Morning Jabber

Survival: I survived my fifteen shows in three days. Now- I don't want to sound like a complainer or anything- because we all know how blessed I am with my job- but doing fifteen shows in three days is NOT fun!!! It's not fun BECAUSE you feel like you're BREATHING, EATING, SLEEPING, and EVERYTHING ELSE Beauty and the Beast. Mentally you feel like something is wrong with you. Ha ha. Anyway, what made it REALLY hard this time around was the HEAT. It is getting SO SO SO hot here in FL. I admit that I love it, and won't complain a bit when I'm outside playing in it, but trying to do shows in it is almost unbearable. It's not as bad as it was when I opened last August, but it's getting there. After several months of not having to deal with such extreme temps, my body has to get used to it again. Sweaty Belle is PRETTY. Not.

Also, I need brown contacts. Next time I go to the eye doctor, which should be soon, I am totally getting some brown ones. I wanna see what I'll look like the way Belle SHOULD look. No more of this blue-eyed Belle junk.

Debating: I am planning on going to the "Disney on Broadway" open call in NYC next month. I can't figure out whether to promote myself towards "The Little Mermaid" or "Mary Poppins". I guess, in all reality that it doesn't matter because they have never seen or heard of me so therefore even if I NAIL the audition I will be looked over... ha ha... but I want advice. Tiffany? Ben? Any MDTers?

My Newest Obsession: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

I stayed up for about twenty minutes longer than I should have last night just STARING at this recipe. Something inside of me is becoming domesticized...

Thoughts: I wanna go to grad school. Let's be honest, I need to get married and have babies at some point, but I have always had a great love for "THE NEWS". When I went to BYU I really wanted to double major in Broadcasting AND MDT, but they wouldn't let me because I had too many credits and they basically wanted me out of there as fast as possible. Well, when I was in China with Young Ambassadors , the head of the broadcasting major came along with us. I was already a senior, but he asked if I wanted to be part of the program. He promised to waive all my freshman and sophomore classes, and I could go on with the broadcasting major from there. I don't consider this any kind of regret it my life, but it would have been great to take advantage of that opportunity. It would, however, have added a year and a half to my schooling, and since I'd already been in school WAAAAAAY too long, and had run out of financial aid options, I figured it best to just graduate in MDT. And if I hadn't? I would never have gone to Hong Kong and I wouldn't be here. All is well with my decision. :-)

A Shout Out to the Girls in Utah: I need a good hair stylist when I'm there. I planned on getting my hair cut and dyed today but the salon I go to isn't open on Mondays. Shoot! So someone give me the name of a great stylist they go to. I need pretty hair again. I have gotten too lazy with my personal appearance!

Now it's time to go have a productive day off. Glorious.

My "Gray Thing"

I love my life.

I needed a day of nothingness before I hit my "fifteen shows in three days" marathon that I'm in the middle of now. In order to take my vacation to UT next week I had to do some day switching which puts me on that insane schedule. But hey, I get a week long vacation for it so I am thrilled!

On my day off (yesterday) I also designed this blog for my sister:

http://biffandbrett.blogspot.com/

Check it out.

I am super excited for my trip home. I can't wait to see family and friends and the beautiful mountains! It never fails, as I fly into the Salt Lake Valley I get teary-eyed and really emotional. I love home. I do. There's no place like home.

I'm Baaaaaaaaack

I begin this post with pictures of my ridiculously cute niece. I love her. And guess what? She moved to Florida for the summer!!! YEEEEEEAH! We live in the same state!!!

Yup. So I have been out of commission with this internet thing for the past week and a half or so. I never realized how much I rely on the internet to get business info (I had to open a phone book today!), get directions, manage banks accounts, read y'alls blogs... I tell ya- I don't remember what life was like without the internet. I know it existed, but we got our dial-up connection to the internet my sophomore year of high school and I spent lots of time chatting it up with folks from LHS... ha ha. But really- I guess without the internet we just had to use our brains. Without Google we actually had to know the alphabet so we could look something up in a phone book. Now all it takes is a TAP TAP TAP and you're hooked up with the business name, how many miles it is from your house, alternate routes.... etc etc etc. Anyway, I am thankful to be back online and in contact with everyone once again.

I have had lots of randomness floating around in my head lately. Here goes:

1. WHY WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYY is it that so many people from OHIO and MICHIGAN are here in FL??? I swear, the license plates from these two states outnumber Floridian ones! (Speaking of Floridan plates... check out my previous blog for a pic of my cool WHALE plate... ha ha.)

2. Gossip/backbiting is stupid. This thought isn't really stemming from anything going on in my life necessarily, but I just got thinking about how silly it is that we, as "natural men," feel the need to criticize and belittle those around us. We are all here, working on the same "life project," so why do we insist on making it harder for each other? Along with this, why is it that oft times, when ANOTHER person SUCCEEDS, we feel that WE have FAILED? This happens a lot in my line of work, and as much as I don't like admitting that I DO feel that way sometimes, I do.

3. I love Sophie.

4. I really wanna see "Made of Honor". And "What Happens in Vegas". I'm all about chick flicks.

5. I am OBSESSED with the swimming pool at my new house. What do I do in my free time? Float around my pool on a gray ... thing. I love it. Florida is cool. It was also 91 degrees today. Hee hee hee. (I am kinda rubbing that in all you Utahns faces... sorry dudes.)

6. I am forgetting my show. I am NOT kidding. Plus or minus 20 or so shows, I have performed "Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage" 650 times. This is what happened the other day:

Sing sing sing "Oh, isn't this amazing, it's my favorite part because, you'll see....... .. . .... .... ....... ... ....... ............ . ..... ..... ................................. . . . . ........ BUT SHE WON'T DISCOVER THAT IT'S HIM TILL CHAPTER THREE!!!"

I had NO IDEA what I was supposed to be singing! HA! The weird thing is that my body kept doing its routine actions... but the words were GONE. Gone gone gone. It hasn't showed up on YouTube yet... I'm happy for that. :-)

7. Still dating the boy. Things are progressing nicely. Speculate on that suckas.... :-)

8. Jason needs to leave American Idol. David Cook needs to win.

9. The Bachelorette starts in a few weeks... I will watch.

10. I need a new hairstyle and color. And new headshots.

11. I'm coming to Utah a week from TODAY! YEAH!

12. This post is too long and I will be amazed if people actually read to this point...

13. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It's coming so soon!

14. I am excited to go see the tour of "The Lion King" in Tampa next Tuesday. I wish they had a Red Robin in Tampa. I am craving Red Robin. Thanks a lot, Sam, for getting me hooked years ago.

15. That's all.

Whhhhhy Bryan Goes by "Andrew"

Since lots of people have asked... Bryan is going by "Andrew" on stage because in Equity, you can not have the same name as any other person. His real name was already taken by someone else so he had to come up with something other than who he really is... Wahoo.

WICKED. Twice in a Week. And More.

Thanks to my friend Lindsey, I can spend my afternoon doing laundry and using the internet at her house. YAY! Sooooooo here's the update on my LIFE!

Last Thursday my roomies and I (and Chuck... ha ha) had a girls night out to see WICKED here in Orlando!!! My friend Bryan, who I graduated from BYU with, is in the show and hooked us up with seats. I have no words for how much I LOVED this show. Of course it gets the performer in me inspired and praying that someday I can be a part of something like that, but WOW. Yeah- I sat in my seat completely mesmerized for two and a half hours straight. Only and INCREDIBLE show could do that to ME. :-)

He goes by "Andrew" in the Playbill...

Here I am seeing the show AGAIN on Wednesday. FIFTH ROW, CENTER SEATS. I have never been so giddy in my life.

Me and Bryan.

Feeding the Carrabba's OBSESSION.

Sophie became Floridian today.


I couple weeks ago I also got a visit from my dear friend Melissa Garn and her family.

Yup, so somehow, among all this stuff, I also managed to move. My roomie and I are now living in a house with a pool and I am in a room with more space than I know what to do with. :-) Life is good. Peace.

Blogging Hiatus

Hey friends. I moved. I saw the national tour of Wicked twice in a week. I've worked, I've seen my dear friend Melissa here with her family at Disneyworld, I've gone out to eat a few times, I've worked out many times, and I have not blogged. I have no internet at my house now. So someday, when we get it working, I will return. Please bless it's soon. I never realized how much I rely on the internet to do little things... look up directions, pay bills, find random bits of info... yup. Can't do any of that. Sigh.

Cinderelly Cinderelly ...

Again, not great sound or video quality... but it's something...

Going Private...

Hi y'all...

My earlier announcement is kind of hidden down a few posts now... so I am collecting email addresses for people who want to be added to my readers list. Just leave me your email and who you are and I'll put you on! :-) Yay! And yeah- it really is a bummer that going private makes the blog not work on reader... sorry peeps- you'll just have to click on a link like in the old days. Ha.

Happy Little Working Day

I LOVE TO CLEAN. Did y'all know that? I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to clean. It's only noon and I have thoroughly cleaned the house. Not only THAT, but I also had a successful trip to the DMV this morning- NO WAIT!!!! I still don't have FL plates because they need the title from my financer, BUT YAY! I love productive days. I just need some vermin to help out with my endeavors next time. ;-)

Oh yeah. And I LOVE not going to work.

Life. Just life.

Guess who I get to be friends with again this week!

THE UPDATE:

This week I will continue the journey of becoming Floridian. I, along with my sidekick Sophie (my car), will head to the DMV again to begin the process of getting her new plates. Sniffle. I am still coming to terms with this- but whatever. I mean, really people, Florida has WAAAAAAY more choices when it comes to selecting a license plate anyway! I can have a turtle, oranges, dolphins, the UCF mascot, a whale... what more could I ask for??? Goodbye SKI UTAH.

I am trying to be positive about my job. Those of you who know me well understand that I am ridiculously happy and optimistic and just a pretty darn cheerful person. I gotta admit though that my job really is getting taxing. I know I know... "Poor Amy who has to work a whole 25 hours a week and get paid for 40. Poor Amy who TECHNICALLY only works SEVEN of those hours. Poor Amy who plays princess for a living." But seriously- there are days where the monotony of it all is almost too much to handle. I believe you can choose to be happy or miserable in ANY situation. So I am choosing, again, to be happy. I've kinda lost that determination in the last few weeks.

I'm getting ready to move. The girls and I are moving to a new house, not too far from where we are now. Amy H's dad bought a house that has been in the renovation process for the past few months, and moving time is fast approaching. My room will be about three times bigger, but I admit that I'll miss the cosiness and spirit of my little room here in the Chateau. It's going to be a fun move though- now we have a pool! WAHOO!

How many of you use Google Reader? I'm telling you- it's fabulous. It saves me lots and lots of time when it comes to checking people's blogs and everything. It takes a little while to set it all up and enter all your subscriptions, but ah! It's so worth it.

Annnnnnnnnd on another note: I think I am going to make my blog private. This comes after lots of thinking and being sad that old friends might not find me anymore... BUT I think the time has come. Sooooooooooooooooooooo as of this post I am going to begin collection email addresses so I can approve you on my blog. Lurkers, if you wanna keep lurking it's time to identify yourselves. :-)

Summer Days

Well, the sun has been beating down on us the last few days here in Florida, so we at the B and B stage have been taking full advantage of it. The straight boys, Adam, Ryan, and Casey, were nice enough to let me join in on their boy ball games- pantaloons, wig cap, and all. I looked hot- in more than one way. And all I have to say is "wow", Amy with a soccer ball... why haven't a been playing sports all my life?!?!?!? (I hope y'all catch on to my cynicism and sarcasm here...)

Tales of a Utah Girl Trying to Become Floridian

Ah- the glories of having a day off. Happy. Yup.

So today I took a jaunt over to the Drivers License Division to get my Florida license. Anyone that knows me is aware that I DID not want to do this- but after a girl in my cast got arrested for not having her car registered in Florida, and for not having a FL license, I have finally given in and decided that the consequences of NOT having that done FAR outweigh the personal satisfaction I get from still officially being a UTAHN.

My experience at the DLD? Weeeelllllllllllllllllllllll I got "Hey Girrrrrrrrrl"ed at by two truckers at the local gas station as I frantically looked for an ATM so I could pay CASH for my new license (WHO DOESN'T TAKE CARDS THESE DAYS????), I met a guy name DeVon.. ("You have stunning blue eyes. Wow. You're just gorgeous. Wow. Beautiful. Are you taken?" YES. I was the only non-ethnic person in the building (That comment is not meant to sound bad, but I tell ya... it was something I have never experience before... well, besides Hong Kong...), ANYWAY- and I was chased down in my car by two teen aged boys who were trying to flirt with me. I am SOOOO into 16 year old boys... sheesh. Needless to say, this little Utah girl just wanted to move BACK to Utah after this day. It was actually highly entertaining. I'm always so independent and whatever, but days like today remind me how sheltered I really am. And I like it that way. Ha. And one more thought... why can't I just be ugly??? HA HA HA.

On an "up" note: Florida is GORGEOUS. Today I was on roads I've never been on and wow... it's just so green and pretty and WARM (87 degrees today...). The big puffy white clouds just meander on by ... it's all just very relaxing.

Oh yeah- AAAAANNNNNNNNNNND I am planning a trip for my mom and I in the Florida Keys this summer. I NEED A VACATION.

Oh yeah again... THE OFFICE IS BACK ON TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!

Notebook Rain

Yep- many of you know of my obsession with this movie. I LOVE it. Beyond love it. If I felt like chick-flicking it every day I would watch this movie over and over and never tire of it. Yeah. ANYWAY- so before I moved to Florida I always thought that the rain that happens while they're in the boat was really fake- it just seemed like a movie set with sprinklers raining down on them. Lame.

HOWEVER...

That kind of rain DOES exist here in the South!!! AND I LOVE IT!!! Somebody find me a boat and a bunch of birds. Now.

MC Hammer Pants and...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/03/people.newkids.ap/index.html

Blessed Sunday Evenings

For the first time in, gosh, months, I am sitting in my room alone basking in the much needed quiet. It's incredible. Now I've gotta do something better with this blessed time than blogging about it. ;-)

Top Tens

I found this on someone's blog today and thought it would be a great addition to FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Top Ten Memories of Growing Up:

1. Memories with my sister- torturing her, loving her, playing with her. I did a post about that not too long ago so I'll spare y'all the details.

2. Writing, for the first time, in my journal about a boy I liked, then quickly tearing the pages out, sealing them in an envelope, and drawing an eye on it with the words, "DO NOT OPEN. I'M WATCHING YOU."

3. Being called a lesbian in 5th grade. Melissa and I were "Bobcat Bobbies" (a dream of mine) together and were bestest friends that year. Ashlee Field and Jamie Patterson began calling us lesbians and I didn't even know what that word meant. Then one day Mitch Meyer opened up the dictionary and SHOWED me what the word meant.




4. My friends of the 6th grade: Creating a singing group who's theme was, of course, "I Will Always Love You," having the "Boy Crazy Club" which I really wasn't thrilled about being a part of, having those same friends have "Pull of Amy's neck mole" parties, Jamie playing stripper in my basement, being obsessed with Michael Jackson, wandering around the "woods" and finding a bag with the name "John Deere" on it and thinking it was a body bag... etc etc etc... We also froze Haley Wiseman's bra and socks at a sleepover once...

5. The 5th Grade Strike of Mrs. Richardson's class. Joe McBride on his desk shouting "Strike! Strike! Strike!" For some reason that is burned into my memory...

6. Feeling like I sounded like Sleeping Beauty when I sang... but not singing in front of anyone but Elizabeth.

7. "Me and My Friends" concerts with Elizabeth on Christmas Eve.

8. The Chamberlains: My neighbors had girls Biff's age and younger- Jennifer, Judy, and Jill. (Jackie came along later but wasn't involved in all the play...) I would spend all of my time holding beauty pageants for the girls, playing orphanage with them, playing pioneers... SUCH good times.



9. ALWAYS wanting to be teacher's pet and cheating to do it. BAD AMY! I was particularly bad in the 4th grade when I had the most amazing beautiful teacher EVER. Mrs. Annalisa Smith. I wanted to be her. Every day she had a teacher's assistant that was determined by who had put their name in the can the most the previous day. (You got to put your name in the can for being good...) Whenever she would call my name I would take TWO little pieces of construction paper, write my name "front and back" and so it would double the times I was in there. I was always the assistant and got to sit by her several times a week. I have since repented. Ha ha.

10. Nathan Webster kissing me in the closet during his 6th birthday party. He really liked that fire truck I gave him...

Top Ten Memories of Junior High School:

1. Ha ha. This first one is terrible... In 9th grade, Mr. Holbrook's science class, I had a bit of an "accident" that involves girly things and it was absolutely mortifying.

2. The first day of 8th grade and going into Mr. Cunningham's health class in the armory- sitting down next to Heather Gibby... the rest is history.

3. 9th Grade: Spending all my time in Mr. Nielsen's 8th period writing notes to Jedd Yuhas. He was across the hall in biology and we would exchange notes after class. Sometimes he would begin the note with "Hey Sexy!" Scandalous. ;-) I still have all those notes somewhere...

4. 9th Grade: Heather "going out" with Scott, me "going out" with Jedd... both of us being broken up with and acting like we didn't care.

5. Central Singers Tuachan trip to St. George (8th grade). I stayed with Stacey Preece and Jamie Loock. I was a little beast.

6. 8th Grade: Lockering with Melissa Allphin next to JD Christensen, Brad Whitesides, Craig Kotter, and a bunch of other hot boys. Ha ha.

7. 8th Grade: Ms. Oberg's English class: We all had folders in the back of the room. Heather and I would snoop at all the "preppies" folders and read all of the notes about who had made out with who at the latest party.

8. 7th Grade: Wanting to be a cheerleader but striking a deal with my mom that I would audition for choir first. I did, made it, and was picked up at 5:30 AM and taken to Lorianne Dickman's house for "initiation." I had to wear a sign on me all day that said, "I made Central Singers, make me sing." I hated it and wanted to be a cheerleader. Ha ha ha.



9. Sleepovers at Heather's house. Sneaking out one night to go TPing with Melissa- thanks to her older bro Jeremy for driving us...

10. Aubrey moving in (Summer before 8th grade)- making me, Heather, Aubrey and Melissa the most fun girls EVER!

Oh! And one more: Lunch at the back corner of the room... Sunny D and a Lime popsicle. "Plastic chuck!"

Top Ten Memories of High School:



1. The Log in my locker sophomore year. Thanks Jason Hyde for the memories.

2. Having to kiss Paul Wilhelm for the first time in front of BOTH of our mothers. We were playing Rolf and Liesl in The Sound of Music and his mom was the director- my mom was in the show. We blocked the scene and they watched us as we awkwardly kissed for the first time and told us to "hold it till we tell you to stop!"

3. Dragging a shopping car behind Travis Chamberlain's car in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

4. Sidewalk chalking every weekend of my sophomore year.

5. Jordan Garn hanging around my locker junior year and wishing he wouldn't take up so much of Gloria's time...

6. LUNCH! Always going to McDonald's or Arby's with Licia, April, and Heather and listening to Jewel's "Foolish Games."

7. Seeing Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me" music video at a stomp sophomore year. Changed my life. HA HA.

8. Heather being obsessed with Mr. Cheshire and climbing into the back of his pickup one day. Also driving past his house constantly. I can still smell your white car, Heather!

9. Making Lace at the end of junior year. Finally. Annnnnd then being bitter that I should have made Laytones and they didn't put me in... Ah, the drama.

10. Driving to Cotillion with Paul, Spencer Dierenfeldt, and my friend Melissa Porter. Paul was driving and threw his gum out the window... Melissa was in the back seat waving her hand out the window and then pulled it in, gum in hand, and said, "Is this yours???"

Top Ten Memories of College:

1. Ma Skidmore and the Play-Dough (Ricks 00-01)

2. Becoming a Young Ambassador (BYU 2004) For the first time in my life I was speechless and so excited that I couldn't DO anything.

3. Extravadance- Alicia and I made our own show in our apartment with paper ballet costumes. (Ricks 99-00)

4. Stacia stealing remotes from guys' apartments (Ricks 99-00)

5. Barry Manilow nights with Yissa and talking online to Brant while looking like "a fat, twelve year old elf. Basically that whole semester of living with Yiss was ridiculously fun!!!!

6. Breaking my nose twice in a week. (Ricks 00-01) Having to wear a NOSE CAST during Mothers Week.

7. Being in a Korean orphanage while on tour with Young Ambassadors- one of the most touching experiences of my life. (BYU 04-05)

8. Tyler and Colby wearing Licia's dresses...






9. Rollerblading with Licia down the big hill in Rexburg. Stupid girls... AND going running at night with Cecilia- she ALWAYS face planted it somehow.

10. Leaving my roomies of 1999-2000. I thought life was over. Tears tears tears.

AND ONE MORE!!! Licia killing our pet frogs, Woody and TaTonka, with PineSol... only they came back to life hours later- we emailed a retraction to their obituary.

One that doesn't apply to me... Top Ten Memories Since I Got Married.

I tag ALL of you! This was goods therapy for me tonight... I needed some serious down time. :-)

The Story of My Day... After "BELLE"

Yum. And Yuck. AMAZING.

My Friend John Travolta

Look who I performed for on Saturday!!!

Easter! And Some More of THAT BABY.

HAPPY EASTER!!!


And I just couldn't resist... can't get enough of this baby!

Dancin' with Lindsay from Beauty and the Beast

Brett hates this bow- but we girls understand how ADORABLE it is!

Bath Time!

And today is Easter!!!

We, here at my house, had an Easter lunch, had an Easter egg hunt, and we dyed Easter eggs too! So much fun!!! Kallie, my cousin, and her friend Brie are here with me for the week as well. How fun to be sixteen years old and at Disneyworld for Spring break!!!

Chuck being cool and artsy with his eggs...