It's FINALLY Official!

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I'm going on a Disney cruise! Ha ha. HA. Anyway, November 13-16 I am taking off and hitting the high seas with my friends Lindsey and Tyler. Yep. I need another vacation- And I've only been home from my last vacation for a week. So yes, I am going to take full advantage of my Disney lifestyle and get on a big boat and float around in the water for three days. Kara- I need to get on YOUR ship!!! Too bad I don't have seven days to spare right now....hmmmmmm. But for now, the three day cruise will totally do!



What else is going on? Hmmmm. Tomorrow is my eighth day of work in a row. I can't wait for Saturday when I'm off! But I've been lucky enough to be in rehearsals for a big special event (the same one I did last year in the big blue dress for those of you who remember...) and it's going really well. It's hard doing shows AND rehearsals, but whatever. I'll survive. I love singing different music and doing something other than B and B. It's grrrrrrrrrrrreat! (And I don't mind AT ALL that it only takes me ten minutes to get to the rehearsal studio!)

OH! And here's the sunshine of my week:

* Coming home from vacation was great because I got to get back into my normal eating habits. I'm not eating out several times a day! YIPPEE!

* Three months and three weeks left on my contract... but who's counting?

* I'm back in Orlando with a boy who keeps me entertained and happy. :-)

* Kensie had her one year portraits taken in an outfit I helped pick out. I LOVE THAT BABY!

* I'm driving my own car again! (For the first few days back I kept wanting to push down the clutch though... my car is automatic. That was funny...)

* The holidays are coming! I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!

* I bought a cute wallet in Utah which really has helped keep my zillions of cards in one place. Who knew changing purses could be so easy when you have a wallet to throw in there?! :-)

* I'm just thankful for who I am and the way I choose to live my life. My choices create SO much freedom in my life. Some would say my lifestyle and beliefs are restricting, but I CAN NOT testify enough how much FREEDOM living simple gospel principles gives me. I am reminded this every single day, and I am so very thankful for that knowledge.

* I've been reading the book, "Making it on Broadway: Actors' Tales of Climbing to the Top." In so many ways the stories of these actors inspire and motivate me, but more than anything, I am reminded how much MORE important it is to have a personal life. More than a big career in show business I want PEOPLE. I want a husband and kids and even a little white picket fence! Performing is amazing. It is a drive for me as a person, BUT it's not MY LIFE. I don't ever want it to become that.

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Broadway-Actors-Tales-Climbing/dp/1581153465/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224635031&sr=8-1

I think I do a pretty good job at keeping a balance, if I do say so myself. :-) (However this hasn't always been the case. I spent most of my BYU years focused on my performing life... I didn't leave any time for social things or dating... ah well... it all worked out. Ha.)

* And finally: The weather here is STUNNING right now! I love it. The temperature is perfect and there's a slight breeze and hardly any humidity. Incredible.


ALSO: I am in need of yummy, really healthy recipes. Lean meat dishes, salads, anything you've got. HELP!

Breathing Again

I'm still on Utah time. I should go to bed. BUT I don't have to work till like 3:00 tomorrow. So who cares, right?

Well, it's all over. I had an amazing and wonderful trip to Utah, and truthfully, if I had the choice, I'd have stayed much longer and spent time with the rest of the people I really wanted to see (Laurel, Michelle, Tara, Melissa, Seidi, Kevin, Jeff... the list goes on and on...) BUT tonight I'm snapped back into the reality that my life is here in Florida. I have a bedroom. I have roommates. I have a closet. I have a boy who was super cute to come home to, and I have responsibilities in the ward and at work. Time to get back to it all. And I can do it. Yep. I can!

Y'all know the struggle I've been having with my professional life and the monotony of it all. I have mixed feelings about being back. Today I had a twinge of excitement to get back on the stage again- so that was a GREAT sign, but I also can't help but think about how there are four more months left on my contract. (ACTUALLY, my contract is up four months from TODAY!) There's still a big hill to get over, and I am praying to do it joyfully and to make a difference in the lives of the people I work with. I have been sooooo blessed with this job and with the people I have met here in Orlando- there's no need to want to rush through the tail end of the experience!

So here I am. Rejuvenated and refocused. Ready to go back to callings and work and eating healthy and working out. Ready to go back to "a dates" once a week, ready to go back to my swimming pool and keeping the house clean. Ready for the monotony of dancing cutlery and ready to bring some happiness to the lives of my coworkers. I still miss my family and friends. I miss the people who know me so well and who I know love me. This is all a recent development in my life... ha ha... I used to have no qualms about leaving Utah and change and whatever else. But I've grown attached to my roots. Weird how getting older has done that to me...

Fittingly, this post is titled "Breathing Again." I feel much better than I did a few weeks ago. I'm breathing and enjoying things again. Life is good.

And before I go to bed... I, of course, must post more Kensie pics...

Shoe shopping! I needed a pic of her in her winter hat!

Sucking on Nana's hoodie. YUM!

I DO NOT WANT TO BE A BUTTERFLY FOR HALLOWEEN, PEOPLE!

And this is me and Matt. My cousin. He grew up some time between May and now. I feel old.

Another New Obsession

I saw Aida twice this week... this is my new obsession.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3n-ZXBWdFw

(It won't let me post it on my blog...)

Jam Packed and Wanting More...

SNOW!

I'm considering this my Christmas.
WHERE ARE THE PRESENTS?!
AND THE LIGHTS?!!
AND THE MUSIC???!

I'm really so happy that I got to see some snow this season. And since I bought three coats while I was here, I got the chance to use them! Yippee! Yes, I live in Florida and I bought three coats while I was here- it makes TOTAL sense.

Do I really HAVE to go back to Florida in two days? I don't wanna. Hmph. I know that many of you would LOVE to take my place and go live in Florida for the winter months- I'm taking submissions for anyone who wants to play princess for a living while you're there.

The last couple weeks have been SO SO SO good for me. I have been OVERBOOKED for two solid weeks, so that's been tough, but it's also been wonderful to see some the people I love most! Yay! I also apologize to those of you I didn't get to see. There's only so much time to cram everything into. Sniffle.

The great news is that all of this has rejuvenated me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna be counting down the weeks until my contract is up, but I can do so more joyfully now. :-)

Here's the latest update on my Utah adventures:

Couldn't resist... I bought the kid a tutu.
We soon found, however, that wearing it on the head is much more exciting!

It still sags a bit. Oh well, she'll be able to wear it for awhile!

Girls Night Out with Nichole, Jamie, Aubrey, and Heather.
We missed the rest of you girls!

On this subject: Can I just say that I think Aubrey is one of the funniest people in the world??? Every time we get together I am reminded how much I love being around her. She cracks me up. Good, good times. Read her blog... you'll get a taste.
http://shinercircus.blogspot.com/

At Village Inn with my dad and family after seeing "Aida"
(Yes, I saw it again... a different production)

A HUGE shout out of THANK YOU THANK YOU goes to Chuck's mom for hooking my dad and me up with BYU Homecoming Football game tickets! Thanks to Lisa and her dad for being so so so generous and letting us go! WE LOVED IT!!!!

Gah. I LOVE my school. Look at that scenery. Sigh.

Only a day and a half left here in Utah. Sniffle. But I have good things to look forward to in Florida. I'll be doing the 20 Year Service Awards show again in a couple weeks- so that'll be fun. Yay.

My Favorite Picture Thus Far...

Mountians, Pedicures, and GREAT Theatre...

Here's what I've been up to the last few days... I LOVE BEING IN UTAH! No time to elaborate... but yeah. Good, good times. Do I really have a whole other life back in Florida???













And the great theatre? I saw Aida at HCT-Orem and Into the Woods at HCT-WV the past couple nights. I ache to do a show that means something. :-)

Still Here...

Lots and lots going on as I continue my time here in Utah. Here're some picture of last night when Chuck and I had dinner at my dad's house with Biff, Brett, and Kait.

As always... I LOVE THIS BABY!

This is the only was we could get through the game we were playing.
Kensie demands attention. She lets you know when she's not getting it.

The Beginning...

Yippee! I'm here, I'm here! Well, after a very traumatic Tuesday evening and a fun day with my favorite little baby, I have time to explain a bit of what's been going on since I arrived.

Late on Tuesday afternoon I hopped on an American Airlines plane and headed for home. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY! The flight was great... it's so much better traveling with another person! Yay!

And then came to trauma...

I had warned Chuck time and time again about my mom's crazy dog, Jasmine. Many of you know Jasmine that she thinks everyone loves her and that everyone is her best friend. She jumps and wags her tail and is giddy whenever she meets a new friend. So he was prepared. When we got to my mom's house we found my mom holding a limp, but aware, little poodle, who was obviously very, very ill.

We rushed to the Doggy ER and quickly found out that Jasmine had an enlarged heart (practically filling her entire chest cavity), and that she had an auto immune disorder that left her with only 11% of her red blood cells. Basically, her body was attacking itself. Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo my mom and I spent the next five hours discussing our options: Overnight hospitalization with a blood transfusion ($3000), overnight hospitalization with no treatment, take her home with us, or, end her little life then and there. The vet explained that even with expensive treatments and everything, he'd never seen a dog in her condition leave the hospital. So basically the prognosis was grim at best.

After many tears (of us and of the tech assisting us...) my mom decided to bring Jasmine home with us. With only a 5% chance of survival, we knew that it would be better for her to pass away at home with her family. She slept through what was left of the night, and spent the morning in her bed just observing the goings on of the day. She was responsive and trying to get out of the bed during the morning hours, but after a seizure later in the day she peacefully faded away. Sniffle. Jasmine was my mom's "little shadow" and best friend- things will be really hard without her.

Jasmine- Happy at Home with Her Family

Like any other pet of the Shreeves', Jasmine will be buried in the cemetery at Heather Drive.

ON A HAPPIER NOTE:

The airplane ride was fun...

Chuck was productive...

I was my version of productive.

Good thing he brought toys for me to play with after I woke up!

OK- REALLY? There was a Proactive VENDING MACHINE in the Dallas airport. Who knew?

WE'RE GOING TO LAND IN SALT LAKE CITY!!

And today, I got to babysit THIS beautiful girl.

This is what happens when Aunt Amy has to feed her.

I tried to tell her that bread was for the duckies...