Erika Jo

had a very full November.

One night she was standing next to me while I was playing the piano and when I looked up I saw this shadow on the wall. We couldn't resist a picture.

She had been napping most of the day so her pony tail was flying all over the place and she had a hoodie on. She made me promise that I wouldn't show what she looked like, just the cool shadow that it made.

After almost 3 months of practices, costume fittings, painting backdrops and a whole lot of goofing off the high school was ready for their production of The Music Man. I was expecting a wimpy high school drama club show but the night quickly turned into a fun, comedic, very well done performance. With the school orchestra in the pit, mounds of enthusiasm from the students, great backdrops that filled the stage and perfectly chosen main character actors the night was a blast. If the final night had not been sold out (which left over 500 people turned away in the waiting area and a blurb in the Rexburg Standard Journal) I would have gone again.

Bri and Erika

There's trouble in town!

Getting the hair ready . . . and brushing out the ratting

Erika was one of the townspeople, which was pretty much a background, fill-the-stage role but she also had a couple of lines and was in two of the dance numbers where the townspeople sing and dance. It was so fun to see her take on a character and really lose herself in it.

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Erika has wanted to color her hair darker for quite some time but has always been hesitant, not only because it's impossible to know what how your hair will take the color but also because of the cost. Her best friend bought a box of coloring and together they did Bri's hair and because it turned out so well Erika took the plunge and bought a box of coloring the next night. She did hold off doing it until family pictures were done in case she hated it but after it was done we wished she had had it done before the picture. We all love it!

November also brought a very big birthday for Erika. She turned 16!!! Her best friend Bri (and Bri's mom) threw a big party for her. They decorated the gym at the church, invited lots of friends, played silly games and ate all of Erika's favorite junk foods. Bri filled her camera with pictures but I haven't downloaded them from her yet. She also had a surprise in each of her classes that day which was fun for me to arrange (some teachers willingly went along with it and embellished the surprise, some act like I was messing up their whole syllabus). She also had a very big first date . . . with her dad. Her young women's leader brought over this cake for her:

By the time November was over Erika literally slept for 2 days. She had been fighting the colds that we were all passing around the family but it caught up with her big time once she slowed down. She didn't hang out with friends, didn't get on the computer, didn't talk on the phone, didn't even eat. She just slept. Once she woke up she realized that a months worth of laundry was piled on her floor and that I was not kidding when I told her that it had to be cleaned up. Her room was beginning to stink. Bri came over again and after an hour in their room Bri came to get me. "You gotta see this, it's awesome! Bring the camera."

I was imagining a spotless room with the sun shining in and lovely music playing. First of all, we probably won't see the sun until next spring. Second, Z103 doesn't play "lovely" music. Third, I couldn't see the floor at all:

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They thought it was so wonderful that Erika was in the bottom of the pile of clothes and I couldn't even tell she was there. She poked her head out, I took a deep breath and smiled and laughed and took pictures and walked out wondering how many years it would take her to clean that mess up. To my astonishment, they came back in about 20 minutes and with 3 baskets of laundry sitting in the laundry room and 2 full bags of garbage by the back door it was a spotless (well, close) room. Why, oh why, didn't I take a picture of that? Oh yeah, I have sworn an oath to not post any pictures of her room until the walls are all finished. Skittles theme, none colors. Posting a picture of a mound of clothes gives nothing away.