LOST: Our family's experience as bit players.

Busy weekend for my family. Sorry I didn't get to post at all. But we got a ton of stuff accomplished. I mowed the grass. Brian finished building the girl's playhouse. Grocery shopped for the week. We had company for dinner on Saturday night, and so had to clean the entire house beforehand. We finished hanging everything in the girl's bedroom (after painting last weekend), and completed a total organization of our basement! I wish I had before and after photos of that one...it is a major change. So..very productive and satisfying weekend.

But, it was all leading up to one thing. One monumental event. The LOST finale.

My family has a special connection to this show, as we had the privilege and pleasure of being able to work as Extras on the set in seasons 5 & 6. We lived on Oahu, HI, where the main headquarters of Grass Skirt Productions is located, and they shoot the majority of the scenes on that island. Honolulu is a metropolitan enough city that if the shot is taken from the right angle, it can easily become New York or Los Angeles. And the island scenery, well, that's just self-explanatory.

Our Extra work began when Natalie was about 4 months old. I was shopping at the Waikele Outlets with my Mom, and while browsing in Gymboree, the sales clerk wandered up to me. Instead of asking if we needed help finding anything in the store, she asked if we were residents on the island (as opposed to just tourists). She was eying my little sweetie in her carriage, but I was fairly used to baby-attention, so I didn't pay her any mind. When I answered that we did live on-island, she moved closer to the carriage, and hovered over the baby with increased interest.

She asked if Natalie had blue eyes (she was sleeping at the time) and I replied that she did. Smiling, she proceeded to tell me that she worked part-time for LOST, and Casting was always looking for blond, blue-eyed babies to play Baby Aaron. Boy or girl, made no difference, what mattered was the age and weight of the child. The girl who played his mom on the show (Claire) was barely 100 pounds, and she didn't like to tote heavy children. So the clerk gave me some contact information, and when Mom and I got home, I immediately called the Casting office. I mean, why not??

I'd watched LOST on and off over the years, so I was familiar with the characters and the storyline, but really, who could keep up with all that? I wasn't a faithful fan until we got personally involved with the show.

Mom and I were told to bring Natalie right away to the studio casting office, and believe me, nothing short of tsunami could have stopped us from getting there. They loved Natalie, and said they'd be calling us within a few days to give us a call time for her to be on set. Then, when I mentioned that I had 2 other children, the casting director asked that I forward her photos of my entire family for possible work in the future! Whoo hoo! We were thrilled!

In retrospect, it was not a huge stretch that they'd be looking for a blond-blue-eyed family. Most of the residents of Oahu are darker skinned islanders, and don't exactly look like they belong in the background of a shot of what is supposed to be a mainland city. Thus began our LOST experience. We actually were called to work so many times, I had to turn them down in a few instances. The pay isn't phenomenal, and it is A LOT of sitting/standing/waiting around. But of course, every opportunity was exciting.

Natalie only worked one day. We decided the stress of a long day on set and her disposition were not exactly suited for tv work. But the next call was for the entire family to work with Jeff Fahey (Captain Lepidus) on his first major episode. I had broken my leg (smashed it to bits is more like it) a couple of months earlier, so I could not work that time, but they took Brian and my two older daughters to be a Tourist Family. Casting filled my spot (the Mom)with a very pretty lady from Australia. They were working as what is called "featured Extras", where they actually interact with the cast members, and not just loiter in the background. They had a very memorable day on-set, with wardrobe and hair and makeup, and of course, they got to meet Lepidus.

Unfortunately, as with many of our future scenes, it was cut down to the bare minimum and Brian and the kids were not featured. The thing that always surprised me about LOST is that they literally pay thousands to hire Extras for every show. But then the majority of scenes are tight, closeup shots, and you cannot even see the many people they paid to create atmosphere, nor the elaborate sets they would build for the scenes. But hey, it's Network money, so what did I care?

A few months later, I was called for a solo spot as a Receptionist in an office scene. To my immense frustration, although my broken leg had healed enough for me to walk again, the weekend prior to their call, I had fallen yet again and wrenched my knee in a horrible sprain. I was back on crutches and I had to regretfully turn them down.

Casting called again shortly afterwards, and asked if my oldest daughter was available for a downtown shot, with Walt and Locke, to play a student at Walt's private school. Abby and I had a great time that day...they really take care of the Extras with catered meals and tons of snacks and drinks always available. We met lots of nice folks, and Abby became friendly with some of the kids after our repeated calls to the set.

That day was great for me, because we sat with a woman whom I'd met during our day shooting with Natalie. Law requires that when babies are on set, a registered Nurse must accompany them at all times. This woman was the Nurse who'd been assigned to Natalie during her scene. On this day, she was there as a Mom. not as a Nurse, because her own two daughters had been called to be Extras in the school scene.

During a lull between shots, we were all sitting at a table in a nearby restaurant. A wave of whispers swept the room when a major character came inside to enjoy the cool shade of the restaurant for a few minutes. It was John Locke, and he made a beeline straight for our table. Now, this Nurse was very pretty. Dark hair and skin, and just very attractive. Well, the actor came right over to say "hi!" to her, and it was apparent that they already knew each other from past work on the show. Abby and I sat like two stunned and silent idiots, staring up at him as he flirted with the Nurse right next to us. I wish now that I'd asked to get a photo (they frown on that, but if the actor says ok, then they can't really penalize you), or had the guts to say "hello", but I just smiled like a Cheshire cat and sat frozen in my booth. Awesome, Jen.

Abby ended up working the most of anyone in our family. She was called to be a student at the school when Locke takes a substitute teaching job (flash sideways) in Season 6. She was called to do background on the beach when Hurley shot his (flash sideways) reunion date with Libby. The highlight of that long, sweaty, day in the relentless Hawaiian sun was my thrilling view of Desmond, live and in-person. He'd never been my favorite character on the show, but when I saw him in person, I could barely lift my jaw off the ground.

All the extras were sitting like half-baked lumps in the shade of the Concessions tent, waiting for the Casting Paige to either release us for the day, or call us back to the set for more shots. They hadn't given us permission to order from the catering van, and so we all watched, drooling with hunger, as crew members lined up for their hot, mid-afternoon meals. From behind one of the many Star trailers that formed an impenetrable wall along the edge of Base Camp, came a tall, tan, wavy-haired man, who joined the line for afternoon chow, and glanced over at the crowd of Extras with a leisurely and charming smile.

Holy crap! In person, Desmond is just bowl-you-over-handsome! I reached into my bulging bag for my camera phone, but soon realized as I clutched it in my sweaty hand that jumping up and trying to get a picture of him would have been far too awkward and ridiculous. So, again, a frozen grin remained plastered across my face, and I stumbled with Abby back to the Wardrobe trailer when Casting finally released us for the day.

That was our last day on the LOST set. And after last night's tearful final episode, the show has finally come to an end. But we have more invested in the show than your average viewer. I truly feel for the entire cast and crew and behind-the-scenes folks that had one of the Best Jobs Ever for 6 happy years. Not to mention the notoriety and revenues it brought to the island of Oahu. That show was unique, innovative, and despite the confusing twists and turns, there is nothing that could even compare to it on tv today.

I just feel so lucky that we were able to be a part of it all. That my children will have these memories, and a scrapbook page, carefully crafted by yours truly, to help them to recall their television debut!

Goodbye, LOST! We love you all!!

It's more Farm-y than Grunge-y

So I guess you just begin at the beginning? Good place, I suppose.

I decided my first post would be about my new home town..since the choice to live here has been both practical and intuitive.

We were transferred to Fairchild Air Force Base here in Spokane this past February. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever picture myself living in Washington state. However, I never pictured myself living in Maine, Massachusetts, California, or Hawaii (all past residences of mine).

Washington state conjured pictures of grungy 1990's movies (dirty hair, plaid shirt, coffee cups,and chain smoking whilst searching for the meaning of life in your 20's, all set to a grunge soundtrack). Or maybe a dismally cloud covered, coniferous town, populated by glittering beings and musky teenage wolves (darn you Stephanie Meyer and your addictive teenage novels!).

But media influenced prejudices aside, I already had one of my gut "feelings" we'd fit in here just fine. We'd done well as Westerners for 7 years living in Cali, and, besides, my intuition was flashing me a green light. Spokane had a comforting number of qualities on the GREAT LIST: Stuff White People Like.

If only Washington and all it's great Stuff, was on the East Coast (where our families reside), our new assignment would have been close to perfect. Adventure awaited, so we packed up our stuff and our cat and our kids and started our journey from Hawaii to our new home in a land-locked state.

The first time we rolled into Medical Lake, I must admit, my judgemental side was not shy in voicing an opinion. "Hicksville! There's nothing going on in this town! Too many trailers! It's too far out in the middle of nowhere!!" (said my whiny inner voice, who's opinions I then repeated loudly to my husband. Poor guy was peering at the scenery from the drivers seat of our minivan and swerving to avoid prancing herds of deer and rolling tumbleweeds).

We were very unimpressed with the lack of cushy, suburban amenities. No Starbucks! No McDonalds! Not even a 7Eleven??? The tumbleweeds continued their aimless journey without us as we cruised haughtily back out of town.

Fast forward a few weeks, and a very jaded and frustrated home search behind us, and we decided to return to Medical Lake to take another look at a home I'd felt "a feeling" about. As we rolled back into town, I took a second look.

Pull into the driveway, open the front door, and the "feeling" was still there. You know...you walk in...and the "vibe" is good?

And from a practical standpoint, the house was in a great spot (on a corner lot, no backyard neighbors). The schools are good, the base is only 10 minutes away, and the house was comfortably within our price range. Best of all, there was the LAKES! Oh Lord, the lakes are great! Since I can't live in an ocean-side town anymore, I might as well live near some woodsy, farm-y, west-plains lakes!

My second trip into town was an entirely different experience. What first appeared to be a town with nothing going on suddenly became a town where I could finally appreciate some peace and quiet. The schools, the grocery store, even the pizza joint and espresso shack were all within walking distance. The view of the golden rolling hills and surrounding farms was unobstructed from our beautifully landscaped back yard. The harmony of birds and frogs was music to my ears.

In the first month of moving into our Medical Lake home, we saw more deer than we could count, and majestic hawks and eagles soaring above our heads. Horses, sheep, llamas and cows are already becoming familiar neighbors. The 10 minute drive from town to the major highway has become an opportunity to observe the changes in the landscape. Trees beginning to bud. Green grass covering wide pastures. And even the trailers have become beautiful. They are surrounded by neatly trimmed grass and a rainbow of tulips and geraniums.

I am thrilled with our new home. It is a change, for sure, but I believe it will be a positive one in the long run. I am so happy to be putting down roots after 11 years of living in Base housing. I am so happy to spend a Saturday weeding the yard, our yard, and taking a walk around our neighborhood as the sun sets behind the hills and just breathing in the fresh air of our new home town.