This summer the girls attended a drama and music camp at a local church. The week long seminar culminated in a show called "Gracie's Round-Up". The girls had so much fun and made a lot of new friends. The kids were divided by grade and there were about 66 kids in all. Anna was chosen to be one of the three Gracies in the production and Lauren was picked as "kid #2". As they both had speaking parts, I was so incredibly nervous that Sunday morning. They both pulled it off and acted like it was no big deal while their mom was a melting lump of worry about to pass out in the audience. It was amazing how relieved I felt when they each said their lines and I could go back to just enjoying the show.
Beau: Ms. Gracie?Anna (as Gracie): Yes, Mr. Beau Vine, one of my favorite cowpokes of all time.
Anna: Oh my, 1,000 cows!!
Beau: I'll do anything, Ms. Gracie. Be patient. If I save my money for a year, I can buy a cow. That cow will have babies and then those babies will have babies. In just 122 years, I'll be able to pay you back.
Anna: Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to tell myself, "Gracie, Beau here is a man in need of a second chance." Then I'm going to tell myself, "Self, it's true alright, here's a man in need of some help and you're the one who is going to give it to him, Gracie Goodheart." Then I'm going to have a laugh with myself and say that you can go Beau, your debt is forgiven.
Anna: How could you ever do it? No sense even trying. Just see to it that you spread some of this kindness to your fellow cowpokes, that would make things better around this ranch of mine.
Next scene:
(Beau is asking the sheriff to arrest his cousin for not paying him back a dozen eggs he borrowed.)
Beau: Tell 'em Ms. Gracie, we don't steal around here on the ranch!
Anna: You good for nothin' cowpoke!
Beau: Heehee!
Anna: I'm talking to you, Beau. Couldn't you have forgiven Luke his debt of a dozen eggs, just like you were forgiven 1,000 head of cattle? If you won't forgive your cousin, I won't forgive you either. Sheriff, take this man away until he's had a change of heart.
Singing "Yahoooo, this is Gracie's Round-Up."
A different Gracie: What do you want to be?
Lauren (as Kid #2): I want to be a police girl (it was police officer but she improvised. :)
Later in the same scene:
Kid #4: They certainly are a good looking group of people.
Lauren: They might even get other people to come to your ranch.
Singing "Please don't make me a hobo!"
We were so proud of both of them. They just blew me away with their confidence. ( Public speaking is not one of their Mommy's favorite things to do. ) Daddy had little vases with flowers for both of them for after their performance. We'll definitely try something like this again next summer. It was a ton of fun for the girls and I had a week's worth of free mornings to complete our 2009 family album. Win-Win for everyone!
