My last post...
13 years ago
Monday, August 11, 2008
Education & Careers Overview
About 2 weeks after we got married we were both off and running in school; James at BYU studying Media Music and me at UVSC studying Modern Dance. We both graduated in the 2002-2003 schoolyear. James participated in Concert Choir & Men's Chorus, & ended up in Vocal Point-a 9 man pop a capella group where he had a blast. He had academic scholarships and did well. With just a Bachelor's degree he was offered a teaching position at the University and transitioned from student to part-time faculty teaching private Songwriting & Synthesizer which he has taught ever since. A year later, he started as the Director of Vocal Point and continues to do that as well. It is really (everyone knows this) a pathetic salary but he can't beat the experience. He loves doing it! In school, I LOVED my classes, teachers, & classmates, and ended up on academic scholarships, the dance company (Synergy), and graduating with Honors; none of which I would have predicted. My education there was superb and I would have stayed longer if they had a 4 year program at the time. While in school I also worked with the SCERA & Hale Youth theater's, Acting Up!, and Orem High choreographing their musical's; Schoolhouse Rock, Joseph!, Honk, Fiddler on The Roof Jr., Superman, & My Fair Lady. I also got to play the role of Tiger Lily in Peter Pan:) among a few other musicals. I will cherish my Peter Pan & Honk memories most!
James still directs Vocal Point and has done incredible things with them one highlight being their international championship win in New York in 2006. On the side he has been doing writing & arranging for local artists and businesses. He has an enormous mind and has the potential to do amazing work. He & I have some huge dreams that we hope to accomplish sooner than later so wish us luck!
I have done a couple small choreography projects since school and have taken some fun classes but nothing too intense since I had our son. I have been taking Speech Level Singing for about 2 years now, off and on, and started the certification teaching program a year and a half ago. In my narrow opinion it is the gospel truth when it comes to vocal technique and if someone wants to use their voice in a healthy way for a long time I highly reccommend it! Unfortunately God said no to that one but I have been teaching for the past year and that is by far the fastest way to sharpen your skills. Sorry if this is a boring narrative, I don't claim to be a great writer although sometimes I dream that I am!
Stevens beginnings
So James & I were married August 4, 2000 in the Mt. Timpanogos Utah LDS temple. We met in September of 1997 at auditions for Showtime Company, a singing/dancing 
group at Ricks College. He thought I was a naughty girl, I thought he was a nerd:) However, after our first one-on-0ne conversation, I knew he was a kindred spirit and felt strongly that he would play a big role in my life. We were both music majors and happened to be in almost all the same classes as well as Showtime together so we spent almost everyday, all day together, studying, rehearsing, and chatting. He had a big silver truck which we called the "Silver stallion" and I didn't have a car so he also drove me everywhere. All the while he had a steady girlfriend who was attending another University and I was dating the Ricks College baseball team and had a crush on some Cello player named James. About 1/2 way through the year he and his girlfriend broke up. By then I was willing to admit that I was falling hard for him and I was thrilled to find out he felt the SAME!! So breaking Showtime rules, we started dating and did so until about 6 months later when he left for his LDS mission to Florida, and I left to San Diego for mine. We kept in weekly contact through letters-paper & pen not email- and about a year after we returned home we were married. I sobbed through the entire ceremony out of pure joy that I was FINALLY marrying him. 4 years is kind of a long time when you live the law of Chastity! That's my nutshell version of how it 
all started.
There are so many other experiences and little details that helped give us a good foundation and that led me to James. To mention a couple of key experiences, I had been engaged to be married the previous year and God said no so inside of me was an extremely broken heart. 6 months after that, my sister Heidi was killed in a car accident. Yet another heartbreak and all the while I was in Showtime Company performing my heart out when I had no heart left to give. I was really struggling with the idea of even doing Showtime again because I was so emotionally exhausted. I was sure I didn't have the energy for the demands of the stage. As auditions approached I felt the Spirit, maybe it was Heidi's, shoving me there and for 2 reasons I am so grateful I went. 1. James. and 2. I had the privilege of sharing my Heidi story with audiences all over the world and singing a song about it. That was probably THE most healing thing I could have done and I am forever thankful for that opportunity. The most interesting thing about it all was how much James reminded me of Heidi as I got to know him. They are both tidy & detail oriented. Heidi was a gifted artist and so is James. Heidi was a musical genius. When there was tension in our home, and even when there wasn't,
she would sit at the piano for hours and create beautiful music or duplicate a movie theme. James did the same thing. I remember the first time I heard him play the piano I literally thought Heidi was there and I had to look to see who is really was. They have the same style. They both look a little different than the rest of their family. Kind of cute. Anyway, I thank God everyday that he led me to James because he really does make me whole! "He complete's me:)"
group at Ricks College. He thought I was a naughty girl, I thought he was a nerd:) However, after our first one-on-0ne conversation, I knew he was a kindred spirit and felt strongly that he would play a big role in my life. We were both music majors and happened to be in almost all the same classes as well as Showtime together so we spent almost everyday, all day together, studying, rehearsing, and chatting. He had a big silver truck which we called the "Silver stallion" and I didn't have a car so he also drove me everywhere. All the while he had a steady girlfriend who was attending another University and I was dating the Ricks College baseball team and had a crush on some Cello player named James. About 1/2 way through the year he and his girlfriend broke up. By then I was willing to admit that I was falling hard for him and I was thrilled to find out he felt the SAME!! So breaking Showtime rules, we started dating and did so until about 6 months later when he left for his LDS mission to Florida, and I left to San Diego for mine. We kept in weekly contact through letters-paper & pen not email- and about a year after we returned home we were married. I sobbed through the entire ceremony out of pure joy that I was FINALLY marrying him. 4 years is kind of a long time when you live the law of Chastity! That's my nutshell version of how it 
all started. There are so many other experiences and little details that helped give us a good foundation and that led me to James. To mention a couple of key experiences, I had been engaged to be married the previous year and God said no so inside of me was an extremely broken heart. 6 months after that, my sister Heidi was killed in a car accident. Yet another heartbreak and all the while I was in Showtime Company performing my heart out when I had no heart left to give. I was really struggling with the idea of even doing Showtime again because I was so emotionally exhausted. I was sure I didn't have the energy for the demands of the stage. As auditions approached I felt the Spirit, maybe it was Heidi's, shoving me there and for 2 reasons I am so grateful I went. 1. James. and 2. I had the privilege of sharing my Heidi story with audiences all over the world and singing a song about it. That was probably THE most healing thing I could have done and I am forever thankful for that opportunity. The most interesting thing about it all was how much James reminded me of Heidi as I got to know him. They are both tidy & detail oriented. Heidi was a gifted artist and so is James. Heidi was a musical genius. When there was tension in our home, and even when there wasn't,
she would sit at the piano for hours and create beautiful music or duplicate a movie theme. James did the same thing. I remember the first time I heard him play the piano I literally thought Heidi was there and I had to look to see who is really was. They have the same style. They both look a little different than the rest of their family. Kind of cute. Anyway, I thank God everyday that he led me to James because he really does make me whole! "He complete's me:)"
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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