Alabama

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My First Time Acting Since 1999

I had no idea that a little over a month ago when I threw ramen noodles, instant oatmeal, and old Beanie Babies from the back of my Jeep in the Fort Payne Christmas parade, that I was accidentally auditioning for the upcoming annual Children’s Advocacy Center “dinner and a show” play.

As we slowly rode past what seemed to be the majority of the population of the town in the parade, I was doing my best to shout out anyone’s name I knew, as I sported my ugly Christmas sweater… not giving much thought to how theatrical of a spectacle I was making of myself.

Just a couple days after the parade, I was recruited to be in the play.

Not a coincidence. That was my audition.

Acting was a huge part of my childhood and my connection with the town of Fort Payne. From 3rd grade until my Senior year of high school, I was regularly performing in plays and musicals; whether they were through the local community theater group, or a church, or the school.

Specifically, I am what is referred to as a “character actor”… not the lead. I naturally transform into any version of a character that needs to show up for comic relief. That has always been my speciality.

It is no different for the upcoming “Jukebox Diner”, in which I play two different characters like this:

-An overeager romantic who is on the search for his 4th wife, having just finished a brief stint in prison.

-A grumpy old man who is well-informed of what’s going on in town, thanks to regularly monitoring everyone’s posts on “the Facebook”.

I love the challenge of playing two completely different characters, each with their own personalities and accents, showing up on stage just minutes apart from each other.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t actually been in a play since my senior year of high school, in 1999. So… I haven’t officially acted on a stage in nearly 27 years! But for me, it’s simply second nature to me to do theater again.

We’ve now made it through our first couple of weeks of practice and it is really starting to get fun. Opening night is coming up soon!

Show dates: February 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13 and 14.

To reserve your tickets, call the Children’s Advocacy Center at 256-997-9700.

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Dear Holly: Visiting the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL

9 years, 7 months.

Dear Holly,

When I was a kid, I ended up at the Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville every summer- whether it was through Cub Scouts, a field trip through school, or our family visiting there.

So it’s odd for me to imagine that this past week made the first time ever that Mommy and I took you and your brother there.

Granted, your favorite part was stopping by the souvenir shop on our way out. And what did you choose?

A stuffed animal that is a personified version of the planet Mars…

Sure, why not?!

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Signs of Life

8 years, 10 months.

Dear Holly,

Last week Mommy traveled to California to spend some time with Grandma in Sacramento. Apparently, it is customary that because you are still a little girl, you definitely are still entitled to a souvenir every time she leaves the state of Alabama.

Even though you already had 8 other Warmies (microwaveable stuffed animals that smell like lavender when you heat them up), you needed another: This time, a hamster.

Before you left for school yesterday morning, you made sure your new hamster was all set up for the day: He watched TV and ate popcorn until you got home.

It is not uncommon for me to discover your Warmies throughout the house; staged like real life animals and/or babies.

I love being your dad.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Our 1st Time Hosting a Super Bowl Party at Our House in Alabama

14 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

A week before the Super Bowl this year, we realized we didn’t actually have plans. So we solved that problem by hosting a small party at our house this year.

This is something we have never done before!

But it came together quite effortlessly.

The only real challenge was figuring out how to watch the Super Bowl on our TV. You heard Mommy and I discussing it. Less than two minutes later, you walked over to us and announced, “Okay, I set it up now.

You mumbled something about downloading an app on our TV, then creating a login and password… I think.

It’s convenient having a 14 year-old boy around!

As for the Super Bowl, your favorite part was watching Kendrick Lamar perform at the Halftime Show. Afterwards, you slept through the second half of the game.

Love,

Daddy

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ENFJ, Self-Preservation Enneagram 9 Wing 8: I Am Officially a Fun Guy!

Fact: I am officially a fun guy. Specifically, I am a friendly, sociable extrovert. It took the events of 2024 in order for me to understand this.

It becomes common at the end of a year for people to say, “I can’t wait to see what exciting new things next year has in store!”

Well, here I am at the end of a year and I can very clearly express what 2024 had in store for me. This would be the year that I finally mapped out the rules of what defines the word “fun” for me, and therefore, what actually allows me to experience the concept of happiness.

Moving from the heavily (over)populated Nashville area of over a million people halfway through this year, to the less than 15,000 population Appalachian mountain town in Alabama we have now lived the second half of the year in, I have a clear understanding of why I am happy and loving life again.

Because my definition of fun explicitly involves the following:

A) Not being in traffic or in big, chaotic crowds.

B) Not having to pay to park or to pay an admission to get in.

C) Not having to wait in a long line.

D) Not having to “run around” or “be busy”.

E) Being able to spend quality time with people.

It’s funny how quickly my perspective of life changed after we moved to Alabama and we got all of the house renovations completed:

I could finally chill out. Because where I live in Alabama, my rules for having fun and being happy easily apply. Whereas in Nashville, they rarely did.

It is true I am indeed a fun and extroverted person, but I naturally become the opposite (stoic and introverted) when I have to be in traffic or chaotic crowds, when I have to pay to park or pay an admission to get in, when I have to wait in a long line, when I feel like I am having to run around or be busy, or when I am not able to spend quality time with people.

Our family’s most successful vacation ever, this past summer to Oregon, helped reinforce that my “rules for fun” not only ensured that I was operating in my default extroverted personality, but it also meant my family had more fun as individuals and collectively too.

As a ENFJ, self-preservation Enneagram 9 Wing 8, I instinctively seek experiences where I can be challenged in some way, while still feeling comfortable in the process. That is one of my gifts I offer to those around me: To create and maintain an environment where everyone feels comfortable, challenged, and valued.

In a good way, I feel this pressure to ensure that we are all collectively having a good time.

I think back to the motto my wife and I curated this year:

“Give life meaning and creative beautiful experiences.”

Moving here to Alabama and living a “quiet life” has now made it remarkably easier for me to be my true extroverted self; who is creative, fun, and happy to be around.

That is the world I live in now.

So yeah, I’m a big fan of 2024.