A very happy new year to you all!

And I'm doing better and keeping up with the blog. Huzzah!
This will be a brief entry, but eh, can't write novels all the time :)

Had a fabulous Christmas. My children's choir, the Joyful Noisemakers, did an exceptional job in their Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve. Could not have been more proud of my kiddos! I flew home Christmas day and spent a week in KCMO with a quick trip to Wichita to see friends. Miss everyone from home, but needed to get back to work, so back to DC....

Singing Leischen in Bach's Coffee Cantata with Symphony this Saturday and very much looking forward to it! Also learning 2 opera roles this month, both of them Argento - Postcard From Morocco & Miss Havisham's Fire. So needless to say, it's not been much of a "winter break".

Have gone out with friends, so it's nice to have a social life for a change. LOVED the new Sherlock Holmes film! If you haven't seen it, go see it!

...to actually keep up with my blog....good grief.

Hello all,
It's been a while....whoops. It's been a busy semester! Finished the double bill of Amelia al ballo and Il tabarro in November. What a fabulous production and cast! It was a wonderful experience to be apart of them. Directly following that would be auditions, auditions, auditions in NYC. Got to catch up with some close friends whilst I was in town and I was offered a contract for Chautauqua Opera this summer as a Studio Artist. Can I get a Huzzah for being employed doing what I went to college for?! Very excited to be apart of the company for the summer!

For the moment, I am enjoying a few days of down time now that classes and finals are done. Organizing my life at home which has been horribly neglected for the past month or so. And thanks to my roommate, I'm now on Pinterest! If you are interested in following my boards, here's the link:



It's been fun to dabble on there for the past couple of days :) Also working on getting an official website set up during January. Very excited! In the midst of relaxing, I'm also working on learning Lady With A Hand Mirror from Postcard From Morocco and Camilla from Miss Havisham's Fire for the spring operas. Also learning Bach's Coffee Cantata for a performance in early January. Lots of wonderful music in my lap and I'm loving every minute of it! Toodles!

I have not had the 4th of July off work for 4 years. Needless to say, that alone made yesterday wonderful, but the fact that I was able to go to our nation's capital and watch the Capital Hill parade yesterday morning, visit the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival, and then watch dozens of different firework displays from the 27th floor of The World Trade Center in Baltimore harbor...you can't put a value on those kind of memories and experiences.

LOVED the Capital Hill parade in the morning. I went down with my friend, Katie, and we got there early to find a good spot towards the start of the parade route. We hit the jackpot! Found standing room right at the front of the curb behind people sitting in lawn chairs, underneath a large shady tree and the best perk...right next to the ice cream vendor! Oh yea! I wasn't able to get any shots on my not so fabulous camera on my cell phone, but I took several with Katie's camera...so other pics to follow!

After the parade ended, Katie and I went to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. What a wonderful gathering of unique cultures, foods, music, artistry! If you live in the DC area, I highly recommend going. They have the festival every year. The remaining days for the festival are July 7th-11th. Here's the website:

www.festival.si.edu

They have a "marketplace" at the festival so you can purchase items made by the artisans in connection with the Smithsonian Institute and the Peace Corps. Several items go directly to benefit Children's charities or institutes in these countries, usually toward health care or education. I bought a few things, but one of my favorites is this bangle!
There is a part of me that desperately longs to see the world and travel. I have always wanted to be "that girl" who traveled to Italy and stayed for a few months then went to live in Bali for a year. I don't want to see the world from hotels and big cities but rather see how other cultures live day to day, to learn their customs and way of life. Perhaps someday God will grant me the opportunity to do that.

After my delightful morning and afternoon in DC, I hopped on the metro to get back to my car and drove up to Baltimore to spend the evening with my friend, Laura Lee. We visited for a bit then went to Baltimore harbor to the World Trade Center. They have a catered event each year on the 27th floor to watch dozens of firework displays across the city and more specifically to see the harbor firework display.
Such an amazing site to see all of the different firework shows! I witnessed at least 24 different displays from that view! Definitely a unique 4th of July experience.

So this summer, part of my goal is to get into healthier eating and exercise habits. I've rejoined Weight Watchers to keep me accountable for what I eat and how often I exercise. Thus far it has been a successful endeavor! In being more aware of what I eat, I have been cooking more and experimenting with a few new things...Made my own combo called hot corn. The recipe included sweet corn cut from the cob, pancetta, crushed red pepper, salt n' pepper, olive oil, & garlic. YUM! It goes really well with chicken! If you want the recipe just let me know.

Also during a grocery run to Wegmans, I came across something sinfully wonderful; Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch Gelato..........no words, you just have to try this for yourself.



I desperately want to try their Hill Country Peach Champagne gelato next! So yes, the Talenti is my exception to super healthy eating, but hey, a girl has to have some sort of sweets in her life :)


Trying to eat more fresh fruits & veggies and lay off the starches. Enjoying LOTS of pineapple and watermelon! Turkey and salmon burgers have been a regular on the George Foreman as well as grilled veggies and drinking lots of sweet tea. It's summer, so what better time to enjoy these foods?!

Tomorrow I am going to venture forth into the madness that is the Capital Hill 4th of July festivities...eek! I am only going down for the am to see the parade then will be heading to the harbor in Baltimore for fireworks that evening. Very excited to spend part of my 4th of July, the first I've had off work in 4 years, at our Nation's Capital. Will update with event details later!

Hello all!

So clearly it's been a while since I've updated my page! It has been a fabulously busy year. I now live in the Washington DC area and am getting my Masters degree in opera performance! This year has been full of wonderful growth musically, theatrically, and most importantly - spiritually.

Musically - Studying with a WONDERFUL teacher, Martha Randall. My voice has grown SO much this year and she has been such a blessing! Also working with other wonderful coaches and faculty members!!!!!

Theatrically - Have been working with the fabulous Leon Major, Nick Olcott and Pat Diamond this past year! So much more understanding of my characters and constantly pushing me to ask more questions and dig deeper. I have always believed that the stage is one of life's best teachers and with these new tools in my arsenal I will only learn more.

Spiritually - I have found a wonderful church home here and have a stronger daily walk with God. Life seems more meaningful and fufilled these days.


Alrighty....So next season I am singing Amelia from Menotti's Amelian Al Ballo and Lady With A Hand Mirror from Argento's Postcard From Morocco. Finishing learning Amelian this week and will start learning Postcard at the end of the week. So many new characters to explore! Also working on figuring out what my audition package will be for this season! Promise to keep things more interesting in my posts and include things that I enjoy like recipes, clothes, music, etc! Hope you all are doing well!

I had an awesome experience today...a little story time, so please indulge me on this one:

Today was my last Sunday as soloist at the Christian Science Church I work for in Wichita KS. It's not my denomination of choice, but the people there have been so kind and supportive of me throughout my college years and I love each and every one of them. I was approached after the service by a new member of the congregation. She wanted to share with me how moved she was by the solo. She kept gushing...not about me thank goodness, but how in those few minutes she felt the presence of God by His gift of music. WOW! It's not everyday that God let's a girl's deepest desire come true :) My greatest hope as a performer is to be a tool of the Master that he can use to bless others and bring them closer to Him. I have always known that God has given me a passion for music and a knack for it, but it becomes so much more obvious everyday that He is in control of the way it touches people. He never ceases to amaze me and He has definitely been showing off this summer by how He has provided every need that I've had.

Life can become so chaotic with schedules, demands, and obligations that we forget what a wonderful gift it is...and that it is a limited time only special! I can't imagine a more fufilling career than to share God's beautiful and intricate design of humanity with people. It takes my breath away. I never would have thought of myself with a perfomance career, but I find that I keep telling God, "alrighty...I'll give this a go" with every new experience and path that comes along. I was fortunate to understand early on that God has something planned for each and everyone of us and it is FAR better than anything we could put together ourselves. If you just trust Him to provide what is best, you will be amazed at the journey He has planned. You just need to be flexible to be spontanious, expect the unexpected, and take time for the little things. He teaches us so much in those small quiet moments and with those sudden changes life throws at us. I can't help but be overwhelmed by God....He is what drives me to do what I do and how I live. Even through the hardships I've had this summer, I find myself thanking Him for the struggle because it has made me grow a great deal and become closer in my walk with Him. Leaving with a Bible verse for the evening that sums up what I hope to be in this life.

"Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10

Yeowzaa! I have exactly one week left here in Wichita and SOOOO much to do before I leave. I still have to pack what is left in my apartment, deep clean the apartment, sort my belongings, donate stuff to good will, try to see as many friends as possible before I leave, all while still working my 5 jobs...ahh!!!

Living situation is all finalized for MD :) I have two roommates and I am looking forward to it; living by yourself can get lonely. I am still trying to find a church job in the area, but have already found a wonderful church that could be my new church home in MD. Once I get settled there, I will also have mini lessons with some of the UMD voice faculty and figure out who I will be studying with. I also plan on getting another hamster once in Maryland. I miss having a little fuzz to come home to :)

I had my last voice lesson (perhaps more in the future) with Dr.Mozzani. She has been an inspiration to me during my time at WSU and continues to be as I move forward. She is one of those people who touch your life in a brilliant way and you are forever changed by the impact. I will definitely miss seeing her on a day to day basis, but I know that we will always be close, which is a blessing. Over the summer we've worked on learning Sophie's arias from Massenet's Werther and Lucy in The Telephone. Both have been quite fun to work on and wiggle into the charaters. At least I will have something fun to show my new teacher where I am on my technique.

This summer has been very trying and a definite test of faith...lots of testing to make sure that I really am trusting God in all aspects of my life. I'm on the up and up from it though and I have a bright outlook on what He has in store for me. Will keep you all posted!