Julianne performs

Theatre and music fill Julianne's soul in a different way than just about anything else I've seen. Books, friends, the gospel...these things feed her as well. But when she comes home from an audition or performing in some kind of play or concert, or even as an audience member for that matter, she is lit up like a Christmas tree. So it is no surprise that she tends to gravitate to and fill her days with these kinds of things. And if I may say so...she's also quite good. And I can say that, because not only am I her mother and therefore allowed a bit of parental bias...but I also feel that with my own background in theatre and music, I am capable of lending an honest and experienced opinion. And I really do feel that Julianne is very talented.
But leaving all of that behind, here are a few pictures of some of the performing experiences she's had recently....

Sophomore Musical Productions:
At the beginning of her sophomore year she was hand selected by the high school theatre teacher to join the newly created sophomore musical productions class. I was hugely impressed with this class...the the things they were learning and experimenting with as 15-16 year olds. And at the end of the semester, rather than a final test they performed a showcase for an audience full of family and friends. I do believe this was Julianne's favorite class of the semester and she was sad to see it end.

Broadway Review:
With her Centrestage Theatre group Julianne performed in January, a full studio Broadway Review....the youngest classes to the oldest, all performing various Broadway songs in full costume and choreography. And then a huge finale at the end...of which Julianne brought the house down with her big solo in "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray. It was tons of fun to watch. The Advanced Class that Julianne was in, also performed their pared down version of The Little Mermaid that they were taking to the Junior Theatre Festival in Georgia the next week. (See here for pictures from the full performance.)

 Performing The Little Mermaid as Scuttle singing "Human Stuff."

And then doing "America" from West Side Story.

 Atlanta:

The Advanced Theatre "monkeys"....as their director calls them. Good and talented kids, all of them.

Julianne isn't the best at taking pictures when she goes on trips and since I did not join the adventure as a chaperone, I have to beg, borrow and steal photos from other people or off social media....

Talent Show:
Every year the high school has an audition-only talent show. Julianne has some friends who have formed a band they call Circle in a Square. They were planning to audition with a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and asked Julianne and her vocal chops to join them. She did so somewhat reluctantly at first, not really wanting to add one more thing to her already busy schedule at the time. But Julianne and the band apparently impressed the socks off the judges and landed themselves a prime spot in the talent show. And when all was said and done, Julianne ended up having a great time.

Benefit Concert:
Julianne was asked in April, one of only two sophomores, to perform a couple of numbers in a benefit concert being organized by some senior theatre friends. Though not school related, the organizers got permission to use the high school's little theatre for the show and advertise to the student body. Julianne had a nasty cold and was horribly worried that she was not at 100% vocal quality. But during each evening of dress rehearsals and the two nights of performances, she downed throat coat tea and went out there on stage and did her best. And her best was quite marvelous, actually, cold or no.
She dueted "Written in the Stars" from Aida with her friend Isaac. And then soloed "How Lovely To Be a Woman" from Bye, Bye Birdie.

Hello Dolly:
And then again with Centrestage Theatre, a performance of Hello Dolly with the three oldest classes in the studio in May. Such a fun show with lots of big ensemble numbers and great music.
My dad got a huge kick out of the fact that Julianne was doing Hello Dolly and shared his memories with her of the time he actually saw the show on Broadway back when he was a little boy, with Carol Channing as Dolly...a role actually written for her. Can you imagine what an awesome performance that had to have been? I'm envious...

And I haven't even mentioned the time-consuming school musical, Footloose that she and Rebekah were rehearsing while all of these other performances were going on. (See here for photos.) Julianne certainly keeps herself busy. But boy, it sure does make her happy.

She's an adult?

My oldest baby is not a baby anymore. Not a toddler or a kid. Not a tween. Technically she is still a teenager. But we now need to add another defining designation....by law she is now officially considered an adult.
How did that happen?

I thought long and hard as to how to celebrate this milestone birthday, what gifts to purchase. When I asked her what she wanted, she said she didn't really know and directed me to look at her pinterest page for ideas. Sigh. "Don't you want to go shopping for clothes and shoes" I asked her? "Not really" was her answer.
Since when is my daughter apathetic about shopping?

*Luggage, seeing as she is moving away from home in a few months? (Bryan wanted to be in on that purchase and we were out of time for any kind of luggage research.)
*Apartment needs? Like towels or bedding, etc? (But knowing Rebekah, she and her soon to be roommate probably had all sorts of specific color coordinating ideas and plans...)
*An iPad to take to college? (But she already had a smart phone, a lap top, and an iPod...no real need, or so her daddy said.)

So in desperation I put together a "giving tree." Lots of cash in odds and end bills. Gift cards to her favorite stores and restaurants. Her favorite candy. Some fun scarves. A USU ball cap. And then I hoped that it would be enough.

All that worry for nothing...Rebekah was delighted. Said over and over again how perfect of a gift it was. Even took a picture to show to her friends. Score!

The 18 helium balloons were weighted down by random pictures of Rebekah throughout her life. She seemed to enjoy looking through them.

Early morning birthday breakfast before school. Okay, actually skipping 1st period. Because who wants to get up even earlier than normal on your birthday?

Rebekah's friend (and soon to be roommate) Alyssa put together a surprise party that evening for Rebekah, inviting all of their friends. Bless that girl!

But it is nice to know that even as an adult, my baby can still fall asleep snuggling with her mommy on the couch after her long day....

Central Park and Lady Liberty

A few more NYC experiences...

CHURCH
*Short version: We went to church Sunday morning in the building that houses the Mormon Temple. It was cool.

*Long version: I told Bryan we needed to catch a cab to get to church on the upper west side by 9:00. He suggested we walk. Which meant leaving our Midtown hotel around 8:15 to make sure we got there in time. But I'm glad we did, because Sunday morning in Manhattan, though a bit on the cool side, was sunny and quiet. And besides being a pretty walk, it was fun to point out Lincoln Center (specifically Juilliard School) to Julianne and then start watching for the Angel Moroni atop the temple...because the ward building actually shares space with the temple there in NYC. First floor, temple baptistry; second floor, administrative; third floor, ward house; fourth-sixth floors, temple. And seriously, you step off that elevator and you can't really even tell that you aren't in a normal ground level ward building. Lots of visitors in Sacrament Meeting  that day, our little trio being just a tiny fraction of them. And the organist, top notch...just saying. On our way out we ran into Bryan's cousin Mike. And yeah, kind of random in a city that big to run into someone you know. But I guess the odds go up considerably if you are Mormon going to church on Sunday.

CENTRAL PARK
*Short version: We wandered around Central Park and did lots of walking and sightseeing before heading back to our hotel.

(This guy was painting a picture of the bridge. He was pretty good, actually. And if you look closely...the squirrel is gnawing on something green. See it? Yeah, that's a jordan almond. Bryan became rather popular with the rather large population of squirrels in the wooded "ramble" part of Central Park.) 

*Long version: Sabbath Day or no, we were not locals and did need to eat...so we found ourselves a yummy looking crepe cafe for a late breakfast, and then headed over to Central Park. Our original goal had been to wander and explore the park (which realistically could take all day considering how huge the thing is) and then find a lovely place to get homey and do some reading and, if you are Julianne...homework. The forecast called for sun and warmth. But the forecast did not inform us of the chilly breeze, or warn us that the sun would frequently hide behind clouds making the temps feel colder than they really were. So lounging on the great lawn ended up not being as ideal as we had hoped. But it wasn't rainy like it had been the day before. So we did enjoy the aforementioned wandering and exploring. We explored our way right over to the Guggenheim Museum but lines were long and Bryan was decidedly not interested in learning about Italian Futurism, their newest exhibit. So we continued our leisurely walk down 5th Ave and headed to Serendipity 3. Another place Bryan was less than interested in, but willing to humor us because it involved food and quite a few hours had passed since we had downed those crepes.

(And due to all that walking...and the fact that he'd been up late watching a movie on his computer the night before...Bryan fell asleep at Serendipity 3 while waiting for his meal. Yep.)

STATUE OF LIBERTY
*Short version: We missed out on the 9/11 Memorial but did get to visit the Statue of Liberty.

*Long version: When making plans to visit lower Manhattan Monday morning Bryan asked if we could walk. I told him it was most definitely time to experience the subway. I think I impressed him with my ability to not only guide us to the station but to also find which line we needed to take. Embark NYC app...aren't apps awesome? Google maps was used heavily throughout our trip as well. Not to toot my own horn or anything but I am a darn good navigator. Just saying.

I'm not sure what I was expecting. I didn't ever take the subway on our last trip to NYC. Nervous to do it on my own, I guess. Which is silly considering I've navigated my way through Washington D.C. and London using the Metro and the Underground (or Tube) on my own during past trips. Too many hairy scary NYC subway stories, maybe? It was easy peasy. Good to know for future reference.

"New York, New York...a wonderful town. The Bronx is up and the Battery's down. The people ride in a hole in the ground! New York, New York! It's a wonderful town!"
(The song from "On The Town" that ran through my head the entire subway ride long...)

We popped out right at the World Trade Center. But though free, we had to have a ticket to get in to the memorial. I hadn't realized that. And after standing in line, we discovered the ticket would have us sitting around for an hour before our official ticket time was called. Blah. We decided to move on with the hope that maybe we could visit later in the day.

New Trade Center Tower

We headed to Battery Park. It was pretty. And the weather was warm! Everything we had hoped for the day before. But rather than be leisurely, I was worried about time (we had a plane to catch later in the evening) so as navigator, I hurried us along...to the wrong spot. Hey, every good navigator makes a mistake every now and again, yes? We turned around and headed the opposite direction, and did I mention that at least the walk was pretty there along the boardwalk? We finally found Statue Cruises and got in line to buy tix. And then got in line to go through security. And then got in line to board the boat. But we got a great place on the top level of the boat and had a front row view of Lady Liberty as we came chugging up to her.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teaming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
(The Statue of Liberty poem that has been turned into a song that ran through my head the entire boat ride long....)

And okay, though we couldn't get tickets to go up to the crown, and therefore decided that it was crown or nothing, and so opted not to even go into the pedastal and instead explore only the grounds of Liberty Island where it was crowded and our feet hurt and our heads were getting sunburned...well, if it wasn't still a pretty wow experience for me. Up close and personal, Lady Liberty packs quite an emotional punch. We didn't stay for long, but I'm really glad we went.

All too soon we were heading back home. As always when on vacation, I could've used one day more. Goodbye New York City! Hopefully we'll be back for another visit soon!

Experiencing NYC

I think there is a piece of my soul that lives in New York City. Weird, I know...seeing as I've only ever been there twice. But something about that city just speaks to me. It's more than just the culture and history of the place...more than the theatre and museums, although that's certainly a huge part of it. I can't even explain it without sounding more silly than I already do, but I simply love that place and feel like I could live there. Oh, not right now. I wouldn't want to raise a family there. I can't imagine a better place to be in the life phase that I'm in right now, than right here. But if Bryan and I didn't have kids, or if I was single...I'd so be there!

Or so I think. Who knows...maybe if NYC was my normal, I'd find myself yearning for less of the hustle and bustle and more of the slower and quiet and wide open spaces. A house rather than an apartment, a car rather than the subway. All I really know for sure is that though I am not at all discontent with where I am and how I live here and now, oh...how I long for Manhattan!

Broadway was the main reason for our trip, but it certainly wasn't the only thing that we experienced. Is it weird that I use the word "experienced" rather than "saw?" Because somehow saying that we saw lots of things in NYC doesn't seem right. NYC and all that it has to offer is an experience. I didn't just see the theatre advertisements in Times Square, or the cherry blossoms in Central Park, or the crowds in the subway....I experienced them.
Yeah, see? I'm incapable of truly expressing myself in an intelligent and straight-forward sort of way when it comes to describing NYC. It's all about feelings and yearnings and speaking to my soul and other such mind/body/spirit New Age-ish hoo-haw. Whatever. I'm prepared to own it.

So...giving up on any other attempts to express more rationally what exactly it is that draws me to this city, here are some other pictures of our experiences and adventures.

Julianne adored the wide window sill in our 17th floor room at the Omni Berskshire Place in Midtown. Partially because of the view but even more because it made a great place to read. She took advantage of this spot every single day...often reading late into the night after Bryan and I had climbed into bed, the city lights being enough to see by.

The famed St. Patricks Cathedral was right near our hotel. When we were in NYC three years ago there was scaffolding surrounding the outside of the building. Now, the scaffolding has moved inside. Still functioning (there was a mid-day mass being held in the back of the building while we were there) it was rather amazing that you could still see the awe-inspiring beauty through the construction.

Rockefeller Center is always interesting...but on our first day in the city we were surprised to find the place completely surrounded with Easter eggs all decorated in unique ways. It only took me a few minutes to realize that what we were seeing was the Faberge Big Egg Hunt. Decorated by famed artists and designers, the eggs were placed throughout the city during the month of April. Locals and tourists alike were invited to download an app that allowed them to "hunt" for these eggs, scan the bar code on the base and more or less collect them into their virtual egg basket. Prizes were given to those who collected the most eggs, and an auction was then held to purchase said eggs...the money given to various charities. This day at Rockefeller Center all the eggs had been gathered to display in one location before being delivered to their new owners. Creative, unique, beautiful and fun...I'm so glad we got a chance to see them! (They were gone by the next day.)

And now we have a tribute in pictures to Times Square...because even as crowded and even somewhat Las Vegas-like as the place can be, it has a fascination all its own. And really, what is a trip to NYC without wandering through Times Square? Especially considering Times Square makes up a very large portion of the Theatre District....

My favorite was wandering through at 11:00 Saturday night after "Newsies." Still plenty of people milling around, but nowhere near as crowded as earlier in the day. Somehow in the dark of night with the lights bright and welcoming the place had a sort of otherworldly beauty about it.

Just down a side street from the heart of Times Square....Cake Boss. Ever tried one of their Lobster Tails? Scrumptious!

Did I mention we walked pretty much everywhere? What better way to really experience NYC than on foot? Because though riding the subway is an experience in and of itself...other than people watching (which granted, is something I quite enjoy) there's not much to see when you are riding in a hole in the ground. We gave our feet a bit of a break in Bryant Park. But though beautiful and relaxing there, it was slightly chilly so we took refuge in the New York City Library next door. Can you imagine doing research in a place like this? Wow.

My favorite picture of the trip....
I kind of loved that Bryan kept grabbing hold of Julianne's hand so as to not lose her in the crazy NY sidewalk crowds...and that she let him.

And also...if you have a chance to get a lamb gyro from a sidewalk vendor outside of Central Park, I highly recommend you do so. We lunched at one originally just for the ambience and experience of it all...but wow if it wasn't super yummy!

Up next...one last NYC post, this time revolving around Central Park and the Statue of Liberty....