Happy Monday, folks!
Another week of March has come and gone. And what a stressful week it was. The stories of violence, hatred, and darkness continue to flood our lives each and every day.
It just doesn’t let up.
And it is hard to not become emotional and begin to tear up when reading all the details.
One upside to this week was the fact that our church began official in-person worship yesterday for Palm Sunday–the first time in over a year. It was hard to not feel emotions of joy and happiness while playing the music and speaking the words within the service.
The feeling of togetherness and connection was so real, raw, and invigorating.
Anyhoo, I digress.
Time to get to this week’s post.
For the past six months, I have had the pleasure of housing a special “guest star” at Sunshine Cottage.
And this week, I have to say goodbye as he travels back to Ohio/New York.
So, this week’s post is for you, James.
My Dearest James,
Never in a million years did I think I would have the opportunity to have you as a roommate, but what a bright light for the shitty year that 2020 was.
I feel like I owe Instagram for bringing us together since I remember following you on your Legally Blonde tour journey while sliding into your DM’s when I would see you in Hershey recording music.
And then, I had the wonderful reality of being able to witness you RIGHT HERE IN LANCASTER–my favorite Instagram celebrity!
And I got to witness you master the role of Pepper in Mamma Mia at The Fulton.
And clearly seeing it once wasn’t enough since I literally saw it a total of four times.
Sorry not sorry. No shame.
In these past six months, I have witnessed you grasp with the reality of having to uproot your life quickly to supplement and pivot in a different direction since the world of theater and arts was traumatized by the pandemic.
You have grit, passion, SO much talent, a handsome smile, and just about every quality needed to find success in the world and you better believe that I will be coming to visit you as you rock Fire Island with your incredible talent and smolder.
In addition, when you make your premiere on Broadway, you better believe that Mr. Sunshine is going to expect front row tickets AND an autographed head shot.
During your time with me, I feel like you have seen me at some of my worst moments–from my painful eye injury to me screaming and yelling at my desk during work as you were trying to slumber upstairs.
I can’t tell you how much I have appreciated the morning coffee talks and human connection to just vent and talk about anything and everything. Whatever was happening in the world—I was sure to get the low down according to James and it was glorious.
I enjoyed being able to watch history being made when we watched the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
You introduced me to Malbec wine from the black box. I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it.
We got to go through the intensity of having a little mouse rodent scampering around the cottage wreaking havoc amongst our attempts to stay calm.
To add to this, I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed the moments of hearing you sing and play the piano–an instrument that has literally not been touched since I moved to Lancaster back in 2016.
You have forced me to open up my repertoire in regards to shows and series on Netflix, but were also gracious enough to sit and watch the occasional episode of Golden Girls with me too.
During your time here, we enjoyed full seasons of American Horror Story where we dimmed the lights and said the phrase “Oh no” a gazillion times as we sipped our adult beverages.
We also enjoyed the Bridgerton and Hollywood series, which were incredibly exhilarating and fun.
I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the fact that you were gracious enough to share the spotlight with me for your LIVE Instagram show, Yeah You Right to support my Miles 4 Smiles campaign. That, along with the LIVE Instagram Yeah You Right show on your birthday and doing some impromptu shots are two of my favorite moments that I got to share with you, especially the moment when I got to tickle the ivories as you belted Carrie Underwood.
We have experienced Fall fantasies of raking leaves in the backyard (well you raking and me watching from a distance), Winter fantasies of shoveling show off the front sidewalk, and Spring fantasies of belting showtunes with the piano in the living late on a Friday night as the open windows brought in a whisp of fresh air.
You have added the phrases of “werkkkk” and “come through” into my vocabulary and every time I hear them come out of my mouth, I will think of you.
You are one-of-a-kind. An original. You are THE James Oblak.
Thank you for being such a wonderful guest star at The Sunshine Cottage. I have had a blast and while I’m incredibly sad to see you go, I’m very excited to see what the future holds in store for you.
I wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors and sincerely hope you know that you will always have a home here at Sunshine Cottage if you ever find yourself back in Lancaster.
Thanks for the being the Blanche to my Rose.
You have my love forever and always.
All my hugs and love,
Mr. Sunshine
P.S.–My OnlyFans will be more popular than yours…haha. You didn’t think I could write an entire letter without giving you some classic Mr. Sunshine sass, did you?!
Well, folks. I’ll see you next week when it is officially April! I wish you all a joyous Easter holiday.
Sprinkle sunshine always,
JP!
Mr. Sunshine Smiles 