So much.

I haven't updated this thing in a century. Lots of things have been happening and I feel like the world is always spinning.

Some highlights from the last little while (god bless you if you can get through everything):

Engagement
I got engaged to the most wonderful Kristopher Villines. He come and visited me in Utah and proposed to me after dinner at his hotel room. It was simple and intimate and I was so excited that of course I cried like a baby. I'm so thrilled for this new chapter in my life and I'm glad that I get to share it with someone like Kris.




















Marriage
We're getting married here:

Walley's Hot Springs
Genoa, Nevada
October 16, 2009

The ceremony is going to take place outside (weather permitting) with these gorgeous mountains and wild grass as the landscape, a couple hundred feet away the reception will take place in a gazebo on an island surrounded by hot springs. It really is quite lovely and both our families are quite excited.

Wedding Planning
It's been rather hard trying to plan this wedding with my family, maid of honor and one of my bridesmaids in Vegas, and another bridesmaid in Utah. Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into and there are definitely times when I truly understand why people choose to elope.

So far we have:

• Booked the ceremony and reception sites
• I've found/bought (for a steal might I add) my dress-by designer Maggie Sottero
  
• Booked a wonderful photographer, Emily Main
• Had Save the Dates ideas sent to Kris's graphic design buddy, Aaron Wade so he could design them
• Found some simple invitations
• Possibly found a cake
• Cried from the stress several times
• Spent hours and hours online looking at reception ideas
• I think, finally got all bridesmaids to order their dresses/shoes, but I could be mistaken on this one as one of them is currently out of the country :/
• Found some cute ideas for bridesmaid gifts on etsy.com
• Cried more
• Found/Bought Kris's Tungsten wedding band
• Registered at Target
• started compiling friends/family addresses
• Started a wedding website with travel info for guests (not finished :/, hence an emphasis on the word "started" ).

Graduation

I graduated with my B.F.A. in Acting from Brigham Young University on April 24th with my family and Kris's family and the wonderful Heidi in attendance(I'm sorry that my Uncle Ike, Litany and her dad couldn't make it, but I will hopefully get to see them soon). **Pardon the blurry photo's they were taken by my video camera which takes lovely video, but not so stellar photos as we found out :/

One of the few pictures I got to take after graduation :( I wished I had gotten more (a special apology goes out to Mrs. Morag Plaice Shephard whom I love and adore and was not able to take a picture with because of my speedy departure).

New York-New York Showcase
I traveled to New York with the graduating seniors in the Acting and Musical Dance Theatre programs and we performed 3 or 4 shows for agents at the Sage Theatre in NYC. While I was there for the week I got to see three Broadway shows (Wicked, Billy Elliot, and August:Osage County) I also got to know my way around the subway system so that when Kris came at the end of the week we wouldn't be lost souls.

We had to be at the airport by 5:45am and despite the 2 hours of sleep Chels and I got, we were energized

Alexis won lottery tickets for herself and me to sit front row for Wicked

While we were there we had some dance and singing workshops

News of the Swine Flu broke out while we were there.

I'm already missing these people and for some it will probably have been the last time I ever see them :(

New York and Kris
Kris came to visit me for a week following the showcase. We were lucky enough to get to stay in Brooklyn for free with Logan's (Kris's friend) Aunt Denine. We loved staying with her and Lulu for a week. She had lots of great advice about what to see and where to go. Logan came with us for a couple days before he had to go back to Northern New York to finish up his school semester. It was pretty rainy and cold the whole time we were there, but if you know me, you know that's totally my element so we ended up still having a lovely time there together.

It was both Kris and my first time and needless to say we feel in love and Kris continuously talks about how much he misses it and wants to go back.

Coney Island was freezing but fun!

Kris and I had a little too much fun at the air and space museum.

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival
Back in February I went and auditioned for the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and I was lucky enough to actually get in. I am going to be Margaret in Much Ado and various little ensemble things in Measure for Measure. We spent the first part of June in Reno rehearsing at UNR and just this weekend we moved up to Incline Village and will be starting our two weeks of tech before our one week of Previews and Opening Night on July 11th. The amount of talent I'm surrounded by is so amazing to me and I feel so lucky to be apart of this. Show dates are the July 18th-August 23rd.


This is last years stage I believe but I'm so excited to be performing outsite with the lake as our backdrop it's going to be tough competing for the audience's attention with such beautiful surroundings.

My stage pass
The poster for the season, sans the titles and such

Ghost Bear
Kris is in a new band called Ghost Bear. He is really enjoying himself and everyone seems to get along AND there is a whole lot less egos hanging around this band vs. his last band. The music is so marketable and they sound really awesome and seem to be having fun onstage too. They just traveled to Sacramento a couple weeks ago and recorded a 6 song EP and I'm not going to lie I like it a lot.