Summer Time and the Livin is...somewhat easy. ;)

Already half-way through summer! I am really appreciating how time seems to be going by faster the last couple of months. Michael has helped a LOT with that. He got to stay in Laramie this summer instead of moving away for a few months and I am LOVING it! He is taking 11 credits, a few of which includes working at the UW Law Clinic where he works on small real cases. He is enjoying the practical application of what he has learned but is super eager to finish school, take the bar and try out harder things like prosecutor work! Yes, he has decided that he wants to be a prosecutor. They tend to get a great deal of action in the court room, which is super exciting!

A couple of weeks ago my brother and sister-in-law came for a weekend visit and we got to hike up to Martin's Cove and Devils gate about an hour North of Rawlins. This is part of the Mormon/Oregon Trail that is famous for the LDS pioneers who crossed the plains. The Martin Handcart Company got an extremely late start in the fall and got caught in a severe winter storm in November and they had to take shelter in this Cove they found (hence Martin's Cove). They waited 5 days to move and were rescued but not after at least half of their company died from exposure. Such an incredibly sad tale, but one of courage, faith and hope. Somethings I definitely could use more of.

We've had a pretty chill summer so far.

Hahaha I laughed so hard when I first saw this meme. Something that I am truly identifying with this summer!! Sometimes it's hard to watch everyone on FB who post about their amazing summers, traveling to every which part of the world getting breaks and not having to worry so much about working the 40 hours a week, every single week, 8am-5pm! BUT you do what you gotta do! It won't be like this for forever, and Michael and I are really enjoying our time together in the evenings. He makes me laugh so hard, that boy could make me squirt milk out my nose faster than anyone! I am truly grateful for that!

Devils Gate

He got a PS4 for his 30th birthday. He lite up like a light bulb. It was way cute!!

Spring time in Laramie!

It's a little bizarre for Laramie to be having a decent Spring time. Temps in the 40's mid morning and 60's in the afternoons...definitely not complaining in the slightest. 

With the new semester half way done, Michael and I are starting to get more excited about what this next year will bring us. He will be finishing up his Law School credits in the Fall with MPA classes next spring and we will be officially finished with Law School!!! I am preparing for my Master's degree auditions this Fall and this time next year. I get to take a class every semester for free for working at the University so I decided to get my voice back into shape and take lessons. Couldn't be going better! My voice is back on track, I am learning new songs and continuing to learn new things, I am singing in studio classes and will be participating in NATS, which is a singing competition in Denver in a few weeks. I couldn't be more excited! I am truly happiest when I am improving my skills and singing everyday. I think that was the turning point for me a year ago. I was miserable and not looking forward to another 2 years here in Laramie. I'm sure that God knew I needed the job that I have now because Laramie doesn't seem as awful with music to work on and auditions to prepare for.

Below are pics of an adventure Michael had in February. He got LASIK surgery! He is doing extremely well! It took about 3 weeks for his eyes to heal so he could see with out fuzz consistently. One of his eyes was pretty beaten up because they couldn't get the suction cup to stay in, but all is well and he loving life without his glasses. 

A bit of fun commentary if you turn up the volume. I had to be quiet. ;)

Fall Is Here Again "Heart emoji"

Medicine Bow National Forest....now i'm getting why so many people have called Wyoming beautiful. It really is..about 40 miles outside of the city. :)

A new addition to the Resare clan!! Tydus Samuel Resare. He is soooo cute and getting stronger everyday. He is almost 2 months old now. That really flew by! It makes me miss all of my other ADORABLE nieces and nephews. They are all amazing little people and I can't wait to play with them when I see them next.

        Starting our second year of law school! I can't believe it has now been over a year since we moved here. Looking back, I would never go back, but I've learn some amazing things. I've learned what I really want to do in the next couple of years and I've learned how incredibly dedicated my husband is. He has always worked hard, but he has never been quite as challenged as he is now (as I'm sure all of the law school students are right now). He is LOVING it. Last year, the dark year, he would get up at 6am every morning and go study before class. I have never seen him care so much about his work, and it was truly inspiring, something I will never forget. To go along with the fun, we were both either super stressed or depressed all the time! It was rough, but with lots of prayers and great communication (a skill obtained after numerous battles and on going late night talks) we were able to get through it.  This year is a little easier for both of us, just because he now know's what he's doing and most of the classes he is taking are classes he got to choose. I am working at the University of Wyoming Music Department and am a lot happier than I have been. Being around music students all day has motivated me to reach for my goals and dreams that I didn't think were quite possible. I KNOW what I want, even though I always knew I just didn't know how to get there. I want to get my Masters in Vocal Performance. I'm not sure why that was off the table for a while but I'm now determined, I want to have the voice I've always wanted and to have opportunities I've only ever dreamed about! Michael and I want to try living out east after law school because of all the the opportunities for BOTH of us. At least that is the plan. I'll audition for grad schools next year and hopefully get into a place where I can grow the most and achieve. 

       That being said, I am both excited and sad about this. Living in Wyoming and being the only sibling that lives out of state, I have felt immensely heart broken that I can't watch my nieces and nephew grow up. Some of them probably wont even know who I am years down the road and that makes me want to bawl, right here at my desk at work. It's hard to not focus on the things I'm missing but then it's probably because we don't have kids of our own yet. We aren't as busy and worn out as all of my other married siblings with children though.  Ah, babies....another long post for another time. :)

Happy Fall Everyone!!

Sunbeams!

 It has been hard for me to believe everyone who has called this place "Laradise" these last 9 months. haha...it's beautiful they said, lots of great country. Well, there is loooots of country for sure and the summer is finally starting to show it's head, but almost 10 months of cold weather...I do NOT call that paradise. 

None the less, the people here have definitely surprised me. I absolutely LOVE our Snowy Range Ward Family. Our first Sunday in this ward it felt like home, which was an enormous blessing. I am in charge of music (no surprise there) but I received a new calling not too long ago to teach the Sunbeams class, ages 3-4yrs. I was pretty nervous because our Sunbeams are notoriously rowdy, as far as I heard, and they had been through at least 3 or 4 teachers in the past 9 months or so. Past teachers = a bunch of freakin pansies! These kids are as normal as little people go. Yes, it's hard to get them to listen sometimes, and some Sunday's all you do is say a few things about animals and Jesus and call it good...glorified babysitting. :) But seriously, they are great. I have loved watching them interact with each other. They aren't afraid of cooties, or others germs for that matter, they accept all of their classmates as playmates, they aren't judgmental or gossipy, they aren't worried about if "little boy" holds "other little boys" hand, others will think they are gay or when little girl is playing with or eating her dress (I laugh every time ahha) you can see her panties. It doesn't matter to them. That's probably mostly because they are still super little and no one else would think things like that of little kids, but the pure nature of these children, albeit the tantrums can be fun, is astounding.  They are taught about judgmental things, and about cooties, and caring about what others think...the adversary seems to influence everything from the time we are super little. We some how begin to learn to look inward at ourselves to solve problems instead of looking upward towards our Heavenly Father. It's so easy to see the pure love of Christ in them. Even our rowdy ones are naturally kind and fun, even though sometimes its hard to see it over the immense tantrums.
I am overly grateful to see them every week and until now I didn't realize the kind of influence that they have had over me. Definitely for the better!

The Move!

What a WEEK!  We have all packed up and moved out to Laramie Wyoming for Law School, which Michael and Christopher started yesterday with excitement and all nerves. But let me tell ya, it was quite a rough start though. We got to Laramie last Saturday and found our apartments....:s lets just say the place was a run down looking college kid apartment. (not REALLY that big a deal) . The inside was okay, big living room, open kitchen and two bedrooms with a small bathroom, no carpets. Whatever. Doable for at least a year. Got the elders quorum to come help us move all our heavy stuff up the 13 step wooden stair case, including my million pound upright piano--not sure how those stairs didn't cave it. Settled in for the night, had a little bit of a trouble sleeping because the train runs a couple of blocks by our place and it was loud, it felt a little like Manhattan. Still, whatever. We start unpacking and shutting the doors and a strange odor subtly stenches up our apartment, unbeknownst to us. Sunday rolls around and we head to church, meet the new ward, head home. We walk in and *WHOPH* a cloud of gross hit our noses and both of us starting hack up a lung. I eventually figured out that it smelled like a really grungy old motel room...who know what kind of smoke, dog/cat urine had been all over that place. They had ripped up the carpets because of the previous tenant who own a dog. Ya...didn't help much. On top of that, hopping in the shower the night before, my feet were black from walking around barefoot on the "new" hard wood floors. DISGUSTING! who should be afraid to be barefoot in their house?? NOOOO OONE! Anyway, suffice it to say we spent the night at Maddi and Christopher's apartment, not getting a lot of sleep worrying about what the heck we were going to do.


8AM Monday morning we are all up and out of the apartments, on the hunt for a new place to live. All 4 of us were willing to spend more just to get out of the ghetto. We split up and started to search. Maddi and I found a few places that looked pretty nice, which of course were all booked up the week previously and were cheaper living for low income families...lame. We find  a real-a-state agent to show us a few places that turned out to be crapper than the apartment we were leaving, HA. "Oh Laramie", is now starting to be our sentiment and mantra for this whole happenings and shinanagins. We next got a call from the boys who told us that they found a place over in what they called "West Laramie". Maddi and were skeptical, BUT why not. Couldn't be worse that the crap shack we had just left. We somehow found the place and mind you it is NOT hard to find places in Laramie, you just drive for 10 minutes and you will know its either wrong or right cause you'll be on the edge of town. :s So, the apartments they found...decent. Actually more than decent, pretty stinkin nice compared to the everything else. Rent was about what we had been paying in Provo but by the time we all saw the LAST TWO place left available, which happened to be exactly what we were looking for, we were sold.  AND the property manager was looking to hire an assistant to help in the office...DING, pick me! I had filled out an application for the job while Michael was signing the lease. haha (they ended up calling me that afternoon to ask me when I could start:) brilliance. ) So with an new, nice apartment to move into and a new job, the real work began!

The New Digs

By this point we had already moved all of our stuff into our apartments and took back the Uhaul.  So we rented another Uhaul which thank goodness didn't cost another arm and leg, and started moving Maddi and Chris's stuff first because their apartment was ready right then. HO.LY COW! we were definitely not prepared to put in the kind of work that we did that day! We had found the apartment around noon, got the stuff out and in the Uhaul and unloading at the new place by 1:30ish. OH i forgot to mention..Maddi and Chris's apartment was 3 flights up...we pretty much died. We couldn't get help from the elders quorum until 6 that night so we were left to tackle the 3 flights of stairs our selves and boy did we ever. There was heaving, and sweat  and cramps and i'm sure just a bit of throw-up. But we did it. We finished their place around 5:30 and had to go back and start on our place. Only Heavenly Father could have given us the strength to go and do ANOTHER house that day, and he did. He had been answering our prayers all day and wasn't about to stop blessing us there. We left the big stuff for the elders quorum to help us with and started on our place. We finished getting everything in at about 9pm and were beyond exhausted. Then I started work on Wednesday after we got to spend a day on the house, which Michael, being the trooper that he is, ended up doing the rest of it himself when I went to work the rest of the week. 

So anyway, on top of all that, our phone carrier didn't work out in Laramie. It was only today that we were able to actually get service because Virgin Mobile took a week to actually unlock our phones so we could get AT&T. *sigh* it's been a looooong 8 days. BUT things are looking up, we are finally settled, Michael and Chris are hard at work already, Maddi is finding some Dance Studios to teach dance during some of her evenings, I'm working full time and just got an interview at the University for a full time Admissions Rep position....not bad Jesus, not bad. We worked hard and I feel like Heavenly Father is making it work for us all here in Laramie, Wyoming. The ward is absolutely fantastic as well, we love it and we have already run into my first baptist preacher. :) Probably wont be the last either. haha. 

Rebeckah 

New Hair, Job and A New Life to Come

Love having my hair different, loving having a new job! I am working at the Covey Center for the Arts as their Event Coordinator. With my time here and at Provo Parks and Recreation I have been learning so many things about how to run productions, special events, programs, rental facilities etc...I'd like to think I could do this for real someday with my own business. I've never considered owning my own business, maybe because I've always wanted to be a performer but I feel like for me I wouldn't be completely happy doing just one thing. Always learning and moving forward, balanced life, that sort of thing. So if anyone has any advise on the matter, I would love to hear it. Who knows if this is the right thing for me to do but if God's plan for me is to create my happiness through my family and keep him and the gospel as an essential and central part of my life, then I think I'm okay. He will put things in my way that will give me my happiness...he already has. I couldn't imagine who I'd turn out to be if I didn't have my Michael. So I must be doing something right!

Well, as far as a new life goes we have an announcement to make...and before your mind goes crazy, I am not pregnant. Michael has been accepted into Law School and  we are officially moving in August to Laramie, Wyoming. Not the most ideal place for theater, but it's beautiful, so I've heard, and a great place to start practicing owning my own theater business, and do some stuff in Denver...hopefully. ;) Michael wants to be a judge someday so I'm thinking Law School will be the most important start to his career. With me working, playing and thinking about starting a family and Michael hitting the books hard, it will be more difficult than our lives have ever been but we are totally ready for it and are super excited! 

FALL!

Some of my fall time pictures! It has definitely been an interesting journey for me this semester. I have been given a lot of different opportunities that I didn't really expect to get. This only happened after I rededicated myself to my scriptures and tried to learn about something other than my life and myself, which is on going. The more I learn about my ancient ancestors and the prophets in the Book of Mormon, the more God is blessing me with opportunities to keep my life busy. I am a lot happier with my life when I am busier and feel like I am accomplishing something good. Basically when I am serving more than myself and even more than my husband, the more I learn.

Since going into full on professional theater isn't exactly an option when you live in Utah Valley, I've been exploring other ways to satisfy my creative bones and delve into somethings that I have never done. I started scrapbooking... only costs an arm and a leg to start, landed myself an event coordinator internship that I am loving, and to keep at least SOME musicality in my life I'm teaching voice at the Scera and singing in A Christmas Carol. A bit of a mouth full but it all still gives me time with Michael and a little free time on my own, which I totally appreciate. 

I am still hoping that God has a bigger plan for me that involves legit singing, and if Utah Valley has taught me anything it's that I need to hang on and keep the patience where my dreams are concerned and not give up. I have been given something special that is meant to be shared wide. I just need to look up and know that Heavenly Father will make it happen as long as I keep that faith going.  

Sent this to Michael when he was having a rough day. His favorite color on me!

Hosted Shannon's baby shower. Not sure how, but it was a hit!

First film extra gig. I was a Russian traveler for Granite Flats 

Lucas reading for the first time with the help of Grandma Resare of course

Michael tried the mustache for a few day. I must say, he looked very southern with his cowboy hat on! 

Me and my Nephews hanging out

Family pics

Possible Halloween costume

Roof-top concert

Sister-in-laws. Love this girl!

Camping!!

Provo

Week 1 of new home. Not bad people, not bad. A/C, control of the heater, good wifi, high ceilings, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, dishwasher, and sunlight...every normal thing that is supposed to belong in a house. Dude, so worth the rent and I'm soooooo sure I'm done with basements.

Cute cute cute cute

We love being so close to things and it's been fun making new changes!

NOW What?!

With almost a year going by and not a single post, I am officially designated a failure to blog, kind of like my own journal. What makes this so difficult? Maybe a lack of dedication, motivation? Failure to keep up a goal and follow through seems to be a pattern in my life recently. Or most truthfully, what the heck am I am supposed to do now?!! Graduating in April was a great moment for me! My degree was so freakin hard, it felt so good to finish! But now what do I do? I have wanted to sing on Broadway, act on the screen, dance on the stage my whole life...and up till now I never realized that reality is a little different. Or that the dreams need to change with life, marriage, babies etc. Things don't always work out the way you want to, God usually has different plans...which you know, I am okay with, but I have never really figured out a way to be happy any other way, with my career choices that is. Or maybe I just have no idea how to balance making my family happy while pursuing an arts life. Needing to work is another problem I am facing, and the only thing I feel qualified for is teaching, which I enjoy but don't want to do as my #1 career choice....

But ya know it's funny, the more I feel tangled and frustrated, and the more times I read over what I have written, my problems could be way more horrible than not knowing how to follow my dreams. I have a wonderful life! My husband is the best man I have ever met, literally my best friend. I am moving into a nice home with A/C, finally! And a number of talents at my disposal that couldn't have possibly happened if God hadn't given them to me. I have the Gospel, an eternal marriage, my happiness is already here, I am living my happiness and enduring till the end....things could be a lot worse. I am very lucky to have a hard working, understanding husband that gives me the opportunity to even consider doing the things I want to do, what ever they may be. I should honestly shut up and be more grateful! :)

Something Yummy

When getting clarity and creating goals and then seeing the reality of them, this becomes a literal high-light and joy that is hard to describe, but with these new goals comes a very hard discovery, of which I thought I already learned; It is the hardest thing for me to keep the things that are helping me achieve my goals in mind and to keep working at it! 

Specifically, dieting is one of the hardest things I have ever done...minus my Music degree, oi! I have heard that everyone struggles with it, and for some reason not cooking yummy fating foods is throwing me for a loop. Even on a budget, I know that eating healthy isn't that hard but funny enough I have developed quite a domesticated hobby. I like to cook and bake yummy things!! I never thought this would be an issue hahaha. Anyway, I am seriously trying not to eat any sweets, or fast food or oily processed food and honestly the fatty foods isn't the real issue. The sweets are killer. I can make some pretty amazing yummy treats....yesterday I made 24 gigantic amazing looking cinnamon rolls, gave some to the neighbors upstairs and next door but I still had too many left over...I WANT ONE!! I'm really sad that I didn't take a picture of them before I froze the ones that I haven't eaten...yet. They were truly beautiful. ;D  So my point is......well I'm not sure but this certainly feels like a trial, a trial of the yummy things that I can't eat! Which will some day make me a stronger an skinnier person. :)

Now this isn't a pic of MY cinnamon rolls but I swear this is EXACTLY what they looked like!

Sooo We've been pretty busy.

Our last week of the Opera summer program has come and gone, and we are all packed up and ready to leave the country. Most everyone, with the exception of a handful, are already home safe and sound. LuanaLei and I decided, when booking our flights, that it would be a good idea to stick around in Rome afterword to see the sights. We had no IDEA then how we would feel about this and if we would even consider not staying and booking and early flight home. Well, after a bit of drama we decide to stick it out and forgo seeing our families earlier...besides when will we ever come back to Rome? So as we have stayed and site seen and loved almost everything about this city that makes it famous. Hahaha I have discovered a few more things;

1. I do not like living in a overly warm climate with a million percent Humidity
2. Rome is beautiful and the Italians are generally nice BUT do not let go of your purse zippers on the Metro or places with lots of people and try not to be a loud obnoxious American...they are not a fan.
3. Walking everywhere has made me realize how much I use my car at home...I have discovered how lazy Americans seem to be and have come to the conclusion that I don't care and I like my car. I just might have to hit the gym in warm weather more often.
4. As much fun as it is to say that I am in Rome and am seeing exotic places...it doesn't mean a whole lot when your married and cant share it with your husband.
5. I hate to say it but I am grateful to the amazingly convenient Walmart, makes my life easier.
6. I love breakfasts with protein, eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, orange juice, hash-browns and every other american breakfast food item...the Italian way sucks. It's all pastries and bread. Not that I don't LOVE pastries and bread but a PERSON NEEDS ENERGY!
7. I am grateful for converters but...I miss my America outlets!
8. I love my pillows and mattress.
9. That cars and the driving rules we have in America are important! Italians have little cars with little streets. They also park nearly anywhere, they stop anywhere, they stop right before they hit things, they drive their cars in very tightly confound places...scares the bloody crap out of me.
10. The Italian language is beautiful and I have loved trying to speak it, but if I hear one more Italian scoff with "...Americani..." or push things in my face to buy again, I might blow a gas-git.

So basically there are alot of things I miss and a lot of things that I think are wonderful here. But I think the biggest lesson I learned here was this:

~Tutto il mondo e Paese~

This means roughly translated "The whole world is one country". I think that this could be taken to heart and meant many things to different people. But what my thoughts were as I learned this phrase was rather simple. That there is no place like home. The whole world is one gigantic place and there are many things to see and do and people to meet but boy it wouldn't mean a dit if I didn't have someone to share it with. The people we love are the most important things or should be the most important things to us. The world can go on and you can have many adventures and continue to realize that traveling is fun and hard, but for me nothing will mean as much if I didn't have my family. So thank you so much my dear family, old and new! :) I love you! oh and.....I'M GOING HOME, I'M SO EXCITED!!! 

till next time!

At the end of the day

When all is said and done, here in Italy, after long days of rehearsals and coachings and lessons and concerts and traveling and singing,singing, singing....sometimes you just want to sit down and enjoy what you've got right in front of you. Novafeltria is beautiful and so much fun. Even right now the bell tower, yes it has not only one but a couple bell towers, are ringing through out the town indicating 15 minutes have flown by. Our amazingly cute apartment looks out over a bunch of beautiful hills with castles at the very top. Its difficult to not appreciate it's beauty!

Novafeltria from our balcony 

But sometimes after a long walk it's just nice to have good clean bubble gum blowing contest. Cant really go wrong with a coke a kabob special and laughs at midnight at the Cafe Grande Italia!

LuanaLei won. :)

The Life of a Nun/Chorus Member

Even though the life of a traveling opera company is difficult, the Italian scenery and venues are quite fabulous for performing. Everything from an outdoor old moat, roman ruins to a castle on the hill. We never know if we'll have bathrooms or running water, mah it's always a nice experience to appreciate the little things you never think about not having. 

Sporting the Habits

My lucia costume. I quite adore it!

Second Lucia show in Pesaro

Crazy awesome moat!!

Some times the architecture in this place KILLS me!

This is a picture of an ancient roman tombstone. When renovating the church in the 1900's, they found these ruins and decided to cover them with glass for the world to see...I will never step my feet inside that place again! Needless to say, it was creepy! 

This was our first Suor Angelica location in Rimini...a cloister tower. Playing nuns in a nun habitat....pretty cool.