ChoirGirl

Ready for my closeup!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:34:00 +0000

I finally have the pictures from my photo shoot! There are lots of pictures in the post, but only about half of what was on the disc. I am also on the W Talent website and will be having comp cards made soon.

Shots around downtown Salt Lake City:

Shots at Pioneer Park:

Headshots (I wasn't crazy about any of the headshots, so we're using one of the pictures with the gray shirt instead):

Dress shots (2nd to last one was when the photographer told me to be goofy. I also jumped up and down, but didn't include the picture, because I look ridiculous):

Ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:52:00 +0000

I participated in several Halloween activities this year. The weekend before Halloween, I went to a pumpkin carving party hosted by Katy and her brother. I carved two pumpkins--one has a haunted house and the other has lots of stars. I stole the pumpkin photos from Katy's Facebook pics, because mine didn't turn out. Hope she doesn't mind!

Brother Eggett hosted a Latter-Day Celebration costume party at his home the day before Halloween. I only stayed for an hour, because I also had Chorale rehearsal that evening. We carved some more pumpkins and played a charades game while I was there, and I got some fun pictures.

Erin and me:

Me and Nate:

Paul:

Katy and Nathan:

On Halloween night, I went with some friends to see the silent movie "Phantom of the Opera" with live organ. It was the 1925 version with Lon Chaney as the Phantom. My friend, Mike Ohman, was the organist. Most of the audience members were wearing Halloween costumes and there was a little show preceding the movie. It started with a coffin being carried onto the stage amid smoke (dry ice) and spooky music. Then the lid opened and out came Michael Ohman! He even wore a Phantom cape. He went the organ and played impressively and then a couple came out dressed in 1920's outfits and sang a song. The movie itself was great and the audience was very reactive--screaming, booing, hissing, gasping, laughing, etc. It was definitely a fun way to spend Halloween night.

Cara, John, and me before the movie:

Me with Justin after the movie:

My day as a model

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:34:00 +0000

I had my first official photo shoot as a model on Thursday, October 16th, and thought it was about time I posted about it. It's a pretty detailed post, because I'm long winded and like to talk about myself. I was a bit nervous about the shoot, which was a weird feeling, since I usually don't get nervous about things. I was mostly worried that I wouldn't know what I was doing and the people at the agency would wonder why in the world they signed me! I also felt some anxiety about being one of the first plus models to sign with W Talent. It felt like there was a lot of pressure on Jenny and I to be perfect right off the bat. I fretted about my clothes a lot, of course. I want to give a big thank you to Mom, Amy, Melanie, Jenni, Shelley, Josh, and Jenny for helping me decide what to wear. I'll include what I wore for each section of shots, although only the people who helped with the clothes will really know what I'm talking about. :) I took at least two complete outfits for every shot, and then the stylist decided which would photograph best.

Jenny and I scheduled our shoots on the same day so we could go together and be there to support each other. The photographer, Joe, decided to alternate between us instead of shooting just Jenny for three hours and then just me for three hours. It worked out really well, because it gave us time to go to downtown Salt Lake, rather than just doing everything at the agency. It was more tiring that way, though, because there wasn't much time for one of us to rest while the other was being photographed. We spent about the first hour in hair and makeup, which took place here:

I was wearing slippery pants and kept sliding around on those weird stools/chairs. Out stylist's name is Danelle, and she followed us around during the shoot, fixing our hair and makeup as we went. I wish I had someone to do that all the time!

For the first shots, we went right downtown and got pictures around the buildings. I found a picture online that looks an awful lot like the corner where Joe took some photos of Jenny walking down the sidewalk. It might even be the same spot.

He took some pics of me around the corner pretending to open a car door. There were some benches along the sidewalk where he got more shots of Jenny, and then we went down an alley and he took pictures of me in a corner between a building and a gate. I wore a gray shirt with a plaid collar, black dress pants, and gray heels for the downtown shots. My hair was down and straight.

For the next set, we went to Pioneer Park.

It's a pretty big park with a playground, basketball court, and lots of trees. There was a fence along one side where we took pictures with my French horn. I actually played my horn in the middle of the park. There are a lot of bums that hang around there, and they were interested in what we were doing. One guy yelled out, "Hey, can I take a picture with you pretty ladies?" Another guy started rapping, "I like big butts ..." as we were walking across the park. I took it as a compliment, because he seemed like he meant it that way. There was a kid around ten who asked me about my French horn. Joe took pictures of Jenny in the playground area, and a guy stopped and asked if we were models from a magazine. I wore a bright pink scoop neck tee with jeans and awesome pink, blue, and white plaid heels. Danelle put a small French braid in the front and down the side of my hair and the rest was straight.

After the park, we went back to the agency for headshots and dressy shots. I wet my hair to make it curly for the second half of the photos and Danelle played it up and sprayed it a lot. There's a fountain outside behind the agency where I sat for my headshots. I wore a dark purple shirt. The dressy shots were taken in a little studio area inside with a plain white backdrop. I wore a sapphire blue dress with gray heels.

Once I was actually having my picture taken, I wasn't nervous at all. The photographer was good at directing us and was jokey and friendly. He made me feel very comfortable. I felt like it went well, but I was glad to go eat when it was over! We should be getting our proofs in a week or two. Now I'm worried about what the pictures actually look like ...

Pic 6

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:37:00 +0000

I was tagged from my friend, Katy's blog to post the 6th picture from my 6th picture file and tell about it. I was thinking I wouldn't do it, but then I looked at what the picture would be, and it was too funny to not do it:

I was messing around, creating fake magazine covers with some modeling pics and made this one of Josh. I showed it to him and I think he liked it!

I'm not tagging anyone in particular, but if you'd like to post a picture, feel free.

Busy as a Buzzing Bee

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:37:00 +0000

It's time to stop putting off my blog post. I had to look in my planner to remember what I've been up to for the last month. Here are the highlights:

Sunday, September 7

I played the organ and piano for the combined Orem Institute choirs at the worldwide broadcast for the Church Educational System. We performed "Nearer, My God, to Thee" and "My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee." Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was the speaker, and he specifically requested the songs. He even spoke about them in his talk. The Spirit was incredibly strong during the whole meeting and the songs went very well. You can still watch it on lds.org. I'm so grateful to have had such an amazing experience.

Monday, September 8

Josh and I went to W Talent to check out an acting class. It was interesting, but I think I would benefit more from the modeling classes than the acting. Neither of us have much time for the classes now anyway, but it was good to see what they were like.

Friday, September 12

LDC had an opening social. We played games, got to know each other better, and ate pizza. The picture is from one of those games where you all link hands and try to get untangled without letting go. Our group never got out of the tangled mess. Afterward, some of us went to Jamba Juice to hang out and exchange phone numbers. Good times.

Saturday, September 13

Welcome, baby Hyrum! Melanie had a brand new baby boy. He is little, but healthy. She called in the afternoon to tell me about it and said everything went well. I love his expression in the picture!

Later on, I went to Tucanos Brazilian Grill with a group of girls for Jenny's birthday. We had to wait a long time for a table, but it was really fun once we were seated. We had three male waiters who were very attractive and very flirty.

Sunday, September 14

It was little Amy's birthday, so I called her and we talked for about a half hour (she did most of the talking). One of the first things she said was, "I got a little brother for my birthday! It's the best present ever!" She's so cute!
It was also Jenny's actual birthday, so she had a dinner at her house. I went with Adam, and Josh met us there, along with Clint, Craig, Karee, Jen, Paola, and lots of other friends. Jenny and I both made yummy enchiladas.

Friday, September 19
Chorale had a social at the Institute. I don't have my pictures from it yet. We had hot dogs and played some games. Afterward, I had one of the most awkward "dates" ever. A boy asked if I wanted to see Indiana Jones at the dollar theater, and two other boys decided to go along. It made for an interesting night.

Wednesday, September 24

My cousin, Zach, entered the MTC and I went to see him off with his parents. He is going to the California Santa Rosa Mission. I asked if he was nervous, and he said, "No, I'm just excited." He couldn't stop smiling. My aunt was very good. She cried, of course, but wasn't overly clingy, and my uncle just got some tears in his eyes. Afterward, I introduced my aunt and uncle to the MTC President and his wife. They were very gracious and thanked my aunt and uncle for sending their son on a mission. They also said some kind things about me, which was nice.
I also had the first of a week and a half of 7:00 a.m. rehearsals at the MTC. Around 365 missionaries are singing for the Priesthood Session of General Conference. I wish I could go with them, but it is a men's meeting. I've decided to go to the Institute tomorrow and watch just the songs during the broadcast. It would be sad to have spent all that time rehearsing with the choir and not get to see them perform. A Tabernacle Choir organist will be accompanying them for the meeting.

Friday, September 26
I had dinner at Josh's place with him, Jenny, and Adam. I cooked spaghetti, Josh made pineapple-coconut drinks, Adam made fancy green beans, and Jenny brought salad. After dinner, we went to see the movie Igor. It had funny parts, but I wouldn't say it was an overall great movie. We went back to Josh's after the movie and had fruit salad for dessert. Everybody had a good time.

Saturday, September 27
I watched the Relief Society Session of General Conference. It was very uplifting, and I especially enjoyed President Uchtdorf's talk. Some of my favorite things he said:
"The differences between men and women can be quite striking--physically, mentally, and emotionally."
"Our splendid sisters sometimes undervalue their abilities."
"You don't need money or influence to create something of substance and beauty."
"As spirit daughters of our Heavenly Father, happiness is your heritage."

Saturday, September 28
I played for a missionary fireside at the Institute. The Provo mission president was the featured speaker. His wife and a couple of elders spoke before him.

Monday, September 29

My buddy Paul got back from Basic Training! Yay! It was great to see him. He even bought me lunch. Then we pretended we were monsters! Actually, the picture is from LDC tour and we were imitating the animals behind us.

Tuesday, September 30

I had four rehearsals and a performance in one day! After the MTC devotional, some members of the Church Music Committee came to hear the elders practice for General Conference. It was the first time practicing with the organ, so I cranked it up and the elders were singing at the tops of their voices. At the end of "Called to Serve," the Committee members clapped and the director turned to me and said, "Nice organ playing!" Then all the missionaries gave me a standing ovation. I couldn't believe it. It was like something you tell someone you dreamed about, only it really happened!

Wednesday, October 1

I went tree climbing with Josh after LDC. Yes, I really did. I can't remember the last time I climbed a tree--it was probably at girls' camp. There are some good climbing trees and little hills in the south part of UVU campus. Cari, a girl from choir, met us about twenty minutes into it and only stayed for a little while. My arms got scraped up, but it was fun. I took a picture of Josh in one of the trees--he was climbing all over like a monkey!

Tag, your blog is it!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:33:00 +0000

I have been tagged by Katy Confessional

Rules:
(I changed the rules a little, because I think rules should be bendable)
Link the person who tagged you. Mention the rules on your blog.
Tell 6 unspectacular quirky things about you or your family.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.
Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers' blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

1. I spend every night with Chopin.
Since I'm a musician, you're probably thinking I listen to Chopin while going to sleep at night. Nope. I'm talking about my teddy bear named Chopin that I've slept with since high school. I know, I know ... I'm 34 and still sleep with a teddy bear. I'm just so used to having something tucked under my arm in bed, it's hard to sleep without him. He's very worn out now--one ear has no lining and the stuffing is all squeezed out of his neck. He was bright white, but now he's more off-white, even though I wash him regularly, and he has a black bow tie.

2. I love my hair.
Maybe that's not really quirky, but I know so many women who aren't happy with their hair. I really lucked out in that department. I like how thick it is, and that it's curly, but not so curly I can't straighten it when I want to. It also holds artificial curl well, which really isn't fair, since it's already curly naturally. I've been able to wear it pretty much every length from really short to really long without it looking weird.

3. My life is a musical.
You know how people who aren't into musicals claim that in real life, people don't break out in song with accompaniment and dancing? Well, ha, ha on them, because in my family, it really happens! I remember one Christmas I was helping set up the tree, and my mom started singing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Pretty soon, I was at the piano playing, and my dad got out his trumpet, and everyone was singing and dancing around the room. Yep, we're weird... and AWESOME!

4. I like boys.
About 95% of the boys I've dated--seriously, casually, and even ones I didn't like much--have been younger than me. And I've dated a lot... a lot. Age has never been an issue for me, though I sometimes worry that my being older will make whoever I'm dating feel less manly. There have been times when I've thought a guy just didn't have enough life experience for me, but mostly men are either mature or they aren't, and age has little to do with it.

5. Nervous? What's that?
I don't get nervous when I perform. I think it's because I've been doing it all my life, so it feels natural. Even when I played for a world-wide broadcast recently, the choir directors were nervous and I was fine. I always practice and feel well prepared, so I can actually enjoy the performance. It's the most fun thing I do!

6. I can't go anywhere without my water bottle.
I'm addicted to purified water. I have to have a bottle with me at all times--at work, in the car, at the piano (even in performances), on dates, etc. Good thing it's only 15 cents a bottle in the break room at work. Part of the reason I carry a big purse is so I can fit a water bottle in it. It's especially helpful on shopping marathons!

Blogs I'm tagging:
When your heart is involved, it all comes out in moron
Soap Box Podium
News From Wyoming
Our Family
Melanie's Memories
I'm Bloggin' It!

What have you done with your life?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:18:00 +0000

I really liked this list from my aunt's blog, because it made me think about what I've done in my life and what I'd still like to do. You just copy the list and bold the things you've done. It was difficult to refrain from adding comments about certain items on the list, but I somehow managed it.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal or physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where at least four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Been inside the pyramids
115. Shot a basketball into a basket
116. Danced at a disco
117. Played in a band
118. Shot a bird
119. Gone to an arboretum
120. Tutored someone
121. Ridden a train
122. Brought an old fad back into style
123. Eaten caviar
124. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
125. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
126. Published a book
127. Pieced a quilt
128. Lived in a historic place
129. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
130. Asked for a raise
131. Made a hole-in-one
132. Gone deep sea fishing
133. Gone roller skating
134. Run a marathon
135. Learned to surf
136. Invented something
137. Flown first class
138. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
139. Flown in a helicopter
140. Visited Africa
141. Sang a solo
142. Gone spelunking
143. Learned how to take a compliment
144. Written a love-story
145. Seen Michelangelo’s David
146. Had your portrait painted
147. Written a fan letter
148. Spent the night in something haunted
149. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
150. Ran away from home
151. Learned to juggle
152. Been a boss
153. Sat on a jury
154. Lied about your weight
155. Gone on a diet
156. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
157. Written a poem
158. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
159. Gotten food poisoning
160. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
161. Hiked the Grand Canyon
162. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
163. Gone to the opera
164. Gotten a letter from someone famous
165. Worn knickers
166. Ridden in a limousine
167. Attended the Olympics
168. Can hula or waltz
169. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
170. Been stuck in an elevator
171. Had a revelatory dream
172. Thought you might crash in an airplane
173. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
174. Saved someone’s life
175. Eaten raw whale
176. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
177. Laughed till your side hurt
178. Straddled the equator
179. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
180. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
181. Sent a message in a bottle
182. Spent the night in a hostel
183. Been a cashier
184. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
185. Joined a union
186. Donated blood or plasma
187. Built a camp fire
188. Kept a blog
189. Had hives
190. Worn custom made shoes or boots
191. Made a PowerPoint presentation
192. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
193. Served at a soup kitchen
194. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
195. Know CPR
196. Ridden in a convertible
197. Found a long lost friend
198. Helped solve a crime
199. Shaken hands with a famous person
200. Commented on ChoirGirl's Blog

I've been short on time lately and haven't posted for awhile, so this was good quick thing for me to do. I'll be doing a regular post this weekend, hopefully.

Grandpa's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:47:00 +0000

Joseph, Miriam, and I went to Salt Lake this evening for Grandpa A.'s birthday dinner at Uncle Dan's house. As soon as the front door opened, I knew Grandpa had been cooking from the yummy smells wafting out. He made lasagna and his famous meatballs that no one else seems to be able to duplicate. We also had some fresh fruit and salad. Then we sat and talked and just had fun being together. I made an 8x8 scrapbook of the "Florida" grandkids for Grandpa's birthday gift and decided to scan it and share it on my blog. I scanned two pages to an image, except the title page, so it's how you would see it in the book. If there are photos of you in here and you don't like them, please don't be mad. I just grabbed a bunch of pictures from Facebook and had them printed, because I was very limited on time this week. That's why some of the pictures are kind of blurry. Grandpa liked them all and laughed at some of them. For some reason, he thought the picture of Johnny's face was the funniest. Of course, I had to include a picture at the end of everybody eating. It's the 3rd thing we do best as a family (1st is music and 2nd is talking).

Choir, Choir, Pants on Fire!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:22:00 +0000

Fall choir at the Orem Institute started last Thursday. It felt good to be back in my comfort zone on the piano bench. We had about 250 people there for the first rehearsal, because we're providing the music for the CES Fireside this coming Sunday. You can watch us on BYU TV at 6:00 Mountain Time. They'll show me for sure, since I'll be playing the piano and the organ. I actually had all three choirs yesterday, which rarely happens. The MTC choir rehearsed at 4:15, LDC rehearsed at 6:30 and performed around 7:30, and LDC and Chorale combined for the CES rehearsal at 8:00. I didn't leave the Institute until almost 11:00. I'm still tired from it! It's a good kind of tired, though, because I felt productive and appreciated, and I can't be accused of not sharing my talents. :) LDC auditions are this week and official rehearsals start next week. Here we go!!!

As for other things going on, Joseph and Miriam moved back to Provo for school. They found an apartment about halfway between my place and BYU and moved in today. They've been staying with me since Wednesday night and it's been crowded, but not too bad. It's nice to have more family in Utah again. Uncle Dan and Aunt Marianne and some of their children live in Salt Lake, but I don't have time to see them very often.

Grandpa A. is visiting Utah for a couple weeks and came to my place with my aunt on Friday night and Joseph and Miriam were there too. It was fun visiting and talking with them. Joseph, Miriam, and I are going to Salt Lake for a day-late birthday party for Grandpa.

Today was a paid holiday for me, but I decided to work a few hours to get a head start on a busy week. Of course, I had to go shopping with Jenny and Karee first! With all the Labor Day sales going on, I spent less than $40 and got two shirts, a jacket, a hanging lantern/flower holder, a really good smelling sachet, a "BOO!" Halloween sign for my door, some sugar free chocolate for me, and some fudge for Joseph and Miriam. Shopping is one of my favorite hobbies. Too bad it's also the most expensive. I think I did pretty well today, though. If you love shopping too and live around Provo or SLC, you should check out Gardner Village.
There are lots of little shops and a restaurant and everything is decorated with cute stuff. That's where I got the things that weren't clothes. Craig and Clint met us there for lunch and then Craig bought an awesome table and chair set for his kitchen at one of the stores. My favorite store is called Anastasia's Attic. They have lots of girly things like sparkly hair pins, scented sachets, fancy masks, decorative candle snuffers, etc. I got the sparkly "BOO!" sign there.

Last Week of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:46:00 +0000

The last full week before the Institute choirs start for Fall has passed. There were a lot of things I would've liked to get done in my apartment this summer that just didn't happen. Ah, well. Here's a rundown of my last Summer week:

Monday
I was supposed to practice with Josh for a concert happening Friday, but on his way to my place, he talked to the people in charge and they said they didn't need him anymore. He came over anyway to return some music books and we sat in the living room for about an hour talking and complaining about being tired. I guess it wasn't a bad way to spend my lunch break, although it was disappointing that we didn't get to perform in the concert.

Tuesday
The MTC choir sang "Where Can I Turn for Peace?" and I accompanied on piano. Elder Dallin H. Oaks was the speaker. I love him.

Wednesday
I went to a Mary Kay party at Jenny's house. There were just a few of us, but it was fun trying stuff out and Jenny did a good job of explaining Mary Kay's goals, new products, etc. She is going to do a back to school makeover party at my house this week. Yay!

Thursday
This was the most fun day of the week. I picked Josh up at UVU and we picked Jenny up at work in Lehi. We went to W Talent to sign papers and talk about options for photo shoots, etc. Josh wanted to check out Nordstrom Rack, because he has a store gift certificate, so we went there after W Talent. He was funny, dancing while he was trying on a bunch of jackets. I was either laughing or smirking and shaking my head at him most of the time we were there. He tried on a really crazy shirt and Jenny took a picture of him and me. Then we went to Wendy's, where a bunch of high school cheerleaders were checking him out when he went to get ketchup or plastic ware or something. Yeah, that's how it goes whenever I'm with Josh. Which leads to ....

Friday
Friday was the day I felt invisible. Without going into detail, I'll just say I figured out that sometimes spending time with a hot guy means people pretty much ignore me and only pay attention to him. :( It was like Thursday was a highly caffeinated drink and Friday was the crash afterward. Friday night, Jenny came over and brought sloppy joes. We ate and tagged yard sale items while watching About a Boy. That's my favorite Hugh Grant movie. I felt a bit better after that.

Saturday
Yard sale at my place! Jenny brought stuff over and we did a combined yard sale. We didn't make much money, but at least we got rid of some things, which I really needed to do. Then we went to Chuck-a-rama. After that, Jana texted me about a goodbye party for Brady before he leaves on his mission, so I went for awhile and then worked late.

Sunday
I went to Brady's mission farewell. There was a lunch at his parents' house at 11 and his Sacrament Meeting was at 1. Brady's talk was very good--he's going to be such an amazing missionary. He has this undeniable light in his eyes. Some members of LDC sang "Gentle Voice" after he spoke, and I played for them. It went well. I had MTC rehearsal that afternoon and Brother Eggett directed. We're doing "Behold the Wounds In Jesus' Hands" with organ this week, which I'm really happy about. It's my favorite choir song to play on the organ (Mack Wilberg's "Redeemer of Israel" is a close second). I went to Jenny's for dinner after the rehearsal. She made some really tasty chicken. After dinner, we looked at some more modeling contests we might enter. Oh! I forgot to say that I wasn't chosen as a finalist for the Torrid Model Search. Neither was Jenny. I'm totally fine with it, though. I'm actually a little relieved, because I didn't know how I'd have time to go to California to model for them anyway.

It's funny how I thought I'd have all this free time during the summer. I should know myself better by now. I just can't manage to let myself have free time--I always end up filling it somehow!

BBC's Big Read

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:12:00 +0000

I copied this list from my aunt's blog. I'm interested in anything having to do with reading!

The Big Read ( apparently sponsored by the BBC) reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.

2) Italicize those you intend to read.

3) Underline the books you love.

4) Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading, or were forced to read at school and hated.

5) Reprint this list in your own blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve only read 6 and force books upon them.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Either the publishers of the list don't know much, or I'm not an average adult. Maybe both?

Model Behavior

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:08:00 +0000

Both Josh and I have pretty much decided to sign with W Talent to do some modeling and acting. I expressed my concerns about not having time to do the classes right now, and the modeling director persuaded me to at least do the photo shoot with comp cards now, and then I can wait until LDC is done again for the summer to do all the classes. In the meantime, I will be listed on their website and can start receiving periodic calls from interested clients. I was on the fence about it right up until the time I talked to her yesterday, and when she suggested I could do the photo shoot and hold off on the classes, I got really excited. That's when I knew I should go ahead and do it. Josh did really well in his interview. They had him do a cold read, which basically means you look at some lines from an ad for a few minutes and then say the lines to the interviewer as though you were doing a commercial. He practiced with me and I couldn't stop laughing (it was for bubble gum flavored toothpaste), so when he did it for real, I had to not look at him. The model director also gave us a tour and had him walk the runway. She asked if he had done it before, because he looked so natural, but it was his first time. We have another appointment on Thursday to do paperwork and schedule our image consultations and photo shoots. Jenny is also going to sign with them. It's so cool that we can all do it together. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. Yay!

Addendum to Monday, August 4th

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:51:00 +0000

I can't believe I forgot that I went to Shelby's bridal shower on Monday! We played games and had treats and she was so cute. She told us all about how she and Brandon met, their first date, and how he proposed. Very sweet. Brandon and Shelby were married on Wednesday and their reception is tonight.

Maybe I CAN do everything... or... maybe not

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Tuesday, July 29th: MTC and Picture Picking
Tuesday is my favorite day of the week, because it's MTC day. The choir sang "Faith of Our Fathers" and I accompanied on the organ. After the MTC, I went back to the office where my friend, Jenny, met me to go through our modeling pictures. We each chose one picture to send for the Torrid Model Search, and around ten pictures each for our portfolios (see previous blog post for portfolio pics). Then we sent the files to Costco to be printed.

Wednesday, July 30th: A Model of Preparedness
I picked up the pictures at Costco and then mailed off the ones for Torrid. The post office clerk thought it was neat that I was entering a modeling contest and wished me luck. I went back to the office and organized my portfolio and made a performance resume for the front pocket. I also made some business cards with my picture on them that are pretty cute.

http://www.wtalent.com/main.php
Thursday, July 31st: I can shake my little tush on the catwalk (that's from the song "I'm Too Sexy"--I know my tush isn't actually little)
I met Jenny at her house around 6 p.m. and we traveled to Salt Lake together for an open call at W Talent. When we arrived, they gave each person a form to fill out and a number to wear. I was #10. I figured they must already want me, 'cause they labeled me a "10" right off the bat! There were about thirty people there for the call, I think--some kids, a few boys, one man, a few women, but mostly teenage girls, and all skinny. The ones interested in modeling lined up to walk the runway. They actually have a runway in the middle of the studio. It was awesome! They played some club music, and each of us walked to the end of the runway, pivoted right and left, and then spun around and walked back to the start. Jenny went right before me and had a way better walk than all the other people we watched. Must be all her pageant experience. I don't know if my walk was good, because Jenny didn't get to see it, but I think I had a good hip pop at the end of the runway. I was also wearing heels and a lot of other girls weren't, so I think that helped. We went straight from the runway to the photographer, who took four poses. Then we went to the lounge area and watched "Ugly Betty" while we waited for interviews. We each met with Evan, the CEO (very good-looking, btw), who said he really liked that Jenny and I came together and seemed like we were having fun. He kept a choir CD I took with me for a sample of my piano skills and then talked to me for about twenty minutes. He told me they haven't had a lot of opportunities for plus size modeling in Utah yet, but they want to branch out into that area more. Then he apologized for calling me plus size, because he didn't like to categorize people too much, but I said, "It's alright. I'm fine with being plus size." He also told me I shouldn't lose weight, because he thinks I'm gorgeous how I am. Yes, he used the word "gorgeous." They really know how to butter people up in this business! I do want to lose more weight, though. Then Evan had me read some lines for a make-up ad and told me if I were younger he would want to put me in High School Musical. I said I was thinking more like Hairspray, and he said, "Yes!" He also asked both Jenny and I who the guy was in some of our pictures. I knew they would like Josh! Evan scheduled an appointment for me to come back the following week (he also scheduled one with Jenny), and then Jenny and I met some hot guys (Clint and Craig) at a restaurant for a late dinner.

Friday, August 1st: Bite Nite
Friday was the release of Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Barnes and Noble had a big dress-up party starting at 9:00 p.m., so Jenny and I put on formal dresses and went to enjoy the fun. They had fortune-tellers, trivia games, costume contests, and face-painting. I got "JACOB FAN GIRL" painted on my arm in black and red and Jenny got glitter painted around her eyes. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's okay. I know not everyone is into the books like we are. At 10:00, we went to a diner-type place around the corner for some food. At 10:30, everyone started lining up outside to wait for their books, which the store wouldn't start selling until 12:01. I said, "There's no way I want to stand out here in a formal for two hours!" Suddenly, we remembered that we had bought our Harry Potter books at Smith's (a grocery store) and there hadn't been a big crowd then. Jenny called Smith's and they said they had 80 books and only two people were in line so far. I said, "Let's go!" The guy behind me in line had been eavesdropping on us, so I said I would tell him where we were going if he didn't tell anyone else. He and his girlfriend met us there and waited with us in line, along with another couple of friends who we told about it. We met a nice mom and daughter there who were the first in line. We had our books and were out the door by 12:05. I'm so glad we didn't wait around at Barnes and Noble!

Saturday, August 2nd: Gonna rock it up, roll it up, Do it all, have a ball, Saturday Night, Saturday Night
I went to a fun goodbye party for Daniel, a boy from choir who left this week for a mission in Ghana, West Africa. We ate barbecued hamburgers, talked, played the "What if..." game and the "Snort" game, and then watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I think we all laughed through the whole party. You know how it is when you're with friends and everything becomes funny... good times.

Sunday, August 3rd: Take a look, it's in a book, a reading rainbow
There was no MTC rehearsal on Fast Sunday, so as soon as I got home from church, I started reading Breaking Dawn and basically only stopped to eat and go to the bathroom until about 3:00 in the morning. I did take a break to watch KBYU for a little while, because my eyes were tired of looking at words! I got about 2/3 of the way through.

Monday, August 4th: Ummmm....
I think I just worked, because I don't remember doing anything special that day. I talked to Josh about meeting with the talent agency, since they seemed interested in him, and he said he wants to go.

Tuesday, August 5th: Meanwhile, back at the MTC ...
The choir sang "Look at the World" and I accompanied on the piano. I really like that song. I think I'll suggest it for Institute Chorale this year. After the MTC, I went to look at an apartment for Joseph and Miriam. It was already rented, even though it had just been listed that day. Story of our lives right now! I hope we can find something soon 'cause there's not enough room for them to live with me!

Wednesday, August 6th: Call-Back
Jenny and I went back to W Talent for our follow-up appointments. They talked to us both together and want to sign us to do modeling and some commercial acting. We would have to pay for our first photo shoot with their photographer, hair stylist, makeup artist, and wardrobe consultant. From the photo shoot, we get a comp card (a kind of flyer that you give to potential clients with pictures of you in four different "looks") and they start a professional portfolio and give you a CD of the pictures. They also have classes to take, but the main modeling classes are on Tuesdays during MTC time. When I explained my conflict, they said they could probably start booking some things from just the photo shoot, but I feel like I need some kind of training, since I have very little experience. The more I think about it, the more I feel like it's not the right thing for me... at least not right now. I get to be in the spotlight enough already and I feel good about my current performance opportunities in the choirs I play for. I set up an appointment with them for Josh and told them I would think about it for a week and let them know when I come back with him. They also asked for our photographer's phone number, because they really liked our portfolios. They might call her if they need a photo assistant for their main photographer. Maybe I should be the agent instead of the talent! I think it would be awesome to do a photo shoot with their photographer and stylists, but I don't want to feel pressured or commit to something that I can't put my whole heart into.
After the meeting, Jenny and I went to see her friend, Clint, sing in a concert of LDS artists for LDS booksellers. Dinner was provided with our tickets and some really good musicians performed. Clint was great, even though he was really nervous.

Thursday, August 7th: The daydawn is breaking
I got home late Wednesday night, intending to read one chapter of Breaking Dawn and then go to bed. I couldn't put it down. Suddenly, I realized it was starting to get light outside! I only had two chapter to go, so I finished it and caught a few hours of sleep before going to work. I guess it's appropriate that it really was breaking dawn when I neared the end. I'm not going to say much about it, because some of my friends haven't finished. It took me about a day to absorb it all and Amy and I have already discussed the important details. I felt like a zombie all day from lack of sleep.

Friday, August 8th: Finally the weekend!
It was my friend, Brian's last day at work, because he's leaving to go to law school. Our department had a lunch at noon. I think sometimes food tastes better when it's free. I looked at an apartment for Joseph and Miriam this afternoon. It's in a really old building and was really dirty, but the manager said they are cleaning it this week. It's not as nice as my apartment and it costs more, but we haven't had much luck with anything else yet. We'll see....

Model Portfolio

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:53:00 +0000

The pictures in this post are from a photo shoot taken by Jessica Bateman. Although she's fairly new to the photography business, she was very professional and made all of us involved in the shoot feel comfortable and good about ourselves. The previous model shots I posted ended up not working well as prints, and Jessica was kind enough to do a last minute shoot at an extremely reasonable price and even had Cd's ready within a couple days.

The first picture is the one I'm using for the Torrid Model Search. The first twelve will be included in a portfolio I'm taking to an appointment with a talent agency in Salt Lake. I'm not sure what to expect at the appointment, but I thought it can't hurt to try it out. The rest of the pictures are ones I like too, but didn't make the final cut.

Hope I don't seem too vain by posting all these photos of myself. I'm excited to have some good, current pictures, and I wanted to give Jessica a plug for doing such a good job. (Thanks also to Josh and Jenny for posing with me!)
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I'm a model. You know what I mean ...

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:31:00 +0000

I am entering the Torrid model search contest this year, along with Amy and my friend, Jenny. Torrid is a store for plus size women and they use all plus size models (you can't even enter the contest if you're smaller than a size 12). Every year, they hold a contest where they accept pictures from women all over the country, and the winners (eight were chosen from the last contest) model clothing and accessories for the store's website. I've decided to post some pictures here, so people can vote on their favorite. They're all similar, but not exactly alike, and some are the same picture twice, the 2nd with the image cropped. Just leave a comment with the number of the picture you like the best. I may be doing another photo shoot later this week to have more to choose from, so you might get to vote again!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7 (I just realized there's a toy car in this one!)

#8

Technical difficulties

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:18:00 +0000

WARNING: This is a pretty long blog entry, so you might not want to read it all in one sitting.

This is the illustrated story of all the stupid things that happened to me while traveling back to Utah from Florida. It starts out with a happy family activity and ends with an explosion (of shampoo). Our whole family minus one went to see Wall-E together before I went to the airport. That was fun. We were all spread out in one row--5 little kids and 11 adults (there would've been 12, but Melanie's husband had to work), with a couple we didn't know right smack in the middle of us. We thought they would want to move after we sat down, but they just stayed where they were and even passed treats down from one side of the family to the other. The kids behaved really well, except for little Joseph trying to escape out the theater exit once. After the movie, we all gathered in front of the theater and everyone hugged me goodbye. Little Amy started to cry, which made Melanie and me cry too. Then Mom and Dad and Amy took me to the airport. We got there in plenty of time, so we shopped for awhile in the gift shop at the front of the airport and then they saw me off at the security check. After waiting at the gate for awhile and wondering why we weren't boarding yet, an airline employee announced that something was wrong with the plane's hydraulics and a part would need to be flown in from Atlanta and installed in the plane before it could take off. Apparently, the landing gear won't work properly without hydraulics, which is a kind of a big problem.

There was another flight leaving at 7:00, but there was no way to get us all on it, so people with international connections got first priority, and then we all got in line so they could rebook us. While waiting, I called Dad and told him what was going on, in case they needed to come back and get me. The airline was actually pretty quick about getting people through the line and tried to be as accomodating as possible. I was rescheduled for a flight the next morning and was offered a hotel, but I told them I would just stay with my parents another night. They also gave me $14 in meal vouchers that could only be used at restaurants in the Jacksonville Airport. I should have asked them if they could upgrade me to First Class for free, since I didn't need a hotel, but I didn't think of it at the time. Luckily, Dad, Mom, and Amy went to Walmart from the airport, so it wasn't too far for them to pick me up. The airline actually sent my suitcase to Baggage Claim, so I could take it with me overnight. Sometimes you have to leave your luggage and hope it shows up at your final destination, so I appreciated having my bag. I didn't mind staying another night, because I got to go swimming with Jenni, Chad, Jacob, Benjamin, Levi, Johnny, Liz, Joseph, Miriam, Amy, and Mom. It was pretty crowded in there, but fun.

The next morning, I got up early and Dad took me to the airport. I didn't eat anything before I left, so I could use my vouchers and get free breakfast from the airport. My first flight was on time and pretty smooth, although I had to sit in the middle seat between two big guys. I headed for the airport bathroom after landing in Atlanta, and while in the stall, noticed that the zipper on my jeans was broken. After examining it, I saw that one of the zipper teeth was bent at an odd angle. I thought if I could straighten it out, maybe I could reattach the zipper and get it to work properly again. Being the intelligent college graduate that I am, I tried to bite it and bend it back in place. The zipper tooth didn't budge at all, but my tooth did. Biting the prong made a tiny chip in my left front tooth. It's not really noticeable when you look at it, but I can feel it with my tongue. Yes, I'm a smart one. At least I was wearing a long enough shirt to cover my broken zipper.

I had a 2 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta, so I got food, browsed some shops, and read a book that was not very good, but passed the time. My flight ended up delayed because of bad weather, so we boarded late and then sat on the plane for awhile, waiting for the rain to ease up so we could take off. About half way through the flight, I started coughing and couldn't stop. I think the guy next to me was sorry he was sitting there. I drank a bunch of water, took some medicine, and ate a couple of cough drops before my coughing finally subsided. Because of drinking so much water, I had the wonderful experience of using the airplane bathroom. Nothing like going to the bathroom in a tiny tin box up in the sky.

After the plane landed, I got my luggage (hooray, it wasn't lost!) and headed for the shuttle bus that would take me to the long-term parking lot. I got to my car, paid for parking, and drove straight to work instead of going home. I got there around 7:30, and managed to stay for three hours before I was just too tired and had to go home, even though I still had to work about thirty hours in the next two days (I actually managed to do it, but I was really tired on Sunday). When I got home, I opened my suitcase to start unpacking, and noticed that things seemed a little damp. I opened the front zipper, and there was shampoo all over inside it. It's a good thing I had it in a separate compartment, because I had a bunch of music in the main part of the suitcase that would've been ruined. For some reason, only one shampoo bottle exploded and the others were fine.

Well, that was my "ordeal" getting home. Nothing really bad happened, just some little annoying things to make my travel experience more interesting.

Why am I doing this?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellenamo) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:59:00 +0000

I've been considering blogging for awhile, but have put if off because I'm not sure how consistent I will be with it. There are some things, though, that you don't want to post on Facebook. I mostly just need a spot to vent, since I'm all alone in Utah (family-wise) until Joseph and Miriam come back for school. Right now I'm missing my family, because I've been so busy working I haven't had time until now for withdrawals from my trip to Florida. Hmm... how do you end a blog entry? I guess I'll figure that out later.