Wild Weekend

What a weekend! Marv worked very hard to prepare and complete a century bike ride in scorching temperatures Saturday morning down in Lodi. Meantime, Peter was on the baseball field and Emily and I were meeting with the partner of the woman who cast "iCarly" for Nickelodeon.
The interview with Jenny Treadwell was possible because of series of fortunate events. I had made a contact with Hank Ritter at John Robert Powers to let him know of our plan to relocate to LA. As luck would have it, the casting director from Nickelodeon who auditioned Emily last fall was going to be in Roseville again Sat. morning. Since Jenny had seen Emily earlier and encouraged her to come, he would be able to get us in for her first appointment--could we make it? Only if we delayed attending our Girl Scout Camporee. We were supposed to leave on Friday afternoon and I was going as a leader! In a complete dither, I began making phone calls to see if another parent could cover my duties. Two phone calls later, another mom was able to back me up. One more phone call, and Emmy's favorite acting coach at JRP, Tina Cole from "My Three Sons" and the one of the King family singers, was able to help her to prepare a monologue to present. At the appointment, Jenny called me in (usually parents wait outside during the audition) to talk about some particulars of what our experience will be like. When she heard where we would be living temporarily, she said, "Get out of there as soon as you can!" I guess the place is known for gossipy stage moms who aren't very nice. She really encouraged us to not buy into the Hollywood scene and stay grounded with family first. Almost unbelievable coming from someone who works in the entertainment industry, but just what we had in mind!
As Saturday continued, Peter was a guest at his friend Connor Milnes' home while Emmy and I traveled up to Camp Del Oro. We arrived just in time for lunch. The lunch set the tone for a weekend that was not like roughing it in the least! The food was fabulous--more like a cruise ship than a scout camp. Our accomodations were just as luxurious! Friday night when we weren't there, the troop's original cabin (which was spidery, dingy and cramped) was flooded as it was downhill from the bathhouse! Eww! Salvaging their things, the girls had been moved to a fabulous, clean, roomy lodge with it's own kitchen and bathroom. Saturday afternoon we canoed and did archery, then prepared our dinner together as a troop and presented a cute skit for the camp fire program that night. Sunday, after more terrific food and an orienteering course, I had all the girls in my car for the trip home. They played a game called "Mafia", which is where dealing out cards decides which role you have and everyone has to determine who the bad guy is. They are such a nice group of girls, and the other moms who came, Jenny, Beth, and Molly are such sweethearts!