Sloppy joes

So I officially made my first homemade hamburger buns, thanks to the recipe from Judy R. It was definitely an experiment this first time but they taste wonderful and were great for the sloppy joe meat. I am excited to try them again.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas was so wonderful. Our ward choir (the best ward choir ever) sang in sacrament meeting the Sunday before. It was a great start to the week. Lin and I had so much fun getting each other presents and the names we drew for each of our families.



Lin went shopping for stuff to fill my stocking late on Christmas Eve the only store open was Kmart. While he was there he found a 5- in-1 stereo (record, tape, cd radio & mp3 player input) on sale for really cheap. We have been wanting to get one like this for awhile but they are normally $200. This one was marked down to $65 so he got it. We can finally listen to the records we got from Lin's grandma.



Our tree was so awesome this year. It is a Utah tree (not a farm tree). and it looks crooked because it is. The trunk is anything but straight. We both felt like this gave it character.

Finals

So finals went pretty well. My composition class final was a piece we choreographed on other people in our class. The hardest part, I felt, was not the actually choreographing but trying to remember the things choreographed on me. I really enjoyed all of the groups I was in, but some of the choreographers have a much different dance style then me so in some I felt very inadequate for their choreography. I think it went well though. If I ever figure out how to post video I will post my piece.

This is my Polish costume, I don't have a digital picture of the whole thing


This is my Croatian/Macedonian costume and my partner.



This is Taylor, Kayleen and I before the show



This is a close up of my costume. The crown was so awesome and the jewlery was so heavy.

Christmas Around the World

Christmas Around the World, (the folk dance show) was so amazing! We had some crazy late night rehearsals and somehow by the weekend we pulled it off. It was such a great experience to be in a huge production like that. Friday morning (Dec 4th) we had a matinee performance for elementary schools from all over. They were such a good audience. They cheered more than any other audience. We also got to go and talk to the kids before the show and show them our costumes. I was wearing my Polish costume.
The shows went really well. I actually didn't really have any mess ups myself which was amazing. One crazy change in my classes piece was that one of the boys could not come to the performances because he was also in a play and the director had given him permission to come but at the last minute changed his mind. So before the show we taught a guy from PAC (the touring team), this kids part and he pulled it off somehow.
This show was the 50th anniversary and many of the alumni came and participated. It was fun to meet them and talk to them about their experiences.

The King of Hotdogs

Wednesday night Lin had a volleyball match in Murray. I finally didn't have school or work and was able to go and watch him play. After the games we were both really hungry. I was, oddly enough, craving a real, good hot dog. Lin suggested we go to Weinerschnitzel but then said it was, "the McDonalds of the hot dog world." I said I would rather something else because I wanted a great hot dog. We remembered passing a place on State Street on the way from Provo to Orem called The Hot Dog King. We got there number and I called to see if they were still open because it was now 8 PM. I ask how late they are open or when they usually close and the guy says that their hours say 7:30 PM, but they usually just stay open until people stop coming. I asked if they would still be open in about 30 min. He said, "yeah we will stay open, even just for you." So we went and got hot dogs and they stayed open for us. It was a great dinner. I thought it was really funny that they just stayed open for us.

The Figure

Shadow
. . . Shadow
. . . . . . Shadow

I feel the need to protect and be brave
. . but am terrified inside.

Sinking


Sinking


Sinking feeling.

Blank mind but yet, racking my brain to find a way out.

. . . .it's so
shadowy
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . shadowy
. . . . . . . . . . . shadowy

The trampoline giving way,
not solid beneath me.

i scream.
Scream!
SCREAM!!

Birthday Wishes from my team :)

Well today my folk dance team sang Happy Birthday to me. Yeah for that. Then our TA Mike comes over to me and tells all the boys to get over here while that is going on he picks me up and then proceeds to tell them about a tradition in Poland when they celebrate. (Right then I knew what was going to happen and wasn't sure how I felt about it). We are doing a Polish dance for the Christmas performance so I guess he felt it was a good experience for us.
Anyway they then all gathered around and counted to three then threw me up in the air. It was hilarious and terrifying at the same time. I wasn't scared of them dropping me I was more scared I was going to hit the lights or the speakers in the ceiling. That is how high I was going and each time I went higher and higher. They threw me three times before setting me back down. Anyway it was really funny and a great memory of my team.

Major decisions

Well I think I have found my major. . . .. .. . drum roll. . . . .. Public health with emphasis in Health Promotion. It is only 55 credits so that is good and many of the classes look interesting and I think it will work with my desires to teach dance. I start classes this Winter so we will see how I like it.

:(

Well I didn't make the dance major, worse than that I got cut after the first round. It is so hard do know why you got cut when it isn't always judged on your technically abilities. I feel like maybe the Lord is wanting me to go in another direction, but I don't know what that is. I am pretty frustrated that I didn't even get invited to show my solo. Only about six people didn't make call backs. Everyone else either got called back to perform their solos or they got accepted straight out. I am just annoyed that they really couldn't let the six of us who got cut do our solos would 10 more min have been that big of a deal. Anyway I am now spending my night trying to figure out where I go from here. I am going to minor in Folk Dance because I still really want to teach it, but unfortunately I need a major in order to graduate.
Any suggestions?

Halloween Utah Symphony

Lin and I went to a special Halloween Utah Symphony performance. It was so much fun. They played some "Scary" music like In The Hall of the Mountain King. It was a costume concert so we dressed up. We are supposed to be the two old men on the muppets, but really we just look like old men. It was really fun and pretty funny to see ourselves bald.

SPAC

HURRAY!!!! I got invited to audtion for SPAC. The Folk Dance SPring Performing Arts Company. They are the back up team. Auditions are on the 4th of November. If I make it I will have a class this coming winter semester and we will have our own show. Then after the semester is over we will tour around to the elementary schools in Utah County and do shows for them for a few weeks. It would be so much fun. I really hope I make it. Plus one of my closest friends from Folk Dance also got invited so hopefully we both make it.

Well I was going to post a video of my solo, but I can't get it to work. It takes too long and blogger times out.

Dancing. . .

So I audition for the dance major on the 30th of October. I am soooooo nervous. If I don't make it I am not sure what I will do. I want to teach dance, mostly clogging and possibly some Folk dance stuff as well and to teach in a studio I don't technically need a degree. I want to get one though just to have one, because I think they can be very beneficial. The problem comes in if I don't get in the dance major. I thought about transferring to UVU but if I want to teach Folk or clogging they don't have any classes that will help me. I have been exploring other majors at BYU but I feel I already have my generals done and a lot of dance classes just to help me feel ready for the audition so I will be heading on another two to three years if I change to another major. Plus none of them even remotely interest me. I will probably end up in Family sciences or something just to get a major. :( So wish me luck...... I may need it.

Modern Dance

So I got my scores back from my Modern dance class. I was kinda bummed because I only got a 77% on my technique test. Today I found out that most people felt like they did well and then got a really low score so I don't feel as bad. I think my teacher just has very high expectations of what a A or B student is. So I thought I might be really struggling to pull an okay grade in the class. I also have a composition class right after that one (they are taken together) that I had a solo test in. Basically we had to choreograph a 2-3 min solo using movement that we naturally like to move in and then movement that is not in our comfort zone.
I was really worried about mine, but after she gave me a lot of good comments; more than she gave to everyone else. When I got my score today I got a 25/25. She really liked it. I don't know how I got a perfect score on it but I was amazed, especially because some of the other people I would have expected to get really high scores didn't. I don't know what she saw in mine, but it was a real confidence booster that maybe I can do this.

Rise and Shout!

So last week we ended up with free tickets to the BYU football game vs Florida. My boss had tickets to give to a sponsor, but no one wanted them so Saturday morning he asked if Lin and I would use them. We did and it was a lot of fun even though BYU got smashed.


The funny part of this story is that last night Matt (from work) asked me if I would want the tickets he had to todays BYU game. His wife had some other stuff going on and he needed to watch his kids. He didn't know Walker had given me tickets to last week's game. Later I found out that Walker once again had extra tickets and gave them to Matt. Matt hadn't told me they were from Walker and I hadn't told anyone at work that I had gotten tickets last week. Anyway no one wanted them so I got free tickets from work two weeks in a row! Which both my boss and I found pretty funny since his giving us tickets was kind of a secret and now I ended up with them twice. CRAZY!
Hopefully this game is a little more exciting.

New Calling

So Lin and I were released from being Primary teachers. We were sad, but I am now the Laurel advisor in Young Womens and Lin is the Teachers advisor and something with scouts. So it is pretty nice we both go to mutual on Tuesdays and its a lot of fun. We only have 5 Laurels 2 that are inactive, 2 that are active and 1 that is kinda in the middle. I am enjoying it though.

School is also going really well. I had my first contemporary dance test today and my choreography solo test is at the end of the week. I am much more worried for that one since it is a solo and it is our own composition. I am loving my Folk Dance team and of course my favorite class is clogging :)

Christmas Around the World

So I know this is kind of early but I am super excited. This will be the 50th anniversary of the Folkdance Christmas Around the World show and I get to be in it! My class is doing a Polish number and we get to wear all of the Polish costumes BYU has from over the years. It is going to be amazing!

Rufus We Love You!

So the sad news is that we didn't get to keep our puppy, Rufus. We only really had him (while he was healthy) for a few days, then he got sick, then he got even more sick, then he got a little better, we brought him home from urgent care, he stopped eating again, and we finally put him up for adoption. I am really sad because he was so wonderful those first days before he got sick, and he is the cutest dog I have ever seen, but I just didn't have the time or patience, or money to keep force feeding him and taking him to the vet. I really hope someone wants to adopt him that has time to be with him constantly until he can fully recover. I miss him but know that we gave all we could. Rufus we love you!!

Back 2 School

Well school started today and I only had one of my four classes for the day. My "Modern Marathon" class. It is referred to as a marathon because it is everyday from 9-10:30 but on Mondays and Wednesdays we also have a composition classes added on from 10:30 to 12:00 so those days it is really a three hour class. I really like my teacher though. She knows a lot but is also really fun. I also made the 1:00 Folk Dance team! Yeah hopefully now I can try out for SPAC (Spring Performing Arts Company) this fall.
I am also getting ready to audition for the dance major! SCARY!! The audition is the day before my birthday so you can bet I will party it up then with the relief of being done.
My other news (which will have its own post soon) is that we got a puppy! It is sooo cute! I will give more details and pictures soon.

Whats been going on. . . .

August seems to be super full but we did find time to paint our bedroom. We are both soooo happy to be rid of the nasty fuchsia color. The room isn't totally finished but it already looks tons better.

Finally a blogger!

So I guess I am finally blogging, but I don't know how much I will update. Kirsten's blog convinced me to start my own because it looks like fun :) we'll see how it goes. . . .