2008: a year in review

Just like in 2007, in 2008 I once again had exciting opportunities, many of which had been on my wish-list of things I wanted to do. In 2008, I:

• I had headshots taken for the first time.
• I participated in my first acting workshops - a local one taught by a community theatre director, and some invaluable ones by Hallie Todd and Glenn Withrow. I also received some private coaching sessions from Hallie.
• I danced in my first dance recital since I was five years old, and am still continuing dance lessons (jazz and hip-hop). Oh, and I took a hip-hop workshop at the beginning of summer, too.
  
• I did two just-for-fun projects that were completely spur-of-the-moment and were a reminder in a way of why I do what I do. Doing something simple with friends or cousins is the best way to make me love this all over again. So, with my younger cousin Adam I filmed another book trailer, this time of George's Marvelous Medicine (by Roald Dahl). I haven't edited and put it together yet, but I had a lot of fun experimenting with different shots and such when I filmed it. The other project was a short film called Start Voice that Traci, her sisters, another friend and I did. We wrote the script in a couple of hours and filmed it within a few days. There's a lot of problems with it, but I learned from the experience, and we had a heckuva good time making it.
• I played one of the leads in a musical (Fiddler on the Roof) for the first time. It was the most intense acting experience I've ever had. I'm so thankful for having played Chava.
• I was asked to be in a musical, audition-free, for the first time. I Remember Mama allowed me to play a completely different character from the roles I've had before.
• I finished filming my part in Color, and also helped out behind the scenes a bit with that. That was an amazing experience that helped me grow and learn a lot, too.
• Really got to explore film acting for the first time, with both Color and my workshops. I have a huge, huge passion for that, and hope to pursue that more in the coming year!
  

Wow. That's kind of a lot, now that I look at it all. Once again, I was incredibly blessed. God is so awesome....I can't wait to see what He has in store for me this year. It's not always what I expect or plan, but so many times it's even better than what I imagine.