Proud Parents

By now, if you are friends with me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or even if you are a complete stranger who just happens to enter my personal space, you have undoubtedly been inundated with my ENDLESS talking and posts about Cole's upcoming episodes of Lab Rats on Disney XD (I'm a shameless promoter with no apology!).  Last night was the night for the first of seven episodes and I will admit that I was unusually nervous for Cole's debut on television but everyone else in the family acted like it was a normal day...

Cole folded laundry while checking Twitter ;)

and Mr. Smiley worked on school.  Around 6:00pm, eight teenagers descended upon our house and scarfed down pizza and cupcakes because, of course, nourishment was needed before they could watch the show!

Love that our boys have such awesome friends.

If you want to watch his episode but don't get the Disney XD channel, last night's episode "Rise of the Secret Soldiers" should be available to view on You Tube and eventually on Netflix.  Plans for Cole's next three episodes are currently scheduled to air February 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Scary!!!!

More exciting news came our way when Spencer received a letter from Hope International University in Fullerton, CA notifying him that he was accepted into their Psychology program and that he had also received the Dean's Scholarship Award!  Being the very bright young man that he is, Spencer applied to a college in Arkansas as well as California so he would have a choice no matter where his parents may live.

If you had told me ten years ago where our lives would be today, there's no way I would have believed any of it.  Just goes to show that our God has bigger dreams for us than we can ever imagine.

"I will answer them before they even call to me.  While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"

~Isaiah 65:24

Am I Ready for This?

I have to admit that up until this year, I am one of those people who is taking down the Christmas decorations as the kids are opening their presents.  By the time they're opening the second gift, I'm dragging the storage boxes out and asking them to put ornaments and stockings away before the gifts have even made it out of their original packaging.

Except for this year.  It's January 18th and the dead tree is still lit and decorated (although it is listing to the left and the top strand of lights are burned out), the stockings are still hanging around the fireplace and "kitchen Santa" still has the menu from Christmas Day.

I think I'm in denial that this will probably be our last Christmas for all of us to be living under the same roof.  Spencer keeps reminding me that at this time next year, he will have completed his first semester at college and be home for Christmas break.  Dear son, as if I don't think about that prospect every second I am awake, thank you for reminding me with that precious smile on your face.

Then, Brad and I were talking this weekend and he said he couldn't believe that in two years, both boys will be out of the house.  What?  BOTH boys?  No way.  We may let Spencer go to college but there's NO WAY I am letting Cole move out of the house!  What in the world?!  In answer to the distressed look on my face, Brad said, "Don't worry.  We'll make new memories."  Nope, I'm not ready.

To top it off, Spencer's 19th birthday is tomorrow.  NINETEEN!  How can the tiny baby we brought home already be old enough to go to college and make his own decisions.  Deep breath.

Spencer's friends, Jake and Seth, came over Saturday and after a riddle/scavenger hunt game, they all headed off to the movies and Brad and I got to sit and watch a movie and drink wine.  Ok, maybe this isn't so bad.

Love these faces.

Sunday afternoon found the Ewing family at the bowling alley and although I like to think of it as quality time and good family fun, I have a son who thinks it is all about the competition and who wins (one guess who that is!).  Needless to say, the most competitive person in the world didn't win and his face left no doubt to that fact.

Love that Brad photo bombed them!

I'm pretty sure that since the beginning of man, mother's have been trying to get used to their children growing up and going off to hunt dinosaurs, leaving to fight in a war or going off to college.  I'm confident I can do this...right after another cup of coffee and another glass of wine.  Not necessarily in that order.

"Go in peace..."

~1 Samuel 20:42

The New Ewing "Normal"

I'm not sure what happened but, somehow life got frantic and it has been an insane month and a half since I blogged or even talked to some of my friends.  Good grief, that's just crazy.

How about a recap of the Ewing's "normal" life since we've been back in Arkansas...

Our couch potato has turned into a workout fiend and natural enthusiast and has been hiking Pinnacle Mountain at least twice a week.  Your eyes are not playing tricks on you and he is not on a hover craft; seems he caught this with the delay on his camera.

I love Christmas time and the promise that Jesus' birth gives to everyone, and I loved our simple decorations this year to celebrate.

And what would the holidays be without a revolving door of friends...

and fires...

and an ABUNDANCE of amazing news...

Spencer has been accepted to Ouachita Baptist University for college!  We are so incredibly proud of his hard work and determination.

And, we are FINALLY able to reveal that Cole will be in seven episodes of Disney's Lab Rats on Disney XD, beginning January 16th!  I'm already looking forward to the "watch" party and what tasty treats I will whip up to celebrate the occasion.

So, let me guess.  You love all the pictures but you still have questions about our motives and our plan for the future?  Ok, let me try to succinctly sum it up for you...

1.  Yes, we are in Arkansas for another day, month or year.  (Yeah, we have NO idea how long we will be here.  Maybe till the house sells, maybe sooner or later.  Get the picture?)

2.  Yes, I am still working at Charming Charlie and Cole is working at Izzy's.  We both love to see people we know so stop by and say hello.

3.  No, I am not adjusting to the idea of Spencer going away to college so if you mention it and I start bawling, well, I'm sorry.  I am hoping that in time I will either become accustomed to the idea or I will be able to take my IV pole of self-medicating margaritas to work with me.

4.  Yes, Brad is still building houses and putting up with the five of us.

5.  If you have any other questions, just text or call.

Ahhhh, it's so nice to be back.

"In all the work you are doing, work the best you can.  Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for men."

~Colossians 3:23

LA vs. AR and LA is Winning

The need to be in LA continues to keep us in town as we stay another week and wonder if we will make it home for Thanksgiving.  Ok, let me rephrase that...we WILL make it home for Thanksgiving although we may drive like maniacs and slide in the door at noon on Thursday just in time for lunch!!!  I'm not going to stress, I'm not going to worry and I will not throw a fit.  It will all work out.  Yeah, right.

Here's your crazy week recap:

Cole wrapped filming Tuesday night on the show where he will be a Guest Star in seven episodes.  I wondered how he would deal with leaving the cast and crew who have become like family to us, but he did fabulous and always has a great attitude.  We think the first episode will air in January 2015 and then the rest of the episodes will be spread out through the year but as soon as we know for sure, I will definitely let you know.

 Spencer is rocking and rolling at home and I am amazed every day at his determination.  The focus right now is on all things college; essays for applications, essays for scholarships, shot records (what?), transcripts...makes me tired and I'm not even the one getting it all together!  The essay that he wrote today made me sob and I'm wondering if I am actually going to make it when he leaves for college.  Probably not but I won't think about that just yet.  

Thank you Skype for allowing me to see this face every day.

Spencer is also collecting gift cards in any amount between $10 and $25, for his Youth Advisory Committee at Arkansas Children's Hospital.  If you feel so lead to donate to his cause, hit us up and let us know and we will be happy to come and pick up the GC.  He needs to deliver them to ACH on December 18th. 

Snow hit the mountain on Thursday and even though it was a "dusting", it makes me wonder just what in the world we are in for this winter.  I mean, it's only November for Pete's sake!!!

The temps have gotten cooler in LA too, and by cooler I mean they have fallen into the 70's.  I find it quite humorous when I go for my run in the morning with shorts and a tshirt and I pass people walking their dogs wearing PARKAS!  Seriously, they could wear these coats in the Arctic and they would stay toasty.

We had some free time on our hands on Friday so Cole and I headed off to Griffith Park Observatory which is an amazing observatory that was originally built in 1935.  The views are extraordinary and we had such a nice time looking at the exhibits, eating lunch and learning a little history in the process.

Thanks to the smog, you can't see the great view.

We rounded out the week by heading back to Griffith Park today and going hiking with Michelle and the kiddos.  Griffith Park is the largest municipal park in all of the U.S. and boasts over 4,000 acres of trails, the observatory and even the LA Zoo.  Thankfully, we only hiked four miles today and were treated with a spectacular picture of the setting sun.

Cole has a meeting sometime this week and while we wait for the specific appointment, we will be moving back to Burbank Extended Stay (or BESA as we like to call it) until it is time for us to head home.  Our lease is up on our apartment and it has already been rented to someone else.  Nothing like a move across town to tackle while we're waiting for something to break loose.  But one thing that has been made abundantly clear to me is that there are lessons to be learned through all of these "adventures" and as long as we put our trust in God, we can't go wrong.

"And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him."
~Ephesians 3:17

My Acting Debut and All Things LA

This week has been hectic but fun.  Cole finished filming on Tuesday and now has seven days hiatus until next Wednesday, when he's back on set to film his LAST episode!  It will be bittersweet for him because he has gotten so close to the cast and crew but I can see that "itch" in him to move on.

So on Thursday, Cole got invited to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.  Why anyone wants to pay someone to scare them is beyond me but he went and had a blast!

They look cool here but this was taken right before some dude with a hatchet and a chain saw started chasing them!

While Cole was shortening his life span, I opted for a quieter evening.  My friend Michelle had asked me if I would be able to sit on set with her daughter Brooke while she took her son Brayden to an audition.  A couple of hours and no big deal was what she promised.  However, unbeknownst to either of us was the fact that the film crew was short on "background" people and when I arrived, the Director decided that I would make the perfect party person behind the main actors.  Brooke gleefully volunteered me and after I promised to come back and sit on her, I obliged and was ushered on to set.

I only have three words to describe my experience...NO THANK YOU AND NOT IN A MILLION JILLION YEARS (ok, that's more than three but I needed to get my point across!!!).  Seriously, I could NEVER be an actor.  "Stand here" he said, "and when I yell for the background, walk over here, get a plate and go stand by those people.  Talk but don't make any noise and don't eat the food.  It's a prop."  Uh, excuse me, I don't know how to walk without tripping, how to get food without eating it and certainly don't have a clue as to how to talk without making noise!!!  FIVE hours later we were released from set!  Within that five hours, Michelle returned from the audition and she, too was ushered on set as an extra.  Together, we "pretended" to talk, eat and have a good time but what we really did was snicker, try not to look at the camera and simultaneously agree that we could never be actors!  What a hoot.  I had ridden my bike to set but since we left at 10:00pm, Michelle and I wedged my bike into the back of her Toyota Camry and "tied" the trunk down and headed to our apartment.  Love, love, love that we never have a dull moment hanging with our friends.

Yep, the rednecks done come to LA!

Another year in LA for Halloween and I was surprised that Cole decided not to dress up; I really think if Spencer and Brad had been out here with us, he would have gotten into the Halloween spirit.  But as it was, we decided to do what we have done for the past three years and have dinner with Michelle and the kids and then pop over to Toluca Lake for some trick-or-treating through a neighborhood that goes ALL OUT for Halloween.  Honestly, I have never seen anything like it anywhere else.  You know they are serious about this "holiday" when they hire actors to play zombies in their makeshift graveyard on their lawn or hire 15 to 20 dancers who can deliver the choreography dance version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" perfectly!  Amazing.

Brooke was a Roman goddess, Brayden was a knight and Cole and Nate were there to keep up with the kids while Michelle, Jason and I took in all the sights.  I knew teenagers were good for something. ;)

Brayden could ask Cole to jump off a bridge and Cole would oblige, so when Brayden wanted Cole to sit in our "third" seat, Cole was happy to fold his fix-foot frame in half.  What cuties!

While most people look forward to sleeping in on Saturday, Cole and I were out the door by 7:45am and headed to Newport Beach.  What could bring us out so early on a Saturday?  Lamborghini's of course!  The first Saturday of each month, the Lambo dealership in N.B. has coffee and croissants and owner's of Lambo's, Ferrari's, Audi R8's, Porsche and Fisker all congregate to show off their wheels and talk all things cars.  I was in awe!

Cole's dream car at only $400K.

I could totally see us driving this from LA to Arkansas and screaming down the highway at 180mph in the desert!  The gas mileage would suck but we would certainly make it home in record time!

This one was a "steal" at only $243,000.  Ahhh.

After we finally pulled ourselves away from the amazing cars, we headed to Seal Beach.  It's called "Seal" Beach because of the sea lions.  Which were supposed to be out and sunning themselves.  Where we could see them.  All I saw was this.

Evil.

No sea lions to be seen, but we had a fabulous walk on the beach

Forget the outrageously expensive cars, I want a beach cottage with this view.

"But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment."

~1 Timothy 6:17

Top 10 List

I have found over the past three+ years that driving to and from California is always an adventure, always the unexpected happens and there are always funny moments that I want to remember.  So, here's my top ten list for this trip...

1.  Driving with a somewhat newly licensed teen on the highway is nerve-wracking funny.  Boys think that every car passing them wants to race and heaven forbid if said person is over the age of 60 (hurts his heart to be passed by Grandpa!).  Thank goodness for cruise control to keep this boy in check.

2.  On the same subject of teenage drivers, Cole thinks the right lane is for "Grandpas" but the left lane (used for passing ONLY) makes him feel like Jeff Gordon (who?).

3.  Loved when we walked into the Cracker Barrel in Flagstaff, Arizona to return my book on tape and the cashier, Chadd says, "I recognize this young man right here.  I see you all the time in here."  Cole and I are looking around to see who he is talking about and he's talking about Cole!  I started laughing but Cole said, "Well, Chadd, I haven't ever met you before but it's great to see you, too!"  I had to run to the ladies' room.

4.  Playing the game "20 Questions" with Cole is NEVER a good idea.  He becomes irate when I can't remember if he answered "yes" or "no" to my question of whether the item was electronic or not.  Obviously, I need to remind him that my short-term memory is shot since I gave birth to him and his brother.  Plus, who picks a "door knob" as their object?!  Then, he was upset because the particular item I was thinking about was a bottle of wine and he guessed it in two questions.  Sheesh.

5.  Evil birds follow me for our entire trip and choose our car (out of hundreds) to perch on while we are stopped to get gas, go potty or just to stretch our legs.  Cole doesn't help by laughing.

6.  I really love to wear my bedazzled Razorback shirt when we stop for the night in Texas.

7.  I love to watch the stares that Cole receives when he walks through the lobby of a hotel, a restaurant or even in the parking lot of a gas station.  He is totally oblivious that girls are swooning (hope we can keep it that way ;))!

8.    I love staying at hotels that allow dogs so I can get my smooch on!

9.  I love the sign at the hotel in Kingman, Arizona that welcomes pets but NO CHICKENS!  Woot!

10.  As soon as we arrived in Barstow, CA the traffic changed to five lanes, someone honked at me (probably because I was not driving 90) and I got cut off in traffic.  Welcome to California!

We're settled in to our apartment that we will call home for the next three weeks, and Cole already has an audition for today and then off to set beginning Wednesday.  I am so thankful for a safe trip and making memories.

The beautiful sunrise as we departed Little Rock.

We finally stopped at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX.

An awesome sky in New Mexico.

"God saved you by His special favor when you believed.  And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."
~Ephesians 2:8-10

ALWAYS A Change to Our Schedule

I must admit that sometimes I am very envious of people who can do the following:

1.  Plan a trip

2.  Go on said trip with everything occurring as planned.

In the Ewing house, there has NEVER, I repeat NEVER been a trip where at least one hiccup (usually more) did not occur.  This latest trip is no exception.

All along, the plan has been for Spencer, Cole and I to go to Los Angeles for three weeks so that Cole could  be on set and Spencer could visit three college campuses.  But yesterday, we received news that Spencer has several appointments coming up that can not be rescheduled so we he made the decision to stay in Little Rock.  In my heart, I know it is the right decision but my heart is also screaming.  Yes, I know it is only three weeks but I have spent so much time with him since we came home in May that I don't want to spend any more time apart.  So, he made the decision and I cried.  Not just cried, but bawled.  At work.  On my lunch break.  And scared customers.  Sigh, it wasn't pretty.

Packing will commence tonight and Cole and I will leave early tomorrow morning so that we can arrive in LA at a decent hour on Sunday.

I am hoping that our trip goes without a hitch and that Spencer has lots of invitations to do fun things while we are gone.

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today's trouble is enough for today."

~Matthew 7:34