Caitlyn's Story... from the beginning to... now

Hey, my name is Caitlyn.
I was born into quite a musical family, both of my pepe (dad's dad) and grandpa (mom's dad) played the violin, my grandpa also sung, and apparently had one of those Frank Sinatra voices, my grandma played piano, accordion, and sung as well. My dad played the guitar growing up, and my mom sung, and plays a little piano. My brother plays the bass (guitar, not a double bass), and I sing. Well when I was four I attempted to learn the violin but I lost interest pretty quickly, but I still have Mary Had a Little Lamb mastered! Still, music was a part of me, I was always singing things that I heard, and humming, but instead of getting voice lessons I went into a choir.
All through out elementary school I sung in choir, and worked one on one with my choir director who thought I had a pleasant voice, that was lacking in technique. When I hit middle school I started taking private lessons with two different instructors. At the time I had a very small range, and used only the lower part of my register. When I was around 12 years old watched Phantom of the Opera, and came across a cute old movie called Maytime. Thats what made me decide that I wanted to be a classical singer, focusing on opera, and folk. My singing for 20 minutes a day slowly turned to an hour. By the time I was, 14 I was breathing music, all I could see myself doing in life was singing. I wanted to be the next Prima Donna (not the bad kind lol) My technique was getting better, and I would be singing for about two hours a day. Both of my instructors were very nice to me, but one taught out of passion, and the other out of necessity. When one would critique my bad habits, and the other wouldn't take notise, and finally she decided that she was through with teaching. So training with one instructor though highschool, I developed good technique, and tone, and understanding, but had no interest in theory.
When I was 17 I auditioned to train in Italy for a summer, and I made the top ten out of 150 auditioners, and was excited about going to Italy, but unfortunately funding fell through for the program and I never ended up going.
After I graduated secondary school I focused mostly on work, and trained for only about an hour a day, I figured I had good technique and range, and I wasnt that interested in pushing myself, I thought I was good enough. My vocal coach kept urging me to work on a demo, and I was interested, but I kept putting it off. My grandparents were my biggest fans and kept asking for a CD of my singing, and my great aunt Madelin wanted one too, and I put it off for work. Sad thing was, I fully intended on doing both. Anyways, my grandpa passed away, and I was hurting, which then became my new excuse for not making the CD for my grandma and my great aunt. I still sung for my number one fan (my grandma), and sometimes she would sing with me, and I kept on promising that I would get around to making her CD, and she would make me promise to go for it, to make my dreams come true of being a professional singer.
Then one midnight (somewhere around that time) the phone woke me up. I came down stairs to see my mom crying, and she told me that grandma was sick, and we had to drive out to see her. With in 30 minutes my mom and I were in the car making our 3 hour drive to princeton where she was. We got her transfered to a better hospital, but it was too late, and she died holding my hand, with my cousins and I at her side.
I was completely broken, I felt terrible for never getting her CD finished, and for putting my voice training off for work. She was my hero, one of my biggest inspirations and I felt like I failed her. To make matters worse a month after she passed away, while I was working on the CD that I promised, my great aunt Madalin had a stroke and died. That was the final straw, I knew what I wanted to do with my life and it was time I started doing it, I quit my job and started auditioning again. I moved my training time up to about 2.5 hours a day, still I kept on getting told that I have the voice, but just not the theory. I started feeling hopeless, like it was a lost cause. But for Christmas I got a plaque from my aunt that said "Anything is possible if you believe" and on the inside, it said how much my grandma believed in me and in my voice, and how I have the whole family behind me. It re inspired me, I applied for a musicianship program at Douglas College, and applied for a voice major. I applied for 7 classes, and completely dedicated all of my time to music, and learning theory, piano, and improving my voice.Eventually my voice practice time moved up to 3 hours a day,not including class time, and in theory I am now an A student, in Sight Singing I am a B+ Student, in piano a B Student (I'm just picking it up now) , and in voice I have become an A+ student (I never saw a single A in high school, so Im still pretty stoked!)
I went from having a 3 octave voice range to a 4 octave voice range, and am now teaching beginners voice lessons. Im still learning, hopefully going to UBC next year or the year after, and now I am completely dedicated to following my dream, and this time I will not stray.
So after 13 years of singing, struggling, and succeeding. Having my ups and downs, here I am.
This time I am doing it, I am doing it for my Grandpa and Grandma, and my family and friends who believe in me, and this time I will do it for me, and Im not going to let myself down (Thumbs up)

Wow!!!!!!! Caitlyn! I didn't know all that about you! What an incredible story. I'm really sorry about all the deaths in the family That would be so hard to go through. One of the positive things about your personality that shows through is that, even though things were hard, it didn't make you quit, it actually helped you recommit yourself to your true dreams and goals in life! I think that's SO good that you do that! It would've been so easy to give up, but you didn't! I'm sooo impressed!

I believe in you to! I think you'll go far!

(and thanks for sharing your story! It was really inspiring to read)

Yeah, thats a very inspiring story B's and A's are of course very good,
So I guess im second in line to wish you luck on your journey

Awww thanks guys

I hope you know that your beloved ones are watching every step of yours from above and they are very proud of you. Losses are sad but they will live in your heart forever.
I had my grandma passed away and I could not even hold her hand like you did. She said goodbye to me in my dream this is how I got to know she was gone and ever since I can feel she is a guarding angel of mine.
I am sure great things are still ahead of you, you are still young. Good luck on fulfilling your dreams.

Inspiring indeed! You have everything that is needed to succeed in life, the will to keep on going. I too wish you good luck fulfilling all your dreams.
It would be nice to hear you sing...