On Friday, November 1st, I took the stage for the very first time as Mitch Mahoney in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. My friend Tina sent me a text later that evening and asked me, “How did your first performance feel? Empowering? Awesome?”
I responded the next morning (since I was already in bed when she sent the text), “Without sounding dramatic, my first performance on the stage was exhilarating! Being a part of this cast has definitely been a dream come true. If there is such a thing as an actor’s high, I was as high as a kite last night. I cannot wait to do it again tonight. I’m still giddy this morning. Thanks for being one of my biggest cheerleaders. Love ya!”
Julia and I after the show on opening night.
And, I DID do it again last night. And, I get to do it again four more times this month. I’m having a blast! I fully expected to be a bundle of nerves on opening night, and shockingly, I was not really nervous on opening night or last night. I couldn’t wait to get out on the stage and entertain the audience. There is nothing quite like performing for an audience. We sold out opening night and had a good number of guests last night; however, both crowds brought the energy we needed to give it our all. I am proud of our cast and the musicians. Did I mention that we have live music for the show? The music is amazing! I am extremely grateful to everyone who has attended so far, including my friends and former students from HGCS. Our next show is on Friday, November 8th. Of course, I can’t wait! Undoubtedly, it is going to feel a bit strange not going to rehearsal in the evenings this week.
In Other News:
- I’m flying to Atlanta on Wednesday of this week. My niece Emma, who is also my godchild, asked me to be her Confirmation sponsor. What an honor! It will be a quick trip, and I’ll be back home by Thursday evening.
- NaNoWriMo started on Friday, November 1st. I have not written one word of my novel, yet. The plan is to start writing today. I will have to adjust my word count per day to reach my 50,000 words by the end of the month.
- Today, my hubby and I are driving to the WWII Museum in New Orleans to see the play, Higgins: The Man, the Boat, the War. It is a gorgeous day today, so the drive to the city will be pleasant.
- As for my weight loss goal, I am down another 2 pounds which puts me at a total loss of 11 pounds since September 2nd. I have 8 more pounds to lose by the end of 2019 to reach my goal.
November has certainly started off with a bang for me, dear reader. Much more is to come as the month unfolds. I am amazed that there are only two months left in 2019. I still have a few items to cross off of my 19 for 2019 list. I have a feeling a couple of those items will be added to my 2020 list. Life is unpredictable, so it is best to go with the flow and to adjust as needed. I’m really not a go-with-the-flow kind of gal by nature. I’m more of a planner and prefer structure; however, life doesn’t always accommodate me, so I’m slowly learning to adapt. While the unpredictability of life can be stressful, it can also be invigorating. How do you handle life and all its unpredictability, dear reader? Happiness!
“It is tempting to quit striving toward a goal when you have neither the time, the resources, the support, the means, nor perhaps the confidence in talent to reach the level of standing you wish to reach. But these are not reasons to quit. Move forward anyway. Try your best. Put what little you do have into accomplishing what you can, because along the way you may attain a portion of what you feel is lacking. And owning a portion of a dream is better than owning no dream at all. Never give up.” ~ Richelle E. Goodrich
My quest for Big Easy Kombucha is still in full force. I have only been able to find it at my local Wal-Marts. They have added two more flavors, Jammin’ Ginger infused with ginger, Meyer lemon, and hibiscus and Melon Magic infused with cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon. I usually enjoy a cup of Kombucha with my dinner. Apparently, Big Easy Bucha has a tasting room in New Orleans where you can try Kombucha on draft. Road trip!
My life is pandemonium right now, and I’m surprisingly happier because of it. I have a bunch of irons in the fire. Some are way more enjoyable than others. I’m working on making my dreams a reality. It is awesome to set goals; however, I must remind myself that the satisfaction of achieving those goals comes from the journey or the process in fulfilling them.
#8 Read one book a month for self-improvement. This month I read The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too) by Gretchen Rubin. I’ve always been fascinated by personality assessments and learning how personality influences decision making, job performance, etc. While those assessments share some specific aspect of human nature, Rubin’s framework is based solely on meeting inner and outer expectations and how people respond to them when making decisions, reaching goals, and handling relationships. A variety of personality types can share a tendency. As I have mentioned previously on my blog, I am a Questioner. According to Rubin, “Questioners question all expectations; they meet an expectation only if they believe its justified, so in effect they respond only to inner expectations” (6). Finding out my tendency has been helpful to me. It has helped me understand why I am unable at times to complete a task or make a decision, or it explains my resistance to meeting someone else’s requests. If you, dear reader, are interested in finding out your tendency, visit 
Good morning! Today is a most terrific day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the air conditioner is running, and I got Sesame Street stamps from the post office yesterday. Happiness boost! It is also the birthday of one of my dearest friends on the planet…the fabulous Michelle. How fitting that I bought Sesame Street stamps the day before the celebration of her birth! Sesame Street is one of the many popular shows that airs on PBS.
which is extremely beneficial when you want to see how you are REALLY spending your time. We all (myself included) like to say we are busy; however, that is a story we like to tell even to ourselves. I found her “three versions of the self” interesting. She describes each version: “The anticipating self is wondering about, planning, and worrying about the future. The experiencing self is in the here and now. The remembering self thinks back to the past” (Vanderkam, 70). The anticipating self sets our intentions or goals while the remembering self reflects on the fruits of our labor. Our experiencing self follows through or falls through with plans, intentions, or goals depending on the circumstances or feelings in the present moment. My experiencing self gets in my way of taking action on a regular basis. It is pals with FEAR and PROCRASTINATION which has robbed me from realizing a few goals or pursuing a couple of dreams. This is my year to COMMIT, so in order to take more action and waste less time, I need to commit to listening less to my experiencing self, plan the task/event, and execute.
Since my last post, I have officially turned 50 years of age. My fantastic friends at school started my birthday celebration off with balloons, flowers, lunch, cards, and sweet treats. The next day was the shindig with family and friends from near and far. Son #1’s talented friend Tyler made delicious homemade pizzas for everyone in attendance. My BFF Shelly baked an amazingly scrumptious cake with a bra on top of it. And, my gifted cookie maker friend Darleen made incredibly yummy cookies for me to hand out to my guests. What a delight to celebrate ME surrounded by some of the most awesome people in the world! Although my birthday month will soon be over, my year of 50 has just begun.
The Kat Files 