Low and, uh, less low

"It's always darkest before the dawn."

My dad said those well-meaning, totally cliche words to me on a dark night in Murray when I was the most stressed and depressed during my unemployment. I was running out of money and in the beginning stages of looking for work. My self-esteem was shot. Every bad piece of luck felt like a huge blow. In my unhappy state of mind, nothing was going my way.

And then I hit a curb on the way to get fries at Wendy's after a Friday-night movie, and one of my tires blew. I calmly pulled into a well-lit parking lot and called my dad for advice. He found me within minutes, and he and a generous passerby put my dad's spare tire on my car (our cars are close in make and model). My tires were less than a year old! They weren't supposed to give out so quickly! I couldn't afford another new tire right then! Dad gave me a huge hug and said those kind words while I cried. I could feel his love and his helplessness; his desire to do or say anything that would give comfort. I love that man.

He went home, and I decided to continue to Wendy's. They were out of fries. I asked how long ago they'd sold out, and it had been about half an hour. I would have been in time if I hadn't blown that tire.

I had to laugh.

And you know what? Dad was right. That was the very worst; the darkest day. After that, things seemed to pick up for me. Or maybe it was my attitude.

The next morning, I auditioned for Big River at Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley. I didn't end up being cast, but I belted "I'll Fly Away" and scored a callback where I know I did well and had a good time.

Later that same morning, I headed to a price club for tires and learned that since they were still under warranty all I had to pay for was installation. A brand-new tire for $17? Yes, please!

I stopped to eat a slice of pizza, and a buff, young guy ditched his friends to chat me up for about ten minutes before giving me his phone number. Based on the conversation and some other indicators, I ended up not calling him, but it's been so long since a man made a move on his own that I took that for a sign of good things to come. It's nice to feel admired and desired. A nice change.

The day was such a stark contrast to the night before, I knew that it had to be a tender mercy from God. He'd prompted Dad to say those words, encouraging me to look for the good and hope for the best. Life seemed to get better from then on, and it continues every day. I am grateful!

The next week, Dad bought me my own spare tire. When I went to the dealership to pick it up, the cashier joked that now I have one I'll probably never need it. I told her that would be just fine with me!

Sizzling July

July was busy, busy, busy! I opened and closed 1776, celebrated two holidays, attended quite a few plays, and still had time to spare for friends and family.

In case you have ever wondered what it looks like when I brush my hair.
This is what I imagine J.K. Rowling means when she talks about Hermione's "bushy, brown hair."

Independence Day

The celebration of America coincides with my grandmother's birthday, and we had extended family over to my parents' house for a party. I think my favorite part was having a lot of little kids and a few teenagers running around. Our family is growing and it's wonderful. I love hanging out with these people.

Gram says she doesn't feel "a day over 93." ;)
I hope, if I live that long, that I'm as sassy and spry as she!

My family knows how to cook and eat

For years to come, my 1776 show shirt will likely be my go-to for 4th of July festivities

My dad is adorable

Cookies by Mom.
I have yet to find a better sugar cookie.

Mom's eyes are closed, as usual. I'm starting to think that she does it on purpose to keep from posting photos of her.

Propelling a bottle in the air with water and air pressure -- entertaining for hours!

Cousins make the best friends

Credit for this photo goes to my niece Zonks.
She delights in photography and has a pretty good eye!

Show-going

I found some time to support a lot of my friends in their shows this summer. It's a daunting feat, especially since 1) my own show ate up so much time, and 2) a lot of the runs overlapped.

The Little Mermaid - Hale Centre Theatre

Ursala and the eels were my favorite. The roller-skating was just so cool!
Shout-out to Jeremy on the left who remembers me even though it's been 5 years!

Ames was brilliant as Chef Louis. He was definitely a show highlight!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Taylorsville

Every time I go to see Joseph I think, "Ugh, Joseph again?" But this production surprised and delighted me. I loved the modern costumes and characters, Larissa's choreography and that of her assistants was awesome and well-executed (particularly the Pharoah's "Uptown Funk"-inspired number), and there were a lot of just plain fun moments. I missed most of "Go, Go, Go Joseph" because I could not take my eyes off the Baker eating her cupcake in despair (she was sentenced to death, after all). I'm a little sad that I went closing night, because it meant I couldn't tell the wide world they needed to go.

Jamie and the cupcake - hilarious!

Beauty and the Beast in Herriman

I've never really cared to play a role in this play, but after this production, I really want to! It was visually gorgeous -- Herriman spared no expense -- and I loved a lot of the characters, particularly Gaston, the Silly Girls, and the enchanted objects in the castle. The Beast was hindered by his bulky costume, but his acting was darling and sincere nevertheless. I'm glad that I could support Theresa in her biggest role yet -- Silly Girl #1. She keeps growing in confidence and skill, and she's so fun to watch!

Dad's birthday

My dad is adorable. He and I went out to eat earlier in the month to celebrate one-on-one, and it was great to see him in his element as patriarch of the family. I get much of my work ethic and sense of humor from him. I'm grateful his is my dad and I'm excited to see what adventures he creates for himself and the rest of us this year.

Changes at work

We're implementing a new method of tracking and releasing our software this year. This month, my development team started the new program. It means we have a LOT more meetings (and the meetings we had already have been significantly shortened). While getting used to all the team time, I doodled just a little. Change is hard, but I think it will be worth it. I'm already seeing pluses with the way we work together - hooray!

Martha Jefferson and Abigail Adams

Captain America and River Song

Ant-Man

I enjoyed this movie so much that I saw it twice! It had a different vibe from the other Marvel movies, and was silly, and funny, and fun. The first time I saw it, I went on a Tuesday and got a recliner seat for only $5. I decided my mom needed to see it, so Aaron and I took her a week later, and they liked it, too (though, having missed the last couple of films, Mom didn't know who Falcon was).

Can you see my feel propped up at the bottom of this photo? Obviously I didn't want to use a flash :P

A few days later, a couple told me they hadn't caught up on the Marvel movies, so I sketched them out, in order, from memory. Because I am that nerdy and awesome.

Random merriment

While at Ant-Man, my mom mentioned that she'd seen something about the Share a Coke campaign, but had never actually seen names. She'd only seen things like "Superstar", "Mom", and the like. The next day I found some displays at my local grocery store and a lot of our family member's names were there. I enjoyed putting together this Brady Bunch-inspired collage, and putting myself as Alice :D

My Instagram caption:
"Pretty excited to #shareacoke with my parents and siblings. Too bad they spelled Dad's, Lindsey's, Aaron's, and Jordyn's names wrong :P Sorry, guys!"
(FYI, Dad is "Reginald", and Aaron is "Edward.")

While viewing the photos taken during 1776, I found the one on the bottom right. I proceeded to post this picture with the following caption:

"I see this face in photos and always wonder, "When the heck do I do THAT?!" I've finally figured it out: This is my "I'm singing and acting and my character is having a great time" face. Consequently, I'll only be playing sad people or non-singing roles from now on." #whytheface #scrunchednose

Looking at my plethora of books and bookshelves, I pulled a bunch that I'd like to read ASAP (you know, 'cause I have so much free time). It's an impressive stack, especially when you take in to account that most of them are part of series and I only included a few books, and that I have at least 15 more on my Kindle.

I was stuck for a while on how to choose, and then the decision was made for me when Harry Potter's birthday came up on the 31st. I'd wanted to read the actual novels instead of listening to them on tape as I do every year, but after the first I devolved onto the tapes so I could start Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, too.

And now it's August. Looks like I'll get a little bit of a breather schedule-wise, so I hope I make the most of it and spend boatloads of time with the people I like best. I have the most terrific family and friends in the world. I'd also like to spend some time outside, and see some more plays, and go to the Shakespeare Festival. And if another show opportunity comes up for me, I won't slap it away. Just want to enjoy summer as much as I can before autumn comes and my allergies ruin everything!

Happy New Year!

Last year, I spent New Year's Eve and Day at Disneyland. It was pretty awesome. The moment of the New Year was fairly standard, but any time spent at Disneyland is usually pretty darn awesome!

Anyway, I knew I wanted to do something fun and different again this year. No going-to-the-movies-and-skipping, and I couldn't get excited about the various dances.

Heather and Ann are on the right

Imagine my delight, then, when my friend Ann invited me to spend New Year's Eve with her friends at the Hale Centre Theater - West Valley New Year's Eve party! I've been hearing about it for years now and I've been curious. Not only that, but I was excited to hang out with Ann and my friend Sylinda!

A group of us got together beforehand for dinner at the Cracker Barrel. I only knew a couple people. Fortunately, Ann has good taste in friends, and I was in a socializing mood :)

Sylinda and the rest of our friends met us at the theater. We were treated like royalty! We were each given a tiara or hat, two different kinds of noisemakers, and streamers to throw at the big moment.

We found our seat and enjoyed the pre-performance band. I should have volunteered to play name that "musical" tune -- I would have kicked heiney!! Theater co-owner Sally Dietlein cracked me up with her MC-ing. I think there's a requirement somewhere that the owner of a theater have massive amounts of energy, and a healthy dose of wackiness, 'cause everyone I've met has that same unpredictable, lovable personality ;-) I love that lady (anyone who says I remind her of Bernadette Peters is okay in my book).

Sylinda's on the right behind me :)

We watched the first act of the play, Games Afoot. At the beginning of intermission, Sally designated a volunteer to watch his clock and give us a countdown when ten seconds away from midnight. Then we got to stuff our faces with a terrific late-night buffet!

About twenty minutes into the second act, the kid with the watch jumped up and shouted, "TEN, NINE, EIGHT...!" It was funny to see the look on the actor's faces, especially Kylee Bird, who had just barely entered the stage. The rest all ran out to finish the countdown with the rest of us, and when we all shouted, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" pandemonium broke out! People were cheering and singing and throwing streamers and using the noisemakers, and someone dropped a bajillion balloons onto the audience and stage. I spotted one of the women in the cast seeking out her husband in the audience; he climbed over half his row to kiss her (so cute!)! Unfortunately, it was my first time with streamers, and since I was near the back I probably hit someone in the front rows with a clump of not-unravelled streamers! Oh, well.

It took a bit of doing for the cast to quiet us down again :-D

My favorite part was that nobody bothered to clean up the balloons, so the cast just waded through them for the rest of the show. The dead body showed up at one point, head rested on one of them -- the audience about died! Another guy kept accidentally stepping on them someone else made a flatulence joke. The best was the inspector, who kept referring to the balloons as symbolic of the utter craziness going on in the mansion (it IS a murder mystery, after all). Totally good times.

The play itself was quite entertaining, though not as hilarious as I'd expected. The script was not great, but the actors and costumes MORE than made up for it (seriously, I want the blue velvet dress in this photo; it is stunning).

Photo taken by Doug Carter

I have tickets to go again in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to it!

This was definitely one of my favorite New Year's celebrations... I'm already planning to do it again either next year or the next.

Hope you all enjoyed yourself, whatever you were doing!

A Christmas Carol Callback

The callback was a lot of fun interspersed with severe disappointment and hideous nerves. All in all, I thought it went well. I arrived about 20 minutes early and found a HUGE mass of people crammed into the backstage/rehearsal hall. I felt grateful that the pro team had the foresight to get the octet vocal callback done the Saturday before! As it was, I know suspect they were still reading people at midnight.

But I wasn't there quite that long. I had a chance to dance pretty early on. It was a pretty crazy dance. I stood in the back and felt like a dope... until it finally sunk in that I and everyone else was supposed to be silly and just have fun. So I did! I tried to relax and not worry too much about my dignity. We had a chunk of music where we got to do whatever we wanted. I hoped we would get that! All I wanted to do was the "dying swan" and I did! And I think I got a laugh (it's possible the others were laughing at something else).

When we finished dancing I sat and chatted with my besty and some other fun people. Then they called all of the adults into the music rehearsal hall. We filled the entire room. I watched the candidates read for solicitors and the Old Joe scene. It took awhile and yet didn't feel like it was very long. I thought about the talent in the room, and about how I have a week's worth of conflicts which is a little excessive when the run is only 3 weeks long. I decided that since my chances weren't as great as they should be I should cast off my fears and play as much as I could.

About 9pm the pro team left the room to talk about us, and I hadn't done anything since about 7:45. I happened to be sitting on the front row (very unlike me) when Anne came in and requested three volunteers -- a bass, an alto, and a soprano. Well, I ran to the front of the room and picked the alto part! We ended up taking another guy into the dance rehearsal hall and taught him the tenor part along with the quirks Anne wanted. It was awesome! This way, even if I wasn't cast I still got to sing the song one more time! I regret choosing to sing alto. I didn't love it. Next time I am going to rock the soprano.

Not long after that I was told I could go home. I didn't get to read for any parts, but I don't mind. I left feeling very satisfied with my efforts and realistic about my excellent chances (except maybe for the conflicts, but I am not about to skip my family vacation, even for the Hale).

After the callback, I "rewarded" myself with a meal from Carl's Junior. I used to love their food but Wednesday's burger, fries, and shake were very disappointing. Sad. I'm all junk fooded out. Get me a salad STAT!

They made most of the casting calls yesterday and they didn't call me. So, it seems it didn't work out this time. BUT a lot of my talented friends were cast and I could not be more thrilled! I am even considering actually paying for a ticket to see the show. I am just so proud of them! They deserve their success!

I have come out of the experience feeling grateful and happy. I needed a good audition at the Hale. I feel really good about my talent and hopeful about auditioning there in the future. I really do want to work with Anne sometime!

Meanwhile, I have another audition tomorrow morning. And if that doesn't work out there are several other shows coming up that I want to take a shot at. Although, I will miss the lovely down time I've been enjoying!

And, just because it makes me happy everytime I watch it because I adore every person in it so much, here's a rough rehearsal video from the time I actually did Carol at Hale. Good memories!

Not a mind reader (a.k.a. Do they want me in their show?)

I auditioned for A Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater on Saturday. I've been pretty traumatized in past years by the audition process for this particular show and production team, but I decided this year to audition for me instead of worrying about the outcome. I worked a lot on my mindset so I could just enjoy singing a song that I love to sing and reading a line in a British accent because I love affecting an accent. I rehearsed really hard the three days beforehand, and in spite of the fact that I changed my mind Friday night and decided to sing "Far Far Away on Judea's Plains" rather than "The First Noel", I felt good and ready. (Check out this version - gorgeous!)

Of course, I was nervous for the audition. I warmed up and practiced a bit too much the morning of and worried that my voice would sound hoarse. Luckily, I was first in my group so I got to do my thing and then sit and watch the rest of those ridiculously talented people. I feel that I sang as well as I could considering my nerves and the unfamiliar accoustics in the room; it was adequate but perhaps not impressive. I am proud of the line reading though! I read one of Mrs. Cratchit's lines, and I know I nailed the accent and diction. I sat down feeling rather pleased. When we were done the Pro team told us to wait outside to find out whether we were called back. So, I chatted with a Kiss Me Kate acquaintance who had been in my group while another group went in. It seemed to take ages, but finally the production team called out the names of the lucky people called back.

My name was the first one she called out!

I was surprised and happy and grateful -- the outside observer might call it blase (blah-zay) because I didn't express a huge thrill of excitement and relief. This was my 7th audition for this show in the last 8 years, and only my 3rd callback. I did the show once, and the next year I didn't even get a callback, so when I say I was surprised on Saturday, I mean it. Getting called back at Hale is no small feat! At the same time, I can honestly say my world would not have ended if my name had not been called. I could NOT have said that last year (which is why I skipped the audition last year).

Anyway, they called me back for 4pm that same day, which as far as I know they have not done before. Sooo, I ran home for some dinner and to finish watching A Tale of Two Cities which turned out to be a big mistake because I wanted to cry at the ending (in a good way; I'm excited to read the book!) I returned at 4 and joined about 50 or 60 other people in the music rehearsal hall. Right away I found several people I know -- it's so awesome how small and supportive the theatre community is!

The production team members introduced themselves, and then turned the time over to the brilliant Anne Puzey to teach us "Deck the Hall" -- the hardest song in the show. Luckily, since I've done the show before I felt pretty solid after just a few runthroughs. I was sitting in the midst of a bunch of boys while we learned and I held my own and was even able to help another girl who wanted to try the alto part (I love being able to hear all the harmonies!) I even remembered most of the dynamics and specifics Anne taught us.

Once we were somewhat/pretty confident, Anne started calling us up in quartets to see how well we can hold our own and blend with others. She kindly gave each group at least 2 chances to sing together; the first time with her playing the piano and the second A capella. After the first runthrough she gave us all some directions, like when I sang alto she told me to sing lighter and the soprano to sing louder. I tried both the soprano and alto parts, but I was afraid of singing too loudly as a soprano so I ended up being really soft. Don't think I was impressive as a soprano. However, Anne had me sing the alto part in two groups and for the most part I felt successful!

As you can imagine, listening to 50 or 60 people sing multiple times can take awhile, but we were only there about two hours, at the end of which the director told us all to return on Wednesday to dance. I have no idea if we'll be singing again or if they'll ask me to read for a part. Honestly, everyone at that callback was so fantastic I have no idea who they liked enough to cast. They could cast almost any person there and have a gorgeous show. I'm just following along to see what happens!

I left feeling good about myself and hoping that I get to work with Anne sometime in the future; I honestly feel like a better singer after that experience. It was one of the more fun callbacks (pre-callback?) I've been to in ages. It probably helps that I have no expectations. I want to do well, but even if I do there is no guarantee I'll be cast. I'll just go have fun tomorrow, be grateful for the experience and the opportunity, and hope for the best.

I'll keep you posted!

(This post was typed exclusively one-handed. Try it; it's harder than you'd think and takes FOR-E-HEH-HEH-VER! I am officially giving my injured primary wrist a break. I am so totally ready for it to be well again!)

Post-show receiving lines...blech.

I hate it when I go to a play where I kind of know the people I know, but not well enough to carry a comfortable conversation.

Do I seek these acquaintances out and tell them how cute they were and how much I enjoyed the show? What if they want to talk more than I do? Or if I'm talking with someone I do know well and the quasi-friend comes over and looks at me expectantly like I'm supposed to talk with them (if they're talking to a good friend I just wave and continue past). If I don't talk with them and they see me leave will they be offended? Am I even good enough friends to try to be casual? What I say "Hi" and they don't really remember me? I just feel so lame when I am totally friendly and they act like, "okay, okay, good to see you and buh-bye!" It makes me loathe theatres that send their castmembers into the lobby after a play. It's always so awkward. I don't even like doing that when I am one of the cast members, 'cause you can see that EVERYBODY is uncomfortable. Doubt plagues me. Maybe there is no solution. Blech.

Tonight I saw The Pirates of Penzance at Hale Center Theatre and LOVED it! The dialogue was slow and a little muddled, but the singing and costumes and characters were great. I cried during "Poor Wandering One" because Mabel's voice was so lovely. I can't imagine singing like that. She was the only one I talked with afterward. I just heaped praises on her. There were other people I probably should have talked with, but I didn't see the one I really know well, so I sort of snuck out and hoped no one noticed.

Though HCT did a fantastic job with the silly material, I will admit that I just love the play. In fact, the worst production I ever saw was another version of TPOP. I felt sorry for that little production. They tried so hard and had some brilliant moments. Since I already know the story and all the jokes I decided just to enjoy it and have fun with it ! I may have been the only person in the audience (granted, there were only about 20 of us) who laughed at all. But I did end up having a great time! The cast noticed, too, because during the finale one of the pirates grabbed me from the front row and took me into the middle of the stage to waltz with him. Awesome! Of course, the cast was standing in the way of the exit at the end, so I told them all how much fun I had. I did not lie and tell them the show was good. Individuals, yes. As a whole, not so much.

During Seven Brides, it was so weird to me whenever a stranger would come to me and tell me how well I had done. Weirder still were those who couldn't praise me enough! It was nice, but every time I would think, "Oh my goodness! That's right, I'm the lead!" It was crazy every time. I didn't mind the people who just tried to sneak past without saying anything. They always looked so embarassed. That's just sad. Here we've worked so hard to entertain and help everyone enjoy the evening and it ends with a moment of awkwardness. I hope it doesn't end up ruining the whole evening.

Hmm, I've kind of allowed my awkwardness tonight ruin my evening. Uncool! I loved the show! Next time I see those acquaintances I'll tell them so. And they'll know I am even more sincere because I had to go out of my way to tell them. Yeah, that's what I'm going to to!

I feel better.

Audience Etiquette Monitor

This blog post is dedicated to Candice who blogged about rude theatre patrons yesterday.

Tonight, my parents, my grandmother and I finally got to see Curtains at Hale Centre Theatre. I've been waiting forever and it was totally worth it! I'm going to try to see it again. It was hilarious and the music and dancing was fun.

Before the show started, my mom pointed to a guy in the row in front of us who was talking to his kids. She said, "I bet that guy talks through the whole show." I told her that wasn't going to happen, because I was not afraid to tell him -- or anyone else -- to be quiet.

Fortunately, him talking didn't seem to be a problem, because about ten minutes into the show, he fell asleep. I could tell because he was snoring. Somewhat loudly. I missed an entire song because I kept hearing him. One of his two tweens woke him up at one point, but when he fell asleep the second time he started snoring even louder. It finally culminated in a snort loud enough that the entire section I was sitting in turned around to stare. And by entire section, I mean at least 50 people that I noticed from my peripheral vision.

You would think a snore that loud would wake him up. Oh no. Not this guy. He got in at least one more decent snore before I leaned over my grandma and two other people and whacked him with my program. If he had been any closer to me I would have been more gentle, or if we had been closer to the aisle I would have flagged down an usher, but I had all those people in between us and I was in the middle of the row and no one else was doing anything!

The guy did not react to my first whack, so I hit him again, harder, in the head. He snorted awake and looked at me with surprise. I said something like "You were snoring really loudly!" To his credit, he stayed awake the entire rest of the show -- both acts. I was surprised that he stayed for the second act. He even shushed his clearly restless kids a couple of times. He could have quieted them more, but it was obvious he was trying and I appreciate that.

During intermission, the guy sitting in front of the guy who had fallen asleep flagged me down and gave me a thumbs up. He'd wanted to do something about the snoring, but didn't know what, so he was grateful to me. Then I ran into Lizzy, who is an usher at Hale and a friend of mine. She had heard and seen the whole incident and re-enacted it for some of the other ushers. I was embarrassed but proud. But hey, it had to be done, right?

Just call me the Audience Etiquette Monitor. I stand up for all those in the audience who don't know what to do with a rude audience member; It's one of the few times I'm brave. I will continue in my crusade as often as I need to in order to enjoy whatever movie, play, or recital I'm watching!

Kiss Me Earnest

I auditioned for two plays today.

The first was The Importance of Being Earnest at Hale Centre Theatre West Valley City. Miss Cecily Cardew is one of my absolute dream roles! I have been preparing for this audition for weeks. I haven't auditioned for a straight play in awhile, and I really, really wanted to give myself the best chance possible. I even solicited help from two trusted friends, Kate and Stephanie J, who gave me wonderful advice and encouragement. (This is the audition I was referring to in the Audition post. I had to scrap the original monologue, but I think my audition was the better for that week of work.)

Even after rehearsing for a solid week and really working on the reading the director requested, I was nervous this morning. But I went in and gave it all I had. I feel great about it. I couldn't have done any more than I did. I know I was good and I had fun! I was actually surprised that I wasn't called back. I am probably more disappointed than I will admit to myself. I've heard some rumors since this morning about what they were looking for with Cecily, and there's nothing I could have done about the "wishes" that I don't meet. It's just the way it is so I won't worry at it. I have absolutely no regrets about the audition. I am glad that I gave it a shot and that I did so well!

I just hope I have another opportunity soon to audition for Earnest again. I really do want to play Cecily someday!

To take some of the pressure of the Earnest audition off, I decided to audition for Kiss Me Kate at Rodgers Memorial Theatre today, too. I figured, if I wasn't called back for Earnest then I'd still get to go sing and dance and have some fun, and if I was called back for Earnest it would be something to do with the excited energy.

I was thrilled when I pulled into the parking lot and saw my friend Austin walking past. He had just auditioned too! He came with me and waited for me to sing so that we could grab some lunch together before the dance audition (I think it's a great idea to dance as part of the initial audition to give people a second chance at a call back). I literally selected a song at midnight last night and then rehearsed it the entire hour in between the Earnest and Kate auditions this morning. I sang "42nd Street" which I know well, and I think I did fine if not good. I just love to sing!

Austin and I ate burgers at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries and still had plenty of time to hang out before the dance audition. We had the option to do an easy dance and/or a difficult one, since not all of the parts require a lot of dancing. I chose to do both, but I really wasn't feeling the easy dance. After I finished, I thought "This is lame. What am I even doing here?"

I enjoyed the difficult dance more. It was freakishly fast and hard, but I was able to do it and I had fun. I felt a little intimidated by some of the other women there. Looking around and watching the other girls I realized what an un-Fosse-esque body I have. I danced fine, but I don't think I looked quite right. Crazy. I could do the steps and was proud of myself at the end. I don't have much training, but I do like to dance!

I didn't get called back for Kiss Me Kate, either. It's probably just as well. I should probably finish Sleeping Beauty before I get too deep into another show!

The funniest part of today? After I finished my Earnest audition, while I waited to find out of I'd been called back, I pulled out the book I'm reading -- Persuasion by Jane Austen. The second paragraph I read said:

"It is over! it is over!" she repeated to herself again, and again, in nervous gratitude. "The worst is over!"

Ain't that the truth? Classic!

August Odds and Ends

The longer I look at the word "report" the less meaning it has and the more it looks like it's spelled incorrectly. Same with the word "tree."

I am now the owner of the best paper doll book of all time. It was necessary to buy it. There are six Disney Princesses (Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora, and Snow White) and they're all standing in the same position, so I can mix and match the 150 outfits! It's awesome! I saw the book at Albertsons last month, leafed through it, and then put it down because I'm 30 and have no use for a paper doll book. I could buy it on the pretense of giving it to my 3 month old nieces, but if I were to buy it I'd want it for me! Well, a week later I really, really wanted it, but it was gone. I even checked a bunch of Albertsons stores. I ordered it online and now it's mine! I don't even feel the need to punch out the dolls and clothes right away. I'm just happy having it on my bookshelf for a rainy day...

Traffic school was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was pulled over for not fully yielding at a stop sign and I don't remember if I did or I didn't. I probably stopped but it might have been at the curb instead of the line. Anyway, I had never been to traffic school before -- and I qualified -- so I thought I'd give it a shot. One of my friends said she went to traffic school in Sandy and it was three hours long and super boring. Luckily, I was pulled over in Midvale, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was only an hour long, and the officer in charge went over a bunch of traffic rules he's most likely to pull people over for. (Oddly, he never mentioned mine, and I forgot to ask about it so I'm still not entirely sure what I did wrong.)

My company is doing an office-wide challenge where the person or team of people who log the most steps wins some sort of prize. I admit, I haven't been paying a lot of attention to what's involved. I don't walk or run for excercise, so I'm more doing it just for fun. I am enjoying the pedometer part, however :) We each recieved one for free, complete with company logo across the front. I lost the first pedometer within 24 hours; I put it on when I stepped out of the car, but by the time I sat at my desk it was gone. The second one died after too weeks, possibly because I dropped it so many times. It wouldn't stay clipped to my pants! So, I bought a third. I've had it two days and it seems fine so far. I learned today that it's possible to cheat with the company-issued pedometer by adjusting the stride of your steps. Like I said, I'm not taking the whole thing very seriously. Just having fun so I'm not too worried about it.

Pantene hair products have treated me very well for the last couple of years, but I decided to try something else. From some study I read somewhere (how's that for specific?) curly blonde hair is the most prone of all hair types to damage, because it's often so fine and snarly. Well, a friend recommended I try sulphate-free shampoo to keep my hair from drying out so much, so I'm using L'Oreal EverPure. It smells amazing, though I haven't noticed a huge difference in my hair's hydration level. I can't say my hair looks better, but that may be because I'm washing it in the morning instead of at night. I get really warm while sleeping, and that coupled with my reluctance to turn the A/C on means I need to shower in the morning during the summer. However, since my hair now dries vertically while I'm doing my morning activities instead of lying on my pillow at night it doesn't dry as crazy-curly as I prefer. I may go back to showering at night come wintertime. My hair was way cuter during Babes in Toyland than it is now. I'm glad it's getting longer though and it does seem more healthy!

It's official. I'm bummed I didn't do a show this summer. I originally decided not to do one because we were supposed to have the big deadline at work July 15. Then in May it was postponed until January 15 which means it may foul up my winter-performing plans. Or I may do a show anyway and REALLY not have a social life. I haven't decided. But I almost-desperately miss performing!!! Thank goodness so many of my friends have been in shows -- giving me an excuse and reminder to go -- otherwise I'd be in complete withdrawls. In the last three weeks I've seen James Blond at the Desert Star Playhouse, The Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale, Once Upon a Mattress at the Empress, and Lucky Stiff at Rogers Memorial. The latter three are now on the "shows I want to do someday" list... which just keeps growing and growing! (They were all fantastic, though. Go if you still can! They close soon!)

Thoughts on a Thursday

Just a few things I've had on my mind that I want to share with the interWeb:

1. I learned on Monday that being afraid that I won't know anyone at Family Home Evening is NOT a good reason not to go. I learned this because that was the main reason I considered staying home. I decided to go, and when I arrived at the church to carpool to the party I knew three of the five people already waiting around. I ended up being one of the last to leave because I had so many people to talk to.

I think this could apply to the rest of my life. I am too afraid of fear. I need to get over that and improve my quality of life! I am cute and fun -- even if I hadn't known anyone there, who wouldn't want to talk with me, right?!

2. Sometimes I get really morbid and start worrying about living by myself. If I died alone in my apartment, how long would it take for someone to find me? Would anyone at work check on me within three days? If I died on a Monday, would anyone in my family notice before Sunday, and even if they did would they come over to physically check if I didn't answer their calls?

This is NOT me begging for more time and attention from anyone. I KNOW this is a silly thing to worry about but still I sometimes wonder. I'm thinking like a little old lady already...except I don't want cats to keep my company...

3. I finally saw Hello Dolly! at HCT last night and it was phenomenal! It's probably one of my top 10 favorite plays I've seen there (and as a long-time season ticket holder I have seen quite a few of their shows). The dancing was great, the characters were great, the costumes were great. Dolly Levi is officially one of my new dream roles. The cast was wonderful, though sadly it turns out I know a lot more people in the other cast. Oh well.

Hi Lizzy! It was fun to see you last night! I'm excited to check our your blog today!

4. I have started watching the t.v. show Mad Men on Comcast's On Demand. They didn't have season 1, so I'll have to rent it later, but I'm five episodes into season 2 and it's awesome! I very much wish women still dressed the way they did then. I love, love, love pretty much everything Joan wears. I may not be as curvy as she, but I think I could rock those form-fitting dresses.


C'est tout!

Into the Woods and My Birthday

I saw Into the Woods at Hale Centre Theatre last night, and I must say, it was brilliant! Loved the costumes, loved the set, already love the music, and I was very impressed by the casting. Candice looked absolutely gorgeous in her orange and her pink gowns and I finally got to see her perform! Geez, she has a beautiful voice. How I love her (thanks for letting me chatter your ear off after, Candice!) I also very much enjoyed watching my friend Jon McBride as the Baker -- he is just so genuine on stage. I cried during "No One Is Alone." Such a good show.

I am going to complain for a second though, because I had the WORST seat in the auditorium! My ticket was on the South East side (door 3), row seven, right on the aisle. So, not only did I have most of the Vom doorway in my way, I had the gate above it and the stair railing in my line of sight. Awesome. And there's the fact that I couldn't see Rapunzel's face the entire first act! During "Stay With Me" I wanted to yell out "TURN AROUND RAPUNZEL SO I CAN SEE YOUR PRETTY FACE!" The stupid song was blocked so that the Witch and Rapunzel are sitting on a moving turntable, and Rapunzel kept shifting so that her back was to me the entire time... except for the end when she buried her face into the Witch's shoulder. So, yeah. I was pretty annoyed. I moved during the second act and enjoyed it much better! (The second act is the frosting anyway!)

The play was fantastic overall. I'd love to go again. You do have to love how the handsome princes totally steal the show! Ah, good times.

Mandee asked me yesterday why I never blogged about the birthday party she and Laren threw for me. Sigh. I did blog about my birthday party and posted a ton of photos, though I posted it about two weeks after the fact, so I'm not surprised she missed it. Please check out the post if you haven't seen it and you want to! I had a great time during that party -- seriously still cannot believe all the fuss you ladies made over me. I am so lucky!

Latest Christmas Carol audition

I auditioned for A Christmas Carol and HCT-WVC on Saturday. I didn't feel it was my best audition (I was inexplicably really nervous, and I think that came through in my singing and my reading), so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I wasn't called back. I was surprised though. To be honest, I'm a pretty upset about it. It's my sixth audition for this particular show in a row, and the third after having been in the show in 2005. I've auditioned for all of the people on that pro-team for other shows as well and done very well. They know me, and seem to like me as a person, which just makes it worse. I can understand not being cast, but not even calling me back feels like a slap in the face.

Anyway, I'd mentioned to some of you I was planning to audition; just wanted to let you know you don't have to worry about getting tickets specifically to see me. However, it is always a great show so if you want to make A Christmas Carol at HCT one of your family traditions, I say go for it! You won't be disappointed.

Spoiled by my Girlfriends

I am still reeling over all that happened on Tuesday and Wednesday night. I can't say anymore that my 30th birthday was "blah"!!

Mandee and Laren had both let slip that they were planning something for me. I can't fault either of them, since I tend to have a big mouth sometimes and accidentally stumbled into it both times. So, since the secret itself was blown and I knew something was up, they made darn sure that I had no idea what was actually going to happen. Laren told me very emphatically that there was no party. Since I'd wanted a surprise party my whole life, I was happy to just go along and marvel at their ingenuity. And golly -- I wasn't disappointed!

Laren picked me up about 5:30pm and drove zigg-zaggedly so I'd have no idea where we were going. She had warned me ahead of time that I'd want my camera, so I took the opportunity to take the only photo of Laren I got that night:


Our first stop was director Steph's house. Steph opened the door and gave me a huge hug and invited Laren and I to sit in the chairs on the front porch. She then presented me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers*! Oh how I love flowers! Then Steph told me to look inside, and I saw that she had hidden a little bottle blue hair gel in there! Yay! How perfect that the woman who made sure I see the Star Trek Experience before it closed also helped me in my desire to bluify my hair. I really appreciate that she doesn't want me to have any regrets! She said that using this stuff I could either just streak a few curls at a time, or use it as a gel which would turn it all blue at once (it washes out). I wish I had put in a streak then and there, but I chickened out. I did put some in about 10 minutes later though -- loved it! It was the perfect way to start the evening.

*Editor's note: As of Saturday 9-20-08, these flowers are still alive and lovely.


Next, we went to Mandee's house. Mandee said later that she made sure to be otherwise occupied so that her husband, Scott could be the one to present me with a pink rose; she really wanted a man to give me flowers! Then Mandee gave me a STACK of gifts! I was so surprised! Each one was lovely and hand-picked for me. I nearly started crying as I opened them. Scott had baked an awesome chocolate cake drizzled with caramel -- dude! I could have eaten two or three slices! But we were apparently on a time table, so we each just had one before we were off again!


Emily H's daughter Grace greeted us at the door, followed directly by her mother. Yay! I hadn't seen Emily since Birdie closed! I love her new haircut! Emily started off by saying that she is Miss America for Halloween every year, and then she proceeded to crown me "Miss Amazing 2008". It was hilarious! She dressed me in a crown a "Miss Amazing 2008" sash and presented me with a certificate. I couldn't believe it when she gave me even more gifts -- the crowning was already so wonderful! I will definitely be putting up the candle and the photo of her, Kate and I from Birdie, and using that photo album. It was just too perfect that it was Emily who thought to make me to be a princess! Loved it! Love her! I was only too happy to acquiesce to Mandee's command that I wear the crown and sash for the rest of the evening.


Emily's husband -- also named Scott -- kindly agreed to put their kids to bed so she could come with us to our next stop: dancer Stephanie's house! Stephanie's kids were sick, but they poked their kids in and said "Hi" while she brought out her gifts. I was delighted by the pumpkin spice candle and absolutely beautiful orange roses. Seriously, I couldn't have been any more touched. She is such a sweetie, and I was grateful for some time with her, too! Stephanie then pulled out two of my favorite movies: Sense and Sensibility and the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice. That's when everyone told me we were going to go back to Mandee's house to watch one together! Hooray! I got to hoard those four fantastic women for at least two and a half more hours!


Disaster struck as we left Stephanie's house, though. There's a light pole that the city decided to put in an awkward place in Stephanie's driveway, and Laren hit it with the front of her car! Emily said her husband might be able to help repair it cheaply -- he's good with that kind of thing -- but we all felt guilty about it. It was the one dark spot of the night.

Another surprise was waiting when we arrived at Mandee's house: Emily B. and Tiffanie were there! It didn't expect that at all, since Emily B. lives in Utah County and Tiffanie and I had emailed that afternoon saying we needed to see each other soon. She's so devious! After a few moments of chatting, Laren called everyone but me into the kitchen. While I sat by myself for the first time that night, the doorbell rang. Someone yelled for me to get it. I was shocked again when I opened the door and there was Rachael (Wretchel!!) with her baby Sabrina! Holy granola! I flung myself into her arms I was so surprised! Before long, the doorbell rang again, and before I could get to it, Amy had opened the door and peeked in! She and director Steph had come together. I don't know why I just couldn't believe that so many women that I love and admire had all come together to celebrate my birthday with me! And more incredible was that they all brought gifts! I have chocolate and yummy-smelling candles to last my new apartment for a good couple of months. That's a good start to a comfy home! Emily B. also gave me a Princess coloring book, just so I could color them all blonde! Oh my goodness, I laughed about that for awhile. Just brilliant. Everyone just seemed so happy chatting together. Most of us hadn't seen each other since the play had closed, and everyone wanted to hold the baby. I regret not getting a photo of everyone there together. It was so comfortable and easy-going and fun. I felt relaxed and loved and happy; what more could a person want?




When I finished opening the gifts, Laren sat me in a special chair where everyone could see me, and explained that she had told me this wasn't going to be a party, because I and all the women there are Goddesses, and this was a gathering of the Goddesses. She said that since it was my birthday, I got to choose where we'd all go together for dessert. I choose the cheesecake factory, so after some hemming and hawing, we left Mandee's house. Tiffanie, dancer Stephanie, and Emily H. needed to get home, so I heaped good-byes and thank yous on them as much as I could. Really, there was no way to exactly convey how happy they had made me!

Laren wasn't able to stay at the restaurant, but she gave me a gift card to cover my dessert! The group at the Cheesecake Factory included Mandee, Amy, Emily B, Rachael and Sabrina, director Steph, and Mandee. What a fun group of ladies! We had a quite table near the back where Sabrina could sleep, and the rest of us could chat and laugh and flirt with our charming and energetic waiter. They made sure the waiter knew it was my birthday so he could flirt outrageously and try to make me blush in the low light. I had everyone try an appetizer I like, the avocado eggrolls. Soo good! Everyone laughed at my reaction when our waiter and a bunch of other servers sang "Happy Birthday" and brought out my slice of caramel turtle cheesecake. I saw they were coming, and people from other tables were looking around, so I waved and smiled enthusiastically so everyone knew the servers were singing for ME! My birthday! Yaaaaaaaaay!

from left: Emily B, Steph, me, Mandee, Amy, Rachael



It ended too soon -- about 11pm -- and Mandee drove me and a huge stack of gifts home. I put all of the flowers in water, organized all of the other wonderful things into boxes to transport to my condo, and placed a huge bag of peanut butter M&Ms into my purse for work. I had a hard time sleeping that night. You know how sometimes you don't want to sleep because you're so happy you don't think even your dreams can compete? That's how I felt. It was such a great night!

I felt like the Hale Centre Theatre anniversary party on Wednesday was another extension of my birthday! At least, that's how my friends made it feel for me. Candice invited me to be her date, and Kate invited director Steph. I met Candice and Steph at Candice's house, and the three of us drove over together. Kate was running a smidge late and told us to start without her, but we had a tough time getting to the buffet tables because we kept running into people we knew! We first ran into Dave and Patti as we finally made our way into the hallway leading to the rehearsal rooms. That's when we had our first look at Patti's purple hair. She looked fabulous! I accidentally dyed my hair purple once and it did not look nearly as cute as Patti's. I am totally in awe of her bravery!

We grabbed some turkey, yams, rolls, butter, salad, potatoes and gravy (those mashed potatoes were so creamy!) and found a table. The three of us sat with Patti, Dave, Michael Hutch and his date, and Kate arrived after not too long.

I would now like to take the opportunity to say that Steph, Candice, and Kate looked absolutely stunning. They are beautiful women even on their worst days, but it was so fun to have all of us dressed up, and accidentally color-coordinated in black, cream, and gold. I really do need a copy of the photo we took with Patti. I wish I'd taken my own camera to the party, too. I seriously love these women. Seriously.

Before long it was time for the entertainment, so we all trooped into the theatre, and sat on the back row where we could heckle and talk and laugh at unintentially hilarous speeches without bothering too many people. It was awesome to see scenes from the shows run during this last year: I teared up when Kate, Brad Charon, and the octet sang "What Child is This?" from A Christmas Carol; we all laughed as Bredesen pretended to try to kill himself with a fork and a pillow in a scene from Lend Me a Tenor; I felt chills while the northern and southern armies from The Civil War the Musical sang "By the Sword/The Sons of Dixie"(the South was outnumbered during the number, but they did have brooms while the North was unarmed...); my friends and I laughed hysterically as Mary Parker Williams tried to convince the rest of the cast of The Curious Savage that the bathroom was on fire; we marveled at Danny's trampoline skills and jivved with Kate and the Big the Musical cast during cross the line; and looked forward to seeing Candice in Into the Woods while Josh Richardson and Brian Hague sang "Agony". Then we were in for a treat as four actors chosen at random used bumper cars, sticks, and whatever they could to pop the balloons on the other contestants' cars and hats in an attempt to win $500. The last one to have one balloon unpopped was the winner, and boy did they work for it! It was so, so funny!

The program ended with all of us singing "Happy Birthday" to the theatre. Except, I realized at the second verse that Patti, Dave, Candice, Steph, and Kate were all singing to me, and even sang "Happy Birthday, dear Megan". I nearly started crying. It was a very emotional moment for me. The lights finally came up; Candice and I slowly made our way to the German-chocolate cake. Sally Deitlein served us both, and I thrilled when she told me I remind her of Bernadette Peters. If only I were as talented as Bernadette! I felt pretty cool. Candice and I ate cake and chatted and wandered around trying to find Kate and Steph, who we'd lost before going for the cake. After we found them, we decided none of us felt like karaoke or dancing, so we went instead to Applebee's. We made up one of the two tables filled there. The server mentioned she was kind of bummed there weren't more people there, and we said that since it was the Hale party that night, there hadn't been a show which would probably explain the lack of post-show diners. We tried to make up for the lack of any other customers by being as wacky, loud, and fun as possible (so, basically, we were just ourselves). My friends made sure everyone knew it was my birthday and that the servers all sang to me and brought ice cream! Oh, how I loved the attention! I loved having those three women all to myself; I don't see them nearly often enough.

The best part of the evening was that everyone who hadn't been able to attend my surprise party was at the Hale party, so I really did get to celebrate with everyone! I couldn't have asked for more. There wasn't anything else I wanted.

This has probably been the best birthday week in my own 30 years! If only everyone could celebrate this way, no one would ever not look forward to that milestone! I was surrounded by people I love, and I was reminded of all that I have and am and am grateful for. Future birthdays sure have a lot to live up to!

Thanks again to all who made it what it was. Thank you Laren and Mandee for putting together and executing such a mind-boggling and surprising evening, to Candice for inviting me to the Hale party, and to everyone who came to both events and let me know how much you care for me. I truly am blessed to know each of you.

Let my 30th year commence!