So, remember when I was talking about "fruitfulness" for my history fix coming in? Well, now I'm allowed to spill the beans! We went to Washington, D.C. for Devin Baer and Cassandra Harper's wedding! We couldn't tell before now because we were surprising them (we were the only friends of Devin able to fly out to the wedding, thanks to a loan from Marc and Denna). So, we experienced a wonderful wedding, a couple days of sightseeing (I'd never been to the capital and now it's my favorite place), the now-famous earthquake, and a "sleepover" at the Pittsburgh airport!
Unfortunately . . . I left my SD card in Mesa. So I'll save the details of the trip for when I have pictures to go with it! Denna (my sweet mother-in-law) is mailing it to me so it should be here in a few days.
SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW!!! I am all a-flutter. Scared to go back to school, scared to not go back to school, scared of not finding a new job, scared of finding a new job, scared of loans, scared of not taking loans, blah blah blah blah blah. The same thing everyone else goes through with regard to school, right? But, if nothing else, I am UNBELIEVABLE lucky that Chris and I have almost identical schedules! I'm so spoiled. Having him around is a confidence booster. Plus, we'll be able to share textbooks and help each other with homework! So, we'll make it somehow.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Musician's Choice - Choice Kids Sailin' Through Summer
I found my flashdrive of photos! Here are a few choice photos of Choice Kids! ;)
All of the group except for two kids:
As you can see, it was a lot of work and a lot of fun! I sure enjoyed working with these kids, and I hope to do something like this again next summer!
All of the group except for two kids:
Surfin' U.S.A. :
On the Good Ship Lollipop:
Talk Like a Pirate:
Pineapple Princess:
Pearly Shells:
Humuhumunukunuku Apua'a:
Several Soloists:
Under the Sea:
As you can see, it was a lot of work and a lot of fun! I sure enjoyed working with these kids, and I hope to do something like this again next summer!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Camera-less Moments
*sung to the tune of Clementine*
Part Four of the Camera Saga. Still in a pickle. For some reason I saved the box, the warranty, the manual, the plastic wrappers, each piece to the camera, the unused and unopened camera cords - and yet, I didn't save the receipt. I didn't? I could've sworn I did! Meaning (as a gum-chewing Walmart employee told me) that the warranty is useless. I made the same mistake last time I bought a camera (same model, a year ago - what is up with me? But for the record, I didn't break the camera through carelessness, the same lens error occurred both times). Anyway, I can't afford to drop another $200.00 for a third camera. Sad day. So this will have to be a pictureless blog, which is unfortunate, because for the first time I actually want to take pictures of my home surroundings. Ah well.
Also, I meant to post pics of my kids in Musician's Choice program, Choice Kids. But I can't find the flash drive with the photos Laurie took. Blast. Not my best day with taking care of technology.
But! I saw a deer outside my front window the day before yesterday! Just standing in the meadowy area that the back of our building faces. I watched it for a few full minutes before a man walking his dog scared him and he bounded away. I love animals. It was neat to get to see that, all while standing in my front room with the window open.
Too bad I didn't have a camera. . .
Maybe this gap of time without a camera will teach me that a moment doesn't have to be captured on film to make it a special moment. Lovely moments can be savored all on their own.
Part Four of the Camera Saga. Still in a pickle. For some reason I saved the box, the warranty, the manual, the plastic wrappers, each piece to the camera, the unused and unopened camera cords - and yet, I didn't save the receipt. I didn't? I could've sworn I did! Meaning (as a gum-chewing Walmart employee told me) that the warranty is useless. I made the same mistake last time I bought a camera (same model, a year ago - what is up with me? But for the record, I didn't break the camera through carelessness, the same lens error occurred both times). Anyway, I can't afford to drop another $200.00 for a third camera. Sad day. So this will have to be a pictureless blog, which is unfortunate, because for the first time I actually want to take pictures of my home surroundings. Ah well.
Also, I meant to post pics of my kids in Musician's Choice program, Choice Kids. But I can't find the flash drive with the photos Laurie took. Blast. Not my best day with taking care of technology.
But! I saw a deer outside my front window the day before yesterday! Just standing in the meadowy area that the back of our building faces. I watched it for a few full minutes before a man walking his dog scared him and he bounded away. I love animals. It was neat to get to see that, all while standing in my front room with the window open.
Too bad I didn't have a camera. . .
Maybe this gap of time without a camera will teach me that a moment doesn't have to be captured on film to make it a special moment. Lovely moments can be savored all on their own.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
A Pinch of History: Potato Peel Pie, Valley Forge, Western Waterways and other Lions, Tigers, and Bears
Sad day. My camera is broken. Isn't that ironic? I think I still have the warranty paperwork though, so we'll take it to Walmart tomorrow. Pictures of our apartment will have to wait yet again.
I've been doing a lot of reading lately (Imagine that. Me, reading?), and I find it interesting how the topics I'm reading about tend to crop up in my current reality. I've been riding on a history-fix lately, and it has led to a chain of books that I want to pass on. In the words of Juliet Ashton (from The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I just finished and loved), "That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit there will lead you to a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment."It started with "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln", which was THE most enjoyable Lincoln autobiography I've read. Of course, it's much more than that, because it tells the story of his Cabinet members, before, during and after the War. So, so fascinating - I highly recommend this book. I love those valuable so-called side players in history, and the brilliant and genuine way Lincoln led them all in a way that made the most use of differences of opinion, talent, and sphere of influence. Almost everyone grows up admiring Honest Abe, but I feel like I now understand the reasons for admiring him in a way I never have before.
Then I got to thinking how many gaps I have in my understanding of American history, which led to "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West". Yes, Mountain View friends, I know a lot of you read it in high school and hated it, but I never read it then and I don't hate it now. Then I bought Chris "1776" for his birthday (He wanted it, I promise! I didn't simply choose the book I was currently craving and then give it to him so that I could justify buying another book. . . *cough*. No, but truly, I didn't.). Then (although I haven't started reading this one yet) I picked up a dollar copy of "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House", because I realize I understand virtually nothing about Pres. Jackson except that he constantly dueled, removed the Indians from their lands, and had something to do with the National Bank (See? What do I know?)
Another quote from the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: "Have you ever noticed that when your mind is awakened or drawn to someone [or something] new, that [it] suddenly pops up everywhere you go? Sophie calls it coincidence, and Mr. Simpless, my parson friend, calls it Grace. He thinks that if one cares deeply about someone or something new one throws a kind of energy out into the world, and "fruitfulness" is drawn in."
Well, fruitfulness for my recent love for history has been drawn in! But I can't tell you yet what that fruitfulness is, because it involves a surprise for someone else. Actually, I was planning to tell, that's what this whole post was supposed to lead up to. But my husband peeked over my shoulder and told me I'd better not let the cat out of the bag yet. Mph. And now I don't know what to do with this post! So, stay tuned and on August 17th or 18th I'll write about where the history fix has led us!
I've been doing a lot of reading lately (Imagine that. Me, reading?), and I find it interesting how the topics I'm reading about tend to crop up in my current reality. I've been riding on a history-fix lately, and it has led to a chain of books that I want to pass on. In the words of Juliet Ashton (from The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I just finished and loved), "That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit there will lead you to a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment."It started with "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln", which was THE most enjoyable Lincoln autobiography I've read. Of course, it's much more than that, because it tells the story of his Cabinet members, before, during and after the War. So, so fascinating - I highly recommend this book. I love those valuable so-called side players in history, and the brilliant and genuine way Lincoln led them all in a way that made the most use of differences of opinion, talent, and sphere of influence. Almost everyone grows up admiring Honest Abe, but I feel like I now understand the reasons for admiring him in a way I never have before.
Then I got to thinking how many gaps I have in my understanding of American history, which led to "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West". Yes, Mountain View friends, I know a lot of you read it in high school and hated it, but I never read it then and I don't hate it now. Then I bought Chris "1776" for his birthday (He wanted it, I promise! I didn't simply choose the book I was currently craving and then give it to him so that I could justify buying another book. . . *cough*. No, but truly, I didn't.). Then (although I haven't started reading this one yet) I picked up a dollar copy of "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House", because I realize I understand virtually nothing about Pres. Jackson except that he constantly dueled, removed the Indians from their lands, and had something to do with the National Bank (See? What do I know?)
Another quote from the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: "Have you ever noticed that when your mind is awakened or drawn to someone [or something] new, that [it] suddenly pops up everywhere you go? Sophie calls it coincidence, and Mr. Simpless, my parson friend, calls it Grace. He thinks that if one cares deeply about someone or something new one throws a kind of energy out into the world, and "fruitfulness" is drawn in."
Well, fruitfulness for my recent love for history has been drawn in! But I can't tell you yet what that fruitfulness is, because it involves a surprise for someone else. Actually, I was planning to tell, that's what this whole post was supposed to lead up to. But my husband peeked over my shoulder and told me I'd better not let the cat out of the bag yet. Mph. And now I don't know what to do with this post! So, stay tuned and on August 17th or 18th I'll write about where the history fix has led us!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Back in Mesa
So, I realize I said I would be posting pictures soon, but we are back in Mesa for the week and haven't yet taken pictures of our place.We've come back to Mesa Tuesday through Sunday so that I could lead Choice Kids' last performance at Musician's Choice (the Back-to-School Open House, August 6th), and so that I could do some last recordings with my brother Nate. We spent eight hours recording today and are taking a much-needed break before jumping back into it for the rest of the night!
Nate, Rachel Noble, and I are in the process of recording a spiritual CD, but due to the fact that I just moved to Flagstaff and he will be going to BYU, we will only have the holidays to record. We won't release the album until Christmas Break, at least. It's going to be SO good though! We have a very unique sound that you won't hear from other religious artists, and some unusual choices of hymns, along with a couple beautiful originals put together by Nate and Rachel.
Not much else to say, other than that pictures will be coming next week! :) Thanks for reading.
Nate, Rachel Noble, and I are in the process of recording a spiritual CD, but due to the fact that I just moved to Flagstaff and he will be going to BYU, we will only have the holidays to record. We won't release the album until Christmas Break, at least. It's going to be SO good though! We have a very unique sound that you won't hear from other religious artists, and some unusual choices of hymns, along with a couple beautiful originals put together by Nate and Rachel.
Not much else to say, other than that pictures will be coming next week! :) Thanks for reading.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
We've Moved!
I haven't posted since Christmas. . . I switched back to journal because it's hard to maintain a blog without internet access. But! It's time to start writing again because (*drum roll*) Christopher and I have moved to Flagstaff! Now that we are far from home, my family wants to know what's going on in our lives. Plus, we now have internet access in our home, so I'll try my best to blog again. Pardon my rusty writing; it's been a while since I've written anything other than journal entries with poor grammar and thought processes. Maybe blogging will improve my writing? Or maybe drill me into worse habits. . . but regardless, I'll keep this blog updated.
Chris and I plan to finish our Bachelor's degrees in music, and are starting up our schooling again, at Northern Arizona University in a few weeks.
We packed up our dear little Udall home on Monday, and drove up to Flagstaff on Tuesday. Here is a video we made of our studio apartment before we moved. I highly recommend you watch it so that you can see ME 'n'all-ma Shawty-ness touch the ceiling . . . without jumping. . . or even standing on my toes. . .. Also, our 1/4 a bathroom is not to be missed. Our kitchen was small enough that we didn't have room for a kitchen table. We shared a laptop table and used a pair of folding chairs, all of which had to be moved if one needed to open the refrigerator for any reason. :) And you might want to see me look like an idiot as I mix up Halloween and Valentine's Day when talking about paper hearts.
Although our Udall studio apartment was tiny, it was homey, and it was our first home. I can't deny that I cried as we drove away. Good memories.
On the other hand, I almost cried for joy when I started moving things into our Ponderosa Park Apartment, and realized that I could open the bathroom door without pressing myself against the wall and sucking in my tummy! Yippee!
We now are able to use our white-suede couch from the Pearsons and the desk from the Mishauds (they've both been stored in Marc and Denna's downstairs rooms for the past year). All our other wedding gifts are finally reaching their full potential now too. For example, I have space to cook! And fancy-schmancy cookery stuffs to use! I've done more baking and cooking and whatevering in the past week of living here than I have in any other single week of our marriage (and that's saying something, since it hasn't even been a full week . . . poor Chris. . . )
My mom, my dad, and Aurelia all came up to Flagstaff with us and helped us move, for which we are SO GRATEFUL!! :) We love you. And thanks to everyone else who helped us in the moving process!
I'll post pictures soon. Right now, however, the camera battery is dead and in the move I have yet to find the charger. My sister Aurelia took a couple pictures of the outside, however:
This is a walk that is literally twenty steps away from our back door. I feel pretty lucky.
I have to admit. . . I'm homesick. I miss family, friends, and familiarity. I miss knowing that my our parents live less than fifteen minutes away, and I'm already missing the Sunday dinners with both of our families. I'm a little freaked out thinking about how much my siblings can/will change in the two years that we live up here.
I also miss the comfort of our far-more-secure financial situation in Mesa. Trying to figure out financial aid and loans and jobs and watching our bank account plummet with the cost of living and the cost of school has filled us with a lot of anxiety. We have tried our best to live EXTREMELY frugally for the past year in order to save and prepare for this, and so far so good. I just hope our savings will carry us through with no, or more realistically, minimal loans. By the way, I keep mistyping loans as "loads", and I've been tempted to leave it as is.
The great blessing through it all is Chris. I love him so much!!! I love spending time with him, so in a way this move has been a real treat! It's been so nice to spend so much chill time and work time with my husband. I love learning from him, and already his clear-headedness, gratitude, hard work, and optimism improve my attitude daily and help me focus on our many, many blessings, as well as on our priorities. I'm grateful for his good example to me, and the way he shows love to me by lifting my moods when I'm homesick or helping me accomplish tasks when I'm overwhelmed. We are happy to be with each other, and we intend to use this opportunity to draw closer to each other - We can treat it like a more full meaning to the Genesis scripture about a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. :) I'm so thankful for my sweet, Christlike husband.
Chris and I plan to finish our Bachelor's degrees in music, and are starting up our schooling again, at Northern Arizona University in a few weeks.
We packed up our dear little Udall home on Monday, and drove up to Flagstaff on Tuesday. Here is a video we made of our studio apartment before we moved. I highly recommend you watch it so that you can see ME 'n'all-ma Shawty-ness touch the ceiling . . . without jumping. . . or even standing on my toes. . .. Also, our 1/4 a bathroom is not to be missed. Our kitchen was small enough that we didn't have room for a kitchen table. We shared a laptop table and used a pair of folding chairs, all of which had to be moved if one needed to open the refrigerator for any reason. :) And you might want to see me look like an idiot as I mix up Halloween and Valentine's Day when talking about paper hearts.
Although our Udall studio apartment was tiny, it was homey, and it was our first home. I can't deny that I cried as we drove away. Good memories.
On the other hand, I almost cried for joy when I started moving things into our Ponderosa Park Apartment, and realized that I could open the bathroom door without pressing myself against the wall and sucking in my tummy! Yippee!
We now are able to use our white-suede couch from the Pearsons and the desk from the Mishauds (they've both been stored in Marc and Denna's downstairs rooms for the past year). All our other wedding gifts are finally reaching their full potential now too. For example, I have space to cook! And fancy-schmancy cookery stuffs to use! I've done more baking and cooking and whatevering in the past week of living here than I have in any other single week of our marriage (and that's saying something, since it hasn't even been a full week . . . poor Chris. . . )
My mom, my dad, and Aurelia all came up to Flagstaff with us and helped us move, for which we are SO GRATEFUL!! :) We love you. And thanks to everyone else who helped us in the moving process!
I'll post pictures soon. Right now, however, the camera battery is dead and in the move I have yet to find the charger. My sister Aurelia took a couple pictures of the outside, however:
This is a walk that is literally twenty steps away from our back door. I feel pretty lucky.
I have to admit. . . I'm homesick. I miss family, friends, and familiarity. I miss knowing that my our parents live less than fifteen minutes away, and I'm already missing the Sunday dinners with both of our families. I'm a little freaked out thinking about how much my siblings can/will change in the two years that we live up here.
I also miss the comfort of our far-more-secure financial situation in Mesa. Trying to figure out financial aid and loans and jobs and watching our bank account plummet with the cost of living and the cost of school has filled us with a lot of anxiety. We have tried our best to live EXTREMELY frugally for the past year in order to save and prepare for this, and so far so good. I just hope our savings will carry us through with no, or more realistically, minimal loans. By the way, I keep mistyping loans as "loads", and I've been tempted to leave it as is.
The great blessing through it all is Chris. I love him so much!!! I love spending time with him, so in a way this move has been a real treat! It's been so nice to spend so much chill time and work time with my husband. I love learning from him, and already his clear-headedness, gratitude, hard work, and optimism improve my attitude daily and help me focus on our many, many blessings, as well as on our priorities. I'm grateful for his good example to me, and the way he shows love to me by lifting my moods when I'm homesick or helping me accomplish tasks when I'm overwhelmed. We are happy to be with each other, and we intend to use this opportunity to draw closer to each other - We can treat it like a more full meaning to the Genesis scripture about a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. :) I'm so thankful for my sweet, Christlike husband.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Christmas Lights!
I WILL write a post about our wonderful first Christmas together. But for now, I just have a quick advertising plug -
Chris and I are going to sing together at Temple Lights tomorrow night! The concert night we were assigned happens to fall on our one year anniversary from the day we started dating. Awwww. :)
But it's tomorrow night, 7:00 to 7:30, at the Mesa Temple Visitor Center. If it rains, it will be indoors, and if not, it will be on the back of the Visitor Center, facing the temple. We'll be singing solos, duets, playing violin, and do a number with my brother's band, Saltwater Radio. We hope to see many of you there!
Chris and I are going to sing together at Temple Lights tomorrow night! The concert night we were assigned happens to fall on our one year anniversary from the day we started dating. Awwww. :)
But it's tomorrow night, 7:00 to 7:30, at the Mesa Temple Visitor Center. If it rains, it will be indoors, and if not, it will be on the back of the Visitor Center, facing the temple. We'll be singing solos, duets, playing violin, and do a number with my brother's band, Saltwater Radio. We hope to see many of you there!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Marley Was Dead, To Begin With.
This week has been the Nightmare before Christmas. But we've survived the storm! We had the CRAZIEST day yesterday.
Some quick background information first - 2 1/2 weeks ago, one of the male leads dropped out of CGCC's production of "A Christmas Carol". Chris's dad is one of the directors. So guess who he asked to jump in and learn the whole show in less than 3 weeks, with time in his schedule to go to about half of the rehearsals? Yup. :) My Chris will be playing the role of the ghost Jacob Marley in CGCC's "A Christmas Carol", which has had its dress rehearsals all week and will be opening tonight at 7:30. So, with that busy schedule in mind, keep reading.
So, Dec. 1st was the due date for audition recordings for acceptance into the ASU's Herberger School of Music. So I'd recorded mine (with severe bronchitis, but you do what you gotta do), but Chris LOST his voice, and was just starting to get it back (fabulous timing for a musical, an audition, a Messiah performance as the tenor soloist, and a week-ful of voice lessons - poor Chris :( ). So we were waiting to record his until the last possible minute.
We discovered on MONDAY night that not only were our recordings due online, but that in fact our entire application (essay, repertoire sheets, artistic resumes, 3 recommendation letters) which I'd thought was due by Dec 31st . . . was actually due by Dec 1st. By 5:00.
We also discovered that the camera that I had recorded my audition with was missing a crucial cord, that it required certain expensive software that limited us to using my parents' computer, that my file size was too big to be uploaded (I sang a 16 page French opera aria) and needed to downgrade its quality or cut the recording, and that the adobe flashplayer 10.1 needed to submit the file online had crashed and refused to work on my parents' computer.
And just as we finally started figuring out how to make it work, the camera battery died. The charging cord was in the car, with Chris, in Gilbert. Who was not able to bring it to me.
So, to make a long story short, the world saved our lives yesterday, and we were able to turn in our applications - thanks to my incredible brother Nate, who tracked down the cords I needed, spent hours helping me make it work on his laptop even though he had mountains of homework and tests to deal with; thanks to the fabulous Laura McQuaig, who was helping Chris do the exact same thing on the other side of town at CGCC; thanks to the other students in the green room helping Chris and Laura figure out the school camera, the website and how the heck to make everything compatible; thanks to my mom, who made sure I had the chance to eat and take medicine since I was still really sick; thanks to John for helping Chris record his audition with a video camera other than mine; thanks to Adam Hildebrandt, our store manager, who helped me shrink the movie file size while I had to go and teach lessons; thanks to Marc, who drove down to ASU and hand-delivered our applications; thanks to the teachers who were willing to write us recommendation letters on such short notice; and THANKS THANKS THANKS to my mother-in-law Denna, who drove me around all day from work to paying the rent to my parents' house to her house to picking up cords to CGCC and back, and everything in between!!!
Most of all, thank you to our Heavenly Father for blessing us with strength in spite of sickness, with the ability keep all our school/work/rehearsal commitments and yet finish the essays and repertoire sheets quickly, and with friends and family in our path to help us accomplish all that we needed to.
Mm. Life is good. :)
Well, A Christmas Carol is opening tonight, so here's my shameless advertising plug! It's at 7:30 at the Arnette-Scott Ward Performing Arts Center on the CGCC Pecos and Gilbert campus. It's going to be a great show! Tickets are $5-10 bucks.
My husband plays a dead ghost, and let me tell you, he is completely terrifying!! He's covered in zombie makeup, shrieking and wailing and contorting and scaring the living daylights out of me (It's quite a scary scene, maybe I'll be able to post a clip of it on here soon), and yet somehow managing to do it "tastefully" instead of making it tacky. It's lucky that he's got such a mild-mannered personality. . . I had no idea he could shout like that! My nieces and nephews will also be in the show as well.
If anyone wants to come, the show is going to be fabulous. And who doesn't like Dicken's "A Christmas Carol"? I've already started my annual Christmas rereading of the book. This show, by the way, is different from the version they do at the Hale Center Theatre. Alan Menken wrote the music to this one. Therefore it's awesome. The one at Hale Center is made up of actual Christmas carols put to the story, whereas this is a musical theatre production with some incredible original music. So, come see the show! :)
Some quick background information first - 2 1/2 weeks ago, one of the male leads dropped out of CGCC's production of "A Christmas Carol". Chris's dad is one of the directors. So guess who he asked to jump in and learn the whole show in less than 3 weeks, with time in his schedule to go to about half of the rehearsals? Yup. :) My Chris will be playing the role of the ghost Jacob Marley in CGCC's "A Christmas Carol", which has had its dress rehearsals all week and will be opening tonight at 7:30. So, with that busy schedule in mind, keep reading.
So, Dec. 1st was the due date for audition recordings for acceptance into the ASU's Herberger School of Music. So I'd recorded mine (with severe bronchitis, but you do what you gotta do), but Chris LOST his voice, and was just starting to get it back (fabulous timing for a musical, an audition, a Messiah performance as the tenor soloist, and a week-ful of voice lessons - poor Chris :( ). So we were waiting to record his until the last possible minute.
We discovered on MONDAY night that not only were our recordings due online, but that in fact our entire application (essay, repertoire sheets, artistic resumes, 3 recommendation letters) which I'd thought was due by Dec 31st . . . was actually due by Dec 1st. By 5:00.
We also discovered that the camera that I had recorded my audition with was missing a crucial cord, that it required certain expensive software that limited us to using my parents' computer, that my file size was too big to be uploaded (I sang a 16 page French opera aria) and needed to downgrade its quality or cut the recording, and that the adobe flashplayer 10.1 needed to submit the file online had crashed and refused to work on my parents' computer.
And just as we finally started figuring out how to make it work, the camera battery died. The charging cord was in the car, with Chris, in Gilbert. Who was not able to bring it to me.
So, to make a long story short, the world saved our lives yesterday, and we were able to turn in our applications - thanks to my incredible brother Nate, who tracked down the cords I needed, spent hours helping me make it work on his laptop even though he had mountains of homework and tests to deal with; thanks to the fabulous Laura McQuaig, who was helping Chris do the exact same thing on the other side of town at CGCC; thanks to the other students in the green room helping Chris and Laura figure out the school camera, the website and how the heck to make everything compatible; thanks to my mom, who made sure I had the chance to eat and take medicine since I was still really sick; thanks to John for helping Chris record his audition with a video camera other than mine; thanks to Adam Hildebrandt, our store manager, who helped me shrink the movie file size while I had to go and teach lessons; thanks to Marc, who drove down to ASU and hand-delivered our applications; thanks to the teachers who were willing to write us recommendation letters on such short notice; and THANKS THANKS THANKS to my mother-in-law Denna, who drove me around all day from work to paying the rent to my parents' house to her house to picking up cords to CGCC and back, and everything in between!!!
Most of all, thank you to our Heavenly Father for blessing us with strength in spite of sickness, with the ability keep all our school/work/rehearsal commitments and yet finish the essays and repertoire sheets quickly, and with friends and family in our path to help us accomplish all that we needed to.
Mm. Life is good. :)
Well, A Christmas Carol is opening tonight, so here's my shameless advertising plug! It's at 7:30 at the Arnette-Scott Ward Performing Arts Center on the CGCC Pecos and Gilbert campus. It's going to be a great show! Tickets are $5-10 bucks.
My husband plays a dead ghost, and let me tell you, he is completely terrifying!! He's covered in zombie makeup, shrieking and wailing and contorting and scaring the living daylights out of me (It's quite a scary scene, maybe I'll be able to post a clip of it on here soon), and yet somehow managing to do it "tastefully" instead of making it tacky. It's lucky that he's got such a mild-mannered personality. . . I had no idea he could shout like that! My nieces and nephews will also be in the show as well.
If anyone wants to come, the show is going to be fabulous. And who doesn't like Dicken's "A Christmas Carol"? I've already started my annual Christmas rereading of the book. This show, by the way, is different from the version they do at the Hale Center Theatre. Alan Menken wrote the music to this one. Therefore it's awesome. The one at Hale Center is made up of actual Christmas carols put to the story, whereas this is a musical theatre production with some incredible original music. So, come see the show! :)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Book of Chris and Aubrey. Part One. :)
The first blog post! I feel obligated to say something clever or profound, but nothing's coming. So!
I've abandoned my old blog - it's just a reminder and how much time lapsed between each post, and how I'm really not a very good writer. Plus I've got a new last name, a new job, a new home, etc. So I'd like a new blog too. :)
I feel a little silly spouting off my name and situation like I'm writing a seventh grade English assignment "All About Me". Especially since this blog was written for the courtesy of my Momma, who wants to know what's going on in my life and thinks I ought to write down some of the crazy situations I'm coming across as a kindergarten aide, a voice teacher, and a newlywed! But for those who don't know me (haha, I feel like I'm giving a talk at a new ward), I'm Aubrey Denton, formerly Aubrey Noble. This July I married Chris Denton, and life's been a great adventure every since! Not to sound too cheesy. :) But he is the most incredible, most wonderful person I know - a great example to me, and someone I am thrilled to be married to and honored to spend eternity with.
I work as an "Intervention Instructional Assistant" (a glorified name for teacher's aide at Title One schools) at Longfellow Elementary. This means that I spend school hours working with about 120 kindergartners, most of whom came to school in August knowing few words in English other than "bathroom" "no", and "Hannah Montana" (don't get me started on that last one). We work with at-risk kids to get them up to speed on reading, writing, counting, knowing their shapes and colors, etc. It's been such an eye-opening experience for me, and while there have been catastrophes I didn't know existed outside of extreme comedy movies, it's also been a gratifying job. I love these adorable little children! :)
Chris and I also both work as voice teachers at a music store called "Musician's Choice" on McKellips and Lindsay by Tia Rosa's. I have over 20 students and I LOVE IT!!!! Music is one of my greatest passions; I love to sing, yes, but I love to teach music even more than performing myself. It is such a high to be teaching voice lessons (although it too, has has its ups and downs). If anyone reading is interested, we offer a free trial lesson if you want to come and try it out!
Chris also works in the music department at MCC, and as an assistant choir director at Campo Verde High School. We live a street west of the Mesa Temple in a 'lil studio apartment, which has been an adventure in and of itself, but I'll save that for another day.
We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints! We believe in Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, as the source of joy and light in our lives, and as the path back to our Heavenly Father. We believe that Joseph Smith restored the fullness of Christ's gospel, that today Thomas S. Monson receives revelation from God to guide His church on earth, and that through the restored power of God's priesthood families can be sealed to last through eternity. If you're interested in learning more we're working on our Mormon.org profiles <3 and you can take a look at lds.org for more information.
So that's us in a nutshell. Maybe next time I'll have some interesting stories to post! For now, we are off to dinner with Chris's parents, then off to decorate the Christmas tree at my parent's house!
I've abandoned my old blog - it's just a reminder and how much time lapsed between each post, and how I'm really not a very good writer. Plus I've got a new last name, a new job, a new home, etc. So I'd like a new blog too. :)
I feel a little silly spouting off my name and situation like I'm writing a seventh grade English assignment "All About Me". Especially since this blog was written for the courtesy of my Momma, who wants to know what's going on in my life and thinks I ought to write down some of the crazy situations I'm coming across as a kindergarten aide, a voice teacher, and a newlywed! But for those who don't know me (haha, I feel like I'm giving a talk at a new ward), I'm Aubrey Denton, formerly Aubrey Noble. This July I married Chris Denton, and life's been a great adventure every since! Not to sound too cheesy. :) But he is the most incredible, most wonderful person I know - a great example to me, and someone I am thrilled to be married to and honored to spend eternity with.
I work as an "Intervention Instructional Assistant" (a glorified name for teacher's aide at Title One schools) at Longfellow Elementary. This means that I spend school hours working with about 120 kindergartners, most of whom came to school in August knowing few words in English other than "bathroom" "no", and "Hannah Montana" (don't get me started on that last one). We work with at-risk kids to get them up to speed on reading, writing, counting, knowing their shapes and colors, etc. It's been such an eye-opening experience for me, and while there have been catastrophes I didn't know existed outside of extreme comedy movies, it's also been a gratifying job. I love these adorable little children! :)
Chris and I also both work as voice teachers at a music store called "Musician's Choice" on McKellips and Lindsay by Tia Rosa's. I have over 20 students and I LOVE IT!!!! Music is one of my greatest passions; I love to sing, yes, but I love to teach music even more than performing myself. It is such a high to be teaching voice lessons (although it too, has has its ups and downs). If anyone reading is interested, we offer a free trial lesson if you want to come and try it out!
Chris also works in the music department at MCC, and as an assistant choir director at Campo Verde High School. We live a street west of the Mesa Temple in a 'lil studio apartment, which has been an adventure in and of itself, but I'll save that for another day.
We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints! We believe in Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, as the source of joy and light in our lives, and as the path back to our Heavenly Father. We believe that Joseph Smith restored the fullness of Christ's gospel, that today Thomas S. Monson receives revelation from God to guide His church on earth, and that through the restored power of God's priesthood families can be sealed to last through eternity. If you're interested in learning more we're working on our Mormon.org profiles <3 and you can take a look at lds.org for more information.
So that's us in a nutshell. Maybe next time I'll have some interesting stories to post! For now, we are off to dinner with Chris's parents, then off to decorate the Christmas tree at my parent's house!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)