Assignment #3- These Happy Days are yours and mine

Dear Diary,

Today will be the day. I just know it will. It HAS to be!!! I've been so patient and waited soo long..

Yes. Today will be the day that Richard proposes!

     It's senior year, and my left hand mocks me- it's so bare! Seventeen and no rings to be seen. I'm practically an old maid. How embarrassing! I thought if anyone was going to be getting engaged this year, it would be me! I mean, even Ella Figgs has a ring before me. (And golly, that girl has some reputation.. of course, I wouldn't say that to Richard.)

     It's not like I haven't made my intentions clear. We've been together so long. I know he loves me.. and I make sure to always tell him about other couples getting engaged. (A little pressure never hurt anyone, right?) But after I told Richie about the latest- Skinny Minota and Trixie Futterman- he seemed kind of flustered. He said it was "rushing things". I don't think so, and neither does anyone else our age. Lori-Beth Cunningham has such a nice ring to it. His parent's love me, and Joanie does, too. I know his friends approve (especially Ralph... maybe Ralph likes me a little too much..) He just has this idea that there is so much more to life. He wants to explore the world... we could explore it together, though. I have a feeling Fonz isn't being much of a good influence on Richie, either. Anyway, the picnic is this afternoon and it would be the perfect place to propose.. Oh, so romantic! 

     I can see it now: in front of everyone, he would get down on bended knee and say, "Lori-Beth Allen, will you do me the honour of marrying me?" And I would say, "yes, a thousand times yes!!" Then he would put the ring on my finger and kiss me! Ahhhh.. a girl can only dream! Maybe he's rethought it... PLEASE let him have rethought it!

     I should be thankful. At least I'm not stuck like Pinky Tuscadero, always wishing for Fonzie to come back around. I'm not sure Fonzie will ever be the kind to settle down. Everyone else can see that they are perfect for each other- except him! At least with Richard, I know he'll be ready to settle down one day- sooner than later, hopefully!

     I still can't believe that Fonz just left. He is Richie's best friend! Richard was so torn apart when he found out. Not to mention that Fonz just abandoned his hometown! How are we going to save Arnold's without him?  Fonzie has always been like that- running off when things get serious, when we need him most. Now that I think about it, Richie was really anxious and angry when Fonz announced that he was going wrestle the Malachi's. I wonder why. I'm sure if anyone could do it, Fonzie could. 

     The picnic is starting soon, I better be going to get myself dolled up. I have to look good if I'm going to be showing off my ring! That reminds me, I have to file and paint my nails.. and make sure my hair is perfectly curly and bouncy, and my eyeliner perfectly applied... Oh my, I have a lot to do! 

Lori-Beth Soon-to-be Cunningham.

Assignment #2

Personal Reflection and Goal Setting

1.) I believe that I do have the traits of a good musical theatre student, although there is always room for improvement. Some specific examples include listening to other people in the group and adding input on what I think about how things could be improved. I'm always more than willing to add to the conversation (not  always the greatest thing), and always willing to give my ideas. This goes along with my second example, of being creative and imaginative. (Even if sometimes that means being a bit unrealistic..) I've always had a creative mind, and I love that in the musical theatre program, I can exercise that part of my mind and know that it is appreciated! (Well.. most of the time, anyway.) My last example would be that I try to stay on task, mostly because I know how annoying it can be when you are trying to get something done and no one else is focusing! I try not to be a distraction to others in the group, either. Of course, everyone gets a bit hyper at times and a bit distracted, but for the most part, my mind is usually focused on what we are learning.

2.) Three goals I have for myself in this course are 1- learn to hear harmonies better, 2- improve on my (minimal) dance skills, and 3- enjoy EVERYTHING about the musical (that includes Thursday 7:30 AM practices.)

     1- In the past year or so I have noticed that hearing harmonies has been coming more naturally to me. I really enjoy being able to find harmonies in my head to songs that I love! It is so fun hearing how everything fits together. But I would love to improve this skill with musical.This year, the harmonies are a bit harder for me. It's been a challenge being an alto most of the time, because I usually find soprano 2 harmonies easier. It's also been stretching my range lower. I would love to have my parts solid, so I can be a leader in my section. I can achieve this by practicing at home, keeping musical a priority in my life by not missing rehearsals, and by singing my parts while we learn choreography.

    2- I have always been a clumsy, uncoordinated person. Because of this, dance isn't the most natural thing for me. I have definitely gotten better, but like I said, always room for improvement! This year, I am in a lot of different dance numbers, and I am really excited for them, especially message in the music! I want to be able to put my best performance on for each of them, and to do this, I need to make sure I am at all practices, practicing on my own time, and paying attention during rehearsals.

    3- It's easy for me to be grumpy about early morning practices or rehearsals that seem like I don't need to be there, or egg costumes..... but who said anything about that???? So because it is my last year, I want to be able to enjoy every little thing about the musical experience! Although it is A LOT of work, and can be frustrating at times, it is so worth it in the end and the fun always outweighs the oh so very (extremely) long November practices. I can achieve this by always keeping a smile on my face, looking at the bright side of things, looking forward to the show, and drinking inhumane amounts of coffee at practices.

3.) I have definitely improved from Shrek. I am a leader in my section, always giving input, and musical is a much bigger priority in my life now. Like I said, I can hear harmonies easier, which is really helpful in musical. I also know that challenging myself is a good thing now, and that sometimes you just gotta grin and bear it. ("It" being a giant egg costume.. I  was literally bearing it, it wasn't light!!!) I enjoy musical practices so much more, and I get along with everyone better. I'm so happy that I joined musical last year, because I have made so many lasting friendships and developed my musical skills so much.