Don't you just love the new look? Thank you Erin!!! You can check out her Blog and amazing work
here. Since the Blog has a new look, I thought we could take an old look at 15 year old Kelsey.
In honor of the amazing Grease Live show that aired earlier this week, I thought we would have a blast from the past. I bring you Grease from 12 years ago! The students I teach were not even alive during this grand production. WHAT?!? Yes, that is me playing Sandy in 2001 **insert hair flip**. This is one of my favorite musicals and it was an honor to play such a great role alongside my very talented besties.
I grew up in the theater performing musicals. My very first musical was "Velveteen Rabbit" when I was eight years old. From that day on, I never left the stage. There is nothing like hitting center stage with the bright lights shining on you while you sing your heart out in front of thousands of people. It is a rush!
Although I am not performing musicals anymore, I am on the stage everyday as a first grade teacher. I am performing lessons and take a grand bow at the end of each tiring day. Sometimes I even get applause. You can take the girl off the stage, but you can never take the stage out of the girl...or something like that.
Being in musicals and performing has changed my life. After my first play at eight years old, I continued performing 2-3 shows a year until I graduated college. I made life-long friends that I cherish more then they will ever know. I was changed, molded, and shaped by performing and it has made me the person I am today.
I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity and blessing of being in theater at such a young age. I hope my children can love something as much as I loved performing.
While we weren't rehearsing, I remember sitting in the theater prank calling bowling alleys, playing "big booty", standing on the counters singing at the top of our lungs, crying together, laughing together, and playing truth or dare- you know, typical teenage stuff. We didn't have a care in the world... TAKE ME BACK--
I want to say thank you to everyone who laughed and cried with me for 21 years of my life. Thank you for listening, dancing, singing, performing, encouraging, and always believing in me. I love you and miss taking that bow on stage with you. I hold those moments near and dear to my heart. We may never perform together again, but we can escape back to those days together and reminisce. I mean look at how young we look!!!!
Thank you blogging world for this trip down memory lane! This musical-loving performer appreciates you for reading and enjoying these photos. If you didn't laugh at least once, there is something wrong with you. I mean these are straight outta da millennium.
What were you doing 12 years ago that might have changed your life?
