Weekly Kidlet Update!

Well, folks, I promised a weekly update on the girls, so here it is!

Sammee survived week #2 in NYC. She started both rehearsals for the play "Alone" as Stage Manager and her job as a barista in Manhattan. She loves both of them! She said the Belgian Cafe, Le Pon (don't ask the full name, I don't even think Sammee can pronounce it yet) is an amazing place! The manager is working with her rehearsal schedule, and she loves her co-workers! The first night of rehearsals for the play, the actor playing the lead, a veteran Equity actor, told her that she was the most thorough, organized Stage Manager he had worked with in a long time. I am such a proud momma. She has had to deal with the Metro Transit Authority already. She loaded her subway card earlier this week, and it took money out of her account and didn't load her card. So she has to wait for them to get her money back to her. Ah, the life of the big city girl! Tomorrow she is having lunch with one of my friends from college, Rich Hodge. I hope they have a wonderful time, and, Rich, no embarrassing stories about Sammee's mom!

Tori finished her first week of school. She picked up some shifts at the bookstore, and is still looking into other job opportunities in Portland. Plus she still has the Student Government job. And, she was very frugal with her money this summer so she is in good shape. Last year  Tori had an ant problem in her apartment. When she and Kirk got to her apartment two weeks ago, her ant problem was gone, but the apartment was infested with spiders. A can of spider spray, some traps, and lots of stomping and squishing later, and the spiders are gone!

After technical issues that kept us from doing school for a week, Kat is finally catching up on her lessons. We are still working on getting her back in bowling within the next week or so. Today was Homecoming for the local university, and the online school had a float in the parade. Kat and I both walked with the float and had a blast! It was the first time that I had been in a parade, and it was so much fun! And, we got our exercise for the week. And we got to spend some time together. Gee, how will I survive in 2 years when she is gone? I better start making more friends, or find some theatre to volunteer at, or start acting again, or stage managing, or something. But I will burn that bridge when I get there.

More adventures next week!

Job, Job!

I know, I said I was only going to blog on Saturdays, but I got the most amazing news today! Sammee got the Stage Manager job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She wasn't planning on getting any sort of Theatre job for months, but it happened! My little girl is living her dream! It is a small theatre doing an original play, but it is a paid job, and her first step towards the big time! She is probably still dancing in New York! So within a week she has had 3 interviews and gotten one job! She is still going to the interview at the Belgian Cafe tomorrow. Hopefully she can work both jobs at once!

This is a short post, but I just had to brag on my amazing girl! So all of you skeptics out there that thought she would have a rough time (and I know that there are very few of them), she done did it!

Weekly Kid Update!

I figure I might as well give y'all a weekly update on Tori and Sammee's adventures on the coasts of our great nation.

First, Sammee. She landed in NYC on schedule and with no problems Saturday night. She had her first cab ride to her new apartment in Brooklyn. She already has several "Aunts" and "Uncles" in the city (thanks, Rich and Becca)! She and Katelyn, her best friend, have been taking in the city, going on job interviews, and finding friends from their past. So far in her first week, Sam has had 3 interviews already! 2 for barista jobs in Manhattan, and one Stage Managing job! She has a second interview for one of the barista jobs on Monday. And, the director she interviewed with is her first real theatre connection in New York! And it's not one of her mom's friends! Of course, my friend Bobi and I are still waiting to see her on the Plaza at the Today show. Hint, hint, Sammee!

Now, Tori. Last week she found out that she had lost her job at the campus bookstore. She was devastated! But she took off to Portland ready to conquer the world! She had applied at a Starbucks near her house, but they aren't hiring. The manager sent all of her info to another store a couple blocks away. Meanwhile, the other managers at the bookstore are hounding the manager who gave away all of Tori's hours to give them back to her. That says a lot about my girl's work ethic and how impressive she is! She has also applied to be an acting/improv teacher and an after school tutor! This girl will be making money hand over fist in no time!

Kat is plugging along with school. Next week we will get back to bowling and she will start the job hunt too. It just makes me all kinds of happy that I instilled a good work ethic in all 3 of them. That means I done good.

Stay tuned for more updates and adventures! I will try to post every Saturday.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Yep, the David Bowie song! Big changes happening in the Wortham family! We took Sammee to the airport today to begin the new chapter of her life in New York City! She has dreamed of this since she was little, and now it is happening! And, if there was anyone who belongs in that city, it's Sammee. I shall miss that little girl, but I am so proud of the woman she has become. She even had to deal with a serious situation yesterday, and handled it with grace and poise. A few tears, but she got through it. And, with modern technology, we can text, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, email, and, if we feel old fashioned, talk on the phone. She will come visit occasionally, and we will go visit her. I am actually more excited to visit her than I am to have her come home. My sister and I may even have a sister trip to visit her. Now all I need is her address in Brooklyn. And, she has a job interview for a barista position this week!

Tori will leave tomorrow to go back to Portland for school. She has had a couple of hiccups with school so far this summer, but every time she had a step backward, she got her socks blessed off by friends and extended family. It is true. If you live a good life and are good to others, you will be blessed ten fold! And, Tori does, and is, and keeps getting blessed! I am proud of the woman she has become also.

Don't worry, Kat is still at home. We are still plugging along with school, and her Special Ed teacher has altered her schedule so she can complete her graduation requirements on time. We had a little snafu on Wednesday with her online school. They erased all of the assignments she has completed. And by they, I mean some sort of glitch in the system. Tech support is working on it, but we haven't been able to do any assignments, which puts her behind a bit. But we will catch up. Plus, she will start bowling again next Saturday. More stories.

Work is still going great! I am looking into some career advancement opportunities so I can start planning for the next couple of years or so. More updates as they occur.

I will keep you updated on Sammee's adventures in the Big Apple. Her cab ride from LaGuardia may need it's own blog. Her first cab ride in NYC. Tori and Kirk always have adventures in Portland on the weekends, so more stories to tell, and more updates as they occur.

100 Blogs!

I know, I said that my 100th blog would be about my career goals and entrepreneurial endeavors, but I have been checking my views, and am stunned! Due to the marvels of modern technology, I can see people who view my blog. Not just who views it, but where they are from, how many times a day they check it, and the browser and device used. I have actually had people from India, Russia, and all over the United States view my blog. I love this feature! I can see how many pages were viewed, by whom, and what time of day they popped in.

I am not sure who in India is interested in information on my kids and my jobs, but, WOW! It's nice to see that some old friends from high school and college are keeping up with my life. And people I don't even know! Again, technology is a wonderful thing!

To my international readers, thank you! To my US friends, and I know who you are, thanks! This blog was initially intended to be a personal journal of sorts, but I am honored to share my life and my girls with all of you!

I promise, I will post about this new career path later this month.

As I Labor on Labor Day

So here I am at work, on Labor Day. I think the auto dealerships have all closed for the day. Calls have really slowed down. And I still have 2 1/2 hours to go. But, I can't complain. I have a job. A good job. And, by working on a holiday, I get my 8 hours holiday pay plus the 8 hours I work today. So, basically double time. Plus, I love my job. And, as long as I am able to read, do crossword puzzles, and work on my computer between calls it's not so bad. It also helps that I really like my coworkers too. 

So my next post will be my 100th. I am trying to decide what to blog about. The state of politics right now? Um, no. I try to keep those views to myself. It's my business. Single mom in the city? Nah. The girls? Because I NEVER talk about my girls. Maybe my future plans career-wise. That would be a good one. Because I have a few ideas for the future, and am even attending an entrepreneur workshop later this month. So what do you guys think? Would that even be interesting to you?

So that will be my 100th blog. But, in the mean time, back to the girls.  The countdown is on. 13 days and counting before it will be just me and Kat. I guess I better get my webcam tested before they leave so we can Skype each other. And make every moment in the next 13 days count. 

So I think that's it for now. I can't even think of anything to blog about. So, here is a picture of the girls after we saw Sammee in Rent on Saturday. They didn't stop crying, but all 3 did manage to smile for the phone camera. They are gonna kill me!

My Amazing Daughters!

I just got home from seeing Sammee play JoAnne in Rent. This was her last performance in Pocatello. Two weeks from today she begins her newest adventure in NYC. I am excited and yet pensive. My baby is going to the largest city in the US! The Big Apple! The city that never sleeps! The town so nice, they named it twice! She will be about 2,000 miles away from me. I think I can handle this, but this Momma may have a minor meltdown. I did okay when Tori moved to Portland, but she is away at college. Different scenario. Right now she comes home for Christmas and summer. Away at college is totally different from moving away. I don't know how my mom did this when I moved to Denver.

Okay, back to the show. This was one of the most amazing plays I have ever seen in Pocatello! It helped that the 8 main actors had acted together for years. Such a cohesive cast! They played off each other like real friends do. I have watched all of these young adults act together for years and they have never connected the way they did in this show. I love each and every one of these "kids," and hope they get to live their dreams!

One word of advice I received from a good friend for these kids moving to NY. My friend, Jay Duckworth, said that the secret to his success in NYC Theatre was calling his mom every night before he went to bed. Note to Derek, Sammee, Katelyn, and Joey. Call your moms and talk to them. They are your rock, your greatest fan, and your biggest critic. Mom will do anything for you.

So to my kids, take care of yourselves and each other. And make sure you talk to your Mommas at least once a week. I love you all and will always be here to lend an ear.

Until next time.
Love, the Momma