• Parenting,  Travel & Accessibility

    The Glee Project Audition Part II

    I sat on the bench and pulled out my Kindle trying to pretend I was distracted and calm. Inside my stomach was churning. I had every faith in the world that Arielle’s personality would shine through but I was worried about her singing. From what I understood at the time there would be two rounds of auditions. Anyone who made it through the first round would get to sing for Mr. Ulrich. I hoped and read and hoped and read. Eventually, I got up and bought some coffee. The woman behind the counter offered to add Kahlua. I chose the whipped cream instead and headed back to my bench. Moms…

  • Parenting,  Travel & Accessibility

    The Glee Project Audition

    If you can listen to music and read at the same time I recommend listening to River, by the cast of Glee, as you read this. It’s beautiful and fitting for this post. This is the story of how an idea, a hope, a what if?, led to a dream coming true. It began many months ago with several conversations between my daughter, Arielle, and me about a TV show she discovered called The Glee Project. I watched how her eyes lit up every time she gave me an update on the latest episode. I heard passion in her voice and knew instinctively what she was thinking. One day, I asked the…

  • Inspiration,  Parenting,  Wheelchair Athletics

    Glee and the University of Illinois

    Having teens is a very exciting time. I get to watch them discover their passions and try to decide which path they will follow after graduation. I play the role of tour guide and gentle counselor. While there is an underlying sadness because I know that soon our house will be too quiet, there is also a joy in seeing their eagerness to explore and experience life as young adults. The night before we left for Champaign, Illinois, Arielle decided to record an audition video for the Glee Project. Unsure about her singing ability she still wanted to go for it and give it a try. Glee has been one of her…