Stage Struck Scarecrow

So I’m back…writing my blog. It’s been well over a year since I last updated it and too many things have happened since then, so here is a quick, edited, shorten version of the events…

bbbrrrrrr….Nebraska

disembarked the Coral Princess in Dec 2012, missed the flight to Nashville due to a late departure from the ship (that’s immigration officials for you!) So landed in Nashville, picked up our rental and stayed the night in a hotel. The credit must go to Allison and her incredible skills at last minuet bookings & travel arrangements! She is cutting edge. Spent two days in Pigeon Forge packing up the U-Haul truck and then headed out on the 16-hour road trip to Lincoln, Nebraska. Finally reunited with my little buddy Klause (the dog!) life was complete again.

the RING!

Well unknown to Allison I had been plotting an engagement surprise and celebration since October! Thanks to our friend Dani who at the time worked at a jewelry store, helped me pick out and design the best engagement ring I could afford! Also to Nick and Logan for getting all our friends and Allison’s family together for a surprise engagement celebration after I had popped the question! She said ‘yes’ and wedding plans were discussed.

Engagement Celebrations

So our plan to move ‘out west’ to LA sort of changed over the Christmas season of 2012. Due to the surprise engagement and Allison desiring a wedding across the pond…well we couldn’t afford the LA move. So we chose to spend a year or so in Nebraska, working regular jobs and saving our pennies (dollars!). I started out helping our friend Robert with a remodeling job on a house of his that nearly all of Allison’s friends have lived in. Turns out it was our time to move in! We paid the deposit and our friend Jamie moved in down stairs! We’ve always loved staying at this little house so it quickly felt like home. To be honest it was so nice to just unpack all our stuff and actually use it all. Remember I’m a land-lover and it had been well over a year since I’d spent sometime there.  

My Niece Enya and Nephew Finley opening their
Christmas presents 2012

Routine quickly set in and my daily walks with Klause were better than any doctor could subscribe! Allison started a Nanny job and I started working for a Dog grooming facility. It was a great experience and this company is at the top of their game! I met some awesome coworkers and learnt a lot about an industry I had only been a customer of. I was able to take Klause to work with me too. I think his favorite part was the drive there and back though, he’s not much of a dog but more like my shadow!

our living room.

Both Allison and I spent a lot of time with all our friends and family. We took full advantage of being just around the corner instead of thousands of miles away. Taking her grandmother to do her food shopping and helping her parents move house. For being a new comer to Lincoln, Nebraska I sure did feel welcome. Well towards the end of the summer we both got an offer at a theater I used to work at in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  After 9 months in Nebraska and not so much in savings as we would have liked this short 4 months contract was perfect. So again we packed EVERYTHING away into storage and made our way to the Tennessee Mountains. Making a quick pit stop in Branson to visit Allison’s Uncle Jon and Aunt Cindy, we arrived at our new apartment on September 14^th.  

Allison and Nick

Christmas in the Smoky Mountains is always a festive experience and this one was just that.  Our show was a two-hour Christmas spectacular with entertainment literally flying at you. You name it and we were doing it. We had thought of possibly staying there for the 2014 season but after two months of not getting any solid answers or a contract we took an offer from Princess Cruises.

We rang in the New Year onstage at the Smoky Mountain Opry and then flew to England the next day for a quick 10 day visit. The trip home was for us to register to get married and tour our wedding venue! My mum surprised us both with a nights stay there. So after our food tasting along with my two sisters and Mum, Allison and myself stayed the night. This got both of us in the wedding spirit! It was a flying visit home and like always crammed everything in and then flew straight to LA for rehearsals. Now this brings things pretty much up to date (I’ve really given you the shortest version possible). I sit here in my cabin somewhere in South America wondering why did we ever pack up and leave Nebraska in the first place! Well when both of you in a relationship are performers it’s hard to completely go cold turkey. I think we just needed to get a good balance of both the working world and the performing one. It wasn’t until last year that I ever thought about teaching dance so this could be a direction to follow in the near future. I have to say that every year is never the same in my life so who knows where I will be this time next year? Well one thing I know for sure…married! And I look forward to calling her my wife, as I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else in this world.  She’s like this best kept secret from Nebraska that just happened to be in the town I was living in.  Fate had a big hand in us meeting I am sure of it.

Klause at the Lake 2013

So that’s me pretty much up to date. Klause is staying with our friends mum and is being treated like a king! (And so he should, life on here without him to make us laugh is tuff). So I will shortly be cruising the west coast of America and then up to Alaska in May. We disembark the Crown Princess on July 26^th! Not that I’m counting!

John Prince (my step father) has been on my mind recently. It’s been six years since we suddenly lost him. I’ve never missed someone so much in all my life. I talked to him a lot and ask for guidance…I just hope he is listening?   

New headshot

Also I helped a good friend (Mike Johnson) during the summer with a film project he was shooting and it was just excepted into the Omaha Film Festival…so I shall be making my movie career debut as a choreographer for three drag queens!...I know,  what a cliché.

Sunbathing on the crew deck

My uncle Eric Gullidge (dad’s brother) just celebrated his 75^th Birthday, Although he could pass for just being 57!! I can only hope I will age like this man has, mentally and physically.

Mother and son

Oh and in other news my best friend Becky Ramsey just gave birth to a beautiful little boy named Connah. So proud and happy for her and husband Scott. Looking forward to meeting him in August when we are home for our wedding.

Just the other night during one of three shows I rolled my ankle and had to hop off the stage. I managed to get through the next two shows but boy did my ankle swell…and hurt! I can’t tell you how lucky I am that there wasn’t any more damage done, just the swelling and some bruising. It’s now been 5 days since it happened and it’s got a lot better, it just swells up when it’s been over worked. I’ve been icing it 3 times a day and giving it plenty of rest (hard life I know!) I will keep you updated on it’s recovery.

Valparaiso, Chille