LOL Tomboy Birthday Wishes for LOL Tomboy aka; Tayler. Photoshopped by Stacy 2006

A Letter from Mom:
Dear Tayler~

You’re 13 years old today, and I can remember like it was yesterday, the day you were born. Amid much excitement and many relatives you came into the world screaming. A normal occurrence with a newborn; little did I know that very loud and incessant screaming would continue for two and half months, nearly 20 hours a day. I remember being numb, going through the motions of walking the floors while you screamed inconsolably. I remember not allowing myself to feel the heartbreak of not being able to successfully comfort my newborn baby girl. I had a job to do, and allowing myself any emotions other than caring for you would have been counterproductive.

I do remember one night around 3:00 AM praying, asking for God’s help and begging for some relief for you, when a warm assurance came over me. An assurance that you would come out of colic and thrive. I look at you today Tayler, and I know deep within me, that was God’s promise to me that dark cold night, that you would indeed grow into the beautiful young lady you are today. I thank Him daily, for giving you to me.

Tayler, you have been a supreme blessing in my life, and I take the job of raising you seriously. But even with the job of being a good parent weighing on my mind, I am overwhelmed by the absolute Blessing you are to everyone who knows you.

As you enter into the angst-filled teenage years, I want you to know you have me in your corner, cheering for you each and everyday. I’m here Tayler, watching over you and adoring you. Doing my best to give you the room to grow, learn and take steps towards being an independent young adult. And always filled with the pride of knowing I got to be your Mom.

I know we laugh now, whenever I reminisce about those first few months of your life, and I thank you for your patience. Each time I tell the story, you listen intently and with the same wonder in your eyes, as if it was the first time you have heard it. You truly are a kind and caring young lady, and I will always be proud of you Tayler.

I know that you know how much I love you. But what I want you to know this very special day, is that I genuinely like you. I enjoy spending time with you and appreciate all of your wonderful and many attributes. I admire who you are, and celebrate all of the special qualities that make you Tayler.

My greatest wish for you today, is that you experience the feeling of knowing you are completely loved by all that call you daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend.

Today is your day Tayler, and I wish you happiness, fun and dreams that come true.

All my love always,

Mom

Happy Birthday Wishes from; and photoshopped by Stacy 2006

A Letter from Tayler’s Stepdad:
Dear Tayler:

I like to look at those birthdays that mark milestones in life, the ones that signal the beginning or the end of a critical period in our life.
And becoming a teenager is one of them.

It will bring many changes, so many your head will spin. And by the time you are ready to hit that next big milestone--21--how you handle the next 8 years will pretty much determine how well you will handle adulthood.

You’ll have no small share of happy times and sad ones, but mostly confusing ones. You should count yourself lucky that you have a mom you love and trust and can turn to when things get too confusing for you to handle yourself.

Most kids don’t have a parent like that. And the fact that it’s your mom is even better because as a teenaged girl herself once, she can use the foundation of love and trust and confiding that you two share, to pass along her wisdom and her own experience in an effort to help keep you from making at least some of the mistakes that she might have made, and that all teenagers at one time or another might make.

I know the changes brought on by your parents divorce and your mom’s marriage to me have not been easy to get through. But what has impressed me is the way you have handled those changes.

You also have demonstrated an unusually warm and protective relationship with your younger brother, something you will hopefully maintain throughout your life. Yes, I know there are squabbles from time to time, but your gentleness and care for him will have an impact on him that you won’t even realize for years if not decades to come.

As you begin teenagehood, I just wanted to wish you all the best, and to tell you how glad I am that you are my stepdaughter. Marrying your mom was a blessing, and I look at you and Riley as bonuses.

With all the trials and tribulations that the teens bring, just remember that you have your mom, your dad, me and, most of all, God to turn to for guidance. You will have to work hard in school to help prepare you for adulthood, but then, all of life is hard work.
Your mom, your dad, and I can help you get through those tough times, and God is always there to give you His guiding hand.

I hope your birthday not only is a happy one, but that you will find your teens mostly enjoyable, extremely productive, and always surrounded by love.
I love you,

Paul

Tonight is a cocktail party at the Mesa Arts Center, for the 25th Anniversary of The Child Crisis Center; honoring past and present volunteers. A worthwhile and much needed charity to help children, when they need it most, I’m happy to honor those who dedicate time and energy to help kids.

The Untied Food Bank dinner and auction was enjoyable. I have not been in the mood for socializing or going to these events lately, so I was surprised that I enjoyed myself as much as I did. My admiration for those who dedicate their work, energies and volunteer hours to feed those in need is strong. So winning the bid in a couple of the donated items in the auction was a happy occasion twofold. The money went to an admirable charity, and I walked away with a couple Christmas gifts.

After this Saturday’s event for the Mesa Arts Center itself, we should get a break from charity events until after the Holidays. Just in time to start running around preparing for the Holidays. I swear it seems like I just did that! Each year speeds by a little faster than the previous.

But now, I’m just looking forward to not having any events scheduled for a while.

It is a very special and talented lady’s birthday today! (The one who had me blubbering before my morning coffee a few days ago!)

Rachel, I feel very lucky to have found you as a designer, but extremely blessed to call you my friend! I hope that throughout the month of November, your Birthday Month, you find joy, surprises, laughter and love. All of which you deserve in abundance. All of which you have shown me since the day we met.

I am the one who could never repay you, for showing me how to use Expression Engine, how to upload photos to my blog, and of course all the beautiful designs you have surprised me with over the last year and a half.

To discover a close friend through that time was the most wonderful and treasured surprises of all! A friend who makes me laugh, regardless of what else may be going on in life. That is a priceless gift; one I could never repay you for. It is no secret how much I value laughter in life; you have shown both Kevin and myself many wonderful laughs, just by being yourself, and saying what’s on your mind. Another Rachel attribute that I admire, and has me wishing I could have more of.

So today, and throughout the month of November, I celebrate your birth, and my good fortune in finding your friendship through blogging.

Happy Birthday Girlfriend! And here’s to many more years of friendship and laughter! (You turn any tears into laughter.)

A toast to Rachel!

Love You,

3T

Is the United Food Bank Dinner-Fundraiser.

Ok, I’m hacking 3T blog because I have a few things to say.
We all get to listen to how wonderful her husband is (and I’ve met him a million times.) This man is .. wow.. I love him on so many levels. He’s smart, funny, helpful and if you spend a day with those two you can tell that he adores every little bone in her body.
He posts on her blog and you can feel the love in each post.
Well, I have some things to say about this woman and as I’m not her husband we know it’s not mushy honeymoon crapola ( )

I’ve known her for over a year and we met ... ok I’m really bad with time but it seems like forever ago.
This woman is remarkable. She’s hilarious, fun to hang out with, a super great friend who listens to me babble on when I’m having problems and won’t just smile and nod and tell me what I want to hear but what I need to hear. She’s like my long lost older sister (and I mean that in a loving way - you’re NOT old).
I hate talking on the phone (probably more than she does) so we don’t that often but when we do it’s like we never missed a beat.
I ENJOY every single minute I spend with her. I even leave my house early when I’m headed out there because I’m anxious to get there.
See, I’m one of those people who would be 100% ok if I never had to leave my house. I hate going out. I hate shopping and all that crap. If I’m going out with people or just out I usually pop a Xanax so I don’t stress out.
I don’t have to do this when I’m headed to her house.
As soon as you walk in, and sometimes even in the driveway if they meet you there, you feel like you’re at home. She’s so down to earth you don’t feel like you have to be someone else or put on even a tiny little act.
I can be me, which people either love or hate.

Sometimes I honestly feel like she does too much for me. I do a design for her here and there and add buttons and stuff.
Dana and I argue over who’s going to do it because whoever does gets their pictures splattered all over 3T’s page. (By the way Dana, I had a talk with her about that today. She promised from now on it will be 200px wide at the most).
Got sidetracked.. but yeah, a design here or there and she gives me the world or close to it anyway.
I think if I told her my brain fell out she’d find a way to give me hers.

So I’m rambling on and on and on and probably making no sense and it’s all to say Thank you 3T for being a super, wonderful, fanfuckingtastic friend. One day I hope to pay you back for all you have done for me.
I also had a blast today and will be coming out again in a few weeks and will stay until you kick me out.
Also, please tell Tayler thank you SO much for the gorgeous frames. Gary just saw them and he loves them too.
That’s another thing ... I love your kids. They are so awesome. Of course they get that from you.

I’m done with my blubbery post and don’t be mad I hacked you.

It took my stepdaughter Tayler and I about two hours before we heard those words, the ones that sent a small platoon of extras walking back and forth across a courtyard at the federal courthouse in downtown Phoenix, then up and down a nearby street, and then in the huge lobby of Phoenix City Hall. All this commotion came in the service of making Phoenix look like a busy workday in Oklahoma where a purported rising new star, Jessica Chastain, was starting a new period of her life in a movie called ”Jolene."

Before all that walking it was hurry up and wait and Tay and I filled out form after form--I told her it reminded me of being at a new doctor’s office, something both 3T and I have a lot of experience in these days. After even more waiting followed all that commotion, until one of the crew told the two of us and about 25 of the other extras on the set we could go home after collecting out $75.00 for 6 hours of being part of Hollywood.

Welcome to the world of extras, a world I was glad Tay could see first hand even if she was whipped from insufficient sleep and a pretty busy evening that night before.

As we drove to the designated meeting area, the sun was just rising and the air was crisp and cool. Neither of us had bothered to bring a casual jacket because we were never told we’d be waiting for nearly two hours outside. By the time we were ready for our command, “Background Action,” to be barked repeatedly by the director’s assistants, the sun was in its rightful place in the sky and ready to thaw us.

As we drove there, I tried to prepare Tay for what to expect without trying to daunt her enthusiasm.  I recalled how long long ago I was asked to play the central role in a newspaper commercial back east.  For two days, the newsroom had been transformed into a giant stage, with my cynical coworkers sitting around and watching as the director put me though my paces. In the end, when the commercial aired, my on-screen image had been reduced to 30 frenetic seconds of jump video that focus only on my just-manicured fingers on a typewriter keyboard.  And the antics of the commercial had been laid out for our readers by a columnist who poked a lot of fun at me and the paces I was being put through.  Unfortunately, I never thought to save the column.

I told Tay all this, but I don’t think that was adequate preparation for the grinding wait that we endured before our big moment in the sun.  Around us, the other extras were buzzing about one thing or another, but almost all of them were talking about having been in this commercial or students under that acting teacher or hoping to get an extras role in the afternoon shoot, which was to be in an office.

It soon dawned on me that Tay, the would-be actress and me, a devoted watcher but not a participant in movies, were surrounded by wannabe members of the stage and screen, many of whom had probably spent decades trying to break into the big spotlight that Jessica Chastain was apparently breaking into. Every man there especially put me to shame because they were impeccably groomed. Not a hair was out of place and not a flaw visible on their complexion.

I knew I was out of my league, but it was fascinating listening to the bits of conversation I picked up on.

Tay and I were both relieved when we were told to pick up our pay and go home, as were about half the other people in the group. She confided in me that she didn’t want to be an extra again, but her enthusiastic mom gave her a big pep talk about the importance of these almost forgettable roles, because they were ways she could network and ways she could show others that a star could be born if they took her seriously and she took the work even more so.

I think that buoyed her tired and disappointed heart.

As for me, all this extra business got me thinking that acting is a rough way to make a living.
But for a stepfather, it was a great way to show his stepdaughter he’d support her in her dreams any way he could.

Kevin

At the moment anyway. Yesterday was so damn busy and full of running here, and running there, I was not allowed the time to wallow in worry or useless depression. And this was a good thing.

Everything left undone, due to the two day binge on overemotional tears, was completed yesterday.

Besides the routine running of rugrats to school and back, there was a junior high dance to take Tayler and her girlfriend to, as well as a costume party immediately following the dance.

Amidst much chaos came the news that Tayler had the chance to be an extra in a movie that was filming in Phoenix. Although they wanted a parent as an extra with her. Filming was TODAY from 7:00 am until 4:00 PM.

The hubby and I have a formal tonight, benefiting Banner Hospital, which translated into I can’t go with her to the movie set. It takes a lot of work and time to transform a middle-aged woman into formal readiness. Nails, hair, and removing hair take time and appointments that were set up weeks ago.  Besides the make-up application that takes twice as long as most, since I don’t bother wearing any on a daily basis.

The X couldn’t go since he was the only pharmacist scheduled to work in the hospital on Saturday, and finding one to replace him on a Saturday is wishing on a star.  This left only one parental unit to accompany Miss Tayler on her first job as a movie extra. Her step-dad, Kevin.

Yes, this is my little movie star, and I’m damn proud!

As I type this, Tayler and her step-dad are busily walking up streets and down streets amid a sprinkling of movie stars and bit part actors and actresses. I’m so excited to hear about Tayler’s first experience as an “extra” I can’t think straight. This is part of her dream to be an “actress” and whether or not she ever “makes it” or ends up edited on the floor before the movie ever hits theatres, is irrelevant. Today she makes money “appearing” in a movie.

Last night had Kevin, myself and her dad, out hunting for a few seperate outfits that Tayler could change into for different settings in the movie. It had me giggling watching her two dads wander the Jr. department of Macy’s looking for parts of outfits that were summer casual (for two scenes) and appropriate office attire (for one scene) that couldn’t be in the colors white, black or red. And never have I felt more blessed having these men working at helping Tayler realize one of her dreams.

Today I’m moved to distraction, wondering how it’s going, whether she enjoys the experience and what it was like for her. As well as my wonderful husband’s perception of being an extra in a movie as well. I’m hoping to get his perceptions in the form of a post here on Stumbling / Grace. I’m sure for my two favorite stars ( Kevin and Tayler of course!) it will have been a long day of waiting and standing around, in between filming different scenes.

And as for my lumpy breast, well that’s just going to have to hit the back burner while we do our best to enjoy each day and activity as it occurs.

And be sure to look (don’t look away!) for Tayler and Kevin, if you go see the movie Jolene in 2007!