A Productive and Eventful Weekend

This past weekend has been a blast!  Friday night I had my fourth

 performance for The King and I.  It was the best show we have had since we opened!  Every was singing and performing at their best and the energy was so high!  A few of the kids that I am directing in Beauty and the Beast had come to show their support and I was so thrilled to see their smiling faces.  On Saturday night we performed once again.

I am a cantor for St. Thomas Aquinas Church and this Sunday morning I went and sang at the 11:30 mass, which I do every Sunday.  Today one of our parishoners, Mr. Charlie, celebrated his 105th birthday!  I still remember when I attended middle school there and I would see Mr. Charlie working on the maintenance of our school.  He has always been a strong man.  Even though he is already 105-years-old, he still rides his bike everyday and mows his own lawn!  I was overwhelmed with so much joy for him, that I had tears in my eyes.  After church I went straight to the theater to get ready for the matinee show of The King and I.

This evening, after the show, my family and I went out to dinner to celebrate my father's 5oth birthday!  It was a big celebration!  Many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins joined my family and I at Maggiano's Italian Restaurant where we had a marvelous feast!  

Happy Birthday Pops!  I love you!

Beauty and the Beast Rehearsals.

St. Thomas Aquinas School in St. Cloud, Florida holds annual school musicals.  This year they are putting together Beauty and the Beast and I am the assistant director!  Among the many things that I do and am a part of, aiding in the direction for this musical is one of my favorites! Today, I taught the cast my choreography for the song "Gaston."  The rehearsal was filled with so much laughter and energy!  There are about 50 people in the cast, which is a HUGE number to work with and everyone in the cast is between the ages 4 and 14.  So, the work can be difficult, but so far, it has been one of the best experiences I've ever had!

Bishop Grady Villas Luncheon

Today I attended the Bishop Grady Villas Luncheon.  In the program that I received at the luncheon, the villas was described as a place where "men and women, ages 18 and older who are intellectually and developmentally disabled, can find Christian homes.  The Villas supports the uniqueness, wholeness, and dignity of each person through an environment of compassion and love.  The residents are treated with dignity and respect.  Professional staff members assist each resident in obtaining his or her potential for personal and spiritual growth and independence."  

I was given the opportunity to meet some of the residents at the luncheon.  They were filled with so much joy and gratitude from all the efforts made for Bishop Grady Villas.  Meagan Gallagher, the residential manager, was the woman who invited to the luncheon.  She told me stories about her experiences there and those stories inspired me to want to get involved.  I was truly touched by the presentations made at the luncheon and truly thankful for the opportunity to attend.  

C.A.R.E. Cards

About two years ago, I started and implemented my C.A.R.E. program. C.A.R.E. stands for Commitment to Always Remember the Elderly.  The idea to start C.A.R.E arose when I truly realized just how lonely much of our older generation is.  Throughout these past two years I have spoken at several schools and various clubs and organizations about the ever growing needs of our elders.  I also stress the importance of volunteering our time to help them with those needs. Due to the fact, that many seniors are very fragile and less mobile than younger generations, sources of entertainment are few.  I have visited numerous nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and senior centers to entertain the residents with music.  I have brought friends and family along to also share their time and talents. 

Another part of C.A.R.E. is the creation of C.A.R.E. cards.  Every time I go to visit a school, club, or organization I bring materials for the children and/or adults to make cards for our elders. Each of the cards are sent to the nearest Meals-on-Wheels offices, where they are then sent with each meal.

Today, I met with my youth group and we made C.A.R.E. cards.  

 

 

I would like to share more with you about what I have done with my C.A.R.E. program over the past couple of years.  Pictures are worth a thousand words, so I will download some of my older pictures onto my blog so you can really catch a glimpse of my work!

Love,

Kristina

Success!

This past weekend has been a great weekend for the cast of The King and I. We had three shows this weekend, one on Friday night, one on Saturday night, and a matinee this afternoon.  Our show today was completely sold out!  This gave the cast so much energy which made today's show the best of the weekend. 

The stage manager had taken pictures of the cast and posted them next to our names on the bulletin board. This is the picture of me in full makeup and costume. The man in the picture is my love interest in the musical.  

Today is also the last day of my spring break.  It has been a great week off of school, but I am definitely ready to go back!  Besides going back to school this week, I have a few events coming up.  

A few weeks back I was invited by the residential manager of Bishop Grady Villas, to a luncheon.  Bishop Grady Villas is a residential area for people who are mentally challenged. The residential manager and I are working on a partnership to get my youth group involved with the people at the Villas. 

I am the assistant director for St. Thomas Aquinas's school play and this week I will be going to the school to work on some choreography.  The play is Beauty and the Beast.

This upcoming Saturday, March 21st, I am hosting the confirmation retreat for my church.  I have put together a lot of activities and skits for the retreat and I am really looking forward to it!

I will be posting pictures from all of these events so please visit my blog to catch them!

Much love,

Kristina

Last Dress Rehearsal!

Tonight was the last dress rehearsal before tomorrow's opening of The King and I.  Everything ran smoothly.  They had put up the cast list this evening onto the bulletin board outside of the theater.  I was so excited when I saw my name and "Tuptim" right under it! 

Vacation and Practice

Hello all!  This past Monday morning, I returned from a much needed vacation!  My family, friends, and I took a sixteen hour drive to West Virginia where we went skiing, snowmobiling, and tubing!  I had a blast! 

Since I've been back it's been work, work, work!  I am currently on Spring Break, but I am still as busy as ever with rehearsals and youth group.  

This past January, I was cast as "Tuptim" in the Rodger's and Hammerstein's musical called The King and I and the show opens tomorrow!  This week has been packed with dress rehearsals. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to take photos of the cast in their costumes during rehearsals, so I have no pictures to post.

That is all I have for now!

God Bless!

Kristina

St. Thomas Aquinas Youth Group's First Social Event!

Yesterday, March 2, 2009, I brought my youth group bowling!  It was a great opportunity for them to get together, grow closer, and meet outside of the St. Thomas Aquinas church area.  There were lots of laughs as we watched most of the group throw gutter balls.  I broke the group into four teams (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  They competed against each other for the best team score.  Congratulations to group John for their win! 

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my new blog!  This is where I will be posting pictures and notes about the events in my life as I continue my journey to Miss Florida!  Amongst my posts you will find updates about my C.A.R.E. program, youth group, and other extra curricular activities that I partake in.  Please enjoy and thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog!

All the best!

Kristina