There's More to Oz?

I suppose first thing's first, I should explain what the title of our blog means. Word of warning, I sometimes write in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way, so just go with it :)

Backstory:
Most people probably aren't aware of the special connection Eric and I have to The Wizard of Oz and Wicked. When he was in the 6th grade, Eric landed the part of the Scarecrow (beating out the local snottykid in the process, heehee). He loved that role, and to the surprise of his parents, was an absolute natural, a totally charismatic actor, which he had never let on before. That all launched him on his beloved path to theater and all things wonderful. Theater opened up all sorts of doors, molded him into who he is now, and (much to my delight) helped quite a bit in our dating adventure.

Enter Marie. In the process of getting acquainted with Eric, he totally blew my mind by suggesting the improbable: Make plans, take off to LA, and with an utter gamble on luck, go see the Broadway musical Wicked. Such a thing had never been remotely conceivable, financially or otherwise, so when it happened you can imagine my absolute delight. I completely identified with the character Elphaba,  later took on the nickname Elfie, and ended up with a signed copy of the program from Glinda herself. The most salient thing was the fact that Eric had showed me that far-fetched dreams could actually come to fruition... something I'd sorta believed but was usually discouraged from by hard doses of reality.

It conveniently happens that in the musical, Scarecrow and Elfie get together, after a whole lot of finangling. That was us too.

What Oz Means:
Oz is a magical place. Sparkly, wonderful, ethereal. Seems like everybody's trying to get there. For me, meeting Eric is the little Yellow Brick Road: that was my journey with my Scarecrow, that whole dreamy business of going through a bunch of munchkins and apple-throwing trees to find someone to make the journey with, and dodge all sorts of hazards to arrive safely there (meddling ward members, breakups, other guys, 6,000+ miles...). Arriving at marriage was like arriving at Oz-- aforementioned journey complete, we have arrived at that gleaming city of beauty and happiness. And it is happy.

The thing, though, is that the story plunks you back into bleary Kansas, and doesn't tell you what happens afterward-- the place Beyond Oz.
That's what we're here for. We've not only made it to our eternal-ephemeral castle, but we're adventuring past that. We're walking arm in arm, strolling past the cornfields and daisies, fending off chucked apples and haunted woods. The best part is that I get to do it all with my best friend and co-star. We'll chronicle it all for ya. Welcome to the land beyond Oz.


Eric's Take:
Eric says 'Oz' is the English-language first-person collective, spoken with an accent. His version of what "Oz is" might be a bit shorter and more grammatically complex than mine :). I'll let him tell his side of the story.