Welcome 2010!!

As I was thinking about what to write to summarize 2009, I also noticed it's the end of a decade! In some ways I've come a long way since January 1, 2000: graduating high school, going on a mission, getting two degrees; but in other ways it seems like I'm stuck in time. Oh well. I guess my next post will have to deal with the passing decade of the "'00's". On to 2010!

Like my previous post, it seems half the year was dominated by negative things while the latter half seemed to have enough positive things to give me a better feeling about the year and hopes heading into 2010. Much of what I mentioned in my heroes and villains list will be mentioned here as well.

I began the year worried sick about student teaching, which started at the end of January. In the end, I was able to pass and do well enough, though it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. There were too many days I had to completely force myself to go to school because I was completely unmotivated. It wasn't that I didn't like the students or being a teacher, but student teaching is all the stress of actual teaching, with the added stress of constant observation and feeling like you are being measured not by how good a teacher you are but how well you emulate the cooperating teacher and/or supervisor's methods. Added to that other coursework I was taking during student teaching as part of my master's degree and outside stresses, and I have concluded it was by the grace of God that I finished it. By the end I got more into a rhythm and as I said, I really enjoyed the students I worked with. But all in all, I'm glad it's OVER. It ended April 26. I'm glad I will never have to student teach again.

Left: Last day of student teaching at Southeast Middle School (April 24)

leading the 7th grade choir in warmups; Right: MAT poster presentations

with my good friends Mari and Erica (one of my 2009 Heroes!!) at the KSU

student center in May. I finished my poster amidst a mostly empty

house as this was just a few days before we moved.

2009 also began with our home being placed on the market by our mortgage company (GMAC who just got ANOTHER $3.8 billion in bailout assistance...GRRRRR) to avoid it going to foreclosure. So, while I was student teaching, when I was home, I occasionally had to deal with prospective buyers who wanted to tour the house. There were multiple times the real-estate company wanted us to leave a key for them. Sure...open my home and everything in it to complete strangers. Riiiiiight. I had enough of a problem with it WHILE we were home. I think we had 3 or 4 in the three months it was on the market. We were told if it didn't sell in 90 days, then it would go into foreclosure and we'd be out sometime in the summer or early fall. As I blogged the day I found out, it was sold to our neighbors (who made my 2009 Villains list for this purchase!) for a fraction of what it was worth. Initially, GMAC wanted us out in like 2 weeks, but my dad was able to get us a month; and we needed every day of it.

Losing the house was more traumatic than I ever thought it would be. I secretly cried in the bathroom at my brother's apartment in Maryland the day I found out we were losing it. During the whole process I was rarely sad about it, but instead I was furious. I still find myself angry over the whole thing. Basically, the people affected most by everyone else's actions -- my mom, my sister, and myself -- had no say in anything and had the least amount of resources to do much else. It was frustrating to say the least. Thank goodness for family and friends who helped not only physically but mentally as well. Having a place that I considered mine ripped away from me was very difficult. I still find myself having dreams about being back there knowing it isn't ours but we still have stuff there and it's time to be gone and we still have so much to move. I haven't been back in our old neighborhood since we left May 14th and I don't know when or if I ever will go back. Something very personal and important was taken away from me and turned into something else.

Left: The house in happier days back in Spring '08; Right: The empty living

room one last time on May 14 right before we left

Having my graduation delayed until August was pretty rough too. I found out right as we were heading down the home stretch in moving and finishing student teaching. It was like my world was completely unraveling. I had already bought my robes and hood for commencement (which I never used) and had invited family to come. And then to find that everything that needed to be taken care of was little more than changing paperwork and could only be done by my absent-minded advisor (but of course the College of Ed claimed it was completely my fault) made it even worse. I finished my final project for my graduate class amidst a mostly empty house but still tons of stuff still needing to be packed and moved.

The good thing that came out of me not graduating was, of course, that Mom and I were able to attend Heather's graduation from medical school. That was a HUGE diversion from the stress we had just endured and was a welcome change of scenery even if it was just for a few days. My Spring Break trip down there was also a lot of fun and was a major highlight of the year. It came after several weeks of school and no major break (like 5 or 6 straight) so I was sooooo ready for it. I was able to make two more visits to Andy and Heather in '09, including a late-July trip to their new home in Nashville and a return trip with my sister Katie for Thanksgiving. Both trips were welcome breaks from the same-old-same-old here and a chance to relax.

Left: finishing off the extra frosting with Andy & Heather April 6...I would

find out the next day the house had been sold; Right: walking the streets of

Baltimore after Heather's graduation May 15.

Left: In front of the Parthenon in Nashville with Andy & Heather August 4;

Right: Thanksgiving at Andy & Heather's November 26.

Two of the biggest thrills for me this year were the shows I was able to be in: This is Kirtland! and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I knew coming into the year I wanted to do This is Kirtland! again, but Joseph, as I mentioned in a previous post, was something that just kind of fell into my lap. This is Kirtland! filled an important role as practices had just started not too long before we finished moving. Having rehearsal -- and later the performances -- was a wonderful distraction from what was going on here with moving and then unpacking and adjusting. Joseph proved to be a nice distraction, but not nearly as much mostly because I had already adjusted; it was more a help in dealing with not having a full-time job. But even then, both were things I enjoyed going to because I was doing what I love to do (perform) and I was around people in both casts that were easy to get along with and enjoyable to be around.

Left: Opening scene of This is Kirtland! as Sidney Rigdon;

Right: in my costume as Pharaoh with Amanda Davis (Narrator)

and Aaron Darr (Joseph) after the final performance of Joseph

December 20 at Weathervane Playhouse

Left: With Sarah Bailey (left), director of Joseph and Melanie YC Pepe,
producer of Joseph and director of the After School program for

Weathervane after the final show of Joseph December 20 after 2

shows and striking the set! WHEW!; Right: with the kids that played

my children in This is Kirtland! in front of the real Kirtland Temple July 24.

There were other wonderful events I was glad to be a part of this year, like my trip to Cleveland with Michelle to see Ohio State crush Toledo 38-0 at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 19 (my first OSU game since 1996) and the amazing ward Christmas Sacrament program just a few days ago where I was able to sing O Holy Night and direct the choir. Of course I also enjoyed having some time to explore Kent history both reading and getting tons of pictures. Not only was the weather fantastic this summer, but I actually had the time to do something about it. I also really enjoyed getting to sub in Kent this Fall and work in the Akron Public Schools through Weathervane as part of the district's Akron After School enrichment program teaching theater games for an hour 5 times a week. Not only did I get to meet some great teachers and administrators at the school I worked at and at Weathervane, but I also made some good friends who were working in the After School program and in Joseph (love ya Marie, Robyn, and Melanie!).

Left: Michelle and me at Cleveland Browns Stadium for the

Ohio State-Toledo game September 19; Right: me with Marie Smith

at Friendly's after the final Joseph show December 20. Marie worked

in the crew of Joseph and was also a teacher in the After School

program with me. We had a lot of fun swapping stories from

our schools and after a show at a certain Applebees ;)

Of course one of the biggest thrills for me this year was getting to finally be an uncle. It will only be surpassed when I finally become a dad. I was excited for my nephew Nathan to be born, but getting to meet him this Christmas was so wonderful. It made Christmas, which at times was less than thrilling, a little less boring. Like I blogged last year, Christmas isn't as magical as it used to be for a variety of reasons, but having a baby in my arms for much of it made it a little more magical (especially at my Ridinger grandparents' house where we basically watch the younger cousins open presents) even though he slept through pretty much all of Christmas at both places! I'm hoping to be able to go visit Utah at the end of March.

Some various pics of me with Nate while he was here in Kent. The middle

picture is me trying out his Christmas present before I gave it to him :D

Left: How Nate and I spent most of Christmas at Derbys in the morning and

then at Ridingers (center) that afternoon!! Right: An update of me and

my sibs, December 31.

Go go go Joe!

It would be a major travesty if I didn't do a post about my appearance in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before we end our run this Sunday. I was cast as Pharaoh what seems like an eternity ago back in September. Of course I knew it would be fun, but I don't think I ever thought it would be as enjoyable as it has been, though I certainly had hopes. Now, here we are with just three shows left this weekend and then it's done. Hard to believe!!

I don't think I realized until I went to the first cast meeting that this was a Young Actors Series production, meaning the cast was almost entirely made up of people mostly between 14 and 21. I guess my first clue was when I was introduced as one of the "grown-ups" at that first cast meeting. Oh well...I really wasn't sure what to expect at that point, though it was obvious my fellow cast members were well-experienced in theater and dance. My main expertise was in singing of course. It's not that I felt intimidated, but a lot less experienced, which was the opposite of what it was like for me in This is Kirtland! Yes, I hardly lack theater experience, but one show a year four of the last five years is nothing compared to what most of these kids do. Many of them are in one show after the other and sometimes they're starting a new show while another one is still in performance. We even have one cast member who is two shows at the same time.

I think I had a slight worry it wasn't going to be as fun as This is Kirtland! mostly because of my lack of familiarity with the show, theater, and the cast, not to mention the age difference between me and many cast members. Thankfully I had nothing to worry about. Not only has Weathervane proved to be an awesome theater to work with, but the cast has been just as enjoyable to be around as This is Kirtland! These cast members are good; they know they're good, but honestly I've never felt like they're diva/o's about it (for the most part). Yes, the high school/middle school drama has made appearances, particularly as the show has been in performance, but it's nice to be a stabilizing voice :).

The amazing thing to me is how this all came about. Really, I got to know some new people, both of whom work at Weathervane. Because of them I got involved with the Akron After-School Program (which was actually a lot of fun!) and this show. I wasn't even looking to do a show at all; I was pretty much looking forward to next Summer when This is Kirtland! comes back (which I WILL be at!). My friend John let me know they needed someone to audition for the role of Pharaoh and Jacob in Joseph. I had heard of the show, but had never seen it. So, I watched it with John and Jasen (my Weathervane connections) so I had somewhat of an idea of what it was like. I auditioned the next day and I could tell it went well (I sang part of "We Kiss in a Shadow" from King and I) and I came back for callbacks the next day and knew I did well. I mean, if I hadn't gotten the part I wouldn't have been heartbroken. Because of my age, I was only eligible for Jacob, Potiphar, or Pharaoh.

The part of Pharaoh has been so much fun (I also appear briefly in Act I as the head Ishmaelite). It's also been a challenge. Not only have I really had to do some acting, but I really had to study up on Elvis Presley's sound and dance moves. Pharaoh's character is pretty much the opposite of me (as is the head Ishmaelite), plus I've never been much of a dancer (not that I have become one), so moving my legs and hips like Elvis didn't exactly come naturally. But I'm happy with the progress I've made and have gotten lots of wonderful compliments from audience members, even the elder generation who actually saw Elvis perform!

Anyway, we've had a great run...hard for me to believe it's almost over! I've learned a lot, had tons of fun, and made a bunch of new friends. I'm really sad to see it end, but at least I know how much I love doing Theater and being on stage. Not that I didn't already know that, but now I know that even more and am hoping to do another show before This is Kirtland! comes up again. If only I could do what I enjoy most AND make some type of living from it!! Sigh...that's for another time I guess. :) Go go go JOE!!! Thank you to all the awesome cast and crew members...you are all amazing and I hope to see you all in shows again!!