American Idol Drop-Out

Sorry gang. I dropped out of the American Idol race. After waking up at 3:30 am, standing in line for 3 hours, and then spending hours watching the thousands of hopeful idols SLOWLY trickle through auditions, I decided to give up on the dream. Not that I really had much of a dream of being the next American Idol, but I did want to say I tried.

Anyway, of course, I have the worst sore throat ever. I have been getting more and more sick since Sunday. At 5am, standing in line, I really started to wonder what business I had auditioning in the first place, especially with an injured voice. Nearly 6 hours later, it just didn't seem like there was much point. We kept hearing our turn wouldn't be until about 8 or 9pm, a whole 10 additional hours! So, we decided to leave, right after the vantriloquist girl got her golden ticket. Yeah, I'm pretty sure you'll all see her on TV.

I can't say I wanted to leave. But I definitely did not want to stay until evening, only to barely screech out a few lines from "Killing Me Softly" or "Folsom Prison Blues." My voice definitely was not cooperating. It hurts and I feel just plain sick. Not a good combination with 12-14 hours of sitting in hard bleachers with thousands of people and only $7 hot dogs to eat.

So I apologize to all who have helped me, only to see me give up. I appreciate all the feedback, song suggestions, and words of encouragement. I'm not sure I'll live my life with regret, especially as I am not wondering what would have happened (I only saw maybe 5 golden tickets the whole time I was at auditions and there were some phenomenal singers). I do feel pretty bad, though, that I went to all the trouble only to quit. I've never thought of myself as a quitter. And even worse that so many people seemed so excited for me. :(

I guess we'll all have to find someone else to cheer for this season. Hopefully I'll feel better so I can go scuba diving this weekend.

Please leave feedback--I need your help.

So I took time off work for the American Idol tryouts so I guess it is getting serious. I have been having serious difficulty finding songs to sing. I guess I need to prepare at least 3.

Here are my thoughts so far.









Please let me know what you think of these songs!

American Idol

American Idol is coming to SLC.

Russell always says I should try out for American Idol. I always jokingly agree. But, turns out I agreed and Idol is coming to SLC for tryouts. I know I sing well, but I'm pretty sure I'm not American Idol caliber. I could never even make it into school talent shows. But, maybe I'll give it a shot just for kicks.

So, if I do it, what song should I sing? I understand song choice is the most important part. P.S. There's only about 8 days to practice.

Thoughts:
To feel my love--Garth Brooks
Jolene--Dolly
Annie's Song--John Denver
Over the Rainbow
Down to the Mountain to Pray?

And please, if you know I would embarrass myself trying out, please spare me and speak now. I feel silly. Maybe I'll be like that girl last season whose model husband said she was awesome and she really wasn't.

Good thing I have the Xbox 360 American Idol game so I can practice. ;)

Networking?

Only 1 week into Russell's new shift and I am already incredibly restless having the entire weekend to myself. I do fine say Friday night, or Friday night and Saturday while he sleeps. But by Monday night, I've had just about all the alone time I can stand. I'm a twin, afterall, and do not thrive on being by myself. I can only do so much sewing and miscellaneous projects. At least my house has been incredibly clean. Yeah for me!

Anyone know of any Saturday jobs? Or Friday, Saturday, Monday nights after 8 pm jobs? I found a cool one working with troubled youth on Saturdays and one night per week. Just up my alley and not a huge time committment. Unfortunately, that one night was Thursday and I kind of treasure the few evenings I actually get to spend with my husband. It might just be nice to get out of the house for a few hours and make a LITTLE extra money on the side to put toward my student loans, new furniture, or a house downpayment.

Anyone want to play any of those times? "After 8 is great!"

Another piggy

"Oink! Oink! Feed me money." Finished product

Pre-glaze. Amber having fun.

Russell and Caitlyn and our projects. Russell was a good sport. ;)

For my birthday we went to Color Me Mine and painted some ceramics. It was fun to do something a little bit different. And it was a good day to go--it was only $3 per person for lab fees rather than $8. A lot of the projects were pretty affordable--only a few dollars. But of course, you could spend a lot on the bigger projects. I think I might go back sometime and do the little cupcake cup container Caitlyn made someday. It turned out very cute. Russell also did a great job on his large mug. He cleverly wrote "Time to Refill" in the center.

More sewing

I made this baby onesy thing several months ago, with plans of popping out several more. It seemed like an easy enough project and a cost-effective way to attend baby-showers, while participating in my new favorite hobby. I like sewing for babies because they are typically small, quicker projects. Which mean they seem more approachable, I can see the results quickly, and even more importantly, I don't waste fabric or much time if the project is too complex for me to complete successfully. Perfect for a novice sewer.

Anyway, my husband and I have had many laughs over this project. It turns out, it was much more complex than I anticipated. I am pretty sure the issue was not really with me, but with the instructions. http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/nbsleeper.html

1. My biggest issue is that I still have no idea whether or not this will fit a real life baby. So much for giving it out as a gift!! I guess I need a newborn to try it out on. Anyway, it is designed for a newborn or premie, but it still looks a little small. It looks cute, but it also seems like the legs are way too short.

2. I had to redo and resize the neck opening 3 times! And I still don't know if it is big enough. Even after following the directions as carefully as possible, it left a neck opening of 1-2 inches diameter. I know babies are small, but not THAT small. This part was a pain. Seriously, make better directions!!

3. Snaps are way hard. I know I am doing them the hard way as it is super hard to make sure they match up. I still have one set left and I've been putting it off for months. Any experts know of an easier way to put snaps on?

I may try this pattern again, but I'll have to adapt the pattern, obviously. I think I may instead try little pajamas with an elastic opening on the bottom instead. Those are my favorite baby pajamas, but I never seem them in the stores anymore. And maybe a zipper is easier than snaps. But I'm a little scared of zippers. Can't remember how to do them. And I know I learned a way easy way in high school sewing class--much easier than all the patterns suggest. Good thing I have several seamstresses to pass along wisdom.

Homemade Headbands

I have always liked headbands, but had difficulty wearing them. The plastic ones always seem to dig into your head. Plain ribbons or bandana types always slide off. I've been seeing a lot of headbands lately and finally noticed a new style--with elastic. Rather than pay the $10-20 I've seen them for sale for, I decided to try to make my own. I still can't figure out how to make a thick sash kind (I'll need to actually examine one first), but I've been playing around a bit and developed a design that seems to work pretty well.

I got the ribbon idea from my mom and used it as a starting point. This is the easiest headband ever--and for me, a great way to make my hair ribbons actually usable (or at least, less annoying). It takes literally 3-5 minutes. Ribbons with the wire on the edge are the easiest.

This is my least favorite headband so far and my first one. I was going for the chunky sash style, but it was a little too thick and hard to wear. I also realized it would be best to double-side it, at least until I can see what the real ones look like and how to construct them. After a few tries, I think this headband looks pretty good. I added ties so it will look good even in a ponytail.

This is my favorite so far. I used a shinier, more delicate fabric with a contrasting, but still neutral decorative top-stitching. I also have decided I like the scrunched fabric covered elastic best, which you can't see here. I like how feminine this one turned out.

I made this one for Erin for her birthday. It was my second try and my first scrunched fabric elastic. In fact, that's my favorite part. I am still trying to figure out the best way to finish the opening I turn it right-side-out with (without handsewing). This time I used another contrasting decorative topstitch to finish the edges.

I know these aren't anything super complex. But I am a little proud of myself for designing them myself. I like small projects like this because they are good for learning on--not much accountability if I mess up.

University

Today Utah Valley State College officially became Utah Valley University. I began working one year ago for the college and have been hearing about this moment since the job interview. I am happy to be able to confidently say that I work for a university. This is a great milestone for UVSC, but even more, the state of Utah. As a high school counseling intern, I learned to appreciate the huge service community colleges and institutions with open enrollment offer the community. As far as I know, in NC, although there are over 15oish colleges and educational institutions, I was never aware of a university with open enrollment. What an amazing opportunity to truly offer a university education to all. I have seen many students succeed at UVSC who simply needed a second chance or a little extra effort. Congratulations UVU and Utah!

Today they had a nice ribbon cutting ceremony for the new library. I expected it to be boring, but I was pleasantly surprised at how proud I found myself (afterall, I am still a cougar and a tar heel). It was really great to see senators, congressman, religious leaders, and my favorite, one of the original presidents, now a very old man, sporting a suit and a white UVU underarmor hat. President Thomas S. Monson also ended the event with a dedicatory prayer. I do not think many people there appreciated how special that was. To have the one and only prophet dedicating a school building. Where else in the world does that happen? It was really great.

I only wish I got a photo of myself wearing my cheesy little UVU visor. I was skeptical about it, but once the sun overcame me, I was plenty happy to have it.

PS. In case you were not aware, the logo is "super cool" because the state of Utah is outlined in the first U of the logo. Still can't decide what I think about that, but I do know it's better than the UVSC logo--I think the little triangles were supposed to symbolize trees and mountains.