So its been a long time since I last posted. Life has been crazy busy. The month of April is completely devoted to youth theater. I have rehearsal every day and I spend the bulk of the day preparing for rehearsal (including cleaning house so the babysitter doesn't see what April truly does to my home).

Then the first part of May is spent recovering from April. I'm almost recovered and almost caught up now. I can't wait for the day where I feel like I have nothing that HAS to be done today. Maybe someday that will happen.

I am ready to get back to playing, cooking, couponing, and the rest of my life.

Speaking of couponing, I had one great shopping trip last week I had to brag about. It was a trip to Rite-Aid (where I only shop when I have screaming deals to catch). I bought 8 bottles of Vitamin Water and $40 worth of Cover Girl makeup. I paid $0.48. Gotta love a deal!!

For Mother's Day I got one of these bad boys:This may look like a cute purse or tote to you but it is a coupon binder in disguise. This baby opens up flat and stores all my coupons. I'm in the process of transitioning all my coupons. It is taking forever, but I think I will really like this new system. Coupon Nerd is going shopping in style.

Center Stage is in the paper today: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/306145/147/

They didn't get all the facts straight, but a slightly incorrect story is better than no story at all.

Look at the cute publicity photo we took today! You're going to want to see this show! :)

When you are buying props and costumes for a musical, you find yourself making really strange purchases:

24 dog bowls
12 enormous palm fronds
1 "Burlesque Beauty" wig
Rit Dye in lots of different colors
Tablecloths that will become capes
$120 of foam core
20 yards of marabou feathered boa
14 pom poms
Saddle shoes
T-shirts with Beethoven's head on it
Giant scissors
Ginormous pencil that really writes

I have a feeling that my shopping list is different then most people's...

Thing One is in a play that I'm directing right now, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." He is so excited and wants to invite all of you to come and see it. It is a great inexpensive family activity. When you purchase your tickets, PLEASE put the purchase under SANDERS. Thing One gets credited for each sale and can win some exciting prizes. He really wants the 4 tickets to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. He and I will have to make the trip to CA ourselves, because Ryan says there's no way we're going to Disneyland for a LONG time. :)


IMPORTANT: If you're planning on coming Friday night, you're going to want to buy your tickets quickly. The center of the orchestra is already filling up and tickets have only been on sale since 10 AM this morning.

I received this email and have added a few of my own. My theater friends will appreciate this!

You know that you work in commmunity theater if...
- your living room sofa spends more time on stage than you do.
- you have your own secret family recipe for stage blood.
- you've ever appeared on stage wearing your own clothes.
- you can find a prop in the prop room that hasn't seen the light of day in ten years, but you don't know where your own vacuum cleaner is.
- you have a Frequent Shopper Card at Savers.
- you start buying your work clothes at DI so you can buy your costumes at the mall.
- you've ever cleaned a tuxedo with a magic marker.
- you've ever said, "Don't worry - we'll just hot glue it."
- you've ever appeared on stage in an outfit held together with hot glue or duct tape.
- you've ever appeared in a show where tech week is devoted to getting the running time under four and a half hours.
- you've ever called for a line -- in front of an audience.
- your children have ever begged you not to buy them any more Happy Meals.
- you think Neil Simon is a misunderstood genius.
- you've ever appeared in a show where the cast outnumbered the audience.
- you've ever gotten a part because you were the only guy who showed up for auditions.
- the audience recognizes you the minute you walk on stage because they saw you taking out the trash before the show.
- you've ever menaced anyone with a gun held together with electrical tape.
- you've ever had to haul a sofa off stage between scenes wearing a dinner gown and high heels.
- you've ever had to haul a sofa off stage between scenes wearing a dinner gown and high heels - and you're a guy.
- you've ever played the father of someone your father's age.
- your kids know your lines better than you do.
- your kids SAY your lines better than you do.
- you get home from rehearsal and have to go back to the theater because you forgot your kids.
- you've ever appeared in a show where an actor leaned out through a window without opening it first.
- you've ever heard a director say, "Try not to bump into the furniture," and mean it.
- you've ever appeared on stage with people you're related to.
- you've ever heard the head of the set construction crew say, "Just paint it black - no one will ever see it."
- your mother has ever greeted you after a performance with the words "Don't give up your day job."
- you've ever appeared in a show featuring a flushing toilet sound effect.
- the set designer has ever told you not to walk on the left half of the stage because the floor's still wet -- five minutes before curtain.
- you've ever been told your director has no eyebrows because he handled special effects for the last show.
- if you can't get to sleep at night because showtunes are running through your head.
- if you’ve said countless times, “I can’t. I have rehearsal.”
- if you realize theater is basically your social life and you don’t have any many friends outside of theater.
- if you want to shoot people who think putting on a production is easy.
- if stress is just a way of life.
- if never realized how much fun you had at rehearsals until you don’t have any more.
- if you have the urge to be in character in public.
- if once the production is over you don't know what to do with your time.
- if you love going to see other productions just to compare them to yours.
- if you could easily set up a cot and live in the theater. You’re there all the time anyway.
- if you don't think twice about seeing guys in make-up or tights.
- if you know what Hell Week is.
- if you're on your deathbed and miss school/work, just so you can function to go to rehearsal.
- if you quote lines from previous plays you've done when you have casual conversations with friends.
- if you suddenly realize that your entire wardrobe is black.
- if you know what spiking is, and it's not what you do to hair.
- if you've been working with the same people so long that you have blackmail to last a lifetime.
- if you have a sigh of relief when you are doing a comedy and you hear the audience laughing.
- if you can't remember what a home cooked meal tastes like, but you can remember every single way Taco Bell makes a taco or burrito.
- if you pride yourself in how fast you can strip your clothes off and change costumes. (Or help people strip!)