Chapter Three - Theatre Kids on the Beach!!!

This was probably one of the most crazy weeks of my life.  A bunch of WWCC theatre kids were selected to go compete at ACTF (American College Theatre Festival).  This year, the festival was held in a little town called Arcada, CA.  This is the home of Humbolt University and it is roughly 16.5 hours away from Rock Springs.  And guess what??  We drove all they way there and all the way back in the wonderful WWCC school vehicles!!

We left on our exciting adventure on the 12th of February.  I rode in the "Mom Van" driven by my good friend, Zack Spurlock.  Zack is also an RA in the dorms here at Western and even though he is a "ginger," we still love him!!  Since the drive was super long and exhausting, we also needed someone else in our car that was approved to drive and so, my other good friend, Kylee Ogzewalla, was there to take over when Zack was tired.  The middle seats of our "Mom Van" was where all the coolest people sat.  Needless to say, I was in the middle along with my friend Tasha.  We had a blast doing what theatre kids do best, sing showtunes as loud and obnoxious as humanly possible!!!  In the back, we had two of the loveliest girls in the entire world.  If you ever end up at Western, you must meet Emily Larsen and Annie Willie.  They are two of the funniest people I think I have ever had the privilege of meeting.  Emily provided us with tons of snacks for the long trip which made everyone extremely happy!  Annie is pretty quiet but boy when you mention Garth Brooks, she sure brightens up!!

Emily Larsen & Annie Willie

Kylee Ogzewalla & Tasha Newmen

Zack Spurlock

So, with the "Mom Van" all packed and ready we headed off the Arcada, CA.  Everyone did pretty well in their different competitions and we all had a blast doing what we love best, theatre!!  On the days we didn't compete, we found our way to the beach which was completely amazing!!!  Instead of telling you about it, just take a look at the pictures!!

The Beautiful Pacific Ocean

Footprints in the Sand

Kylee Ogzewalla

Annie Willie & Me

My Awesome Shadow!!

Kylee Ogzewalla & Jeremy Egan

This is my favorite picture of the entire week!!

 After our exciting week, we all packed up again and started for home.  Let me tell you, it was the longest car ride of my life.  We ran into some bad snow in Salt Lake and had to stay the night there.  Eventually we did make it back safely to good old Western just in time to start school again on the Tuesday after Presidents Day!!

As I mentioned before, Annie Willie was one of the quietest people during the trip.  However, she did have a wild moment in which she broke out some Garth Brooks on her iPod.  Here is the video footage of this very funny moment...

Well, that is all for now.  I hope you enjoyed and remember....  WHY NOT WESTERN!??!!??!?!!

Chapter Two - "(mis) Fitting In"

Since I am a member of the musical theatre department at good old WWCC, I need to tell you all about the amazing new production that just opened up at the school.  The show was written by the head of the musical theatre department, Jamie Young.  It is called "(mis) Fitting In" and deals with bullying and peer pressure, etc.  Now, I know that sounds like an after school special but it isn't.  It has a great plot and a lot of great musical numbers.  I have seen it twice and I cried both times!!

"Ben Perry" and "Ella Swanson" getting in trouble in front of the principals office.

Some people also compare this show to that of High School Musical.  However, I believe that this show is much better than High School Musical.  The plot line is more intense and complex.  There is a purpose for each musical number instead of just having a song that doesn't necessarily help to further the plot line.  The show is also based upon real events that have happened in and around Rock Springs.

The cast singing "Aliens in the Lake" at the pool party.

The cast is so great and they get to tour all of Wyoming with this show.  It is some really hard work but they really pull it off!!

Anyway, come see "(mis) Fitting In" before it closes!!  Western students get in free with their student ID card!!  You won't regret it!!

Chapter One - The Crepe Party!!!

Last Saturday night, I had the awesome chance to go to a "Crepe Party" at one of my friends apartments in White Mountain Hall.  Let me tell you, it was delicious!!  The Musical Theatre students really know how to party!!

The party was put on by some of my good friends from the theatre department.  They provided all the food and all the guests needed to bring were plates and forks!!  It was pretty epic and the turn out was wonderful.



This is a picture of all the cooks for the party.  All the girls live in the apartment and Daniel lives in Rocky Mountain Hall.  They are all sooooooo much fun and they constantly make me laugh.

Chelsea Winters, Daniel Hagy, Anna Harris, Tasha Newman, Crystal Griffin

While we ate wonderful crepes and pancakes, we listened to some awesome tunes.  It was a bit loud and crazy but that was part of the fun.

Well, that is all for now.  Have a great day and I will be back later with more exciting stories!!

Prologue

Once upon a time, there was a magical, faraway kingdom known as Rock Springs, Wyoming.  Everyone that lived in the magical kingdom loved and cherished it very much.  The pride and joy of all the citizens of the kingdom was, of course, the castle.  This castle was built on the highest hill in the kingdom and looked somewhat like a very large high school or community college.  In fact, the castle’s name was Western Wyoming Community College.  Strange coincidence, am I right??

The castle on the highest hill - Western Wyoming Community College

One day, some of the citizens heard that their magical kingdom was in danger.  They heard that people in other faraway kingdoms were interested in living in the wonderful kingdom of Rock Springs.  However, they didn’t know or understand how fun and exciting Rock Springs really was!!  In order to spread the word about the magical kingdom, the Queen decided to appoint four ambassadors that would share the good news about the kingdom and the castle on the highest hill.

This is an account of one of those four ambassadors.  His name was Dale Hoopes.  He was one of the lucky citizens of the kingdom that lived in the castle on the highest hill.  During his time at the castle, he studied Musical Theatre.  He loved the castle and the kingdom.  He also loved sharing the excitement of being a part of all the wonderful events that happened there.

Dale Hoopes - Friend of Western

Chapter One of our story will begin soon so be sure to keep reading.