Performances...

I've had a few requests for concert dates and times, so here they are:

North Stake Center Choir and Orchestra Christmas Concert
Saturday, Dec. 13th and Sunday, Dec. 14th
7:00pm
North Las Vegas Stake Center at Azure and Goldfield (Centennial and Commerce)

This concert is going to be so awesome! The orchestra just keeps getting better and better every time they play, and this is no exception. We even have a bell choir! I'm singing a big solo too... the 4 Recitatives for Soprano from Handel's Messiah. This is my first solo with an orchestra and I'm way excited for it! We've been working so hard on this music (since before Halloween, as previously mentioned) and it's going to be a really great way to kick off the holiday season.

Forgotten Carols starring Michael McLean
Monday, Dec. 15th
7:30pm (?)
Cashman Center in North Las Vegas

I directed the choir for this one and will be singing with them for this concert. I started rehearsals before Halloween for this also, and I have so many friends who have turned out to sing in this choir - it's been just great! All our hard work will be paid off on Monday. If you want to go but still don't have tickets, I recommend getting them ASAP as I've heard they might already be sold out. You can get them here. This is a great show too, and definitely not as cheesy as all those retro Mormon-pop songs by Michael McLean. Also a great family night activity!

The other "concert" will actually be my ward Christmas program, which I think is the most stressful one of all... I've put lots of work (and worry) into it, so I hope it comes off as intended. I think this is more stressful partly because my family will be there and some of them have quite discerning musical tastes. I'm sure they'll love it if I'm involved, though... They're just awesome like that! I'm really glad they're coming all this way to support me in these performances! It makes me feel important and loved - thanks family!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Stop the Holiday Madness!

The other night I was catching up with Nancy Porter, a talented musician and friend, and we were talking about making it through the holidays. She mentioned to me that she classifies people in two categories when it comes to the Christmas season: people who go to things and people who are in things. Those "things" I'm referring to are the many cultural events that surround this season and, for many, help to define it.

The people who go to things have a virtual smorgasbord of options when it comes to holiday entertainment. They are those who can say "Let's go to this concert on Friday," or "Hey, why don't we check out that performance?" Then they happily attend said event where they listen to great holiday music and have the chance to really soak in the season and infuse themselves with the Christmas spirit.

The people who are in things have quite a different holiday experience. Their holiday season usually starts around October. What? October, you say? Yes, because none of those wonderful Christmas programs would be quite so wonderful without hours, nay, even months of rehearsal. So while everyone else is gearing up for Halloween, here we are (yes, I fall into this latter category) pounding away at notes for another jazzed-up rendition of "Jingle Bells."

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, necessarily. We love the holidays just as much as the "go to things" people do. It's just more of a love/dread situation...

What's more, people who are in things tend to be "in" a lot of things. I don't know exactly how this happens. I'm fairly certain that every year we all resolve to say "no" to at least five invitations/requests to perform. But somehow we always end up doing more than we intend to. I feel completely authorized to speak in behalf of all of us "in thing-ers" on this point. Whether it be because of our love for performing, a desire to share our talents, adoration of all things Christmas, or need for some serious ego-enhancement, I can't say. My suspicion is that all of these play a factor. Add in the fact that all musicians are at least a little crazy, and you've got a recipe for holiday exhaustion.

For my part this holiday season, I'm only participating in 4 Christmas concerts (all on the same weekend). This is actually a huge step back for me, compared to my college days. I'm only in charge of directing 2 choirs and only singing 1 solo, 1 small group number, and accompanying 1 song. This is light work, trust me! In fact, I may even be able to go see a few concerts myself this holiday season! What a novel idea...

As much as I talk about being busy, I really do love this time of year. And I love to attend, but I'd so much rather perform in these myriads of holiday celebrations. Yes, I've resigned myself to Christmas in October. And hey, I usually do get at least a few days before Christmas to relax and soak it all in before we have to start rehearsing Easter music...

I'm Chinese Checkers...

You Are Chinese Checkers

You live a hyper, fast paced life. You rarely ever slow down. You are good at juggling many things at once. You are the ultimate multi-tasker. You enjoy being in a group - in fact the bigger the group, the better. You are an enthusiastic competitor, and you can be a little ruthless when you play games.

What Board Game Are You?

Lucky Annie...

So I was driving home from work the other day, and one of my favorite songs came on. I'm not typically a big fan of John Denver, but Annie's Song gets me every time. This seriously has to be THE most romantic song ever written! I mean, look at these lyrics:

You fill up my senses
like a night in the forest
like the mountains in springtime,
like a walk in the rain
like a storm in the desert,
like a sleepy blue ocean
you fill up my senses,
come fill me again.

Come let me love you,
let me give my life to you
let me drown in your laughter,
let me die in your arms
let me lay down beside you,
let me always be with you
come let me love you,
come love me again.

Seriously. What girl alive is impervious to this? What powerful imagery - mountains in springtime, storms in the desert, rain, forest, ocean... Just imagining these things is enough to fill up my senses to overflowing! And the second verse - wow. What more is there to say?

Nope, can't think of anything. Love this song!!!

What are some of your favorite love songs?

Halloween Time = Fun!

What is possibly the least scariest place you can think of to visit on Halloween? If you said "Disneyland," I'm with you. Which is why I went there with a bunch of ward friends for this spookiest of holidays. We had such a great time!

Rather than bore you with all the nitty-gritty details, I'll just comment on some of the photos I took. So, in no particular order, here they are:

Here's me, Shane Horlacher, and Adam Schmidt at the entrance to California Adventures. It was decorated SO cute - with little candy corns everywhere!

Tradition dictates that we take crazy hat photos while at any Disney theme park. Here is some of this year's selection. I totally pull off the pirate look, I know...

Two more fellow swash-bucklers, Adam and Parker. Pirates? I dunno... For some reason I'm getting an Aunt Jemima vibe from these two...

And here we have Ryan, the Mad Hatter. He's currently pondering the age-old question, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Yes, that would be our lovely group on the back row of the Tower of Terror trying to do mirror-image YMCAs. The fun is limitless at Disneyland, folks.

This is us trying to do our most "terrified" faces before taking the elevator ride at the Tower of Terror. I don't know what directions Adam got for this though...

The "California" was spelled in candy corns! So cute!!!

Me, Shane, and Adam on Splash Mountain. For some reason, I didn't get wet at all...

Here's the lovely Stephanie Gourley in front of the Halloween-Time decorations on Main Street in Disneyland. It seriously was adorable.

Here's our entire group of "bugs" at the Bug's Life show. This was such a great trip with great people! It's going to be hard to top this one!

I'll Be Lovin' You...

Monday morning dawned bright and clear. Here it was - the day we'd all been waiting for since we were preteens. We had to hang tough to get here, but it was worth it. When I was 12 or 13, I never thought this day would come. And I especially didn't EVER imagine I would be 29 when it finally did. But step by step, things worked out just right. That day I just kept thinking "Tonight, tonight!" We made sure we had all the right stuff, and we really looked like cover girls by the time we were ready! It just about blew our minds!

Okay, was that hint subtle enough? If not, maybe this will help...


Get the picture now? That's right, ladies and gentlemen, we went to see (drumroll please) New Kids On The Block!!!

I know, I could hardly believe it either. It was almost surreal...in a Back To The Future sort of way.

It was actually Karena and Krystal that got Camille and I interested in the New Kids in the first place, so how appropriate was it that we were going with them?! It was technically a surprise 30th birthday present for Krystal. She was the most hard-core fan I've ever seen! Good times!

So, we decided that we needed to go all-out for this concert. "All-out" includes making t-shirts complete with New Kids photos, glitter puff paint, beaded sleeves/hems, 80's jewelry, etc. At first Camille was quite embarrassed to be seen in her amazingly cute concert get-up, but as the pre-concert festivities wore on and we were complimented again and again, she finally came around. Yes, our homemade concert attire was the toast of the town (I particularly loved my star-belt!). I'd even go so far as to say that we were everybody's favorite girls! Okay, okay, I'll stop with the random song-title blog distribution.

Before the concert, we got a hot tip to go around to the back of the arena and maybe we'd be able to see a New Kid or two. We got lucky! Jonathan Knight (!) came out and waved to us! He was pretty aloof, and only waved after Krystal shouted "I've waited 18 years to see you!" at the top of her lungs. Who wouldn't have pity on that? We also got a few waves and blown kisses from Natasha Bedingfield, who opened the show. I have to say, I was quite impressed with her performance! I don't care much for her songs on the radio, but hearing her live was a different story. She's a great performer and singer. Plus, she seemed like a decent person, which always helps...

I didn't quite know what to expect from the New Kids. Most of them are 39 or so and not exactly the young heart-throbs they once were. But I was very pleasantly surprised! The vocals sounded better than when they were young and they did all of their old songs. That little Joey MacIntyre (who happens to be older than I am) has got some chords! Not quite the range he used to have, but it's okay - he was so little back in the day!

It was such a great blast from the past! Some of the old dance moves were included and everything! I was especially surprised when Jordan Knight (my favorite New Kid) broke out an exact replica (only with better hair) of this little number. Careful ladies, don't let your hubbies or children catch you watching (and drooling over) this or you may have some explaining to do - it's a little scandalous...

We did our homework before the concert, of course. We spent three days listening to the songs and watching the old music videos. I couldn't believe how quickly it all came back to me!

The audience was SO crazy! It was full of 30-something women screaming their lungs out. Absolutely nuts! Okay, I admit...I couldn't talk properly for a few days afterward myself. But it was so much fun! I think the SLC concert is next weekend, so if you don't have tickets already, I recommend it. Maybe you can be Jordan's next Valentine Girl!

Girl's Weekend!

Why is it that I only manage to write about things that happened at least a month earlier? Oh well, something is better than nothing, I guess. And besides, this post is sure to be at least slightly entertaining to women between the ages of 25-35. Wait for it...

The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I left with my two cousins, Karena and Krystal, and my sister Camille for the greatest girls trip ever. We spent two weeks visiting our great-uncle Dale and his wife Sheri in gorgeous Kailua, Hawaii. We had the most amazing time! We saw all the sights as Sheri drove us around the island of Oahu in their convertible. We were and still are good friends and did a lot of growing up together, so this trip just upped our girl-bond!

Well, it's been several years now and we were due for another girl's trip. It all happened because of a certain performing group that is in the midst of a reunion tour this year. More on that later...

So, the first thing we did when we got to Phoenix (where Karena lives) was to go to the Arizona State Fair. I love Fairs! This one was particularly huge. We saw lots of fun stuff: the 4-H displays; a petting zoo with zebras, camels, goats, llamas, cebus, and some highly entertaining piglets; the Banana Derby - a race where monkeys ride on dogs' backs wearing cute jockey uniforms; some huge grizzly bears doing a show; quilts, quilts, and more quilts; Garlic Mashed Potatoes on a Stick (someone please explain to me how that works...); lots of bunnies, cows, and goats; a very talented charicature artist; and a crash-up derby where we totally felt like white trash - but it was fun!

Let me name a few highlights... Trying our very first deep-fried Snickers bar was definitely a memorable experience. They're highly overrated, if you ask me. Although the meltiness on the inside is pretty good... Another highlight was going through the Fun House. Imagine, if you will, four women in their late 20's/early 30's laughing hysterically as they maneuver their way through a series of obstacles meant for a much smaller clientele. Can you see why this was a highlight? In this photo, Krystal is seen emerging from the Fun House exit, which conveniently looks like a men's restroom. Indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words...

Another great highlight was when we pooled our money ($2) to play a rousing game of Skeeball. We each got to throw 2 balls. Krystal went first and did great! I went and did awful (such is my luck with anything ball-related). Camille did fine too, and then it was Karena's turn. Krystal had just finished talking her up - saying how great she was at Skeeball. We were on the end next to another booth, and wouldn't you know it, Karena threw that ball right off the track and between the booths! We all started laughing hysterically (again) and didn't end up winning anything. All Skeeball concentration was shot after that! Oh, the memories...

The next day we went to church (Spanish speaking - don't ask...), visited the Temple, had a BBQ at our uncle David's house, and walked through the Arizona desert. It was a great day! Here's us in front of the Mesa Temple. The weather in Arizona was absolutely beautiful!

This entry was longer than originally planned, so I think I'm going to split this into two. I don't know why, but I just have this idea in my head that blog posts are supposed to be somewhat shorter than a small novel, so I will continue this trip in the next post.

Logical or not? I dunno. Don't judge me.

I promise I didn't cry...

About three weeks ago, I went up to Salt Lake City for my dear friend Kate's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful! Camille, Amber, and I met up with Tanya, Stephanie, and Aubrey and Parker Dixon at the wedding dinner and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! The food and was amazing, the ambiance was amazing, and most of all, it was to celebrate our amazing friends - Kate and RJ. The next day Amber and I hurried to Kate's house to assist in the make-up procedure. She looked so gorgeous and excited...only a little nervous.

Kate and RJ were married in the Salt Lake City Temple. The sealing was so beautiful and I felt privileged to have been invited. After the ceremony, we waited outside the Temple for them to come out and it was windy and cold. I definitely was not prepared for the October weather in Utah! I felt kind of stupid for not remembering that it gets cold there...

The reception that night was so elegant. They had it at this little indoor greenhouse and it was really beautiful. My parents came down from Wyoming. My mom, Kate, and I spent 3 days together at Disneyland, so they bonded! It was nice to see my family and to have friends gathered there too. Once of the highlights was seeing the Forsyth family. Bro. Forsyth used to be in our very own North Star Ward Bishopric and I just love their family!

Overall, it was a great time! The next day I left for Arizona...more on that later. Here's a few more pics:

Taj Mahal, Here I come!

I was recently browsing My Documents on my home computer (too much time on my hands?) and came across a little gem of a file simply titled GOALS. It's a list of things I'd like to do before I die - I wrote it about four years ago when I was teaching High School. In the Freshman Careers classes I taught (I know - argh!) we were discussing the importance of goal-setting and I read a story a man who had written his own "bucket list," if you will, when he was a boy. He had about 114 things on his list and had actually completed most of them! I was completely inspired by this and set out to make my own list.

So I commenced in making my list. A few of the things on there are givens, like marrying in the Temple and having a family. My list also has categories for Sites/Cities To See and Countries to Travel, catering to my love affair with all things travel-related. Some are a bit more random, though, like my desire to learn how to fly a helicopter. Don't know where that one came from! (Actually, I do... Can anyone say Magnum P.I.?)

As I was reading through my list, I realized that I'd actually accomplished a few of the things I wrote four years ago. I walked on the Great Wall of China, rode a camel, visited Alaska, saw Itzhak Perlman in concert, learned Tai Chi, went whitewater rafting, and started my goal to be in at least 10 musicals - 3 down, 7 to go...

In celebration of many exciting list-items to cross off in the future, I thought I'd post a few more of my life's ambitions. So here they are, in no special order...I present to you -

'Cole's Goals:
Learn to tap dance
Visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia
Run a 1/2 marathon (don't care to go for the whole one)
Be in a movie
Visit Lhasa, Tibet
Learn to play guitar
Ride an elephant
See a space shuttle launch
Cruise the Li River in Southern China
Read the entire Bible at least 10 times
Solo in an oratorio
Learn to ride a horse well
Go to Antarctica
See the Pyramids in Egypt
Meet the President of the United States
Learn to decorate a cake
Meet all 12 Apostles

and of course...

Sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I don't know if these others will ever happen - though I'll certainly try - but this last one is non-negotiable. So remember to watch for me in future Conference Sessions! Then you can say, "I knew her when it was only a dream..."

What do you have on your lists? I'd love to hear...

Continued...

There are way too many details of the Yellowstone trip to ever post them here. Besides, it's been so long I can't remember everything anyway! All I know for sure is that we had a lot of fun! I'll try to mention a few highlights that stand out to me.

When we were in Yellowstone, driving through the beautiful Hayden Valley, our car got blocked on the road several times by a herd of Bison. This is fairly common, so we weren't surprised, but it's still just as exciting for me now as it was when I was a kid. These animals are so HUGE! It's incredible to see them up close. A few more close encounters with Yellowstone animals include two ginormous bull elk right next to the road, a wily coyote in a parking lot at night, a young buck right in our campsite, and some kind of weasel-like animal that ran across the road in front of us at Lake. Most of our more exciting animal encounters occurred in Grand Teton National Park. We saw a bull and cow moose on our hike up Cascade Canyon, a little black bear on our hike up Garnet Canyon, and some over-zealous chipmunks on our hike up to Inspiration Point. Seeing the animals up close and personal has always been one of my favorite aspects to visiting this area.

Something that often gets overlooked when people talk about Yellowstone is the amazing amount of spectacular waterfalls. The Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is particularly stunning. We spent two very long but fun-filled days driving the upper and lower loops through the park. Thank goodness for all of the ice cream stops! We all piled into the Excursion and stopped at almost every point of interest. We definitely saw our fill of bubbling pools, geysers, steam vents, and pots of mud. After a while, they all start to look the same, but it's amazing to think about the vast underground system that connects them all. One thing I would definitely not recommend before a Yellowstone trip is watching the mini-series "Supervolcano." That might put a bit more stress into your trip than you'd like... (but it's a pretty good movie!)

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Tetons. I've been going there for family reunions since I was 4 years old, so naturally, I love it! It truly does feel like home to me. We did most of the important things - hike, hike, hike. There's no better way to get a feel for these mountains than to just get up there in them! We rode the ferry across Jenny Lake and hiked to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and Cascade Canyon. I have yet to make it to the forks in Cascade, but I'll get there someday! There just never seems to be enough time! But, luckily for us, tradition held - we saw moose. I don't think I've ever been up Cascade and not seen a moose!

The next day we hiked up Garnet Canyon to the meadow at the base of the Middle Teton. I'd only done this hike twice before and for some reason, this last time seemed the easiest. I was thoroughly surprised at this! I thought for sure I would be huffing and puffing all the way up the mountain, but to my great satisfaction, I made it up easier than I did when I was 12! Believe me, no one could have been more surprised than myself.

While there are plenty of spectacular hikes in the Tetons, this is one of my favorites because of the amazing vistas from the top. The jagged peaks and rocks are stunning and you can see out across the whole valley. It truly feels like you're on top of the world. The meadow is so pretty too! Full of wildflowers, streams, and huge boulders left by glaciers (they're called erratics - thank you 9th grade physical science), this meadow is like a little piece of alpine paradise. It's where I first saw a pica, slid down a glacier on my behind, and had filtered water from a mountain stream. We relived all three of these memories while we were up there, though Jen West and I were the only two to venture over to a small glacier and slide down. I love this hike!

Another highlight was going to the Bar J Ranch outside of Jackson for the dinner and show. It's worth absolutely every penny to visit the Bar J! The food is good, and the entertainment is gooder! I just love the Bar J Wranglers! They're extremely talented, folksy, and hilarious. This is definitely a must for anyone in the Jackson area. (No, I don't get paid to advertise for them...but I should...)

The last highlight I'll mention was our white-water rafting trip. Now, I'm the kind of person who is very careful of my surroundings, and if anything has the potential to cause me pain, I generally try to avoid it. So whenever anyone mentioned white-water rafting, I usually demurred. This time though, I really didn't have a choice. Everyone else wanted to go, so I was just along for the ride. I don't think I was the only one who was nervous, but I was definitely apprehensive about this. Knowing what I know now, I can only think how much I've been missing out on! It was completely awesome and fun in just about every way! We even saw a beaver! Good times...

I'm currently compiling these highlights into a movie version of our trip, but who knows when I'll finish that! Hopefully I'll get some photos up soon also, but this will have to do for now.

Teaser: Next up - weddings and New Kids...

Where Was I?

So...where was I? Oh yes, the vacation that happened two months ago about which I have written only a measly amount...

A highlight of the trip for me was the drive there. I know that sounds slightly mundane, but I do really love driving. There's nothing like a good old-fashioned road trip! There are so many things in favor of road-tripping. Planes are all well and good, but I love being able to really experience the journey - to see what lies between me and my destination. I love the spontaneity inherent in highway driving, with its various and sundry "points of interest." I remember stopping in Metropolis, IL with my family on a cross-country road trip just to see a 25-foot statue of Superman - well worth the stop! I love the element of surprise involving weather and road construction. I love car activities: games, songs, books on tape, etc. But possibly most of all, I love the conversation. You get to know people on a road trip like nowhere else. You're equally a captive audience to the other passengers. It's major bonding time.

I definitely experienced this on our drive through Utah and Wyoming. My favorite part was when the girls were all together in the big "rig" (the moniker assigned so appropriately by Jen West to our main vehicle). We had some serious girl-talk time and really got to know each other better. I think that was the perfect way to start out our trip! Maybe the guys would have enjoyed their road-trip bonding time too, if Parker could stay conscious through an entire sentence...

Which brings up another point, I never named our travel group. Easily fixed: Stephanie Gourley, Stephanie Janes, Jennifer West, Michelle Hagfeldt, Parker Smith, Ryan Gourley, and yours truly. Kate Rampton (Bruland now, but that's for another post) joined us for a few days as well. It was almost the perfect group! We had such a good time and everyone helped with everything.

So, after our incredibly long yet enlightening drive, we arrived in the charming town of Cody, Wyoming. There's just something so Western and American about this town...I don't quite know how to explain it, but whatever it is, I love it! Cody is an extremely endearing town. I don't know what it's like to live there, but I wouldn't be averse to giving it a shot! My friends did some incredibly cute things on this day because it was my birthday. They were so adorable! I'd have to say that this was one of the best birthdays ever! Thanks again guys!

From Cody we drove to the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone by way of the Chief Joseph scenic highway and the Beartooth Mountains. This is perhaps the most beautiful place on earth, in my humble opinion. I don't know what more I can say about it other than GO THERE! It is not a place to be passed up. But from one traveler to the other, let me give you a bit of advice for your visit - take plenty of bug spray and wear layers. Trust me...

We stayed at Canyon Campground in Yellowstone and it was really nice. I think a few people in our group expected it to be a little more rustic than it was. They were pleasantly surprised! We had this amazingly huge tent for the girls and waking up the first morning in the freezing cold was so much fun. Everyone's hair was funny, and we all just laughed. Good times! I do have some pictures of this, but I like my friends too much to publish them here.

I'll see if I can actually write a post from home one day and I'll throw a few photos up then.

Much more to come...

Random Things Tag

Heidi, if you weren't one of my best friends ever, I'd never submit to being tagged by you. Just so you know!

Okay, so I may be totally kidding, but this actually might be tricky. I've never done a tag before. Let's see what random things I can come up with.

1. One of the most random things about me is all the various jobs I've had. I think they speak for themselves, so here they are in slightly consecutive order:
- Piano teacher - on and off
- Receptionist - Tg Soda Ash (underground mine in WY) for 2 summers
- Surface Maintenance Crew - Tg Soda Ash/FMC for 2 summers
- Treadmill Tester - Logan, UT
- Bus Driver - Logan Transit District
- Sold Cutco knives - Logan, UT
- Wal-Mart Garden Center - Logan, UT
- Choir Office Grad Assistant - University of Florida in Gainesville, FL
- Ward's Market Produce Dept. - Gainesville, FL
- Choir Teacher - Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas, NV
- Las Vegas Golf Adventures - office/marketing/website/anything else - Las Vegas, NV
- Music Teacher - Hollywood Kids Academy in Las Vegas, NV
- Voice Teacher - Las Vegas, NV

2. At the risk of copying Heidi's post, I LOVE sleep! Bedtime is my favorite time of day. Not kidding. Whether it's going to bed early, sleeping in, or napping, I just love to sleep. Period.

3. I have a deep affection for the game Guitar Hero. Let me clarify... I don't have a deep affection for all of the songs on any of the Guitar Hero games (in fact, I even refuse to play some of them), but I just love the game in general. I'll have to admit, I've gotten pretty good at it too. Not nearly as good as other obsessed members of my family, (boys) but good enough. Favorite songs to play: Sweet Child Of Mine, Thunderhorse, Gemini, Seventeen, Holy Diver, Beast and the Harlot, Monkey Wrench, Hold On Loosely, Them Bones, and War Pigs.

4. If cold cereal filled all of our nutritional needs, I would happily exist on that alone for the rest of my life. (Please note: This may be a slight exaggeration and should not be taken literally or put to the test.)

5. I firmly believe that pets were designed for life outdoors and therefore will never have an "inside" pet...unless it's a fish. Granted, in extremes of weather, pets may be permitted inside but only within a specially-designated area. Harsh, I know...

6. I LOVE to dance! Seriously... That might not even be a strong enough word. I know I don't look much like a dancer, but that hasn't stopped me from trying! I particularly enjoy dancing while cleaning the house...when nobody else is home. Also, I learned the Thriller dance last fall and remember the whole thing - it's a blast!! Salsa is fun too, and I'm exploring the world of belly-dancing thanks to a great instructional video and recent bachelorette party exploits... Don't ask.

7. With all my talk about dancing and the hand-eye coordination fest that is Guitar Hero, this next tidbit may seem surprising to all except those who know me well. I totally suck at basically all sports. Especially those involving a ball. I think it all started back in 4th grade PE when we were learning how to play volleyball. All I remember is this big white sphere coming closer and closer and finally making contact with my eye. I sat out for the rest of the game. That experience set the groundwork for what was to be a humiliating PE career. If there was a ball involved, it usually hit my head. The volleyball was just a portent of things to come. I've been hit in the head with kickballs, dodgeballs, basketballs, soccer balls, wiffle balls, tennis balls, and yes, even birdies and ping-pong balls. Thankfully, somehow I was passed over by the softball. Rather than hitting my head, the softball seems to be magnetically diverted away from my glove. Two things I actually can slightly do: throw a frisbee and tread water.

Well, there you have it...my first tag. I guess now I have to tag some other people, so here goes: Steph Gourley, Ranger Janes, Sara-face, Jen Law, Katie Miner, Sheree Flick, and The Amazing Robyn. Can't wait to see their randomness!!

Slightly out of control...

Per yesterday's post, I'm trying to stop my blog procrastination habits. There is one trip from this summer that I haven't written about yet, so, despite my not having pictures available at the moment, I'll attempt to rectify that situation.

This was possibly the best trip of 2008! Back in the fall of 2007, some friends and I discussed the possibility of taking a trip to Yellowstone the next summer. Some of them had never even been before! (shock and outrage) I thought this was a complete travesty! My family has an annual family reunion in Colter Bay Village in Grand Teton National Park, and we often travel through Yellowstone and see all the sights while we're there. In fact, so many of my childhood memories involve that area, that I think of it as a kind of second home - my favorite place on earth. So naturally, the idea of someone never having seen that place with their own eyes was appalling to me. What else could I do but organize a trip?

I don't know if many are aware of this little tidbit, but I really enjoy organizing things. I think somehow as I've gotten older, my obsessive-compulsive tendencies have kicked it into high gear because I tend to get slightly out of control... Add to that plenty of down-time during work in the summer (and autumn, apparently, as this is being written at the office), and you have a recipe for uber-organizational-bliss! This is evidenced in a few different ways - please allow me to elaborate. After getting our little group together, I proceeded to draw up a day-by-day itinerary, complete with lists for packing, financing, tips on camping in Wyoming, a mammals-of-the-area checklist, sight-seeing musts, hiking trails, and a Yellowstone quiz. These were put into folders which I then personalized for each member of our trip with fun travel/camping stickers and their names. Did I mention I get slightly out of control?

So, with the organizing complete, we were ready to roll. Unfortunately, I am now ready to roll from my office, so this blog will have to be continued on tomorrow's downtime.

Ahh, productivity...

Procrastination...

I typically work well under pressure. I like 'pressure situations' (props to Brian Regan). In fact, I feel in many cases my best work is done as close to the deadline as possible. This is mainly obvious in my schoolwork and study habits through my many years in school. I don't believe I have ever, and I mean EVER, completely finished a paper for school before the night before it was due. Even in my Master's program! I will concede that I may have started some of those papers up to a few days before the due date, but those were the exception and not the rule. Several papers were written late at night with the aid of Mountain Dew and Goldfish crackers - a quality combination. Yet, surprisingly (and perhaps luckily), despite my zombie-like consciousness when writing, I almost always got good grades on my papers - from high school through grad school. In addition, I commonly did my studying for exams just minutes before actually taking them. This was a source of constant frustration to my friends from various classes who had developed very meticulous study habits. Especially when my scores equaled or topped theirs. Sorry guys...

I learned a few things from these experiences:

1. I work well under pressure.

2. The aforementioned combination of super-foods must have some kind of brain-stimulation effect that enhances the creative writing process. Could it be the caffeine? Or maybe the cheddar cheese flavoring...

3. What some people call procrastination, I like to call 'the creative process.' Sometimes your brain just needs time to compute.

4. Rough drafts are for sissies.

5. There is nothing like a good short-term memory.

6. I really don't like writing papers. Or studying.

Somehow, I have been 'procrastinating' writing in this blog. I've given myself good reasons, like "I don't have anything exciting enough to write," or "I just don't have time...I think I'll read a book instead," or "But I don't have any cute pictures, and what's a blog without pictures?" Somehow, these and other reasons just don't hold sway today. So here I am, finally making another entry after a long absence.

Ah...it's good to be back.

The adventures continue!

On with my summer! The weekend after I got back from California, we had a HONK! cast party at Jeremy Madsen's house in beautiful Springdale, Utah. This reunion party has been a tradition for at least three years running now. I'm a big fan of tradition, and this one is no different. Jeremy's parents are so kind to let us come and invade their home with noise and disorder - but we always have a great time!

Their home is beautiful and I love spending time in their gorgeous yard. Plus, living amid the cliffs of Zion National Park, you get some pretty fantastic scenery - especially at dusk and dawn. So anyway, I'm obviously a big fan of this trip. Every year we do some hiking as well. The past two years we went up Angel's Landing - an amazing hike that everyone should do. It will definitely help to conquer (or intensify) any fear of heights a person may have. But this year we wanted to do something different. I'd never done the Narrows before, so the suggestion was made and decided upon. Here we are in the above photo starting out on the trail. We all brought our water-shoes and were ready to go. It was a great hike and we had a ball! My roommate Amber met us as we were turning back and we took a few roommate pics. It was a gorgeous day and so fun to 'swim' in the river - or fall in, depending on your point of view!

Here's most of our little group. After the hike we'd planned on tubing the river, but the weather turned against us. Oh well. While in Springdale, we also enjoyed a rousing game of wiffleball! Though I'm not terribly adept at most sports, wiffleball is, happily, one in which I excel. Well, maybe I wouldn't go that far...at least I don't completely embarrass myself like usual. One of the things I love most about this popular game is that it doesn't hurt when the ball hits your head, which is where I invariably get hit most often and in just about every sport I try. It all started in 4th grade during volleyball, and it's gone downhill ever since then. But I somehow managed to evade the ball with my noggin in our little Springdale championship and our team managed a victory. Tensions were high for a little while - mostly on the part of Jeremy's adorable mother (who was on the other team) - but we prevailed in the end. Go Team Voldemort!

It was a great trip with good friends. I'm glad we have this little tradition! Here are some more pics from the hike. There's no doubt about it - Zion's is really beautiful!!

We were going for 'Little Mermaid' here...see it?

Yay roomies! We're so adorable!

Cute kids on the shuttle - after the hike.

Big, Big Trees...

Alright, I'm only falling a bit behind... My next big adventure of July 2008 was a trip to Big Basin, California for the not-so-annual J.D. Clark Reunion. I flew to San Jose while the rest of my family drove from Wyoming. I'd rented a fancy Dodge Charger online - my Dad was going to drive it back to the airport with me and he thought that might be a fun car to drive. Yet somehow, when I got to my highly-anticipated cool-oozing rental car, there was not a sleek Dodge Charger sitting there waiting for me, but a light blue boat of a car - a Grand Marquis. My first reaction was to check the number again and make sure I had the right spot. My second reaction was to look around and make sure nobody saw me getting into this ugly thing. I swear you could fit 5 dead bodies into the trunk! It had to be a Mobster's dream car! Once I got going though, I had to admit that the seats were pretty comfy...

I got there a bit before the fam, so I passed the turnoff for Big Basin and headed on down to Santa Cruz to grab a bite to eat. I didn't want to stray too far, so I stopped at the first cafe I saw and sat, ate, and read a book for a couple of hours. It was nice to relax alone and not have anywhere to be. Ah, independence...

We all met up in Big Basin and went to Uncle Dale's campsite for some grub. I met some of my 2nd cousins that I hadn't seen in decades. I have to say, I'm related to some pretty good-lookin' folks! All of my grandma's siblings were there and it was awesome to be with so much family - and to realize that I did remember most of them from some function or other.

On Friday we spent the day at the Santa Cruz boardwalk going on rides, eating corn dogs and funnel cakes, playing mini-golf and arcades, and getting sunburned. There was a concert on the beach that night - Blue Oyster Cult. Yes, yes...they played the infamous "More Cowbell" song. We walked along the beach and ate some amazing seafood on the pier that night. It was a great day! Too bad the drive back up to camp made us more sick than the rides on the boardwalk!

The next day we went for a drive up Hwy 1. We saw a lighthouse, some tide pools, Pebble Beach, and some guys kite-surfing. It was tons of fun and nice to spend some quality family time. That night was the official "reunion" part of the reunion, so we all gathered and ate together. Grandma Brown had some interesting trivia questions about her parents and siblings. It was a lot of fun to see how much (or little) I knew about these relatives/ancestors. Tons of pictures were taken and it was an all-around good time.

Sunday morning our immediate-extended (?) family went for a small hike through the Redwoods. What awesome trees! I hadn't seen them since I was somewhere around 10. They are quite impressive! I love spending time with my extended family! They're so entertaining and cool (if I do say so myself!). Dad and I left that day, but it was a nice, relaxing (mostly) weekend in the California Redwoods. Here are some pics:

New York, New York

At last. We come to the promised travel blogs. I'll start today with the first trip of the summer. This trip kind of took me by surprise - I wasn't planning on going for the longest time. But, through some gentle persuasion, and my never-failing desire to travel, I made the decision. And I'm so glad I did!

This year I spent July 16-20th in Manhattan for a Broadway Teacher's Workshop. I went with fellow teachers from the Hollywood Kids Academy where I run the vocal program. There were 8 of us that went and we had such a ball! I mentioned before that there's something about New York that I love. I'm still not sure what that is, but it's specific to New York. I've been to other big cities, but this one has a different...aura, I guess. It's full of excitement, attitude, character... I just love visiting there!

Of course, a major highlight of the trip were the five Broadway shows we went to see. First was Legally Blonde. This show wasn't included as part of the workshop, but we had a free night and thought, what better way to kick it all off? It was such a cute show! I loved the movie to begin with, but it was super entertaining to have all the added songs. The performers were awesome and it was a great feel-good experience!

Next we saw Young Frankenstein. What a trip! If you've ever seen the movie (or any Mel Brooks movie, for that matter), then you know exactly what to expect from this show. It was hilarious - mostly thanks to ingenious casting - but it also had it's slightly uncomfortable moments... I loved it in spite of those, though! It was entertaining for sure. I especially loved the 'Putting On The Ritz' number. That and 'The Brain' were my favorite songs. Although 'Transylvania Mania' was a riot too! So much fun!

The next night I was 10 minutes late for A Catered Affair. Jessica Elmer and I were shopping in the Virgin Records store in Times Square when we realized it was 8:02 and the show started at 8:00! Good thing it was fairly close! This show was not a comedy and had more depth. I thought the performances were what made it good. I didn't care much for the storyline, but the way it was executed was absolutely stunning! It starred Faith Prince, Harvey Fierstein, and Tom Wopat - all of whom were exceptionally brilliant!

Up next was possibly my favorite show experience ever - The 39 Steps. This show is not a musical, but was soooo entertaining - I would see it again and again! It's a spoof based on an old Hitchcock movie (which is based on a book) and has a cast of four. Two of the actors play around 10 characters each, with different accents, postures, voices, genders (no kidding), etc. It was remarkable how easy they made it all look! It was such a hilarious show and I highly recommend it - I hope to see it again someday!

Lastly, but definitely not least, we saw the revival of South Pacific at the Lincoln Center. Apparently it's virtually impossible to get tickets to this show, yet it was part of our package deal with the workshop. Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of South Pacific. The storyline never really appealed to me and I'd always thought the music was just okay. But this was the most incredible show! They did the whole thing (it was 3 hours long!) with full orchestra. The staging, singing, acting...everything was amazing. I guess this show was nominated for something like 11 Tony Awards this year and won several. I see why!

So, the shows were great, but I also really enjoyed the Workshop. It was super fun to go to classes like Stage Combat, Mirroring, Audition Tips, etc. We got to hear from Jason Robert Brown, whose music is definitely cool. We also had a session with a Music Director for several shows and I learned quite a lot about coaching for a show. It was also fun hearing from the performers and seeing the backstage tour. It made me very excited for what we're doing at Hollywood Kids.

Aside from the Broadway experience, we had a great time with the New York experience too. Eating in cafes, shopping on 5th Avenue, walking around Central Park, visiting the Upper West Side, riding in taxis, standing in Rockefeller Plaza outside the TODAY Show watching Matt Lauer and Al Roker, eating a hot dog from a street vendor, and browsing through Tiffany's - all these small experiences were wonderful. But probably the best experience was going to the Manhattan Temple. It was such a comfort to be in that haven with so much of the world around you, and to focus on eternal truths. What a beautiful temple! It was quite the unique experience!

Here are a few photos from our trip:

Jess and I in Times Square

Me in Rockefeller Plaza

The gang at Bubba Gump's in Times Square

Times Square at night

Central Park

Travel Bug...I Got It!

As previously mentioned, I love traveling. And that's what I've been doing for the past three weeks. And that's what I'll be doing for the next 10 days. I had planned on posting something about each of my travels, and I'm still going to do that, but somehow time has gotten away from me. So, before I'm jet-set again, I'll just write a quick teaser about a previous trip.

At the beginning of July I had the opportunity to go to New York City to take part in a Broadway Teacher's Workshop with the other teachers from Hollywood Kid's Academy here in Las Vegas. The training sessions were amazing and we saw 5 shows! It was fantastic. There's just something about that city that I love. I really enjoy the energy and independence there. Not to mention the power suits and their inhabitants!

I'll be posting more details and photos soon...

Inspired to Action

I just finished reading the article in the July Ensign by Elder Ballard about sharing the gospel through technology and it inspired me to add some links to my blog. He writes about how the church has embraced the technological advances and are trying to do as much as they can to make sure we are represented well on the internet. He also talks the importance of using this type of media to help people understand more about what we believe. It is so important that this information comes directly from us and not from the other myriads of voices out there. I definitely want to be a part of that speaking up that he has discussed on other occasions.

So, with this in mind, I have added links to both mormon.org and jesuschrist.lds.org on the right under my favorite links. As I have looked through these websites, I've been highly impressed with the organization and the content presented in each. It's strengthened my testimony as to the truthfulness of the Restoration and the mission of Jesus Christ. I hope that anyone who visits my little blog will take the time to look at these and see what we're about for themselves.

Ahh, Alaska...

So, this blog thing is kind of fun. I find myself thinking about things I can write during the day. The only problem is, I usually can't remember what it is I wanted to write about. Thankfully, though, that's not the case with this one...

I've been spending time recently (and not so recently) organizing a trip to Yellowstone with some of my friends here in Vegas. Some of these guys and gals have never been before and I think that's a travesty. So I made reservations and an itinerary (which I personalized with stickers) and put the word out. We had a little planning meeting on Wednesday - I say little, but it actually took 3 hours - and made some major headway on our trip. It helped everyone to get really excited, including myself. But it also made me think about how lucky I am to have traveled so much in my short 28 years.

I love travel and everything about it, and a major portion of this blog will focus on my upcoming adventures. But, as we discussed our plans, I was reminded of last year's big trip - a family cruise to Alaska. It was one of my favorite vacations ever! For one thing, I got to be with my entire family for a whole week - just us, no interruptions, lots of bonding time, and spectacular scenery (which we always try to have on family vacations whenever possible). We also got to do things we've never done - kayak around icebergs, ride in a sea-plane, watch for whales, ride a train to the Yukon, see a glacier calving... It was an incredible experience! I decided I'm moving to Alaska... Okay, maybe not, but when I'm incredibly wealthy I would like to have a summer home there...

Anyway, here are some of my favorite photos from our adventure:

In Skagway - cute family!

Our train to the Yukon - everything was so green!!

One of my favorite photos ever! Camille and Brandon in front of icebergs on Mendenhall Lake. We parked our kayaks and went in an ice cave under the glacier - it was amazing to see all the blue ice... And hiking around in rubber boots was quite an adventure!

The South Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord. It's 300 feet high and 1/2 a mile wide. That little ship in front is still pretty far away - and it's not really a little ship...

This is a view of the Misty Fjords from the sea plane. We got to land and stand out on the floats of the plane to watch a grizzly bear that I spotted on the shore. Dad said I had my "spotting gene" with me that day! Thanks for passing along the farmin' skills, Dad!

I've Got the Bug...

One of the things I love best is performing. Whether it's in a choir, band, musical, or other ensemble...as long as there's a stage, I enjoy being on it. I say this at the risk of sounding rather ego-centric, but I promise you that it's not for the praise. I genuinely enjoy the process. Don't get me wrong, the praise is nice, but I don't thrive on it. I do thrive on the excitement, the rehearsals, the bonding with other people, the nerves, the thrill of a performance, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes after. I'm sure there are others out there who feel much the same way.

That being said, I don't enjoy the sudden let-down after it's all over. For example, I just finished a nine-show run of "HONK!" It's the story of the Ugly Duckling in musical format. I played the Mama Duck, Ida. It was such a cute show! Like I mentioned above, my favorite part of the show was getting to know everyone in the cast and crew in our rehearsals and getting to perform with them. We spent so much exciting time together that now I feel like I'm a boring old hermit going around doing normal things. That's a let-down if ever I've had one...

Let me highlight some of my favorite parts of the play...in no particular order...
- Getting to sing a lot - some of those songs felt like they were just made for my voice!
- Getting to dance - didn't get to do this in last year's play and I missed it...
- Being the music director - I knew what I wanted, and got it for the most part.
- Working with Pam - our amazing director. She made the whole process worthwhile!
- Working with adults - nothing against teenagers, but it was nice to have some more mature voices and personalities this year.
- Working with teenagers - we've had cool teenagers in the past, for sure, but ours this year were an absolute joy to work with! Not the stereotypical high-maintenance or dramatic ones, just humble, sweet, and cool kids that helped me feel young!
- Working with kids - kept me on my toes! And they're stinkin' hilarious!
- Working with Dylan - he just kept getting better and it was fun to see that progression in him. Also fun to have him throw things in as he got more and more into character. He's a just a great actor and easy to work with...for the most part. Not to mention all the Brian Regan jokes and Disney movie quotes he understands! Thanks Dylan, and take luck!
- Only having one costume - and one amazingly cute costume at that! Thanks Mom!
- Having an amazing pianist - never needed to worry about that one...whew! Thanks Shane!
- Group Night - the best audience ever is the North Star Ward!!

I could go on and on, I'm sure. But instead, I'll just post a few photos and let them do the quacking...er, talking.

"If I say 'Butterball' . . . does that bother you at all?" - Ida and Ugly

"What a big world it is!" - Ducklings

"Your place is with the swans." - Ida, Ugly, and Penny

"Every tear a mother cries..." - Ida

A 4th To Remember...

This 4th of July was a very memorable one. Stephanie Janes and I spent part of the day watching episodes of "The Muppet Show." It was a great blast from the past. I remembered several things I liked about this show from when I was a kid. I always loved the Muppets - Sesame Street made sure of that! Steph and I also observed the time-honored 4th of July Nelson tradition of going to a movie matinee. We saw "Kung Fu Panda" and absolutely loved it! That movie is definitely going on my 'to-buy' list.

But the highlight of the day, or evening rather, was hiking up Lone Mountain to watch the fireworks with a bird's-eye view of the valley. It was a pretty good little hike, but the view was entirely worth it! My friends Steph Janes, Tanya Robinson, and Jennifer West came too. It was amazing to see all the fireworks going on all over the valley. It was like little splashes of color popping up here and there. I tried to get some photos, but they didn't turn out too well. I'll post a few anyway...

Stephanie loves to laugh...

Fireworks at Red Rock Casino

Tanya, me and Jen at the top!

Nice view of the Vegas valley.

We took watermelon, popcorn, and some yummy bread to the top with us and had a nice evening 'picnic.' There were quite a few other people up there and someone had even brought a guitar, which was a nice addition to the ambiance.

Thursday night, the 3rd, our Stake had its annual 4th of July Fireside and the Stake Center Choir and Orchestra performed. My favorite part of this annual program is when we sing the Tribute to the Armed Forces - a medley of the various Armed Forces songs. Everyone who served in that specific branch of the military stands up during their song. It's amazing to see just how many men and women willingly give so much of themselves to protect our rights, privileges, and freedoms. I am so grateful for those who serve in the military and who are dedicated to the cause of freedom. What a wonderful 4th of July!