Seeing My Michaels & Supporting the Arts

I had a marvelous weekend last weekend. It all started with leaving from work an hour and a half early. That will start any weekend off on the right note. I drove to the infamous Pickleville Playhouse at Bear Lake. I saw the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. My friend Michael DuBois was performing in the musical. He played the part of Trevor Graydon.

Those of us attending the performance that night got an extra exciting show all with the price of our ticket. Around fifteen to twenty minutes into the show, there was a commotion a few rows in front of me. People started standing up and moving around. I was like, “Geez, people lets have a little theater etiquette. You don’t just stand up and trade around seats in the middle of the performance!” Then a lady turned around and said very loudly, “Is there a doctor in the house?” She kept asking that and apparently there wasn’t. A girl sitting behind us got up and went to help with the commotion. A man had a stroke!

Finally a woman with an apron on (which means she was in charge at the theater) told the performers to stop the show, put up the lights, and turn the air conditioner to high (thank you!). The actors didn’t really know what to do so they just continued until they were told to stop. Someone called 911. They got someone’s electric scooter. Two men carried the man that had the stroke to the scooter. Then they scooted him right out of there! Then the show picked up where it left off.

This is what they mean when they say, “The show must go on!” It always weirded me out when people had heart attacks when I performed in the Christmas Spectacular. Heart attacks usually happened one to two times a season. Old men’s hearts just can’t handle twenty pairs of legs kicking. It’s a fact!

I really enjoyed watching Michael perform. He did an awesome job as Trevor Graydon! I “thoroughly” enjoyed his performance. I highly recommend this musical to anyone taking a vacation to Bear Lake or just looking for a great, entertaining evening out.

After I got done talking with Michael after the show, I drove to LeBeau’s for a milkshake but they had already closed. Darn it!

The following day, I saw the musical 1776 that was put on by the Utah Festival Opera Company. Michael Ballam was playing the part of John Adams. I loved his performance! I had never seen this musical before. I loved it! I was reminded how much I love American History. We can learn so much from studying it. After the show, I gave Michael a big hug and told him he did a fabulous job! He asked me what I had been up to and if I was doing the Christmas Show again. I told him I was still waiting to hear back. (This was before I heard back from Radio City.)

I had the privilege of working for Michael five years ago. I was performing in Utah Festival Opera Company's Wizard of Oz. During the day, I worked as the secretary in the company's office. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to work so closely with such an amazing man. He's not only amazing when he performs but he is everyday, 24/7, all-the-time, when-nobody's-watching amazing.

My Favorite Phone Call

After a short time of waiting this year, Radio City called me. I have accepted a role in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. I will be spending the holidays in Nashville, TN. It looks like I will be having the 4th consecutive Country Christmas.


I have about 10 days of rehearsal in Myrtle Beach, SC, and will then be flying to Nashville for the remainder of the time. I leave the end of October and return home the end of December. I am very excited to be back in the Christmas Spectacular. I love to perform on one of the greatest stages in the US, The Grand Ole Opry.

It's a Baby....

Puppy! I was kind of feeling left out since some of my friends are having babies lately and posting all these cute pictures of wrinkly little babies on their blogs. I will show you the newest addition to the Winn Family. My brother Chris and Allen got a puppy. It is an 8 week old Pembroke Welsh Corgi and I think she is the cutest thing ever! Her name is Alice but I'm not sure if she knows that yet??

She is still learning where she should go to the bathroom. Apparently she gets this "look" just before she goes. That's the cue for either Chris or Allen to grab the puppy and head for the nearest door.

She doesn't like to walk on the grass. In Florida, they don't have the lush green stuff we are used to in Utah. It is more prickly and sparse. Apparently Alice has a hard time walking on the grass and opts to just fall over. I have begged my brother for some footage of the seemingly drunk pup walking the line but it hasn't happened yet. I'll keep you posted.

Alice's favorite place to nap is under furniture, namely the ottomon or the couch. We think she likes those places because it is dark, cool, and maybe a little comforting.

PS Thanks for thinking of me to tag, but I'm not going to do it so you might as well stop tagging me. Have a fabulous day!

Disney Princess

Since most of my friends and family are going to Disneyland this summer, I figured I would stay home, save some money, and do Disney quizzes on the internet instead. Doesn't that sound exciting?! Anyway, I figured this test would be just as lame as all the others but to my surprise, it pretty much called me out. This test was to see which Disney Princess I was most like. Maybe you are interested in the results. If you are, read on.

You Are Megara (Meg from Hercules)!

Charming and witty. You are always the first person to come up with a wisecrack. Sure, you have an attitude, but that's why people love you. You keep them on their toes. Sometimes you can be misleading, but always end up doing the right thing for the people you love.

If you want to know which Disney Princess you are, go to

http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354

Radio City Auditions

My mom and I flew in to Los Angeles, CA (actually the Burbank Airport) last Thursday at noon. Even though the planes flying in and out of Burbank are smaller than the ones into LAX, I highly recommend the Burbank Airport. It is a lot smaller than LAX so there are a lot less people that fly in and out of it. Checking in and going through security was a breeze! We left the rain and freezing temperatures in Salt Lake City and landed in blue skies and warm weather in sunny California. My friend Matt Hoglund picked us up from the airport. We ate a delicious lunch of soup, salad, and breadsticks at the Olive Garden. Can I just say that Olive Garden's salad is just not as good as it used to be. They totally scrimp on their salads. This is what their salads now consist of-three drops of Italian dressing, 2 slices of a tomato, way too many onions, 2 jalapeno peppers, and a whole head of lettuce! I was a tad disappointed! I went through two breadsticks before I finally got a hot SOFT breadstick. The company more than made up for it though. I enjoyed catching up with Matt and spending some QT with him.

The audition for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular was at a different dance studio in NoHo (North Hollywood) than it has been in previous years. I liked the new studio because we didn't have to go traipsing across a parking lot in order to go from the lobby to the dance studio. I met up with some former coworkers at the audition. There were about 16 people at the audition. All but 2 had auditioned before. The competition was fierce as it always is, but I felt I did my best. During the audition, I was paired with my favorite former coworker, Brad. We did this particular number side by side over 120 times so it was just like old times. I felt totally at ease and confident during the audition. The audition only lasted 55 minutes.

My mom and I then went to our favorite place, the Pantages Theatre, to watch the show Wicked. It was my 12th time to see the show, and Mom's 11th time to see it. The seats we paid for were on the very last row in the theatre. By the time it started, we were sitting on the fourth row in the mezzanine. At intermission, we moved down to the front row in the mezzanine! The show was AMAZING!!!!!! Words cannot even express how much I LOVE this show! It is my own version of heaven. After the show, Mom and I stood by the stage door so we could see our most favorite Fiyero, Derrick Williams. We both got our picture taken with him. He is super HOT!! When he saw me, he said, "I have seen you before." I said, "Yeah, I have seen you in the show lots of times." We talked with him as he was walking to his car. He is so funny!

Mom and I flew home to Antarctica (I mean Salt Lake City) the following day. I won't find out anything about Radio City until the end of July, first part of August. As soon as I hear anything (if I hear anything), I will post it.

A Lot Can Happen In A Week

My life has changed quite a bit since my last post. As of that day, I had dropped out of school and had no direction in my life. A lot can happen in a week.

The afternoon that I had dropped my classes, I called a temp service I had been working with to let them know I was looking for any day, week, or month jobs they might have. I wasn't looking for anything permanent. They called me the next day to say that a company had called them needing a receptionist for that day. I figured I could work for a day so I agreed to the job. (Plus, I thought the temp service wouldn't call me with any other job offers if I kept turning them down.) I ended up working for the day at a radio station. Actually this company managed three radio stations. My responsibilities were to sit at the front desk, answer incoming phone calls, and help people that came into the office. Otherwise, they let me text, email, and surf the Internet all day! It was a great job! I had so much fun! After I got home from work that day, I called the temp services and left them a message about how much fun I had and if they had another job come through for the radio station that I wanted to go back.

The following day, the temp service called me again. They said unfortunately the radio station didn't need me but asked if I would go be a receptionist at another company. I told them yes and continued to get ready to go. A few minutes later, the temp service called back and said the radio station called and wanted me back for another day. I swapped jobs and headed back for another fun-filled day of giving out prizes at the radio station.

Soon after I got to the job, I was called into the office of one of the bosses. I thought they were going to yell at me for texting, emailing, and surfing. On the contrary! They offered me a permanent position as their receptionist/administrative assistant. I told them I wasn't really looking for a permanent position because of the opportunity I might have to be in the Christmas Spectacular and I would be gone for two months out of the year. They told me that if they got a temp for those two months I would be gone to cover for me, if I would accept the job. That sounded almost too good to be true to me so I accepted the job.

I began working full-time for Millcreek Broadcasting in Salt Lake City last Monday. The radio stations they manage are U92, 94.9 The Blaze, and Mix 107.9. I don't listen to any of these stations. I can't even get any of those radio stations on my radio at home. I will stick to my country stations. The atmosphere is very relaxed and I enjoy going to work each day (so far). The only drawback is the commute. I'm sure I will really be complaining when the snow begins to fall.

I am still amazed about how everything fell into place over these last couple of weeks. As some of you know, I was a mess before school started. I was really confused and troubled. Now that all of this has happened, I feel much more settled and like I have a purpose again. Thanks for sticking it out with me!

That Was Close!

This is going to be short and sweet. Today is the first day of classes, or would have been the first day of classes on my journey to another Bachelor's degree. After tossing and turning all night, I decided that is not the journey I want to take! Sorry to disappoint all you lifelong learners! I spent the morning dropping all my classes and returning books instead of sleeping (oops, I mean, sitting) through a lecture on public speaking.

I'm not sure exactly what road I will be traveling now. I am currently looking for a job that would be oh so kind as to (maybe) let me leave for two months to be in the Christmas Spectacular in November and December. (I have not been offered the opportunity to be in the Christmas Spectacular this year.)

I have auditions for the Christmas Spectacular in June in LA. Then I probably won't hear anything (if I hear anything at all) until August.

Have a great day!