Unlike anything I've ever done before...

There is nothing quite like doing a play. There is no one quite like Jane Austen. And there is nothing quite like pretending to be  one of your favorite heroines from one of your favorite books while all your friends play along and dress up, too. My life right now is quite unlike anything I've ever experienced before because a my life involves all three of these things.

My friends and I are putting on 'Sense and Sensibility' and I have the privilege of playing Elinor Dashwood. It is phenomenal. Of course real life has its struggles, such as rehearsals seeming long and those horrible moments when you forget your lines on stage after you've known them for weeks... But that really only makes the majority of the time, when things are going happily, even sweeter, because then you know that life can still seem so wonderful, even after you've gone through the struggles and know there are more to come.

Just a bit more by way of an introduction! Costumes and scenes with Edward. And especially those two things together. Who can deny that acting out Jane Austen's beautiful and hesitant romance between Elinor and Edward, one of her more classic,  familiar love stories - or, more accurately, pretending to become those two people - would be a complete delight. (Especially someone whose Edward is happily in the middle between Hugh Grant's utterly awkward portrayal and Dan Steven's dashing performance - an Edward as balanced as all of Jane's most approved characters are, and utterly charming.) Our Edward has certainly charmed me, and My Elinor is quite in love with him. I as myself have a new appreciation for Edward after doing this play. I always have esteemed him (a phrase Elinor would approve of) as a most honorable character, but I'm afraid that in my heart of hearts, I always considered him rather too boring to marry myself. But now I actually like Edward, and I would enjoy being around him very much! And boy, does he look dashing in his top boots and blue frock coat. But I have always been a sucker for a man in Mr Darcy garb... ("It's my one weakness..." - Lark Rise to Candleford, anyone?)

Okay, I shall wrap up this post so I can begin to reminisce about the journey to bringing 'Sense and Sensibility' to life.