In the summer of 2009, I auditioned for Season 9 of American Idol in Denver (the season Lee DeWyze won). I had just finished my first semester of college in Idaho and decided to make it a fun road trip, going with two friends from high school in California for support. As a young small town girl, with very little traveling experience at the time (especially being kind of on my own essentially), seeing the "big city" was exciting and new. Auditions took place at the Mile High