May 4, 2026
Personal Reflections
Right before leaving on our Disneyland trip, I felt a sense of worry about leaving my work behind for a few days. I did a lot of stuff in advance so I wouldn’t fall behind, but I still felt strange about leaving and missing a couple of local show openings. What a silly feeling! I’m so glad I ignored it and enjoyed vacation!
Every time I go to Disneyland with my mom, we pick a theme word for that specific trip and get that word engraved on bracelets in Frontierland. Our word this trip was “Balance” … how fitting! I am so grateful for the ways this trip recalibrated a sense of balance within me, both on a professional and personal level. I invite you all to take opportunities to go on vacations and regain balance whenever possible. I believe these moments refresh us in such a way that only enhance the work we do.
Mama and I had a fabulous time! If you are friends with me on Facebook, you will get to hear stories from our trip in the coming days.
In a few moments, you will learn about the pieces this week and they all revolve around one theme: moms! One will feature a gift giving guide, one will tell the story of Fuzi Dance Etc.. which is owned by a local mom, businesswoman, and artist Crystal Allentown, and lastly you will see a piece where I interview my own mom about the arts and the experiences she’s had with me in the audience.
Moms deserve to be celebrated everyday, and I think we can lose sight of that. I encourage you to take every opportunity to celebrate the moms in your life. Not every opportunity has to be extravagant, just a simple “hi”, “thank you”, and “I love you” can go a long way!
Speaking of that, I have one more story for you:
I think some of the Incredible Hulk’s strength from California Adventures rubbed off on me! I went to open a window at my day job today and instead of opening the window, my wrists pushed through it and broke the glass! The windows are literally from the 60s, but it still was a freak accident. The glass significantly cut my wrists and I needed quick medical attention.
I am praising God for all the attentive people who were around me who got me the medical care I needed (even remembering to tell paramedics about blood cancer). I got in an ambulance and got stitches at the hospital as quick as possible. My parents and bosses all came to see me at the hospital, and my mom remained my caretaker for the rest of the day.
I am just so grateful for my mom! Not only do we have fun together, but she has always been there for the hard stuff.
At one point at the hospital today, someone asked me a very “asshole” question in a very condescending voice: “so what did you learn from all of this?” I didn’t know how to respond, but my mom instantly defended me saying “that her work has shit windows.”
Now upon reflecting, I did learn something — nobody in this world could ever replace my mom.
This Week in the Arts
Coming up this week, I will be publishing three pieces in my JOLT Column including:
For Mothers and Fathers Day: A Local Gift Giving Guide
Experiencing Fuzi Dance Etc…
Conversation with my Mom and “plus one” Dee Benton.
To read my articles as they come out, I invite you to subscribe to the JOLT News and/or follow me on Instagram and Facebook, then invite a friend to do the same! :)
If you read a story that inspires you, I invite you to share it with others and help spread the word about the incredible things happening in the Thurston County Arts Community.
Then, make a donation to The JOLT News so that we can continue to celebrate everything happening in our arts community.