A fun-filled day with friends!

Hi everyone! Steve and Morgan got in around 11:30 last night, so obviously after unloading the car we all decided to just head to bed! We had a really nice day today. Steve brought Colin to rehearsal and Morgan and I slept in(perfect way to start the day!) John Barthelmes and Kaitlyn Zorn flew down this morning and Morgan and I met them in Times Square. We decided to head to Colin's rehearsal and go to lunch with Colin and Steve. It was pretty funny because we waited out in the hallway of the studio til Colin came out of rehearsal and the look on his face when he saw John and Kaitlyn was priceless! He had no idea they were down. We headed to the Tick Tock Diner on 34th and 8th and enjoyed a very filling lunch. The monte cristo sandwiches were yummy and after Kaitlyn ordered the pizza fries, we decided to follow suit(they were steak fries topped with sauce and mozzerella-yummy!) Colin returned to rehearsal after lunch, John and Kaitlyn checked into their hotel, Steve went back to the apt for a nap and Morgan and I hailed a cab and went shopping!!!! We had a good time looking at all of the bags people were selling on the street. After trying to talk many of them down, we finally got the bags we wanted for the right price : ) Colin actually paid for Morgan's bag because he wanted to buy her something nice since he wasn't going to see her for 6 months. Sorry Britt, he didn't offer to buy you anything lol! We also went into the biggest Abercrombie we've ever seen. There was a line to get in, but somehow Morgan and I got to bypass the line. The salesclerk asked Morgan if she wanted her picture taken with an abercrombie model, so I talked her into it. She has been staring at the picture ever since. I think she's even going to sleep with it, lol! After deciding not to pay $45 for a tshirt, we moved on. We stopped by St Patrick's Cathedral and saw a wedding going on. What a gorgeous place to get married in! After going to Rockefeller center and doing a little more shopping, we met up with John and Kaitlyn at the Stardust Diner. Steve and Colin met us there after rehearsal. It was such a neat place. The waiters and waitresses are aspiring actors/singers. Between taking orders they all take turns singing all sorts of songs. they all sounded so good! They said that in just about every show in NY there is a former Stardust waiter. Zac who plays Fagin in Oliver used to work there! It looks like such a fun job! After dinner, Kaitlyn and John left to go see Mary Poppins and Steve's friend from the Naval Academy, Dan Ballister, came and met us for a few drinks. Dan was one of the sword bearers in our wedding : ) Dan lives a few blocks from the apt we're staying in. It was so great to spend time with him, we really enjoyed it. After Stardust Dan took us for a walk through Time Square pointing out the sights and making sure we got our picture taken right in the very center of Times Square. From there we headed to Connelly's Pub for a few more drinks. The kids really enjoyed chatting with Dan. I think he even talked Morgan into writing a blog of her own! From there we headed home, and cut through Grand Central Station on the way. What a gorgeous place. The architecture is just incredible. We were in there at 10pm, and there weren't a lot of people there. Dan told us at 7:45am the place is absolutely packed. I'm glad we saw it at night, lol! Now we're back at the apt and Steve and the kids are playing cards (now there's a shocker huh?!) We're hoping to head to the beach tomorrow. We all want to go to a different one, so stay tuned to see who wins!! Missy

Hi Guys!
Not much to report today. Colin went in for a few hours of rehearsals and the rest of the time was pretty relaxing. Colin bought himself a Nintendo DS for the road and has been playing Nintendogs ever since! I've been trying to figure out how to cut down on our luggage! If it's over 50 pounds we have to pay extra when we fly, so I'll be sending a few things home with Steve this weekend!
Steve and Morgan are coming in tomorrow night and we can't wait to spend time with them! Morgan wants to go shopping so we plan on Steve taking Colin to rehearsal on Saturday and the girls will shop til we drop, lol! The only thing that would make it all perfect is if Brittany could come, but unfortunately she's already at school.
We got our luggage tags and backstage passes today which makes it all a reality! We're really looking forward to get started with the tour. It's so hard to imagine what it's all going to be like, so once we get started it should be easier. I should have the updated schedule within the next few days and once I get it I'll be sure to post it to the blog. Hopefully we'll get to see some of you at performances!
That's it for now, nothing too exciting!
take care
Missy

Halfway there

Today was a perfect day. We got to sleep in late, relax around the apartment and finally get some errands done. Colin didn't need to be at rehearsal til 4 and then was released at 5:30 : ) After looking at the schedule tomorrow (He doesn't have to be in til 2pm) we decided that it would be a perfect night to catch a show. We headed to the TKTS booth at 7:30pm and were able to get tickets to Legally Blonde for half price!
We absolutely loved the show, it was so upbeat and high energy. This was one show that I had planned on seeing in Rochester when it came, but then realized I wouldn't be there. Now, even better, I got to see it on Broadway. It was even better that I watched the whole casting process on MTV (In Search of Elle Woods) so I felt like I knew Elle! It was pretty incredible to watch someone go through all of the auditioning and then finally see her as the star up on stage!
I have to say that I am quite proud of myself, lol! I never dreamed that I would be tromping through NYC for three weeks. To think that I found my way to get tickets to a show, go see the show, and actually find my way home at 10:30pm is something for me! I wasn't even nervous haha! Actually it was wild how bright it was when we got out of the show. It seemed so much earlier than it was with all of the bright lights in Times Square. Now I see why they say that it's the city that never sleeps. It was just as crowded at 10:30 at night as it is 10:30 during the day!
It's hard to believe that we have already spent half of our time in NY! We leave for California a week from Monday!
Thanks for checking in!
Missy and Colin

Hi!
Today the cast did such a great job learning the scenes that they were working on that they got an extra long lunch break : ) Colin was actually able to leave a little early today : ) With a little extra time on our hands we went to Game Stop to get a Nintendo DS for the trip. Many of the castmembers have one and we thought it might be a nice way to spend some down time during the bus trip.
We went to Rockefeller Center to get the DS which allowed us to see more of NYC. We saw St Patrick's Cathedral, the spot where they set up the ice rink during the winter, and Radio City Music Hall.
It was pretty funny, Mike showed us the daily paper that had an article about a shark being in the waters at Rockaway Beach!! Good thing I didn't see that before we went or that trip to the ocean would've been a bust, lol!!!
Colin has the morning and early afternoon off tomorrow, so we're deciding how we want to spend our extra time. One thing we both agreed on is to sleep in ; )

A fun weekend!

Hi everyone Sorry I haven't written in the blog, but we were pretty busy over the weekend. Colin had rehearsal til 6pm on Saturday and then we went home with Mike's(Charlie) and Quentin(Oliver) and Dad. Mike's parents, Sue and Mike, live in Rockaway on the ocean. They have an absolutely beautiful house with a lovely view of the ocean. We were so appreciative to them for sharing their home with us! Saturday night we went to their old neighborhood's block party. It was so much fun, the boys were able to kick up their heels and really have fun. There was a dj playing all sorts of fun songs, and the boys stole the show with their dance moves, lol!The adults were able to chat and have a few drinks. It was truly a great time with wonderful people! Sunday we went down to the beach and just relaxed all day in the sun. The boys had a blast in the ocean with their boogie boards riding the waves. The adults enjoyed relaxing and drinking wine on the beach : ) We were also able to meet some of Sue and Mike's extended family and especially enjoyed getting to know their adorable 4 year old daughter Maria! This morning we got up early and went back to the studio for rehearsals. They had a meet and greet today because the rest of the cast joined those who have been rehearsing last week. Everyone seems absolutely great! I really think this is going to be a lot of fun. It's a really great mix of people : ) We miss all of you and can't wait to be able to see everyone again!Thanks to all of you who keep commenting. We really love to hear from you all! Missy

Hi everyone,

Today was definitely an interesting day! There were auditions for male dancers in the room next to where Oliver rehearses. These guys were hysterical!! I said to them that they were a lot different than the other auditions for acting and singing. Then one of the guys said" that's because we're a bunch of gays!" lol! They were so funny, one whipped his pants off right in front of me and was standing there in his briefs! Others were hitting on one of the cute guys, lol! Luckily Colin was in rehearsal so he didn't observe this ; )



Colin had an interview today. The only time he got stuck was when the reporter asked where he was from! He didn't know whether he should say Rochester, Gananda, Macedon, or Walworth lol! Why can't Gananda be simpler, lol! I posted the interview in case you are interested in listening in : )



It was another full and exhausting day of rehearsals and he will rehearse again tomorrow 10-6, but then have Sunday off. The boy who plays Charlie lives right in Queens on the ocean and we were invited along with Oliver and his day to go tomorrow after rehearsal. We're looking forward to getting a little break from the city.



Steve and Morgan are up at the cottage. Morgan stayed at the cottage all week with Steve's sister, so Steve was really a bachelor. It was only Nilla and him at home, lol! I'm sure he's looking forward to having Morgan back home next week! Morgan starts volleyball on Monday, so I'm sure she'll be happy to get back into things.

Hi all

Our days are going by quickly! Colin has been very busy at rehearsal. Each day we get to meet more castmembers. Today Colin was able to meet one of his facebook friends, Stacie who plays widow corny. It's fun when we get to meet the people we have already chatted with on facebook. We feel like we already know them!

Colin is really enjoying all of this! Even though rehearsals are tough, he said that he has so much fun. The choreographer is very talented (He performed in Pajama Game w/ Harry Connick Jr). If he can turn Colin into a good dancer, he must be really good, lol! I have to admit that I am extremely proud of Colin. It has been a very tough schedule, but I haven't heard one complaint from him. He truly loves it and is working as hard as he can to do his best.

Oliver's dad and I are enjoying peoplewatching while we're at rehearsals. They are

rehearsing in Pearl Studios and auditions are going on all around us. We're getting to be quite the critiques listening to the people auditioning, haha!

lunch again at Subway-tuna today, lol!

I'm putting up a few more pictures : )

Missy

Day three

Another long day of rehearsals, but Colin absolutely loves playing the role of Dodger! They worked on "I'd Do Anything" and "It's a fine life" today. The three boys insist on having lunch at Subway each day to see if they can win anything with the subway scrabble game. Colin and I try a different sub each day. I am hoping to lose the weight like that guy on tv who only ate Subway, haha! It just doesn't seem to be working yet, lol!

Colin is excited because he and the boy who play Oliver were asked to do a phone interview with a Bakersfield CA. radio show on Friday. That should be interesting, lol!

Each day Colin meets more people in his cast and loves all of them. They all seem incredibly talented(The other parents and me sit in the hall and try to listen in, lol!) While they are rehearsing we there are many auditions going on in the rooms around them. It is so interesting to watch actors come and go at auditions. The look of fear on their face when they go into the room and the complete relief on their face when they leave. It's a really tough business. There are so many talented people and so few get roles.

I am finally starting to get used to the whole routine. This is the first night that I didn't cry so I look at that as an achievement, lol! I felt like a true New Yorker today while I tried to fix a problem I was having with my at&t aircard. I walked all over the city going from one at&t store to the next, hailed a few buses, pushed my way through the crowds on the streets and even yelled at a salesclerk, lol! For those of you who know me well, know I need my internet! When I was having issues with getting it I got very um how should I say it ticked off,haha!

I'm hoping to have more exciting blog posts for you once we start touring, but for now I thought I'd let those of you thinking of doing this know what it's all like. The production company has been absolutely fantastic and accomodating. I am confident that this is going to be an experience that Colin and I will never forget.

Please let us know if you plan on attending one of the performances, so we can make sure to see you after the show!

Thanks for all of your support!
Missy

two days under our belt!

Colin finished his second day of rehearsal. He worked with 6 other castmembers choreographing Pick a Pocket and Be Back Soon. It's a lot of difficult choreography, but he's working like crazy to try to get it all down. The choreographer works them hard, so they are exhausted at the end of the day. I spend the day chatting with the other parents and playing on my computer(rough life huh?!)

We decided to go for a nice dinner before heading home, so with filled stomachs we headed back to the apt and crashed!! We're still trying to fit in some siteseeing and shows, but with his rehearsal schedule(6 days a week 10-6) it's going to be hard to fit too much in. I have a feeling on Sundays (his only day off) he's going to want to crash.

First day of rehearsal

Colin has one day of rehearsal under his belt : ) He got to meet some of the other cast members including the two other boys who will be on the tour with him. They really seemed to hit it off and I'm sure they'll get very close over the next 6 months. I met the other two parents who will be going along. We also hit it off and are going through all of the same emotions preparing for this tour. I'm sure we will also get to be great friends throughout the tour.



Steve and Morgan headed back home after lunch today. They were able to meet everyone and then take Colin out to lunch for his break. As expected it was very tough to say goodbye. Luckily they'll be back in a little less than 2 weeks before we head to Cali. I already miss them and Brittany, but am trying to take it day by day.

Colin rehearsed from 11:30am-6pm today and was pretty pooped by the end. They worked hard but he really seemed to enjoy it all. We finally learned how to use the NY buses and subways...well kind of, lol! We'll see what tomorrow brings ; )

Well that's it for now, Colin needs to be at rehearsal from 10-6 tomorrow so we better start winding down.

We look forward to hearing from everyone, so please leave comments!
Missy

Here We Go!!!

We're in NYC!

We made it to NYC last night and thanks to some wonderfully generous people we have a beautiful apt to "live" in for the next 3 weeks. Steve and Morgan came down with us and are helping Colin and I get acclimated to the city. Hopefully we'll fit some fun things in during the times Colin's not rehearsing.
Colin is so excited about this whole adventure, I must admit that I'm a little apprehensive. I am definitely a homebody, so this will be quite the learning experience for me! It will also be very difficult being away from Steve and the girls. Hopefully it will all get easier as we go along.
Colin starts rehearsals tomorrow and we are looking forward to meeting some of the other cast members and the other two parents.
That's all for now, we're going to go out and see the city.
Missy

The National tour of Oliver! schedule

Mon 8-Sep-08 San Bernardino CA
Tue 9-Sep-08 San Bernardino, CA
Wed 10-Sep-08 San Bernardino, CA
Thu 11-Sep-08 San Bernardino, CA
Fri 12-Sep-08 San Bernardino, CA
Sat 13-Sep-08 TECH
Sun 14-Sep-08 TECH
Mon 15-Sep-08
Tue 16-Sep-08 Fresno, CA
Wed 17-Sep-08 Fresno, CA
Thu 18-Sep-08
Fri 19-Sep-08 Reno, NV
Sat 20-Sep-08 Reno, NV
Sun 21-Sep-08 Reno, NV
Mon 22-Sep-08 Medford, OR Tue 23-Sep-08 Stockton, CA
Wed 24-Sep-08
Thu 25-Sep-08 Santa Barbara, CA
Fri 26-Sep-08 San Luis Obispo, CA
Sat 27-Sep-08 San Luis Obispo, CA
Sun 28-Sep-08 Bakersfield, CA
Mon 29-Sep-08
Tue 30-Sep-08 Colorado Springs, CO
Wed 1-Oct-08 Colorado Springs, CO
Thu 2-Oct-08 (Farmington, NM)
Fri 3-Oct-08 Albuquerque, NM
Sat 4-Oct-08 Albuquerque, NM
Sun 5-Oct-08 Albuquerque, NM
Mon 6-Oct-08 Alto, NM
Tue 7-Oct-08
Wed 8-Oct-08
Thu 9-Oct-08 Bozeman, MT
Fri 10-Oct-08 Casper, WY
Sat 11-Oct-08 (Gillette, WY)
Sun 12-Oct-08 Billings, MT
Mon 13-Oct-08 Great Falls, MT
Tue 14-Oct-08
Wed 15-Oct-08 T
hu 16-Oct-08 Owensboro, KY
Fri 17-Oct-08
Sat 18-Oct-08
Sun 19-Oct-08 Binghamton, NY
Mon 20-Oct-08 Frederick, MD
Tue 21-Oct-08
Wed 22-Oct-08 Columbia, SC
Thu 23-Oct-08 Columbia, SC
Fri 24-Oct-08 Pembroke, NC
Sat 25-Oct-08
Sun 26-Oct-08 Tallahassee, FL
Mon 27-Oct-08
Tue 28-Oct-08 LAYOFF
Wed 29-Oct-08
Thu 30-Oct-08
Fri 31-Oct-08
Sat 1-Nov-08
Sun 2-Nov-08
Mon 3-Nov-08
Tue 4-Nov-08 ELECTION DAY
Wed 5-Nov-08
Thu 6-Nov-08
Fri 7-Nov-08 New London, CT
Sat 8-Nov-08 New London, CT
Sun 9-Nov-08 (New London, CT)
Mon 10-Nov-08
Tue 11-Nov-08
Wed 12-Nov-08 Huntington, WV
Thu 13-Nov-08 Toledo, OH
Fri 14-Nov-08 Toledo, OH
Sat 15-Nov-08 Toledo, OH
Sun 16-Nov-08 Toledo, OH
Mon 17-Nov-08
Tue 18-Nov-08 Pine Bluff, AR
Wed 19-Nov-08
Thu 20-Nov-08 Dallas, TX
Fri 21-Nov-08 Dallas, TX
Sat 22-Nov-08 Dallas, TX
Sun 23-Nov-08 Midwest City, OK
Mon 24-Nov-08 Waco, TX
Tue 25-Nov-08 Harlingen, TX
Wed 26-Nov-08 McAllen, TX
Thu 27-Nov-08
Fri 28-Nov-08
Sat 29-Nov-08 Galveston, TX
Sun 30-Nov-08 Orange, TX
Mon 1-Dec-08 Ft. Smith, AR
Tue 2-Dec-08
Wed 3-Dec-08 Ft. Collins, CO
Thu 4-Dec-08 Ft. Collins, CO
Fri 5-Dec-08 Ft. Collins, CO
Sat 6-Dec-08 Ft. Collins, CO
Sun 7-Dec-08
Mon 8-Dec-08
Tue 9-Dec-08
Wed 10-Dec-08
Thu 11-Dec-08
Fri 12-Dec-08 Baton Rouge, LA
Sat 13-Dec-08 Oxford, MS
Sun 14-Dec-08 Lafayette, LA
Mon 15-Dec-08 (Panama City, FL)
Tue 16-Dec-08 Niceville, FL
Wed 17-Dec-08 Niceville, FL
Thu 18-Dec-08
Fri 19-Dec-08 Lakeland, FL
Sat 20-Dec-08 Melbourne, FL
Sun 21-Dec-08
Mon 22-Dec-08
Tue 23-Dec-08 LAYOFF
Wed 24-Dec-08
Thu 25-Dec-08
Fri 26-Dec-08
Sat 27-Dec-08
Sun 28-Dec-08
Mon 29-Dec-08 Sarasota, FL
Tue 30-Dec-08 Sarasota, FL
Wed 31-Dec-08
Thu 1-Jan-09
Fri 2-Jan-09 Milwaukee, WI
Sat 3-Jan-09 Milwaukee, WI
Sun 4-Jan-09 Wausau, WI
Mon 5-Jan-09
Tue 6-Jan-09 TBD
Wed 7-Jan-09
Thu 8-Jan-09
Fri 9-Jan-09
Sat 10-Jan-09
Sun 11-Jan-09
Mon 12-Jan-09
Tue 13-Jan-09 Cedar Rapids, IA
Wed 14-Jan-09 Waukegan, IL
Thu 15-Jan-09 Lima, OH
Fri 16-Jan-09 Evansville, IN
Sat 17-Jan-09 Paducah, KY
Sun 18-Jan-09 Paducah, KY
Mon 19-Jan-09
Tue 20-Jan-09 Columbia, MO
Wed 21-Jan-09 Burlington, IA
Thu 22-Jan-09 Muncie, IN
Fri 23-Jan-09 Kalamazoo, MI
Sat 24-Jan-09 Kalamazoo, MI
Sun 25-Jan-09 Springfield, OH
Mon 26-Jan-09 Erie, PA
Tue 27-Jan-09 Ogdensburg, NY
Wed 28-Jan-09 Schenectady, NY
Thu 29-Jan-09 Orono, ME
Fri 30-Jan-09 St. John, NB
Sat 31-Jan-09 St. John, NB
Sun 1-Feb-09 (Portsmouth, NH)
Mon 2-Feb-09
Tue 3-Feb-09
Wed 4-Feb-09
Thu 5-Feb-09
Fri 6-Feb-09 Statesboro, GA
Sat 7-Feb-09 Clemson, SC
Sun 8-Feb-09
Mon 9-Feb-09 Gainesville, FL
Tue 10-Feb-09 Jacksonville, FL
Wed 11-Feb-09 Jacksonville, FL
Thu 12-Feb-09 (Augusta, GA)
Fri 13-Feb-09 Morganton, NC
Sat 14-Feb-09
Sun 15-Feb-09 Lowell, MA
Mon 16-Feb-09 Durham/Syracuse
Tue 17-Feb-09 Springfield, MA
Wed 18-Feb-09 Salisbury, MD
Thu 19-Feb-09
Fri 20-Feb-09
Sat 21-Feb-09 Eau Claire, WI
Sun 22-Feb-09 Green Bay, WI
Mon 23-Feb-09
Tue 24-Feb-09 Houghton, MI
Wed 25-Feb-09
Thu 26-Feb-09 Reading, PA
Fri 27-Feb-09 Akron, OH
Sat 28-Feb-09 Akron, OH
Sun 1-Mar-09