Much of a Muchness

Heartfelt congratulations to everyone! This past round of blogging was completely successful and we have come full circle back to Kurtis and I. Believe it or not, the last post we did was a little over three months ago!!! And, for us, things certainly are changing...

Both of us ended up having a great amount of success at our summer jobs -  

A Few Thoughts from Kurtis on His Summer: Kurtis was feeling a bit overwhelmed by his current job and was unable to give out his own words afterall...so I thought I would go ahead and share with you anyway. He had a great time at PSF, overseeing the shop staff there and helping them produce work on time and efficiently for the first time in 3-4 years. It was such a success that he has already been asked back for next year with a promised position for me if he returns. Still holding out to see what NYC work is going to be like before making any kind of decision on that one.

A Few Thoughts from Mary on Her Summer: Overall, I had a great time with Maine State Music Theatre. I never felt as though people were being overly political, which is rare in any business, and when all was said and done I would be happy to return again next year if it came to that. We produced three shows while I was there - My Fair Lady, Chicago, and Spamalot. It was a surprisingly relaxing summer as I was true to form in any shop that I run and continued to have the shop pump out things ahead of schedule to allow for a bit of a breather in between the craziness of summer stock. Furthermore, Maine was absolutely beautiful, with much less than Kansas heat and the ocean to greet me every now and then! Kurtis surprised me and arrived a day early to spend a few days in Maine before my contract was up with the company and a few connections from this job are already starting to pay off in NYC.

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From Maine, we traveled to upstate New York to visit Gina Holsopple, Matt Wood and Rueby. There were a couple of important reasons for the visit, not the least of which included a promise to both of them to make it up their way and tattoo fun with Matt. We had a wonderfully relaxing time with them in Oswego, NY where they live and were quite happy to have taken the couple of days to make this trip happen as it was only a short detour on our way to the city.

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On August 17, 2010, we drove (that's right, DROVE!) into NYC and Brooklyn!!! This became much less scary as the week progressed and the realization that driving in NYC is about the same as Kansas really just with more cars and a little less patience. We stayed with Dad at the Marriott in Brooklyn for several nights as he was speaking in the city and agreed to hang out with us for a few more days before moving on to his next engagement (that was really fun and made the first several days less scary and homesick). The search for housing began immediately and Kurtis started a job two days later in Brooklyn, but I'll let him tell you about that...

Through PSF, Kurtis was able to meet Ashley, the scenic paint charge, who connected him to a company called JCDP (John Creech Design Production), which is a scene shop devoted to building anything and everything from fashion show runways to Broadway set pieces. He worked with them for about four weeks doing over hire from day 2 in NYC up until this past Monday when they briefly ran out of jobs to be able to keep him on. So, he has now shifted in to the Signature Theatre that is getting ready to put up Angels in America (Parts 1&2) by Tony Kushner. He has been working everyday for anywhere from 10-16 hours at this theatre and thus the incapability to share in this round of blogging...sorry!

This is the view down the street.

The day before Kurtis started work, we set out on the housing search and spent a strong 5 days(mostly me) continuing the search until we found the place that we intend to be living in around November. The good news is that in NYC, there are plenty of housing options - the bad news, there are plenty of housing options! As expensive as it is to rent here, we were prepared for this so we set out with a budget in mind and saw three or four places the first day out. Here's where it gets a bit weird, but I think the story is worth telling... So, the first day, we found a place we liked well enough to put a deposit down - this secures the apartment and takes it off the market so that no one else can potentially swipe it away. Then, your application has to be approved before you have the place. As we waited on the application to be approved(via credit check, bank statements, etc) we found Tim Aumiller's place. This is the place that we are waiting on now - it is an adorable basement apartment at the bottom of a Brownstone in Brooklyn(think, the Cosby home -- minus a few trees). One bedroom, three exits, two outdoors and one up in to the house, laundry that we get to use for free, a dishwasher....all sorts of goodies! 

Street we live on between pizza & chinese place - sideways.

Of course, this put us in a slight pickle as we now needed to get that $1450 deposit back - oh yeah, did I mention that New York is expensive?! So, without a letter of employment turned in for Kurtis yet, we lucked out and after an intense hour of texting(weird, I know), our application was not approved!!!! Hooray!!! First time in my life that I have ever wanted to have something truly fail. Currently, we are residing in a three bedroom, three roommates, apartment that we are subletting for a couple of months as we wait on Tim's place and keep our fingers crossed that everything works out for them. In the meantime, we'll keep trekking away in our little bedroom here at 4417 4th Ave in Brooklyn. (I included a couple of pictures so you could see our neighborhood - two wonderful things about it - we are right beside the subway entrance and in between the Pizza and Chinese place!)

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A couple of questions you might be asking yourself at this point:

*What in the world did you do with your car? 

Door which leads into a hallway and up stairs to 2nd Floor.

After moving the car around in Brooklyn at Sarah and Joe Clark's house for nearly a week, I finally drove the car to Baltimore one evening as Kurtis worked. In Baltimore, Al and Donna Holsopple agreed to keep the car for us there until we figure out when we can drive it back to Kansas :) We had a great evening chatting and catching up and fell so blessed to have such wonderful friends!

*So, Mary, are you just being a lazy bum and letting Kurtis do all the work?

Our bedroom in the 3 bedroom apartment - furnished by the subletter.

Contrary to popular belief, I am still in search of jobs here. Just yesterday I sent out my resume to 2 more companies and a few days ago I had an interview at Starbucks which is to be followed by a second interview! Oh, yeah, and I did get a job working house staff for a Broadway Theatre - more popularly known in the late 70s as a dance club - Studio 54. This one pays pretty little, and is pretty much being a glorified usher for the theatre, but I'm working in a theatre and enjoying being able to watch the show every night! Plus, there are a couple of nifty comp ticket perks that go along with the job. Also, those connections from MSMT I was talking about paying off worked out for me in an Assistant Design Gig for Kurt Alger on a New York Musical Festival (NYMF) in a new show entitled Things As They Are, which is about the photographer Dorothea Lange. In addition, I am working my Mary Kay business and just trying to keep everything sorted out in my head!

*What do you do with  your free time in the city?

Free time in the city is so easy to fill. There is never a lack for things to do here whether you are awake at 2am or have a Saturday available to roam. It turns out that Kurtis has had much less free time, but I have enjoyed lots of activities with him, with Dad, with friends, and in between searching for jobs. We had ice cream under the Brooklyn Bridge, wandered around Prospect Park, went to Farmer's Markets, strolled through the new High Line Park, went shopping down in the Fashion District, saw a few shows here and there, hung out with friends in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island, went to Eataly, got a public library card, rode a boat out to a floating island in between the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, worked the Marc Jacobs fashion show and of course have eaten lots of yummy and delicious food.

*Are you happy to be there?
We are very happy to be here. Despite missing family and missing out on a few important things, we can't imagine living any where else right now as we are starting to see some of our career dreams come to fruition because of being in the city. It still makes me happy just to surface from the subway in to the middle of Times Square or to see the Statue of Liberty on the train ride home at night.

View of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Staten Island Ferry - this is the connector from Brooklyn to Manhattan and one of my favorite sites right now in the city.

P.S. After this entire blog was posted a few wonderful things happened that I wanted to share with all of you:

1) I received an interview and job in a millinery shop in the city(camhats.com)!!! It is part-time most weeks, though fairly flexible and I will be learning how to make hats completely from scratch - felt, straw, and buckram - lots of pictures to follow on this I'm sure!!! This is the kind of job I have been searching for. I also received a call from Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) and will be working on a few projects for them. This brings me up to 5 jobs - Assistant Designer for NYMF show(done soon), MTC, Studio 54, Mary Kay and CamHats(millinery)!!! So exciting!!!!!

2) I literally just received the call from Tim Aumiller saying that they were approved for their mortgage and will be officially moving out of their place which will then become our place in time for us to have a November 1st move in date!!!!!!!! We have a home where we will be able to put our things at last!!!

Hope you are all able to focus in on the positive things in your lives too - thanks for keeping up in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on this new journey here!

Follow Up to Kate's Blog

Hello Family:

Kate asked that I update you on her treatment. We flew to Utah on Wednesday, the 15th. Kate did well on the flight considering it was her first one and the circumstances. Of course, the special issue of People magazine about Glee provided some excellent reading! We arrived at the Center for Change about 3 p.m. local time. Tim and I were able to meet her therapist, dietitian and several staff members. It is a very nice facility. We took a tour of the facility before we left for our return flight. Their philosophy for treatment is holistic and experiential. They have a dance/movement room, Art Therapy room, exercise room and even a Music Therapy room. (my favorite) The family rooms are large open rooms with fireplaces, floor to ceiling windows that overlook courtyards and have the mountains in the background. It was a very peaceful setting. She can receive emails at clients@centerforchange.com but won't be able to respond to any for awhile. Be sure and put her name in the subject line of all emails. She can also receive snail mail at Center for Change, 1790 N State St., Orem UT 84057. I'll pass on information regarding phone calls as I figure it out. She will not have phone or computer access for quite a while. I know she will appreciate any mail and emails, as she was dreading not being able to keep in touch with family.

A recap of the past year and a glimpse into the future

I am not sure where to begin. I guess I will start with where I am now and what my coming weeks/months look like. My therapist is recommending inpatient treatment again and soon I will be leaving to go to Utah to a facility called The Center for Change.

I tried outpatient and managed to tread w

ater for the two months I’m home but I am relapsing (it’s hard for me to admit this) quickly and I need more help. I do not want to ever be where I was when I entered Laureate (physically and emotionally) and that is why it is time to act now.

I haven’t really talked about my journey this past year. I thought for my blog I maybe could give you a synopsis of all that has happened from September 22, 2009 when I admitted into Laureate until now. It’s hard for me to share the stuff that follows but I thought maybe understanding what I think and feel about my illness would be more beneficial than the many articles that are available to read. I’m going to share some of the hope that I experienced at laureate. I journaled constantly there and what follows is some excerpts from my journal when I grew and changed and found hope. This is as be

neficial for me as it is to anyone reading. I need to remember that I have hope in the days ahead.

Warning: This is a long entry but I am leaving and will be out of touch for a month or more and for some reason I felt this was important to share.

October 1^st 2009: Today my head has been clear than it has been in months. You ask so much of me Lord. Trust, loss of control, conquering my fears, facing my heart…the list goes on and on. At this point I can only pray I have the strength to face what comes into the days ahead.

October 6^th 2009: I don’t know who I am anymore. Do I want to be free? Or do I want to be constrained? Do I want attention? Or do I despise it? Do I trust people? Or do I distrust them? Who AM I? I don’t know if this answer will come from my parents, therapists, peers, covenant group or somewhere else entirely. All I know is that I can you, Lord to help me find myself.

October 28^th 2009: Today is my birthday and for the first time since January and possibly before I am beginning to anticipate my future and my life.

November 4^th 2009: I want this fear that paralyzes me to be gone. I want to be free

. I want to be self confident, self loving, caring and a Christ follower. I want the power that Jen (my therapist) talks of. I want control of my life in a safe, healthy and trusting way.

November 12^th 2009: I am such a mixture of things. Fear and comfort, panic and peace, shame and pride, guilt and self-respect. Life is hard, Lord and I have hidden for far too long.

November 26^th 2009 (middle of the night): It’s time for me to surrender oh Lord. Perhaps it is time for me to ask you to help get me through those moments when the eating disorder looks more appealing than health, life and relationships. I no longer want to just go through the motions and use my maladaptive coping skills. I want to discovery my voice, rediscover my passions and find out exactly who I am.

December 6^th 2009: Today was a day of forming relationships amidst the strong voic

e of my eating disorder. At times the eating disorder voice was louder but tonight I feel like Kate won.

December 17^th 2009: I found out today that I get to go home for Christmas! Ashlee also visited tonight. She reminded me of my passions, of the potential and assurance of peace, love and comfort. I’m becoming ready to leave.

I discharged about a month after this journal entry and moved into Magnolia House. I did not journal much during this time and to be honest I struggled a lot at Mag House. Although, I did learn to experience relationships, laugh, run around the house while playing a game and be ok with being ok (sounds simple but a challenge all on it's own). I did take a small step backwards and returned to full time programming for three weeks in June upon discharge which I returned home.

This is where my life becomes interesting. I adopted Shona shortly after arriving home. She has been a great blessing and has been the perfect fit. Right now she lies curled up nex

t to me and just feeling her warm body against mine is a comfort. Shona and I attended the Salt City Splash and swam with other dogs and people shortly before I moved to Wichita to live with the Shooks. Unfortunately, I was not emotionally ready for school and now I am home waiting for treatment. I loved living with the Shooks and am looking forward to returning second semester (if I’m invited lol)…

So now: I prepare for treatment. It is a lot of waiting, fighting the eating disorder voice in my head, tears and despair as insurance seems cruel and unjust most of the time and attending numerous appointments.

This treatment experience is going to be different. For one thing I will be 16 hours away. And for another I will have limited contact with the outside world. Snail mail is going to be my friend. I will not have my cell phone or access to email for a time.

I hope I am not imposing but I would like to perhaps tell you what helps me. Please don’t feel obligated but I am learning to ask for support. Sometimes I just need a voice to listen to. A reminder that I have hope and things to live for. People who love me and a dog that needs me. Stories or cards to make me laugh and sometimes heartfelt messages that make me cry. I want to be treated normally.

I love this family. We have so much strength individually and when combined I believe we are a force to be reckoned with. This time as I go away to treatment I hope I can leave with your strength behind me a well. I believe that with all of our prayers and strength I have hope to recover.

Tim and Vicki

Hello to All!

It's our turn - hmmmm - what to write:)

Tim:
What's new: He's working on the master's program at Southwestern. They need 5-6 students to sign up. He says it seems like it's slow going as he learns how to market, recruit and develop curriculum all at once. He's working with the President and architects for the auditorium renovation. He is "director-elect" for MTNA which means he will be on the national board of directors. He's working on his health. The doctor was pleased with his much better cholesterol and sugar readings.
What continues: He has 15 private piano students and is teaching an adult Bible class at church.

Vicki:
What's new: She is finding out travel info concerning shots and tabulating what everyone wants to see when we visit Andrew. She painted the basement (thanks to Grandma for her help) and two rooms have new carpet. She will be crowd control for 1/2 hour in the Jr high room for G force. Prayers for calm teens are welcome! Kate is staying with us Tues to Thurs while attending Friends Univ. Kate and Shonna have been great fun and Ember is learning to share:)
What continues: She is working Mon-Tues until 3, Wed until 12 and Thurs-Fri until 5.
She will be working with the bells again at Ascension.

To Consider:
I have been thinking about birthday shopping for next year (2011). Now that the 4th generation is arriving, I think the 2nd and 3rd generations should end birthday gifts. (Cards are still welcome!) That way you 3rd generation folks can purchase for nieces and nephews instead of aunts and uncles. Baby gifts and kid books are much more fun than black socks and wooden spoons!!:)

To Share:
I'm not very philosophical so here are a couple of tidbits from other writers.
(1)Tell people that there are 400 billion stars and they'll believe you. Tell them a bench has wet paint and they'll have to touch it. (2) Sign posted in a school cafeteria: Shoes are Required to Eat in the Cafeteria. Handwritten underneath:
Socks can eat wherever they like. (3) What do you call a cat that sings just like Pavarotti? Mewsical. (4) A man was greeted by his wife, who always had a cheerful word for him when he came home from work. "Guess what?" she said. "of our five children, four of them did not break an arm today!"

Have a good week!. Love Vicki and Tim