There Are Boys Out There Who Love Musicals!!!

I just got back from EFY, and guess what? Almost every boy I met loved musicals and performed in them often! Plus, they were all way nice and righteous. It was wonderful!!! By the way, just because a boy likes musicals, it does not mean they are gay. I HATE it when people say that! It is the thing I hate most in this world. But anyway, it was nice to know that I am not the only musical crazed person!

The Bomb Threat and How it Ruined Peoples' Lives

I work at Dick's Market in Centerville. I work in the Bakery. It is a good job; I can get time off when I need to, and I only have to work two days a week. It has been great for school and summer vacations. Another great thing about it is that it is right next to Rodgers Memorial Theatre, one of my favorite places on earth. That is the place where I started musicals. I have been performing there since I was eleven. I have made so many friends there. I absolutely love RMT!

So, RMT was putting on Footloose from June 20 - July 19. A bunch of my friends and aquaintances were in the show. I wanted to see it so bad, but I was too busy to go and see it. Then I found out it was completely sold out! I was so sad! But then they added on a Matinee for Saturday July 19th at 2:30, and I bought tickets for that show right away.

I went to work and found out that I was scheduled to work Saturday July 19th at 2:00! I begged my boss, Kevan, to let me go! He said I could go If I came to work after the show was over. So I planned on doing just that.

The 19th arrived and I went to see Footloose. It started off absolutely fantastic! No wonder it had sold out so fast! Right as Ariel started singing "Holding Out For A Hero", the music died an announcement came on and said "Cast members and audience, an emergency situation has come up and we need you to leave immediately and walk down to Deseret Industries. Stay Calm".

So we all left. Outside Dick's parking lot, there were a bunch of police cars. The whole road was blocked and no one was allowed to get to their cars. Someone had called the police saying there was a bomb at Dick's Market.

I caught up with Dani, one of my best friends. She was in the show and she looked so sad. Other cast members were crying! I realized that this was this cast's closing show!!! How horrible to start a show you will never finish. And then I realized that I would never get to see all of the musical! It had been so amazing and I only saw a third of it.

Since we had had to leave immediately, the cast was in their costumes. The had no keys or cell phones or anything. It was horrible. My dad came and picked us up outside of an Arctic Circle a little ways away. He gave some people who couldn't get to their cars a ride home. Dani and our friend, Morgan, went to my house since I didn't have to go in to work.

At 5:45 Dani called her mom and found out that the bomb that the police found in the Ice Box had been a fake. It had been filled with string cheese. I was so mad! How could people pull such an awful prank? They have no idea how they ruined Footloose!

Unless you have been in shows, you have no idea how close you become in a show and how important it becomes in your life. You need a fabulous closing show to give you some sense of closure. It makes the withdrawal almost bearable. This is the worst ending of a show ever! I feel so bad!

The picture is after one of mine and Morgan's performances. From left to right: Mandy, Dani, Morgan, Alli and Me.

Strange Kitchen Decor

This strange idea was presented to me by my boss, Kevan. He has way too much time on his hands!

1. Go to the D.I. and buy a big blender.

2. Clean it out.

3. Cut the cord off.

4. Take the blade out.

5. Paint the buttons and lid any way your heart desires.

6. Fill the bottom of the blender with pretty fish gravel. Add a fish plant or decoration.

7. Fill the blender with water.

8. Throw away the clear plug thing in the middle of the lid. ( I hope you know what I am talking about, because I do not know correct blender terms.)

9. Put a fish in the blender.

Voila! You now have a very unique fish tank! Kevan put his on his kitchen counter.

One of My Greatest W.W.O.B.s

This is one of the first W.W.O.B.s I ever gave. Eliza, Mindy, Brianne and Dani all think it is very profound. I am sure you will think likewise.

Being your best does not mean be the best.

What does this have to do with anything? I will explain:

It seems to me that the people I associate with all have the tendency to over-achieve. Now, it is very good that they are working hard and trying to reach their full potentials; however, sometimes they are working hard for the wrong reasons. They do it only because they are trying to compete with other people, and because they want to be the best. I do not think that this is a beneficial way to look at things. I think that one should simply be satisfied with being the best that they, personally, can be. That doesn't mean being a quitter, but succeed with reasonable expectations. There will always be someone better than you.

Here is the situation that caused me to give this W.W.O.B:

Mindy is a very smart girl. She has beautiful red hair, and amazing soccer skills. She is just great! She is so very smart and tries hard to do well in school. The only problem is, she wants to have over 100% in every single class. Now, that is a good goal, but unrealistic. As an eighth grader it might work out, but once you get to high school, that might just not work out so well. Also, Mindy gets mad when she doesn't have those grades, even when they are all As in the 93-99% range! It is just not healthy.

Concerned for Mindy, I came up with this W.W.O.B. I have heard similar sayings before, so I know I am not the first person to be so brilliant.

Please apply this lesson to your life. It will help you so much.

Brianne - My sister and I get along swimmingly!

Brianne and I are only twenty months apart. We have always been very close, although now we are quite different. She likes to make fun of me. You can see the proof on her blog:

http://www.youth-theendofallthings.blogspot.com/

Anyway, despite how much she teases me, I know that deep down in her heart, she truly thinks I am the most incredible person in the world.

She idolizes me - I know it!

And who can blame her? I am amazing!!!

Just kidding.

I love Brianne. She tells me the truth, even when I don't want to hear it. And she makes me laugh all of the time! She has a very unique sense of humor which I love.

I love her!!! So Much!!!

What the Heck is a W.W.O.B.?!!

WWOB stands for Wise Words Of Bretleigh. Being the oldest in my family, I am prone to give too much advice. And, my advice is always really good. People treasure deeply the advice that I give them. My best friend Eliza always asks me to give advice to her younger sister, Mindy. Mindy is the one who started calling them W.W.O.B.s (pronounced wobs).

Are AP Classes Worth It?

This is the question I asked myself in the spring of 2007. I was a sophomore, and was trying to figure out whether I should take AP Calculus the following year. Unfortunately, I had run out of math classes to take, so an AP class was my only option. I dreaded my Junior year; I knew that there was no way I would enjoy Calc. And guess what? I hated it!!! I have never been fond of math, and having it for two class periods was torture. Not to mention, I learned a bunch of complicated stuff that I would never be able to use in my life. It was pretty miserable.

In April, it was time to start reviewing for the AP Calc test. One day, my CE U.S. Hisory teacher asked me to take the AP History test. Because CE is a college course he thought that I could pass the AP exam if I studied. Our history class had only gotten to the 1960s, so I would have to studie the next forty years on my own. Completely delusional (probably from Calculus), I accepted.

Studying was awful. I am the kind of person who can easily get an A on a test without ever studying. So it was really hard for me to focus and spend time each day reviewing outside of school. (I never studied the Vietnam war; I didn't feel like it).

On May 7, 2008 I took the AP Calc Exam. Afterwards, my mom let me ditch school and took me out to Firehouse Pizza for lunch. It was a glorious day. I was sure I passed the test, and I didn't have to take math as a Senior!

On May 9, 2008 I took the AP US History Exam. I did okay on the multiple choice. But guess what the DBQ essay was on? Vietnam!!! I was so mad at myself that what I wrote probably didn't make much sense. Luckily, the other two essays were great because I actually knew what I was writting about. I left the testing room with a sense of doom following me. What a waste of time that was!

However miserable I felt, it was easily forgotten by the next day as I prepared for summer to start.

On July 11, 2008 the College Board mailed me my results. I almost peed my pants opening the letter. It said:
Caclulus AB: 4
US History: 3

Hallelujah!!! What a splendid day!

Back to my original question: I now think that AP classes are worth it. I recieved 12 college credits for the cost of $160. And, I found out I don't have to take math in college!!!!!! That is what makes me happiest of all!

So, if you are a scholarly sort of chap, I highly recommend AP Tests. You will be so glad you took them!