The Epic Denver Journey

AKA: Angela, Katrina, & Mikeal's Excellent Adventure

I like to think that I know my way around Denver.  As long as I know where I need to end up and I have been there before, I'm generally okay. If I have a map or explicit directions, that is even better.  Preferable, actually.  But sometimes...it needs to be about the journey and not about the destination.  My Denver friends will laugh heartily at this, I'm sure.  But join me now in a break down of just exactly how I got from Loveland to the DCPA:

(Please note: our original plan was to go to Lakewood first.  Had we been going directly to the Denver Center, there would have been no epic journey.)

• South on 1-25 from Loveland
  
• Exited onto 6th Ave West.
• Misread the directions (Mapquest is stupid) and exited onto Federal.
• Turned left and realized this was NOT where we needed to be.
•  Pulled into a gas station to try and decipher the directions.  They were VERY confusing.  (What originally made no sense was actually made clear later in the evening.  Seriously, when you first get off the interstate on W 6th, it's a little confusing!!!)
• Decided that we would just do directly to the Denver Center and meet Katrina's cousin there, rather than trying to figure out where to go.  (This was probably the best decision, seeing as it was about 5:30 or so and there was a traffic jam on 6th.)
• Got back on Federal and headed north
• Missed the exit for 6th (which would have taken us back to I-25)
• Missed the exit for Colfax (which would have taken us to Speer)
• Turned right onto 17th Ave
• Turned right on Mile High Stadium Cir. (Yes, we circled around the south end of the Invesco Field parking lot.)
• Turned left onto lower Colfax Ave. (not the real Colfax, mind you)
• Followed that around and exited onto South I-25 (when we really needed to go north)
• South on I-25
• Exited on W 8th Ave.
• Right on Zuni and north back to lower Colfax
• Right on Walnut St. and north
• Somehow we managed to get over to 7th St on the Auraria Campus (not exactly sure how, but we drove past the Light Rail Station and near the Pepsi Center.
• Left on 7th St.
• Right on Auraria Parkway  (Yay!!!!  I knew this would take us directly to Speer, so we made it!  Talk about your Scenic Route!!!)

• Safely arrived at the Denver Center parking garage!!!
• Dinner at a sketchy McDonalds on the 16th Street Mall
• Amazing concert at the Ellie!
• Excursion to Lakewood to a Mexican Restaurant called Jose O'Shea's (Mexican Irish...interesting.)  They have a free taco bar with purchase of a drink!  Score!!  (And while driving on 6th Ave, I saw exactly what sign we had missed earlier that made the Mapquest directions confusing!)
  
• Back on the road about 11:00 pm.  I had no problem getting back onto 6th Ave.  When it came time to exit onto I-25 however...WHOOPS!!  Missed it!

• East on 6th Ave
• Left on Santa Fe
• Left on 7th Ave
• Left on Kalamuth
• Right on 6th Ave
• Exit onto I-25 North and drive back to Loveland!!!!!!!!!

See...I knew exactly where I was the whole time, I just didn't know how to get to where we needed to be!  Nobody died. Epic journey, indeed!  And a lot of fun!!!  (But next time...someone else is driving.)

Songs About Me: Part 6 in a Continuing Series

Last night I attended a benefit concert that featured Broadway star Shoshana Bean.  She sang a song off her album (which I will be purchasing later today!) called Superhero.  This song was ABSOLUTELY written for me!  They don't know me, but they totally wrote this about me.  Behold:

I know it looks like i got it all together
I know it seems like i can make it through whatever
It appears that i can do it alone
But you got it wrong
Yeah you got it all wrong

Everybody need a little help sometimes
Not afraid to cry out, swallow my pride
I've been looking for someone who can handle, all of me
Not just a part of me yeah


People keep asking me why i'm still alone
Why i haven't found a man to call my own
I keep telling them the best i can
It'll take more than a man to save me

Oh Oh Oh Oh
Calling out for you
What i need is a superhero
Oh Oh Oh Oh
Come and save me boy
All i need is a superhero
Coz whatcha gonna do
Where you gonna stand (Who you)
Who you gonna call
Who you calling
Turning it on!!!!!
Calling out for you
All i need is a superhero


I need a man to show up with some integrity come flying in when im in trouble to rescue me
Nothing is strong enough to keep him away
An indestructible trust
Taking the weight of the world from me
With his eyes he can see straight into my soul
Don't have to ask for a thing he already knows
I been looking for someone who can hear me and understands like nobody else can

I need someone to take me away
Free me from all of this trouble and pain
He'll take my hand and look in my eyes
Tell me that everything will be alright
No matter how independent i am
Nothing compares to the love of a man
If what i need is too much to ask
Send me a superhero!!!

I have looked all over to see who wrote the music and lyrics, and I can't find it.  But it's on Shoshana Bean's album of the same title.  A-MAZ-ING SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Decade in Retrospect

Can you believe that the first decade of the 21st Century is coming to a close?  It seems like only yesterday we were all planning for the apocalypse that never was.  (It was a little disappointing that the world didn't explode at midnight 1/1/00, thanks to all the hype.  What a let down!  Very anticlimactic!!!)

As we are bidding farewell to the 2000s and preparing for the 2010s, I thought I'd do a little retrospect on the decade.  The papers and magazines are all doing it.  Why can't I?  And of course it will be mainly about me.  Since this is my blog and all.  If you want it to be about you...make your own!


2000

• Senior Recital:  March 7, 2000
• Fun trip to Missouri with Katina for Spring Break
• I graduated from UNC with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Liberal Arts, emphasis in Vocal Performance (minor in History)
• Worked 2 jobs over the summer:  in the post office at Judy's Hallmark & teaching at Jesters
• Played Wife #9 in The King and I at Jesters.
• Craig left on his mission to the Austria Vienna Mission
• Got a job as a Customer Service Rep at The Music Maker
• Fun trip to the San Francisco Bay area to visit my mom's side of the family.  We were the featured performers at the Fredrickson Family Christmas Party!

2001

• Played Florinda in Into the Woods at Jesters
• The Music Maker closed, leaving me unemployed for the entire summer
• Got a job as a bank teller at American Bank

2002

• Served as Technical and Assistant Director for The Sound of Music at Loveland High School.
• Fun (and very short) trip to Washington DC with Veronica to visit Justen
• My brother Craig returned home from his mission
• Played Ellen in Oklahoma! with Front Range Music Theatre.
• Fun trip to Church History sites in Iowa, Illinois & Missouri with my whole family
• Fun (and short) trip to Albuquerque, NM to see the LHS band perform at a competition
• LHS marching band wins their 1st State Championship!
• Sang in a performance of Handel's Messiah with the Greeley Stake. 
  

2003

• Wrote & directed the Road Show for my ward at church.
• I started taking voice lessons again.
• Craig and Robin got married
• Played Stewardess Robinson, 2nd Class Passenger & 3rd Class Passenger in Titanic: The Musical with Front Range Music Theatre.
• LHS marching band wins their 2nd State Championship!
• Fun trip to San Antonio, TX to see the LHS band perform at a competition

2004

• Fired from Home State Bank (formerly American Bank) after 2 1/2 years of working there.
• Got a job at Falcon Properties, Inc. as the receptionist/office assistant
• Played Rose Lennox in The Secret Garden at Jesters.
• Martin's Cove trek with University Ward (4 days, 4 seasons...)
• Played Kate in Brigadoon with Front Range Music Theatre.
• My car got hit while parked on the street and I had to buy a new one.
• LHS Marching Band wins 3rd State Championship.  Neal quit band, ending an era.  1992-2004
• Robin graduated from CSU
  

2005

• Emily Marie Johnson was born!
• Grandma Johnson passed away
• I got 2nd place in Musical Theatre 14B at NATS.
  
• Played Tinkerbell in Peter Pan with Front Range Music Theatre.  (And by played, I mean I operated the laser beam that was Tink onstage.)
• Awesome week-long trip to Lake Powell
• Geek trip to Utah to see the National Tour of "Little Women"
• Craig graduated from CSU and they moved to Wellington.
  

2006

• DREAM TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
• I got Honorable Mention in Musical Theatre 14B at NATS (and did not make finals in Classical 14B)
  
• Played several roles in various opera scenes for Love Makes the World Go Round with Loveland Opera Theatre
• Neal graduated from Loveland High School, ending an era.  1992-2006
• Shauna graduated from UNC
  
• Played Reporter #1 and a ship's passenger in Anything Goes! with Front Range Music Theatre.  (The set was built in our driveway!)
• I quit my job at Falcon Properties
  
• Sang the Lakme Flower Duet with Mary Beth in the Loveland Opera Theatre Gala
• Massive snowstorms one after another blanket us in about 2 - 3 feet of snow!

2007

• I became the Administrative Assistant for Loveland Opera Theatre (Part time job)
• Played Vittoria in Gilbert & Sullivan's The Gondoliers with Loveland Opera Theatre.  (I also understudied Tessa and was the Props Mistress.)
• I took 1st place in Musical Theatre 14B at NATS...meaning, I am not allowed to compete anymore.  Darn.
  
• After 7 months, I returned to work at Falcon Properties, Inc.  They missed me.
  
• Played the Aristocratic Lady, the Ale Wench, and a Plate in Beauty and the Beast with Front Range Music Theatre. (The set was, again, built in our driveway.)
  
• Went on several hikes over the summer, culminating with Neal & Shauna hiking Long's Peak.
• Sang "Mister Snow" from Carousel for the Loveland Opera Theatre Gala.
  
• Rebekah Margaret Johnson was born!
• Fun (and short) trip to Kansas and Missouri with Shauna to pick up Lori.
• Went through the Denver Temple for my own endowments.
  

2008

• I turned 30.  It wasn't quite as a traumatizing as I had expected.
• Played Salome in Act 2 of  Savior of the World: His Birth and His Resurrection with the combined Loveland & Greeley Stakes.
• Neal left on his mission to the England Manchester Mission.
• Played Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof at the Union Colony Dinner Theatre
• Played Kate Keller in The Miracle Worker with Loveland Community Theater.
• Sang "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Friendship" in the Loveland Opera Theatre Gala.
  
• Played Aunt March in Little Women with Up in Lights.

2009

• Played Bloody Mary in South Pacific at Jesters.
• George Craig Varsel Johnson was born!
• Played Donna in The Taffetas with Front Range Music Theatre.
• Celebrated Grandpa Milligan's 95th Birthday!
  
• Played the silent ghost Hope in the Loveland Opera Theatre Gala
• Played Jessica Cranshaw in Curtains with Up in Lights.
• Sang in a Messiah Sing-along with the Loveland Stake.

Wow!  It's been quite the 10 years.  Time sure does fly!  Obviously because I had fun!!  So now I'm issuing a challenge:  What do you have to show for your decade, 2000-2009?

Belated Golden Globe Nominations Reactions

So, I wanted to blog this immediately when I saw the nominations, but I didn't want to break up the 12 Absurd Days of Christmas.  So I decided not to blog it at all.  But then I figured, better late than never!  So...here are a few of my reactions to the Golden Globe nominations:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
YAY FOR EMILY BLUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That movie is seriously AMAZING!  (The Young Victoria)

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
It should go to Julie & Julia.  That movie is WONDERFUL!!!  I saw (500) Days of Summer today.  It's good, but a little weird.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
MERYL STREEP!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, she's competing against herself in this category, and she should win for Julie & Julia.  She was a wonderful Julia Child.  Heck, she WAS Julia Child!!

Best Animated Feature Film
I've seen 3 of the 5.  I think Up should win.  Or The Princess and the Frog.  Or both.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Why are none of the songs from The Princess and the Frog nominated?  TRAVESTY!!!

Various TV Nominations
Congrats to Glee for 4 nominations!
Yay for Michael Emerson getting nominated for LOST
When is Bones going to get some recognition?  Seriously...it's one of the best shows on television!!!
I'm very glad that Anna Paquin is getting some notice for her role in The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler.  that was a great movie!!

Looking forward to January 17th!  Awards season is nigh at hand!  This makes me very happy!!

A Year in Blogs

Go to your Calendar and find the first entry for each month of 2009. Post the first line of it in your blog, and that's your "Year In Review".

January:
I think it's safe to say that Mr. Darcy is many a girl's first crush...those that have read or seen the movie(s) of Pride and Prejudice, of course.

February:
I went all over town today looking for 3D glasses so that I could watch Chuck in 3D tonight.

March:
In honor of the 3rd anniversary of our trip to New York City, I'm going to post something every day.

April:
I just got rid of my Myspace page, and so now I'm only on Facebook.

May:
I was asked last night if I have a website where I advertise when and where I'm performing.

June:
The opening was AMAZING! (Thoughts on the Tonys)

July:
Time for a much overdue vacation.

August:
Before you make a complaint about the state of your neighbor's property, I invite you do to 2 things.

September:
I used to go to the movie theater a lot more.

October:
Last week I played "Hope", the murdered soprano, in the Loveland Opera Theatre Gala Mystery on the High "C"s.

November:
Jessica Barrymore Cranshaw, age 31, passed away on February 21, 1959 at Boston General Hospital, the victim of foul play.

December:
Don't you hate it when you forget the words to a song you know backwards and forwards?

***
Okay, that was harder than I thought.  I did a lot of Flashback Fridays and Wordless Wednesdays this year, and many were the first post of the month.  So I skipped over those for purposes of this blog.

Unusual Stocking Stuffers

I found something interesting in my stocking this morning.  It wasn't something that I would normally expect from Santa Claus:

I think we may have had a visit from Emily Claus!  Further investigation into the other stockings produced this evidence:

Yep, I'm sure of it.  Emily Claus paid us a visit last week and when Santa filled our stockings last night, he didn't see what was already in there!   So thank you, Emily, for making us laugh on Christmas morning!

12 Absurd Days of Christmas - Wrap Up

I hope that you have enjoyed the 12 Absurd Days of Christmas!  I had a lot of fun putting it together.  In case you were wondering who was responsible for all of that, I'll tell you:

Pirate on the Train - Emily, Rebekah, & Shauna
Reindeer Girls - the picture of me is from my school Christmas program in Kindergarten.  The other picture is Emily at age 9 1/2 months.  I put the reindeer ears on her.
Candle Volcano - gravity is responsible for that one
Santa in the high chair - I think it was me
Santa hats on the ceiling fan - I did it the first time, and it has become a tradition!  It's very handy when we need to use the hats for caroling or whatever.  We always know where they are!
Poinsettias everywhere - either Mom or Dad
Santas by the kitchen table - Dad (but we made him move most of them.  It was creepy being watched by that many Santas!)
Leaning Christmas Tree - old age
Band on the roof - me
Angels - me, of course!!
West Side Story Nativity - Mom (it was rearranged shortly after, but I was very quick with the camera!)
Neal Attacks! - I think Neal said he wanted to do it, and I suggested staging the picture.

The one picture I was not able to find was Neal as Baby Jesus' bodyguard.  That was from Christmas 1992, when we were in Idaho.  Neal was 4 and was fascinated with a toy rifle of Jesse's.  When we did the Nativity Scene, Neal was dressed as a shepherd but didn't want to give up the rifle.  So we called him Baby Jesus' bodyguard!  I wish I could find the picture!  It's priceless!!  If I ever do, I'll use it as a Flashback Friday or Wordless Wednesday.

Oh, and here is Honorable Mention:

When Shepherds Attack!

(I did this to our Advent Calendar last week, after I had scheduled all of the 12 Days blogs.)

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!!  HAPPY NEW YEAR, TOO!

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 12

On the twelfth Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

Neal attacking our neighbors' Santa.

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 11

On the eleventh Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

The "West  Side Story" of Nativity Scenes

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 10

On the tenth Absurd Day of Christmas, my family got from me:

A picture of me (Angela) in the Angel display!

("Because no angel display is complete without my picture.")

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 9

On the ninth Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

A band on the roof!

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 8

On the eighth Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

A Christmas tree that lists to the right.

(Thankfully, this tree has finally been retired this year!!  I'm pretty sure it's older than me.)

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 7

On the seventh Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

A bunch of Santas watching over the kitchen table.

(Santa sees you when you're EATING, too!  Not just sleeping!)

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 6

On the sixth Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

Poinsettias growing EVERYWHERE, no matter what kind of plant!

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 5

On the fifth Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

Santa hats on the ceiling fan!

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 4

On the fourth Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

Santa in a high chair!

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 3

On the third Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

A Candle Volcano of Doom!!!!

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 2

On the second Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

Two little girls dressed as reindeer!

(Bonus points if you can name the girls!)

12 Absurd Days of Christmas: Day 1

On the first Absurd Day of Christmas, my family gave to me:

A pirate hitching a ride on the Christmas Train!

Angela's 2009 Christmas Letter

The time has come yet again to sit down and write about my year.  It seems silly to do this, since I have a blog.  I keep a running commentary on my life!  But there is something purely cathartic about writing a Christmas letter.  So I do it.

The year is mainly about theatre, same as last year!  I started out by returning to the Jesters Dinner Theatre to play Bloody Mary in their production of South Pacific.  Another check on the list of dream roles!  That character is such a hoot to play!  She is an iconic character part, so of course I would have a blast!  It was great to be back among friends at Jesters.  I had been 5 years since my last show there!  The show ran from mid-February through mid-April.

Insert a little family news here:  My first nephew, George, was born on February 27, 2009.  This is Craig & Robin’s 3^rd child.  Georgie is an adorable little guy and puts up with a lot from his big sisters.  I’m sure he’ll give it all back to them when he’s old enough.  Emily is now 4 and Rebekah is 2.  They are both little firecrackers and huge musical theatre fans!  Yes, we start them young in our family!

After South Pacific, I had a short break and then started work on one of my most amazing theatrical experience to date:  The Taffetas.  Front Range Music Theatre has scaled back a lot, due to lack of funds, and has been doing smaller shows the past 2 summers.  This summer was The Taffetas, and it was AMAZING!!  The music is all from the 1950s, and the show is mostly music.  The show follows 4 singing sisters from Muncie, Indiana as they make their television debut.  I played Donna, and it was an absolute thrill to be involved with this show!  We only had 3 performances, because that’s all we could get the Rialto Theater for.  I really hope that I will be able to do the show again!  We rehearsed in June and July and then performed in August.

 

Up next was the Loveland Opera Theatre Gala, Mystery on the High Cs.  Since there was an overlap in rehearsals with The Taffetas, I only sang in one chorus number this year.  However, I did play the role of “Hope” as part of the story line.  Hope was murdered at the beginning of the show and then each suspect was found in the scenes that were performed.  At the end of the night, we picked out 6 suspects and the audience voted on “whodunit.”  It was a lot of fun.  Since I was a ghost, I didn’t have to say a word.  I just reacted to what the detective/narrator was saying.  I also got to do a fun pratfall on stage.  The key here is that I died onstage.  Read on…

My final show of the year was Curtains, with Up in Lights.  Another murder mystery!  And guess who got murdered first!  That’s right…my character.  Jessica Cranshaw is the star of the show “Robbin’ Hood” and, well, in a nutshell…she’s awful.  Can’t sing, can’t act, can’t dance…and then she dies.  I was only onstage for about 10 minutes, but what a fun 10 minutes those were!  I came out, screwed up my lines, danced horribly, sang out of tune, danced even worse (imagine a kick line with me kicking opposite of everyone else) and then I died.  Then, they talked about me for the rest of the show!  It was great!  I had so much fun!  The show is absolutely hilarious, and I love working with Up in Lights.

That’s it for 2009.  Crazy how the year flew by!  Heck, the DECADE flew by!  Has it really been almost 10 years since I graduated from college?  Does NOT seem possible.  I’m only 23, right?  Right.  My philosophy is, you are only as old as other people think you are.  And if they think I’m 23, who am I to tell them differently?

It’s been quite a year!  I’m excited to see what 2010 brings!  I will be debt-free for the first time since college, and I will probably be going to England with my parents in April to pick up my brother Neal from his mission!  SO EXCITED for that!!!  I have never left the country before, but I’ve had my passport for about 3 years.  Time to put it to good use!

I hope you have a very merry Christmas and an even happier New Year!

Love,
Angela

Christmas Letters of Yore Part 3

Here's the rest of my old Christmas Letters:

~2004~

Christmas 2004

   
Dear Friends,
    Is time speeding up?  It seems like this year just flew right by!!  Didn’t I just write my year-in-review for 2003?  Seems like I did.  Oh, well!  This is has been quite the eventful year 2004, so sit back, put up your feet and get ready to read about my roller coaster of a year!
    February 6th was supposed to be a WONDERFUL day!  I had tickets to the Josh Groban concert that night!!  Well, that day will now live in infamy as the day I lost my job.  Yes, that’s right....I got fired.  I worked at the bank for 2½ years, and then POOF!  It was over.  I’d been very unhappy there for quite awhile, but hadn’t had the guts to quit because I needed the money.  So they saved me the trouble.  And boy, was I happy to be out of there!  It was quite a relief, actually!  I had a lovely 6 week vacation before landing my next job.  I am now employed at Falcon Properties Inc. here in Loveland.  We manage rental properties and Homeowners Associations, and I’m the receptionist and assistant to the HOA office.  I got the job because I worked with the owner’s wife at the bank.  It’s all in who you know!!!  I’m very happy there, and glad to be out of banking! (Oh...the Josh Groban concert was WONDERFUL, by the way!)
    This was a banner year for me in the theatre.  And by “banner”, I mean busy!  I returned to the Jesters Dinner Theater after a 3 year absence to play the role of Rose in “The Secret Garden”.  It was quite the juicy role.  She’s Mary’s mother and not a very nice person!  It was fun!  The Monday after we closed that show, rehearsals began for Front Range Music Theatre’s summer production of “Brigadoon”.  I had the role of Kate.  I had the incredible opportunity to perform with an Equity actress, Gina Schuh-Turner, who played Fiona.  I sang in “Waitin’ for my Dearie” with her, which was an absolute THRILL!!!  I also played Meg’s drunk father in “My Mother’s Weddin’ Day”, which meant dressing up in a kilt and staggering around the stage.  Now THAT was fun!!!  After doing two shows right in a row, I was TIRED!!!  I’m still on a theatre break, but I’m eager to do another show after the first of the year.
    I had quite the experience in May.  We took a church trip to Martin’s Cove in Wyoming and did a 4-day handcart trek.  Martin’s Cove is where the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies were rescued in the show in the 1856.  It’s right by Devil’s Gate, about an hour and half north of Rawlins. There’s a visitors center there, and most people come up there and push the handcarts around a little and then leave.  Not us!  We were dropped off by the busses and the only vehicles we had were a van and an SUV....and there were about 80 of us.  We pushed and pulled those handcarts about 26 miles over the next four days.  Now, let me just say something about early May in central Wyoming.  It’s not really Spring yet.  We had all four seasons in four days.  Yes, that’s right....it snowed.  We got the FULL pioneer experience.  It was worthwhile, but not something I’d really care to do again!
    My other big event of the year was having someone drive down my street one night and hit my car.  They didn’t bother to stop, so I have no idea who did this.  The damage was mostly to the driver’s side door, and the insurance company ended up totaling it.  I was without a car for almost month and then purchased a 1999 Saturn from my cousin David.  It was hard to say farewell to Rosie, as I’d driven that car for almost 5 years.  But Fred (short for Winnifred) is a nice car.
    We have some big things in the works for 2005, namely the first grandchild due in March!  I’m going to be an aunt!!!!!  Craig and Robin don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, but they have offered to find out for anyone willing to pay for the ultrasound.  So far, we’ve agreed that we’ll just be surprised!
    I hope you have had a great year and will have a prosperous 2005! 
                                                                                              Love, Angela 

~2005~

Well, Christmastime is here yet again!  Time really does fly!  This has been a year of ups and downs for me.  More ups, then downs, thankfully.  Get ready for my year in review:

The biggest news of the year is the arrival of my ADORABLE niece, Emily Marie Johnson.  She was born March 11, 2005 (2 days after my birthday!).  She weighed 6 lbs, 14 oz.  She is just the sweetest little baby!  I absolutely LOVE being an aunt!  I spoil that kid so much!  She’s definitely a Johnson.  In other words, she’s a little drama queen.  It’s so funny!  The highlight for me came a few weeks ago, when she recognized me over the phone and grinned!!!  Yes!!!!!!

Just five weeks after Emily was born, my Grandma Johnson passed away.  She’d had many strokes over the past couple of years.  The final stroke affected her right side (the others had taken her left), and it was only a matter of time after that.  I am so thankful that I was able to go to visit her one last time in March.  All of my cousins except for 3 were there, so we had a great family reunion.   Grandma is with Grandpa now (he died in December 1995) and we’re very glad she’s not suffering anymore.

It was an interesting year, theatrically, for me.  This year’s big Front Range Music Theatre summer musical was Peter Pan.  I auditioned in April, but was not cast in the show.  They kept the cast small and there was a TON of dancing. Since I am the first to admit that I am a horrible dancer, I was okay with that.  (Especially after I saw the dancing in rehearsal a few months later!)  Not 5 minutes after I got the call that I wasn’t in the show, I e-mailed the director and asked if I could run the spotlight for Tinkerbell.  That is how I got into the show.  It was a ton of fun to be a techie again, although I’m ready to go back on stage where it’s less stressful.  I got to operate a laser beam that was Tinkerbell on stage.  It was harder than I thought it would be, but fun nonetheless.  Peter Pan was a family affair, too.  My sister Shauna was the Stage Manager, and my brothers Craig and Neal were on the set and flying crew.  We had a blast, and look forward to next year’s production, Anything Goes.

Other stuff for the year:
--I’m still working at Falcon Properties.  I keep getting more stuff added to my job description.  I’m now, technically, the Receptionist, Office Assistant, HOA Assistant, and HOA Bookkeeper.  I’m busy!!!!!!! 
--I’m also still taking voice lessons.  I competed in NATS this year.  (National Association of Teachers of Singing.)  I took 2nd place in Category 14b Musical Theatre.  That was pretty cool!  I’m also getting involved with the brand new Loveland Opera Theater.
--I now attend the Twin Peaks YSA Branch in Berthoud, which was formed in May.  It’s combined YSAs from the Loveland and Longmont Stakes.  I am currently the Sacrament Meeting Organist, which I love! 

It’s been a full year and I’m looking forward to see what 2006 will bring!

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year!!!!         

LOVE, ANGELA

Click here to see the 2006 Letter

Click here to see the 2007 Letter

Click here to see the 2008 Letter

Stay tuned for the 2009 Letter, coming SOON!!!!!!

Christmas Letters of Yore Part 2

Here are some more of my old Christmas Letters:

~2002~

Hello my friends!
    It’s time again for Angela’s Year in Review. It’s not much, but at least it’s keeping me off the streets and out of the bars.
    January through the beginning of March was a very stressful time for me.  3 days a week, I would work all day (7-4) and then go directly to Loveland High School for rehearsals of The Sound of Music.  My sister Shauna was the Assistant Director/Stage Manager (but she was basically the director) and I was the Technical Director (but basically the Assistant Director.)  We spent countless hours working on the show, and it was worth it.  It was a smashing success!  We were so proud of the kids.  Their hard work paid off as much as ours...and we all had a blast!
    In April, Veronica and I took a quick, weekend trip out to Washington DC to visit Justen!  Lots of fun!!!  We had less than two days, so we did a lot of drive by sightseeing (which meant Justen parked illegally and stayed in the car while Veronica and I jumped out to take pictures.  You really can see a lot of tourist stuff in a short amount of time that way!)  We also attended a ball at the French Embassy.  It was a lot of fun to get dressed up for that.   This was the first time that I had been out to DC since I was 7 months old.
    My summer was spent in the theatre, of course.  I was in Front Range Music Theatre’s production of Oklahoma! at the Lincoln Center in Ft. Collins.  That was the most professional show I’ve ever been in.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  I played the part of Ellen (One of the girls.  I was basically in the chorus, but I did have one solo and three lines.)  I hope to able to do another show with them, because...in case I didn’t mention it before....I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!!!
    In August, we took a family trip (all 6 of us in the mini-van) to Winter Quarters, NE, Nauvoo & Carthage, IL, and  Far West, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Liberty, & Independence, MO.   We had fun, but finally had to kick someone out.  So, Shauna was voted off the island (er...mini-van).  We left her in Springfield, Missouri to go to school at Southwest Missouri State.  She’s majoring in technical theatre and loving it!
    I spent October being a Loveland High School Band groupie, which included a weekend trip to Albuquerque, NM for the Zia Marching Fiesta.  They won that and went on, the very next weekend, to become the 4A State Champions!  Coolest thing ever!  My brother Neal is a member of the band this year and is on the drum line.
    I’m still working at the bank, but we are Home State Bank now, instead of American Bank.  That whole merger was (and still is) a big pain.  I need a job, though, and the job market stinks, so I’m staying put.  I’m still going to church in Greeley and still teaching Sunday School.  I’m playing flute and piccolo with the Loveland Concert Band, and I’m currently getting ready to sing a solo at our next concert!  I was also just involved with a presentation of Handel’s Messiah with a choir from church.  I sang the solo “Oh Thou That Tellest Good Tidings.” 
    I hope that life is being kind to you and that this Christmas time finds you well and happy!  May God bless you in all off your endeavors!

                                Your friend,
                                Angela
 
~2003~

Dear Friends,
    I guess it’s time, once again, for the ever popular Christmas letter. I’m not sure why I need to do it this year.  My basic situation has not changed.  I’m still living at home & still working at the bank.  There were, however, some really fun things that went on this year.  Since I’m not doing the Christmas card thing this Christmas (I’m a bit the Scroogy Grinch...or Grinchy Scrooge...or... never mind), I decided I’d better write a nice long e-mail, throw in some fun pictures, and call it a year.  So, here we go!!!
    I started off the year with a bang.  Or a crash, if you will.   The Sunday before New Years, I fell off the stairs at home (stop laughing) and sprained my ankle.  Nothing serious, but my family got a good laugh out of it, as they witnessed the whole thing. I had a quick recovery and was walking around downtown Salt Lake City less than a week later.  (We were there for my cousin Eric’s wedding.)  That was my right ankle, and I have no lasting effects from that.  Whew!
    This year, I began a new chapter in my vocal career.  I started taking voice lessons again.  I had only ever taken them in college, and hadn’t had a single one since I graduated.  Well, I finally got on the ball and started lessons with Juliana Bishop.  She is one of the best voice teachers in Loveland, and I’ve been doing some wonderful things with my voice since then!  My range has extended upwards, and I’m really not much of an alto anymore once I get warmed up.  It’s been a lot of fun!  She lets me sing pretty much whatever I want.  She even understands when I don’t practice a whole lot, which is nice. 
    May was a big month around here.  My sister Shauna moved back home and has transferred to UNC.  She changed her major slightly, and they didn’t have what she wanted in Missouri.  So she’s now at my alma mater, majoring in technical theatre!  About two weeks after she got home, my brother Craig got married to Robin Bair (from Delta, CO) in the Denver Temple.  They now live in Ft. Collins and are busy with school (CSU) and work. 
    You’ll never guess where I spent my summer!!!  That’s right....the theatre!!  Craig and I were in Front Range Music Theatre’s production of “Titanic: The Musical”.  We had an absolutely WONDERFUL time!  The show is amazing, the cast got along great, and it was just a fun time had by all!  I played Stewardess Robinson, a 2nd Class passenger, and a 3rd Class passenger.  I went through of a period of reading everything I could about the Titanic.  I researched characters and came up with personas for my nameless passenger characters.  Had to go through rehab when the show was over and so I’m now a recovering Titanic addict.  Strange things can happen when my love for history meets my love for musical theatre.  Ah, but it was a great time!!!  Shauna was the Assistant Stage Manager, and my dad was on the set crew.  We had a blast!!!!!
    Once the summer ended, it was back to our favorite Fall activity: MARCHING BAND!  My brother Neal is still on the Loveland High School drum line.  The band had a great show this year.  The music was from Cirque du Soleil (Quidam and Dralion).  They had a great season, as well.  Got off to a slow start, but ended up winning State again!  But the season didn’t end with State, as it normally does.  Two weeks later, the band was in San Antonio, Texas for the Bands of America Super Regional.  My mom and I flew down there for the weekend to see them.  We weren’t planning on going at first, but then found a deal on the internet that we couldn’t resist.  So, we left Colorado in the snow and cold and went down to the sun and humidity of San Antonio!  We had a blast!  Our hotel was on the Riverwalk, which is GORGEOUS!  I learned that you can take the girl out of Colorado, but you can’t take Colorado out of the girl.  I refused to leave my jacket in the hotel room.  I had it tied around my waist wherever we went.  I’m so used to Colorado’s freaky weather.  I couldn’t even comprehend that the weather would stay warm all the time in Texas!  It took until our last day there before I would leave the room without my jacket!!   Loveland ended up winning Class AA in prelims.  They didn’t make finals, but were able to perform in exhibition at finals because of their earlier win.  It was wonderful to be there and see all their hard work pay off!!!
    Once marching band is over, there’s really nothing else to do for the rest of the year.  We had one more wedding, my cousin Stephanie, and then it was time to focus on Christmas again!  And the New Year!!!  I can’t believe that it’s almost been 4 years since I graduated from college.  Where DOES the time go?  Oh, well!!!  I’m looking forward to a prosperous 2004.  I’ve got some exciting theatre projects in the works.  If everything goes as planned, I’m in a busy year!!!  Even if things don’t go as planned, it’ll still be busy!!!! 
    I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year treats you well!  God bless us, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

 Ah...2003.  I see the cynicism beginning to creep in.  It's all downhill from here, Angela!!!  Well, not all downhill.  But the peaks are getting higher, and the valleys are getting lower.  Can't have one without the other.  Opposition in all things, after all!

Christmas Letters of Yore

I am currently working on my 2009 Christmas letter.  I noticed that I have some old ones still saved on my computer.  So, I thought I'd share some of them.  They are actually quite funny.  I was so optimistic!  Silly, Angela.  Optimism is SO overrated.  Cynicism is the way to go!

Anyhoo...  Here is Christmas Letter 2001:

A Christmas Letter
 from Angela!
Aren’t you excited?

    Hello, my dear friends!  I just wanted to give you a quick update on my life!  I don’t e-mail quite as much as I used to, so a lot of people don’t know what’s going on with me!  So here is your update of my year 2001!
    In February and March, I played the role of Florinda, Cinderella’s step sister in the Jesters Dinner Theater production of Into the Woods.  I had SO MUCH FUN!!  That is such a great show to do!  Very difficult, but a wonderful challenge!  I was exhausted after the two month run and went into theater hiatus.  Haven’t done a thing since, but I’m just getting started on a new theater project.  I’ll explain that later.
    At the end of May, I lost my job of 9 months at The Music Maker.  The store went out of business.  The store closing was a good thing...trust me.  But being out of a job wasn’t.  I’d only started paying on my student loans the previous November.  I had known for a few months that the end of the store was near, so I was able to plan ahead financially.  (The $2/hour raise they gave me to keep me from quitting didn’t hurt.)  I paid ahead on my loans and saved a lot.  So, I was okay until I finally got a new job at the end of August.  (Ah...what a great summer it was.  Got to be lazy!!!)
    I am currently employed at American Bank here in Loveland.  I’m a full time teller.  It’s been so much fun!  I actually like my job!  Now when has that ever happened?! ☺ I work from 7 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday with an occasional Saturday.  (So occasional, that I’ve worked at the bank for 3 months and never worked a Saturday!)  It’s really great!  The people are nice and it’s a good place to work. 
    So...what’s in store for me during 2002?  Well, for starters...here’s my new theater project.  I’m going to be the Technical Director for Loveland High School’s production of The Sound of Music.   My sister Shauna is the Assistant Director/Stage Manager.  I’m pretty much just  being paid to be at the school on Saturdays during work calls, but I’ll be at rehearsals during the week to offer my assistance.  I know that show like the back of my hand. ☺   The show is going to be really good!  I’m excited!!!!
    Other than the show, my year is pretty much open.  My brother Craig will be coming home from his mission (Austria Vienna Mission) at the end of July.  We’re hoping to take a family trip out to Nauvoo and Missouri at the beginning of August.  That’s still in the planning stages, though. 
    Well, I hope that the year has been kind to you, and that you are having a great Christmas Season.   God bless us, everyone! ☺
                                                                                        Your friend,
                                                                                        Angela

Funny...I liked my job at the bank.  Wow, it SO did not end up like that in the end!

I'll share a few more of these over the next couple of days before I post this year's letter!  ENJOY!!

And remember:  The 12 Absurd Days of Christmas starts on December 13th!  DON'T MISS IT!

My Film Debut!

Don't get excited.  I'm not up for any Oscars or Golden Globes...yet.  All in good time.

No, last night I helped out a friend with a film shoot for the Acting for Film class at Up in Lights.  First I made the basement of UIL look like a basement of a house where a sleepover would take place.  This involved combing the room for anything to make it look less like a storage area and more like a house.  It ended up looking pretty good.  We only had to hold up a sheet a couple of times to block certain things.  So, I was the "Art Director."  I kept thinking I was the Set Dresser, but that's a theatre term.  I remembered Art Director in the middle of the night!  Wait, maybe I was the Set Decorator.  Whatever.

So what's it called when you are holding up a light?  Rigger?  Best boy grip?  I have no idea. But I did that, too.  I know I looked funny, because the kids were laughing at me.  I was standing on a chair, holding up the light against a furnace pipe (or whatever that was).  The cord kept coming out of the extension cord, so I had to hold that between my knees to keep it plugged in.  Then the cord was in the shot, so I was holding it with my teeth until I could maneuver enough to get the cord over my shoulder.  Then I held it like that for awhile.  Not sure how long, but it felt like hours.  It was a good work out for my biceps.

During the dancing scene, I pushed play on the iPhone so they had something to dance to.  Does that make me the Music Supervisor?  It wasn't my phone, and I didn't pick the song.  So probably not.

In the end, I got to have a short cameo in the film.  I played the mom.  I came in and discovered what they were doing to the poor nerdy girl and angrily made my "daughter" go upstairs for a whuppin'.

It was a fun night!  I've never done anything like that before, even doing videos and stuff in school.  Theatre is still my one true love, but film is FUN!!  I'd like to do more.  HINT HINT!!!  It seriously was the funnest 6 hours I've spent in a long time!

William Benjamin Linus Hinks

Ode to a cool actor...

Michael Emerson scared the CRAP out of me during his 4 episode arc as William Hinks on The Practice (late 2000, early 2001).  He was a creepy, CREEPY serial killer that stalked Lindsey.  We talked about him for YEARS afterwards.

Fast forward 5 years and this creepy guy turns up on Lost, playing Benjamin Linus.  I looked him up on www.imdb.com and almost peed my pants when I realized that IT WAS THE SAME GUY!!!!

That's when I realized.  Wow!  This guy is a really good actor!  He's amazing on Lost.  Love him!  And he won an Emmy for it!  (And he won an Emmy for William Hinks, too!)

Here's the kicker:  before he played creepy serial killers and tormented leaders on TV, he did theatre.  Specifically, Shakespeare COMEDIES!  HA!  That's awesome!

Some people pick their favorite actors based on look.  I pick my favorite actors based on acting abilities and range.  Michael Emerson is now one of my favorite actors!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0256237/

The 12 Absurd Days of Christmas

Christmas is a funny thing at my house.  We have tons of decorations, and we rarely decorate the same 2 years in a row.  Somethings we only do once (like put the nativity scene on top of our closed grand piano.  We never allow that anymore, because the poor piano sounded like a caged animal for the entire month!)  Somethings remain the same, and some things move around.  I think our tree has been in every part of the living room.  It's really fun, because Christmas never gets boring!  (Not that it would, but...you know what I mean!)  We love Christmas at our house!  And we are also very strange. Christmas is fun and FUNNY!!!!!

So, to share with you the silliness and joy of Christmas Johnson Style, I will be doing the 12 Absurd Days of Christmas.  I'll start on the 13th and do one a day through Christmas Eve!  I would start today and do them all at once, but I think it will be fun to stretch it out!  (Plus, it will give me time to find the infamous photo of the Baby Jesus' Bodyguard.  See...there's a hint of what's to come!  Are you excited?!  I am!!!)

Look for Angela's 12 Absurd Days of Christmas starting December 13, 2009.  Coming a blog near you!!

There will be no documentary made

...called "A Day in the Life of Angela".  Why not?  Because my life is so boring!!!  Imagine if you will, a documentary filmed today.  You would fall asleep.

• Got up at 6:45
• Ate breakfast
• Got ready
• Went to work
• Worked (mixed with a lot of Facebook) until noon
• Went home for lunch
• Ate lunch
• Helped my dad carry a box down the stairs (and almost dropped it.  Okay...that was funny!)
• Played Sleigh Ride on the piano (badly)
• Went back to work at 1:00
  
• Worked (mixed with a lot of Facebook) until 4:25 pm
• Went to the post office and mailed a stack of mail
• Went to the bank and dropped off a deposit
• Went home
• Played around on the computer for awhile
• Read People Magazine
• Ate dinner
• Went to a short rehearsal
• Came home
• Played around on the computer
  
• Watched Night at the Museum 2
• Worked on my cross stitch
• Enjoyed a nice cup of hot cocoa & a nice bowl of popcorn
• Watched the bonus features on Night at the Museum 2 (NOTE:  the gag reel for that movie is the funniest gag reel EVER!!!!)
• Played around on the computer
• Wrote this incredibly boring blog
• It's now 10:30, and unless something exciting is going down on Facebook in the next few minutes, I will probably be in bed by 11:00 pm.

See?  Boring day!!!  If someone wanted to make a documentary about my day, they should have done it on September 19th.  I had a rehearsal, an audition, a photo shoot, and a pirate party that day!  It was awesome!

I need something to spice up my life.  I'm really, really bored. 

Apples vs. Ashes: The Mystery of the Random Word Change

Don't you hate it when you forget the words to a song you know backwards and forwards?  Seriously, it's one of the most annoying things about singing.  Instrumentalists don't have to remember words as well as notes!  I remember one jury in college, they asked me to sing my French song (I can't remember now what it was) and I totally forgot the words in the middle.  I just sang whatever French sounding words & syllables I could think of until I got back on track.  The professors were looking at me like "What?!"  I could see my voice teacher chuckling a little.  I got through the song and made a hasty retreat.  My friend was in the hall and had heard the whole thing.  "That was interesting," she said.  I just smiled.  I had survived the song, whether the words made sense or not!

I've learned all kinds of tricks over the years to remember certain words and phrases in songs.  Heck, not just songs.  My lines in shows, too.  I recently did my first play in many years (I primarily do musicals), and I had a ton of lines to memorize.  I figured out clues in other actors' lines and clues in my own lines to remember what came next.  And I made it through!  I never dropped a line!

Well, nothing could have prepared me for what happened at my voice lesson last night.  I am singing "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" for the recital this Sunday, and I know that song backwards and forwards.  I've obviously known the poem for even longer.  Well, I was singing away and this is what came out of my mouth:

All bundled in fur from his head to his foot
His clothes were all tarnished with apples and soot.

What?  Apples?  I started laughing.  Where did THAT come from?  It just came out.  Ashes.  ASHES!!!!

I can be a fairly random person, but even this took me by surprise.  Ah, the joy and silliness of singing!