Dreaming of kicking up my heels in Medora!

Tap Dancing!

Cowgirl Jennifer!

When I was a girl, I had many dreams.  I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher or a children's singer, like Raffi.  I wanted to be a oral hygenist and sing the "Brush Your Teeth" song to all the kids while I brushed THEIR teeth.  I wanted to be a professional violinist like Itzak Pearlman.  But, probably the dream that drove me the most was that I wanted to be a Burning Hills Singer in Medora, North Dakota.  Every summer my grandparents who lived near Medora, would take my siblings, cousins and I to the AMAZING Medora Musical.  I would sit in my seat spellbound by the fancy dancing, the fabulous singing, the beaming smiles and the glowing eyes of each of the Burning Hills Singers.  I knew, in my heart of hearts that I was made to be up on stage with them.  I used to write letters to the producer asking if he'd consider having a young Burning Hills Singer up there, like an apprentice, and yes, of course I would volunteer for the job.  I took five years of tap dancing lessons in hopes that it would help me in my journey toward fulfilling my dream.  I took voice lessons and sang ALL THE TIME.  It was my destiny!  Years passed.  The dream faded some, but as I came of age to audition in
                              January of 1998, I was ready!  My dear friend Amy drove with me to Minneapolis to a run-down old building in which we had to take an elevator to the third floor where it was dark and cold.  One by one, we went in to sing for a small group of judges.  I even brought my fiddle to try to impress them that I could sing AND play fiddle.  I could hear the other singers and I knew I didn't have a chance.  The best singers got to sing a country version of "Amazing Grace" and I wasn't asked to sing it.  Then came the dance audition.  These gals came prepared with cute little dance outfits and everything!  The instructor went through the clogging routine very quickly and I was doomed!  I left that audition feeling like I had tried my best, but I was not cut out to be a Burning Hills Singer.  It was sad, but at the same time, I felt like I had already moved on to other dreams.  I was ready to teach school.  I was ready to focus on my music, on my studies, on my faith, on my friendships.  Medora could do without me.  But, I would always think of Medora as a great place for a kid to have a dream.  I highly recommend that families take a vacation there at least once while your kids are growing up.  There's tons to learn about Theodore Roosevelt and the wild west!  Don't forget the musical.  You can think of me and imagine me up there yodeling and smiling with shining eyes peering out at YOU!