You Are the Music in Me

We went to see High School Musical 3! Of course, it was on opening night, and yes, we did dress up! Are we Disney nerds or what?!

We went out to dinner first. We didn't like what was on the menu, so we decided to eat each other instead. (...no, not really)











Kjersti came with us too!!




We're showing our enthusiasm for the show! We loved the movie, so we went and found this poster to pose in front of after the watching the movie. We're jumping too!







Finally, to top it all off, we went to buy the HSM3 soundtrack on our way home. And did you notice Ben's 'wildcats' t-shirt? Yes, it's official - we are HSM nerds! But really, did you expect anything less?

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon

It is truly amazing the curve balls life can dish out. You are planning for one thing, and BOOM! it is no longer an option. Case in point...

In July I got a promotion at work. A great position, challenging, and pretty fun too. Not too shabby. They also asked me to relocate, but gave me until January when our lease ends at our current place. So we started preparing to move to Portland, and started to get pretty excited about it!

But of course, Luana and I both missed Disney. It is a fun place to work and appeals to all the goofy/sappiness I have inside. The plan was to work in Portland for a year or so, and then try to make our way back to Disney after getting a lot more experience under my belt.

Then on Wednesday last, I found out my position is being eliminated effective Dec. 31st. Suddenly we are no longer moving to Portland. We have to figure out something else entirely.

Here's the funny part (and the "this can't be a coincidence" part) - Around the end of September, I started applying for a lot of positions with Disney on both coasts. Anything I felt qualified for, really. I was of the mindset that if something happened and came up, we'd explore that option. But nothing serious. I really just wanted to keep in the habit of checking their postings.

So suddenly in search of a job and really wanting to return to Disney, I find myself having already applied for a number of positions. Most of them had already closed by the time I found out my job was over, so if I had waited I would not have been able to apply. I love having reaffirmation that someone out there (and I mean God, you knuckleheads) is aware of the plight of two newlyweds who just want the best for each other (I mean Ben and Luana this time).

The other amazing part of this is that once again my "bad news radar" kicked in. I have this strange ability to know (and I don't mean have a bad feeling, I mean to absolutely know without any question in my mind) when bad things are about to happen. Things that hit me on a personal level. For instance, I have NEVER been dumped by a girl save I knew the night before that it was going to happen the next day. NEVER. And it isn't that I'm perceptive, because it isn't a suspicion or a feeling, it is a knowledge. Strange. I even knew my Dad had passed away before I found out about it (a few weeks before we found out about it, which is eerie, because we had passed a few weeks before we found out about it).

Anyway, that morning as I drove to work I knew that I would be getting severance that day. I just did. It didn't come as any surprise at all.

So everything considered I think this will work out for the best. If it wasn't so obvious to me that our path is definitely being directed, I would be worried. But clearly God is in control. And I have a feeling he knows what he's doing.

So now the hard part... being motivated to do my job knowing that what I'm doing right now really doesn't have much meaning to me. It is almost as if I'm a little trunky. And as they are eliminating the position and transitioning duties to other folks, I find myself with less to do. So send me an email, and I'll probably read it right away.

Disney, here we come (again)!

Seriously, though... was it really necessary to fly this guy in?

What Compels You?

I had a wise teacher in high school (who now insists I call her Barbara, but I can’t bring myself to call her anything but Mrs. Fields) who once talked to us about some of her theories on human nature. She presented an idea that has really stuck with me over the past ten years… she said that she thinks that every person on earth is compelled to do something, and is driven to have that activity as a focal point of their life. Even if you don’t do whatever your “thing” is for twenty years, you’ll be driving down the street and be thinking about how you miss it and how much you want to do it. You are compelled to do it. It is a part of you, and you can fight it, but it’ll never completely leave you, and you can’t feel completely fulfilled without it.

And I have tried unsuccessfully to fight it. My compulsion is theatre, there is no question about it. It was this compulsion that forced me to sing Broadway showtunes as I walked the streets of Kansas and Missouri. It was this compulsion that persuaded me to get a theatre education degree despite the fact that I never really had any intention of teaching professionally. It was just the only theatre degree offered at BYU-I, so it the one that I got. I didn’t really think about what I would do past school, I just knew it was the best way to continue performing.



When Christian, J.D., and I went to San Francisco to audition for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Christian’s tour has started, by the way, and I bet he’s FANTASTIC!) I remember sitting in the waiting area before my audition, and having a very strong feeling that this was NOT the life for me. It was unmistakable and EXTREMELY frustrating. Because I don’t know what the life for me is… just what it isn’t. And what it isn’t is the only thing I’ve ever really wanted it to be.

So what am I supposed to do? I’ve been trying to figure that out ever since that audition. My compulsion has not changed, but I did have an epiphany the other day. Just because it is what I am compelled to do doesn’t mean it has to be my profession. I felt fulfilled in high school and in college, and certainly wasn’t making a living at it (Playmill too… but nobody makes a living there either).

As it has now been a little over two years since my last appearance in a show (Playmill Class of ’06), I’m to a point where I don’t think I can take it any more. I desperately need to do a show. Because I no longer feel like me, just someone who is slightly familiar with me (does that make sense?). Thank goodness I’ve been able to do Comedy Sportz in Provo over the last ten months (come see me on Friday!); it has really helped.

But is still will be a while yet. Luana and I are moving at the end of the year, so anything auditioning now would go up after we move. So I’ll just have to sit tight for now.

Anyway, I’m curious…what is it that compels you?

honeymoon

Here's some exciting news for you all! I finally posted our honeymoon photos! I know it's been a long time coming, and I apologize for the delay. But now you guys can enjoy them on my facebook page. Next to come: the Wedding Album! Hang on to the edge of your seats, 'cause it's going to be wild!!

Launching into the Blogosphere

Hello Friends!

In this age of technological innovation, I have decided that the Internet is suffering from a severe lack of Luana and Ben Parkes related publicly posted personal information. After viewing a long list of blogs presented by friends and acquaintances of yesteryear, I have decided that it is time to provide a method for you to catch up with us passive-aggressively. Thus, this blog is born. Feel free to smack his bottom.

More to come, but I wanted to get this thing rocking... I guess I should tell Luana about it...

Oh, and happy Columbus Day. Discovering the New World was a great accomplishment, but I also enjoy the work he did on those delightful Harry Potter movies...