Nightmare On 13th

I cried before we even stepped foot inside... literally.

I wanna go again!

ANTM

One of my best friends, Cassie Houghton, is in cosmetology school, and her school held a hairshow fundraiser for one of their students to go to Paris, France and compete internationally! About a month ago Cassie asked me to be her model. Ever since, I have been counting down the days til the big night. It finally came last night and all my dreams came true!

My day began like this: Wake up at 9 a.m., shower, comb my hair, and step out the door. I left the house without a stitch of make-up on, and my hair was still wet! I hate to admit it, but I'm one of those girls who NEVER goes out in public unless I'm looking like a 10. I seriously feel like I'm 12 if my face is in the nude, but Cassie wanted a blank canvas to work on! I quickly got over that though once I stepped into the salon. There were tons of girls getting all dolled up, and the air was polluted with aerosol hair spray! At least it smelt good:) First, we started with my hair. We'd planned a little bit two days before the show, but for the most part it was totally off the cuff. Cassie worked her magic! She used styrofoam cyllinders and balls to anti-gravity my hair. Then, she curled and back combed the rest of it. To add the finishing touch, she added black feathers speratically throughout my fro. All in all, the styling took about an hour and a half. Next was the make-up! Cassie really wanted to focus on my eyes. She used a combination of bronzes and greens for my eyeshadow and huge, black feather falsies (that poked me in the eye everytime I blinked! Ouch!) Lastly, she painted my fingernails black with one green nail on each hand. FINALLY! I was done.

We had to drive to another location for the actual show. My hair didn't fit in the car, so I had to recline the seat all the way back. People driving by gave us the weirdest looks! Once we got there, we did a practice run. We all had to cram behind the curtains like herded cattle and wait our turn to strut our stuff. Megan lost her balance and almost fell off the runway! The kicker is we got it on camera! Afterwards we had to wait around for about an hour and a half outside and wait for the guests to arrive for the final showdown. Megan and I took this opportunity to perfect our walks (which we did). At this point I was starving. I hadn't eaten all day! I had a few sips of MD, but that was it. The show must go on! It came time to get back in the building. I was so nervous! All I wanted was some pumpin' music to get me excited. We made friends with a couple other girls that were standing in line by us and had fun cracking jokes about this male model that was behind us claiming he was a published poet in addition to a nurse on the side. Ok buddy... Get real. Anyways, it was my turn to go out. Let me tell you that I rocked it! I got out there and walked flawlessly. Cassie was so proud of me that I dared to "pop it" during the middle pose! The crowd loved it. Everyone was laughing and clapping. What a rush! I felt so amazing afterwards. I just wanted to get back up and do it again. Photographers were asking to take my picture. At that point I felt like a real model. Ah crazy! I give all the credit to Cassie! She never siezes to amaze me! When we were done, we went to Arctic Circle to get a much deserved pumpkin shake. Mmm mmm good!

I got home at 10p.m. and immediately hopped into the shower. My hair will never be the same. It was cemented with hairspray! I couldn't have asked for a better day though. Spending my days with my close friends and making new ones is what I live for:)

Counting My Blessings

Friday was Blaine's 23rd birthday (and my half birthday but who cares)! We all took the frontrunner down to Salt Lake and went to Tucanos to stuff our faces. Cassie and I were the only one's who didn't dare to eat the freaking disgusting chicken heart. Yeah right! I filled up on the salad bar and the fried pineapple. Yummy! I'd pay $25 just to eat their pineapple. It's my favorite. Good friends. Good food. Good times:)

Saturday and Sunday I was lucky enough to be able to go to General Conference and sing with my single's ward on the temple grounds inbetween sessions. The spirit I felt was overwhelming. By no means am I a good singer, but so many people walked by and thanked us for our simple hymns. I watched one lady pass by with tears in her eyes. At that moment I realized I was doing the work of the Lord and that he was pleased with my service.

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be surrounded by such inspiring people. I'm convinced that I'm a better person today because of the friends I have chosen to spend my time with.