This summer Emma auditioned for the community production of "Oliver!" I am involved at the theater and was doing promotions for the play. At one of the production meeting I told the producer that I thought it would be fun to walk across the stage during the big street scene. She was excited and said that the theater always needed adult extras so I talked to Brady and he, reluctantly, said he would do the play with us.
In hindsight I truly think that the producer and director were inspired when they casted us in the play. Neither had herd us sing and we didn't audition so I was surprised when I went to check the cast list and Brady and I had real parts. Emma was in the children's chorus which wasn't a surprise I knew they were going to cast all the children that auditioned. My emotions went from surprise to shock when I went home and researched our parts. Both of us had small solos! Singing by myself in front of people is one of my worst fears and my part was the high soprano part. Brady and I were also in all the chorus numbers so we ended up having a lot of stage time which involved a lot of rehearsals. All the the time we put in paid off our songs came together and it ended up being really fun.
The reason I think doing "Oliver!" was inspired was that during this same time Brady was at the end of his rope with his job. I have never seen his so miserable. In one of our conversations about his job I suggested that he refocus. He was giving everything to his job and didn't have anything of his own. When "Oliver!" came up he committed to being there but neither of us realised the extent to which we would have to be at the theater. It did help us both refocus though we were at rehearsal every night and Brady couldn't work late because he had to be to rehearsal.
Brady sent applications everywhere. He applied to a few inspecting companies in Wyoming along with every place here he could think of around Pocatello. We also prayed a lot. In late August Brady got a call from an inspecting company in the gas fields in Wyoming. They had a job for him but they didn't know how long it would last, could be three weeks or six months. The pay was fantastic but how could we quit his job of seven years for a job that might last three weeks? We both wondered how much our family would pay for him working in Wyoming and us only seeing him on the weekends. In the end Brady and I decided to see if he could take all of his vacation (3 weeks) to go out to Wyoming and do the job. We kept praying a lot. The next day, when Brady asked for the time off, his boss decided that Brady wasn't committed to the company and let him go. We were obviously shocked and hurt how could they do that after all the years Brady had been there? Brady was excited though he felt like it was an answer to his prayers, it was time to cut ties with ELM.
Brady started his new job the week after "Oliver!" closed. I am so grateful for the summer we got to spend singing together. It helped us grow closer and it eased him away from work so that when it was time for him to go it was a lot less painful.
Brady's new job lasted longer than we expected he didn't get laid off until right before Christmas. He is home with the family full time and we are working on a few home improvement projects, but mostly he holds Eve and plays with Hannah and Emma. Right now it looks like he will be back out in Wyoming in April but he has applied at a few more places in town. I don't know what the future holds for us but I do know life has a way of working out.
