Notes on the run ...

Seems to me that recently I've been rambling about Stefani more than any one else ... but then again, Stefani is living the dream ... and the rest of us are getting to live that dream vicariously through her ... beside her.

As only a child can ... Stef takes it all in stride ... as something that was always a given. There's no doubt in her mind that she will be a discovered celebrity one day. As I was brushing her hair this morning before rushing out to a call-back ... she innocently announced - "the only difference between me and Miley Cyrus ... is that she's a discovered celebrity ... and I'm still undiscovered. But not for long ..."

You'd have to meet her ... spend a few minutes with her to be swept away by her charms. Because regardless of this driven passion ... she is the most unpretentious, the least arrogant, the most sharing, most innocent person.

I watched her today ... taking deep breaths as she was in line to go into the camera room to have her monologue put on film. There were four girls who'd been called back ... she was last in line. Her face was pinched ... a tad pale ... she smiled nervously as her hands fiddled with her head-shot and resume as she struggled to get her breathing and nerves under control. When the door opened, signalling her turn ... she took one step, then another ... and then the steps turned into a confident, bouncy gait and it's like a light bulb went on. Smile. As the door closed I overheard her say confidently - "Hello. How are you?" ...

Personally, I struggled with the decision of donning the "stage mom" hat and investing the time and effort it takes to help her memorize scripts, lines, monologues, commercials ... the hours spent at auditions and getting photos and clothes ... call-backs ... hopes and crashes ... all that entails trying to be part of "entertainment industry". But one look at her face after an audition and I know I've made the right decision for Stefani ... because believe it or not ... for Stefani the "audition" ... playing to the camera ... acting and singing ... is all that matters. Most of the time, she doesn't even care whether she "got the part". She's focussed on whether she did better than last time ...

As a competitive person ... that's something that's foreign to me. Doing something for the sake of doing something. Don't get me wrong - she does everything to the very best of her abilities ... but she doesn't focus on the "end result" ... putting it out there is her focus. And then she lets it go ... and allows whatever happens to happen. She didn't learn that from me! Ha! Or Dave either ... we're both as competitive as it gets ... and so are the rest of the kids.

I'm in awe ...