Props, Paint, and The Frog Prince

I know I haven't posted in a while, but we just got our fall children's show under way so now I have a little time to post!  I definately underestimated how much I would be able to post on here but, I do my best!  We started working on the Frog Prince adaptation by our own Beth Duda and Adam Ratner during the second week here.  I created many props and did some fun things with them.

 This notebook started out as a plain black leather journal...add gold velvet and some bedazzling and you have a notebook fit for a Prince!!

 Flowers in a basket for the peasant girl to sell

 Dying pine twigs purple for a broom..

 more flowers!!

After props comes painting, and not just painting like a wall in your house...

I mean painting something that looks like an optical illusion picture.  This is the stage floor for The Frog Prince in the Gompertz Theatre, which will have it's grand opening in November.  We are using it now for the children's shows so that the kids from different schools can come see the show on a day time field trip.

The set is really beautiful as well!  We used orange and purple fabric with a purple lace overlay to achieve this beautiful draping. I really love how well it turned out!  Especially since I spent some 15 hour days working on all of these things!

It is such a beautiful theatre isn't it?

  But, because the theatre is still under construction...

I spent the better part of the last week painting this.

Yes, these are stucco bricks.  Because it is cheaper to have interns paint stucco bricks than to actually buy bricks for a real brick wall...but that's okay!  I got to get in touch with my adventurous side by painting at the top of a 20 foot wobbly scaffolding!

(Don't think you would like this view at work everyday, Daddy!)

May I introduce the air conditioning ducts and light pipes that I was eye to eye with all day!

But of course, after all of that, I get to facetime with my family...

And occasionally, I end up on the beach soaking up (sometimes too much) sun!

 Miss you all!! Love,

Sarah

PS- if you haven't already, check out the FST website!  My picture and bio are on the website under staff and the new season has been announced!! floridastudiotheatre.org

Sarah in Sarasota (FINALLY!)

 So, this past week has been really exciting and a little bittersweet! I have FINALLY moved to Sarasota! The night before I left, my family and I had a little going away dinner to celebrate my internship and to say goodbye to me once more before I left.  My wonderful mother and godmother got a cake for the occasion and even spelled Sarasota special just for me!

 I was so glad that I got to see my family all together before I left!  We went to Olive Garden and had a wonderful time and I got pictures of all of my family together! (and of course, Nathan :D)

The next day, Nathan and I went to the Delta Fair with his brothers and their families since his oldest brother Lea was in town after working at Biloxi Police Department through Hurricane Issac.

(Jason, Lea, and Nathan)

Nathan riding the avalanche

Me on the Avalanche

Nathan's feet and mine :)

 We had a great time at the fair, but all too soon I had to get in the car and leave Nathan, Mom, Taylor, and Bear behind.

Bear was very curious about my packing...he was my little shadow that last week.

So, a little upset and really unsure about how things were going to go, Dad and I drove into the sunset and stopped for the night outside of Atlanta.  The next day we were driving down I-75 when I saw that we were going to be driving right through Macon, GA.  Now, for those of you who don't know, my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, was the first secret society for women ever founded.  It was founded at the first university that ever conferred degrees upon women.  This all happened at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA.  For many more years than I have been alive, Alpha Delta Pi sisters have made the "pilgrammage" to Macon to see where our sorority was founded and to visit our founder, Eugenia Tucker Fitgerald's, grave.  When I told Dad this, he agreed to stop and let me visit Wesleyan and Rose Hill Cemetary.

 The plaque is hanging on the wall of the room where the Adelphean Society was organized.  The plaque reads:

The Adelphean Society

First Secret Society for College Women

Mother of International Alpha Delta Pi Sorority

was organized in this room of

Wesleyan Female College

May 15, 1861

On the Sorority;s Ninetieth Anniversary

this Adelphean Hall is 

Restored and Dedicated

In Recognition Whereof

Grand Council of Alpha Delta Pi

Inscribes this tablet to the Memory

of its founder

Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald

and the first Adelphean Members

Octavia Andrew Rush                                                                      Mary Harris Jarrell

Ann Burkhalter Colquitt                                                                         Anna L. Jeffers

Octavia Douglass Fell                                                                          Julia Jones Ross

Maria J. Easterling                                                                             Ella Pierce Turner

Mary Evans Glass                                                                          Sarah Simms Comer

Mary Everett Fenn                                                                                   Mary J. Snow

Mary Finn Hawkins                                                                              Mary M. Tucker

Josephine Freeman                                                                Elizabeth Williams Mitchell

Oceana Goodall Pollard                                                         Sophronia Woodruff Dews

You might notice that a few names are underlined.  The women who are underlined are co-founders along with Eugenia Tucker.  You might ALSO notice that one of these 6 founding women is named Ella Pierce Turner.  Her maiden name would have been Ella Pierce when she helped found the Adelphean Society.  This means that I could possibly be related to a founder of my own sorority!!

The Alpha Delta Pi fountain in the quad

After we went to Wesleyan, we went on a wild hunt for Eugenia's gravesite in Rose Hill Cemetery.  my Tomtom lied to me and told me that we had no road into the cemetery, but we figured out how to drive to the entrance after a wild goose chase on foot.  We eventually found Eugenia's grave in her family burial plot that Alpha Delta Pi maintains.  She lived to be 94 years old and was actively involved in Alpha Delta Pi from the day it was founded when she was 17 years old to her death...that is 77 years!

Sisters regularly leave gifts of sisterhood for Eugenia in remembrance of her.

I was really blown away by the fact that 161 years ago, 6 women made a decision that would impact my life in many different ways today.  The fact that I have now walked the same halls as those women is even more amazing to me.  Thanks Dad for letting me experience a special part of history that affected me in many positive ways!

 When we got to Tampa that night, Daddy and I went to a cool pizza place on Davis Island called Slice and then we hung out at my uncle's place and relaxed before the big day.  Dad gave me some advice about things that worried me, which really helped me feel better about starting the scary adult world.

When we got to Sarasota, we moved my stuff into my tiny closet of a room.  The picture below is of the entire room.  I live at The Silk Purse Artist Residence...also known as the 4-plex because there are 4 apartments in the building.

The 4-plex is walking distance to my work on North Palm Avenue and walking distance from Downtown Sarasota where all the nightlife and shopping is!

yes, I live walking distance from a tiki bar with its own beach at the marina :)

Daddy and I found a neat place to eat at called O'Leary's Tiki Bar and Restaurant and then I took him to the Tampa airport to fly back home without me. :(

In my first week, I have seen some AMAZING views...

 Lido Beach

 Sarasota

Lido Beach (again)

The view from the top floor of the cabaret theatre at night

and made a bunch of new friends!

 L to R: Kristine, Rachel, DJ, Kate, Ken, Patrick, and Sarah

 Kate and me

 DJ reading in his beach chair

 Patrick was attacked by the combined forces of the wind and his towel...

 ...but he survived!!

 Kate and I drinking margaritas at Two Senioritas!

I have loved my time so far here in Sarasota and I can't wait until I can show you what I do at work!! 

Until then, sending much love from Sarasota!

Sarah in Sarasota :)

Baby Boy Bear

I have decided to do a post a week of things that I love and miss from home.  Even though I haven't left yet, I wanted to do a complete post about one of my family members that I am going to miss staying up late with, running around with, and snuggling with.  This would be my dog Bear!

 We got Bear just over a year ago when he was almost 2 months old.  He was one pound of adorable fluffiness!

 Bear's first night at home :)

 sweet baby face

Taylor and Bear

I had to wait almost and entire month to see him for the first time because I was living and working in Hattiesburg, MS that summer before my last semester of college.  Our other dog, Babs, had lived 15 wonderful years and I got a call from Mom in early June saying that they had to put her down because she was sick and suffering.  It was really hard for me because Babs had been a part of our family as long as I could remember and I couldn't imagine going home without her being there.  Two weeks later, Mom calls me and tells me that there is a picture that I should see on facebook and told me to give her my opinion on whether she should get it.  she didn't tell me what the picture was of so I didn't think anything of it.  When I logged on, I saw this...

Mom had not been planning on getting another dog, but when she logged on and saw that a friend of hers was trying to find a home for this last puppy in the litter, Mom couldn't get his cute little face out of her head. Dad agreed and Mom drove all the way to Jonesboro, AR to get our new little family member!

 He still sleeps like this!

Chewbacca/Ewok face

The things I love about my Bear is how curious he is. Even at a year old, he wants to stick his nose into everything and explore everything.  Whether its the taste of moths (yuck!), trying to climb up on the bar, getting into the box of my rehearsal clothes, or investigating every little thing I moved home from Hattiesburg, he is adventurous!

 That is his "It wasn't me! I love you!" face

Every day, I learn more about him! He loves to play with his tennis ball the best! The other day, Nathan and I decided to take him to the park.  I learned that he loved the people who were jogging on the path around the lake and loved exploring every tree and piece of grass out there, but he was scared of the ducks and baby strollers that were at the park.  I know I am going to miss my sweet boy, but I will get to love on him at Christmas and when I get back to visit!