Day 31: the Last Pink Day!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Today is the last day of the month and the last pink day. :) I can't believe that I made it an entire month blogging everyday. It has been so wonderful and cathartic for me to write everyday. I am so happy that I did this project. I can't really imagine going without blogging everyday, so I'm starting a new project tomorrow for the next month. Come back tomorrow to see what it is. :) I went trick-or-treating to Rob and Peggy's house with my good friend, Bri. Peggy was so surprised to see us.

Today at school, I took a picture of me and my gorgeous friend, Angela.

This month hasn't just been about blogging everyday. It started as a challenge to wear pink everyday in honor of breast cancer awareness. Last year, I wore pink everyday of October and then wished that I'd taken a picture of my outfit each day. So, this year I did it. And now, here we are at the end of the month. Here is a collage of all the pictures I have used this month. There is one for each day, plus a few more to make it a square.

My interest in breast cancer awareness was first sparked by my dear friend, Chris. Chris was a friend of mine who went to my church and really inspired my faith and made me interested in coming to church. When I was in 7th grade (September 2006), my church's youth choir director asked me to sing with her and Chris every Wednesday night during worship service. Chris taught me so much about singing. She taught me how to harmonize and how to use proper technique. I still think of her when I sing, especially when I sing in church. On March 9, 2007, Chris was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had to stop singing in church with us because of her diagnosis. I was devastated. I was just starting to get to know Chris and her family and now I was suddenly concerned for Chris's life.

Just one month after Chris's diagnosis another friend of mine, Ann, passed away due to Adrenal Cortical Cancer. It was the first time I had known someone who'd died and I was shaken. I was so concerned that Chris would have the same fate that I didn't contact her for a few months. I couldn't bear to show her that I was scared she was going to die. I wanted to be strong for her. This is one of my biggest regrets. I lost so much time with her because of this fear. I feared becoming too close and then having to experience another friend's death. I didn't know that I could handle it. Eventually, a friend of mine revealed to me that I COULD talk to Chris about this. There was no reason to be afraid. One day, I went up to her at church and just said "hello" and she smiled at me and then gave me a big hug. And, I wasn't afraid anymore. She, the person who I thought I needed to be strong for, ended up being the one supporting me.

Chris spent nearly two years going through chemo and other treatments. She smiled through it all. She was never "down" when I saw her. She took up knitting and began to be a true "pink lady." She would wear pink everyday. She had a pink purse, a breast cancer themed wallet, pink headscarves, breast cancer themed jewelry, pink EVERYTHING. She made me smile with all her pink gear. On the last birthday I celebrated while she was alive (my 15th), she gave me a pink scarf she had made. She said it was "no big deal," but it is one of my most treasured possessions. Chris loved to write cards and give presents. She would write a birthday card for every kid at church, a thank you card just for saying hello, and a "just because" card--just because. She inspired my love of writing cards and giving gifts. She showed her love this way. She taught us all what it meant to be a friend and to Live well, Laugh Often, and Love Much.

When she died on February 10, 2009, I was crushed. I was not prepared. Chris and I were becoming so close and her disease progressed rather quickly, particularly at the end. I wanted to curl up in a ball in my room and never leave, but Chris had taught me that not dealing with my emotions only made them worse. I faced the next day head on. And soon, on Valentine's day, I attended her funeral. I can still remember that the number of people who attended was 435. There wasn't even enough room for everyone to sit down. Following the service, in typical Crazy Chrissy fashion, we had a "going away party" for her, complete with balloons and smily face stickers. We laughed, cried, and remembered the beauty and magic that was Chris. It couldn't have been more perfect.

When I turned 16 in 2009, Rob, Chris's husband and Ike, their son, gave me a bracelet that had been Chris's. It has an angel and a heart which says "together we can make a difference."

When I wear it, I feel that Chris is with me.

Rob has also given me two of Chris's scarves and some sheet music she used. It is so special to me. Even though I still feel sad about losing Chris sometimes, I know that she is still with me and that she watches over us. I will never forget Chris and all that she taught me.

Thank you, Chris. xoxo

Day 30: the Hardest Part of Love is Letting Go

Today was the final performance for Children of Eden this weekend. It was sad because we haven't been apart from each other for like 2 months. We'll see each other again on Friday, but it's going to be a lonely week. The hardest part of doing a show is getting to know your cast and then having to leave them for a week between performances. :( It is easy to love them, but so hard to be away from them.

This is a picture of me and Peggy. Yes, I know she's on my blog a lot, but I love her!!! And today she wore a beautiful pink outfit. :)

And here is our beautiful and talented stage manager, Peytie. She is an inspiring young woman. She is so gifted. She sings, she acts, she directs, and now, she even stage manages!!! Peytie is the most energetic person I know. She always brightens my day with her great smile and amazing laugh. :) Love ya, Peytie!!

Children of Eden has proven to be a wonderful show to be part of. I have really been having a good time being part of this wonderful cast. The show has both inspired and challenged my faith. The one part of the show I don't like is the way that the character of God is written. In my heart, I feel that God is much nicer to his children. I do not want to believe that God is as mean as is portrayed in the show. Yes, I realize that the show is a lose interpretation, but it is true that God sent Adam and Eve from Eden and that he marked Cain because he was full of evil. So, if the God I want to believe in is so good, how could he have done this to his Children??

Questioning my faith is not exactly a new concept. Lately, I've had a difficult time believing. I'm not too sure why exactly this is happening, but I am praying on it.

Day 29: second show

Woot woot!! Second show!

I had a great day today. It started with a glorious 4 and half hours of sleep (ok, so not so great) and ended at TGIFriday's with my wonderful castmates.

This morning, I had rehearsal for Fiddler which was completely amazing! Everyone is so great and talented. :) I am so excited!!!!

Here are some fun pictures from Friday's. This is Annie (the blonde), Emily (the brunette), and Logan (the.....boy). :) I love them all!!!

Day 28: Open...Open...Open :)

OMG!! It's opening night!!!! Eek!!

It went really well. Everyone was superb as usual. But, I can't sing. :( My throat is dying. I feel fine, but my nose keeps running and my throat is burning. It's awful and depressing.

But, hopefully it'll be better REALLY soon!

Here are some pictures from tonight!!!! The first is a nice picture of me and Peggy. The second is a nice picture of me and Carrie. The third is a nice picture of me and Emily...with some crazy long-armed people in the background...hmmm.

Day 27: Preview!!!

Tonight was the preview for COE!! It went really well. My lovely friend Kari came to see us and it was great! I love her to pieces!!!

The above picture is of me and dear Kristen who beautifully embodies a dove and a peacock during the show. She is one of the most beautiful dancers ever. It is just so natural for her. She is so sweet and just one of the nicest people.

Today was also a very special day for a dear friend of mine. Today is Tinia's birthday!!! I really love birthdays and I really love Tinia, so it was a great day. :) I've written a few times about Tinia already. She is a truly wonderful person and a great friend to me. I have been so lucky to know her for the past few years. She inspires me and encourages me to be the very best I can be. Not only is she a remarkably talented performer, she has the biggest heart. Tinia has helped me through some very difficult times and she has helped me to understand life in a new way. I can always count on her being there for me when I need her. I don't know how I could be who I am today without her. She is amazing. Happy birthday, Tinia! Thank you for everything you do for me. :)

Here is a picture of me with Tinia last December:

Day 26: Better

Today was great in so many ways and awful in so many others. I was so happy to go back to school and so glad to be feeling so much better.

I recently was cast as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof! I am so excited! I get to work with my friend Tinia, who is amazing!!! I can't wait to dive into rehearsals!!!!

This afternoon, I got an email from the stage manager for Children of Eden saying that the call time for rehearsal today and tomorrow was earlier. I was devastated. I had planned to attend Fiddler rehearsal tomorrow for a half hour before going to my tech for COE. Now, I won't be able to go to Fiddler at all. I understand that during tech week certain sacrifices must be made, but I hate that it's making me look bad for my new directors in Fiddler. I felt terrible having to call Tinia and tell her that I can't make it at all tomorrow. She told me that a lot of people had told her about new conflicts today. I felt awful to cause her more work. I know it seems rather trivial, but to me, it is terrible. Tinia didn't make any indication that she was upset with me or disappointed, but I feel like I let her down. I just can't help it. The worst part is that tomorrow is Tinia's birthday and that I won't be able to see her.

Anyway, that just made me feel really badly. Then, I got to go to COE rehearsal which was just a joy. My friends Annie, Peggy, and Emily made us laugh so hard that my sides ached and Peggy was weeping. :) They made my day better. A lot better.

The whole cast is just great! This is a picture of my friends Maddey, Ella, and Angela.

And here's a picture of Emily with her great note from our choreographer that says she rocks!!! Go Em!!

Day 25: Still Sick...

I'm crazy. Today was my first rehearsal for Fiddler on the Roof (more on this very soon) and also our second tech rehearsal for children of eden. It was crazy.

I'm still sick, so I'm going to be off to bed now.

I apologize for this very short post. More tomorrow. This picture is of my friend Elise and I. She's helping with tech for children of eden. :)

Kate

Day 24: Sick...

I hate being sick. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I am one of those people who tries to push through being sick, even though it ALWAYS makes it worse. So, today, when I woke up with a fire in my throat, I stayed home, thinking "oh, I'll get some rest and then I'll feel better." Yeah. Right. I am still sick.

I am feeling a little better though. It's not such constant feeling awful. It's more like I feel great and then I feel like I'm going to die. Which, I guess is almost worse, because I get tricked into thinking I'm feeling better. And just when I start to feel O.K., I feel awful.

What makes it worse is that it's tech week for Children of

Eden. Tech week is scary. Here is a picture of me and Rachel being scared about tech week. It's blurry, but it looks scarier that way...

And here's a nice picture. :)

Rachel is pretty freakin' amazing. :) She's a beautiful person (inside and out) with a stunning voice. She's my rock buddy and my "Generations" partner. Love her a lot. Thanks for putting up with me, Rachel!! :)

Day 23: At the Bee (x3)

Today was kind of a rough day. Well, I was just running late today.

I woke up at about 9:30 feeling exhausted from my long Saturday night. My mom immediately put me to work cleaning the bathroom. At noon, I was supposed to leave to go pick up my friend Hannah to go to the Ordway, but I wasn't quite ready. At 12:45, I finally rushed out the door, and we arrived at the Ordway at 1:40. That ended up being just fine. We got our tickets to the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and found our seats and the show was great! It was my third time seeing the show and it was just as great as the first time! My lovely friends Cat (whose birthday was yesterday!!! happy belated birthday, girl!!!) and Alan did a great job.

Oh my goodness, Kim, another fabulous cast member just friended me on facebook. :) Eek. She's one of the "adults" in the show and she is hilarious. I absolutely love her voice. She seriously reminds me so much of Kristin Chenoweth. So much talent!!!

Hannah and I had a great time. :)

After the show was over, I met Cat at the stage door and we chatted for a few minutes. It was awesome. But, it was a little sad. See, she's moving to New York City in November, so I probably won't see her for a very long time (I told her I'm going to visit her when I go to NYC for my college auditions). I'm going to miss her even though I kinda just met her a few weeks ago. She's pretty much my hero. She and Alan are both going to be in NYC soon and I know they will be awesome. But, I'm going to miss having them around.

When we left the stage door, we got back to my car which was parked about 6 floors up in a small parking ramp. And, well, let's just say one of the walls helped me customize my car. :) Oy.

Day 22: "Not too sweet, not too sour. Just too PINK!"

No, no, no Max, nothing can ever be TOO PINK!!!!

Tonight, I went to see the Sing-A-Long Sound of Music at the Ordway and it was a blast!!! The line I quoted above is one of my favorites from the movie. I absolutely love The Sound of Music. One year, my new years resolution was to watch the Sound of Music every single day. I definitely did it. Granted, I was in 7th grade and had no life.

The Sound of Music was one of the first movies I saw when I was a kid and I've always loved it and always dreamed of being Maria. Hopefully, that dream will eventually come true. This summer, I had the honor of playing Liesl in St. Anthony Community Theater's production of this classic musical. Below is a link to the video of me as Liesl.

These are picture of the items in our "magical moment bags" from the showing tonight.

Day 21: Laugh Until You Pee...:)

Tonight was great! We had a cast outing tonight after rehearsal and I literally did laugh until I peed my pants. Sorry, TMI, I know. :) But it was great! I haven't laughed that hard in so long. We were just trying to get a good picture. Only with Peggy and Jeff could it take so long to take a good picture. Oh my goodness, I died. It was hilarious.

Let me tell you about my friend, Jeff. He plays Adam in the show. Everyday when I get to rehearsal, Jeff gives me a big hug. He is super sweet and so kind. But, he also makes me giggle to no end. He makes jokes and just cracks me up. On top of all of this, he is so incredibly talented. He sings this amazing solo in the show and oh my goodness, it gives me chills every night. I seriously need a recording. :)

And then there's Emily. She's pretty crazy. I am so glad that she treats me like I'm an adult. :) And, today, she wore pink just for me!! I love her a lot.

Then there's Peggy, and well, a picture's worth a thousand words...:)

Above are a bunch of great pictures from tonight!

Day 20: the Spark of Creation

Dancing is difficult for me. It always has been and it probably always will be. For the past few weeks for Children of Eden, I've really been struggling to learn the choreography. It's not too difficult, but our choreographer, Kayla, has really high expectations and moves quickly (which is completely necessary). I never feel like I can keep up. And, I know this sounds over-dramatic, but I've even left some rehearsals crying out of frustration.

But tonight my attitude completely changed. Tonight at rehearsal we ran through the entire show and then had a short dance clean-up with Kayla. It was really fun even though she worked us really hard and my ankle hurt really badly because I sprained it. Because of this, I was feeling uncertain about myself and I was having more trouble than usual. Kayla talked to us about the message of one of our dances, which is about how the world is being recreated.

I have never worked with a choreographer who is so passionate. She dances so beautifully and I could watch her dance all day. Kayla is a little bit intimidating at first and it really stinks when you disappoint her, but in reality she is so, so, so sweet.

When we moved on to our second dance, Kayla encouraged us to really get into it and I really tried to. For the beginning of the song, I am off to the side of the stage bopping along and singing. Near the middle of the song, I get to go to the center of the front row and dance. So, tonight, I ran to my place and as I got there I shared a moment of interaction with the boy who stands next to me. All of a sudden I heard Kayla's voice: "BEAUTIFUL, KATE!" I literally started crying. Kayla often shouts out compliments when she likes certain things in the dance, but she has never said anything about me before. I was so touched and it really made my week.

Kayla sparked something inside of me that gave me hope. I am encouraged. I feel great about myself. I am so grateful.

Day 19: Pretty and (I'm not) Pregnant

No, I'm NOT pregnant. Don't anybody freak out. ;)

One of my favorite teachers, Ms. B, IS preggers and today was her last day at school. She is so amazing and sweet. I'm her student aid this year and it is so much fun. She is so pretty and wonderful. Even though she looks like she's going to pop, she is really beautiful. She's a great teacher and a great mom. I cried after I said goodbye to her today. But, she'll be back next semester! Yay!

Best of luck, Ms. B!!

Day 18: iPhone

On Friday, I got my very first iPhone! No surprise, I bought a pink case. :)

Day 17: Choir Concert!

Today was our first choir concert! yay! but, I'm tired, so here's a pic of me in my pink shirt and now I'm off to bed. :)

Day 16: Come fly away

Today was a long day. I worked two performances of Come Fly Away. It was a fun show, but to be honest, I didn't need to see it the three times I did. The show was made up of a series of Frank Sinatra songs and a very simple story line about four couples falling in and out of love. There was no dialogue, only dancing. So, it was kind of like a modern ballet. The dancing was beautiful, but a little monotonous. The choreography featured many styles including: ballet, hip-hop, ballroom, and jazz. Some of the choreography was reminiscent of figure skating with lots of lifts, leaps, and spins. The show was about an hour and 15 minutes with no intermission, but because it was just dancing, it seemed a little long.

Here is a link to a clip of the show: http://www.broadway.com/shows/come-fly-away/videos/

Day 15: Putnam Pink (again)!

Today, I worked at the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee again. It was so much fun! The cast has so much energy and they are such nice people. They always brighten my day. I had the pleasure of meeting two outstanding cast members, Cat Brindisi and Alan Bach. After the show tonight, I waited for them and then asked for a picture with them. They were so sweet and they offered to walk my to my car. On the way there, they asked me about my future plans and gave me a bunch of advice about college. They also told me that they'll be going to New York City after the show ends. I'm so happy for them! I'm sure they will go very far. I hope they remember me when they're on Broadway. :)

Day 14! Give three cheers and one cheer more for the captain of the...Zephyrs!

Today was our annual "Pink Out" at the football game in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is, obviously, one of my favorite events of the season. Here are some pictures from the event! Real Zephyrs wear pink!

Also, today was the showing of the Guthrie's production of HMS Pinafore on PBS. It was super awesome! Congrats to my friends Tinia, Robb, and Aleks. You guys rock! Here are a couple pictures (sorry for the poor quality).

Day 13: Forever in my heart...

Today, at rehearsal for Children of Eden, my friend Emily asked me about the locket I often wear. It's a simple, silver heart shaped locket my parents gave me for my confirmation two years ago. People ask me quite often about the pictures in my locket, and most of the time I am willing to share the story behind the pictures. But I have never really shared this personal information with very many people. For some reason I feel compelled today to share this story with all of you.

Inside my locket, there are two pictures. One is of my dear friend, Chris, who passed away in

February of 2009 due to breast cancer. She was a big part of my life because she really inspired my faith and taught me most of what I know about singing. The other picture is of my friend Grant, who was a director I worked with for four summers between the ages of 10-14. He taught me just about everything I know about acting. Grant passed away in November of 2009 due to Colon Cancer. Both of these people really shaped my life and inspired me to be a better person and that is why I hold them, quite literally, forever in my heart.

I had a fantastic time at rehearsal tonight with my friends Peggy, Joe, and Jeff. They make me laugh and they are amazing! :) Love you guys!!! And I love that we have a great inside joke now...