It may have its stressors, its downfalls, and its tough times, but these are just a few reasons why I love my job more than any other I could have …

~If I need a quick touch up of hairspray, some extra bobby pins, a change of clothes, or even a wig … they are all at my disposal – just a room away!

~Being able to run back to the dance room and stretch out on the bars or just close my eyes and spin around the room is one of the greatest stress relievers …

~If I feel like bursting out into song – I can do so – and have people join in with me! 🙂

~Dr. Seuss and Disney characters frequently decorate paperwork and fliers all about the office

~Taking a field trip to the “cold storage room” results in amazing finds … from a sword to a giant dog head to a green cake and yards of tulle

~I get days that feel like Christmas six times out of the year … audition days and opening nights. Two of the very best parts of my job … I never get tired of them

~Walking into the Bing again feels like home – and it does even more so with kids running up & down hallways with half a sandwich in their hands … parents doing mic checks, sewing costumes, arranging the souvenir table, and directing the backstage crew … all to the tune of show music

~I don’t even have to worry about having extra t-shirts to wear – the only question is, “What color do I feel like wearing today?”

~Getting to be the first to know about how full the theater is for each show … and bubbling over with excitement because of a sold-out school days show

~Helping people’s dreams come true … literally. It’s amazing to be able to supply children who have life-threatening diseases with their wishes … or even just see a child’s face light up because they got in their very first theater production

~The scent of the sawdust from building sets … or of fresh pages of a script … or of … well, no – hot, sweaty rooms after 30 people have been dancing in there don’t quite fit into that category, but still … even that signifies the workings of a theater! :]

~And best of all, I love all the memories that that building holds – from four and a half years of working, playing, living there … I’ve slept there many a time, gotten an outdoor shower after an intense ice cream battle, cried there, laughed harder than I ever have before, given and received thousands of hugs, eaten every single meal there, worked long & stressful hours there, danced, sung, and acted there, photocopied my face & “passed the torch” there, cleaned up puke off the carpet, wrapped presents, been a princess, learned cartwheels, told secrets, taken pictures, and learned to love in greater ways than I thought was possible.

It has been the most beautiful gift of my life. The most impactful. The dearest to my heart. It has a forever seal upon my heart … and not a day goes by that I don’t thank the Lord above for it. I am so honored and privileged to be a part of this amazing organization.