Birthday Box of Memories

Sometimes I really drop the ball on things like Mother's Day and my mom's birthday. I've been getting a lot better with these things though, and was really thinking ahead this year. I had already ordered my mom her birthday gift when one day I was on Pinterest and found a post on a Birthday Memories Gift. After reading about this creative idea, I knew I just had to do it. Even though my mom wasn't going to be having a "milestone" birthday, there was no way I was going to wait a few more years to do something like this for her. I wondered if it was possible to do this in only 3 weeks. After my friend assured me that 3 weeks was enough time to prepare for the gift, I sat down at my laptop and got typing.

I decided to modify the idea a bit from the original post I had read about. The idea was to contact my mom's friends and family and ask them to write a memory (or memories) and either mail or email it back to me.  Because she was turning 51, I was hoping to receive 51 memories and fill a "Birthday Box" with them. Sidenote: It didn't have to be from 51 different people, for example, one person could write 3 different memories. After finding her friend's email addresses in old chain emails and stalking her facebook friends, I sent out messages to everyone explaining the idea and asking them to send me their favorite memory of my mom. I bought a beautiful red and gold paper box at Paper Source in Center City Philadelphia. I had a great time receiving all the memories and conversing with some of mom's friends via email. I also received well over 51 memories! I ended up losing count. After pre-reading some of these memories, there was a general consensus that my mother:

1) Has a beautiful singing voice

2) Is an extremely caring and generous friend

3) Is a very strong woman

4) Knows how to let her hair down and have a good time

5) Has a few memories that her friends were worried I'd read about i.e. "I can't write some of these memories if Allyson is reading these!" (Maybe for next year's birthday, she can tell me what THOSE memories are!)

Originally, my mom was going to spend the weekend with me in Philadelphia, but unfortunately her brother was very ill at the time and she asked me to travel to Altoona to spend time with him and her at the hospital. I arrived on a Friday evening and wasn't prepared for the severity of his illness. At 11:45 pm, it was just the 3 of us in the hospital room and I asked my Uncle if I could give my mom her birthday gift (15 minutes before her actual birthday.) He was very afraid that their other sister would feel left out, so we called their older sister and explained his concern. She reassured him that he could share this special moment with my mother because she has a lot of special moments with her, too. He asked his older sister if she could sing Happy Birthday. She started singing and my uncle started singing with her. For someone who was having trouble speaking, to hear him sing a whole song was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. My mom and I burst into tears and hugged, knowing how special and important this moment was.

When they were finished singing, they hung up the phone and my mom opened her gift. It took her a few reads to understand what was going on and she couldn't believe some of the people that had taken time to write her a memory. She explained to her brother what the gift was and he just kept smiling. Eventually, he fell asleep and mom continued reading all her memories. It took her about an hour to get through them all. Afterward, she told me it was so thoughtful and creative.

Look how young and beautiful my mom is!

I know this one is extremely blurry, but I needed people to see the big laugh!

We slept at the hospital and the next day, the rest of the family came to see my uncle and wish my mom Happy Birthday. That Sunday evening, her brother passed away. His whole family was surrounding him. He will be greatly missed, but I am so thankful he is not suffering anymore. Looking back on that weekend, I know that my uncle taught me compassion that I didn't know I was capable of. And I got to see firsthand just how strong and caring my mother is and I only hope I can strive to be more like her. I am so grateful for our little "birthday party" the three of us got to have, and that my uncle gave my mom the greatest birthday gift of all....one more day with her big brother.

My mom and her brother in the early 70s. He took her on a trip to Ohio and here they are at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Emily and Joe got Hitched!

 On September 24, 2011, my dear friend from middle school, Emily, married her college sweetheart Joe. In Middle School when Emily and I were going through weird hormonal changes and coincidentally both had to wear back braces at the same time to strengthen our spines due to scoliosis, we were right there together. We had a journal that we would write notes to each other in and pass the journal back and forth to each other in between classes. Emily and I have stayed in touch throughout the years, both going to college in Philadelphia and living in Philly now as well. (Although I am renting an apartment and she and her now husband actually own a 4 bedroom house.) 

Emily is also extremely artistic and every wedding detail was handcrafted herself. From the invitations, to all the little signs, to the large collection of little jars and vases…their wedding was homemade, personal, and beautiful.

 The entire wedding was at The German Society in Philadelphia. Their colors were green and white, and all the bridesmaids chose their own dresses to wear. During the ceremony they encouraged guests to stand up and say any words to the couple. It was a very sweet moment and made the ceremony very special. After the ceremony, guests went downstairs to a German “pub” for cocktail hour while the ceremony room was transformed into the reception. The craft beer (Thanks Joe!) and German appetizers were delicious and it was great to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in a while. An hour later dinner was served, family style!  We passed around big bowls of macaroni and cheese, grilled vegetables, and skewers. The food was delicious and really felt like we were at a big family dinner. Everyone in the wedding party gave a small speech, but the kicker was Emily’s sister Samantha who sang a song she had written while playing the ukulele! It was extremely clever and adorable.

 My friends and I danced the rest of the night away, and were only interrupted once when…duh duh duh……some of the Mummers showed up and played through the reception! It was a terrific surprise for all the guests and something a little different for wedding-goers.

Emily and Joe recently celebrated their one year anniversary where Emily surprised Joe with a trip to Chicago for 4 days. I also must add that they are fabulous hosts and throw the best parties and get togethers...from a crazy New Years, to a relaxing game night, to a delicious Sunday brunch. This is definitely a couple that knows how to treat their friends...and each other.

If you or anyone you know is looking for someone to create beautiful, handcrafted invitations and stationery, please contact Emily at odetorain@gmail.com.

All photography by Brae Howard.

What Does That Have To Do With Theatre?

I have been completely passionate about Theatre since I was 8-years-old and asked my mom what a play and an audition was. She explained it to me and after I expressed interest, took me to our Community Theatre's audition of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." I landed a part in the play as a baby angel, walked on stage, spotted my family, waved to them, and although reprimanded by the director, was hooked. I was constantly auditioning for shows at school and our Community Theatre (York Little Theatre), rehearsing, memorizing lines, and working on songs and dances. I would even volunteer at YLT in order to take free classes. Although I still got decent grades in school, I definitely focused on Theatre much more than my schoolwork. There was once a time I would rehearse for my high school musical, then go to YLT to perform a show....homework that night was definitely left on the back burner (sorry high school teachers!) So when it came time to choose a major in college, there was really no doubt in my mind that I would be studying Theatre for the next 4 years. I did really well in college, and know that I am extremely fortunate to have been cast in two mainstage shows as well as a few student directed shows and scenes for the Senior Directing Class.

But when senior year hit, I wasn't getting cast in anything. Part of me knew this was the 'biz and that there were A LOT of talented people at my University. I found myself not really knowing who I was without doing Theatre. After all, when people asked me what one word describes me, I would always say "Actress." If someone asked what my hobbies were, it was "Acting." Not performing really forced me to take a look at myself. Who was I without Theatre? I can tell you that over the past few years, I have been finding out. I love traveling, meeting new people, and learning about different cultures. I love teaching, children looking up to me and relying on me. I love reading, writing, photography, and yoga. I love exotic food, beer, and wine. I love spending time with my friends and family. I love being a girlfriend. I found out that I really do want a family someday (a husband, two kids - a boy and a girl - and a dog.) I've realized I'm ALL of these things and have many goals in life that aren't all affiliated with Theatre. I might not put 100% into photography & yoga, but it doesn't mean that those things aren't a part of me. And even though Theatre hasn't been my whole life over the past few years like it once was, doesn't mean that it's still not a part of my life.

When I returned from Korea, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position as an administrative assistant at an engineering firm. Some people have said to me "So you didn't major in anything real?" and "What does your job have to do with theatre?" To those people, this is what I have to say:

On one hand, absolutely nothing. I can't believe I went to college for Theatre, and am working an 8-5 desk job. But let's be honest here, how many people these days actually have a job in what they majored in? And especially, how many of those people graduated from college around the time the recession hit? I'm not saying that me not acting has to do with the recession, but in general, times are changing. Things are not so black and white anymore.

On the other hand, it has everything to do with theatre. With performing, we are taught to leave our day and personal life at the door, or it will completely effect the way we perform. This can sometimes be an extremely difficult task at work...to constantly be upbeat on the phone to clients, to your co-workers, to your bosses. It is a constant show. And sometimes I fail. Sometimes I fail miserably. In my acting classes, we had many scenes to rehearse with our scene partners. I may not have learned about grandiose business or marketing plans, but I had just as many "group projects" as the business school folk. We had to learn how to work together, as you do in ANY work environment. We learned how to be reliable, flexible, think on our feet, think outside of the box, plus many other skills that I'm sure I don't even realize myself just yet. 

Going forward, I may work professionally as an actress for the rest of my life, I may only do occasional community theatre, and I may never step on a stage again. But I do not regret choosing to major in Theatre during college. I do not regret not really performing over the past few years. Regardless of what happens, Theatre was, is, and always will be a part of me and has taught me so many invaluable life skills. Everything that happens in your life shapes you and I have found even just in my 26 years that everything really does come full circle.

I moved back to Philadelphia

Last summer when we got home from Korea, the possibilities were endless as to where we wanted to end up in America. We had the whole country at our fingertips....DC? Chicago? Boston? New York? LA? But we kept coming back to the idea of moving to Philadelphia. Not only do I have a great group of friends in Philly, it is also close to home. Two things I needed very badly after living abroad for 14 months. I wanted to be able to see my friends whenever I wanted and be able to get home to see my mama in less than 2 hours if I wanted. Also, did I mention that Philly is a lot cheaper than above mentioned cities? When I graduated from college in 2008, I knew I needed a big break from Philadelphia. But I felt very ready to come back after a 3 year hiatus. Philadelphia is an amazing city. There is so much culture and so many things to do here...I wish the city would get more credit. (Check out www.visitphilly.com and www.uwishunu.com for AWESOME things to do - seriously, I cannot keep up with everything!) The city feels different to me now - better and more mature. It no longer only reminds me of college. I needed to live in Philly again, but as an adult this time, and I am LOVING it. Lucky for me I found an apartment and a job pretty quickly. Everything seemed to fall into place to move back to this city. I have taken advantage of Philly far more in the past year, than I did in the 4 years during college. 

So Thank you Philly for everything you have given me over the past year! I can't wait to see what this next year holds!

With Love,
Allyson
xoxo

I went to Seattle

After our fabulous vacation in Pensacola, we flew across the country to Seattle where Colin's brother Alaric is living. I had never been to Seattle so I was excited to spend time with Alaric and explore a new city. I know that Seattle is known for being rainy and cloudy, but I was still not exactly a happy camper when on our first day we got stuck in the rain multiple times. Especially after laying on a beach for a week, I didn't really like Seattle on my first day. But don't worry folks, I got over my bad mood and we actually had great weather the rest of the time we were there! The people of Seattle actually told us it was their secret....they want everyone to think Seattle is rainy and awful so that not everyone moves there :)

We took a long, leisurely walk around  Green Lake. Colin kept saying we needed to find a store so that he could buy a sweatshirt. It was July people, we had figured jackets and sweatshirts could be left at home.  As we were walking around the lake, New Balance had a tent set up. They were asking people to try out their new shoes, give feedback and be photographed. Afterward, there were an array of New Balance products you could take! So I took a pink duffel bag and Colin was able to grab the last New Balance jacket. Perfect! That night Alaric and his girlfriend Esther took us out to a Korean restaurant. It was our first time being in a Korean restaurant in America since coming home. We were very excited about sitting on the floor, telling Alaric & Esther what to eat, and the compliments from the waitress about our Korean speaking skills. Alaric & Esther both unfortunately had to work a lot, but Colin and I toured Seattle and had a great time.

The Space Needle

On top of the Space Needle

The Crab Pot. We saw this on an episode of Man vs. Food while we were in Florida and agreed we had to find it once we got to Seattle!

Soooo excited to dive in!

About to bang the crap outta that crab leg. Mmm look at all that food!

The First Car Wash

This was an awesome way to spend 2 hours during an afternoon. Bought a bottle of wine then went out to sea! Being on the water was lovely and the views of the city were beautiful.

The famous Pike Place Market! It was super crowded, but we let out some energy by playing in an arcade for a while.

A funny store I sadly cannot remember the name of now. Also the ONLY picture I somehow have of Alaric.

The famous Fremont Troll.

Mount Rainier

I went to Florida

Before leaving for Korea, Colin and I knew we would need a vacation break after our year of crazy endless teaching, guilty sick days, and forced vacation. I seriously felt like I had never worked so hard in my life and needed a vacation like no other. We were hoping for an elaborate vacation in Asia.....Thailand, Ankgor Wat, Great Wall of China....and while I do still plan on getting to these places someday, America was lookin' mighty fine. So, we opted to visit our brothers who, lucky for us, live in two very different, awesome cities.

First we went to Pensacola, Florida (I've always loved the word "Pensacola." I think it's fun to say and rolls off the tongue) to visit my brother Jason, his wife Tracy, and daughter Morgan. It had been three years since I had seen them...I know, ridiculous. They live in a fantastic house and are just a short drive away to the beach. Spending quality time with them was amazing and laying on the sunny beaches was just what the doctor had ordered.

Mojo & Miss Pugsley, our loving friends for the week

Obligatory Peg Leg Pete's Photo

Morgan & Colin

So many slushie choices!

They really loved him all week and went nuts barking when Colin was in the pool. Then they would jump in to try to "save" him.

Our beautiful home for the week. My brother actually lives here everyday.

ADORABLE

Despite Morgan going to the Naval Aviation Museum on field trips every year, I made us all go. I love this museum!

Me & The Brother

Strangely appropriate at the time to have stumbled upon this exhibit!

Our Daddio's ship

Lunch on the beach

Beach Slushie day!

Thank you Jason for a wonderful, relaxing week and I can't wait to get down there to see you guys again!