{On the Set}

One of the perks of my husband's job is that I get to laugh a lot. He owns a video production company, and he and his crew are witty, entertaining and downright funny. Every once in a while home and work collide, and we get front row seats on all the action.

I love those days.

This week we not only had front row seats, but we got to be part of the cast and crew as well. Along with three dogs and two cats.

Now, if you've had any experience in the industry (or if you simply have an ounce of imagination), you know that working with untrained animals and children on a set can be . . . challenging.

This day proved to be just that.

Kittens do not stay put. Children who are allergic to them tend to sneeze and wipe their faces and turn red.

Dogs whine. So do children.

And so went the day.

We were shooting at my sister's house while she and her husband were out of town. My parents, who were house sitting for them, were relegated to the loft with my two-year-old niece. Who was coming down with a fever. And a cough. (Yes, the camera audio picks up coughs.)

The audio also picks up clicking sounds. Jamie had announced "Quiet on the set!" The children were obediently hushed as I sternly gazed at them with my serious mother eyes.

Yet still there was a distinct clicking sound. Likely one of the dogs was scurrying across the hardwood floor. We did a quick head count. No scurrying dogs.

The clicking continued. Jamie had an epiphany and called up to my loft-bound mother. "Um, Diane? Are you . . . typing?"

Diane stopped typing. "No . . . not anymore . . . ."

No more clicking.

And action.

My dad had to run to the store to get Tylenol for the feverish Clara. Maizy, our Corgi, was driven to distraction by the furry creatures surrounding her. Clara coughed. Avery whined. The light smoked. I touched up Jamie's makeup and brushed back Avery's pig tails. The kittens disappeared under the couch. Aidan sneezed.

And so on.

Needless to say, when we finished that final scene there was a general sense of relief in the air. We quickly pulled the house back into order, thankful that poor Clara could finally rest and snuggle with her Papa while watching Shaun the Sheep.

Into the van we piled: three adults, four children, two cats, one dog and a hefty amount of video equipment. Yes, it smelled.

But you know what? I still laughed. Because even when it's stinky and tiring and inconvenient, I love my husband's job.

 And I'm pretty sure that he does, too.