Update

I am wiped out.  I have been up since 05:45.  There was a train parked on the tracks behind the house.  Yeah.  I am still pooped from the Little Miss Lumbee pageant from last night, too.  It was a loooooooooong day.

I just wrote my mom an e-mail update of my life.  I’m too mentally pooped to do anything else for now.  I’m going to take a nap.  I’ll try to post something of substance if I can.  (We have to leave here at 3PM for the dress rehearsal of the Teen Miss thing.)  But, for the curious here is the e-mail that I sent dear ol’ Ma.

Mom,

I got your message last night when we finally went back to Lumberton to check on the house for the first time since Saturday.  Sorry I didn’t get it before.

Gray and I are house-sitting for Shane and Deanna.  They left 06.26 and won’t be back until 07.14.  We are starting to move on the Friday the 13th (lovely, huh?) and HOPEFULLY finishing up on the 15th with a rejuvenated Shane’s help.  Until I find out what our new number is, the number here is (Umm, yeah right.  Like I’d leave that in here).

This house-sitting deal reeks, though, lemme tell ya.  We have four dogs and three cats here.  It’s like living in a zoo.  There is a train track so close to the back of their house that I can tell in the
conductor has facial hair or not.  The trains go by about every 15 – 25 minutes.  I am awake NOW, and have been since 5:45, because one is parked out back.  The dogs, of course, are going crazy.  Luckily for him, Gray’s snoring is drowning them out, so he is still asleep.  Calgon – take me away!

—–(begin school stuff)—–

We finished up Summer Session 1 and I got my grades yesterday.  I got a B+ in Poli Sci and a A- in Inter. Comm.  My GPA went up to a 3.471.  I’ll get Honors List again for this term.

Summer Session 2 started officially last Thursday, but since our class is only on Monday & Wednesday nights (6-10PM), we didn’t meet until this past Monday.  He let us out at 6:45.  Yesterday being the 4th of July, we didn’t meet, so we REALLY start that class next Monday.  Are you confused yet?

This past week Gray and I have both been working in the theater.  David Underwood is the technical director there and he worked with Gray during “Noises Off”.  I helped them out some behind the scenes out of the goodness of my heart (ie. I didn’t get paid or get
class credit for it).  I am taking Intro to Theater in the fall and David is going to be teaching that course.  Well, David and Gray get along beautifully and he called us before this whole house-sitting ordeal started to see if we would be interested in bailing him out of a bind.  He needed someone to do lights and sound for a thing they were doing at the GPAC (Given Performing Arts Center – the theater at UNCP).  He asked if we would like to do it, and
offered to show us both how to work things.  We said sure.  He said he could give us $5.15 and hour.  We accepted.

The “thing” turned out to be the Little Miss Lumbee beauty pageant and the Miss Lumbee pageant.  Last night was the “Little” one.  We had standing room only in a house that seats 1,600.  I had one practice before the event, Gray had three.  It was a bit nerve-racking, but David had several people tell him
that it was the best job that UNCP had ever done for them.  They’ve been doing this for yeeeeeeeeears.  David had already decided after we helped him out for 10 hours yesterday to giggle our pay up to $8/hr.  We’re doing not only the lights and sound but sweeping and mopping the stage every day (no little feat I
assure you!), painting, climbing the cat walk, helping move props and fix the curtains before the show starts … there is a lot of work to one of these shindigs.  We’ve together already put in 52 hours.

The big pageant is Friday night and is the crowning glory, no pun intended, of Lumbee Homecoming Week this week.  It’s supposed to be pack to gills and I have no doubt that it will be.  It is a big hoo-ha. (Trivia – the reigning Miss North Carolina is a previous Miss Lumbee nd a UNCP 2001 graduate.)

—–(end school stuff)—–

I’m glad that you liked the card and that everyone is being warped by my mom!  To think, my own mother is a bad influence – I’m so proud! *wink*  And thank you on behalf all of Southern Humanity for taking that girl to Carter Brothers!  I can’t believe in this day and age that there are so many deprived people living amongst us!

Give Dad, William and Gus all big hugs from me.

Love, Jennifer