Here's to the Ones Who Dream

This past year I had the least amount of blog posts in the history of my blog. This is due primarily to the fact that grad school has taken over a vast majority of my free time. But, on a happy note- I will be graduating in August!
I never did get around to writing about some big events from the past year- so if you'll indulge me- I will do here.
Last May I directed my seniors in "Into the Woods". At the time rehearsals were to begin, I felt like I was drowning. With spring break and state competition I realized we only had 5 weeks to put the show together and I felt it was impossible because of the adhd nature of the students. One day, I sat them down and told them we probably wouldn't be doing the show (even though I had already held auditions)- I just didn't see how it would be possible- given the time frame and difficulty of the show. I braced myself for negative backlash- but the opposite happened. The kids extended concern and love to me by saying- it's ok, you need to do what's best for you. I was flabbergasted and moved by their concern for me- so that night I vowed to do the show for them. I first cut off all my hair (to have more time in the morning) and then we got to work. It was hard. It was a ton of work. And it ended up being my love letter to them. I was so proud of them! They would be rehearsing while I was multitasking and working on grad school.

I bid a farewell to one of my favorite groups of students.

After that, I directed 1776 for Murray City. Over half the cast were former students from both Valley and Hunter. It was a lot of fun but a little too much for me as I was trudging through my accounting class for grad school. Ben (my brother) played John Adams and he was amazing.

I also welcomed a new addition to the family! Ben & Luana had another boy- Atticus!

In September I went back to Disney world for MICKEY'S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY with Amy! Oh my goodness- it was wonderful and just the break I needed!

In the fall I started preparations for the musical Fiddler on the Roof. Casting the show was difficult because the two leads I wanted were teeny and I wasn't sure if it would be believable to the audience. But, I got an amazing piece of advice from a friend- she told me if you cast actors who are good, the audience will accept the world as you present it. So, I did and I am so glad I followed that piece of advice because the show ended up being darn near perfect. It was beautiful, humorous, touching, heart breaking and reached many people. Although I must admit- I felt a little more disconnected than normal, just because I was juggling so many things on my plate. This past semester was definitely the hardest for me. I was burnt out with school- overwhelmed with life- and just trying to stay afloat. But somehow I did it and I lived to tell the tale. (I'll have to do a more extensive Fiddler post soon.)

A side effect of grad school was an assignment I had to plan an event. So I decided to do a 20th anniversary reunion for the Fiddler cast from 1996. The highlight for me was having Aaron Barker (who played Tevye) come back and sing "Do You Love Me" for the old and current cast before the show started. It was simply a magical experience.

And now I sit here on the eve of going back to school both as a teacher and a student- about to start rehearsals for "The Crucible" - pondering the past year and looking forward to the new year.
And I'm feeling optimistic and hopeful.
Awhile ago I did a blog post checking in on different areas of my life- so I will do that again-
1- Career- My career is pretty much my life and for the most part I love it. The hard thing this past year with grad school is the fact that I feel like my teaching has suffered a bit. So I spent some time over winter break trying to get more organized. It is wonderful to have a career that challenges and inspires me. Also the fact that I get to rub shoulders with the most amazing teenagers in the world. They give me so much hope and love.

2- Emotional/ Spiritual Health- I'm good. My faith looks a little different than it did a few years ago but it still is one of my anchors. speaking of students, nothing has been more inspiring to me than watching my former students faithfully leave to serve missions. They remind me of a time when my life was less complex and my faith was stronger. They are such a strong example to me- probably more than they could ever fathom. They inspire me to be a better spiritual person. I am forever indebted to them for their examples to me. Another side effect of my insane schedule is that I am finding less joy in life because I just have so much on my plate- I am going to work on this.

3-Physical Health- Sigh. Not the best, but it will be better. Over the past few years I've embarked on many diets, but have lacked the stamina to stay the course. I was leaning toward gastric bypass because it seemed to be the only way to be successful (even though it just never sat well with me). It seemed like all my friends on FaceBook who had been successful at weight loss had the procedure. I messaged a friend who I was sure had gastric to ask her and she told me she had done Weight Watchers. Something inside me clicked and I spent a lot of time looking into how it could work with my crazy life and it can! For the first time in a long time I'm feeling optimistic. I even put a day one picture on Instagram. I almost didn't because I was scared, but decided to anyway. Here's to taking care of me!
It sucks being a fat person. It sucks when you don't quite fit into a chair, when your fat prevents you from sitting in some restaurant booths, when you find clothes to no longer fit, when you can't keep up physically with others. The time is now.

4-Finances- Besides the grad school debt I'm accumulating- things are good!
5-Relationships- HA! Maybe next year.

So there you have it. And here's to 2017!!

Oh and I still have the best dogs ever!