American Idol Atlanta Revisited.... Missing Sarah...

I Guess you all remember that my daughter Sarah auditioned for American Idol in Atlanta last summer. Well the Atlanta auditions aired last night. I watched it alone and it just brought sadness... even tears... I'm not sure I'll ever watch the show with the same enthusiasm or through the same eyes again. I watched for a small glimpse of a purple haired girl as the opening segment scanned the crowds.... she was not there even for a second... at least not that I could see as they scanned through so quickly.... and as each person auditioned I wondered if she had come into contact with that particular individual. I think though that the saddest part was... not having her here with me to watch together... or maybe she just doesn't want to watch it anymore... the whole thing really left a scar on her... it took a chunk of her self confidence. We usually watch the show together and critique the singers and of course laugh at the really outrageous ones... but last night she wasn't here to curl up on the couch with me and it was just not the same... I found myself missing her terribly (she doesn't live at home anymore... and while I do enjoy the quiet that she left behind... sometimes I do miss her).... not finding any of the auditions to be funny... and really feeling bad for those who left in tears... because now we've experienced the American Idol auditions and I've seen first hand how painful it can be... even to a talented, confident and strong-willed singer. I had hoped she could go there and come out of course as a contestant... but at least to be able to look back on the experience as an adventure.... a fun memory to look back on and fun story to tell for years to come... instead she just says (like many others) "F*** American Idol". Maybe later on down the road her attitude will change.

The tears were pouring as I texted her at 2:30 am to see if she was still awake. I told her that I watched the show.... that I love her and miss her. I wonder if others have felt this as they watch the show after being rejected... or can they still bring themselves to watch. I really didn't expect to feel so sad... I expected to just watch it as I always do... I guess you just never know what your going to feel until it hits you out of nowhere.... maybe just a glimpse of my purple haired girl in the crowd would have brought a smile... maybe having her there with me laughing and telling me about her experience would have made the difference... who knows... I just know that now I just feel sadness when I see those people sent away and crushed... even the ones who really cannot sing... rejection hurts.

And even sadder is... that there are a lot of people who are very talented singers who never make it past the first auditions... just like Sarah... and it really hurts them... and leaves scars on their self confidence.... just like Sarah. Sending her to audition for American Idol is one promise that I wish I had not kept... at least the delusion of it all would still be in place... for the both of us...

Sarah... I love you... I miss you... and I hope that some day you will be able to look back on your experience as a great adventure instead of a terrible experience. You have great talent.... please don't waste it....

You can read my original posts about her trip audition for American Idol here:
http://alilenchanted.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-sooo-nervous.html
http://alilenchanted.blogspot.com/2009/06/sarah-american-idol-update.html
http://alilenchanted.blogspot.com/2009/06/sarahs-american-idol-adventure.html

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Random Thoughts On The Coming Week

I've been busy this week working on some small scale fall cleaning... mainly decluttering. We don't have a lot of clutter but we do have areas that tend to collect some. So I worked on the bookshelves/entertainment center in the living room and the two areas in the kitchen that had accumulated clutter. I got my bills and receipts organized... something I've let go for almost 2 years... but now it's back in order.... and you know... it really didn't take that long.... and hour or so... why did I put it off??? And I'm working on getting my coupons reorganized. So I'm feeling like I'm making some accomplishments! I even cleaned a few areas of carpet....lol... well...ok... I did that because Steffie spilled her Coke.... but then I just kept going until I had a nice sized area cleaned... and then I started another.... I never finished that one though... not yet... maybe this coming week.
Speaking of this coming week... it's pay week and therefore grocery shopping week again. I vowed last time to have my coupons clipped and organized by the next time... so I'm working on it. We'll see how The Grocery Game plays out for me this week. I don't anticipate spending nearly as much time organizing my shopping plan as I did last trip. Although I think having a plan is key to saving more money... last time I spent as much time planning as I did shopping... maybe even more. But I'm learning as I go and getting faster at the game. A Lot of it is due to one of my favorite blogs and my friend Sherri over at Luv A Bargain... she really makes it easy to find great freebies and deals at Walmart, Walgreens, K-Mart, CVS, Target, Rite Aid and more! So if you want to shop for free... or nearly free... check out Sherri's blog... print out her current list and grab your coupons and go shopping. The other day I got $45 in items for $12 at Walmart.... Thanks Sherri!!!.... would have been less but I had to buy stuff Steffie wanted...lol

My goal for this week is to continue decluttering.... decorate for Fall/Harvest... get my shopping done... and start planning Steffie's birthday party.... I can't believe how close it's getting and I haven't planned the first thing yet except that there will be a party, a cake and gifts.... so I'm getting behind.

This time of year is probably my favorite. I love Fall and the colors it brings... the cooler temps... opening my windows and turning off the air conditioner(can't wait for that one!). But one really fun thing about the particular weeks we are in right now is that all three of my older children are the same age... for 19 days out of each year they are all 3 the same age... right now they are 20. I used to really love to have fun with this when they were small. We had a triplet stroller (bought used from a friend who had triplets)..... and they were pretty close to the same size... so people always stopped us to ask questions. "Are they triplets?".... "No".... "How old are they?".... "two".... "All three of them are two but they are not triplets?"..... "yes".... I would play with the questioners for a few minutes before finally explaining that Sarah would be having a birthday in a few days.... that the the boys were identical twins and Sarah was 11 and 1/2 months older. It was just fun to watch them try to figure it out... I know I'm a bit rotten :)
Sarah's 21st birthday is coming up.... of course she plans to party it up at the club... she keeps asking me if I'm going and I keep telling her no.... she'll have plenty of friends there to keep her distracted.... I doubt she'll miss her Mother....lol.... but for whatever reason she wants me to go. I haven't been in a bar in how many years??? I don't even know. A lot! And being in bar with a bunch of barely 21 year olds... just doesn't sound fun. I'll bake her a cake and I'll stay home while she parties.... she can show me pictures and tell me all the details after she sleeps it off :) She tells me everything.... even when I don't want to know....

So that's my random what's going on in the world of LaShan.... everyone have a great week!!!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Music Monday - Sara by Stevie Nicks

Last week I shared my very favorite song... so this week I wanted to share my second favorite... Sara... by Stevie Nicks. This version is from the same concert as the version of Rhiannon from last week. My oldest daughter is named Sarah Rhiannon after these two songs. I have loved them since I saw this concert in 1982... and I doubt any other songs will ever take their place in my heart... not after all of these years...

Enjoy this very haunting version of Sara...

From LYRICSMODE.COM lyrics archive

Lyrics | Stevie Nicks lyrics - Sara lyrics

Wait a minute baby. . .
Stay with me awhile
Said you'd give me light
But you never told me about the fire

Drowning in the sea of love
Where everyone would love to drown
And now it's gone
It doesn't matter anymore
When you build your house
Call me home

And he was just like a great dark wing
Within the wings of a storm
I think I had met my match--he was singing
And undoing the laces
Undoing the laces

Drowning in the sea of love
Where everyone would love to drown
And now it's gone
It doesn't matter anymore
When you build your house
Call me home

Hold on
[ Stevie Nicks Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
The night is coming and the starling
flew for days
I'd stay home at night all the time
I'd go anywhere, anywhere
Ask me and I'm there because I care

Sara, you're the poet in my heart
Never change, never stop
And now it's gone
It doesn't matter what for
When you build your house
I'll come by

Drowning in the sea of love
Where everyone would love to drown
And now it's gone
It doesn't matter anymore
When you build your house
Call me home

All I ever wanted
Was to know that you were dreaming
(There's a heartbeat
And it never really died)

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.







A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Sarah's American Idol Adventure

Well... Sarah didn't make it to the next round of auditions. I just talked to her very briefly and she's on her way home. But at least she had the experience and hopefully she had fun. She did get to do a good interview on camera this morning so maybe that will get aired.

American Idol or not... we know that Sarah has a special talent all her own and we love her!

~A Lil Enchanted~

Sarah.... American Idol Update

Thank you all soooo much for your well wishes! It really means a lot!

Sarah made it to Atlanta at around 4:00 a.m. She is registered and has her bracelet and seat assignment for auditions tomorrow and has checked into her hotel. She has to be there at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow but she plans to be there by 3:00 a.m.

After doing much research on this process for her we've learned that this first audition is more like auditioning for a reality show rather than a talent show. So you have to be different and stand out... but not too different and appear wacky. Sarah has a very outgoing personality... she's loud and she has a rather different... shall we say... sense of humor... and as of yesterday she has PURPLE HAIR!

That's right... we dyed her hair purple before she left. We dyed it purple several months ago and it looked really good on her so we decided to do it again for this. Not many people can pull off purple hair... but it really does look good on Sarah... and it will certainly be different and draw attention.

So when American Idol airs next year.... look for the girl with purple hair!

These pics are from last time we dyed it purple... I'll add some of this dye job when she gets back.


~A Lil Enchanted~

American Idol Look Out!... Here Comes Sarah Rhiannon!!!

My daughter is going to audition for American Idol next week in Atlanta! I'm so excited for her... we've been wanting her to do this for several years but there has always been one thing or another preventing it. But this year she is going to do it. She really *needs* to do this. The girl can sing! And she is definitely unique. I posted about her before... about how she is like Janis Joplin... Ozzy Osbourne... Gilda Radner and Robin Williams all rolled into one. So maybe this will be her chance to get on the road to entertainment.... exactly where she needs to be!

Unfortunately I can't go with her on this first round of auditions. But when she gets called back in the fall to audition for the judges I will be sure to be there. So everyone cross your fingers and toes.... and let's hope she gets through!




~A Lil Enchanted~