Thoroughly Modern Millie

Amidst the Christmas Choir performances and the rehearsals for Annie, I thought I would try out for a show at Rodgers Memorial Theatre. It has been four years since I had been in a mainstage show there. It was Thoroughly Modern Millie, and I made it as a member of the ensemble. Dani West, the only best friend of mine whom I didn't go to school with, was also in it, and so was Devin Franke, one of my bhs musical friends. Everyone else in the cast had graduated, and many were in their thirties and forties. It was super fun! But also really intense. You see, Susan DeMill was the choreographer. I think my friend Grant Gibbons says it best, "Susan puts the 'hard core' in HARD CHOREOGRAPHY" this is very true!!! She comes up with beautiful choreography, but it takes a long time to learn and polish. Now, I have worked with her before so at first I was doing ok, but then I had to start missing for choir performances and later, Annie performances. So I missed learning all of the tap dances, and I already STINK at tap dancing, so being behind was not good. She was always yelling at me from offstage "because she cared". I believe her, but I was too stressed to care. Not only was I dealing with TWO Musicals, but my CE English teacher had a paper due every class. Not only that, but I was losing a best friend who meant the world to me, and that crushed me more than anything. I was always so tired at school that I was grouchy, whiched caused me to lose more friends. It was a pretty crappy time, one of the worst I've been through. But I pulled through and I learned the choreography in the nick of time! Being able to see Dani everyday was a blessing because not only is she one of my best friends, she was also an outsider from my troubles because she didn't go to BHS and therefore could listen to me without having an inside opinion about every person. It helped so much! Luckily all of my friends are my friends again and the best friend I lost once again became my friend, although he will never probably be a best friend again.

Anyway, Millie was fun and it was great to get to know Devin better and see how wonderful he really is. I better understand where he is coming from now and why he is the way he is. Haha and I improved my dance skills even more! It was a great experience.

I Got A New Job

So, I quit the bakery in August 2008. I knew I wouldn't have time to work there my Senior year. How Right I Was! So I planned on being jobless, but then in September my dear friend Eliza said her work had an opening. It was at the Eldredge Manor, a reception center. I would only have to work one or two evenings a week and I could take time off whenever I wanted! I accepted, of course! Another great thing is that..guess what? I LOVE WEDDINGS!!! I have been obsessed with them all of my life. I watched Father of the Bride daily from age 3 to 10, and I still watch it a couple times a year. I am fascinated with planning weddings, and at my job I see many wonderful ideas. This will be helpful to my family because I have three sisters. I love my job!

Les Miserables

So for my Senior year I was in Musical at BHS once again. The year before had been fun, and I loved the experience, but all of my friends had been seniors and I really didn't have friends my own age in musical. I was more excited for senior year because I was a lead. Not only was I a lead, but I was my DREAM ROLE!! I was Fantine in Les Miserables. So I knew that Musical would be fun, but I was still scared about the friend situations. I needn't have worried, though! After about a month into musical I made friends! Many Friends! In fact, after musical ended they remained my friends! The only problem is, they were mostly jrs. so now it is I leaving them behind. It is very sad. ANYWAY, Les Mis was incredible!!! I had Holly Jo Samuelson, who was the Fantine Understudy on Broadway, help me out (lucky me that she was the music director of a performing group I was in at Rodgers!). I already knew I could sing the part, but she helped me with acting A LOT!!! We had ten shows of Les Mis, and it was single cast so I was very lucky. Usually at BHS there are two casts and eight shows, so I had two and a half the amount of shows as my friends who were leads in the other musicals we did. It was seriously the best experience of my life so far! President Eyring came (his grandaughter was in it), and he started the standing ovation. He hugged all the leads after with tears in his eyes and told us we were wonderful! Closing night was insane! It was so packed that we put more chairs in all of the aisles. As I died in the show, I started to cry because it was my last scene. Hopefully that made it more emotional. At the end when I come to take Valjean to heaven, I cried more. But I could still sing! It was so amazing and I had serious withdrawals. In fact, I still do sometimes. I am a bit afraid that that was my last chance to be a lead. The best part of the performance was coming out after and meeting people I had never met and having them tell me that I touched their lives. It was so great! I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for giving that opportunity.

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.

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).