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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2016 19 started writing at eight, often transporting herself to an imaginary kingdom where she re-lived movies, changing the endings until she was content with them. "I've always had a 'go-to' place in my head, a place where my amazing imagination has helped reshape my reality into something creative and self-healing." Eileen's aspirations have always turned toward creative enterprises. She has written three books and taught herself ballet. She wanted to be a prima ballerina, but her family prohibited that endeavor. But she watched and practiced anyway, and when she was in college at BYU she took dance. Her instructor asked her to audition for an upcoming event. She did, and danced en pointe in the opera Aida at BYU. It is still a thrilling memory. Eileen left college after two years and got married. Although her marriage did not endure, she had three wonderful children, two girls and a boy. And now she has nine grandchildren. She is close to them all, as she is to her sister Ruth. Even after writing three books and poetry, teaching herself ballet, having a long career in a difficult field, rearing three children, enduring a difficult and painful marriage, and moving from place to place after she retired, it wasn't until she moved to Four Seasons that she actually realized that she loves a challenge. Her new mantra is "Watch me." Try telling her she can't do something and out it pops, "Watch me!" So when the chance to live her longtime dream of writing and producing a musical appeared, she grabbed it. She loved the group ABBA and she loved their musical "Mamma Mia" and she had a story to tell. And so she sat down and wrote out everything she needed and needed to do. How? "I just figured it out." Of course. Simple. 18 songs, 36 pages of script, two casts. Simple. It took a year of rehearsals until Eileen was satisfied. And "Gramma Mia" was a huge success. Teri DiMarino-Davidson wrote a wonderful in depth article about the event in the November 2011 Breeze so I won't recreate her work here. But it wouldn't have happened without Eileen's dream and persistence. And now she has another production under her belt. She wrote, directed and produced "Seasons" which received even greater critical acclaim than "Gramma Mia." Does she have another production in mind? She didn't say yes or no. So now you can find Eileen teaching and/or participating in several billiards groups. And leading weekly Bible study groups. And taking part in competitions, often with her very talented and capable husband Pete, and being a devoted grandmother to nine grandchildren and… and… and. Somewhat overwhelmed, I bade good-bye to this gracious and talented woman and got into my car. As I pulled out of her garage it suddenly seemed to get warmer, with a hot breeze blowing on me. Now I know Eileen is capable and determined, but does the air really get cooler and saltier near her beach cottage? Impossible!! And yet, the phrase "watch me" suddenly pops into my head. continued from the previous page