beedeejayman

After a leave of absence :-)

2011-08-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well people,

It's been just over a year since my last post and I was thinking to myself as I wait for my next class to start, "I miss journaling my thoughts in some way. I need to revive my blog." Not that the blog was much ever to begin with, but part of my new schoolyear resolutions this time is to chronicle the times and happenings here in P-town USA. There have been some major developments in my life and more yet to come, so I figure I better get cracking.

First and foremost, I am engaged to the girl of my dreams, miss Tierra Jean. I love her dearly and couldn't imagine a better future wife and companion. We are to be married 11/11/11 (catchy, I know), along with every other person and their dog that day. We joke that it's so I won't forget, yet there's probably a lot of truth in that statement (the memory never was so good). Plans are under way, we have the venue, we have the colors and theme (Black White and Olive for those of you who wanted to know). Lots more to do. We'll be married in Mesa, AZ where I'm from in here. I'm gonna be the 4th generation married in this temple (at least), talk about tradition people. I'm sure I will post more about this later.

As I glanced back at my previous post (more than a year ago ha!) I reminisced at the fact that school has started once again. I'm now a senior at BYU, and a little shocked by the fact that my stay here is almost over. I plan to graduate in April with a degree in Sociology (yeah, I know what do you do with that?) with plans to attend Law School next fall (ahhh you say, there's the moneymaker). T and I have no idea where we'll end up but we look forward anxiously to a new adventure. 3 years of busy awesomeness. In other news I'm a little bit sad about the fact that scheduling does not allow for any choir/music this year during school - last year was riddled with performing groups and opportunities. The fact is, there just wasn't time, or space in my schedule, and I have a required class scheduled right in the middle of choir too. PLUS I would have to be missing a couple concerts and such because of THIS:

Yep, you guessed it. This summer my bro's and I recorded our first album: Faith & Freedom. It was such a blast to make and the story of it's creation (which I will tell another day) is of epic and miraculous proportions. As such, we have been performing all over the place in AZ, both in sacred and community settings. From restaurants to political functions, we have begun to make a small name for ourselves. It's quite fun, and we cherish every moment we have together until I get married and until my brother Jamyn leaves on his mission to Guadalajara, Mexico in October. From there the group's future will be determined, who knows.

You can find info on the group on our facebook page - here, or in the near future on our website here.

For now that's all people, off to a criminology class, but very excited to be back. Can't wait to hear comments and get some followers in the near future and join the great blogosphere out there.

For now its Cougars and Criminology classes.

BYU Baby! Woot!

2010-08-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a measly 5 YEARS ago, I remember as I finished my senior year how excited I was for the upcoming adventure of being a college student at my university of choice, BYU. I was so nervous and excited being a wee 17 yr. old (mind you I was still 6 ft. 3"). Anywho, it was the super coolest, most adult feeling ever to be leaving home and starting things off on my own. Well I went on up there, my mom and awesome Aunt Allyson VanPatten navigating us there and hauling a butt-load of clothes, bedding, household and kitchen items up in her car. I love that Both years that I went up to the Y before my mission Allyson found herself along on our trip. I mean, both times it was so last second too that we asked her if she would come. What a champ.

Well, we made quite the team us 3 as we shopped and prepped my dorm and living situation. We were quite the bargain shoppers and we did so in a snip-snap sort of fashion. Another wonderful thing about the Dana Rodgers/Allyson VP team is that they have like this skill to "Design on a Dime" and do "Extreme Makeover's" on rooms. I mean seriously people, we walked into Target and went out Champions for the cool stuff we found. Allyson even had this great idea to make pictures on the wall of these postcards of Paris and they were such cheapie stuff, but in these affordable chic frames looked absolutely great. I tell you my dorm was the envied one up there.

Now BYU was an amazing experience before the mission. I absolutely loved the classes (even though many were challenging), the environment, the people, etc. It felt so RIGHT to me. The best part of my experience was my choir experience. I HAD to do a choir because if my life doesn't have some sort of musical portion I spontaneously implode. Well I auditioned my freshman year and got into the Concert Choir. Take that world, 1 of 4 freshman in the whole choir of 100+ people. The director's name was (and is still) Sis. Rosalind Hall. Sis. Hall hails from the country of Whales in the UK and I tell you, she is one of my absolute favorite people in the whole wide world. I think everyone should have the opportunity to get to know her, observe her, and participate in one of her rehearsals. She had such a gift to make choir experiences spiritual experiences and teach you things about more than just music. Concert choir was training for life, and the relationships between sections and friends made it feel like one big family.

Interesting facts about Sis. Hall. 1) Received her undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance from the Oxfard School of Music. 2) Decided to get her Master's degree in choral conducting from BYU to learn how to be a better Ward Choir director 3) Replaced Mack Wilberg when he left to take his post with MoTab 4) Directs the BYU Concert Choir and Men's Chorus (largest men's choir in the world - 250+) 5) ONLY shops at Nordstrom 6) Is one of the best groomed/dressed people I know 7) Genuinely loves her students and music and strives to be her best at all times 7) Memorizes all her music before we even begin practicing a piece 8) Has THE BEST quotes and stories you can imagine.

This woman changed my BYU experience and I will forever be grateful to her. I may be auditioning this upcoming year for Vocal Point (a 9-person a capella group), but if it does not work out I will for sure be participating in Concert Choir once more. I will say that I was not a perfect student but I didn't do poorly. I did try my hardest though. I had a 1/2 scholarship which I promptly lost my second year around because I had like a 3.62 and you need like a 3.9 to keep them (ridiculous!). Oh well, I was grateful to have it for the short time I did.

I worked at one of the best places ever. I worked in the athletic building locker rooms. I actually kinda got the job not knowing what I was getting into, but all I knew is that the hours worked perfectly for me. I was responsible for checking out clothing, equipment or lockers, etc. to students. Now, I know what you are all thinking. A locker room? Uhhhh lame, gross environment, dumb job. Yeah I know, BUT, consider this. I was allowed to do homework in my work when there was no one to attend to. We always had 2 of us on a shift and it never got TOO stressful. I worked the busiest shift of the day, and I was never TOO overwhelmed. Anywho, chill environment where you mostly sit and do homework, while getting paid = great job. Didn't pay much but covered my expenses.

I never really chose a major back then, I was too indecisive, too fear-driven to choose. I did mostly all generals and got a lot done. I think I have now about 80 credits. 42 of those credits came from AP stuff I did before my mission (Those tests totally paid off!).

Now here I am 5 years from where I started headed back to the Y. I am SO excited to finish what I started and make my future. I have decided to pursue Psychology for my undergrad and from there possibly pursue a JD-MBA (Law degree and a Masters in Business Administration combined). I can't tel you exactly why I chose these things, but I just feel like it's right. I remember when I was on my mission in my last six months, I was so worried about not knowing what to do after my mission, but I trusted that the Lord would fulfill his promise and help me if I served. Well I remember 2 distinct occasions where I felt a strong prompting that I should, 1st, study Psychology.

Remember those tests when you were little and were about your likes and skills and told you the careers that were most suited for you. Yeah well, mine always always came back that I was best suited as a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist. I thought, Me? pshhhhh. Why would I want to hear all about people's problems and meet the crazies, thus in turn giving me depression from all their crap? That was my mentality. BUT after serving a mission, I could see myself doing it. In a sense, being a missionary has many parallels to psychology and I indeed enjoyed it. So that became my plan, Psychology. And then, one Sunday, I remember having the strongest impression right in the middle of church that I should go to law school.

HUH? Law school? I began to 2nd guess my motives and why this thought would appear randomly in my head. The money? what? What could it be? Well nothing stood to reason and I just accepted the fact that somebody a lot higher than me had given me the answer that I had long searched for. Now I'm not saying that I could not be successful in, perhaps, music or something. BUT I do believe that the Lord showed me a possible path I could take and be successful in, thus achieving many of the other life-long goals that I have.

So, here I go. I'm supposed to be packing right now and I am procrastinating the torture of it all. Tomorrow at the butt-crack of dawn we are pulling out and heading to Provo. The nice part of it this time is that my little bro. and best friend Jamyn (18 yrs.) is coming up to the Y with me. It'll be so great to have family up there. I'm living off-campus in the Riviera with a missionary friend of mine, Murphy Randle. It's going to be an awesome year. I'm a wee bit nervous about the financial situation of things. I'm responsible for almost everything this go around and I will have to pay for insurance and car stuff, etc. Everything depends on me getting a decent job. I'm actually training myself on some programming and basic web-design right now to get one of the higher-paying on-campus jobs. Here's praying that I can learn this stuff quick. Everything depends on it.

Well, off to pack now. The next update will be Utah style. Can't wait!

Cougars and Creameries,

Bryson

Glasses and Stomach Flu

2010-08-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well hello there blog world. I must say that this week has not been what I had expected it to be. I began well, finding random work opportunities and working hard to get things done. I was going along strong, using every possible minute to be productive.

Oh yeah! I had to tell you. So I have been stressing about my job situation and the money front for when I head to BYU. I seriously need help like every other poor college student out there. Well, I went to a wedding reception of a good high school friend of mine and ran into some other best friends of mine. I was asking them about possible work opportunities for work up at BYU and my good friend Jonathan Hipps mentioned one opportunity. He works as a PHP web design programmer (I hope I got that right), and he offered to teach me and guide me through the process of learning. Apparently it's a kick butt job that has ULTRA flexible hours and pays GREAT to start off. Thus, I could not ignore such a proposal. I was so relieved to hear of an opportunity like this. Meanwhile I am doing tutorials and small practices online to gear up for my big debut. I am determined to get this job and have the opportunity. It's hard, I'm not gonna lie, but at this point I am to desperate to not let it pass me by.

SO, half my days I have been spending on the laptop, perusing these training guides online. It's slow going and tedious, but well worth it. Tuesday I was running around doing some work for my uncle Eric for his Global Dental Arts company. I had just finished an interview with a dentist and I TOTALLY spaced it that I had an appt. with the optometrist at 5:30 (mind you it was 5:20). I called them and told them that I was still coming and would be a couple minutes late. WELL let's just say that I hauled A and got there as quick as I could. I mean for a good portion of the journey I was dropping dimes, hitting every single green light cuz I'm lucky like that.

THEN the skies decided to rear their ugly head and sprinkle. And for those of you who know AZ driving, you can't POSSIBLY drive at a normal velocity if the sky is dropping liquid. Oh no, not possible. Thus every Joe and his car slammed on his brakes as I was within 2 miles of the place. So I arrive slightly behind (5:40 PM) and the receptionist ladies are not too happy with me. Apparently they were already double booked and trying to squeeze every person possible in before closing time, and me arriving 10 min. late threw the whole world into chaos. I thought, "Oh brother" and sweet-talked my good friend Lucy the technician into letting me anyways (she and I go way back :) she's been my technician for like 6 or 7 years). Anywho, the eye doctor was telling me that I wear my contacts too much (Ha! big surprise) and that I need to only wear them from like 8 to 5 and then take them out. Apparently I have like swollen blood vessels near my cornea and that could be a problem in the future.

Now in all honestness, I seriously have been TRYING to be careful with my eyes. Before my mission I didn't take good care of them, but whilst in Argentina I was WAY religious in putting them in just before we left at 10:00 and then taking them out at 10:00 at night when I got home. I mean, COME ON people! What more can I do. SOOOO to resolve said problem, I am going to buy some sick glasses that I do not HATE to wear like current ~~Pieces~~ glasses that I am currently sporting. Thus I will be able to go even days without using said contacts because of the pride of new glasses I will purchase. Unfortunately I will have to buy those up in Utah because we are so close to our departure date for Utah that they would not be able to order them in time for us (takes 7 business days to arrive and we leave Tuesday).

Well the skies opened up and poured when we left and there was a wonderful electrical storm over our side of town. My dad offered to take us to Rubios after our appt. Jay and I agreed. Well, we ate Rubios, and I INSTANTLY felt it not sit well with me. I'm telling you, that chipotle salsa or the spicy, not sure which, was like bad. I KNEW in that very moment it was gonna cause me problems. I went home and was feeling sick thereafter, and was very nervous because the following day I was supposed to speak at an early morning breakfast for the Priests and leaders of our ward. No pressure.

I wake up... Not good. At multiple times of the night I was in the bathroom. Now I am just saying a silent prayer, "Please have no incidents in this breakfast". The breakfast goes well, 5:30 as you know is very early to be talking about spiritual things, but I pull my mind together and share some mission experiences and my plug for all these teenagers to go on missions. Upon finishing, you can be sure I made a beeline for home and spent the rest of the day on the potty. No fun for sure. OH! not true. I had breakfast with my friend Taylor Morris *aka talented member of Barrage - You should look them up and watch them on YouTube, not even joking*. He got home from China a month or two ago and is about to head out on tour once more to Europe. He's such a famous fiddling rockstar now, always on the go. Well, lucky me he found a block of time that we could go catch up after 2 years and have breakfast (on this of all my stomach days). BUT it was still enjoyable, we went to the Farmhouse in downtown Gilbert. Quaint and delicious I might say. Very busy though. I braved part of a pancake and a fruit bowl down, more I could not do. All in all, so great to hear of my friends world travels, and we exchanged opinions on world cultures, based on U.S. and other nations, etc. We felt all cultured and in the know as you can imagine. Thanks Taylor for the awesome time!

SO! Here I am, day 2 of stomach flu, but this time feeling slightly better. I wasn't the most productive yesterday. I had moments of productivity with my PHP training, but you can only focus so much when your stomach is killing. I spent the majority of the day in bed sleeping. Probably just what I needed.

Today I think I might brave leaving the house once more. Have SOOO much to do before Tuesday when we embark to BYU. I'm procrastinating packing and organizing my life in boxes. I hate that so much. Ughh... IN the meantime, life is good, love my family. And I am using my crappy glasses to give my eyes a rest. So if you see me, lie to me and tell me how much you love my glasses.

Yours truly, Spectacles and Immodium.

aka Bryson

Melvin Lee Jones

2010-08-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

Hey fam and friends,

Well as promised I wanted to post about a very special man named Melvin Lee Jones. Melvin passed away 2 weeks ago. He was my grandpa. He left such a legacy for me and my family to follow in.

Grandpa Jones to me is sort of the iconic Grandpa that any child might wish they had. He loved to spoil his grandkids in any way possible, be it taking them lunch, slipping them money, buying them things. He loved making his grandkids happy. It was such a privilege to spend the night at Grandpa's on a weekend for us. Memories of bedtime stories of Grandpa's life experience clutter my mind. Be it known that they were probably all only half true, and 100% exaggerated, but we LOVED them so much. We laughed and laughed and occasionally screamed in the occasional scary story. Saturday mornings he would get up and make us a good old southern-style country breakfast (100% unhealthy - yet SO delicious) full of "hotcakes" topped with not only butter and syrup but peanut butter too, eggs and hashbrowns, and the occasional gritz too. We would usually go visit Saturdays to many less-fortunate families or people who were all alone and had no one to visit them. Many times he would make me sing a series of songs or play them a song on the piano if there were one handy. The people loved it and he always looked to see if he could do something for their needs.

For any who knew him, my Grandpa Mel Jones was a notorious jokester. He loved jumping out and scaring you, making you jump. He would never be caught dead without his handy dandy comb on hand. You name it, a wasp, bee, bird, or what have you, Mel Jones would have his comb out and come up and buzz the person in their ear with the comb so as to induce a nearly pants-wetting reaction. At his funeral they mentioned a time when a man was plugging in a cord and he came up behind him and buzzed the man. The man was SO scared that he fell promptly to his rear, fearing an electrical shock. Grandpa was also notorious for pretending to be asleep and if you dared come closer and putting your hand near him he would come alive and snap your fingers nearly clean off with his teeth. Then of course you can't forget about his "Tests". He would have you lift your hands up saying, "Now keep them up high. This is the test to see [insert phony test name here ... i.e. test to see if you are a little girl, or test to see if you are a grown up, or test to see who is the strongest, etc. You figure it out.]" He would proceed to jab at your ribs and tickle you till you broke down into laughter. I swear the man had an uncanny ability to detect the EXACT rib and prodding motion with his finger so as to produce an immediate machine gun laughter from us. Incredible!

He was such a revered man by many. At his funeral, one of the things that was highlighted was his ongoing question, "What can I do for you?" Even in his last week of life and bed-ridden state he was ever concerned for the well-being of others. I can remember distinctly how he never missed his home-teaching families in a month until he was forced to stay home. Even then he would assuredly make his routine phone calls to all his family, friends and hometeaching families to see if they were doing well. I'm serious, as if on cue he would call once or twice a week, usually in the morning, just calling to see if we needed anything or tell us a joke or to hear how our week was going. Sometimes it seemed so annoying when he called, but now that he's not around we find it all the more quiet, wondering why no one calls in to check in on us like before. I miss picking up the phone and hearing, "Is this Bryson Davis Jones who broke his bones?" *note: he would interchange any name here and end in "who broke his bones" as some kind of rhyme - not sure why*

He lived a life of service as a father, brother, home-teacher, bishop, mason and more. He was a hard worker an example of righteous living, a man without guile. He will be missed by all. My aunt Brenda at his viewing commented to me, "I thought, 'Gosh Dad! You left us such big shoes to fill! It's going to take ALL of us to fill even one of them.'"

I had hoped to be able to report back to him when I returned home from my mission, but I know that he had a time to go and it was selfish of me to expect that he would wait for me. I'm grateful at least for the opportunity to have been able to sing at his funeral and be with the family. On the positive side, all the family members who otherwise would not have been able to attend my homecoming and open-house were able to be there. Just like Grandpa Jones, alway thinking of others.

I love you Grandpa. Now I'm going to have to report to him one day a little bit more down the road. I know the reunion will be equally sweet, and I anxiously await it.

Back in the U.S.A.

2010-08-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hey family and friends!

Well as you have read from the title of this post, it is great to be back in the U.S.A. For those of you tuning who didn't know, I am just recently home from serving a full-time mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina. First off I say it was the experience of a lifetime and I absolutely loved every minute. The experiences were life-changing and I would definitely say that I am a different person because of it.

As in any returned-missionaries' life, it was initially a shock to arrive home, not knowing quite how to react to certain situations or how to act in certain company. Heck, I still feel really weird at times, as if I should be out doing some important work, clapping houses (yes they clap, not knock, houses in Argentina) and helping people. Fortunately these last 10 days have been especially full of fun activities and things to keep me busy. I really have enjoyed the reunions with family.

Funny story, I arrived in Arizona early on my flight, but I was the very LAST to get off the plane. I thought to myself, "Well, it's barely even 9:40 which is when they are expecting me. Do I wait and give them some time before I go charging on out there?" Then I thought to myself, well of course they would be out there already. This is a very special day. I would be on time, and even early. NOW, other fact, my entire family on my mom's side (Including her and my siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents) were not going to be there. I remember walking out of the security part of the terminal and I see my Dad and an uncle. My Dad looks a bit out of it and no one else seems to be around. My uncle says, "There's your boy".... and that was that. I gave my Dad a hug, and looked around. No one there. It was really funny because apparently, Dad had had a hard time sleeping the night before and my stepmom had given him some sleeping pills. You remember that scene on Father of the Bride II where George takes the Vodnik? Frank goes, "He took them both?! Two Vodnik is like 'Goodnight George, see you next Thursday!'" Yeah so that was my dad that morning. Comatose. So my stepmom is frantically trying to get him coherent and out the door on time.

Next at the airport they arrive and drop him off with my uncle to go wait for me at the gate. Not long after meeting up with my dad, here come the rest of the group. I can hear the herd running through the tunnel much before they arrive. It was a sweet reunion with my Stepmom Allison. I can't tell you how much I love her and my dad. They are just so supportive and amazing. Pretty soon here come all Allison's siblings and their kids in tow. The welcome home banner flying behind them, still freshly painted. All in all, an unconventional welcome home. But since when are we conventional in any form? It was so great to be on American soil, and quite strange to hear people speaking in English in a public setting. I remember the first visit to the restrooms in the airport and was quite shocked #1 with the cleanliness, and #2 with the futuristic nature of even the bathrooms.

We had a fabulous first day home with lunch and visiting time with Dad and Al. I was released that afternoon by Pres. Bluthe. I tell you it was a really sobering thing having him ask me to take off my plack. I wasn't really prepared for that one. Missionaries identify SO MUCH with that plack, what it says, what it stands for. You really want to be better because of it. It's a sort of protection.

Well the next morning of being home I found myself waking up bright and early head to Greer, a small mountain town in the beautiful white mountains. My mom's side of the family has this awesome tradition that every summer we get together for a week in Greer in a few cabins and we enjoy time together. In any such week you can be sure to find us playing a ridiculous amount of games (including Hearts, Nerds, Boggle, Scrabble, Signs, Crossword puzzles, and many more), eating delicious food, holding Biggest Loser competitions, taking mass amounts of pictures, and now Kareoke-ing (a new family favorite). All's I can say is that this week is one of my favorites of the year. I met my Mom and her husband Adam in Payson and we drove together the rest of the way. The coolest part of the trip was as we arrived at the cabins. Imagine a cabin on a hill and an inclined driveway. The family all grouped with welcome home signs, screaming and cheering the whole time as we climb the hill in our car. My mom was emotional, I was so excited. I jumped out of the vehicle and was engulfed in hugs from my siblings and everyone else. Pictures were taken, brief hello's were had. Such a special experience. The rest of the week was so relaxed and I remember thinking at times, "What do I need to be doing?" A missionary is not at rest having so little to do.

Sunday was the day I had to report in sacrament meeting at church. I am not a fan of speaking in church, and found myself the night before up late pondering what in the world I could say to the ward. You see, it is so different here speaking to members who have been so all their lives. #2 it is so weird for me still to speak about gospel topics in English. YET everything seemed to go well. Our ward hasn't seen such attendance in quite some time, they had to open all the overflows and we quite filled up that building. I am just so grateful for so many family members and friends who came. I was amazed at the quantity of people from all 4 sides of the family that came out to support me. My brothers AND Sister and I sang the song, "I love the Lord" - an arrangement of Be Still My Soul with a new text *so cool*. My talk went well, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be.

That afternoon we had my open house at my Dad's. Such a cool setup Allison and her sister Caroline DeCesare did at our house. It truly felt Argentine :) We had a great turnout and I think a good time was had by all. Highlight of the open house, flooding from the upstairs bathroom. Gotta love it. Good thing it was about the time that everyone had left.

Monday was a sad day for the family as we had the funeral services for my Grandpa Melvin Jones ***see upcoming post for more details***

Since returning home I have had the great opportunity to see friends of mine. I had a fantastic time with my good friend Lindsey Ishikawa. I was so happy to see that being around her was just like old times. We were best friends in high school, and it seriously was a huge relief to see that 2 years hadn't changed our friendship. The same goes for all the others I have had the opportunity to visit with and catch up on old times. Last night was way fun to go to the Hipps house and have a singing night with all my brothers and Jonathan and Zach. Way cool to sing stuff in 6-part harmony.

Anywho, just a glimpse into the life of an RM, weeks 1 and 2 of being home. Now I prep to head to BYU in less than 2 weeks and begin the next major chapter of my life. I am so grateful that my little bro. Jamyn is coming up there with me this time. Will be a blast I am sure! For now I continue packing and prepping for the transition. Thanks again to all those who came out and supported me these last couple of weeks. It's been so great to see you all.

Best friends are best!

Bryson

It's July!!! And that means Shopping.

2008-07-01T13:36:00.001-07:00

Well friends we made it through June and the summer workshop extravaganza at MCC. I will say it was one of my favorite years helping with all the great songs, kids, and good times that wer had. I am so lucky to know the many talented instructors who I got to watch and work with in this last month. I learn so much from them.

In other news I now have time to actually get shopping done for my mission preparations. Countdown, 30 DAYS TILL I LEAVE! I can't believe we're so close and I have this much left to do. There's simply oodles of things you need to buy and not so much space-wise to put it in so we're going to have to be oober creative in the packing process and way choosy on what I actually purchase here in the States. Sure you can buy stuff there but the question is what? I know hardly anything about Argentina and what it's like. I'm going to be talking with my g'pa and cousins who've served there and know more about it, who will hopefully let me know the scoop. I did speak with a gentleman who's family is from Argentina and had visited it a few times in his life. He confirmed my fear that it's pretty humid down there year-round. It doesn't get quite as hot as Arizona but it feels worse with the wet factor. He also mentioned that that is why so many people get sick down there... because with the moisture it's a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and the like. I'm bracing for getting sick at some point based on what he said.

So today, we're going to map out a game plan and timeline of what all needs to be accomplished first and so on for the clothing/supplies/etc. Certain things are obviously more time consuming and time-sensitive. I've only got a couple more shots too!

I also headed back to the gym today after a few weeks off with the workshop going and all (and a few weeks of eating crappy fast-food). It was a sharp reality that I need to be hitting it up WAY more often and getting my butt into gear/losing a few more pounds FO' SHO'! I was way more tired and worn out this time than I last remember. Thank goodness my trainer Greg is way patient and supportive. I swear he's always happy and just glad every time you go. His philosophy is not to get down on yourself about the missed times but be glad for the times you go and use that positive energy to drive you to do more. I swear the days that I most REALLY don't want to go I feel the best after and I am sooooo glad I did. Great life lesson!!! Now if I could just tattoo that to my brain to remind myself more often.

Well that's it for now... this weekend is obviously the fourth of July ANNNNDDD GREER begins this Saturday (Hooray Hooray Hooray!!!!). Wow that was a lot of caps and exclamations for today. Until next time, Tootles!

My Sleep Clock is Off!

2008-06-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

Well friends I'm up tonight b/c my sleep clock is all screwed up and I can't seem to sleep at the right times so I thought since I'm up and all I should check up on all my favorite blogs and update my own for all you's people out there who are kind enough to stop by and read.

Well life's rolling on with Second Session of Workshop almost half-way completed. We're much better prepared and feeling way more comfortable teaching the kids. If only we all could get them to sing for reals and do their homework memorizing stuff! Oh well, what can you do? What happens happens and we'll make it all work out I'm sure. Here's hoping that my lovely group of ladies will all be super fantastic for my number. It was really cool that the main producer of this kids workshop let me have a number all to myself. It's been fun to have that responsibility and the chance to let the creative juices flow. Not sure if it's as noteworthy number compared to others, but in my opinion it's a pretty stinking cute number and I stand by it :)

In other news, we are sad and yet excited that Breckyn leaves for college at BYU tomorrow morning bright and early. We're all proud of her for making it this far and having the determination to get out and begin living and experiencing life away from home. It's really sad though. I remember that the night BEFORE I actually left home was the absolute hardest for me. Once I got to school in Utah, I was too busy and in a whole world outside of my comfort zone to be at all sad or homesick for a good while. But really, that last night having to pack up all my stuff and leave "my room" and "my home", etc. was really difficult. I don't think I slept much that night. I hope she has a great learning experience and only misses us a "healthy amount". Also i just want to publicly say how much I love her, admire her spirit and good qualities, and will really miss her when I leave on my mission. Being the next oldest under me has meant a lot of good times and a lot of bad times. But I mostly remember the good ones when we got along, and would hope she felt the same.

Finally, I'm REALLY trying to get back on the gym/trainer bandwagon and make a final push before the mish to get my eating and exercising plan in order so I have a good plan of attach for when I'm completely on my own out in the big wide world. It's such an up and down battle. Food is my enemy right now, and making time (or rather forcing myself to go) to work out is such a fight. I hope that things will get easier in that dept. like it's been for me at other times since I came home from the Y.

This next week will mark the beginning of the major shopping extravaganza for all things mission-related. It's going to be crazy getting it all but I'm way excited to do it at the same time. It brings a sort of finality to all the preparation and I really begin to catch the spirit of this next big adventure. I hardly know anything about Buenos Aires or the people there, but I can already tell I'm going to love it. From what everyone I know who's served there has said, it's "the Jackpot as far as missions are concerned" (thank you Drex).

So until next time, I bid everyone good night!

Workshop & Mission stuff

2008-06-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well folks the workshop is in full-swing as we have begun week-2 of first session. So far things have been pretty darn fun being back at MCC, playing the piano and being around music theatre constantly. I always have to remind myself that first session is always more difficult and we usually are a little behind but it all works out in the end, and second session is a breeze where we finish way early. Can't seem to change that fact of life. I like a lot of the music that we have, it seems to be a very Disney and Drowsy Chaperone-heavy year to be sure. We've got new faces in the director/accompanist/intern/etc. crowd and it feels great to be involved in my 10th year. I performed for five and am now working playing the piano, and assisting the directors for my fifth year (Man I'm getting old!). I just can't seem to get enough of it I guess, and quite literally it's hard to remember life before the workshop since half my lifetime I've been at MCC. You just get into this mojo of "alright June is approaching.... right..... Workshop! Got to get all geared up for it". I mean, we don't ever plan vacations until July, we never do much else on workshop days b/c we're usually blocking/singing/practicing at home before we head back the next day. It's a way of life really and we're thrilled to be a part. One thing I will say about the kids themselves: I find that in more recent years we've had less of the "hams" if you will take part. Sure we've got plenty of raw talent, but I swear back when I was on the stage it really seemed like we had some amazing shining stars that just totally caught your eye, but more importantly, lifted the group and encouraged others to do better by leading with example. Maybe it's b/c I'm older and have a hard time of not being overly-critical of the kids or idealizing my past.

In other news, the mission prep is ongoing. I FINALLY got my passport and I'm nearly finished with all the stuff that i need to send to salt lake to get my Visa all squared away for Argentina. I was (am) worried about making all the deadlines for the stuff, but things are looking more and more possible each day that I plug away and do all I can to make things happen. Now the daunting task of a) shopping for all the stuff I need to take and b) tying up any paperwork loose ends/etc. is looming over me. I am so in awe of what going on a mission entails, ESPECIALLY to a foreign country like Argentina. Sheesh! As of today there are 50 DAYS left! I can't believe it really, has finally come :) We pray all goes well and nothing is left forgotten or undone. P.S., I think I may have hurt my knee somehow and I'm heading to the doctor this week for x-rays and to see if there's something majorly wrong with me (I hope not). I'm constantly racking my brain trying to think if I had a chance dancing or working out to irk it so. Maybe it was from a few years ago when I hurt it at a family reunion when i sort of let it get better on its own and now it's back to bite me in the butt. Who knows, but I'll be posting about it after my visit on Friday.

Finally, We're anxiously awaiting our little getaway to Greer after the 4th of July. It's so beautiful up there in the summer and we enjoy some of the best family time up there together playing games, enjoying sports, eating delicious family foods, and having spiritual boosts that touch each person's life for good. I will never forget the memories from the last 3 times we have gone.

So there's the update on life.

The Graduation from H%#$

2008-05-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Well last night as you may have known was my sister's big graduation from high school. We had been very wary of what was going to happen b/c the weather was predicting rainy thunderstorms, and all day it had poured off-and-on. We get to the school an hour early and they're telling us it will be indoors. So we scope out some seats and get all settled in and half hour before they tell us we're moving it outside. We're all gawking b/c it's still raining a bit outdoors and most of our group was planning on an indoor commencement and didn't wear warm enough clothing (let alone water-proof). It's like 50 degrees and we've got 7 people and only 2 umbrellas (I brought mine thank you very much). We get settled on the visitors side of the stadium, close to where my sister is going to sit. The evening begins and all our butts are wet from the seats and we're huddled together under too few umbrellas to keep us all from getting wet. Just as the thing starts and the graduates get into their seats, it starts to DUMP and I mean A LOT of rain. So we're thinking as a crowd, they're not going to keep this up for long. Maybe they'll just read off their names and be done? No no... we've got to do the whole thing, start to finish, come hell or high water (literally). I swear our administration loves to hear themselves speak. They had 5 salutatory adresses and 1 validictorian as well. Not to mention all the thank you's and in between crap from the principle. The choir on a good note sounded Phenominal even in the pouring rain! I was soooo proud of all of them for holding it together (although they should have maybe not done it save time). So they're cranking through the names finally and handing out diplomas like crazy, we can't feel our faces and hands cuz it's in the forties now and raining slightly side-ways making the umbrellas almost useless. The poor graduates were the ultimate in wet, having gotten all dressed up and ready to go with makeup and hair and nice clothes.... All ruined! I felt bad b/c this was their moment and we could have done this indoors and been fine. But no. When they got to the T's on last names about half the crowd started to filter on to the field. Students left right after they got their diplomas, it was inevitably open. The kicker was that the principle says, "If you'll all take your seats again we'll get to the concluding remarks of these commencement services." Everyone was like, "Right buddy, we'll get right on that..... Not." We couldn't find my sister forever but when we did we got some nice pics before splitting with the rest of the crowd. Off we went to home for a hot shower and some cozy TV time on the couch with our "woobies". So on the whole, graduating is still cool but that was really quite unnecessary and miserable for all those in attendance. One thing that holds, it's a day we'll never forget. We're proud of my lil' sister and her work so far though!

The Human Pincushion

2008-05-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the blog, and I would like to start off by saying that we got the car back at the end of the day yesterday (Hooray!!!). There wasn't anything majorly wrong (thank goodness), but they did replace some old plugs, work on one of the cylinders that may have been firing weird, and did an overall tune-up. It starts smoother now and feels like it's running a little quieter and runs better now, I swear! Sooooo we're still glad we did it b/c any preventitive measures we take will save us time and money in the future (not to mention the trauma if the car breaks down somewhere). So "Bessie" lives on and we're happy to have the kid car back and running in time for my sister's graduation tomorrow.

Today I gained sympathy for pincushions. I went to the doctor for a blood test. Reason being, I'm trying to get all of my immunizations for my mission, and my old shot records went missing from my old doctor's office. What you can do apparently is have a blood test where they see if you are immune to the different viruses and what-have-you and that's proof enough for them. Well I get to the office, wait an hour just to be seen by anyone, and finally I get in for my "little poke". Well I've been told I have deeper veins than your average Joe, and am well seasoned in blood tests from having taken Accutane. As a result, I make sure and drink Double my normal water intake before I go to make it easier on the lady drawing the blood to find my vein, and on myself who has to endure the searching process. So she starts off feeling my arm trying to find a vein, has an "ah-hah!" moment (almost too quickly I thought to myself knowing my 'hidden' veins) and she pokes me while chatting on about the new Indiana Jones movie. I already know that she didn't hit a vein, you can just tell. Well she begins what's unpleasantly referred to as "digging" in my arm, and I'm smiling through it trying to be as chipper as possible. Nothing. She takes it out, gets my other arm prepped and settles in for round two with my arm. Thanks goodness she's a little more awake this time, taking a bit longer to locate a vein. Pricks me once more, and 30 seconds later has failed yet again to hit a vein. She's very flustered at the point, mostly at herself, and says, "Alright, we're going to try one more time, and this time it's gonna work!" (while muttering to herself how me walking out there with all these bandaids on is going to scare the patients-in-waiting). She jabs me in the right arm (that's already tender from the first half-A attempt) and starts going to town like a prospector on speed, digging away at my arm. I'm about ready to say something when she says, "Oh this is just no use!".

Next, she begins eying my forearm and feeling around on the top of my hand. That's I started to get on edge (and I think actually show it on my face --- up until this point I've been the perfect picture of peachy). Thank goodness she changed her mind and offered to have me come back, first thing tomorrow morning, and do it then. Man, she felt really bad, and told me I am supposed to now Triple my water intake (being 100 degrees and probably losing water throughout the day that I am not aware of) and hope for the best @ 8:00 AM tomorrow. I don't know how people who are in the hospitol put up with nurses who can't take blood very well. I dread the day I have to stay there and get stuck every few hours by people who, unlike this lady at the doctor's office, aren't even blood sample specialists.

Wish me luck tomorrow on the next attempt, and that I don't have to run to the bathroom every 5 seconds (literally!).

Used Cars Blow

2008-05-20T09:14:00.001-07:00

Well everyone it comes as no surprise to me, but my '98 Chevy Blazer is back in the shop UH-gain. I'm really getting fed up with how many problems it's had. We've already replaced in the year and a half since we got it, all 4 tires, the radiator, part of the A/C, some hoses and more. As background info, we got this blazer Jan. of last year from my uncle who takes care of his cars VERY meticulously. Always got the oil changed early, tires rotated, you name it. Well he and his wife decided to get an Envoy or something and were going to trade it in. We said, "Hey we'll take it!" b/c we needed a "kid car", and got it for a reasonable price. Well the month after, sure enough the problems began. True, it gets quite a bit of usage and we've put another 15,000 miles on it, but still! I guess it's to be expected. All Chevy's get to that 9-10 year mark where you replace everything and then it may last you for a while after that and eventually just die. I hope we're getting past the "replacement phase" and into the pre-death phase (and pray that it's a couple more years before that happens). As a driver, I haven't minded driving this car at all. In fact I like the space that it has for cargo, driver and passengers. It doesn't feel super bulky, parks easily, and I feel has done well in the driving regard. Has a fair accelleration, GREAT air conditioning, HORRIBLE gas mileage, but still feels comfortable to me. It was the best we could do at the time.

So yesterday, I'm getting on the freeway and the light starts blinking "Service Engine Soon" as I'm going up this steep on-ramp hill. It's working a little harder than normal. Once on the freeway the light stays on and I'm a little freaked out it might die on me at any moment. I glance at my sticker on the windshield and realize it needs an oil change. I get it changed, have them check all the fluids..... nothing wrong. Light is still on. We take it in this morning to our mechanic and they'll check it out, hopefully have whatever's wrong fixed by tomorrow. PLEAAAASSSEE be a minimal problem. We can't afford in time or funds to replace something super major like, uh, The Engine. Hold a good thought for "Bessie" as we call her. I'll keep you updated as we hear from them.

Sunday afternoons

2008-05-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Sunday afternoons! After we come home for church we get some of our best family time. Most days go like this: We get home, usually there's some awesome Sunday dinner ready for us and the aroma is to die for after a three hour block of church. We all eat and lounge for a bit, usually followed by a killer game of Hollywood Rummy, Nerds, Dominoes, or what have you. We are super competitive, but in a good way, and we really enjoy the good times that ensue. After we've played our hearts out we retire to one of our many comfy couches for some good book reading. Inevitably a nap is in order after cuddling up w/ the latest novel in a series we love. Finally, we may eat again, and maybe play a little more game action, and then my siblings get all ready to go back to my mom's house and they take off. It's our time to really bond and make memories and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Summertime is even better b/c there's not as many activities going on or homework to mess things up on the weekend. I guess we do the occasional Family Counsel or housework or lesson, etc. but those things i listed above are what I remember most about our sundays.

So I've got like 2 weeks left at my current job before I start playing for the workshop half-days. Soooo excited for both things. It just feels like time for a change and I'm happy. I'll have 2 months of that before I'm off to Argentina and there will be plenty of shopping time for mission items. Other than that this week is my sis.'s graduation, a couple end of the year events, and dress rehearsal for our group-voice class recital. We're thrilled at the progress those students have each made this year. Till next time!

Bry

Wednesdays & the family TV hour

2008-05-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh so today didn't start off very well as you can read below. BUT i was in for a surprise. Wednesday is me and my stepmom's one and only tv night on which we watch Top Chef & America's Next Top Model. Well the season finale for ANTM was on tonight! The final girls it came down to were this high fashion skinny girl from Hawaii who talked funny and this full-figured Georgia Hottie who's way pretty and has great presence. Well..... we've been rooting for the "fattie" all along (I think she's like a size ten, what is society coming to? hahahah.....) b/c the plus-sized models NEVER make it very far in the competition. They've made it into the top 13 but never the top six, let alone the finale. ANNNNNDDDD I'm proud to announce that Whitney our friend pulled through, gave a great runway and photo performance, and won the whole thing, making history along the way!! We most definitely cheered and it was all great fun to predict correctly who it would come down to and who would win from the very beginning. We love that show mostly for the photo shoots (being that my stepmom is a pro photographer www.atjphoto.com ) and get ideas for lighting and set-ups all the time. ANTM is definitely a favorite of mine and I don't care what anyone thinks or says about that :)

The OTHER favorite that also happens to be on Wednesday nights is Top Chef Chicago. P.S. we LOVE Bravo (Top Chef / Project Runway / Step it up & Dance / etc.) b/c the people they use are usually already experts in the field of work they're competing for. Makes things much more exciting and entertaining. Gotta love talent and expertise! So we're just about to settle in for Top Chef now. They're down to 6 people on there I think. After American Idol finishes (gag), we are super excited to see So You Think you can Dance? come back! All I can say is blessed be that there is such a thing as DVR so I can watch my 2 shows whenever I have time (which is usually 11 PM before bed).

And even though today was a bit crazy and the week is running our family ragged, we feel recharged from our one evening of reality tv. And proud of it baby!

B-E-A-Utiful

2008-05-14T09:18:00.001-07:00

Holy cow these 2 weeks are insane! For example, yesterday was work for me from eight to five. I leave straight to pick up my 2 brothers across town at rehearsal and take them to the junior high for an awards assembly. I head straight to the high school to save seats for 1/2 hour for the older 2 siblings' end of the year choir concert, while the rest of my family is at the awards assembly supporting the twins. They quickly head over and we watch the concert (was awesome!) and the twins leave a minute early for something or other. I head with friends to watch Evita (you know.... to get me in the Argentine spirit of things :) ) which we'd been planning for a while. I finally crash at 12:15 and that concludes my day.

THEN this morning I get up around seven. I'm folding my laundry that i left in a pile on my bed the night before b/c I was so tired. Head to the shower, turn the shower on. Water starts going.... slows down.... annnnnnd Stops. Awe--some. The sinks don't work either. I'm like "we didn't pay our water bill? That's never happened." I head upstairs still trying to wake up kind of, looking like death warmed over. And what to my surprise? People all over the place in my parents bedroom and bathroom (Good thing I put on some real clothes.... could have been bad). I'm a bit confused at this point. Find my dad and he's like, "Oh sorry I didn't have a chance to tell you b/c you got home late. We had to be all ready before seven b/c the plumbers turned the water off. We're re-doing our bathroom and they'll be here for a while." Plumber guy says "Yeah it's going to be at least another half-hour or more before we can cap it and you can use it again" (Note: it's 7:35 by this time.... I work at 8:00). So I haul A$$ downstairs and grab my clothes and anything I need to get ready, run out the door and drive to my mom's house 3 miles away. She's going "what the heck are you here for"... I'm going "Don't Ask....". I get all ready and find that she's in near tears b/c she's teaching 21 students worth of piano lessons today b/c of makeups and end of the year stuff... and to top it off she's got a work meeting on the other side of town that was rescheduled for this morning she has to go to... Right Now. So today she'll have been in meetings and teaching from 5:45 AM till 8:30 PM.... no breaks. So she's getting the baby ready to go (cuz it's too late to find a sitter now) and I see my twin brothers in the other room. They missed the bus. It's about 8:20 now and I'm like, screw it, we're all scrambling and I just take em to school. Head to work at 8:30 in lovely morning traffic. Remember that tomorrow is a pre-dress rehearsal for our class-voice recital and realize we've got a lot to work on blocking and music-wise, and wonder if we should cut out a few numbers for the sake of time and not wanting them to be sucky. Snap out of stewing over tomorrow, dodge the psycho cutting me off, arrive at the office forty minutes late.

This is already shaping up to be a B-E-A-Utiful day I can tell.

The Workshop Chronicles

2008-05-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of year again where the MCC Magic of Musical Theatre Workshop begins again. There are two 2-week musical theatre boot camp sessions where 80+ kids sing/dance/perform an entire full length review at the end of the two weeks. It's pretty cool what all is accomplished in these 4 hours that they have with the kids each day. I guess that's the magic of it ; ) My role in all of this is to accompany on piano the rehearsal process, help give input and direct the kids when needed (sometimes it's really hard when there's that many!), create lighting for the production in the theatre, and much more. So it's been a great experience, first performing in this growing up, and now working as part of it (Going into my 5th year now!). The experiences are unforgettable, teaching kids how to have confidence in themselves, working as a group, taking direction and singing/acting their guts out.

Today is the placement audition where the students are placed in different voice parts, and will be assigned solos based on their vocal range and abilities and stage presence. What's great about this workshop is that every student is in the same amount of songs, will each be given solos, and has ample opportunity to shine.

We have a lot of fun, what can I say? You should all come and see either of the two sessions, the second or fourth weekends of June at MCC Theatre Outback @ 7:30 for a great show! Come "Be our Guest" and I'm sure you'll be amazed at what's in store this year.

Update on Life

2008-05-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well folks, Allergies are STILL in full-swing and I'm DYING to get a full night's sleep. Alas, this is not happening b/c of them. Guess I've got to take my medicine more often. I was trying to take it only when it got REALLY bad, but it seems that every single day I don't is really bad. So rather than be a martyr and suffer through it and get no sleep I think I'll just use it through allergy season.

In other news, I'm anxiously awating the results of the Children of Eden audition that will be posted tonight online!

I hope all you mothers & mothers-to-be had a fabulous Mother's day yesterday. We had quite a lovely Sunday dinner with the family and got to share in many a good time. Also, we had a family pow-wow to map out this week. I don't think I've ever seen so many schedules colliding into one giant mess. And yet, amazingly, we'll make it work. What with mom teaching like a fiend and running errands like crazy, the baby having to be watched all the time, one sibling graduating, two in a musical at the community college, and one going places for school projects, it is a scheduling nightmare. Pray that everyone gets to where they need to be.

I'm so proud of my sister who's graduating next week! She's really amazing and has worked hard these last 13 years. She's planning on attending in the Y, and leaves us in June :( Maybe I'll see her again before i go to the MTC July 30th.

All of you should go see Lucky Stiff at Mesa Community College, opening this Friday. 7:30 PM in the music building in room MU3. Email me for directions or info. We want to sell out this run of the show! Well I've got to go blow my nose. Take care all!

The Mission - 82 days

2008-05-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

Well folks, in case you hadn't heard yet I am serving a full-time mission in the Buenos Aires, South, Argentina Mission. I report July 30th to the Provo MTC. I'm so excited to serve in such an amazing place. I know of MANY people who've served in that country and area who are amazing men, including my grandpa Tony Shumway, my great Grandpa Phil Davis, and a smattering of cousins. What a heritage & legacy they've left for me, and it's passed on to me now to continue it. I pray that the spirit of the lord will be with me in my preparations and future efforts. This mission is a culmination of a year's labors. As a background, I took off a year and a half from school to come home and work on saving money as well as losing weight and conditioning physically. So after all this time, I've got the funds to pay for a mission, and I've lost 70+ pounds in order to go. The weight problem has been and will continue to be my biggest trial, but I'm confident in the things I've learned and been trained to do in the last year that I can use the knowledge effectively to maintain good health.

Today I'm going to get LOTS of shots (probably about seven) for my mission :( It's good though, I'm glad I can get most all of them done in one fell swoop. If I have to be the pin-cushion, I will. Next step, get the passport! I had to start from scratch and get new birth certificates, figure out missing shot records, and now the passport and visa. I hear Argentina is quite a stickler on paperwork and records. Here's hoping all goes well in the coming months on that front. I never really appreciated how much STUFF is required for missionary service, and what all you have to take with you.

Anywho, the countdown can begin. We're 82 days away!

Audition report

2008-05-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

So, the auditions went really well! I thought I sang to the best of my abilities and I can go away feeling positive about it. I wasn't nervous b/c I was prepared. The director was so nice and had many great compliments for me, so that made the whole thing worth it to know I'm heading in the right direction as a singer and actor both. I think I've really got to work tonight to show them I can be edgy and dark and angry enough to be Cain at call-backs. I get the feeling I've got too nice of a look normally and he requires much more resentment behind his words. Also, I tried for Father (the God type character) and in my opinion he requires someone much older to be the role, but there were only 4 of us who sang for him. We'll see what they do tonight. So much is undecided. There were SOOOO many good people, esp. in the girls who auditioned, and I don't envy the production staff's decisions over the next couple days. I think that I'll have a part in the show, but which one?

The real drama here is I'm really torn between some important family things this summer that I'd have to miss if I joined the cast. I told my parents that I would make the sacrifice of missing family time worth it. There's a lot more to the situation, a lot having to do with my mission and my g'pa's health, BUT I feel like I really should be a part of one last big show before my mission (btw I leave July 30th to serve in the Buenos Aires, Argentina, South mission...... more to come on this subject later). Tregoney the director was really understanding and will be cool with my decision either way; I'll tell her what I've decided tonight.

SO.... Recap. Pray that I can show my darker side for Cain, and edge-it up for the directors so I can follow through with my plan, get the part, do the show, and feel good about the decision to do it. Vocally I really think this part is the chance of a lifetime and I don't want it to pass by. I've worked too hard up to this point.

Allergies

2008-05-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Grrrrrrr as you can see below, today is Audition Day. Unfortunately, this spring has been a Nightmare for me on the allergy front. Maybe this is normal, but I don't remember having allergies growing up until the last couple years. Now it's to the point that unless I take medicine, I sound like I've got the worst cold on the planet and have to breathe through my mouth. I sneeze all day long, and blow my nose on average once every minute. This is getting out of hand! I remember growing up and making fun of my dad for getting allergies all the time and being super itchy when he was outside, eyes all red and teary (although he does this part even when he doesn't have allergies hahahah. Love ya dad!), and sinuses in 5:00 rush-hour congestion mode. Now I'm developing ALL of these signs and dreading it with all my might.

I've tried a smattering of allergy products, some which work but only for half the amount of time they promise on the bottle, and which usually are accompanied by a massive attack of drowsiness. The latest in the "flavor-of-the-week" allergy medicines is Zyrtec I think it's called. We'll see how this one fares. It's available over-the-counter so if I like it, I'll be sure to stock up before the mish. Any other suggestions people? Send your good vibes that this medicine lasts through the day at work, all the way till auditions are over. That's all I need; to be up there singing my heart out and then have a trail of snot come trickling out of the nasal cavity like a child at age 2. Sorry, you didn't need that imagery.

Audition Day

2008-05-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Well folks that day has come. I'm auditioning at 6:00 PM tonight for a musical at Mesa Community College called Children of Eden. I've not been this excited for doing a show in a long time. I've practiced for this audition more that any other before. Why? Well let's just say, I haven't been performing for a Long While and when I don't have a creative outlet I sort of get this twitch. It bugs me till I satisfy it's demands and join a choir, audition for a musical, or even sign up for an interpretive dance troupe (j/k) .

The last major musical I was involved with was Blackbeard a year ago at MCC, not including the cabaret i performed in during October with the Industrial Theatre Company. My hope in doing this show is breaking out of the same-old mold of the funny-supporting actor. I think I've grown a lot in the last year and can handle more serious and challenging roles. I've got 2 parts in mind (though I won't say which -- you'll just have to come to auditions to see), and I'd be happy if I got either/or. I've sung and mostly memorized all the musical cuts, I've considered the character and practiced in front of the mirror. There's not a whole lot more I can do at this point. My family is sick of my songs I'm sure as I make sure and review them at least once or twice a day at the piano. As a result, I'm not nervous going into this one. I'm very confident in what I've prepared and know that whatever happens, I'll have given my best shot and can feel at ease with the results of my efforts.

I love Auditions! They are my favorite part of doing a show (tied with opening night where all the characters come to life and you see the fruits of your labors). Auditions allow you to step out of yourself and be someone completely different, however you think the character should be, and just have fun acting, almost in an improv-type setting. The director can't micro-manage you into doing whatever he/she wants the character to do, it's all up to you. Watching everyone's interpretation of a text or song is such a cool part of the creative process b/c there's no right or wrong answer, and some of my greatest "ah-ha" moments happen at this point. You discover ways of expressing emotion, or gestures that go well in certain places. Find ways of placing word emphasis that better express the message being delivered. The list can go on and on. The moral is "You can be whoever and However you want to be at auditions... And That's Okay!"

Saying Sorry & Making Amends

2008-05-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Keep your words soft and tender because tomorrow you may have to eat them." ~Author Unknown

I've been thinking about language the last few days. How ours is an imperfect one, where things are often confused and misconstrued and taken differently than intended. How often do we as a society read a book or a literary piece, a comment sent in a message from a friend, or whatever it may be, and we miss the meaning or understand it in the wrong way. I think of many ways that I could have joked and maybe really hurt someone or made a comment and destroyed some sense of trust. Maybe I critiqued and did it in a non-constructive way and not even known it, causing a friend or loved one to doubt themselves or not want to try again. I think about clients I may have not been my 100% most customer-friendly self with, and may have caused them to feel less important and not want to do as much business with my company. There are times I overreact, make rash decisions with good intentions that go wrong. So for anyone out there who I've hurt or caused offence or pain to, I'm really sorry and ask your forgiveness.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi

I know that it's hard to forgive others sometimes, and it does (as the quote describes) require much strength of character to accomplish. Who knows the lives we touch and the influence each one of us has? I only hope that I'm remembered for the good things I said and not the bad. As one who lifted others up and didn't bring them down. I guess this final quote sums up the best way to make amends:

"Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past." ~ Tryon Edwards

Funerals

2008-05-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

I enjoy funerals. How sad is that? Obviously no one likes death and the separation of family and friends, loved ones and little ones. But I have to say that I like the end result of a funeral. Families coming together in unity, forgetting all pettiness and things they disagree about to celebrate the life of one they love and will miss. I've not been to too many for my own family, but I've sung at a few for others. Each one's different, and that's okay. I'm singing at another one this morning. A little boy was killed in a car accident. I don't even know the family. Still, I feel a solemn obligation to help lift their spirits with a small gesture of kindness by sharing my gift of music. How great music is in lifting our heavy heads and renewing our spirit with hope and energy. I'm so fortunate to sing with such talented people today (Freddy & Ben Ashby, and Ricky Hale), and I pray that the message of our song touches people's hearts.

Confession, funerals used to scare me, and I hated having to go. I think it was because it seemed for a while there, I would answer the phone whenever the bad news of someone's passing came. It scared me for a while to answer the phone. Then the viewings where you'd see the individual who no longer was "really" there, who looked a little scary with the makeup on and in a coffin (P.S. coffin's really are creepy). Finally, I hate to get emotional in front of other people, and inevitably I always would.

I now try and look at all of this in a new light. This week has taught me that each of us has an allotted time in life to live, and you must be ready to depart at any time. Viewings aren't about the body, but the memory of the joined soul that was body and spirit. Family again can gather together and share one last private moment with their departed. It's a tender moment in that last family prayer before the casket is closed. And it's Okay to be emotional. Sometimes I think people are too strong. Sharing emotion is part of what makes us human, and I think it reminds us how much we need to rely on each other to make it through life.

I like funerals. I'm leaving for one right now. My heart goes out to friends and family who've lost close friends and family this last week.

Wish me luck!

A New World

2008-05-04T15:16:00.001-07:00

Here I am World, welcome to my blog. I've been thinking more and more about making a blog of my own lately and it's coming into fruition. This blog is dedicated to random tidbits of my life, words of beedeejayman wisdom, and all things I feel strongly about. I hope you enjoy stopping by and reading often. Let the good times roll and all that good stuff. I'll try and write every day (maybe more) but no promises. Comments always welcome as I love feedback!

Finally, I want to share a beedeejayman tidbid - the lyrics of a song I love, from the musical Songs for a New World, the namesake of today's first blog. I find these words to be totally true, and life in a small sense is summed up by these words.

A new world calls across the ocean
A new world calls across the sky
A new world whispers in the shadows
Time to fly, time to fly

It's about one moment
The moment before it all becomes clear
And in that one moment
You start to believe there's nothing to fear
It's about one second
And just when you're on the verge of success
The sky starts to change
And the wind starts to blow
And you're suddenly a stranger
There's no explaining where you stand
And you didn't know
That you sometimes have to go
‘Round an unexpected bend
And the road will end
In a new world

Life has in store many "unexpected bends" for us, especially on the verge of our own personal successes. But what we do when that wind starts to blow and buffet us is the true test of life. May we each find some small measure of joy and excitement in life's trials and triumphs for each day may be our last. We are always in motion, and I hope we are each moving towards A New World brighter & better than the last!