Fall back-that's what I'm talkin' about! Sunday 11/7

Oh, it was great to sleep in and still get up early!  Danny,Charlotte and I went to 9:30 mass, said by Father Karl.  Our parish is focusing on the welcoming and inviting aspects of reaching out.  This week Father Karl urged us to invite someone to something we are already doing. It can be a game, a walk, to our house, to mass, anything.  And he emphasized that the asking is the act, it doesn't matter if they say Yes or not.  It is nice to be asked, and it may cause someone else to ask, or be more open to being asked.  I like this assignment, since I love to do things with people.  I invited Father Mark to come over for dinner in a couple of weeks, now that is really stepping outside my comfort zone.  Imagine me having having a priest for dinner!  I'll keep you posted.

Everybody's working on the weekend! Saturday 11/6

Brighton District Library was the weekend destination, and I spent Sat and Sun "toiling away".  Not really! It was good to have a few hours that I wasn't doing a story time to do some planning and help out with some dept. projects.  Jerry and I had an at home movie night and watched Date Night with Steve Carroll and Tina Fey.  I thought it would just be a laugh, but it was  actually very poignant.  It must have been written by someone who has been married at least 15 years, and who loves being married but knows how easy it is fall into a rut.  I found alot of parallels and alot of food for thought.  Must add doing new things in the marriage to my goals for the year(or at least start saying yes to dinner invites!) 

"Back to life, back to reality" Friday 11/5

When I got up this morning at 6:15 to see Charlotte before she left for school, it was so odd. It felt so normal, and it felt like I had never been away. Not in a bad way, but just that all was the same, make the lunches, find the library books, quiz for the spelling test, and it didn't seem possible that I had experienced what I had.  The kids are great, and survived Jerry's business focused week and my being away.  Big Thanks to Karen,Rhonda,Shawne and Kim for the varying degrees of help..and always for the huge degree of friendship! That is an area that I already know I am blessed in!  Off to work from 9-5:30, "sold out" my Mother Goose Cafe by 10:15, and definitely had more fun than last week!  Perhaps it was not being hampered by the "see-through" costume that made it so great!  I enjoyed spending the evening putzing around the house, unpacking the 85 lb. Fed Ex box, doing laundry, sweeping. Hadn't been home for the evening in about 10 days and it was great. 

Take-away from the week is I need to broaden my horizons! There is a wide world out there, filled with interesting people, and I need to meet more of them.  Good thing I'm all over it already with my 49 and forward theme.  Any ideas on how to keep it going are gratefully accepted!

Molly takes my picture at the beach Wed. morning!















Contemporary Kerry,Molly and young Kerry













Molly and I cooling off before her pool shots

last day photos

the team post shoot


Molly on the elliptical



Molly in the pool

Last day in LA Thursday 11/4

Molly and I got up at 6:30, so we could do another new thing, jog along the Pacific!  We headed down from the hotel, and did 5 miles! GO US!  Back at the hotel, lemon water in the lobby, then a dip in the pool (why not?!) and showers, packing and goodbye room, lobby to meet the gang at 8:30.  We head down south in Santa Monica to Lime, a sound studio that has amazing coffee, its own Chef making breakfast to order and a great recording studio. I am doing voice over, something else new!!  Apparently according to the group, all my reading aloud all these years has payed off and I do a good job. Whew! You definitely feel out there being in a booth with headphones on, and everyone else out in the main room talking after each take, and you can't hear what they are saying...it was really another interesting learning experience. The crew, led by Jesse ends up in a couple of more heated UNO games with Molly, Jesse loses the first 2 and is freaking out! It is so funny. To make him feel better, I challenge him to a game of ping pong and let him win,...OKay, not really! I try to beat him and he kicks my dupa!  He is from Minnesota, alot of long winters playing ping pong I guess! After the session was through, i had breakfast with Molly, and we all talked, then Jen,Jesse,Tatum and Ken headed to the airport.  They left Molly and I the second car.  It was weird to say goodbye to them, we have spent SO much time together these past 4 days, its just an odd feeling, that you just met but you are so close at the same time.  Bye guys, safe trip back to Portland. Ken, enjoy Willa's first birthday and your trip to the coast!
Molly finally drags me away from the coffee, good magazines, and product filled bathroom at Lime and we head to Venice Beach.  Not a ton of bodybuilders, but a few...and a man balancing on a 3 foot high pole in a thong waving 5 snakes all around his body(no pictures allowed!), homeless guy playing concert quality piano tied to his bike parked in front of a restaurant, medical marijuana shops(the doctor is in ladies..enjoy your right to be pain free!)and lots of tattoos. But its 95 degrees at this point, so we get in the air0conditioned car for a little driving tour of marina del ray and surrounding area before heading south to the airport.  So along the way we get a nice text from Jen saying our ears must have been burning because they talked about us all the way to the airport!  That sure made me feel good!
Airport and plane ride typical and we arrive in Brighton in the black van that the driver said had been used in a Bon Jovi video. I think he wanted me to be impressed/excited, not asleep like I was!!
So ends the LA ADVENTURE...what a phenomenal time!  We are blessed.

Wednesday 11/3 The House, "take one!"

Molly and I were due in the lobby at 8:30, so we decided to take a walk on the beach!  First of course we took showers, and grabbed coffee  (and a smoking hot bagel that had just been delivered for Molly!) We had to go down a steep hill and series of staircases and over-the-road walkways and then we were on the beach! The sun was coming up and we walked along the sand. It was so beautiful and inspiring.  As we turned to leave  we saw something out of the corner of our eye, it was two dolphins! They were close to the shore and we got a photo! As we headed towards the sidewalk, my phone rang...it was Bob the AD, saying that Matt was up at the hotel and they needed us to leave early for the shoot! Oh boy! The sprint up the side of the cliff begins, with Molly kicking off her flops and just charging, and we arrived in short order! Matt has gotten us lattes and Molly rode shotgun as we drove out to the rented house for the shoot.  Matt played us some great bluegrass music.  We stopped at a church a couple of blocks away, where everyone had to leave their cars, and of course the breakfast catering was set up. Huevos Rancheros, omlettes,oatmeal with toppings, a juicer, muffins, krispykremes,fruit,bagels, ETC!!! The food really is unreal!
We vanned up to the house, it was beautiful, ranch style with big open floor plan and a gorgeous pool in the backyard,surrounded by Dr. Seuss trees.
Molly got into make-up and wardrobe, and we got a peek at baby Molly and young Kerry.  I said I guess that left me with the roll of old Kerry, but Jerry Rice of P&G said I could be Contemporary Kerry! Doesn't that sound like an action figure?! So I guess it's cool to be me!  Molly and I did a bunch of shots in the kitchen and it was really fun.  They said to act like Molly was helping me cook, and I said that really was acting!! It was fun though, I just talked and chopped veggies while they shot film. It goes so quick.  Then Molly changed, did more shots, then we broke for lunch. Lunch was set up across the street on a lawn that someone rents out! The catering truck was there with a full salad bar, shrimp salad, Greek salad,ceaser salad, pasta salad, breads, entrees of rack of lamb, pecan encrusted salmon, chicken Marsala,and 2 others. dessert of hot brownies with icecream and toppings cookies, and of course espressos,lattes etc. over on the truck.  Mind you the snack table is always open,with pringles,candy,power bars,yogurt,fruit,cookies,brownie bites, almond roca, jelly beans, etc.! Are you hungry yet? I wish I liked to eat more, but I certainly have been trying new things ala my blog goal.  The afternoon saw Molly doing swimming shots and shots on the elliptical against a black background which looked awesome.  The cinematographer was filming in HD, super 8,slow-mo,fast-mo, and Molly had to start,stop,look up, smile,don't smile,wait,go,fast,slow, and in between wardrobe adjusted things and Claudia sprayed her with fake sweat! At the pool, they had a towel wrangler to hand Molly a towel, and 2 splashers to put their feet in off camera to agitate the water just so...it is really amazing,complicated and fascinating!
When she finished on the elliptical the shoot was a wrap and everyone started to applaud her, and Malcolm and Dion.  They all started breaking things down right away and moving out.  Molly and I were presented with a beautiful picture of the 2 of us, from Janet and the P&G family.  Yes, I started to cry,you knew that!  We all took some more photos, then headed into Malibu Canyon for a fabulous wrap dinner at the Saddlebrook Ranch, a log cabin building complete with stuffed heads, guns,cool chotkes all over the place.
The dinner guests were Janet ,Jerry,Clients,Malcolm=director,Jen,Tatum,Jesse,and Ken -Agency, John- producer,Dave from SO and Molly and I.  Entrees included bison,elk,gazelle,antelope,and other game animals.  I had Filet Mignon for Dad, and Molly had salmon.  Since I don't drink, I got to drive everyone home on the Pacific Coast Highway, all twisty through the mountains-awesome!
We are back at the Oceana early, but whipped, so we hop in our cloud like beds and go to sleep. Job well done Molly!