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mara williams
on Jun 18 2013 - 06:00 AM
Hey, manchild, mama says: clean your room, wash the dishes, don't drink and drive.
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Emily Parnell
on Jun 16 2013 - 06:00 AM
Eating fresh, local produce is good for body and soul
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Jim Cosgrove
on Jun 13 2013 - 06:00 AM
I just want to buy some pants. Please, turn down the music.
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- mr. stinky feet - Profile | Pictures | Blog
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Yep. It’s true.
After 14 years performing 3,005 shows (more or less) for families throughout North America, I’m taking yet another huge leap of faith. I’ve accepted a full time “big boy” job with Hallmark Cards, Inc. It’s an editing/product development position. I start in two weeks.
Even though it’s been 20 years since my last full-time corporate gig (I left Sprint in 1992 and never looked back), I’m sort of looking forward to the predictability of reporting to the same place every day.
I’m just going to have to make some lifestyle adjustments, like getting used to an alarm and wearing something other than t-shirts, shorts and sandals every day.
It’s not going to be easy on my family, either. They’re used to having me around. Jeni and I have tag-teamed our daily routine the whole way, so now a bulk of the homefront duties will fall on her shoulders. And all our girls have known is that mom and dad “work” in the upstairs office – sometimes in their pajamas, sometimes in sweats, and sometimes without grooming for a day or two.
Do you think Hallmark will let me wear my pajamas to work?
All of this change doesn’t mean that I’m hanging up my guitar and Hawaiian shirts. It just means that instead of doing 250 shows a year, I’ll do more like 60 or 70, which is OK with me. And it’s OK with Jeni and the girls. We’re all ready for a change.
We have lived an unconventional and blessed life that has allowed us to fulfill so many dreams and to travel as a family to places we’d never heard of. We’ve met literally thousands of people who have welcomed us into their towns and housed us and fed us and shown us the sites. Our girls have been patient road warriors and good sports, but they’re getting a bit weary of it all.
Owning our own business is immensely rewarding and exciting. Our lifestyle has allowed our family to be together almost all the time in our girls’ pre-school years. We share three meals nearly every day. We get to read and nap and hang out and travel together. I wouldn’t have traded that for anything.
But what I’m looking forward to trading is the positively terrifying part of owning our own business – like the stress that comes around every January, when work is thin and the bills are mounting. And dealing with the suffocating and obscene cost of health insurance. The years of travel and schlepping equipment from gig to gig has taken its toll on my body. Many of you know I had back surgery over a year ago. Things have gone fairly well since then, but I consider it a sign to slow down a bit.
I have joked with some of my friends that Hallmark had me at “health insurance,” but it’s so much more than that. This agreement with them is the culmination of more than a year of discussions and courting to find the right fit. I can think of only a few places where I could utilize my childlike experiences, and Hallmark is one of them. I’m very excited about working in a creative and challenging environment where I can use all of my talents. And they’re willing to work around my performance calendar, so I can fulfill all of my current commitments.
Jeni will continue to operate her successful booking business, Hiccup Booking, which represents several local and regional family acts. She has earned a reputation in the family entertainment industry as a straight shooter and a competent, trustworthy agent.
Thank you all for your years of support. And we appreciate your continued support through this transition and into the new chapter. Exciting things are on the horizon!
Good luck to you! I totally get the health insurance part - it just gets more expensive as you get older. I'm also happy to hear that you are going to continue with a limited number of gigs. Good luck, again.Congratulations on the new gig! I know it was probably a heart-wrenching decision, tempered by the lure of health insurance, as you said. Glad to see you won't be hanging up Mr. Stinky Feet for good, though. Good luck with your new venture, and I'm sure you are going to be a huge asset for Hallmark!Very exciting! That sounds like a perfect job for you (truthfully, kinda jealous!) you are going to rock it! Life is about change, rolling with those changes and landing upright with a smile on your face. You've got this. All the best!Yay! Congrats! My mom works at Hallmark... she's an admin in the Marketing Department. Look for her, she has half the same last name as I do... Fabela. :)
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