Saturday, June 7, 2008

Grad Nights and Concerts in the Park

Trying to be a "NORMAL" family while being in the entertainment biz can be somewhat a challenge. First let me caveat this by saying "Normal" by today's standards is not my goal. I think most people who fall in the realm of "normal" today are nearly insane if not all the way over the edge of normalcy by my standards. OK, maybe I am a prude. I think kids need discipline, that people learn good and generosity not born that way, and that a basic respect of God is essential. OK...maybe more than just a basic respect...maybe reverence and obedience might be a better way to phrase it. (But that is a topic for another time.)
In my attempts to be normal we have to do a lot of non-normal stuff. Like this past weekend. Thursday (June 5th) found us at the new GAP park in Yuba City, CA performing a "Concert in the park" (More like magic-circus at the park) at 6pm. (What a great crowd too. There were a whole bunch of folk that made it out there...even in spite of the Parks and Rec folks confusing the masses with two different advertised times. ) After the awesome show (the audience was awesome) we packed it up and got back to Oroville in time for a quick change and a rush out to the local stadium to catch Jugglin' Jim's Graduation from High School. That went on until 10:30 or so then it was off to Chico for the Chico High Grad night where we performed our second year bringing the more extreme elements of our show at 2AM! Another quick load in and we were off to Oroville again to do a 4am Hypnosis show for another grad night.
The 4 am show went as well as can be expected with only about 35 kids braving the early morn!
That's 35 out of 267. So my pickins for the show were slim. We made do and the show went mediocre-ly.
NORMAL?
Well, not too normal but the boy had a chance to walk with his class and we still fit in the bookings.
Finally the next night or next really early morn brought one more grad night Hypnosis show that came off swell! About 150 kids braved the morn this time and the selection of subjects was top notch.
The dawn brought the drive home and half a sunlit-day fast asleep at home.
It's amazing how with schedules like this the Kent Kids can pull a honor roll, participate in extra-school activities successfully (with one so far going to State in track and Field), and do so well in the show as well. Perhaps it is because these schedules they do well. I love the traveling with them as well. I get to know them better and (as far as I know) there aren't any secrets between any of us.
Normal?
{Quickly I think Normal is when brothers and sisters get along as friends, not argue and fight. Bring them up respecting each other and knowing each other well is our normal. As parents we don't let them not get along and that is normal to us. Normal is communicating. Normal is families working together. I don't think both parents working is normal or healthy for a real family. (Never wonder why they find it easy to put you in a home when your old if you stuck them in homes of sorts ( daycare) when they were small.) Normal is giving up luxury to make sure you know what your kids are doing. Giving up the extras so you have real family instead of one that just gets together for pizza night once a month. As I said, probably a topic for another time. Normal is sacrifice, it's doing the right thing even when the right thing drains you, sifts you, and is inconvenient.}

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