PLOT TWIST!!!

 

I hope I never get over God’s ways being so much higher than mine. The way He opens doors I never would have imagined and allows me to experience things beyond anything I could comprehend is both faith-boosting and humbling.

            Several weeks ago I was invited to record a series of training videos for work. They would be used to train Steering Committee members (which happens to be the kind of group I work with every day), and I could record the videos right in my home, using some software that was new to me. I set up a makeshift studio in our dining room, using our bathroom door as a backdrop, taped my scripts to my laptop screen, and recorded away. It took me about a day to get them right – and it was such a fun opportunity.

            Not long after that, I was asked to be part of some live training for new Program Directors. This adventure was more challenging, because training live meant no redos. All mess-ups were real time! Plus, the training I did wasn’t for a group of people I normally work with, so I felt very vulnerable in allowing the things I didn’t know to shine so brightly in front of about 30 people. They were all so kind, and even though the day felt messy in my mind, I guess it went better than it felt, because on that very day, I was invited to reprise that training in a video format.

            This time, I’d travel to a real studio with a teleprompter, lights, a videographer, and multiple camera angles. WHEW! That day was yesterday, but before we could even get there, we had some plot twists.

            I’d been watching the weather, because I thought we were going to get hit with some snow on Sunday. Of course we would! I had a driving event coming up…why would we NOT get snow? I was so relieved when the swath of snow went just to the north of us…narrowly missing our area. We “just” had rain. I celebrated it! And then Ryan reminded me that rain, if not given a chance to dry off the roads, turns into ice when the temp falls. And our rain kept going…and our temps kept dropping.

            We both feared I would have an icy drive to Ohio, so on Sunday afternoon we made the hard, yet responsible decision for me to drive on over, stay in a hotel, and be safe for a local commute on Monday morning. I cried from the change of plans and from leaving Ryan behind a whole day early. I threw all the things in multiple bags (don’t ask how much luggage I took for an overnight stay) and headed out.

            Traffic was fairly heavy, but I made it to the Columbus area without incident. I got all checked into the hotel and felt safe and warm in my room. I caught up on things on my computer, FaceTimed repeatedly with Ryan and Lexi, ate dinner in bed while watching a Hallmark movie (not the worst way to spend a day), and even read in my book!

            Monday morning came early – but not as early as it would have if I’d had a 2+ hour drive! I opted to stop at Tim Horton’s for some fresh brew, because the hotel coffee was not entirely amazing.

            I got settled into the studio and only through the help of my amazing friends and coworkers, we were able to knock out eleven training videos in under two hours. It was hard work, and learning to navigate a teleprompter was an adventure! (MANY BLOOPERS!)

            We finished up just before lunch – only to find out there had been an issue with the audio, and I had to reshoot all the videos! We decided to make the best of it and power through…and through the grace of God alone, we reshot them all in a mere thirty minutes. (We had worked out all the kinks in the first round.)

            I came home utterly exhausted, but as Ryan reminded me, I did shoot 22 videos in one day, so I was allowed to be tired!

            It was so much fun, and as I look at these pictures, I have to say that never would I have imagined I would one day shoot videos in a real studio. God has such plans, doesn’t He? Grateful to tag along and be part of them.