Somewhere Over the Rainbow

A few months ago I was telling Jeff that it sure would be delightful if I could have a day or two to myself.  You know, a day or two without someone whining at my heels; maybe even eat a meal without having to endure any bite negotiations.  We looked at the calendar and Jeff had some time off in November, the same time that my nephews would be performing in their high school musical.  That gave me TWO REASONS to visit Vermont last weekend.  The bonus was that my sister Nicole would be there, too.  (Three reasons?  Are you kidding me?!)

This is my sister Jen, my nephew Henry, and my brother-in-law Ben.  Jen is the musical director for the local high school productions each year and this year they did The Wizard of Oz.  Thursday evening Nicole and Ben went straight from the airport to opening night and I stayed home to play trains with Henry.  Let's take a closer look at that sweater, shall we?

Henry is the boss of me.  When he says "Read this book for the 50th time," I say "In what accent?"  He managed to simultaneously make me miss Miles and also keep me from missing Miles too much.  Thanks, kid.

Jen has some very kind friends that let us stay in their guest room.  There Nicole and I were able to get an uninterrupted night's sleep (except for both of us talking in our sleep) and take as much time as we wanted getting ready in the morning.  It was heaven.  On Friday, Allyn's family arrived and it was officially a party.

Melissa, Nicole, Jen, and Allyn by The Barn Jen Hates.

We immediately dropped the kids and Allyn's husband, Aron, off at Whirlie's and headed to Danforth Pewter for some real fun.  One of the things I love about Vermont is that walking into one of their shops is like walking into an episode of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.  They have people making all kinds of pewter everything and it's highly educational (and highly priced).

That night Henry was the boss of Nicole while the rest of us went to see the show.  I've been hearing about these shows for years and have always wanted an opportunity to see my nephews in action.  They did not disappoint.  In fact, I was blown away by their awesomeness.

We sat one row away from the band.  Jen was thrilled.

Can you believe those costumes?  And the kids sound as good as they look (thanks to Jen).

 

See that cutie patootie munchkin in blue?  That's my nephew Weston.  I totally believe he's scared of the Wicked Witch of the West.  Nice work, buddy.  The program had him listed as "Herald." 

He looked like he was having the time of his life dancing with all those girls.  He also does good work keeping an eye on his older brothers for Jen and Ben.  It's always a good idea to have an informant on your side.  Weston's popular at his school, too.  He told me so.

Underneath that crazy awesome lion costume is my nephew Ethan.  That boy had everyone in the audience hooked from the moment he bounded out and said, "Put 'em up!  Put 'em up!"  He was so much fun to watch and every line he said was hilarious. 

This is my nephew Taylor's senior year and he's been performing most of his life, so I probably shouldn't have been so surprised by how fantastic he is.  Before he was even in his Scarecrow costume (when he plays one of the farmhands), he said his first line and I heard a whisper go through the audience, "He's the Scarecrow!"  They could tell simply by the way he moved and said his line.  Brilliant.  While he certainly lucked out with his musical genes, it was very clear that he had put a great deal of work into his performance.  I'm so glad I got a chance to see it.

I saw the show twice and took a lot of pictures, so I here are a few more I wanted to share.

"If I Only Had a Brain"

"We're Off to See the Wizard"

 

 

It's the Emerald City!

 

"Surrender, Dorothy"

Caught by the Wicked Witch and the Winkies.

"I'm melting!  Oh, what a world!  What a world!"

The Wizard leaves without Dorothy.

 

Jen added a song from the Andrew Lloyd Weber revival.  The whole cast came out and surrounded the audience and sing it.  It makes me cry just thinking about it.  That was my favorite part.

Curtain call!  Ethan, Tin Man, Dorothy, Taylor, and Wicked Witch of the West.

 

  Jen took us backstage where the boys showed us where they put their makeup on. 

Taylor's method is to make that face and then apply the makeup. BAM! You're a scarecrow!

 

Ethan, Jen, and Taylor after the last show. I hope my boys want to hang out with me when they're teenagers.

 

Thank you for letting me come visit during your crazy busy week and for reminding me there's no place like home.