Date night fun

Last weekend we went to a fun park in Tempe called Fiddlesticks and played miniature golf and hit balls at the batting cages. Afterwards we went and had dinner at Olive Garden and then went back to the park to meet up with some friends from our ward Mark and Rachel to hit golf balls at the driving range. It was really fun! It took me a while to get the hang of it and I definitely missed way more times than I actually hit the ball. But I had a few good drives that my Dad and brother Jeff would be proud of. Bud on the other hand is a natural at sports. He can hit, throw and kick a ball further than anyone I've ever met. We probably hit over 200 balls that night and had a blast doing it. Here are a bunch of pictures that Mark took.

The expert (well kind of) ;)

An attempt to hit the ball

If you look closely you can see I just barely knocked it off the tee.

Miseed again

He launched it

Bud explaining to me that it's "all in the hips"...Riiiight...

Missed again

...and again

Preparing mentally for the next attempt

Bud launches another one

...I miss again

Here we go again

The pull back...(check out that stance) ;)

The swing...

...and it's GONE!! Ya! Woohoo! I finally did it!

Here's the whole gang after we were done...apparently I need more sleep...check out the bags under my eyes. Sheesh!!

My New Niece

Katie Lorraine Badger

Born March 19, 2008

7lbs 1oz 18inches

Sorry that it's taken me so long to post this but here is a picture of my beautiful new niece Katie. What a sweet little girl. I haven't seen her in person yet and I might not be able to until our family reunion in July. Oh well pictures will have to do for now. For more pictures click here. ;)

5 Simple Pleasures

I'm cheating and doing 6!

Music

Music is such a big part of my life that I can't go one day without singing or listening to it. It has such incredible power and without it I wouldn't be who I am today.



My Laptop!

This by far has got to be the best investment I have EVER made (well besides my education). I take it everywhere with me and don't know what I'd do without it.

It's special to me!

When I stared exercising really hard and loosing weight I started eating Special K. I have really grown to LOVE this cereal. I eat it almost every morning for breakfast and when I don't I generally want it for dinner. It's is refreshing and only 110 calories per cup and loaded with protein.

Cell Phone

Similar to my laptop this is a must have. I feel completely lost and disconnected from the world if I don't have my phone. If I lose it the only people I can call are my Mom, my parent's home phone and Jack and Kelly Barlow. I just haven't taken the time to remember all those numbers. Plus texting is a must! ;)

My Nieces and Nephew

Jocelynn, Aubrielle & Emberly

Jeffrey & baby Katie

I sure love these kids! I just wish I could be closer to them so I could play with them more. I can't go a day without looking at their blogs so that I can see how big they are getting.

My Buddy :)

I've of course saved this one for last. I know all of you have been dying to see a picture of the new man in my life so here it is. He is third from the left in the green shirt (the tall one). His name is David Packard but everyone has called him "Bud" since he was a little boy. We've been dating for about two months and we have so much fun together. Seeing him everyday makes me happy so I felt that he definitely deserved a place in this post. (In case you haven't caught on I really like him.) :)

Now I tag Stephanie Z., Shelley, Karlie, Stephanie B and Alicia.

Catching up!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Life sure gets crazy sometimes and blogging tends to fall last on my list when I have rehearsal, work, projects and other stuff to do. All is going really well here in AZ. It's spring and the weather is AMAZING! I am a week away from taking my masters comprehensive exams and if I pass those it will be smooth sailing to the end. Graduation is May 8th and I have my last opera performance on May 10th. I have been applying for some summer opera programs the last couple of months and I just found out last weekend that I have been accepted into the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimer in Germany! I am SO excited! This means I will be spending the entire month of August in Germany having lessons, German diction coachings and I will be performing the role of Dorabella in the opera Cosi fan tutte. This is a huge opera and a REALLY great role for me. I am nervous and excited. At the end we get the opportunity to sing for German agents which is also a fabulous opportunity. I will be working very hard the next couple of months learning this role and saving my pennies so I can make it all happen. Because of the cost I will be holding a benefit recital sometime in June to see if I can raise a little bit more money before I go. Even though it is a bit pricey this is an experience that I can't afford to pass up as it may prove to be an excellent springboard for paying gigs in the near future. Thank you to all of my family and friends for your continued support and encouragement as I pursue my passion. I love you all. Below are some old pictures that I've never posted. ENJOY!!

Julius Caesar

Here are some fun pictures from the production I was in during February and March. I was a little weary about playing a pants role (play a boy) since I'd never done it before. This is really common for my voice type though (I'm a mezzo-soprano which is the lowest soprano) so I knew it would be a good experience. I actually ended up having a lot of fun. Especially since my character is a bratty, power hungry, hormonal teenage boy who throws temper tantrums. Too funny. If you want to see some pictures from the actual production click here. There are some REALLY fun pictures. Click on ASU Lyric Opera Theatre and the password is LOT (in all caps).

Act I Costume (the royal robes)

Cleopatra and Tolomeo (brother and sister)

Act II (Aladdin?)

Ah yes! The magic carpet (totally not in the show but funny)

Act III (possibly Joseph and the Amazing Technnicolor dreamcoat)

Act III (The funeral robes)

Tolomeo and one of Cleopatra's handmaidens

Tolomeo with what appears to be a drunk Julius Caesar (doesn't Kerry make a great man?)

Tolomeo with Pathinus (his evil consort who tries to poison Caesar)

Tolomeo, Cleopatra, Caesar and Nireno (Caesar's right hand man er woman?)

Ah yes! Tolomeo and his beautiful love slaves (ew!)

Melissa and I

Lauren and I

Carole (my voice teacher) and I

Dr. Reber (the opera director) and I

There were nine of us from my voice studio in the Caesar cast and four of us had major roles. That says a lot about our fabulous teacher!

Chamber Singers Tour to Anaheim and LA

Jenni and I studying our music...NOT!

Bree and I hanging out on the bus

Ryan K. and I

Peek-a-boo (I know...we're weird)

Ryan K. and his banana

Ryan G. and I (ok so I know a lot of Ryans :o)

Halloween 2007

Here are some pictures from Halloween! Yep...that far back. Jack and Kelly came to town with the kids and I went trick-o-treating with them and the Elisia and Kim's kids.

Who knew...you could be married and not even know it.

Today when I came home from school there was a small envelope on the table addressed to me from Arizona's Bridal Wherehouse. I recently bought a formal there for a concert and figured it was a thank you note for shopping at their store. You can imagine my suprise when I opened it up and it read, "Kimberly, you're a married woman now. Congratulations! I enjoyed helping you pick out your dress and I hope your special day was perfect. Nicolette" Ha, ha, ha! I was laughing SO hard. I showed it to the guy I'm dating and he laughed and said, "Well...if this is true us dating probably isn't a very good idea." Obviously there was a mix-up...too bad she'll never know the mistake she made. Here is the dress I actually bought. And for the record no one helped me pick it out. :)

Happy Moments

My friend Jen and her husband have been trying for several years to adopt a baby through LDS family services. I am happy to announce that as of last week they are the proud parents of a new baby girl. They are SO happy but they are not out of the woods yet. The adoption papers should be signed by Wednesday of this week. The birth mother is still planning %100 to give her up but you know how these things go. Pray for them. If you want to see pictures click on the the link that says Jen and Matt to the right of this post.

I finally got it

Well I finally got it...the worst cold I've had in years. I have taken a lot of pride in the fact that everyone around me has been sick this last month and I have stayed healthy. Well I've learned my lesson...pride is a destructive attitude. This cold has knocked me flat on my back for almost three days. No work, no school, no rehearsal, no fun! After feeling like my head was going to explode yesterday and being certain I had an ear infection I finally dragged myself to the student health center at ASU only to wait for over an our to have a doctor tell me the my case was borderline. What the heck does that mean? I was borderline sinus infection and ear infection. So he gave me a decongestant and told me to drink lots of fluids and sleep a lot and hopefully my body would heal itself. He also gave me a prescription for an antibiotic in the event that I get any worse. I guess that was nice of him not to pump me full of drugs if I don't need them. Only problem is the opera opens in two and a half weeks and I've already missed four days of rehearsal. So I decided to call in the good old home teachers to see if they could work some miracles in the form of a priesthood blessing. I am happy to say that even though I am still staying home today that compared to yesterday I feel MUCH better today. I may actually be able to make an appearance on campus tomorrow. The gospel is true. :o)

Why not...

I'm at work and I'm bored so I thought I'd do this since my friend Bethany tagged me.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

January 31st 1998 I was living in West Jordan UT with my Aunt and Uncle Jack and Kelly and teaching kindergarten at KinderCare Learning Center in West Valley. I was also just getting ready to submit my papers for my mission.

5 things on my list today:

1. Sleep in!
2. Go to my voice lesson.
3. Go to Choir
4. Go to a vocal coaching with the opera director.
5. Go to rehearsal for Julius Caesar

5 snacks that I enjoy:

1. Carmel rice cakes
2. String cheese
3. Quaker 90 calorie granoal bars
4. Chips & salsa
5. Cinnamon grahm crackers & milk

3 bad habits:

1. Not getting my oil changes when I'm supposed to.
2. Holding all my frustrations inside then bursting into a cry fest when I can't take the stress anymore.
3. Being a little self-critical

If I were suddenly a billionaire:

1. Pay off my student loans
2. Higher a personal trainer for life
3. Go on a HUGE clothing and shoe shopping spree
4. Buy a car that's new than 1997
5. Donate money to my undergraduate music program so they could get some better facilities
6. Organize music scholarships for singers
5. Help my siblings finish getting through school
6. Travel to all the places I've ever wanted to go
7. Buy a house

5 places I've lived (I've got more than that!):

1. California (Tustin, Mission Viejo & Irvine)
2. Utah (Logan, West Jordan, Riverton & Ogden)
3. Needham, Massachusettes
4. Charoltte, North Carolina
5. Rexburg, Idaho
6. Guayaquil, Ecuador
7. Mesa, Arizona

5 jobs I've had:

1. Grocery Clerk
2. Pre-school teacher
3. Receptionist (Temp)
4. EFY Counselor
5. Administrative assistant

5 things people don't know about me:

1. I can't stand people who are stuck up and talk about themselves all the time.
2. I've never eaten Sushi
3. I get really nervous when I am a passenger in someone's car and the follow to closely. I usually have to close my eyes.
4. I get more nervous to sing in church than I do before a theater of 1,000+ people
5. I'm terrified to graduate because I have no idea what my next step is. I love school and could be an eternal student if I didn't have to write papers and take tests.

I guess I'll tag: My sister Shelley, my cousins Stephanie & Alicia, my favorite old roommate Jami and well...anyone else who wants to do this.

What's the big idea?!

It is 36' degrees this morning in Phoenix! I moved here to get away from this kind of weather and I swear it's followed me. It is so cold I had to wear a heavy coat and gloves and I could see my breath. Make it STOP!!! Oh well, at least I'm not still in Logan. It's only 16' there this morning. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

My True Color

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Green

You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!

Take this test >

Happy New Year!

Happy New year! It's incredible how fast time flies. This year is sure to be full of excitement and adventure. The first big event to happen will be GRADUATION! Yes it's true, on May 8, 2008 yours truly will have a masters degree. I have really enjoyed my time at Arizona State and as much as I want to be done with school I'm sad to see it come to an end. I have been a student for...well...it seems like forever and you kind of get used to that after a while. That said I am ready start making money instead of borrowing it. What are my plans for after graduation you ask? Right now, I'm not really sure. I have a lot of ideas running around in my head and so my main goal this semester is to narrow them down to a few really good ones and go from there. If I had my way I would of course try to make a career performing, but I don't know how realistic that is when you have to support yourself and pay back student loans. I'm truly grateful to my friends and family for all their support and ideas and I know that it will help a lot when I need to finally make a decision so keep them coming! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and that you are looking forward to a great new year as well. More pictures soon!