Hiking and Hunger Games

I was so happy when I woke up this morning and it was 8:30!  We NEVER sleep that late, especially Spencer.  He is my early riser and I rarely have to set my alarm because I know he will be up by 7:30 at the latest.  Guess we were all tired.

Instead of running today, Cole and I decided to hike Freyman Canyon with our friend Vickey Pearce.  She and her son, Slade, have been coming to LA for the past 10 years for his acting career.  

Luke (a new friend), Freya, Cole and Talton.  We were so proud of Freya!  Her first hike ever and she did great.  We all made it 3.4 miles without having to call 911!

Tonight, we joined Coppelia and Freya for the Australian's in Film premiere of The Hunger Games.

Love my friend.

The kids loved the movie.  I, however, did not.  As a mom, there is something so disturbing about kids killing kids.  As crazy as our world is today, this scenario almost doesn't seem as far-fetched as they make it out to be.  

It's late so we're off to bed.  Cole has an audition tomorrow for a national commercial (fingers crossed!).  Hope you all had a great day.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see."

~Hebrews 11:1

Quiet Wednesday

Yesterday was so nice because we had NOTHING planned.  I guess I am really shocked at how long it is taking me to recover from being on set last weekend.  Who knew that my job of socializing and recruiting/kidnapping people to be extras in the movie could be so tiring.

I was pretty grumpy when I woke up yesterday morning.  Sometimes, it is easy for me to let my problems get the best of me.  Between worrying about money, how long we are staying in Cali and Brad taking care of everything at home by himself, I have this awful habit of letting my fear override my knowledge that God has got this.  He is in total control and I need to trust.

Thankfully, I got in a better frame of mind when Michelle and I went on our run.  I really can't say "run" because we didn't run...we didn't even take our weights!  But the fresh air, the beautiful weather and the great company definitely put me in a better mood.

This crazy boy also helps put me in a better mood.  Love his crazy antics on the street corner while we are waiting to cross the street.

Last night, Coppelia took Anna, Vicky and I out to dinner to thank us for all our help with Freya's surprise party last weekend.  We told her that was not necessary but she insisted and we obliged.  What fun we all have together!

I ordered a glass of Merlot and this is what I got...

...literally a glass!  Yowza, that's a lot of wine!

This morning we are going hiking and then a fun event planned for tonight!  Stay tuned!

"The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense."

~Proverbs 27:9

Sticks and Stones

When I came up with the idea of blogging in September 2010, I originally decided on the "adventures" part of the name because I felt that all of Spencer's medical issues provided us with plenty of adventures.  Little did I know that a year later, our adventures would turn from medical issues to real adventures in California with Spencer being healthy and Cole having the opportunity to be a part of some amazing projects.

This past Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Cole and I were on set for a new short film he is in  entitled "Sticks and Stones" (originally titled "Diaphanous").  Cole played the part of "Sam", a young man who is bullied at school and who cuts himself and contemplates suicide.  You can watch the three-minute intro to the film here. 

Day 1 of filming found us driving to Pasadena, CA to shoot at a residence.  What a beautiful town.

I find it so interesting as to how they chose a house for a location shoot.  In this case, the owner is a friend of the Director of the film.

The mountains across the street were gorgeous and even had snow capped peeks although you can't tell by my picture.  Too bad my IPhone doesn't take high quality pictures.

Taking a break from filming.

Day 2 of filming took place at Palms Elementary School in Culver City, CA.  It was cold and pouring rain all day.  Kate, the Director, needed a car for one of the shots so guess whose car they used...

If only I had known they would use mine, I would have washed it!

We had a lot of fun on set and I got to be great friends with the girls on the crew.  What a hoot they all are but my main partner-in-crime was Abigail Hopkins.  She and I were given the task of finding "extras" for the school scene to make the classroom look full.  We had to find at least four children between the ages of 10 and 14, who had a solid color shirt (no logos) and a parent that could sign a release form and we only had ONE HOUR to find them!  Really?


We happened upon Meg at the recreational center where she was waiting for her dad to finish piano lessons.  As soon as we approached her about being part of the film she was sold!  Her mom, however, needed more coaxing.  Once she was convinced that we were legit, she brought Meg to the school in the perfect clothing attire.  

Since Meg was the only child at the rec center, Abigail and I decided to try the mall.  However, since it was pouring outside, everyone was at the mall and there were absolutely no parking places.  After driving around the parking garage for 20 minutes we decided to head back to the neighborhood we were filming in.  As we were pulling up in front of the school, we noticed a family walking down the sidewalk.  It was a mom, a grandmother and THREE children between the ages of 10 and 14!  You can imagine mine and Abigail's giddiness as I whipped the car to the curb, jumped out and approached (accosted) this family.  Can you imagine their surprise when they were approached by two girls, a very southern girl as well as a very British girl, who were asking them to come to the school to be in a movie?!  The kids were super excited about the opportunity and the mom and grandma finally agreed.  I left Abigail with my car and walked with the family in the rain to the school.

Funny thing about those Brits...some are not used to driving high-tech cars that have a keyless ignition and are completely electronic.  I noticed it took Abigail a while to make it back to school with my car and she was only 1 block away.  Come to find out, she had no idea how to start my car, how to scoot the seat up or how to put it in gear!  When Cole and I left that evening, the cover to my gas tank was open, my wipers were on high and my seat was scooted so far forward that it looked like one of the seven dwarfs had been driving.  Love that Abigail was adventurous enough to figure it all out and be part of the fun!

Day 3 of filming was the hardest, most emotional day ever.  We arrived back at the residence in Pasadena at 8:30 a.m. and finally made it back home to Burbank at 9:00 p.m. Monday night.  Cole did an amazing job and we are so incredibly proud of him.  We cannot wait to see the finished product.

Cole and Freya did great work on this film!

Madalein & Nichola were AWESOME!

Amanda was the make-up artist who painted on Cole's scars.

Samantha and Abigail, my partner-in-crime.

Julie, and her daughter, Dana who was the stylist on set.  Yes, they are mother and daughter!  Amazing.

And, finally, Cole and Kate Rees Davies, the Director, writer, producer and incredible guru of this project.  We love her!

I slept 12 hours last night and Cole slept 13 1/2 hours.  It was great to have a day of rest and to be able to clean up the apartment, wash clothes, buy groceries and chill.

Spencer did an amazing job of taking care of everything while we were gone and with the help of our neighbors, Michelle and Jason, he even had Jason repairing his feeding pump with WD40 and aluminum foil!  Oh yes, the adventures were happening at the apartment as well!

This week, we are back to our normal routine and gearing up for an all-day shoot on Sunday for a student film.  Can't wait to see how that goes.

I hope you all had a great weekend.


"The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever."
~Psalm 121:8

Week of Celebration

I am happy to say that our week of celebrations has come to an end.  Every year, I forget how tiring it can be to celebrate my birthday (3/13), our anniversary (3/14) and Cole's birthday (3/15) in one week.

In addition to the milestone celebrations, we have also been celebrating the beginning of March Madness (a/k/a basketball fever, for those of you unfamiliar with this time of year).  Every day, several times a day, we have people of all ages in our room, watching the games with Spencer and checking their brackets.  There has been MUCH gnashing of teeth and seething (mostly on the part of Spencer) and much screaming and yelling (also thanks to Spencer).  They make me tired.

Talton, Cole, Brooke and Spencer.  There were also three teenage girls and a mom on the bed.  C-r-a-z-y.

Cole has booked three short films this past week!  We are so proud of him!  One film is a USC student film and on Friday, we headed to the USC campus for Cole's first rehearsal.  Brayden was with us because Michelle and Brooke were on a commercial shoot all day, so he took his scooter and we had fun on the campus while Cole was rehearsing.

This cutie reminds me soooo much of Spencer and Cole when they were this age.  Such a sweetheart.

Cole just had to find a tree to climb on the way to rehearsal.

Today, Cole had a Table Read for another short film he has been cast in called "Diaphanous".  It will be an amazing project.  You can see a trailer about the film here.  Another fun thing about this film is that Freya (from Australia) has also been cast in the film!  Yeah, carpool!

Today, it was sunny and 44 degrees when we arrived at church.  Can you say BRRRRRRRR!  It never made it out of the 50's so guess what I had on when I sat by the pool to read my book?

Yep, boots, a sweater, scarf and long sleeve shirt.  Meanwhile, all my peeps from Arkansas were texting me to tell me about their 85 degree temperatures.  Ha!

This week is looking quiet right now but I'm sure that will change.  The boys were on spring break last week so it is back to school for them, back to work for me and waiting to see what God has in store for us.  

Always an adventure.

"God blesses the people who patiently endure testing.  Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

~James 1:12

Birthday Blast!

Today was a BIG day... I turned 45 AND the boys let me sleep until 9:30!  Wow, I can't remember the last time I slept that late!

I was awake approximately 3 1/2 minutes when in trooped Coppelia, Freya, Michelle, Brooke and Brayden, singing Happy Birthday and bearing gifts!  How blessed we are to have such good friends in LA.

After a quick run, Cole and I had a meeting with his Manager and then we were off to a "Subway" commercial audition.  If Subway knew how much Cole LOVES their food, they would give him the job and pay him in footlongs instead of dollars.

I was planning on donning my pj's early and watching basketball with Spencer but Coppelia invited me to accompany her to the "Australians in Film" screening of short films that have received accolades in Australia and are now traveling around America.

So, off came the running shorts and out came the dress-up clothes and off we went.  We were like Laurel and Hardy trying to find a parking place (that is a story for a different blog) but finally made it in time for cocktails and mingling.  I could sit and listen to those Aussie accents all day.

We all filed into the theater at 7:30 to preview seven films that were each 10 minutes long.  Simon Baker, from The Mentalist, and his friend John sat right beside me!  The films range from quirky to hysterical to overwhelming sadness, so within that 70 minute time frame of viewing, I laughed (cackled), I sobbed and I was totally grossed out.  At one point during the sobbing, while Coppelia was looking for a tissue, I was sure that everyone around me would get up and leave.  After the screening was over, I apologized to Simon and John for fear I had interrupted their ability to concentrate on the films. I was surprised that they said that I was the perfect audience member because I showed real emotion to each film.  They did, however, suggest I bring a hankie the next time I attend a screening.  Good advice.

It is a big "NO NO" to approach the actors to ask for a picture but one "mate" I met was super nice...

Steven has been traveling with a musical troupe for 20 years while also performing Shakespeare on Broadway in NYC.  Just recently, he made the move to LA where he is writing/directing short films as well as giving singing lessons to up and coming musicians who are offered a record deal through some of the largest record labels.

It was a great night of fun and Coppelia was a great date...she got me home before midnight and before I turned into a pumpkin.

Meanwhile, back at Casa Ewing, the boys were watching March Madness.  Spencer got everyone to fill out a bracket for the tournament...

...and then posted them on the back of our door.  We officially look like a frat house.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes.  And, thank you mom, for refraining from calling me at my exact birth time of 6:14 a.m.!!!!

"May your father and your mother have joy; may she who bore you rejoice."

~Proverbs 23:25

Wowzers, What a Week!!!

Oh my goodness, what a whirlwind week it has been.

Last Sunday, March 4th, my Aunt Martha flew in to spend a few days with the boys and I.  Her intent was to see the sights in LA and celebrate her 55th birthday.  Well, she saw some sights (like Hollywood Boulevard at night!  Yikes!) but I explained that the only way she could see all of the sights would be for her to move here!  I think she liked that idea.

She got to experience the thrill of me driving in LA traffic, the thrill of trying to find a parking place for Cole's audition (impossible), the "unusual" sights of people in general and the famous LA parking signs...

By the time you figure out if you can park there or not, the audition is over.

Wednesday evening, Cole had an audition in Hollywood so we drove around and looked at the sights before we headed to LAX to pick up Brad from the airport.  And he had a surprise with him.  My friend, Carol, flew in too to surprise me for my birthday!!!!

On Thursday, Aunt Martha headed back to Little Rock and we decided that Carol needed to experience Santa Monica so we all headed to the pier.  There is really no adjective to aptly describe all the different sights at the pier, although I do have one to describe this picture....

eeewwwwwwwwww!

Meet Cleopatra.  She is an eight foot albino python.  Her "mom" had her at the pier and if you had your picture taken with Cleo, she asked for a donation to go towards purchasing a rooster for C's next meal.  Spencer absolutely LOVED her.  

Brad and I went out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate my birthday and our 20th anniversary.

Twenty years together and this man is cuter now than he was all those years ago.  Love him so much.

We left at 5:00 a.m. this morning to take Brad and Carol to the airport.  I always hate the departure day but on the bright side, I have already had two conference calls, run 4 miles and bought groceries.  I'm sure I will fall face first on the bed by 6:00 p.m.

Hope you have all had a fabulous week.

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for.  Keep on looking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.  For everyone who asks, receives.  Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks."

~Luke 11:9-10

Beautiful Saturday

Gorgeous, gorgeous and really gorgeous would be my three adjectives to describe today's weather.  I know, I know, I'm so creative.

Cole had an audition in Culver City this morning and like any audition, I like to give myself plenty of time for 1) traffic, 2) traffic and 3) traffic. Since we had to travel on two of the worst highways (in my opinion) in California, we left an hour and a half before his audition.  We made it in 30 minutes.

In the parking lot of the casting studio, we saw this beautiful tree.  We have seen these trees around LA and even though they are so striking, you don't want to come in direct contact with them...

I looked for a description of this tree on Google but didn't have any luck.  Mary Hightower, guru of all plants, can you help me out?

Crazy.

While we were waiting for Cole to go in to his audition, we met Mia and Bella.

This is Mia.  Bella is an Italian Greyhound and she was so adorable.  Unfortunately, my picture of her got deleted.  Ugh.

We got back to the apartment around 2:00 and I knew I had to get out and enjoy this weather.  I grabbed my bike and took off.  I ended up riding eight miles and enjoying every second of this breathtaking scenery.

I even saw Jay Leno driving around in an old jalopy that probably cost more than our house!

On my way home, I saw this bed in a store window and just had to snap a picture...

Pink leather with rhinestones!  Honey, I WANT this!!!

All that fresh air made me tired.  I hope you all had a beautiful day, too.

"Praise Him, O sun and moon!  Praise Him, you shiny stars!"

~Psalms 148:3

TGIF!!!!

Is it just me or has anyone else felt this week has been long and tumultuous?!  Goodness, I am ready for the weekend.

School has been exceptionally difficult.  Between fielding questions for algebra and English Lit (neither of which I am good at) for Spencer and cracking the whip on Cole so that he is completely caught up, I feel like all the life has been sucked out of me.  As my friends like to remind me, "Being a parent is not for sissies!"  Amen.

Thank goodness for my morning quiet time with my Bible and my exercise.  I honestly don't think I could make it through the day without these two constants in my life.  I'll give you a prime example of what happens when I skip my Bible study.  Yesterday, I hit the ground running at 7:30 a.m. and did not take time for my morning coffee and quiet time with God.  I was busy all day with work and I had problems ALL DAY with my website not being able to process my customer's credit cards.  My entire day was spent talking with the IT guy in Raleigh, NC until I finally gave up last night at 8:00.  I had completely worked myself into a full-on tizzy that included lots of crying, moaning, banging things around, being cranky, more crying and a glass of wine after which I went to bed exhausted and drained.  When I opened my Bible study this morning, I glanced at yesterday's lesson (that I skipped) and guess what it said?

"When something in your life or thoughts makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it.  Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying:  "Thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more."  Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost."

I just smiled and thanked God that I decided to take time for Him this morning.

It was a beautiful day in Burbank with a temperature of only 61 degrees! My favorite weather is brilliant blue sky with cool temps.  On our run, we met Pikachu, a one and a half pound Yorkie/Terrie mix.

So adorable but a little scary when our cat weighs more than the dog.

We were so excited today when we found out that Grace Powell (you know, the one's we just said farewell to!) got a callback for a commercial and she and her mom, Susan, flew back to LA today.  A celebration was in order so Michelle fixed lasagna, I fixed the salad and Coppelia provided the dessert.  As we were getting everything ready for dinner, we received a call from Coppelia, who had taken Grace to her audition, that she had run out of gas in front of the Hollywood Bowl!  Cole and I sprang into action and ran to her rescue with a borrowed gas can (after a guy had to show me how to fill it and pour it!).  We had her gassed up and ready to go in no time...

Cole, Coppelia and me.  You just have to smile when there's nothing else to do.


All the girls watched "Say Yes to the Dress" while we ate a delicious dinner and the kids played outside.  Ahh, our LA family is awesome.


"I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and He answered my prayer."
~Psalm 120:1    

The Ellen Show!

When we were in LA last year, Kari Shea invited me to go to The Ellen Show with her.  We had standby tickets and even though we made it on the set, they did not have room for us and we sat in the Ellen Store and watched the show.  At that time, they offered to give us guaranteed tickets for a date in the future and we chose February 29, 2012.

So, yesterday we went to the show and guess who was Ellen's guest?

Justin Bieber!  It was his 18th birthday and even though I don't know him personally, he seemed like such a nice young man (oh know, I sound like my Gigi!!!).

The show will air today at 4:00.  Look for Kari and I!!!!

"A friend loves at all times....."

~Proverbs 17:17