So Maybe....

So maybe I suck on this "keeping up on your blog" thing, but eh. Tis life and I have still been thinking of things that I am grateful for every single day! So let me share them with you (because today is the last day of November! Where did this month go?!) Here are my "I'm thankful fors" for Days 17-30!

DAY 17
I am thankful for my husband. I know this is like one of those things where you're thinking "It took you till day 17 to be thankful for your husband?" but that is not the case. I am thankful for him every single day, I was just trying to think of maybe less obvious things that I am thankful for first. He is my everything. I love him more than I know how to say. He is so good to me and the sweetest man ever! He works so hard in everything he does. I know that he loves me just as much as I love him, and that is the best feeling ever. We are so perfect for each other some people think it's disgusting. And you know what? I don't even care :) Some people hate the mushy stuff, and that is fine, but I love it, and I love him and I love letting the world know that I am the luckiest girl in the world to have him as my husband. Seriously, it doesn't get much better than that!

DAY 18
I am thankful for music. I honestly don't know what my life would be without it. It is so much a part of who I am. Music does so much for me, from helping me stay motivated during a hard work out, to helping me express emotions I may not know how to express otherwise, to making me so extremely happy, to giving me something to focus on when I have way to much to think about, and sooo much more. I love all kinds of music. I feel like there is a place in my life for every kind of music, and I am thankful for all of the different kinds. Life is boring with only one flavor :)

DAY 19
I am thankful for running. I never EVER thought that I would say that. If you had asked me how I felt about running a year ago I would have shuddered and told you that I detested it with an absolute passion. I also probably would have wanted to die after running one mile. But today I can run 6 miles and I can stand there afterwards and say "I enjoyed that." My day doesn't quite feel the same if I don't get my run in. It makes me feel good, it makes me feel accomplished, it helps me stay fit, it helps me relieve stress, and it is a time for personal growth. I am so thankful for running.

DAY 20
I am thankful for peanut butter and jelly. Proof, yet again, that I am just a 7 year old in a 22 year old's body. I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY. I love it even more when it's all natural peanut butter and sugar free raspberry jelly (which is what I have been frequenting as of late). It is seriously one of my favorite things. I can't really say that I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches though (since I don't eat bread) but I do love me a peanut butter and jelly "roll-up" as I call them (I use a low carb tortilla that I absolutely love). I eat one almost every morning for breakfast. Quick, easy, DELICIOUS, and satisfying. What more can I ask for?

DAY 21
I am thankful for all of the hard work my parents and grandparents have always gone through to make sure that the holidays were wonderful for me and my siblings/cousins, growing up. You never really realize how much work the holidays are until you're out of your parents house and on your own with your own traditions to start, your own house to decorate, your own dinners to make, and gifts to buy for not only your family but your spouse's, too! Don't get me wrong, I still love the holidays, but I am just now realizing how stressful and hard it can be sometimes. I never thanked my parents for the hard work. I thanked them for the gifts, for the dinners, for the special things they did for us, but I never thanked them for the time and effort that goes into those things. So now that I understand, I am thanking them. I am thankful for those experiences and the hard work they put into them.

DAY 22
Thanksgiving!!! For this day I am thankful for so many things! I am thankful that I was able to finish my race in good time and without having to stop once! I am grateful that Jen helped me see it through to the end and that she was there with me when I crossed the finish line! I am grateful that even though it is crazy and we have a billion family members to visit (which creates a lot of running around like a chicken with it's head cut off from place to place) that they are all so loving and fun to be around. It really is a blessing to have so many people that love you, even if it became "so many people" through less than desirable circumstances. I am also thankful that I was able to have the will power to stick to my diet, even on Thanksgiving! I didn't eat a single thing that I am not supposed to, but I still felt like I enjoyed myself and had my fill of yummy things :) I am thankful that I have been able to increase my self control.

DAY 23
I am thankful for my mom and my sisters. No matter what they are always there for me. I have shown up at their house more times than I can say just to hang out until Brandon got off work, or until my next class started, or to make myself some lunch, or to shower after a hard work out, or to get ready before an audition, or what have you, so many times I can't even count them. But every time I show up they are happy to see me and never make me feel like I am unwelcome or that they are too busy to talk to me. I love them so much. They mean the world to me. No matter what happens, where we go, or what we do, we will always be the four of us, the fantastic four, forever.

DAY 24
I am thankful for positive people. I am thankful that there are people in my life that can always make me smile. I am thankful that there are people that can always make me see the bright side of life. I try to be one of those people myself, but sometimes everyone needs a little pick me up, and when I do, I am thankful for those positive people :)

DAY 25
I am thankful for my house. Although I complain about it, it's in a sketchy neighborhood, and there are a lot of things that are less than desirable about it, we are really blessed to have it. It protects us from the elements, gives us a place to sleep at night, is pretty cute and charming (for the most part), and best of all, it's free. I am very grateful for that.

DAY 26
I am thankful for Cooper. For those of you who don't know, Cooper is our dog. He is a boxer/boarder collie mix, has a crap ton of energy, is a really good guard dog, and loves us so much! Even though he is a stinker and barks at everything (which is good cause he just about rips people in half that he doesn't know if they come on our property!) and can jump our 5 foot fence no problem, he is a good dog and we love him. I feel safer now that we have him and I know that he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

DAY 27
I am thankful for my religion. I'm not going to get too much into it, but I am grateful that I know what I know, believe what I believe, and have what I have. I am thankful for the comfort that it gives me and for the strength it gives me during hard times. I honestly don't know what I would do without it.

DAY 28
I am thankful for the opportunity to build a relationship with my brother. He lived with his mother in California for most of our childhood and then moved in with my bio-dad in Morgan (whom I hardly see) and so we never really got to have a real "brother-sister" relationship. We kind of had a rough relationship even when we got to see each other. A lot of misunderstandings and hurt feelings that never seemed to get resolved. Recent events have led us to the point where we feel like we want to start over and try to have a real brother-sister relationship. This is hard because he is going to be living in California again, but there is still texting, calling, facebooking, and other things like that to keep us connected. I am grateful that we both decided to try again, and that we are really trying. It means a lot to me.

DAY 29
I am thankful for breakthroughs. Let me elaborate: There has been a person in my life for the past 4 years who has kind of been a torment to me. For the first year or so things were great, but then into the second year things got a little rough. I'm not sure it's anyone's fault, we just don't see things the same way, but instead of getting over it both of us have hung onto it. This person has hung onto the disdain and irritation they feel towards me and I have held onto the resentment and hurt that I have felt towards them. But yesterday after having another experience that would usually set me off into feeling upset at this person, I decided to let go. I decided not to let it affect me. I decided that it wasn't worth it to hurt anymore. That both of our lives would be better if we could just move on. I do not hate this person. I actually think that they are an amazing person with so much to share with the world, we just don't see eye to eye. I want this person to be happy just like I want to be happy, and I am glad that I have decided that they are not going to affect me negatively anymore. This is a huge breakthrough for me.

DAY 30

I am thankful for auditions. I feel like a grow so much every time I audition. I also am thankful that I feel like I did really well in all of the auditions that I have had this week. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow, the opportunity to do what I love, and the opportunity to feel like I have really done my best :) 

So here is a recap of the 30 things I am grateful for this month:

Being a theater major at WSU

my job

my husband's internship

my body and all it can do/Jen Neuman

Jim Christian/ Lucky Stiff

the country I live in 

sweatpants/musical theater literature

amazing friends

warm blankets/Hall's Vitamin C drops

5 Carols/challenges

grandmas

peanut butter cookies

crock pots

great scene/duet partners

good talks with people who understand me

cell phones

my amazing husband

music

running

peanut butter and jelly roll ups

hard work from parents on holidays growing up

all of the wonderful Thanksgiving things!

my mom and sisters

positive people in my life

our house

Cooper

my religion

building a relationship with my brother

breakthroughs

auditions 

There is so much to be thankful for!!!

A smidgen behind

I have let myself get a smidgen behind, but that has not stopped me from being thankful for things!

DAY 11
I am thankful for grandmas and all that they do for the world. The world definitely wouldn't be as great of a place without grandmas! I have some pretty freaking awesome grandmas. I am blessed through my situation to have more than just the regular four grandmas a person has once they are married. I have six grandmas! And they are all wonderful to me :) In particular, this week I am grateful for my Grandma Noreen. She has gone to Tonga to visit our cousins, who live there, for Thanksgiving. While she is gone she has been so kind as to let Brandon and I borrow her car. It has been such a huge help for us to be able to have two cars for a couple weeks :)

DAY 12
I am thankful carb free peanut butter cookies. I found the recipe online and have embellished it a little bit (the cookies from the first recipe kind of fell apart and were more like powder than cookies) and I LOVE THEM. I am especially grateful for them around this holiday season where people are eating sweets and baked goods like they are going out of style (Or out of business if you're Hostess... too soon?) and so it's nice to be able to have something that I can indulge in a bit. I can't go too crazy because they are most definitely not low fat, but they are great when you're in a low carb dilemma! Here is the recipe if you are interested :)

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cup Almond flour

1 cup Splenda baking blend (or your zero calorie sweetener of choice)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup natural peanut butter 

(if the peanut butter already has salt in it then don't add salt, but if it doesn't then add 1 tsp salt)

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Mix all dry ingredients together

Add wet ingredients

Mix well

Scoop onto cookie sheets using spoon

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes 

(time depends on how big you chose to make your cookies)

You can tell they are done when they get slightly firm around the edges. 

Let cool (or they will be super gooey) and enjoy!

DAY 13
I am thankful for crock pots. It is so great that I can leave something in a crock pot and know that when Brandon gets home it will be warm and ready for him to eat. I prefer to be there when this happens, but I can't always be, and so it's nice to know that the crock pot will take care of my husband :) I am also grateful for the extremely yummy soup that I made the on Day 13. Not to toot my own horn.... but it was really quite awesome. Here is the recipe!

CABBAGE SOUP

4 cups beef broth (or chicken or vegetable, but beef is definitely best)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 can of a 4 oz can of tomato paste

2-3 cups chopped cabbage

1/2 yellow onion

1 cup mushrooms

1 cup zucchini

1 can green beans (drained)

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground turkey

dried onions

Put beef broth in the crock pot on High heat, let sit and warm. To speed up the process you can heat the broth in the microwave first, if you want. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and add onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Sautee until tender then add to the broth in the crock pot. Cook the turkey with a sprinkling of dried onions in the pan. When fully cooked add it to the crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients stir well, let sit until warmed through and cabbage and zucchini are somewhat tender. ENJOY :)

DAY 14
I am thankful for hard working scene/duet partners. I have gotten so lucky and always had very hard working and devoted scene/duet partners for class. I am so grateful that they are so willing to get down to business and work hard to achieve the product that both of us know we can produce. Though I have had many of these kinds of partners, I am most currently grateful for Tanner Rampton. Man, that is one talented fellow. We sang "Run and Hide" from John and Jen for our Acting for Musical Theater class, and if I do say so myself, we kind of rocked the house. It is a great feeling to be proud of something that you put up in front of an audience. I am grateful that I was able to work with and learn from him. I hope that this isn't the last time!

DAY 15
I am thankful for talks with people who really understand me. I am not one to hide my emotions, and it generally isn't super hard to know how I am feeling because I do not try to hide it (usually), but there are just some people who get me. They know what I am thinking, how I am feeling, and what I would like to do about current situations I am in without me even saying anything. Some of these people don't even have to be within 15 miles of me and they can tell! Crazy, but true. I am grateful for these people. Our forms of communication are so simple and effortless, it is nice to not have to try to articulate what I'm thinking, cause they just already know. My husband is one of those people (well, most of the time.. lol) and that right there is a huge blessing in itself! I am so grateful for these people.

DAY 16
I am thankful for cell phones. We all have them, we're all addicted to using them, and we all know that part of us panics when we don't have ours with us. Really though, I am so grateful. I am grateful that I can contact people I need to get a hold of wherever I am, I am grateful that I can text my sweetheart while he is at work and totally have my day get that much better, I am grateful that I can be connected with my family and text and talk to people that I rarely see whenever we have the time (because speaking on the phone with different time zones doesn't always work out the greatest). I am just grateful. And though I hate my phone sometimes because it freezes and is dumb and has a will of it's own, I am grateful that I have it.

So there it is! I am caught up. More things I am grateful for will be coming soon :) Until then, keep your chin up!

DAY 10

Today I am super thankful for the show I am rehearsing for! It is called Five Carols for Christmas/Jingle Jacks written by Jim Christian! I am sooooooo in love with this show. It is so full of joy and love and has such a huge amount of heart! It is exactly the show that I have needed. I love all of the wonderful women that are Carols with me and love all of the awesome men that play the Jingle Jacks. I am super blessed to be working with such amazing men and women. To learn more about the show (or buy tickets) click HERE.

I am also thankful for challenges. That's maybe a bit broad, so let me specify. I have known all week that Saturday (today) was going to be my 5 mile run day. Yesterday morning it started snowing and hasn't stopped since. I woke up this morning at 5:30 am and went running with Jen. We ran 5 miles in the falling snow that was packed 10 inches (if not more) all around us. It was hard. But it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. And I did it! I did not stop once! And I didn't feel like I was going to completely die during the run. I am so grateful for Jen and her patience with me. She has been so supportive. I feel like I am so close to being really ready for my race on Thanksgiving, and I can really feel a difference in my health. I am so grateful for running (wow, I never thought I would EVER say that)!!!!

DAY 9

Today I am really grateful for warm blankets and Hall's Vitamin C Drops.

This morning Brandon and I left the house at 6:30 am and it was snowing. YUCK. I am not a fan of the snow stuff. Not a big winter person. At all. I didn't have class until 11:30, so I got my big fluffy Lotaja blanket and curled up on one of the little sofa/bench things on the 3rd floor of the Browning Center. Oh the glamorous of a college student. I fell asleep at 7:00 and woke up at 11:20. Yay for taking a nap after being awake for forty minutes! I love that Lotaja blanket so much though. Seriously. I was so warm and cozy and though I woke up slightly stiff I slept quite well!

This week I have been working on the wardrobe crew for "Lucky Stiff" at Weber State. There has been a plethora of sick cast/crew members that you just have to be up close and personal with. I have been sucking down the Halls Vitamin C Drops like some sort of addictive substance. I honestly believe that the combination of the Drops, my running every day, and my eating really healthy are the only reasons that I did not catch what was going around the cast/crew. I am soooooo grateful that I haven't gotten sick, and hope that I don't get sick. I can't really afford to get sick at this moment. WAY too much going on. I also really love the Drops just because they are yummy and sugar free. Yup, they have saved me in more than one way. Not only have they helped my immune system, but they have saved me from going crazy on my diet. I can have as many as I want and it doesn't count against me in any way :) I LOVE THAT! Guilt free candy.... kinda :)

DAY 8

Today I am so grateful for amazing friends. I have the best friends in the world. From helping me train for a 10K (and running it with me) to letting me take the car just because I want to sleep in, to being there for me whenever I need to vent or cry and knowing exactly how I feel, to teaching me how to do the most random things (such as trick roping!) and being so patient when I don't get it right away, they do all kinds of things for me. I don't think any of them know how grateful I am for them, which makes me sad, but I hope that I can be the same kind of friend to them that they are to me. They are the best and I owe them so much. They make my life happy. 

I LOVE YOU FRIENDS :)

5 Carols for Christmas and Jingle Jacks

The NEW Holiday One-Act Musicals by Jim Christian & Kenneth Plain! 5 Carols for Christmas (Act I) It's 1954 and five best friends (all named "Carol") are busily preparing for their annual PTA holiday spectacular! When the power goes out in the home of Carol Ann, the Carols rush off to the school for their performance. As the show begins, they discover that things are not going according to plan. But despite some major setbacks, the true message of Christmas brings everyone together in the end. JingleJacks (Act II) Four lumberjacks isolated in the Canadian wilderness are chasing their dream of becoming YouTube stars! They virtually sing every conceivable style of male vocals as they present their holiday webcast: glee club, rap, barbershop, Vienna Boys Choir, classical, boy band, Irish melody, Russian carol...you name it, they sing it. There's contests and competitions along the way so get ready to get interactive with Hank, Thor, Jean-Phillippe and Garrett the Ferret. November 26 - December 22 7:00 pm Monday - Saturday CenterPoint Legacy Theatre Connie Leishman Performance Hall Click here for tickets or call 801.298.1302   The Carols Back Row - Melinda Cole Welch (Queryl Pomerantz TTHS), Jan Williams Smith (Car'l Noyes TTHS), Neti Taumoepeau (Queryl Pomerantz MWF) Middle Row - Megan Lyon (Car'l Noyes MWF), Samantha Wursten (Caroll Ling MWF), Lindsea Garside (Caroll Ling TTHS) Front Row - Andrea Wood (Carol Ann Farrell MWF), Lindsay Hickman (Karil Kitteridge MWF), Julie Blatter (Karil Kitteridge TTHS) Not pictured - Maurie Tarbox (Carol Ann Farrell TTHS) The JingleJacks Back Row - Taylor Knuth (Garrett the Ferret MWF), Ricky Parkinson (Thor TTHS), Christopher Shenefelt (Garrett the Ferret TTHS), Dustin Bolt (Hank TTHS) Front Row - Sean Bishop (Hank MWF), Derek Pay (Jean-Phillipe TTHS), BJ Whimpey (Thor MWF) Not pictured - Aaron Cole (Jean-Phillipe MWF) Director/Choreographer - Jim Christan Music Director - Kenneth Plain Set Design - Austin Hull Costume Design - Lindsay Beardull FRIEND ON FACEBOOK FORWARD TO FRIEND Copyright © 2012, CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, All rights reserved. Page 1, 5 Carols/JingleJacks Our mailing address is  5carols.jinglejacks@gmail.com unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

DAY 7

Today I am thankful for sweatpants. It sounds so super lame, but I really am. I am grateful that there are comfy things that I can lounge around and do homework in, that I can work my butt off at the gym in, that I can cuddle up on a cold night in bed with my hubby in, and that I can just be straight up lazy in. Sometimes you just need a good pair of sweatpants to make it through the day!

Also, I am thankful for great musical theater literature. I am becoming more and more acquainted with the millions of shows that are out there for us to enjoy and I love it when you come across true gems. I am privileged to be able to sing this music in voice lessons, perform it in classes and on the stage, and to revel in it's awesomeness via ipod. Some of my favorites at the moment are

John and Jen

Nine

Title of Show

The Will Rogers Follies

Lucky Stiff

The Pirate Queen

Sleepy Hollow

5 Carols for Christmas

and many more :)

Speaking of 5 Carols for Christmas, I am currently rehearsing for Centerpointe Legacy Theater's production of this heartfelt Christmas show (the full title being 5 Carols for Christmas/Jingle Jacks)! It's nice to have another option for Christmas than A Christmas Carol year after year after year. So here it is! And here is your chance to come see it! It's time to start purchasing your tickets! They are already going so quickly and it would be a shame for anyone to miss out on this amazing show. 

You can order tickets online by clicking HERE or you can call 801-298-1302. 

I am in the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday cast (except for on December 11th I will not be there, so if you're wanting to see me don't come that night!) along with Maurie Tarbox, Melinda Welch, Jan Smith, and Julie Blatter. I love all of these women so much! It is such a fabulous show, and I know you'll love it! 

Thankful

So, I have not written in my blog for a long time! I have been super-de-duper busy, which is good, but makes for not much time to write in de bloggy. However, in response to some urging from a friend (love you Hilly!) to write in my blog more, here I am!

I am now going to jump on the bandwagon of "Things I am thankful for" every day of this Thanksgiving season.

With that being said, I have some catching up to do!!!

DAY ONE:
I am so beyond grateful that I am a theater major at Weber State University. Seriously. It is such an amazing thing and I am so grateful for it. Weber State is like Utah's best kept secret of musical theater education. It is an amazing venue for learning,  performing, becoming a well rounded theater person, and making a theater family (sounds cheesy, but when you spend almost every minute of every day with these people, they become family). Though I am grateful that I am graduating next semester (HUZZAH!) I will definitely miss Weber State and the home that it has been to me for the past four years. I love theater, I love my friends, I love what I have learned and am learning, I love my professors, and I love the memories I have made.

DAY TWO:
I am really grateful for my job. I work at the Dress Barn in Layton (it's only been open a couple of months and is a beautiful store! Come in and visit me!!!) and I completely love it. Though it is a retail job, and I'm not particularly fond of retail, I still really enjoy it as a whole. I believe in the merchandise, I love the merchandise, I love helping women find things they feel beautiful in, I love our store discount (hahah!) and I absolutely ADORE the women I work with! I am so blessed to have such amazing co-workers. My manager is so understanding about my insane schedule and availability and the assistant managers are so supportive and helpful. I love them a ton! I am a lucky girl.

DAY THREE:
I am grateful for my husband's internship with David Locke and the Jazz. He is so happy and loves it so much. Even though it requires a lot of driving and a lot of late nights I can tell he is so happy and just loves every second of it. Also, it is a foot in the door as far as future jobs go! That's never a bad thing :) I am so proud of him and all of his hard work. He is an amazing person and an even more amazing husband. Thank you David Locke for giving my husband this amazing opportunity!

DAY FOUR:
I am grateful for my body and all of the wonderful things it can do. I am blessed with a body that can run, dance, sing, act, play sports, and do all of the wonderful things that I love doing. I am grateful that I can continue to better myself and work towards things. This Thanksgiving I am going to run a 10K and give thanks that way instead of stuffing my face with a bunch of food that I shouldn't eat. My dear friend Jen has been so supportive and helpful in my desire to start running more (ever since the end of July!) and she is continuing to help me so much with my running by helping me "train" for the 10K. She is also going to run it with me! She has done this race before and suggested it to me. She is such an amazing friend and has taught me soooo much about loving myself and becoming a better person inside and out. So for Day Four I am actually grateful for two things, my body and Jen :)

DAY FIVE:
I am grateful for two things for Day Five, too. First, Jim Christian and all his wisdom and amazing ability to teach not only in school but in life. I love our voice lessons together, and sometimes they are life lessons more than voice lessons (which is never a bad thing). I am grateful that I can trust him to always cast me where I am needed and where I will learn the most, even if that means I am not in the show. Which leads me to my next thing; I am so grateful for Weber's production of Lucky Stiff. I am not in the show itself, but I am on the wardrobe crew and completely love it. Being on the wardrobe crew can be a difficult job to endure because of the long hours (we're there first and leave last), and sometimes the actors are not always the nicest to you. That, however, is NOT the case with Lucky Stiff. The cast is a joy to work for and I love being around all of them. They are so gracious, easy to be around, and therefore easy to be on crew for. Also, I love the wardrobe crew. I love love love them. They make me laugh and we have so much fun together. The wig crew (who works very closely with the wardrobe crew) is also a joy to be around. I am so lucky. Though I really wanted to be in Lucky Stiff and sometimes still really long to be out on the stage with the cast, I know that each of them is perfect for the role they are in and I could not replace any of them. I also know that I am perfect in the spot I am in and wouldn't trade it for anything.

DAY SIX:
Here we are, caught up, and on this day of voting in the Presidential Election I am grateful for the obvious thing. I am so grateful for the country that I live in. Sometimes I feel like it's hard to be grateful for things as broad as this because of issues among groups of people, media, fads, problems, and the like within the country. However, there is so much good within this country as well. The bad is more focused on, which is a shame, but there is so much good to be grateful for. Because I live in America I am able to worship as I please, because I live in the America I am able to vote and have a some kind of say in what goes on in my community, state, and country, because I live in America I am able to go to college and study the things I love, because I live in America I am extremely blessed. I'm not saying that you can't do all of these things in other countries, but some of them are definitely more difficult. And there are many other things I am able to do here that I wouldn't be able to do elsewhere. I am grateful for my country. Flaws and all.

So there you have it. My first six days of this gratitude filled time of year. I have so much more to be grateful for, so it won't be super hard for me to come up with the remaining 24 days :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day. Keep your chin up.