A Gallon of Vinegar and 4 lbs of Baking Soda

On September 1st I was finally able to move into my apartment in State College. Prior to that I stayed with one of my professors for two weeks and in a hotel for the week before that and driving around with my life still packed into my car. Needless to say I was thrilled to carry all my stuff up a flight of stairs and into my apartment. The only problem, and it has been a challenging one is that my apartment still wreaked of cigarette smoke. The previous tenent was a heavy smoker. I knew this before I signed the lease but I seriously underestimated the lingering power of cigarette smoke. The carpet was brand new, the walls newly painted, new blinds and the apartment had been vacant for two weeks with the windows open, but the smell hit you before you even got to the front door.

Well to make this sob story a short one. I spent the next two weekends scrubbing every surface that had not been painted with vinegar. I bought two mums plants which are apparently smell deterrents and many other candles and odor products. In the end I think the biggest offender of holding the smoke smell was the top of the kitchen cabinets. I got up on the counter and poured vinegar over that dusty sticky blackness and scrubbed one Saturday and then did it again the next Saturday. By the end of that day, pieces of particle board were starting to come up so I decided that I had better stop there. I then took the gigantic box of baking soda and poured the vast majority on top of the cupboards, spread it all over and then left it there. In a month or so, I'll sweep it up and more some more down, if needed.

And on Friday, the painter finally came back to paint the closets, which had not been painted when the rest of the apartment was. So, yesterday I was finally able to really unpack everything and put it in the closets. The smoke smell is significantly better. Now when I burn a candle I can actually smell it and sometimes I even get a whiff of those mums. I am really grateful that some people put random information on the internet like how to get rid of smoke smells. That is how I learned about the baking soda and vinegar. And I am really grateful that in PA they sell vinegar by the gallon and baking soda by the 4 lb. box. I used all of it!

I Survived My First Week of Grad School!

All in all, it wasn't that scary. Things started out slowly I only have a couple of classes on Monday, one of which is an undergrad class that really is just a review. But on Thursday is my Theatre Research Class. It is the class I am most nervous about and my nerves were not eased by the teacher saying things like: "Uh, midterm and final...well it depends on how I'm feeling whether we have them or not." and speaking of our 10-15 page paper which will be the only thing we are graded on if there is not a midterm or final "You should get an 'A'. Why would you come to graduate school if you aren't going to get an 'A'? " And then the thing that discouraged me the most, "If you get less then a C, you may not be invited back to the program next semester."

So, since I am taking 12 grad credits, plus doing 1 1/2 assistantships, plus practicing for my voice and piano lessons and writing a research paper that I have to get an A on, I went to my advisor to discuss maybe dropping a class or two. But she assured me that if I didn't get an A on this paper I will be fine

So, I'm not hyperventilating anymore, but I do sort of feel like I am staring at a tidal wave of school work that is looming above me and will crash onto shore about mid-October.

Charming and Quaint Pennsylvania

PSU is in State College, PA. But because I am a little late in trying to find an apartment I have looked at a couple of apartments in a neighboring town called Bellefont, about 10 miles north of State College.

I fell in love with the Victorian District of Bellefont. I was seriously tempted to sign a lease on an apartment that had the address of 220 1/2 High Street. The address was cuter than the apartment. However it was in this red building and across the street from this park and historic train station. The trains still use these tracks. Enchanting! I love it! I will go there often, I'm sure. It also reminds me a lot of the set for The Music Man tour. I think the set designer must of been to Bellefont, PA.

Hotels Should Never Have PINK Sheets!

I left Utah on Tuesday, August 9th at about 4 PM. I arrived in State College, PA on Friday August 12 at about 10 PM. From my parents' house in South Jordan, Utah to the Penn State campus I drove 2,020 miles. I made a wrong exit near Chicago and had to drive 9 miles before I could turn around so if I hadn't made a wrong turn, it would have been almost exactly 2,000 miles. It was a long but pretty uneventful drive. I listened to the first to Harry Potter Books and got a good way through one of the Narnia books.

My least favorite states were Indiana and Ohio - they don't have nice rest stops, they have tolls, the speed limit was only 70 and highway patrol everywhere (I got pulled over in Indiana - just a warning! Whew!)

But the most interesting thing I saw on my drive were the pink sheets on the bed in my hotel room in Rawlins, WY. I have been in a lot of hotel rooms and this is the first time I have ever seen pink sheets.

In spite of the cheap hotel rooms with their pink sheets, Woohoo! I made it to Pennsylvania!

The Nauvoo Pageant 2011

So, I was an assistant stage manager this summer for The Nauvoo Pageant. A new role that I have never done before. See me with my headset on! It was great. I had some really sweet experiences. One of my responsibilities is what we called specialty casting, meaning: I chose the children who played Joseph Smith's children or Brigham Young's children etc. A couple of these little girls had lines and it was my responsibility to teach them their parts and rehearse with them. I loved it! I learned that Heavenly absolutely cared about which child played which part (most children got to do at least one specialty part) and that He had prepared children to come and do these parts. While choosing these children and rehearsing with them I felt the Spirit just as much as I ever had while performing on stage. It was a wonderful experience and definitely a highlight of my 5 year run of The Nauvoo Pageant.

My Little Red Car

This is my Little Red Car. It is a 2002 Hyundai Accent. I bought it in 2004 with 34,000 miles on it for $7,000. It now has 122,000 miles on it and this car has taken me from Salt Lake to Provo and back a million times, to Nauvoo 3 times, Disneyland once and has always been waiting for me when I returned to Utah from New York City. We have been through one accident and a couple of fender benders (none of which were my fault).

This is the second car that I have bought but the car I have driven the longest. I love that it is little and most of all I love the red color. My Little Red Car has been reliable and thus far only needed normal maintenance repairs.

Unfortunately, since I returned to Utah in January the transmission has not been functioning properly. After a long saga of trying to decide if it was worth fixing or if I should buy a new car, and how I should get to get to PA and should I take a car and if so what car, I finally decided to fix my Little Red Car. However, I am taking my sister's car to PA and leaving my Little Red Car in Utah for my sister.

The funny thing is that my sister's 1999 Toyota Corolla is the first car that I bought. I picked it out, bought it, and then drove it for 3 years. And, long story short, though my sister bought it from me fair and square, the title to this car is in my name.

So I am taking My Sister's Car to PA. And I plan on driving this car for the next two years but I don't know if I will ever be able to call it anything but My Sister's Car. There just isn't the same history and attachment. And although I know my sister is driving the Accent, I think it will always be My Little Red Car. And yes, I am having some separation anxiety issues.

However, I am SO grateful that this has all worked out! And I am SO grateful that I have a sister I can go to and say, "Can I take your car to PA and leave mine her for you because I just have a weird feeling that even though I am getting it fixed I shouldn't take it to PA? " She is an angel and each day when I drive My Sister's Car I will think of her and count my blessings.

Moving Again...

I am packing...again. I am moving across the country...again... 2 cross-county moves in 7 months....Is this really my life?

I'm Going to Graduate School and Nauvoo

I flew out to PA at the beginning of the month for my audition with Penn State. At the end of the audition, they accepted me! So I will be moving to State College, PA in August. It has been a long time since I have been a student and that makes me nervous, but I feel really good about this program and about this decision. This is quite an unexpected turn in my life. I certainly would never have planned 2 cross-country moves in one year. And if you had asked me in January I would never have answered that I was planning on grad school. But I do feel guided and inspired by the Lord and I will trust that there are good thing to come.

I am spending most of the month of July in Nauvoo for one last hurrah with the Nauvoo Pageant as a stage manager this summer rather than a cast member. This is definitely a new experience, but a good one. We just finished our rehearsals in Salt Lake. I will be in Nauvoo starting next week until July 25 and then I will pack like a crazy person and get myself to PA before August 22 when school starts.

Disneyland Birthday Party! May 15-20

1. I spent 3 days in Disneyland with my two younger sisters and my aunt. They all have April birthdays and so we called it our Birthday Celebration. We had a great time! Each day one of them wore the official Disneyland "It's my birthday today" badge and we designated that as their birthday. We were able to ride all of the rides we love more than once and do all that we wanted to do. Some highlights include:

*eating lunch at the Blue Bayou restaurant and sitting as close to the water as is possible. We waved at the the passengers of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride as they went past. The food was quite good, but it was really all about the embience.

*The Fountain of Love: a drinking fountain near the castle that we dubbed the Fountain of Love and made sure we drank from each day. I filled my water bottle there. I'm hoping for results....

*The Pineapple Freeze!

*Captain Jack: We found him in the French Quarter, near the Pirates ride and had quite a long conversation with him.

*Space Mountain: a roller coaster ride in the dark! You gotta love it.

*Indiana Jones: which was closed for maintenance the first 2 days we were there but opened the 3rd day. We were able to go on it twice and sit in the front both times.

The rest of the world could take a few lessons on customer service from Disneyland. Everyone is so nice and helpful, they really made us feel like princesses and we came home tired and happy each night.

I'm Going to Audition

I got a call on Monday from Mary Saunders, the head of the Music Theatre Vocal Pedagogy Department at Penn State. She invited me to come and audition for them. So I will be heading out to PA on June 1st and auditioning on June 2nd. I am really excited that they liked my application, but really nervous about the audition. Well, I just have a lot of practicing to do still. So, I will stop blogging and get at it!

My Graduate School Application is Done!

About 5 weeks ago when I desperately needed some guidance on what to do with my life, I opened my email in box and found what normally would have spam from the NATS organization (National Association of Teachers of Singing). However, the title of this spam email was heaven-sent: "New Music Theatre Voice Pedagogy MFA." Aaaaaaahhh! (you must sing that in your head, it's a high angel sounding note). I have been waiting for years for some university to create a program like this. It is new this year and the only one in the nation. If you want to study vocal pedagogy there are plenty of graduate programs out there but they are all classically based. All those times that I have applied for graduate school and not gone is largely because they weren't really the programs that I wanted. What's even more miraculous about this all is that the deadline for Fall 2011 was May 1st. I still had time to apply and get in for this fall! I had a really strong impression that I should try to get into this program this year. So I turned down a very sensible job that I think I would have enjoyed because I didn't feel like I could get this application done in 5 weeks if I was working full time. And I was right. It has been a crazy race to the finish. It has been more than just writing a 2 page Statement of Purpose, creating a CV, a Repertoire List, and a DVD of some samples of my singing. It has been jumping back into the saddle after being out for almost 4 years which has required a lot of practicing, choosing repertoire and trying to figure out what my teaching philosophy is. I didn't think I had one, but after I thought about it for a while and paid more attention to my teaching at BYU this semester I was able to start verbalizing my approach as a teacher.

Whew! I am so grateful that I found this program. Even if I am not accepted, I am grateful for the process of the last 5 weeks. I feel like I have awakened and enlarged a part of my soul that has been dormant for a long time. I am really excited about teaching and about singing. I have been taking voice lessons and want to talk all the time about what I am learning and discovering. That past six months have been rough and it feels good to be excited about life again.

Once they receive my application they will decide if they want me to come out to PA for an audition where I will do some singing, and some observed teaching. But for now, I am glad to be done with the paperwork and to be able to spend my time practicing and preparing for the hoped for audition.

Here is the link to the DVD that I sent in with my application.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAOphGrX6Ns

Cancun Movie Trailer

My new hobby. I am addicted to making these little movie trailers. I have made three of them in less than a month. Here is the one I made from my Cancun footage. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMmo14EzLrs

Snorkeling was the part of the trip that brought a small lump to my throat. I don't really like water and I don't like getting my head wet. But I really wanted to overcome this and go snorkeling. We went on two different occasions and about half way through the second excursion I finally relaxed and opened my eyes and trusted that snorkeling tube. It was awesome! I loved it! It was my favorite part of the trip. I would love to go again tomorrow!

Incidentally, I came away from this trip thinking, "What don't I like swimming? I think I kind of like swimming..." Maybe it was the clear blue water and the fact that it was in Mexico. I don't know but I am definitely looking forward to my next swimming excursion.

Pictures of Cancun

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my blog. I'm not sure how good at blogging I will be. And by good I mean dedicated. But I wanted to share some pictures and video footage from my recent excursion to Cancun. It was amazing! I don't know why I have waited 35 years to take a vacation like that. Oh wait, I do know.... because I have spent all of my adult life as an artist. This trip was the fruits of my full time "day job" and the free airline ticket I got on the streets of NYC.

For those who have been out of touch for a while: I moved back to Utah in January. I am still single. Blah, I hate saying that - still single. Let me try that again. I am single. I am living with some friends in Midvale. I am teaching a few students at BYU this semester and trying to figure out what I want to do for the next 30 years. I have a few ideas, most of them involve going back to school in some capacity. When there is actual news I will let you know. Right now it is all still in the day dreaming phase.