Part III

OK so its been a while (life throws a whoel bunch of stuff in the way sometimes), but we left off where I had just gotten a nanny job in New Jersey and its the Monday after thanksgiving and I have 1 week to leave.
So anyways, I'm nervous as I'm heading out there because those thoughts that are there for the purpose of making you second guess yourself decided to pop up on during the flight out there. You know the ones that go: "what if this is a trap?" "Maybe this lady is someone who prays on girls like me and gets them to accept a job and then when I get there she sells me to some faraway country as a slave or something?". Hey, it's happened to people before me. But when I landed and I got there, the moment I met her I knew she was a wonderful woman who would never sell me into the sex slave trade. I get there and its the middle of the night but thats ok and the next morning I start my job and I meet the oldest child. He is awesome! That's all I can say about him. The moment we met it was like instant chemistry. He was 5 years old and in Kindergarten and he was the sweetest kid and he and I hit it off immediately. He became my favorite; I know you're not supposed to have favorites but that's what it was. After I took him to school I met the two youngest kids. A boy and girl. The little boy was 16 months old and the little girl was 2, she has CF but you would never have guessed it the way that she ran around and played with the other two. I fell in love with all three of these kids. I guess that I was the first nanny they had ever had and they didn't know what to expect from me as I much as I didn't know what to expect from them so it was a good mix because we all got to know each other pretty well.
So it had been a few weeks and we had celebrated Christmas (my first one away from home ever). And I was given New Year's weekend off so Matt, Jared, Kristy, myself and one of the their friends, Jeff all went camping on the farthest east shore in Maine that we could get to. We decided we wanted to be the first to welcome in the new year. We weren't the only ones with that idea and we met a few interesting people there on that shaore around our bonfire we had going. It was a great time had by all. During this weekend Jared and I got to talking about my script and he said he was in suspense with it. "I really want to know what happens and how it all fits together." So after that weekend I started writing more into the script. If you know me I don't give my writing out because I'm always second-guessing myself and I always try to touch it up beyond recognition. So I send it to my best friend Bethany who knows my writing style and gives me honest feedback and so for the next couple of months on my time off I would write if I wasn't busy.
They were a few crazy months because I had every weekend off. Friday after I would pick up the oldest from school I would be off at 4 pm and I would take the train up to NYC where Matt and everybody else lived and we would go and do everything. We didn't just stay in NYC though. Matt had a private jett and we'd all go on weekend trips to so many different places. we went to Miami, Los Angeles (where Jeff lived-he's another part of the story), Maine, Tennessee, Austin, Dallas, down to Cancun, out west to Oregon (we went sky diving there), up to Niagra Falls and then over to Vancouver, down to D.C. and a whole bunch of ohter places that were just so much fun. and then I had to be back to work at 7 am Monday morning to relieve the weekend nanny from her duties and then I'd take the oldest to school. It was fun and yet in all of that I had time to do writing.
Well during those few months Matt and I broke up but he and I are still good friends and he is actually getting married to Kristy in a few months and so I can't wait to go to New York to attend the wedding.
Well, it was a good run but one Friday in March I was at my job and Aryn (the other nanny) had just gotten there and it was a nice day so we took all the kids out to the back yard (it was also spring break so the oldest wasn't in school) to play. The snow was melting so it was kinda slippery on the porch. Well I slipped and fell off the porch. It was a 4 foot drop that just winded me but the oldest thought that it was a fun game that I was playing and so he jumped on top of me and I was laying on uneven ground and the moment he lands I hear a sound I never want to hear again. it was like some sick sound bubble wrap just got burst open and I heard it five times. the next thing I know I'm screaming in agony and I'm crying my eyes out because it hurts so much and since my boss isn't there the gardner and the chef rush me to the emergency room. They do X-rays and they tell me I have 3 broken ribs on my right side and 2 broken on my left. They gave me pain killers and told me they couldn't wrap it because it could make it worse so they said to not lift anything heavy and don't drive while taking the pain killers. Well that kind of doesn't work when you're a nanny. But since Aryn was on break for 3 weeks she said that she would take over for me while it gave me time to heal. However the way that I broke them it took over a year for them to fully heal so I had to leave that job because I couldn't pick up the 16 month old without hurting myslef. It was sad to leave because I absolutely loved that family, they became a part of my own family and I still talk to them at least once a week to see how everybody is doing.
While it was sad to leave it was even sadder to go to Kansas. I had always told myself I was never going to go to Kansas because then people get stuck there and I had plans and dreams that I needed to do. Well, I get there and I get a job at the Chinese Kitchen at Dillon's and its an okay job but I'm still looking for a nanny job because it what I know and what I enjoy doing. Well about 3 months after moving there Jared comes to town and wants to see what else I've been writing. I'm embarrased to say I had nothing. But you see, here in Kansas I haven't gotten inspiration for anything new, haven't had any urge to work on my old stuff either and so it was a bad trip for Jared but I promised myself I would find a time at least once a week and write, I would take a few hours and I would just sit and write. And it worked, I didn't have any huge big idea but I got some small ideas to work with and I was asked to write an episode for NCIS and I did and it was one of the most exciting things that has happened to me.
It was during the summer and I had flown out to LA to see Jeff (he at that point in time was my boyfriend). I got to go meet some of the people on the set of NCIS while they were filming my episode and I was just in heaven. This is one of my favorite T.V. shows and has been since it first aired back in 2003. So it was a great weekend. The next weekend wasn't so great. I was checking my emails and I got an email from Jeff. No subject but I read it. It wasn't very long; only two words. It said: "we're done." That was a big blow. I was actually developing strong feelings for this guy and he goes and does this to me. I'm not gonna lie, at first I thought it was a joke so I called him and he wouldn't answer and so I emailed him back asking what was up and why would he do something like this. It was three days later and Matt calls me with news. Jeff had gotten some girl pregnant and he was now with her. He didn't have the guts to tell me to my face that we were over and then I find out what he was doing while I wasn't around. It hurt.
I got over it but, because of the way that he and ended and what I found out afterwards, I lost some friends over it. The girl he got pregnant was a really really good friend and I shared with her a lot of things however, now she won't speak to me. Some of the people I knew because of him wouldn't say two words to me anymore. I've forgiven and forgotten though and the people who really truly mattered stuck by me and helped me through it.
So I go back to writing and I get a call from Jared and this is the message he leaves: "Elizabeth! Big news! Paramount wants to make your screenplay into a movie! Call me as soon as you get this." So I called him and set up a meeting and after a few months of negotiations it fell through. And then around Christmas time I get the same message from Jared only this time instead of Paramount it Jerry Bruckheimer. I'm not gonna lie, I was in a state of complete shock. This guy is my idol I absoilutely love his work. So we set up a meeting and we start putting things into motion and the next thing I know I get a call from Jerry saying, "I've got Cameron Crowe who want to direct this film what do you think?"
"What do I think?" I was extatic! cameron Crowe is my faovrite director of all time and so i was thrilled. I got off the phone and I just screamed for like 5 minutes straight I was so excited.
This brings us to where I started this story. well its been a few months since then but the studio decided that this wasn't going to be put up for production in 2011 like they originally said it was and now they're thinking about putting it up for 2012 production. I really hope I get it. If not I know there are other studios out there and it is actually being passed around to other studios as we speak but I can't put all my hopes into this one basket so for now I'm putting it on hold and I'm finishing shcool (don't get me wrong if they want to put it into production I'm not going to stop them), I have a full scholarship in Arizona however it doesn't include housing so I'm trying to put enough money into savings to help while I go to school. I leave for Arizona in July of 2011 and I'm excited. I can't wait to leave here because I know I can't do very much while I'm here that helps me towards my goals and so I'm being proacttive and getting them fullfilled myself, even if it means scrimping and saving and occaisionally going without dinner. However, I've moved into my grandparent's house and so they keep me pretty well fed and support my decisions even if they don't like my dreams and goals too much.
Well that's that story and whatever happens next, I'm ready for it. So bring it on, whatever it may be.
As always,
Catch ya on the Flip Side;-p