It was only a few weeks later that I received an e-mail that I was being flown to Chicago to meet with the producers. I didn’t know how many people got to come to these “callbacks” but I read somewhere it was maybe 40-60 people. My only plan was to just go and be myself and have fun and enjoy the moment. After all, how many times in my life was I going to be flown somewhere to meet with a casting director? The casting office in Chicago made all my arrangements and I was flown into Chicago on a February evening. I took the train into Chicago and then proceeded to get lost and wandered around downtown Chicago for about an hour before I found the hotel. Fortunately, there were lots of street lights and people out and about even though it was quite late, but I still was getting frustrated because it was very cold and I couldn’t figure out the direction to go for the longest time even though I had a map of downtown Chicago in my hands! I have come to rely on my phone to tell me directions but my phone was out of battery and without it, I was literally lost for a bit. As I wandered, I laughed to myself that maybe finding the hotel was the first challenge in the Alt for Norge competition and I was failing miserably! Finally, I got going in the right direction and knew I was getting close. I actually walked right by the hotel several times before I found it. It was a very cool place – and looked like no other hotel I had ever been to. Once I could plug in my phone, I called my husband and told him I wasn’t nearly cool enough to be at that hotel. (This is the hotel: http://www.acmehotelcompany.com/) There was great artwork everywhere and just a vibe that was the opposite of a regular chain hotel in most every way. I set down my small bag in my hotel room and immediately went down to the bar for a ridiculously expensive martini and appetizer. Then, off to bed – I had to get up early the next morning to go to my audition!
It was pouring rain the next morning and I had to make it across Chicago to the casting office. The casting office had given me directions for how to take the bus there but after getting lost the night before, and not having taken a city bus for about twenty years, I decided to just ask the front desk to get a cab for me and that worked out really well. I made it to the casting office with about an hour to spare so I walked to a nearby coffee shop and had some coffee and a scone.
When the time got closer, I walked back to the casting office and entered. I had to fill out some forms and then waited for just a short time before the casting director, Joan O’Connor, came out to greet me. She told me that the Norwegian producers would be in one corner of the room and I could greet them but when I answered the questions, to talk to her and not them. She brought me into the room and I greeted the Norwegians – who all seemed to be impossibly good-looking and very well-dressed. I sat down and began to answer the questions and I don’t remember a lot of the questions. I do remember she asked me what my parents would think if they knew I got to go to Norway, and just the thought of that made me tear up. I said that they would be so glad to know I had the chance to go even though they never got that opportunity. She probably only interviewed me for ten minutes and then I was done. I remember she remarked that I “looked really good on camera” – which I enjoyed hearing. I didn’t get to meet any other people who were there auditioning. Just like that, my moment auditioning for something was over and it was time to go home.
It was just a few days later I was sitting in a meeting and I got an e-mail that Joan O’Connor, the casting director, had a few more questions for me and she wanted to Facetime with me sometime that day. It turned out she only had one question, which was, “Do you still want to go to Norway?” And I found out I was selected. I could not freaking believe it. I still can’t.
Right after I finished talking to Joan, I went to eat lunch with the other pastors in the meeting and could hardly eat a bite. I called Chad and told him the good news. A little later that day, I told the bishop’s assistant who was there at the meeting, and as soon as our activities for the day were over, I went to my room and watched Alt for Norge videos on youtube and marveled at what was to come.
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