I got a letter from Utah State University today....

I MADE THE DEANS LIST!!!

Anthony got one too, it was no big deal to him as he's gotten them several times. However, it is my first time EVER!!!

In High School it was kind of the same, I didn't make the honor roll until Senior year :)

This one's for you Dad

Dad,

I've looked up to and admired you my whole life. I feel so blessed to have come to our family. Heavenly Father sure made a wise decision when he decided on you as my Earthly father. He knew I needed you. He knew you could teach me things no one else could. He knew I would listen to your advice, and He knew I would respect and honor you.

Choosing you as my father was, I'm sure, one of the best decisions I have ever made. You've, in part, made me who I am Dad. You've helped show me the way, have helped me up when I've fallen and called me back to you when I was lost. I love you more than I can ever express.

Well, Brian is now retired. i am sure it won't set in until winter and there is nothing to do. the new garage is coming along well. they are putting stairs in today. Not much else new is going on.

Recent News

Alisha just made a post about what is going on, so I thought I should do the same...

It's a busy summer. It has been fun to hear so much news... especially from you, Audrie and Amy... I think it has been really fun the read the overwhelming amount of blog posts that you two have been posting. It's funny because whenever I come home and have more than ten messages in my inbox, I know that one of my sisters has been blogging that day! haha!

Alisha has been working her bum off this summer. I'm so proud of her and he schedule is only going to get worse. Between her full time job, her practicum at Alpine Hospice, and her upcoming summer classes, she's a busy girl. She does so much. It's amazing to me.

The season at the opera company is going well. We are all finished blocking all the productions as of yesterday. The schedulers are really on the ball this season, and we generally have our rehearsal schedules up to three days in advance, which is much better than it has been during past seasons I have worked for this company. For those of you that are contemplating coming to a show... feel free to hit me up for discount tickets. I think I should be able to save you up to 50%. If you're not able to, don't feel bad. I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my career, so I'm sure you will have the chance to see me perform at some point. And... for those of you that want a recommendation on shows to see... many of you expressed interest in The Sound of Music... it's going to be very good, and I have more stage time than the other shows, but I don't sing at all. It's a speaking role, still it's going to be well done. I can also recommend Barber of Seville... it is a comedy, and from the rehearsals I have been in and seen, it is going to be hilarious!! It's sung in Italian and contains lots of really well known music... (you know the bugs bunny cartoon where he is the conductor and he is holding the singer's high note forever until his face turns red? that is this opera).. I'm not in Guys and Dolls, but I'm really excited to see it.... also lots of familiar tunes, and some great singer-actors... and La Traviata is a classic by Verdi. If you want to be musically moved, come see it. It is a tragedy, however, so don't be expecting a happy ending... and this one may be a little bit more dry for younger ones. It's all about showcasing the voice... not so much about moving the story along quickly.

Right now, as Alisha mentioned, I'm knee deep in researching grad schools... and have a long list currently... we'll see to how many I can actually afford to apply, but I have opened a dialogue with several voice/opera dept. chairs and things are looking up. It looks like I will have a good chance of getting a assistantship or fellowship at some of the schools I am considering... we will see. Thanks to a generous scholarship from Craig Jessop and the USU Dept. of Music, I am going to be able to afford to apply to more schools than I expected... it's just a matter of travel cost now, as I will have to travel to each school for an audition. Right now my list includes Arizona State, Univ. of Cincinnati, Florida State, U of Texas, U of Oklahoma, Indiana University, Rice University, Bard College Conservatory, USC, Yale, University of Kentucky, Michigan State, University of Michigan, Wisconsin, New England Conservatory, Boston University, Ithaca College, and the Juilliard School... a lot of these schools have prestigious and competitive programs that offer free tuition, books, living, etc. to anyone that gets in. They choose a small number of singers, and give very specialized attention, and you don't have to pay a dime... so something like that would be a best case scenario. I'm clearly going to have to narrow down my choices, but I am going to wait until they announce audition dates. Most schools hold their audition around the same time (Between November and March) and I have a slew of schools in the NY/Boston area, a lot in the midwest (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin), and a lot in the TX,OK area... so I could potentially knock out two or three auditions in one trip... We will see what will happen. The only other snag is that it will be during my student teaching semester that I have to travel... I've been told, though, that this happens a lot, and they are very flexible with student teachers that are looking to further their education.

Also... if you live in these areas... don't be surprised if I hit you up for a free place to stay this winter! (That means you Abbey and Andy)

It's been nice living in a big house all summer with no annoying girls. It's very relaxing to be here during free time. We love it.

Oh... 3 more things...

1) I will be performing with the Cache Regional Theatre in a production of The Scarlet Pimpernel in September. It's an AWESOME show, and I will be singing the role of the bad guy (who has the best songs in the show... really powerful stuff) and I am really impressed with the leads that were cast... all very good performers. This will piggyback my Utah Festival Opera season, with rehearsals starting even before the season ends, so I'll be a busy guy.

2)I'm reopening my voice studio. Now that I'm done with my performance degree, I should be able to get more students. I'm going to be teaching out of the Book Table (a book/music store here in Logan) that runs a small music school in their basement. It's convenient because theres a music store upstairs, and they take care of all the $ collection and cut me a check once a month. I had to raise my fee though, because they take $3 off the top of each lesson fee for the use of the facility... it's pretty well worth it, though.

3) The USU School of Music previously belonged to the College of HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) and on July 1st, they are forming a brand new College of the Arts!!! This is very exciting because it means more funding and more recognition... which could bring better recruitment, facility improvements, etc. Dr. Jessop, our dept. head was made the dean of the new college, and my voice teacher, Cindy Dewey is the new interim dept. head. It's sad because she will have to give up a lot of students, and she is the best teacher at USU, by far... but she said that I will be able to continue with her for my final year... which is good. I also applied to be a student senator representing the new college in the Executive Council Senate. The senate plays a large part in the allocation of funding for the different colleges and departments. I have very strong feelings about it, so I thought I would try to see if I can help make a change. It's just maddening that the university allocates over $250 per student that pays fees to athletics, and the music program gets a whopping 75 cents per student. I feel like the educational value system is just skewed when it comes to arts programs... and I understand that football and basketball bring in a lot more money to the university than music, or theatre, or other fine arts, but it's frustrating that a money maker receives so much precedence over an art that truly edifies and exalts the human spirit... and then they expect to have a marching band at their games... it just goes to show how truly important the musical arts are to this society and culture.... sorry for the rant, but it was on my mind.

I hope you are all well... much love.

Anthony

Recent happenings

I feel like Anthony & I have dropped off the face of the planet... it seems like we're completely out of touch with everything that is going on!!

This summer has been super busy for both of us.

I'm working at NES with people with developmental disabilities (I was offered a managers position on Friday and was asked to go to the office on Monday to work out the details). I'm also "working" at Alpine Hospice (where I was assigned for my practicum). Summer school begins on Monday, and we're cleaning up the sorority house and getting it ready for Fall semester.

Practicum is going well. I can only count 30 hours throughout the entire summer toward my 240 Fall hours but it's only the beginning of the 6th week and I've already spent 24 hours there, with plans to spend about 10-15 hours a week the remaining 11 weeks of summer... you get out as much as you put in right?

I like it ok so far... I cried after seeing my first patient. To read about what I've done up to this point click here to view our personal blog.

Anthony has been very busy with Utah Festival Opera Company (UFOC) rehearsals. He's in La Traviata, Barber of Seville and Sound of Music... plus other various concerts they put on throughout the summer such as Musica Magnifica and Carnevale Operafesta. I'm not sure if he's signed up or not, but a few of the UFOC artists sing at the Tabernacle here in Logan every Monday at noon if anyone is interested in going. It is free.

On average Anthony spends about 5 hours at rehearsals each day, then practices at home for anywhere from 1-3 hours. As the summer goes on and they get into dress rehearsals, tech rehearsals, sitzprobes and waldelprobes he'll spend even more time at rehearsals, costume fittings, wig and make-up fitting, and so on. It is SUCH a long hard process, but he loves performing and it's all worth it in the end.

To see the production dates, ticket prices, etc. click here. Or the fast route; calendar of events and ticket prices. The nosebleed sears are only $12.oo, the next ones are $29 and the way up to the most expensive at $76.00. There is a discount with "Valid school ID" and there is also a discount through the performers. I'm not exactly sure how that works, so you'll need to contact Anthony. E-mail is the best Eversole.Anthony@gmail.com

This is what Anthony wants to do when he "grows up" and, truthfully, it seems like not a lot of family members support him by coming to the performances. People ask "have you been in any plays recently?" and say good luck from a distance and so on, but not many people come to the performances. He's often sad afterward when he goes to the lobby after changing to greet people... and no one is there for him. I'm not trying to guilt trip anyone and completely realize that children, school, work and so on make things like this more difficult, but just remember a little support in person goes a LONG way with Anthony. Oh, and they're not "plays" they're Operas :)

Anthony is also working the weekend grave shifts at the Best Western Weston Inn. If you need hotel rooms here in Logan talk to him about discounts!!

He's also teaching private voice lessons through the Book Table in his "spare time."

As far as the sorority goes, we get the house to ourselves the entire summer!! If you want to have a camp-out in our huge living room let us know!!

There are 28 girls living here in the Fall... there were only 17 last semester and I was thought I was going to die of estrogen poisoning. I am NOT looking forward to their return. Remind me why we have this job again??? The good news is with more girls we'll be getting an extra $100 a month!!

During the summer we have to inventory EVERYTHING in the house, care for the lawn and yard, clean, organize, do basic maintenance, and so on.

It's been fine so far except the yard is a jungle and the girls are complaining it looks ugly but I am not planning on going outside in the cold and the rain to pull a few dandelions and trim the shrubs. It can be ugly until it's warm outside.

Let's see... what else... next month is our FOURth anniversary (doesn't seem like that long does it?). No, we are not planning on having babies in the immediate future, we're both going to graduate this Spring (if all goes as planned) then we're planning on leaving Utah. Main ideas right now are New York, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma... and some others that I don't remember. The Grad. schools Anthony is looking into are in those areas... I tried to veto Florida but he won't hear it (hello!!! I watch Animal Planet!!! They have creepy amphibians and reptiles there!!)

That's all I have for now, hope you enjoyed our update. (Lovey, if you read this and want to change anything feel free, I don't know if I got all your stuff right!!)

Nap Time???

This afternoon after lunch I put Abbie down for a nap checked my email, finished loading the dishwasher and decided I better start cleaning the bathroom. By this point Abigail had been "asleep" for about 45 min. Before starting on the bathroom I decided to check on our little monkey. As I pushed her bedroom door open to my surprise I saw the image below.

As soon as Abbie saw me she said, "Momma, shoes." As if to explain she was still awake because she was searching for her shoes. Then she gave me this face...

Then she opened her arms as wide as she could and said, "Momma, hug." Who could resist that invitation??? Not I.

She has this thing with stairs. Because we have a lot of stairs she likes to climb up and down them. The stairs are cement and metal and below them is a walkway of cement. We spend a lot of time following her around.

Last week Danny was out of school while his siblings were finishing up their final week. This was a huge highlight because that meant Danny spent at least part of everyday with us. When Abbie was really little and still pretty colicky she cried often. Danny would say to me, "Rebecca do we have to bring Abbie with us?" I would respond, "Danny, Abbie is my baby, of course she has to come everywhere with us." Much has changed since then, and Danny finally can't help but like Abbie. I think he likes the attention she gives him. =) But, he is really good with her too.

I just had to add this photo. Benjamin is exercising. He was a little disappointed because she didn't do so many situps, but I told him these situps are worth double at least.