbles is much larger on the video screen, I suppose we can see the resemblance in this dog.

This dog, by the way, is a golden retriever puppy that I gave to my husband more than 20 years ago. [And his name is Humphrey, after Bogart! Oh well....he is well-loved.]



Kibbles comes for breakfast pretty often. He gets lots of snuggles, enjoys nighttime reading with RJ2 and keeps his barking to a minimum.



It's all terribly cute! [No, we're not getting a dog.]

Funny, too, is that the other large stuffed dog that we have in the house--the one who used to be called Rusty--is now called Bella, my sister's family's dog. [I'm totally serious about not getting a dog. Really....]

* * *



I'm in the midst of making selections for the JuBELLees concert schedule this year, which kicks off September 5th! Hey, look--it's the concert in Central Park! HA!!.... (sigh) Much work to do, still.

Looking forward to our upcoming travel and visits with family. One last break before we flip that calendar toward September and say, "So long, farewell" to summer!

Comments

RJ1 said…
It looks more like the concert in Madison Square Garden.
Sue J. said…
HA!!! Yeah, Go Rangers!
Kelly said…
For some reason The Way It Is,by Bruce Hornsby is going through my head, except instead of humming "Get a job!" I'm humming "Get a dog!"

I know, I know.

Fun times. I love CJs picture. Very cool.
Edie said…
So what are you planning on naming the new dog?? :D

Looks like CJ had a great time! Loved all the pictures of both girls and their fun adventures.

If you post a sampling of one of your concerts this year please be sure to give me a shout lest I miss it!

Have a great weekend!
KelliGirl said…
Sue J,
Looks like life is in a good place in the J house. My daughter participates in musicals and I just love seeing the shows. I'm always blown away by how good the kids are. CJ looks like a natural in her headshot! I see a lot of shows in your future.

Aah, c'mon, you need a dog! They're so cute and loveable (and furry, drooly, hungry and energetic!)

Since I'm so behind on blogs, you're probably already home from your trip and the kids are in school. We have two more weeks before the big day, but since the kids are in preseason sports it's kind of already started.

Hope you're well, my friend. I've missed chatting with you. :-)

Love ya,
Kelli
My ADHD Me said…
Lead Cuckoo in the greatest movie of all time AND Willy Wonka on the horizon....What more could a girl want!!!!

And I think Kibble is the BEST kind of dog there is!

Love your new look and new blogs. Going to check out the other now....Yes, I know they aren't REAL new, but I've been away for a while. *grin*
CJ said…
You're even worse than me! ;0 ;)
YOU HAVEN'T POSTED IN ONE MONTH!
Come back! :):):):-)

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