Happy Birthday, Charlie!

How things have changed in the past year! I can remember feeling such a relief when Charlie turned one. His first year was a very painful and difficult for me, physically and emotionally. It was survival, pure and simple. As soon as he turned one, however, everything changed.

This year, Charlie has grown in so many ways. Even though raising a toddler (in my parents’ house, mind you) is not easy, I feel so much more comfortable. I’m enjoying this ride now, not just enduring it. He has had such a bright, happy personality ever since he was little. He’s always looking for an audience to show off his newest dance move, a new song or sometimes, he just wants someone to tease.

While he can be a real rascal sometimes, he also is extremely kind for such a small guy. He loves giving hugs and kisses. He has always been what my mom calls “huggy.” When he’s tired, he’ll crawl in my lap and give me the hugest hug he can with his skinny little arms. He’ll just bury his head in my shoulder and say, “Mmmmmaaawwwmmmm,“ over and over again. I love it! (and yes, he calls me “Mom.“ Everything is “No, Mom.“ “Yeah, Mom.“) His baby blessing said that he would have a kind heart. One day in church, a woman watched Charlie playing with another kid in the foyer. She told me, “He has a kind heart, just like his dad.” I could have burst into tears right there, because it is so true. I hope that he can grow up to be a truly kind and sincere man just like his dad. There aren’t many of those around!

For the first time, I feel a little sad he’s getting older. He’s at such a cute (albeit, destructive!) age and I would just like to put him on pause. On his birthday, I just want to go over two (since he’s two) of the many reasons why I love Charlie so much.

1. His love of music. Charlie can never get enough of singing and dancing. He‘ll spin in circles and sing his own composition that goes like this: “Singin’ and DANCIN’! Dancin’ and SINGIN’!” This video of him jamming still makes me laugh so hard I cry . . . I think he was just a little over a year old in this video. The kid has SOUL! (I’ve had several people ask me . . . Yes, we added the David Bowie song on top of this . . . He was actually dancing to “American Boy” by Estelle and Kanye West) Now his dancing consists of spasmodic toddler jumps and rolling his head like he’s possessed. I have faith he’ll get that soul back in his dancing!

Lately, he’s been singing nonstop . . . What’s so cute about it is that he sings on key. One day, I was singing the “Indoors” song from Spongebob. Out of nowhere, Charlie chimes in and sings the last “Ee-in-DOORS!” pitch perfect. John and I about died laughing. Another time, we were in the car and “Pokerface” came on. A few hours later, we were home and Charlie was playing with his cars. I walk by and no joke, I hear him singing, “Puh-puh-puh-face, puh-puh-puh-puh-puh face!” to himself.

2. I’m loving how much he’s talking now. He’s a complete magpie. Forgive me for this random analogy, but . . . I’ve been reading a lot of Harry Potter lately. Anyway, I always thought it was lame how Harry could understand Parseltongue (that is, snake language), but not realize he was listening to hissing rather than English. It’s a plot device, I know, but it still bugged me. Well, in a way, I think Charlie speaks Parseltongue . . . I know what he’s saying (or trying to say) most of the time, but he’s pretty unintelligible to everyone else a lot of the time.

Even though he’s only been as far as Atlanta, he sounds like a man of the world. Example? He has Scottish, French, British and Australian accents. “Yes” is “yesshhh” (he’s a mini Sean Connery), “spider” is “Spy-DEH”, “Harry Potter” sounds like “Arry Pot-TAH” and “No way!” is “No woy!” (Okay, in all fairness, he has evolved . . . He says “No way” the American way, now.)

Last week he said his first prayer. John told Charlie to start with, “Dear Heavenly Father.” Charlie did and then immediately launched into a good two minute diatribe about “Dad” and “John.” He then ended, “Amen!” It was so cute.

Your such a big boy, Charlie! I love you so much and hope today is a great day for you!

The Flynn Shuffle

So Labor Day Weekend signaled the start of football season. As usual, I was dreading it. It seems like football swallows everything in its path . . . at least, that is, if you're a GA Bulldogs fan . . . or you're married to one.

This year, I decided to be more supportive and get into the spirit of things. This is me being supportive--my first Bulldogs tee ever! (Er, the stains on my shoulder are from Charlie spitting his medecine on me.) Red is so not my color.

For the first game, Scott and Katie invited us down to watch. It turned out to be really nice for me, because Katie and I just got to hang out and talk. It always feels so refreshing to have someone to talk to that doesn't want to only talk about "Cars" or "Imagination Movers" (sorry, Charlie).

And although the Dawgs lost (sorry to rub salt in the wound, guys), it's always entertaining to watch the boys react. When John and his brothers are together, they begin to sound and act freakishly alike. For example, when frustrated with a bad play, they all would perform what I like to call the Flynn Shuffle. Here's how it goes:

Hop in your seat.

JUMP UP!

Ease back down.

Take off your hat!

Run your hands through your hair.

Put on your hat and growl.

And that's the Flynn Shuffle!

Charlie had a great time playing with the girls. I was so glad we finally got to get a picture of Ryan and Charlie in their matching shirts. Thanks again for having us down, guys!

Letdown

I found out last week that I didn't make it into the semifinal round of the Nicholl Fellowship competition. They narrowed everyone down by half and I didn't make the cut.

This was a huge blow to me. Every time I prayed about the contest, I felt really good. I felt like something would come of entering it. Then, my imagination got away with me. Does anyone else do that? I realized that I have a very bad habit of doing that. I'll pray for something, feel good about it and then make a huge leap into assuming what I wish will happen EXACTLY that way. I assumed that because I felt so good about the contest, that I would breeze through the next round only to either win the whole thing or sell my screenplay as a result of being a finalist. When I saw the rejection email, my first thought was, "This is going to really hurt when this sinks in."

I was devastated. It honestly took me a few days for reality to set in. Once it did, it promptly ripped my dreams into ragged shreds. To finish my screenplay and enter this competition were my main goals for over a year. To find out it was over was not only depressing but frightening. What was I supposed to do now?

After a blessing and good talk with John (you're getting really good at those by the way, my man!), I was able to take a different perspective. If I had known a year ago (as I wrote my screenplay) that this screenplay would not only get me in the top 5% of this contest but my name would also be on a list put out by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I think I would have peed my pants (and lost control of all other bodily functions, too). I did make the first round, so my name and contact information will be on "The List", meaning I could be contacted by any number of agents, producers or development companies. Who knows, something could still come of that. I'm not a failure in any sense of the word, no matter how much that nasty little voice in my head tries to convince me.

After getting that change of attitude, I realized that I wanted to enter the contest again next year. You can enter up to 3 scripts, and if I can get my butt into gear, I'll have a third one to submit by next year's deadline. There have been several people who submitted the same screenplay years in a row, only to win after the fourth or fifth year. Getting on "The List" is a huge deal and how can a girl living in Signal Mountain, TN do any better? It's worth a shot. Or two, or three, or a dozen. Whatever it takes, right?

Thanks for all of your support and kind words!

Road Show Video

The video of Signal Mountain's Road Show skit is now on YouTube!

Here's a synopsis of the skit . . . despite the Stake's, er, state of the art sound and light equipment, it's not super easy to follow what's going on. So here goes . . . Some villagers yell and chuck rocks at some unseen monsters. They don't want them ruining their dance festival. The curtain opens to reveal the set of "Danceylvania 2009." A couple of dance groups perform, only to have Frankenstein and his minions interrupt. The host calls for "Security!", which happens to be an angry mob wielding sticks. They intimidate the monsters until they are cowered on the ground. The host asks, "What are you going to do now?" The monsters perform to "Thriller." All the village comes on stage to applaud the monsters' dance. The host apologizes for misjudging the monsters. The town joins together in a final dance.

CAST:

Villagers: Alex Ward, Katherine Ward, Kimberly Youngblood

The Host: Zac Mendenhall

The Clodhoppers: Katherine Ward, Chloe Caughman, Katelyn Youngblood, Kimberly Youngblood

Polyester Power: Kyler Meredith, Miles Dexter, Toran Hamilton, Lucas Aedo, Tanner Lockhart, Hannah Wolfe, Morgan Iverson, Sophie Caughman, Anna Ward, Kierstyn Meredith, Skylar Lockhart

Frankenstein: Paul Iverson

Igor: Christiam Aedo

Bride of Frankenstein (er, Sister-in-Law of Frankenstein): Me

Angry Mob: Adam Wolfe, Luke Wolfe, Blake Ledford, Quinn Dexter, Alex Ward, Jared Ward, Alan Wynn

Oh, and Jared and Alex are they guys that flip at the end.

Enjoy!

Road Show Recap

So the Road Show has finally come and gone. Everyone put so much work into this little production. Am I insane for all the time and energy I put into it? Maybe a little, but so many blessings came from this experience.

As Stephanie (the director) and I celebrated our victory at Panera last night, we went over all the amazing blessings (and hardships!) that went into this show. I thought I’d recount some of my favorite things about working on this year’s Road Show.

1. The first practice night with the YW . . . It was so much fun to play choreographer that I think I’m going to start taking dance classes!

2. Our first rehearsal with the Primary was really rough. A lot of the kids didn’t want to be there and it was a hot mess. I ended everything 15 minutes early because I was so frustrated. I was like, “LET’S HAVE A PRAYER AND GO OUTSIDE AND EAT YOUR POPSICLES!” After all the kids ran outside I went back into the room to clean up. Kyler and Miles were in the back of the room, still working on making some wigs.
“Don’t you guys want popsicles?”
“Nah, we only have 2 more to do. We’ll get some when we’re finished.”
It took all I had to not dissolve into tears on the spot. I’ve been in Primary a long time and I have never seen 11-year-old boys as kind and faithful as those two are.
3. Jared and Alex’s flips. Those guys have no fear!
4. My $3.88 costume. It took several washings before it smelled normal (that America’s Thrift Store is so nasty!) but come on. That jumpsuit is the crap! The label says the brand is “Pance.“ Yes. My mom added the silver butt cape. In the Thriller dance, we bend over and walk away from the audience and let’s just say . . . I’ve got much back, so she was kind enough to make me a cover-up so the jumpsuit was a little more, er, family friendly!
5. Zac Mendenhall getting sick the day of . . . Only to show up at the last minute and save the show. What a hero!
6. When the Primary kids strutted onstage in their disco gear, the whole audience started clapping, whistling and laughing--the exact response I had hoped for! People went wild when the kids started dancing to “Disco Inferno.” The next day I told the kids about the great response they got . . . the girls were a little too pleased they got whistles!
7. One of the best things was Tina showing up to watch the show! It was so sweet. My parents and John's parents weren't able to come, so I was a little bummed no one was going to be there to watch it. Then, I get a call from Tina asking for directions! Ahhh, you have no idea how good that made me feel. You're the bestest, Tina! You make me all warm and gooey inside!

Tonight is Wednesday night and I already miss that fact that I won’t get to spend it with the youth and Primary kids. I love all those kids so much. They make me laugh and I’m truly inspired by their good attitudes and spirits. It’s been so fun for them to run up and talk to me at church about random things, to get instant messaged on facebook and to even have some of them yell “SISTER FLYNN!” at me in public. I hope that even though we won’t get to hang out as much, that from now I can keep that fun relationship with all those kids. Love you guys!
This experience has been amazing for me personally. It’s no secret the past few years have been extremely difficult for our family. There’s been a lot of financial and health-related struggles. I’ve kind of built a shell because I’ve been embarrassed about these things. It’s been really hard. I feel like this show helped me get a little bit of the “old” me back. It brought me some new confidence and reminded me that I do have worth. It’s still a struggle to feel good about myself a lot of the time, but it’s great to have these good experiences. I had so many feelings like this show would work out wonderfully--and it turned out better than I ever could’ve imagined. That gives me faith that other things I hope for will turn out fine as well.
Overall, the best thing about this show has to be the feeling it left everyone. I could tell everyone felt something more than just the spirit of fun when the show was over. On Sunday as I talked to people about the show, everyone’s faces were shining. Someone told me the show brought a sense of family and togetherness back to our branch. I told Stephanie that and she said that her setting apart blessing said that was the purpose of the show. “By small and simple means . . . “
Talents are such a blessing and gift from Heavenly Father. If you ever have a chance to share them, do it! Do it even if you’re afraid or unsure. Your family and those around you will be blessed, I promise you. We were truly guided and protected by Heavenly Father during this whole experience . . . and you will too, if you’re willing to extend yourself and help in whatever way you’re needed.
By the way, a video IS coming . . . John’s a little edit-happy right now!

Woohoo!

The Road Show went AMAZING! It seriously went better than I could've imagined. It was a lot of fun and we had so many great experiences. Tons of pics, and yes, a video is to come! Stay tuned!

MIA

Sorry I haven't done any updating lately. I've just had a lot going on . . . after the Road Show is over I'll definitely have some catching up to do. Unfortunately, my camera broke (don't get me started) and so there won't be as many pictures to share until I can get a new one.

Well, the Road Show is one week from today . . . August 22nd from 6-9 p.m. at the Stake Center for you locals. And, I should find out in a couple of weeks if I made it to the semi-final round of the Nicholl Fellowship competition. Lots of fun and exciting things happening, so I'll try to fill everyone in ASAP. Thanks for all the nice words, guys!