2010 in Review

Well to keep tradition alive, I am going to do a quick picture-recap of my year. I never write in this thing so maybe it'll give you some idea of what my year was like :)

JANUARY:

New Years' Eve was spent at Happy Ending in LA...with amazing friends both from high school and college. Vicki and I kicked everyone's butts in beer pong and we met the most insane people and had the craziest adventures. It was the absolute best way I could have celebrated the beginning of 2010.

FEBRUARY:

February was my trip to Washington, D.C. to sing at the Kennedy Center...There was 3 feet of snow and many adventures to be had. And amazing friends who took buses through the snow to come see me perform...It was such a blessing and an honor and is one of my dearest memories of the entire year.

MARCH:

March was spent filming for our webseries "The Sunset Players." It was always stressful but always fun and I learned so much. We premiered on March 15th...Enjoy episode 1 all over again!

APRIL:

April was the month of 42nd Street with my high school kids. This picture captures the moment my kids told me they bought me a massage after I complained of my back hurting over and over from playing and conducting...I was pretty excited.

MAY:

I produced and performed in my first Cabaret at the Lounge with some amazing friends...It was probably one of the most stressful things I have ever put on my own shoulders but in the end, one of the most satisfying. It was such a joy to be able to give my friends an opportunity to perform together!


And my beautiful sister, Emily, graduated from Arizona State University! We took a family trip to Arizona without Gracie who stayed home for her senior prom...When did my entire family grow up?!

JUNE:

June was an incredibly eventful month with way too many graduations...starting with my little Gracie from Louisville High School.


And next was my brother Tommy from Our Lady of Grace. 3 graduations for one family...it was a crazy time but we had so much fun celebrating!


I can't forget that all my friends graduated from UC Irvine, too...This picture is all of us getting ready for the 2nd Annual Boat Party. That's right. I started a party that has now become an "annual" tradition. WOOHOO!

JULY:

This picture basically describes my life, but it was taken during my summer show, Once On This Island. That was one of my favorite shows I have ever played and I loved every minute of it.

AUGUST:

The 3 of us girls packed our bags and went to South Carolina for our friend Robert's wedding. I met the bride in the bathroom during the reception. True story. But Robert has been a dear friend since I was 15 years old, and it was wonderful traveling and seeing him get married. We had a Lord's Day during the reception and sang praises at the top of our lungs and danced all night. It was amazing.

SEPTEMBER:

September was back to school time. This is our back to school picnic picture - with 2 amazing students and my beautiful co-worker and dear friend, Brittany. We had just finished casting Little Women and had no idea what a big project we had just embarked on.

OCTOBER:

This is the obligatory choir retreat photo...I chaperoned again and had endless adventures with my kids. We stayed up all night with the lights out as I told scary stories and made all my girls scream. I had to protect them from tarantulas, and boys wearing clown masks and throwing shaving cream in each other's faces. I had to yell a lot but secretly I was having a blast...I love being a teacher.

NOVEMBER:

November began with the loss of my beautiful grandmother, Wayo. Very poignantly she went home to God on All Saint's Day. Rest in peace, sweet Wayo.

This was probably the most difficult month of my year. I played and conducted You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and felt like I couldn't breathe due to stress and anxiety. I was in rehearsal for Little Women, and during all of this, due to personal differences my roommate and I moved out of our apartment. I lived with family friends for this entire month and it was so beautiful and lovely...It was so selfless of them and I experienced more love than I had in a very long time. They were my guardian angels. Thank God for them.

DECEMBER:
There are absolutely no pictures of me doing Little Women. While it was never as stressful as Charlie Brown, it was still an emotional roller coaster and I held my breath through most of it.


I sang in the 3-year anniversary show and possible closing of Caffeinated Cabaret, run by my dear friend Jordan. It was an honor and a joy to sing Christmas songs with so many dear friends at such a special event.

And finally...


I came home to Wilson World for Christmas and celebrated with all of our traditions, like making a million cookies...and eating them all. It has been beautiful being home. And yes, we spent Christmas Eve in the back of our mom's van singing Christmas carols at the top of our lungs just like last year. We also added on classics like "Take a Bow" and "Single Ladies" just for kicks. People loved it.

So long, 2010. As much as these pictures hold beautiful and wonderful memories, the second half of this year was very, very difficult for me. I am so ready to let go and start over. It is time for new beginning and this girl is so excited. 2011, let's go.