Aaand the award for Entertainer of the year goes tooo...

So there I was. Getting ready for the fifth showing of Savior of the World in a row last weekend. I'd been doing my cast's shows and the other cast's shows because my counterpart in the other cast was at an audition in L.A.

P.S. I really love being in this show and I love the people in it. It's beautiful, and I feel like I give everything I can give, and still get more in return than I could possibly imagine. It doesn't really get better than that. :)

But for just one moment that day, I wished more than anything for a padded bench to lay down on. Just for a few minutes. But alas, no bench. I considered the one in the bathroom, but instead took a small break in the dressing room on a roll-away chair to read my scriptures, and for those few minutes, everything was quiet and calm. I felt real peace. But even in that moment, I still felt tired. And a little bit like I needed a hug.

Who knows why. (insert shrug.) I'm a girl. Also, human. Anyway.

A few minutes later, I remembered I needed to take some tickets out to the stage manager. And shortly thereafter was supposed to help hand out people's costumes. Sweet. :)

So, I left the dressing room, walking with purpose, on my new mission.
Found stage manager.
Check.
She graciously accepted my tickets.
Check.
Walked over to costume station. Looked at clock. A good 15 minutes still.
...
Huh. Un-check.

Hmm....so then I started talking to the other people standing around waiting as well. Susie, the hilarious, feisty, sometimes sarcastic, but always kind, hair professional (this makes me smile) was there and we started talking. I like her. More than I can say. She makes me laugh. She'd always get after me for my non-side-part when I was in the Nauvoo pageant a few summers ago. Anyway, we're standing there talking and laughing when one of the little boys in the cast comes up to me and says,

"Wanna learn how ta play the snap game?"Oooo! Why yes. Yes, I would...who am I to turn down adorable eight-year-olds? Besides, nine times out of ten, these things turn out hilarious. :) I honestly get the biggest kick out of little boys.

(Hold it: Little girls are great, too, but they're usually playing dolls or house or...something useful like that. Boys are usually making up ridiculous games. True. Admit it.)

He walks a few steps away from me and directs me to stand in the middle of the large, cement hallway. He starts snapping his fingers. "Now," he says, "you gotta pay attention. This game has a lotta rules." Okay. I can do that. I start snapping my fingers, only to be immediately corrected. "No, only I can snap my fingers right now. The snap is the ball. There's only one ball, silly."

Oh, hahaha. MY bad...

Instructions continue, "Okay, so you can throw the ball up in the air, catch it, bounce it, steal it, volleyball it...and if I think of anything else, I'll tell ya." Hilarious. Seriously, the only thing that would make this kid funnier would be a Newsies cap and a New York accent.

Aaand the game begins.
Small boy is snapping his fingers.
He does a few tricks, up, down, over, and then volleyballs it over to me.
Sweet. My turn.
I do a few tricks, and snap it back to him.

By this time, there's about ten people standing around watching our snap game, smiling and sometimes laughing at how funny this kid is. He clearly loves the attention. Then I see a mischevious grin come over his face as he takes in our surroundings.

Uh-oh...

He snaps it up.
down.
under his knee,
over his head,
and back in his own fingers again.
Tricky.

Meanwhile, I'm just standing there laughing a little bit, and he says, "Hey, remember you can steal the ball!" Oh, right. I crouch down a little bit so we're on the same level and take him on.

I rush in.
To the left,
to the right,
and quick switchback
...and this is getting funnier by the second.
Also, my shoes were kind of slippery on the smooth cement.
He was in his bare feet.
Total advantage.
I lunge forward and "steal" the ball from him.
TA-DAAA!!

Victorious, I turn to the crowd, only to hear him say "That's not how you steal it! You have to grab my hand!"

What the...?!

Rule changer!
I turn around with a semi-scowl on my face.
"HEY. No way, kiddo. I totally stole it from you, fair and square!"
Nope.
He shakes his head, grinning even wider than before.
He's still snapping his fingers.
And still grinning.

And then, right before my very eyes, he snaps it into his mouth! HAHAH. By this time, everyone is laughing, and I have the beginnings of laugh tears. Seriously, can I keep him?? I believe an outraged exclamation of sorts escaped my mouth. His response was continue to chomp on the "snap ball" for a few more seconds, and then he hit his head on one side, "snapping" the ball out his opposite ear.

OH. MY. GOSH!!

By that time, everyone was rolling in laughter, and I literally had to sit down I was laughing so hard.

* phew * Golly, but I love snap ball. :)