The Santa Cruz Film Festival VI: STAY TUNED, dropped the proverbial velvet curtain last night after 10 days and nights of independent spirit.
The Festival has been my life outside of work the past six months and its conclusion is both sad and a relief. Despite giving up my nights for months on end, the payoff was reward enough: full houses, our highest tickets sales ever, amazing films, pleased audiences, and equally inspiring team members.
Sometimes it’s hard to explain to people why I volunteer for organizations such as the Fest. “You already work full time” they say, “Why do you give your only free time away?” While that’s a rational observation, I’ve always volunteered, starting at the age of 13. Volunteering, signing up, and standing up for what you want to see changed in your own community makes every day meaningful. There is nothing that makes you feel more alive than doing something outside of yourself with no expectation of return.
Volunteering has always led me to the best people and opportunities in my life, even when the tasks weren’t that fun or easy. It’s the perfect way to network, make friends, learn new skills, and have fun. When else would I get to meet David Arquette or a horse who walked 20k miles (pictured) all in the same week? The question I ask in return is why wouldn’t you want to volunteer?
But with my volunteer time now spent, it is time to shine the spotlight inward for a bit: hubby and the “kids”, home, soon-to-arrive vacation and catching up with family. That’s something I’m ready to volunteer for!
Life has been full, as usual. We’ve recently completed oodles of projects and now move on to preparing for the next adventure.
Let’s review the past few weeks:
Hubby flawlessly installed new floors in our living room and guest bath. After cleaning up the remnants (and reinstalling the toilet) we’re back in business and reveling in a stunning house. (A special shout-out to Chris Frost for helping rip up the carpet and moving the piano, twice).
After many hours of class, practice and adventures to the dog park, Bella has perfected her sit, down, and stay, thanks to her puppy class. She is even (finally) learning to walk on a leash, a skill we’ve never mastered with our sweet old pooch Guinness.
While Hubby sawed and hammered, I’ve spent almost every night writing, editing and emailing press releases for the Santa Cruz Film Festival, where I serve on the B-of-Directors. We’re nearing game time (the Fest kicks-off April 19th with David Arquette’s “The Tripper”) and I’ve worked down to the final flow and have two releases left before the whole shebang is over. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The icing on the cake was the purchase of my folks’ GMC truck with 4-Wheel Pop-up Camper. We’re still a little in shock (the good kind) and getting used to the idea of having this great house-on-wheels. The dogs love it, my bike fits in the back, and we’re enjoying my Dad’s homemade laptop stand that I call my “portable office.”
With the endless motion and activity, we’re happy to finally return to the ground and move to the planning stages for our next adventures.
In the not-so-distant future we see our two-week road trip around the West (in our camper, of course!), a summer of drinks on the deck and bike rides on fresh trails, taking Bella and Guinness on long walks, and then transforming our downstairs bedroom into the ultimate home office.
What adventures are you preparing for?