Empty Nester Rockstar – Arleen

I know you are going to love my next Empty Nester Rock Star! Meet Arleen, wife to Bill, mom to two grown kids, Jeremy and Emily, friend to me AND super talented singer, actress, and artist! Four years ago, Arleen and Bill did a sort of reverse empty nest – they are the ones who flew the coop! Bill’s job took them away from the Atlanta metro area to Greenville, SC. So, they left their kids to work, finish college, and tend to the house, while they started a new adventure in a new state. How fun is that?

Arleen and I met first at the football fields of our local rec league where our daughters both cheered for youth football teams and rec competition teams. Our girls cheered for different teams, but became team mates in middle school and high school where our friendship blossomed and we shared carpooling duties! And, as it is in the cheer world, we eventually ended up at the same competitive cheer gym. (It’s a small world, y’all!)

Before this new adventure, Arleen’s life was similar to a lot of ours in suburbia. Work and kids’ stuff. Boom. That’s all we had time and energy for, you know what I’m saying!? But, before all of that, Arleen made a living doing what she loved and was passionate about, singing and performing. Arleen’s love of singing started when she was about 5 and she landed the role of an Elf in her school play The Shoemaker and the Elves! She ended up with solos in her PTA programs and in 7^th grade asked for the solo in her church musical and sure enough, she got it! That’s it, she was hooked! Arleen became a professional performer at Six Flags Over Georgia, was a member of a female vocal band, Eclipse and eventually joined a band full time performing on weekends for weddings and corporate events.

This lifestyle was perfect for about 14 years into motherhood. She was home during the week while Bill worked, and worked weekends while Bill was home. Then those crazy years hit, middle school and high school, where your kids are CRAZY busy all day every day, even weekends, but they can’t drive yet. I know you know what I’m talking about! And, Arleen didn’t want to miss out on those times; the events, the games & competitions, the windshield time, etc. So, she let the band go, found a flexible “day job”, and joyfully spent weekends supporting her kids.

Fast forward ten years, Arleen & Bill are on their next great adventure in a new city. First day in Greenville, Arleen goes straight to Center Stage Theatre, a professional theater for the performing arts. Now is the time to rekindle that fire and get back on that stage! Over the last 4 years, Arleen has been in 4 shows; Hands on a Hard Body, Sister Act, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and Into the Woods. It’s a pretty grueling schedule with 7 weeks of practice, Monday – Friday 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm, not to mention tech rehearsals which are 12 hours days, and then 4 weeks of performances! Oh, and did I mention Arleen also has two jobs? Yep…superwoman, or crazy? Or maybe both? But, what an example and inspiration for those of us still on the cusp of empty nesting! I have loved watching her from afar pursue her passion and figuring out what her new normal looks like.

In her valuable spare time, Arleen is also a talented paper crafter. Arleen was my Close to my Heart rep back in the day, (I know you had one too!) and we had so much fun scrapbooking our lives! Now, her paper crafting is more for her own creative release, but I wish she would open up an online shop, quite honestly. She would make a killing, her work is gorgeous! She creates the most beautiful cards using so many different and unique techniques.  And what a lost art, the sending of an actual card in the mail. You can find her work at @designedbyarleen on Instagram.

Arleen is currently taking a break from performing as she and Bill are planning for their 35^th wedding anniversary trip to Europe where they will be visiting England, Scotland and Wales in the fall. And, after 35 years, Arleen says “yep, I still like him!” Arleen’s next goal is to focus on getting healthy and spending time on herself. She wants to have the energy and stamina to do all the great things they want to do on their trip, and fit comfortably in that airplane seat for that 8 hour flight!  No matter what she does, I know I’ll love following along on Arleen’s next adventure!

What are you doing to rekindle a lost passion in your life?  Comment below!