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!