Bye! Bye! American Idol

Well, if you haven't heard yet, I was not asked to come back in September to audition for the judges. BUT despite the days final verdict Melynda and I did have quite a good time....as to be expected there were high points and low points. Since we both experienced the day from two different perspectives, we will be writing back and forth. My writing and thoughts will be in blue and Melynda's will be in orange.

We arrived at Energy Solutions Arena (ESA) about 20 minutes to 5am luckily the line was short & we were near the front & much closer than we had been in the line on Sunday. Fox employee's were out & about giving away free stuff to pimp their Fall lineup. We got Terminator fans, Bones pens, a deck of cards featuring Family Guy, The Simpsons, and two others I can't remember at the moment. The temperature was fairly nice for what would turn out to be a hot summer day. In fact, I think there was a bit of a breeze. Now I can semi-relate to those who aren't morning people however my 2 Diet Cokes prevented me from being calm at such an exciting time. I decided this would be a great time to make friends with the ESA & Idol staff that were walking around & other contestants that were walking to the back of the line. I got a few hello's back but mostly some weird looks. After a while a group of people behind us started playing some music on a little portable device so I sang & danced along - I'm sure that helped build people's confidence…. as long as they didn't sound like me they were golden! Card playing & chatting it up with the other contestants ensued for another hour & a half while the sun rose. We moved around the corner only to be put on the far side for an opening crowd shot in front of the arena. The odds of us being in that shot are pretty slim…. being short doesn't help either. Jenni got interviewed by a guy from the Salt Lake Tribune so that was cool. By this time my energy was dipping slightly - of course there were a few contestants behind us that were sole bent on being in the spotlight so I figured I'd save my excitement & energy for later. But of course the fun was just about to begin as we entered ESA.

For me, the morning was surreal. There were so many people there for the same reason as I was. We met many wonderful people. For instance, we met a girl named Kathryn who was there by herself. She didn't know what she was going to sing yet for her auditions. (Once we got inside, she was on the other side of the auditorium and higher up. I hope she did well) We also met a girl named Sherie who kindof looked like Carrie Underwood...needless to say I got quite the hug when I told her about the resemblence.

Sherie (the Carrie look alike)

Steve and I

Taylor, Kathryn and I

The only reason I got interviewed by the Salt Lake Tribune was becuase I spoke up. The girl next to us was interviewed and before the guy left I said " Hey I came all the way from Seattle!" That was enough to get the interview since he used to go to UofW. However, it was not enough to make the website blog! Oh well, it was still fun.

Our seats were AMAZING…. first row!!! (actually I think it was technically row C but it was the first row of chairs off of the floor seating) if I ever get a chance to sit at a Jazz game that close I think I might be in the closest thing to Heaven on earth! After everyone had trickled into the arena a gentleman started rehearsing the crowd songs. There is something to be said about large crowds and the energy a room full of people singing the same song and what it brings. It kind of gave me the goosebumps! It took a while to get the song lyrics down & the little bit of harmony/melody thing he wanted us to sing. Not bad for a room full of strangers if I do say so myself. The auditions started next & I think I got lost in the moment of watching people audition because I think Jenni had to repeat herself a few times. Jenni went to the snack shop to get us something to eat because it had been almost 5 hours since we had anything. The audition process seem to be taking a while but I had bad judgment of time & Jenni came back without the goods because the line was so long and it felt like it was getting closer to her time. Earlier Jenni & I walked around a bit in the corridor - there were a ton of people practicing out in the hallways. They took a break from auditions shortly after she returned to do some more crowd shots with a 'special guest"…. of course we know the special guest would be Ryan Seacrest but the rest of the crowd seem to be in awe of his arrival! Ryan did his thing we did lots of cheering & yelling for Salt Lake. Right before they announced his arrival they had to fill in seats with people from other sections who had left to go practice or stand in the long food line. They needed to make sure all the seats were full so their crowd shots would include lots of people! It will be fun to watch this next season and see if we made any of the shots.

This experience was amazing for me too. I loved singing in the group shots. We sang "Ain't no Mountain High Enough" and "Get Ready" Both songs are two of my favorite R&B classics. I think I squealed when Ryan Seacreast came out...not because I am a huge fan of his, but because it was beggining to feel more real with each moment. There was an empty spot next to me so I kept screaming out "Ryan come over here, I have a spot for you"....he didn't seem to hear me. :( (Let me just interject by the effects of this entire event. Two days later I had a dream that Ryan showed up at my elementary school and we were flirting and went on a date. Nothing I would ever want...not to mention I have heard many people who think he is gay.)
We saw so many "interesting" people. Lets just say one of them had an almost full size old lady puppet with her as she auditioned. There was also a lady who wore a red sparkly dress with bright red "dorthy" high heels. She was also crating her new born baby around. I also walked right past a few, very tall, transvestites and others in some wierd costumes. Needless to say, I felt almost too normal to get noticed in a building with so many people.

Is she the next American Idol? Only you can decide!

Sections emptied out quickly once the contestants ushered to the floor. Once that was over I opted to go brave the food line for a pretzel and hot dog. About an hour later I was rushing back to my seat but it was almost Jenni's time to audition. I would have hated to miss watching her audition (it was kind of one of those weird proud parent moments even though I'm not a parent). After the disappointing news, Jenni & I walked over to the Salt Palace where my mom works to get the car to go home. When we went inside I saw my old boss & supervisor from when I worked there. It was good to see them & after telling them why I was in town they asked Jenni to sing for them. She was so cute standing in the office doing her thing rocking out the Security Office.

I have never been so hungry in my life! And still I didn't get to eat until after the audition. (there was only one consession stand for 6000 people) Mels literally got down to our seats right as I got in line to audition. She really was the proud mama supporter. She took tons of picutres and even a video, although all you can see in my head (from a distance) inbetween the sholders of two other people.

The Audition: Ok so I know this is the part you all want to hear about. As you see in the picture below, they set up 11 booths. Behind each booth are rows of 4 auditioners. They would line them up to 3 rows deep at each booth. Then behind all of that was the line to get to the booths.

When it was my turn to go up, I was obviously nervous. They had just switched producers and added another one at that table. I had to rude ladies. I was the first to sing from my group of four. I walked forward, introduced the song I was going to sing and still, no reaction from them. I think I was so thrown off that I don't feel it was my best. I walked back feeling defeated. Wishing for another chance. Each person only gets up to 45 seconds to sing. I was cut off before my song was even over, which makes me think, they really didn't like what they heard. Oh well, their loss right? No one in my group made it. In fact, out of the 1000 people that went before me, only 30 -40 people made it. So I really don't take it personally. Mels heard the main producer say that first it was an entertaining TV show and second it was a singing competition. I really don't think I want to be a part of something like that.

waiting in line for my audition

When Mels and I met back up I immediatly devoured my pretzel....now it had been 10 hours since I had eaten last. Mels kept looking at me funny and I think she was expecting me to cry....she was tearing up....so sweet. It took me quite a while to let it all sink in.

Another proud parent moment for me! We opted to sooth our disappointment in a 'mini' Iceberg milkshake. I quote 'mini' because really… it wasn't all that small. Needless to say, neither one of us finished it. I somehow remember them tasting better but maybe that's because I'm partial to Burgerville shakes. After a long day I needed a nap & found comfort in a two hour nap and mom's version of Chong's fried rice. Despite the outcome, it was a great trip. So many great memories with my Bean and as I told her on Tuesday and as corny as it sounds… "She'll always be my American Idol"

By the end of the very long day, I was an emotinal wreck. For a while, I just sat in the recliner chair in the living room, staring. I told Mels the next day I would be going to the physc ward if another bad thing happened to me this year ( yes a bit dramitic ) When I asked her if she would visit me, she responded by telling me she would come and brush my hair. I think we got some looks in the airport as I was laughing so incredibly loud. I did break down the night of the audition, but it was a good cry. I hadn't slept more than a few hours each night before and had been under more stress than I have ever been in. Needless to say, I just woke up after 12 hours of sleep last night.


Do I regret the experience? Not one bit! It was very dissappointing indeed, but I can now say that I tried and that is enough for me.

Music is not over for me either. I am going to continue with my new voice teacher and see where that leads. Stay tuned for more info on my musical career.

From the bottom of my heart, thanks for all of your support. I couldn't have done it without all of you!

~Jenni

WHAT A MORNING!!!

Today is our day off...so naturally one might think the day would be relaxing. However, you thought wrong! Melynda and I had to wake up early to watch her adorable nephew Eric. He is almost 3 years old...so if you know three year olds then you can imagine how our morning went. He did really well for most of it, but he quite the talker...more than me (Jenni), if you can imagine that! I spent some time with him playing baseball outside. He is quite the little player and very cute. He takes his little bat and hits the ground twice, then spits and takes a few practice swings...just like he sees on TV. Lets just say its entertaining.

PLAY BALL!

However, here is where the trouble starts. We realize he needs more pull ups so we decide to make a run to Walmart. We soon learned that this is NOT what Mr. Eric wanted. The entire way to the store he was crying and saying, "I don't want to go". When we got there things got even more dramatic! He was shouting and sobbing, all the while still saying " I don't want to go to the store". When we told him we were already there, it only made matters worse. Melynda didn't know exactly what size of pull-ups he was, so she tried calling everyone to get his size - mom, dad, Eric's dad. Finally, after a nice little scene we got the pull ups and were on our way home...he was obviously way overdue for a nap.

Once we were safe inside the car, he immediately fell asleep. SHOCKER! On our arrival home, I quietly got out of the car while Mels tried to get our napper out without waking him up. But apparently our drama wasn't over for the day.

Melynda's brother's girlfriend, Danielle, has a little Pomeranian who lets just say...well he isn't the nicest dog. He growls, barks, and even bites. He doesn't like anyone here, except Danielle and Byron.

Well since, little Brody stays here most of the time, he decided it would be fun to dash out the door as soon as I opened it up for Melynda to let Eric in. Imagine this, Melynda has a half sleeping and very grumpy 2 and a half year old in her arms who she is trying not to wake. I jump in the car and dash off down the street after a little dog. See a picture below of what this kind of dog looks like. ( note this is note the exact dog, but similar)

So here I am driving in an unfamiliar neighborhood, chasing after a tiny dog, who hates me. I finally find him, but the chase goes on and on. Even when a few neighborhood kids try to help, that dog does not want to be caught. Well, I finally tricked Brody back to the house, through a series of crazy driving moves and once I tried to pick him up, he dashed off in the other direction. This little sucker is a fast runner. Mels came out and she started the chase. One of us had to stay with our finally sleeping little boy.

In the end we called Danielle and she came over, quickly found him, picked him up and brought him back. Now he is safely chained up in the back yard and the excitement of the day is hopefully finally over. (don't worry, he has food and shade)

I guess I did ask for this since I need to go to bed around 7pm tonight so I am ready for auditions tomorrow morning. We have to be there at 5 am. So maybe God was just helping me get tired so I can sleep....at least we have a funny story to tell.

As for idol...well it looks like I will be coming back with Mels on Wednesday morning after all. We hear in the paper and the news radio that the judges won't be here until September for the round before you even go to Hollywood. Therefore, my goal is to make callbacks and come back in September. My frustration is the AI website said auditions may last a few days and since Wednesday morning was my original flight, I paid another $70 to get my flight switched to Thursday evening. The good news is I can still switch my flight back to the original day and time with Mels, but not without another $40. So I am going to pay over $100 to take my original flight home. I have heard that the AI staff is not that considerate of the contestants in the earlier round, but now I am seeing why. Oh well, this is my chance and I am still excited. Don't get me wrong, I still want this and am willing to do what I need to, but my oh my, WHAT A DAY!

That's all for now, except to say...American Idol! WATCH OUT! Cause HERE I COME!!

Mel -

The excitement for Idol is mounting! During my nap yesterday I dreamt about meeting Paula - how weird considering I'm not trying out or even going to see them. I've been trying to wrap my mind around how odd it feels to be a part of 'pop culture' not just a viewer but an active participant. I mean it is one thing to go to a sporting event that is televised but being in a large arena, that come next year millions of people will be watching what happens there tomorrow. I can say - oh hey I was there singing the crowd songs along with everyone else. Weird... and totally surreal. I'm really excited for tomorrow and although it is early I can't wait to experience Idol tryouts with Jenni. Jenni commented on how I seem really quiet - its just because I'm saving up all my craziness for tomorrow... :)

Spa Day

Melynda and I decided we needed a spa day....so we took off this afternoon to the local mall and went to a spa to get a pedicure and maniure. However, we were talked into getting our eyebrows waxed too. We spent over 2 hours there and had a great time getting to know our nail techs. The best part though, and the reason why I am writing about this event, is a lady by the name of Jill. (who has a twin brother named Jack) She was a beautiful woman in her 50's and started to compliment me on my skin. We started talking and she noticed my American Idol wrist band. She got really excited for me and asked me to sing....with a bit of hesitation of singing in a nail salon, I sang a brief part of my audition song. She went wild about it and was very encouraging. She gave me her number and asked me to text her with the results from this week. It was quite the enjoyable experience...not to mention relaxing.

I wish you all could experience things like that because it was so much fun. Something I will remember forever!

American Idol Sunday July 27th, 2008

Confusion...

Mel here fresh from a nap and a Diet Coke. It's Sunday afternoon & it was a long morning. I'll start off with a recap from last night then move to today's activities. We made it to Chick-fil-a for dinner... unfortunately Jenni had a run in with a piece of gum in the mall parking lot

Foaming at the mouth.... or Cotton Candy? its hard to tell

I didn't hear any ranting or raving about Chick-fil-a from Jenni so it must not have WOW'd her like I wanted it to. In the car on the way to the game Jenni had a hard time drinking water (due to uncontrollable laughter) & half of it ended up on the side of the car & the other half all over her face.... luckily it was hot. It was even hotter at the game - like really hot. Luckily within 10 minutes our seats were in the shade. The Bee's won but it was a tied game through most of it. Poor Jenni - baseball games are not her thing. She had some cotton candy and I think that made up for it. :) Jenni & Danielle convinced us to pass on the fireworks which turned out okay because we ended up being able to see them from the freeway & they didn't last that long anyway. We got home just before 11pm and quickly put ourselves to bed.... we had an early morning ahead of us. Waking up at 4:30am was not in my top 100 favorite things on the trip so far but a necesary evil. After my diet coke I was at least able to put on a smiley face for Jenni. I'll let her tell you all about the waiting in line, meeting some cool people, & the registering aspect of it but my favorite moment was right at the end..... LOVE YOU JOHN!!

Jenni ~

Thank goodness God invented naps! I barely slept 4 hours last night and I was exhausted this morning when we got back. However, here is how today went...After forcing ourselves to wake up and get ready at 4:30 in the early morning, we were off to the idol registration process. The excitment didn't really set in until we started to get close. Thats when it all started. When we got to the line, there were about 400-500 people already there. It took a while just to take it all in. Hundreds of people, who knows what kind of talent they have, all lined up for one purpose....They all want to be the next American Idol! However, I don't think there were more than 700-800 people there total this morning. To pass the time, we pulled out the madlibs again, but soon the Fox video cameras were out soon after we got there and we went over to make sure our faces were caught on film. Who knows if it will make any footage. During our video debut, we met some people who happened to be playing the game Phase 10 next to us. Actually, I had seen them playing it before and really wanted to join them. Luckily, they invited us to play a game with them. However, that didn't last long as the line started to move! We were on our way in to register! For some odd reason, I felt the need to break in my new high heels this morning. Let's just say I am looking forward to my pedicure in a little bit. While waiting in the "moving" line we took many picures, even some with our new friends: Tanya, Michelle, and Josh.

Left to right: Me, Tanya, Michelle, and Josh

It was most interesting to hear many other contestants talking about why they were there, what songs they would sing, and much more. I didn't see any of those crazy people that you normally see on TV...maybe they are all saving their costumes until the acutal audition day. There will be many pictures coming, don't worry.

I am still taking it all in. Its exciting and nervewracking at the same time. I heard from Josh that the paper here said that callbacks to see the judges wouldn't be until September! None of the staff could tell me anything either, or should I say, wouldn't tell me.

However, Mels and I were registered and received our tickets and information by 8:00am...that's most likely before most of you were even up this morning! I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens next. We have to be at the Energy Solutions Stadium on Tuesday at 5:00 and even though I know that some people will most likely camp out or get there at 3:00 am. We have reserved seats so it doesn't matter so much.


This was quite an experience... I have never waited that long in line for something...well except on my first date with Axton when we waited in line for the Harry Potter movie. No matter how much we tried to prepare, we learned many lessons this morning. Here they are:

1. Bring lots of water and snacks. (although we did bring some this time)
2. Bring something to do in line. i.e. card games, book, etc.
3. Bring something to sit on that is comfortable.
4. Wear flip flops and bring the high heels for later.
5. Most importantly, bring your energy and big smiles! :)

American Idol Blog - Saturday July 26th, 2008

Melynda-
So here we are on our way to Salt Lake for Jenni’s audition for American Idol. After a small snafu with the hair color last night (part of it landed on my bathroom rug) Jenni is all prepped & ready for her audition. Katriina drove us to the airport & we sang some songs (ok - we sang one song) on the way to the airport. The line at the airport was a bit longer than normal but we had arrived almost 2 hours before our flight so we weren’t in any kind of a rush . Good thing too because I kept picking the wrong lines to get in - undoubtedly someone had either never flown before or was in the time of their life where general tasks take a bit longer to accomplish (that was my nice way of saying they were old). There was a nice gentleman standing in front of us who made small chat with Jenni & at some point in the conversation called her a ‘smart ass’ - funny how quickly people can infer things! J We had a good chuckle. We stopped by Wendy’s for a breakfast sandwich and then Starbucks to get Jenni a iced grande decaf no whip nonfat white mocha. I’m sure there is a Starbucks barista who will correct me on the order of the drink but who are we kidding…. I don’t drink coffee so I wouldn’t know anyway. We took a few pictures & moseyed on down to the gate. Fear briefly struck our hearts when we realized the plane had already been boarded by everyone else… there were only 86 people on the plane & they had loaded up everyone a little early. WHEW! Once we made our way to the back of the aircraft we played a few rounds of Mad Libs (side note - how come its so hard to remember what an adverb is once you graduate high school?) - our libs were entertaining to say the least & can only be read aloud in the company of close friends due to our interesting vocabulary. Jenni was/is slightly concerned about my comfort levels when flying. I told her as long as she doesn’t touch me I’m good… we had a brief layover in Spokane (a city I loathe) in which left only 5 people on the plane. From Spokane we have a hour and 20 minute flight into Salt Lake. The plane is full which makes me on edge & uncomfortable. I read through half of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe & tried to sleep. Jenni nudged me so I could order a Diet Coke & so I thought now would be a good time to start our blog. My brother & Danielle are picking us up at the airport. For dinner Jenni is going to have the privilege of having Chick-fil-a for the first time ever! I think we might try to go to the Buzz game (minor league baseball - they are #1 in the league right now!!) tonight to help pass some time. Jenni looks good (even after some tears) & is excited for our trip, as for me I’ll be excited once I get off the plane. Until then, here’s Bean…..

Jenni-
For those of you who don’t know how I earned the name Bean…or how it could derive from Jenni, let me just say that story is for another time and another place. Rest assured that I will not be using that alias for my auditions… somehow I don’t think Bean is the best name for my claim to fame. I need to comment on a few of Mel’s remarks. The only reason the guy in line called me a “smart ass” was because I was teasing Melynda. No crude words were used and his comment was in fun. Those of you who know me know I would never make jokes especially in a sarcastic tone.
I really can’t believe I am really on my way to audition for American Idol. I have wanted to do this for years, but never really had the nerve to do it. I am glad to have Melynda along as she is one my greatest cheerleaders! Not to mention she will keep me calm and make the entire experience that much more enjoyable.
That is all I have to add for now, I know much more will come later. As for now, I need to get back to the only book that has ever made me cry and let me tell you how weird it is to be on a plane full of strangers with tears pouring down my cheeks all because of a book. Good thing I know the person next to me.

Saturday afternoon
Melynda -
We’ve arrive in Salt Lake & to my parents place. Jenni is doing a bit of practicing & then we are getting ready to go to dinner & then Bee’s game (I know I called them the Buzz earlier - I forgot their name changed.) The end of the flight wasn’t exactly a picture perfect landing by any means… I thought Jenni might loose her breakfast sandwich on me. She made it though. I was slightly disappointed by the lack of beautiful people in the airport. Normally every time I fly into SLC I see the most beautiful people… they must all be on vacation this week.

Jenni - That was the worst landing I have ever had! Good thing I didn’t have any lunch, or it might have gotten ugly….not that any of you really want to hear that. We arrived in Salt Lake City to a warm 97 degrees (this is how our pilot described it), at least its not humid. Once we got to the Marshall household, I settled in and got to practicing immediately. I took my tape from my recent voice lesson and got right to work. I dragged Melynda in to the room to practice for her and for some reason, my confidence is dropping. I think I need to take a break from singing for the day and relax my voice, tomorrow will be my big practice day before the big audition. Well, I need to relax so we will be back later. Until then…