Showtime!

We are down to one rehearsal. Tomorrow night is it, and Thursday we open "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." In many shows I've been in, we've felt like there's no way we're close yet, but this one is different. Nearly every scene is rock-solid. The only struggles we are currently having are with the tech aspects of it. Not all of the blackouts happened when they were supposed to tonight. Some of the scrims didn't appear when they should have. Microphones weren't always turned on when they were supposed to be. But, that's what these last few rehearsals are for. I'm going to pray that they work themselves out tomorrow.

The organization has had an order out for a new stage keyboard, and it finally came today. It is for Aaron to play. It is a fabulous sounding machine, and with it also came a really nice amplifier. However, with only one more rehearsal, it puts a little pressure on Aaron to get the feel for it, as the touch is different, and because the sounds aren't organized the way the other keyboard's were. Plus, the conductor asked Aaron to add the full violin part on top of what he's already playing, which means he will probably have to read two scores in order to do it. Every minute of his extra time tomorrow will end up being devoted to marking his music with the new changes, I'm sure.

I've really enjoyed this production. Once we got past the learning the music part of rehearsals, and onto the stage part, I could see how talented this group really is. Don't get me wrong, the music is good. It is just that some of these people don't read music, but once they get their parts, they are solid. But there are some amazing actors and dancers. I'm really glad I get to learn from them and participate with them. I am also very happy to have made some new friends.

Now, I should be ready to go to sleep. I have been a little wired after rehearsals. I think it is time for me to find a boring book to read to put me to sleep. Goodnight!

MBA/Job Musings

When Aaron was at Carlson for his interview, he chatted with the Negotiations professor in the lunch line. After they got through the line, she started to walk off, then turned around and said to him, "Ask for money!" Well, Aaron figures it can't hurt. He's going to call up the financial aid office at Carlson and ask.

If he doesn't get any grants or scholarships, we would have to go into extreme debt to do it. Neither of us is up for that. It would take too long, at this point in our lives, to pay it off. We were prepared for him to come out of MBA school with a lower initial salary than he is getting right now. With $70-$80K in student loan payments, it would not be worth the time it would take to recover.

We just found out that BYU isn't an option. So, to quit Microboards, it's down to Carlson or a new job.

Aaron came up with something that might help with the job search: Certifications. Tech companies are wary to hire Aaron because they are worried he might not catch on to their technology quickly enough. Maybe if he had some programming certifications on his resume, it would demonstrate his technical ability. Since it makes sense to Microboards to have him learn Java right now, they authorized him to buy books on it. One of the books he chose is aimed at people working toward the first certification test. Once he learns it, it can't hurt to be certified, can it?

In the meantime, Aaron is sending resumes all over the place. On Saturday, he put in his resume with a company that does Flash storage. It is the technology that is replacing optical (which he tried to get Microboards to start developing a few years ago, and which is now inching their way into Microboards' market). They have a marketing position open right now. Hopefully, they'll recognize his value to taking over the optical market, and he'll get an interview.

I don't like not knowing what the future holds. I am much easier to motivate if I have something to work toward. If I knew Aaron was going to Carlson next year, I'd be searching all of the stores for penny-pinching savings on canned vegetables or toilet paper so that I could stock up enough for two years. If I knew we were preparing for a move, I'd be reducing in every possible way, buying new curtains and blinds for the rooms that need them, and putting our money in very different places. The two ideas don't completely mesh, and I'm at a standstill.

So I blog.

Counting Blessings

I'm a whiner and complainer lately. Minnesota winters are depressing, and this one seems more so than others in the recent past. However, that's not a good excuse for me to complain about everything going on in my life constantly. Especially when I see such hard things happening around the world, and especially in our extended family. So, I'm going to take a moment to count some of my blessings.

1. I'm not going through a difficult pregnancy (no, I'm not pregnant at all, thank you very much).

2. Aaron is a loving, supportive husband.

3. We have healthy, bright children.

4. We only have one mortgage payment.

5. We have a year's supply of food and clothing.

6. We have a savings.

7. Aaron has a job that pays well.

8. I'm enjoying being in a musical.

9. We're not moving any time soon, most likely.

10. I have a few good friends.

11. I don't have a nudist living next door (at least, not that I know of, tee-hee, Melissa).

Life is not so bad. I have challenges I can handle, and I don't know how well I'd handle some of the challenges others are having right now.

Not Looking Good

I called the U of MN financial aid office today to find out when the FAFSA gets processed by them, as it has already been processed by the government. They said they don't start processing them until at least the end of February. Once it has been processed, then we fill out more online forms, and then we don't find out about all of the aid available until July. How do we pay the $500 tuition deposit and sign the intent form if we don't know if we can pay for it?

The guy I talked to wasn't positive, but thought that any departmental grants or scholarships probably would have been in the acceptance packet. Darn!

Then, he told me that loans will probably be equal to tuition plus $8000 in living expenses. If they take our EFC into account, as well, then we will be short on tuition by a few thousand dollars, and will only make it through most of April '11 before we go broke. Then what? It's not like a summer internship will pay for another year of living expenses for our family. Aaron will have half an MBA, no job, and $34,000 in student loans. I just don't know how this can work. I want to make it work for Aaron. I want him to be happy. I don't want him to have to stay at Microboards. Someone give me some hope, please!

Nine Months

We were anxiously awaiting the packet in the mail that was supposed to tell us what kind of financial aid Aaron is being offered, as per to Aaron's acceptance email. It came, but it didn't have anything but the acceptance letter, an informational letter that gave him his internet ID, the website address to accept his admission, etc., and a pamphlet that gives him contact information of people in the program, the financial aid office, etc. The informational letter also said that he will receive an email from the financial aid office when his eFAAN is ready (that's the online site that informs him of his scholarships, grants, and loans available, and where he can accept or decline each of them). I went to the eFAAN site, and it has his status as waiting for the FAFSA to be processed. The government part is complete, according to the FAFSA website, so we're just waiting on the U of MN's financial aid office to process it on their end, and then we need to fill out a few more online forms before they will finish the eFAAN.

We were hoping to have a better idea by now whether or not Aaron can go, but the wait continues.

In the meantime, I've figured out that we could live through most of April '11 (nine months of school) before our savings runs out if Aaron goes to the Carlson School of Business. That's not including tuition and fees - those we will need financial aid for. And, that's without living completely on our food storage. I only budgeted for a $100 cut in our grocery expenses. If I am really creative, we might even make it through May, and then, hopefully, Aaron will get a decent internship for the summer, scholarships and a graduate assistantship for his second year, etc. But, we could end up living on loans for the 2nd year. I don't like that idea much. I don't even know if we can take out that much in loans, honestly.

We have until April 15th to make the decision and pay the tuition deposit. I am glad we don't have to pay it sooner, like at BYU, because I don't think we have enough information to study it all out and get a good feeling for it yet. So far, we are just feeling uncertain. Something needs to happen, we're just not sure what.

Joseph - Free Ticket (with a little catch)

Last night I had a short rehearsal, and Aaron and I had an errand to run, so he came with me. Bill, the director, saw him hanging out, and asked me if he'd reconsider being in the pit, as they still don't have their 3rd keyboard player. I told him he might be able to get him if he twists his arm enough. So, he talked to him for a bit, and Aaron agreed to talk to the pit director about it. He's pretty sure he'll do it. After all, now that we're into our 5th week of rehearsals, Aaron won't have as many rehearsals to go to, so it isn't all that long of a commitment. There will be approximately 8 rehearsals and 8 performances, and Bill let him know that if he had any conflicts, even with a performance, they'd be flexible with that.

If he does go through with it, we have an extra ticket to the Thursday, February 18th performance that we'd like to give away. The catch is, you'll be sitting with my parents and six of my children. They do love music, so I don't anticipate a problem. The show is very fast-paced and should capture even Katie's attention for the duration of the performance. However, I can't make any promises that she won't have to be taken out. Any takers?

Carlson

Aaron got in!

Pinewood Derby

Pinewood Derby was on Saturday. Aaron helped William and Ben with their cars over the last month. However, he doesn't design them, and he only does the parts that have to be done with power tools. This isn't the key to winning races, but it makes the cars the boys'.

Benjamin came out of the race with a 3rd place Wolf den win. Not too hard to do, as there are only 5 boys in that den right now. Will didn't place, but we had fun re-running his car in the heat where his car was in the 4th lane OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. The 4th lane is a little finicky, and if you have a car with the weight all in the rear, like William's, the car doesn't have a chance. It was very amusing. The other cars in the heat were Ben's, and Brandon and Aaron Beckle's. Now, the Beckle's cars are always the winners, as their dad makes them, and as he is one of those guys who knows all the tricks, and builds them for speed. They always have perfect paint jobs and a shiny lacquer coating. Our boys' cars don't tend to do so well. However, this year, our boys' cars were actually pretty fast - but the imbalance made them jump the track at times. William's very first heat had his car come into finish sideways, yet he still won the heat. But in that 4th lane, he kept launching off the track. His car might have had a chance, if it weren't for the uneven seam on that end of the track.

There were a few interesting posts on Facebook last week that you might find interesting:


Aaron Pratt Dear Diary, I truly and deeply despise the Pinewood Derby. 6 sons times 4 years equals 24 sets of last place finishes and boy disappointments. I think I'm around halfway through. Yours truly, Dad
January 27 at 7:55pm · Comment · Like

Joyce Nordine Claypool
soooooo understand your pain...we have ours coming up! last year and in 2 months i'll have 2 BOY scouts finally...
January 27 at 8:02pm

Melissa Pratt Nielsen
do they really always lose? Thats kinda sad.
January 27 at 8:06pm

Becky Lyman
Ya know, there are web sites for improving your time, but what bugs me is that it is such a dad thing. Why don't the boys build the car???
January 27 at 8:38pm

Aaron Pratt
In my house the boys do (except where power tools are involved). But it still costs me time and pain.
January 27 at 8:56pm

Patty Maldonado Beckle
The boys are the only ones who touch their cars...oh gosh, I almost said that with a straight face.
January 27 at 9:13pm

Louise Wynn
Oh boy can I sympathize with that!
January 27 at 9:56pm

Emma Pratt
you have a diary?
January 27 at 10:29pm

Brian Beckle
If it's any consolation, my kids will never be able to play the piano...
January 27 at 11:00pm

Kimberlee Dodds Dray
lol
January 27 at 11:17pm

Melissa Brimhall Young
i despise them also.
January 28 at 7:47am

Then, the aftermath:


Patty Maldonado Beckle Congrats to my little Aaron...Grand Champion three years in a row. I think he's going to miss racing in the derby next year.
Sat at 1:56pm · Comment · Like
2 people like this.

Melissa Brimhall Young
So is his dad. :) Is your younger one in scouts yet?
Sat at 3:45pm

Stefany Pratt
Oh, don't worry, Melissa, there are quite a few more years for Beckle boys to beat the tar out of the Pratt boys at the Pinewood Derby over the next few years (Brandon Beckle's first race was today).
Sat at 5:13pm ·

Melissa Brimhall Young
LOL! I was hoping for one year Beckle free. :)
Sat at 5:24pm

Megan Beckle Hermsen
Go Beckle's!!!!!
Sat at 6:02pm

Patty Maldonado Beckle
LOL! I had that same conversation with Tiffany Hardy last year. We realized that they would be racing Beckle boys until Luke came into scouts..only because Sydney is a girl. The Beckles are just born speed freaks.
Sat at 10:42pm

Kim Beckle Kupper
way to go Aaron! ..oh and Brian too :)
Sat at 11:32pm

And from Aaron:


Aaron Pratt "If we fail, we fail with Glory; God Speed the Right!"

BYU Interview

Aaron got the phone call from the ditsy Marriott receptionist last Friday. She took no responsibility for messing up the first appointment (didn't apologize), which made Aaron a little frustrated. At this point, he decided not to go out to Utah for the appointment. What kind of MBA program is it that hires someone so unprofessional as its first point of contact with their candidates? The Carlson receptionist was a professional, not a freshman on work-study. He then set up his appointment for yesterday at 1pm. They discussed the time zone difference, and had it all set.

Well, yesterday rolled around, and Aaron didn't get a phone call. At 1:15pm he called the receptionist. She said he must have had a time zone issue, because the appointment was for 3pm, not 1pm. WOW. Especially considering the time difference is only one hour, not two.

At 3pm, Professor Christensen called. He apologized to Aaron for the confusion, and Aaron graciously told him that he must have been having time zone issues, at which point the professor told him that it was clearly his receptionist's fault, from her emails, and that he'd need to deal with her so that this type of confusion didn't keep happening. Aaron was relieved, and started to have a little hope for the program again.

It didn't last long.

Professor Christensen is about two years older than Aaron. He is a marketing professor. He has no business experience. His questions for Aaron were poorly constructed, and Aaron felt his communication skills were lacking. He challenged Aaron's motivations for getting an MBA, which is a good thing. He told Aaron that some professionals who enter the program are only there for the piece of paper, and don't participate, and that others come in and challenge what is being taught, and they aren't really there to learn. Aaron expressed to him that he will certainly participate, and that he will challenge marketing theory when he has had experiences that conflict, as he has read enough text books that teach theories that aren't sound in application, but that he would like to learn finance and operations, and that he will be there to learn in those courses. I give him credit for honesty, there.

Professor Christensen also asked Aaron about where he'd like to do his internship. He wanted Aaron to name companies. He said they start interviewing in their third week in the program. Internships are for 3 months over the summer, and are not typically in Utah, and he wondered how Aaron was planning on doing that with his family. Good question! This was all news to Aaron, and he told him that he'd have to consult with me, but that if it was right for us, that's what we'd do. It looks like they rely on the students to come up with their own internship opportunities, which is very different from Carlson.

All in all, we found that this program does not offer the opportunities Aaron wants. He felt that the people there are very much less experienced than Carlson, and that the networking Aaron was hoping for isn't there. I'm not saying we are 100% against it, but unless we receive some clear revelation that we are supposed to make that move, we're not very much on board right now. I'd call it plan C.

Aaron described to me the feelings he had coming out of the Carlson interview; elation, fear, nervousness, disappointment (as he didn't think there was a way to pay for it), and an intense desire to do it! With the Marriott interview, he came away wondering whether there was anything in the program for him, other than the finance and operations courses.

Well, now we wait. We should hear about both in February. In the meantime, Aaron will continue looking for a new job. He hasn't heard anything back from Finale yet. I wish they'd call!

Quick Update

Aaron was supposed to have his BYU interview yesterday. Unfortunately, the scheduler messed up and never let the professor know. So, when Aaron called in, the scheduler was out sick, and the back-up lady figured it out and told him she'd have the scheduler call him back when she gets back to reschedule it.

Now, Aaron is reevaluating going out there for an in-person interview. I'm not sure what triggered it, but maybe he needs to do it. He's trying to figure out how serious he is about BYU. I told him yesterday that he needs to be serious about everything in the moment, until he has all of his options in front of him. If he can't find another job, and if he doesn't get into Carlson (or doesn't get the necessary financial aid), suddenly he'll be really serious about BYU. It may seem like the least desirable option right now, but it is still a great school, the tuition is affordable, and it will get him out of Microboards.

Woman Issue

I was feeling pretty depressed last week. I was trying to figure out why it seemed like it was happening more and more often lately. I finally looked at the calendar, and then I realized that the same week each month I have been feeling this way. I looked up PMS symptoms, and yup, I hit the nail on the head. It starts about 11 days before my cycle begins, and ends a week later.

Knowledge is power, and I was able to control it a bit better last week than I have the past few months. I just hate feeling like crying for no reason, or over stupid things that normally wouldn't bother me so much. Aerobic exercise is supposed to help. I find it hilarious that I did so well at exercising every weekday and some Saturdays until I got to that week and couldn't get myself to do it for a few days. But, once I forced myself, I felt better. I also need to eat right through it, and remember my vitamins. Those two simple things are probably the hardest part for me, as I'd rather not bother getting up and doing anything, hungry or not, when I feel that way.

Does anyone else deal with this? What are your best tips for handling it?

Just Getting Along

Well, nothing exciting has happened lately. Aaron was out of town last week for a trade show. Now he's working on scheduling his interview with Marriott. He thought he'd go out for it, but now he's considering the phone option for out-of-state applicants. Tickets are running $3-400 right now, and after a rental car, hotel and missed work, the trip would run around $1500 - which we can afford if he isn't going there next year, but maybe not if he is! Any thoughts? Is an in-person interview worth the cost? Could it make a difference in whether or not they offer him a scholarship?

Will and I continue with our busy schedule of Joseph rehearsals. I'm resigned to the fact that I'm a part of it, and I'm going to try to have fun. We're supposed to have all of our music memorized by the end of next week. It is a little bit of a struggle to me to sing a different part than the one I already have memorized, but I'm working on it. By the way, they still need two keyboard players. If anyone is interested, they are not paid positions, but it could be fun.

Katie came down with a fever on Sunday night. It wasn't awful, and it was probably a reaction to her H1N1 shot last week. She slept a little more than normal, and was grumpy, but didn't have any other symptoms. She is over it now.

I'm seriously tired of watching Curious George. It is all Katie will watch, and I've seen every episode dozens of times now.

Another Interview, Musical Stuff

Aaron got an email last night from BYU-Marriott. They invited Aaron for an interview.

Now Aaron has a question. If a tech company hesitates to hire him because he doesn't know the technology, what good will an MBA do him? Any insight into this would be much appreciated.

Musical rehearsals started this week. I was a little concerned after Monday's rehearsal. First, they handed out mostly photo copies of the score. Leads got books, but everyone else got copies. Last time I was in Joseph, it was explained to us that the rights to perform the show come with the mandate that every cast member has to have a rented score, and it is illegal to make copies. Should I be concerned that they are cutting costs and doing this illegally? Or is it possible they do have the scores, but are being protective of them so they don't get lost? I know most people don't get concerned with this stuff, but being married to a song writer, I don't like to violate copyrights. It isn't fair to the writer.

Second, the audition process did prove to fail in some respect. I don't know if I mentioned auditions previously, but the sum and whole of the vocal audition was singing 16 bars of a memorized song. Some people actually showed up without music and sang a part from the musical a Capella, obviously learned from the CD.

Within the cast are quite a few people who are not able to read music. There are sopranos who refuse to sing 2nd soprano because they don't know how to sing harmony. However, the first soprano part is in the rafters a lot of the time, and they don't sound good up there. Then add to it the fact that the 1st soprano part IS the harmony part half the time, and you end up with an imbalanced choir. I am singing different parts in the Megamix than I am in the Canaan Days songs, because in the Megamix I'm on the high first soprano part, and when the soprano part is lower in the Canaan Days versions of the same songs, I am singing 2nd soprano, just because very few other people can. It frustrates me a little, as I was really hoping this would be a more professional chorus.

Musical practice went better last night. People were more in tune, in general. As it goes with men, as they learn their parts, they start being able to focus on the shape of their vowels, and get a better sound. I had to laugh at a lady who came in and asked where the first sopranos were sitting. She had been there Monday, and was sitting right in the middle of the lower 1st sopranos, but she insisted everyone around her was singing something other than the 1st soprano part, and that she can't harmonize, so she needs to sing the 1st soprano part. I explained to her that the 1st soprano part is harmony half the time, and that the 2nd soprano part is melody some of the time, and the alto part is melody some of the time, and that no matter where she sits, there will be some people singing harmony around her. Ugh!

I feel a little more appreciated after last night, though. I was added into another scene of the show. I'll be singing from the catwalk during Close Every Door. I guess they don't have enough singers in the scene, so they selected a few of us to join it from above the audience. The rehearsal for the vocals is on a night when Will had to be there, and not me, so that works just fine, as I'd be sitting around there anyway.

By the way, one funny thing I found out this week. There are more than just one wife per brother. True to the story! But that would be why we aren't in Canaan Days with the men, I'm guessing. It would be hard to waltz with multiple wives per brother.

2nd Interview Yesterday

Aaron had his second round of interviews at Digi yesterday. The first 5 interviews went extremely well. The manager of the department, Mike, all but stated outright that he wanted to hire Aaron. Everything was really smooth sailing, until... the manager's boss got his turn.

He started out telling Aaron that he didn't know why Mike insisted on him interviewing Aaron. He isn't qualified technically to be in the industry. Aaron appreciated his openness - something he never sees from the president of Microboards. He fielded his questions really well, and in the end, the director told him he could see why Mike insisted on the interview. He just wasn't sure whether he could take the chance on Aaron being able to come up to speed on the technology as quickly as they would need him to. Aaron pointed out to him that he has a proven track record, and they could take someone who has been laid off, but is in the industry, but why take someone who wasn't valued by their company when they could have someone who is? He then told him that he wasn't sure how he could prove his ability to learn the technology quickly, but if they could come up with a way to evaluate it, bring it on! The director liked that idea, and said that maybe he and Mike could come up with a product for him to create a plan for, and give him a time limit to do so.

The interview left off there. No promises, but there is still hope. Aaron really loved it there. Each of the people who interviewed him were intelligent. They have a technology that is relevant for the future. They value their employees. Digi also has a fitness area, a cafeteria with good, inexpensive food, and a thinking room with bean bags and a bass guitar in it (I think that was mainly for the engineers, but I don't know for sure). It was a very friendly environment. So, please keep Aaron in your prayers. This will be a big disappointment for Aaron at this point if he doesn't get the chance to prove himself to them.

2nd Interview & Cast Meeting

Aaron hated work yesterday. He has nothing to do, and is spending his time learning Java, just for kicks. He was feeling quite depressed by 4:59pm, when his phone rang. It was Digi Int., scheduling a 2nd interview!!! They haven't even been through all of their interviews yet, and wanted to schedule him for 6 interviews on Jan. 4th with all of the members of the team. It made his day. Keep him in your prayers. He really wants this job.

William and I had our cast meeting last night. I went into it a little hesitant. I have been feeling a little like backing out of the production lately. I was starting to wonder why I had decided to do it. When I got there and saw the schedule, I felt even more like I shouldn't be doing it. Will's and my schedules don't completely mesh, and he actually has to be there more than I do. They have split the chorus into 5 groups, and I am in the tiniest chorus of all. In fact, I am only in Jacob and Sons, Joseph's Coat, 1 More Angel/Hoedown, Jacob in Egypt and the Finale. That's a whole 19 minutes on stage. It isn't that I don't have a big part. It is that I am leaving behind six children to spend time with one, and we are only in two scenes together. I got very emotional, and there were tears. Of course, I am having some issues with seasonal affective disorder right now, and my "friend" had just made its appearance, which always means my horomones are out of control.

The good news is that of all the chorus roles I could have gotten, this is probably the only one I could have accepted, after finding out what all the costumes are last night.

In the end, I decided to do it. William is really excited about it, and I couldn't disappoint him. It is, after all, only 8 weeks. After it is over, maybe I'll feel like it wasn't so bad. Or maybe I'll take another 12 years to audition for a show again. Who knows? But I'm going to try really hard to make it a positive experience for both William and me.

Bonkey Deorge, Interview and Other Random Stuff

Katie has a runny nose this week. She is taking it pretty well, except for overnight she coughs a lot. Last night I had to sleep with her for a while to keep her propped up so she could breathe more easily. She is having a hard time saying Monkey George today, and instead says Bonkey Deorge, which is so terribly cute! Yesterday, she finally decided to start giving me kisses. Unfortunately, they included her trying to breathe through her nose during the kiss, which was really disgusting. I couldn't tell her no to her kisses, so instead I had to wash my face afterward. Ew.

Aaron had a job interview today for a product manager position at a tech company called Digi International. It is based in Minnetonka. He wasn't really taking it very seriously, as the drive is a bit far, so we'd probably have to move, and because he had no idea how much it paid. However, he just called and said it went very well, and that it is something he'd really enjoy, and that it would pay what he's looking for. They told him that there are two other interviewees who can't come in until after the holidays, so he won't hear anything for a while.

My dishwasher had a control board malfunction this week. I hated it already, as I've had issues with it leaking for the past year, so I got a new one. I had to bring it home and install it myself in order to get the one I wanted and keep Aaron from going through the roof. The only one in the price range he wanted to stay within was the same cheap brand as the old one, but didn't even hold as many dishes. Installing it took a little longer than I hoped it would, as I ended up needing to replace some connectors in the plumbing, but it works, and there are no leaks. I'm very happy with it.

I just heard that Aaron's brother-in-law, Matt, got the job at Finale. Congratulations to him, and I hope they move into our ward, as the company is in our neck of the woods.

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Totally Together Reviews: HP TouchSmart Computer Review and Give-Away!

Totally Together Reviews: HP TouchSmart Computer Review and Give-Away!

I want to win this computer. That's why I've linked to it - it gives me an extra entry. Tristin is at a point where he has hours of homework on the computer at times, and the younger boys have a hard time getting onto Study Island, their required practice site for math and grammar. Plus, if Aaron goes back to school next year, we will need a computer for him, anyway. Why not get a free one, if we can?

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Katie's gonna look so pretty!

Katie wanted all of her barrettes in her hair one day last week. Aidan decided to help her put them in. He proclaimed, "Katie's gonna look so pretty!"