American Idiot on tour

I have written about this show many times now. This is not "new" news. However, once again...this show has rocked my world once again (as cliche as that sounds). When I first saw American Idiot on Broadway, back in June of 2010. I fell in love with it within minutes and was immediately scheming on how to go again the next day. I saw it three out of our four nights in NYC that trip. From that first performance, something changed in me. I know that might sound silly to some, but it really is how it happened. I became obsessed, and I couldn't wait to plan my next trip back. I managed to get back to see the show twice more before it closed. It wasn't always just about the show for me. Through the show, via Twitter and Facebook, I have made so many friends. So many beautiful souls that have been brought together by this one incredible show. I know that some of these people will be my friends for the rest of my life. That is a powerful thing. The show somehow inspired me to stop sitting around, and start living my life. Doing the things I want to do without regret. I went back to school, I go on trips, I meet people I never would have known if not for my experience following American Idiot on Broadway.
When the show closed, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to connect in the same way with the tour cast. In my mind, part of what kept me interested was my emotional connection to the cast and the way those characters were portrayed by the people I had come to know and love. Finally, the tour came to Michigan. I got tickets with some of my "Idiot Family" way back when they first went on sale, knowing it would never be enough to just see it once. I got tickets to go on Wednesday night and we took a friend of my husbands that had never seen the show. I was floored at how much I loved this show. Of course there are differences, but the feelings were all still the same. In fact, I think I connected with different characters this time! I managed to squeeze in 4 shows during the week it was here, and as usual...I know its not going to be enough. I will need to find a way to visit another tour stop to see the show at least one more time. I am not going to revisit the entire plot of the show and describe it to you. I will just say that this cast is incredible. Every single one of them brings something different to the show for me, and I am so grateful that I got to experience this new version of the show. One of the standout performances for me was Scott J. Campbell as Tunny. Tunny has never really been my favorite character. Don't get me wrong, I loved Stark as much as everyone else, and I even got to see Ben Thompson as Tunny once. I still just didn't connect with him at all. I thought that Scott gave Tunny something different. I am not sure what it is yet, but for the first time I think I "got it".
The generosity of the cast, the fact that they were willing to stand out in the cold and rain, to sign autographs, take photos, and just chat for a bit, really impressed me. I know they work so hard. This cast is incredible. SO grateful to have been able to meet Kelvin Moon Loh and Nicci Claspell, who have been especially kind and gracious to us over Twitter. Everyone was incredible and if this show comes to a town near you....you should absolutely go. Rage and Love!

Two Down...(several more to go)

Well, my first two classes are finished. I didn't think I wanted to take a summer class, but decided at the last minute to work it out and take two classes (one at a time) to get my feet wet and get back in the school mode. I had no idea that during my second 5 week class, I was going to decide to take another spur of the moment trip back to NYC to see a show with my favorite boy John Gallagher, Jr (the incredible "Jerusalem" with the stunning Mark Rylance....) and also that my friend Stephani and I would spend an incredible night sitting in the front row for "Hair" and ended up on stage for the curtain call. It was an amazing experience, I was on the stage....like for real. Right up there, the same stage that consumed me last summer with Green Day's American Idiot. What a night! So much fun, so much life, such a great whirlwind trip, but I digress. The reality is I took a week off of a 5 week intense English composition class where 60% of my grade revolved around a research paper. A real one, like with actual research! Something I have not done in probably 13 years. It was rough, I worked hard when I got back and so far....my first two classes have been a great start. I am going into my first real semester next week with a 4.0 GPA, I don't know that I have ever done this well in school. I am always second guessing my decision, especially as this new semester starts and Ian will be doing a new online (public school) curriculum. We have never had to answer to anyone in our schooling so this should be an interesting trial run! Chloe has been having the time of her life this summer. She played T-ball, walked across the swinging bridge all by herself (unbeknownst to me...as she had secretly escaped out a back door of a store and I lost her in 3-5 minutes of the WORST panic of my entire life) and got a new swingset in the backyard. Summer is slowly winding down and my favorite season is next....I wonder what it will hold for us!

Mother's Day

Sometimes I wake up, and wonder how I even got here. I know that 13 years ago, I was going to college, just getting used to married life and wondering what was next for me and for us....when I got pregnant with Ian. I put school on hold so that I could be a Mom. A few years later I was surprised with my special girl Chloe. I was pretty confident that I would never go back to school, because I would spend my life devoting myself to being a parent, and homeschooling both my kids. Chloe being born with Down Syndrome never really phased me. It is just a tiny part of who she is, I never wanted her to be defined by that. Then in 2006, she was diagnosed with Leukemia...now she had a whole new label attached to her. Cancer patient, and now cancer survivor. I never wanted either one of my kids to have to be tied down by labels, but somehow I think thats sort of happened. I think my kids are brilliant, I think they are interesting, full of life and love and such an amazing gift to my life. I never second guessed my decision to change my life forever in order to stay home and be with them. Lately though, I have been having this burning desire to go back to school to finish what I started. I have always joked around that I would someday go back, even if just to say I did it. Suddenly I started thinking about it not only as a "it would be nice to say I did it" but in more of a "someday I might have a career in my dream field" kind of way. The year I turned 40 was really a turning point for me. Chloe had been off treatment for a year, I went to New York and fell in love with the city all over again, I saw a show that changed me, really changed me forever, and I started to think about school again. This year, my 41st year....I decided to do it. I applied, and have been accepted into Arizona State University, doing an online Bachelors program. I realized this year that I can be both a Mother and teacher to my kids, and still be a student myself. I might be crazy. Chloes cancer has taught me that life is precious, dreaming big and believing in real Miracles is the only way we got through those 3 years. Its the only way we still get through our clinic visits, and even just the day to day fears. I think especially this Mother's Day I am so proud to be a Mom to these incredible people....and so grateful for the direction my life has taken because of them. I am also ready to show them how important it is to follow through with their dreams. Sorry for the rambling, I have just been thinking so much about this the past few days. I hope all my Mommy friends out there have an incredible day today. I honor the amazing mothers that have made me who I am today: My incredible mom Roxie, my two unbelievably strong grandmothers, Marjorie and the late great Lena Seiger, and my fiesty great grandma Krause, and Margaret Delegato my "GeeGee", the most peaceful, beautiful woman I have ever known.

The first post

I don't know why I am starting another blog. I should just update Chloe's Caring Bridge more often, but sometimes it hurts to go there. I know that Cancer never leaves my mind, something always inevitably reminds me...when I post there, I feel hit in the face with it. Of course I will continue to update there, because I know that's the only way some people follow us, but I find it harder and harder to post there after every clinic visit. The reason I felt inspired to post today, is that while visiting my friend Renee's always inspiring and usually entertaining blog http://www.myspecialks.com/ I read that a beautiful little Cancer Warrior, an amazing little girl named Lois, who happened to also have Down Syndrome, lost her battle today. Now I don't know this family, I have never read their blog. But the minute I saw her beautiful little face, my heart just fell to the bottom of my stomach and I felt sick, and weak. I know life isn't fair...I get that already...I have lived it. But sometimes I just want to scream it out! Why??? Why this one? I know there aren't any answers, but I just feel so helpless. My heart aches for this family and I can't, and don't want to imagine that kind of pain. I am grateful for my kids, I am so eternally grateful that they are healthy now and that they spent the day chasing each other around and watching Doctor Who. I don't even know what to say, I don't have any words. I just wanted to say, something. Just put it out there in the universe, that this family just had its world changed forever. Just ask anyone that will ever read this, to think of them, send good thoughts, healing vibes, pray for them...whatever you do...whatever your belief system is. Hold them up in light.http://thedailylois.blogspot.com/