Here's to Making Each Day Count!

What a summer! We did it! Phew! Our family lived out our philosopy this summer.....You can rest when you are dead. We managed to fit in a fabulous trip to Tennessee, camping, boating, swimming, summer camp for 4 weeks, a trip to St. Louis for a wedding, visits from several relatives, back to school shopping, volunteering at church, and 2 full time jobs. Oh, did I mention that I am training for a half marathon and get up at 5:45am each morning to run? Are we intense, or what?

Wedding in St. Louis

The first day of school is always so bitter sweet for me. I am excited for our two boys to embark on a new journey and I am anxious for them at the same time. I pray that they will have great teachers who love them for who they are and train them up as if they were their own. I always want them to be able to make new friends and keep the old! (obvious reference to girl scouts. Maybe I will sing this to them at school? Won't they love that? LOL). 

Back to School

The boys were apprehensive about going back to school this year after enjoying such a great summer, but they seem to be transitioning pretty well! They both like their teachers so far and both have friends in their classrooms. What a blessing!

Back to School

Because I am the Chief Purser of the Titanic Museum Attraction, my family has become well versed in Titanic history. Each time we have visited one of the museums as a family, we have learned more and become more emotionally connected to the passengers who sailed Titanic.  One of our favorite stories is that of Douglas Spedden, age 6. He was traveling home to New York, via the Titanic, with his family after a vacation in Algiers and Monte Carlo. There is a very famous picture of him on one of the decks of the ship, playing with a top. Father Browne took the picture.

http://cheddarbay.com/0000Tea/Titanic/passengers/survivors/survivors3.html

Young Mr. Spedden reminds me of my boys...with a passion for adventure, outgoing, and resiliant.
His mother, Daisy reminds me of me. They were survivors of the disaster and were rescued by the Carpathia. I recently read the most wonderful quote from Daisy Spedden following the Titanic disaster, as the Spedden family continued to travel to Europe much as before but with a new perspective on the frailty of life. Daisy wrote that all the values of their lives had changed and “the daily incidents which once seemed of such importance to us dwindled into mere trivialities". (http://www.the-titanic.com/Passengers/Survivor-Stories/Douglas-Spedden.aspx)

Just like many other visitors to the Titanic Museum Attraction, I have often wondered what happened to each of the survivors after they arrived home? What was THEIR transition like after making it through such a terrible disaster? Each survivor was given a new lease on life. Did they all have Daisy Spedden's new philosopy to not sweat the small stuff? Or were they eternally tortured by their memories of that fateful night? Did any of the survivors go into politics in America? Did they build empires and legacies? What impact did they have on American History? Did the children survivors go to American Schools and tell of their adventures on Titanic?

Starting this Labor Day Weekend, at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo., a new fantastic exhibit will be revealed. It is called the Survivor Wall. Have YOU ever wondered what happened to each of the survivors? The Titanic Museum Attraction has spent the past 2 years researching each of the survivors of the Titanic and you can now find out what happened to them and what impact they had on our history.

When I reflect back on this summer, I feel satisfied that we packed it all in (even though I am a bit exhausted). As Jack Dawson from the famous Titanic movie by James Cameron said..."I like waking up in the morning not knowing who I'm going to meet or where I'm going to wind up. Life is a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you will get dealt next." 

http://www.titanicuniverse.com/titanic-jack-dawson-leonardo-dicaprio-a-character-study/1474

HERE'S TO MAKING EACH DAY COUNT!

Jaynee’s Life in a day

On July 24, 2010, Kevin McDonald, a Hollywood film maker for Sundance, asked the World to video a portion of what their lives were like that day, mundane or exciting, and upload it to YouTube to be used in a movie called, LIFE IN A DAY. Jaynee, the famous 1st Class Maid of the Titanic Museum Attraction, wanted to share her daily “behind the scenes” life with the world and I was picked to film it.

Jaynee is the “personality” that the Titanic Museum Attraction uses for commercials, billboards, print ads, etc. She is like the “Mickey Mouse” of the Titanic Museum Attraction. I frequently get asked a lot of questions about her. “Is Jaynee real?” “Does Jaynee fake an accent for her job?” “Where is she from?” I have now learned the answers to these questions first hand and will share them with you. Jaynee is real of course. She is one of the most passionate ladies that I have ever met. If you have ever been lucky enough to meet her at one of the Titanic Museum Attractions and have seen her “in character”, what I want you to know is that she is not acting; that is Jaynee’s actual personality. She is British which explains the accent, she is full of life, and she genuinely LOVES the Titanic.

During our LIFE IN A DAY filming, we had to answer four questions. The first was, “What does Jaynee love?” Jaynee’s LOVE for the Titanic is GRAND. She knows every passenger and their story. She knows every detail of the construction of the RMS Titanic. She cares for every crewmember at the Titanic Museum Attraction and they care for her.

Throughout the day, Jaynee recited poem after poem about the Titanic. She engaged visitors and told them stories about the passengers on their boarding passes. What I noticed, following her around the ship, was that she captivates guests. Not only is her accent perfectly fitting for a first class maid aboard the Titanic, but also her knowledge and emotional connection draws people in. AND, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the dogs. The Titanic Museum Attraction is now paying tribute to the dogs that were onboard the Titanic. They have 2 King Charles spaniels named Molly and Carter who “work” at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo. each day. When I saw Jaynee interacting with these two, I knew she was completely “head over heels” for them.

Ergo, my next question got answered without even asking. “What is in Jaynee’s pockets?” Well, what I saw were treats for the dogs in a red velvet bag. I witnessed her rewarding each of the special mascots treat upon treat. They greeted her; she gave them a treat. They barked; she gave them a treat. They rang a bell; she gave them a treat. I now know that those dogs are highly intelligent and they expect Jaynee to have “full pockets”.

The next question to answer on my mission was “What do you fear”? I was taken back by Jaynee’s honesty and intelligence. Jaynee explained that the oil spill in the Gulf was her biggest fear at present. She explained that BP represents Britain and because she is British, it embarrasses her to think that she might be associated with such a disaster. Her vast amount of knowledge on the environment and the eco-system were surprising and her genuine care for animals shone through as she talked about the tragedy.

There was one last question that our video had to answer. “What makes Jaynee laugh?” That was apparent throughout the day. Jaynee enjoys making others laugh. She had a witty remark for every occasion. Her light-hearted nature was contagious and everyone seemed to enjoy making her laugh too.

This experience drew me in to the Titanic Museum Attraction on an entirely new level. It is not just a museum. There is a family that works together there and they are passionate about each of their positions. They are passionate about paying tribute every day to the 2,208 passengers and crew that were aboard the Titanic and they all work together to make the visitor’s experience personal and exceptional. Yes, I accomplished my goal of producing a “behind the scenes” look at Jaynee’s Life in a Day, but I gained so much more.