I didn't get everyone in the picture, but most of the choir/speakers/narrators. It was SO much fun. I feel very blessed to know so many talented musicians in my ward. They treat me with respect and we always have a good time together. I'm eager to start on our next song: I BELIEVE IN CHRIST. So, the cantata went well. It's hard to say goodbye to it--but I know that it touched many people, so it definitely was a success.Sunday, September 30, 2007
FROM CUMORAH'S HILL
It's hard to say goodbye to something that I've been working on for the past 2 months. Today our ward choir sang the cantata FROM CUMORAH'S HILL. They sang wonderfully, the speakers & narrators did well in their parts. We had roughly 150 people attend, which was great! There was just enough refreshments for everyone. We took a picture:
I didn't get everyone in the picture, but most of the choir/speakers/narrators. It was SO much fun. I feel very blessed to know so many talented musicians in my ward. They treat me with respect and we always have a good time together. I'm eager to start on our next song: I BELIEVE IN CHRIST. So, the cantata went well. It's hard to say goodbye to it--but I know that it touched many people, so it definitely was a success.
I didn't get everyone in the picture, but most of the choir/speakers/narrators. It was SO much fun. I feel very blessed to know so many talented musicians in my ward. They treat me with respect and we always have a good time together. I'm eager to start on our next song: I BELIEVE IN CHRIST. So, the cantata went well. It's hard to say goodbye to it--but I know that it touched many people, so it definitely was a success.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Chocolate waffles & Cherry trees
This morning Tyler made chocolate waffles for his chocoholic daughter. Isn't that sweet?
We had to hurry to the auditions for the Dayton Opera Chorus. It went well,...I think? I sang two pieces, Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento & O Divine Redeemer. About 2/3's of the way into O Divine Redeemer they said I could stop singing. They said they were running behind schedule, which was true...but does that mean they didn't want to hear me any more? Or that they could already tell that my voice was fabulous??? I can't imagine Anna Netrebko auditioning, and anyone telling her to stop 2/3's of the way through...of course, I'm not Anna Netrebko. ha ha! Seriously, though, I sang my best. If they don't need my voice now, then I'll try again next year.
Then we responding to a "bite" I got on my freecycle.org wanted ad for fruit trees. A lady about 20 minutes away had tons of cherry tree starters in her backyard. We took 4 of them plus 50-60 starters for Rose of Sharon's (ros's). Tyler planted the 4 trees and we put the ros's in some pots. I think we'll plant them next year. We need to get some more dirt to fill in the back of our yard--where we want to plant the ros's.
I taught voice lessons to Hannah & Selena. It went well. I actually had them do a theory assessment. I feel that because I'm in school studying music, that I will be able to share all that knowledge in my life (family, calling, voice students, etc. ). It's a great feeling.
I was able to exercise today! Hooray! I haven't been exercising this past week, except for monday, due to a hectic schedule plus my knee has been acting up. I hope it will stop soon. Today I wanted to walk for 30 minutes, but had to cut it back to 20 because my knee started hurting. *sigh*
The RS broadcast was wonderful! It was grand sitting in the RS room with my fellow sisters and being spiritually fed. I knew it was where I was supposed to be. 2 quotes that I really enjoyed from the broadcast:
1. The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.
2. Do not pray for tasks to be equal to your abilities--but pray for abilities to be equal to your tasks.
We had to hurry to the auditions for the Dayton Opera Chorus. It went well,...I think? I sang two pieces, Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento & O Divine Redeemer. About 2/3's of the way into O Divine Redeemer they said I could stop singing. They said they were running behind schedule, which was true...but does that mean they didn't want to hear me any more? Or that they could already tell that my voice was fabulous??? I can't imagine Anna Netrebko auditioning, and anyone telling her to stop 2/3's of the way through...of course, I'm not Anna Netrebko. ha ha! Seriously, though, I sang my best. If they don't need my voice now, then I'll try again next year.
Then we responding to a "bite" I got on my freecycle.org wanted ad for fruit trees. A lady about 20 minutes away had tons of cherry tree starters in her backyard. We took 4 of them plus 50-60 starters for Rose of Sharon's (ros's). Tyler planted the 4 trees and we put the ros's in some pots. I think we'll plant them next year. We need to get some more dirt to fill in the back of our yard--where we want to plant the ros's.
I taught voice lessons to Hannah & Selena. It went well. I actually had them do a theory assessment. I feel that because I'm in school studying music, that I will be able to share all that knowledge in my life (family, calling, voice students, etc. ). It's a great feeling.
I was able to exercise today! Hooray! I haven't been exercising this past week, except for monday, due to a hectic schedule plus my knee has been acting up. I hope it will stop soon. Today I wanted to walk for 30 minutes, but had to cut it back to 20 because my knee started hurting. *sigh*
The RS broadcast was wonderful! It was grand sitting in the RS room with my fellow sisters and being spiritually fed. I knew it was where I was supposed to be. 2 quotes that I really enjoyed from the broadcast:
1. The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.
2. Do not pray for tasks to be equal to your abilities--but pray for abilities to be equal to your tasks.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Friday is here...
I've never looked forward to the weekend as much as I do now...after spending the whole week in school, with countless hours spent in the practice rooms on campus--my voice (and my mind) look forward to some relaxation!
Opera was fun today. I am the mother of the plaintaff (sp?) in the TRIAL BY JURY opera scene. I think it's going to be a lot of fun...the FIGARO scene is also getting better.
We went to shannon's house tonight for a wonderful dinner, which included artichokes. It was my first time to eat them--they were...different, but good. If I ever find them on sale, I think I'll buy them. :o) Then we played Carcassonne...and I even won!
Tomorrow is my audition....wish me luck! Dayton Opera Chorus bound...maybe.
Opera was fun today. I am the mother of the plaintaff (sp?) in the TRIAL BY JURY opera scene. I think it's going to be a lot of fun...the FIGARO scene is also getting better.
We went to shannon's house tonight for a wonderful dinner, which included artichokes. It was my first time to eat them--they were...different, but good. If I ever find them on sale, I think I'll buy them. :o) Then we played Carcassonne...and I even won!
Tomorrow is my audition....wish me luck! Dayton Opera Chorus bound...maybe.
Which Princess are you?
Which Disney Princess Are You? | |
 | You are Cinderella. You are hard-working and never complain, however, your trust is sometimes misplaced and people sometimes take advantage of you. Still, you are beautiful inside and out, and one day you will realize it and find true love. |
| Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com | |
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Veggie Tales
Anna LOVES this dvd. I bought it for her at TOFW. She wants to watch it every day...and Tyler & I find it quite amusing. maria is the one who introduced it to us...a long time ago. Isn't that right, Maria? I think it was you & Glen...anyhow. We're just now getting into it...meaning, I check out 2-3 veggie tales movies from the library every week. I'm keen on the Lyle the viking one...pretty cute.
Today went well. I had my music theory test. I did quite well on it, I think. This week is just jammed pack full of things to do. I have a quiz tomorrow, saturday I am auditioning for the Dayton Opera Chorus, Sunday is the From Cumorah's Hill Cantata...busy, busy weekend ahead of me. That's good, though, right? I think so. As long as I can breathe--I should be fine. (especially during the audition)
This evening I had my Italian class. The instructor (a singer, herself) asked 4 of us "singers" in the class to sing SANTA LUCIA. Somehow I figured that I could actually play the song while the other 3 people sang. I was WAY nervous, since I'm not a pianist and am not very comfortable playing the piano in front of people--much less accompanying a group! I practiced the song over and over and prayed for help. Once I began to play, all the fear left me and I felt the Spirit with me. It was actually FUN. And I didn't make any huge mistakes. The world didn't end. People liked it. It was good.
Here are some photos of Tyler that I have been meaning to post:
The ones of Tyler in yellow plus his boots are from when he went to help fellow Ohioans when there was some major flooding last month. He did major manual labor for 2 full days and came home looking exhausted! What a trooper!
The ones of Tyler in his Oklahoma State University sweatshirt show off his, um, style in clothing. Note the sweatshirt is black, the sweatpants are blue, and they are complimented by his summertime flip flops. What more can I say?
Today went well. I had my music theory test. I did quite well on it, I think. This week is just jammed pack full of things to do. I have a quiz tomorrow, saturday I am auditioning for the Dayton Opera Chorus, Sunday is the From Cumorah's Hill Cantata...busy, busy weekend ahead of me. That's good, though, right? I think so. As long as I can breathe--I should be fine. (especially during the audition)
This evening I had my Italian class. The instructor (a singer, herself) asked 4 of us "singers" in the class to sing SANTA LUCIA. Somehow I figured that I could actually play the song while the other 3 people sang. I was WAY nervous, since I'm not a pianist and am not very comfortable playing the piano in front of people--much less accompanying a group! I practiced the song over and over and prayed for help. Once I began to play, all the fear left me and I felt the Spirit with me. It was actually FUN. And I didn't make any huge mistakes. The world didn't end. People liked it. It was good.
Here are some photos of Tyler that I have been meaning to post:
The ones of Tyler in yellow plus his boots are from when he went to help fellow Ohioans when there was some major flooding last month. He did major manual labor for 2 full days and came home looking exhausted! What a trooper!
The ones of Tyler in his Oklahoma State University sweatshirt show off his, um, style in clothing. Note the sweatshirt is black, the sweatpants are blue, and they are complimented by his summertime flip flops. What more can I say?
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Must. Have. Sleep.
I've never really known lack of sleep before I began this music performance degree. Not, not even with Anna as a newborn. She slept quite well from the beginning and I don't remember feeling tired on a regular basis. Not so in my current schedule. I'm getting up around 6am and if I don't get to bed by 10pm, that's less than 8 hours when I usually require 9-10. Last night we went to bed at midnight...so I was REALLY dragging this morning...somehow I managed to wake up during the day, which was good because MWF are my especially busy days.
I've made some friends at school, but still feel somewhat out of place. There's a lounge area for music students in the music building--which I have been reluctant to enter because I don't feel like I really fit in. Today I decided that I would go in and see how it went. I was the only one in there at first--and that wasn't bad, I could actually study. Then 3 guys came in. Let the crude language begin. Why is it that people feel they should say curse words? We have lots of other words in our English language that they could choose, more eloquent words. Some of the freshmen have used these curse words in front of upper-classmen, and I feel like they are trying to impress them, somehow, with their "adult" language, per se. I've never been a fan of curse words. You won't ever hear me say them (or write them). Growing up we weren't allowed to say "shut up" or "crap" around the house...and if those are bad words, imagine how curse words would be handled by my parents. So, naturally, I don't say curse words-or those previously mentioned words either. That's more about me, at no extra charge.
Choir was a bit off--I practiced a piece of music, but when we practiced it together--I was lost and the tempo was much faster than I had practiced. My choir director refuses to play notes, other than the starting notes. So not long into the song, the altos were struggling. Really bad. We were awful. After we finished the song, the director said: "great job altos, I can tell you've been working on this." I was confused...we sounded terrible--there were times when we almost completely dropped out of singing--because we couldn't find our notes! Oh well. If he's happy, then I guess I should be...
I played "pick-up sticks" with Anna today. Anyone know that game? She loves to drop the sticks at the beginning of the game. I remember playing that game on rainy days during grade school. Fun times.
I've made some friends at school, but still feel somewhat out of place. There's a lounge area for music students in the music building--which I have been reluctant to enter because I don't feel like I really fit in. Today I decided that I would go in and see how it went. I was the only one in there at first--and that wasn't bad, I could actually study. Then 3 guys came in. Let the crude language begin. Why is it that people feel they should say curse words? We have lots of other words in our English language that they could choose, more eloquent words. Some of the freshmen have used these curse words in front of upper-classmen, and I feel like they are trying to impress them, somehow, with their "adult" language, per se. I've never been a fan of curse words. You won't ever hear me say them (or write them). Growing up we weren't allowed to say "shut up" or "crap" around the house...and if those are bad words, imagine how curse words would be handled by my parents. So, naturally, I don't say curse words-or those previously mentioned words either. That's more about me, at no extra charge.
Choir was a bit off--I practiced a piece of music, but when we practiced it together--I was lost and the tempo was much faster than I had practiced. My choir director refuses to play notes, other than the starting notes. So not long into the song, the altos were struggling. Really bad. We were awful. After we finished the song, the director said: "great job altos, I can tell you've been working on this." I was confused...we sounded terrible--there were times when we almost completely dropped out of singing--because we couldn't find our notes! Oh well. If he's happy, then I guess I should be...
I played "pick-up sticks" with Anna today. Anyone know that game? She loves to drop the sticks at the beginning of the game. I remember playing that game on rainy days during grade school. Fun times.
Silly computer
Last night & also this morning my computer decided that it didn't want for me to post my blog...so I'm here at the computer lab posting what I wrote last night....
Today was a good day. I had my music theory class, we have a test on thursday--but I really understand all the info--so it's something I'm actually looking forward to taking...since I will do well on it. I came home, read scrippys, taught Lea her voice lesson, took a nap that I desperately was needing, went to Italian class, raced home (within speed limit, naturally) and got everything packed up, picked Anna up and went to the church. Our enrichment meeting was about several foreign countries. I did an exhibit on Taiwan, complete with stamps for everyones' passports. I made pork/cabbage jiaozi (dumplings) for everyone to sample. It was wonderful to spend time with everyone...and the mexican exhibit had homemade HORCHATA!!! It was sooooooooooo good. I had 3 glasses just to make sure! I received many compliments which was nice. One woman said she could tell that I had lost weight. Another girl said that I speak very eloquently. Isn't that nice? Someone else said: "Jill, there's nothing that you can't do!" I could live a week on those kinds of compliments! :o) One of the ladies in my ward works with foreign exchange students...that piqued my interest...perhaps we should do that? I'm trying to learn italian right now...perhaps a foreign exchange student from Italy would be helpful....
Today was a good day. I had my music theory class, we have a test on thursday--but I really understand all the info--so it's something I'm actually looking forward to taking...since I will do well on it. I came home, read scrippys, taught Lea her voice lesson, took a nap that I desperately was needing, went to Italian class, raced home (within speed limit, naturally) and got everything packed up, picked Anna up and went to the church. Our enrichment meeting was about several foreign countries. I did an exhibit on Taiwan, complete with stamps for everyones' passports. I made pork/cabbage jiaozi (dumplings) for everyone to sample. It was wonderful to spend time with everyone...and the mexican exhibit had homemade HORCHATA!!! It was sooooooooooo good. I had 3 glasses just to make sure! I received many compliments which was nice. One woman said she could tell that I had lost weight. Another girl said that I speak very eloquently. Isn't that nice? Someone else said: "Jill, there's nothing that you can't do!" I could live a week on those kinds of compliments! :o) One of the ladies in my ward works with foreign exchange students...that piqued my interest...perhaps we should do that? I'm trying to learn italian right now...perhaps a foreign exchange student from Italy would be helpful....
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Which character are you?
Which Seinfeld Character Are You? | |
 | You are George. The world weighs heavily upon you, and your anxieties don't help you out much. Also, people tend to underestimate you, sometimes failing to see that beneath your hypersensitive shell lies a brilliantly crafty mind. |
| Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com | |
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday weigh-in
Yes, I forgot to mention my weight loss progress report. I lost 2 lbs last week making my current weight: 311 pounds. I have lost a total of 19 pounds now since late June. I am 2 pounds away from where I was when I became pregnant with Anna...My goal is to be below 300 pounds before Halloween. Once I have lost 20 pounds, I will receive the movie MAIN HOON NA, which I have already purchased--but will not be able to watch until then. It's my reward for my dedication to weight loss.
You put your palate up and your larynx down...
So, I'm supposed to somehow put my palate up & my larynx down...but I have no clue how to do either of those things. Whenever I am singing up high--I get nervous and stressed/tighten up and it sounds strained...so I asked my voice teacher about it today...he said to lower my larynx. I asked him how? He said to use the "yawning technique." Huh?!?! Then, in choir, my director said we should have our palates up....huh?! How does one do those things? I know that once I figure out the whole larynx thing that my singing will improve...it's just a matter of figuring it out, I think.
School went well. I had my first "test" in sight screaming---the professor played 10 different intervals and we had to identify them, ie: M2, P5, m6, etc. I think I got 9 out of 10 right. Not bad.
My voice lesson went well. I asked my teacher what voice type he thought that I have. All my life I've been told/thought that I was a mezzo soprano. He said that from what he has heard, thus far, I sounded like a lyric soprano. HUH!?!?!? Yeah...but he said that after I've had more training that my voice will develop more fully and it will be easier to put a label on it...stay tuned!
We talked about temple marriage in FHE tonight. I hope that Anna will someday find a worthy young man to marry...she says she's worried that she doesn't know who she'll marry...I told her that she has plenty of time...
School went well. I had my first "test" in sight screaming---the professor played 10 different intervals and we had to identify them, ie: M2, P5, m6, etc. I think I got 9 out of 10 right. Not bad.
My voice lesson went well. I asked my teacher what voice type he thought that I have. All my life I've been told/thought that I was a mezzo soprano. He said that from what he has heard, thus far, I sounded like a lyric soprano. HUH!?!?!? Yeah...but he said that after I've had more training that my voice will develop more fully and it will be easier to put a label on it...stay tuned!
We talked about temple marriage in FHE tonight. I hope that Anna will someday find a worthy young man to marry...she says she's worried that she doesn't know who she'll marry...I told her that she has plenty of time...
Elizabeth sequel
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php?cl=4178182
I saw the first movie via clean flicks. I hope the rating will be less in this film since clean flicks no longer exists...
I saw the first movie via clean flicks. I hope the rating will be less in this film since clean flicks no longer exists...
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Dress Rehearsal
Church was wonderful.
Came home & had barbecue pork roast--pretty good. I think it was Anna's first exposure to barbecue. I don't think she's a fan. To be truthful, I didn't have barbecue anything while growing up, so I'm not that jazzed about it myself. But Tyler liked it, 1 out of 3 isn't too bad, right?
We went by to visit Frank, Maria, & their daughter Elizabeth. It had been months since we saw them--it was long overdue.
Choir practice went well. I think it will go very well next Sunday. Today was the Dress Rehearsal. It's now at the point where we really can't make too many changes since we're about to perform it--so I'm trying to reinforce those things that we have tried to change thus far. The Spirit will be there--it will be wonderful. I'm excited about it.
Came home & had barbecue pork roast--pretty good. I think it was Anna's first exposure to barbecue. I don't think she's a fan. To be truthful, I didn't have barbecue anything while growing up, so I'm not that jazzed about it myself. But Tyler liked it, 1 out of 3 isn't too bad, right?
We went by to visit Frank, Maria, & their daughter Elizabeth. It had been months since we saw them--it was long overdue.
Choir practice went well. I think it will go very well next Sunday. Today was the Dress Rehearsal. It's now at the point where we really can't make too many changes since we're about to perform it--so I'm trying to reinforce those things that we have tried to change thus far. The Spirit will be there--it will be wonderful. I'm excited about it.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Remembering my step-dad, Bob
Happy Birthday "Grandpa Bob," as we now call him. He was my stepdad from when I was about 1 year-old, until he died in January, 1999, from complications due to a heart transplant. Today is his birthday and he would have been 69 years old today. I miss him. He had so many good qualities and he made me feel important. I can remember whenever he had any errand to run, he'd ask me to go with him "across town," as he would call it. I knew he loved me because he vocalized it every single day. He would ask me if he'd given me a hug yet that day--then hug me again, just to make sure. :o) He was a simple man, didn't require much to make him happy. His favorite type of restaurant were those hole-in-the-wall places that had specials such as chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. I remember his encouragement to me--there was nothing that I couldn't do. He made me feel empowered. He loved me and I miss that. On his birthday, my siblings & I reflect on his life and usually prepare some of his favorite foods, which include: hotdogs (with butter & mustard, naturally), dr pepper & diet dr pepper (once he became diabetic), and his birthday cake: Spice cake. Today I made a spice cake and it smells wonderful. I hope that Bob knows how much he means to me, even though he is gone. You don't forget those who made you feel worthwhile and important, even beautiful. :o)
Well, we have a goal to go to OK this december for hopefully 1-2 weeks. (fingers crossed) But our finances are not going so well, with 3 of us in school, so I'm going to cut my food budget in HALF. Instead of $200 every 2 weeks, we're going to widdle it to $100 every 2 weeks. Hopefully we can do that and then we should have enough to go visit family this december. One of our main financial costs right now is gasoline. Since I'm going to school everyday, that's increasing our gasoline bill by a LOT. I hope this one change in our budget will allocate for us to have enough in savings for december. To quote my husband we'll be eating on a diet of "beans & rice" until then.
You may have noticed that I've changed my blog template + I have added some new "features" on the side. Today I have included the recipe I made for the above mentioned spice cake. Then I have included a Bollywood fix of videos followed by my new quiz for this week. I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Buzz Buzz
Whenever Anna rewinds a vhs tape (yes, we still have some) she says "buzz buzz" instead of rewind. When I try to correct her--she says that it's called "buzz buzz." How can I argue with such cute reasoning...
Last night was hard on me--I had a terrible headache and was ready for bed around 8pm. In fact I took a 30 minute "nap" at 7pm last night...after doing dishes, I made it to bed around 9pm after I took some excedrin pm. I awoke much better...it's amazing how a good night's sleep can make you feel good.
School was fun--but busy. My music theory teacher had me demonstrate writing a rhythm in 3/4 time signature on the board. She commented that it was very neat and symmetrical. That would be ME! I love symmetry.
We made fried catfish for dinner--a first for us. Anna loved it, but called the fish: "chicken." We went over to the Neel's for carcassonne and 5 person hearts. It was fun.
Last night was hard on me--I had a terrible headache and was ready for bed around 8pm. In fact I took a 30 minute "nap" at 7pm last night...after doing dishes, I made it to bed around 9pm after I took some excedrin pm. I awoke much better...it's amazing how a good night's sleep can make you feel good.
School was fun--but busy. My music theory teacher had me demonstrate writing a rhythm in 3/4 time signature on the board. She commented that it was very neat and symmetrical. That would be ME! I love symmetry.
We made fried catfish for dinner--a first for us. Anna loved it, but called the fish: "chicken." We went over to the Neel's for carcassonne and 5 person hearts. It was fun.
Can you do this??
I am way past third grade...but I guess this is something that I didn't learn TOO well...
http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf
http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The effect of OPERA
I've had a tough day today--so much to do and therefore all the stress that comes with it. I looked on youtube for some calming music. Anna Netrebko is phenomenal. Is it possible that music can both stress me out and calm me down as well?!? It's nice to hear a song like this which reminds me that it's all worth it. No matter what I end up doing with my musical training, it's worth the effort.
Poor little Anna came home from school early today--she threw up at school. We rearranged our schedule and had a girl from church come over and stay with her while I had my Italian class. Have I mentioned that my italian teacher is from Ireland? Funny, eh? Anyhow, I had my first quiz in there. It went fairly well. Some of the things she asked us to study weren't on the quiz, while there were some new things on it that we haven't covered yet...ha ha. I'm learning quite a bit (I think) and hopefully will be able to retain it all when I begin learning french & german.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fatigue
Getting up at 6am and going to bed around 11pm makes for a fatigued warrior. It is physically draining to be studying school material/learning music/preparing for auditions/etc from morning until night. I feel as though I am physically being pushed to my limits because of the many things that are being demanded of me right now. I enjoy it--but it's overwhelming as well, hence my breakdown yesterday. Today I was actually able (read: made time) to make dinner: Chicken Tettrazini (sp?) and homemade granola (poor Tyler has been pitifully asking for me to make some more...especially since that is our only "cereal" now). It feels great to have homemade food in the house.
This is what we sing everyday at school:
This is what we sing everyday at school:
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Stress with me
I took Anna & Laura to school and then walked around the neighborhood for 20 minutes. I went to Music Theory. We're working on relative & parallel minor and how to instantly recognize intervals and their quality. Fun stuff. It feels good to learn.
This afternoon Tyler took me to see an iridologist. It was my first time to have my eyes read like that. It's amazing what she could tell just by looking at my eyes. She knew instantly that my knees are bothering me. Amazing. There's definitely something to iridology.
For some reason I just broke down this afternoon. One second I was laughing uncontrollably, then I was crying. It was crazy! I think that I'm stressed--but I struggle recognizing that I'm stressed and even worse--I don't know how to de-stress. So, please tell me: how do you know/realize that you're stressed + what do you do to de-stress. Please comment. I need help.
This afternoon Tyler took me to see an iridologist. It was my first time to have my eyes read like that. It's amazing what she could tell just by looking at my eyes. She knew instantly that my knees are bothering me. Amazing. There's definitely something to iridology.
For some reason I just broke down this afternoon. One second I was laughing uncontrollably, then I was crying. It was crazy! I think that I'm stressed--but I struggle recognizing that I'm stressed and even worse--I don't know how to de-stress. So, please tell me: how do you know/realize that you're stressed + what do you do to de-stress. Please comment. I need help.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Sway with me
Quotes from Anna:
Talking to the first counselor in our bishopric yesterday at church, Anna turned and pointedly asked him, "Where's your woman?"
Last night, when Anna was very tired and crying because she was tired said: "I just want everyone to be happy like I am."
Tonight, while eating at a chinese restaurant, Anna said: "I'm the first Pierce to get dessert."
Then she asked her daddy: "So are you going to get some dessert, or what?"
She's such a cutie and is always saying such funny things! :o)
I always wondered why I would sway while singing/practicing a song, or sway while I played the piano, or sway while conducting the choir...I thought perhaps I was strange for swaying all the time--when I wouldn't see anyone else swaying. Then I went back to college to study music. I found myself in choir practice surrounded by 30+ other people swaying while they sang...I've found my home for swaying.
I had a great voice lesson today. It feels SO GOOD to be prepared for all of my classes. I went to opera and we practiced our opera scene from The Marriage of Figaro. It was fun singing with so many other people. I must admit--I was a little lost at times and let me just say that it's hard to find your part with 7 other people singing something different...but I know that I'll get it. :o)
Talking to the first counselor in our bishopric yesterday at church, Anna turned and pointedly asked him, "Where's your woman?"
Last night, when Anna was very tired and crying because she was tired said: "I just want everyone to be happy like I am."
Tonight, while eating at a chinese restaurant, Anna said: "I'm the first Pierce to get dessert."
Then she asked her daddy: "So are you going to get some dessert, or what?"
She's such a cutie and is always saying such funny things! :o)
I always wondered why I would sway while singing/practicing a song, or sway while I played the piano, or sway while conducting the choir...I thought perhaps I was strange for swaying all the time--when I wouldn't see anyone else swaying. Then I went back to college to study music. I found myself in choir practice surrounded by 30+ other people swaying while they sang...I've found my home for swaying.
I had a great voice lesson today. It feels SO GOOD to be prepared for all of my classes. I went to opera and we practiced our opera scene from The Marriage of Figaro. It was fun singing with so many other people. I must admit--I was a little lost at times and let me just say that it's hard to find your part with 7 other people singing something different...but I know that I'll get it. :o)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Gearing up
Church was wonderful today. My friend, Greta, sang "I Heard Him Come." Such a lovely song. All the meetings went well. Our choir practice went extremely well, I think. At first it was a little shaky on some of the songs we learned in the beginning, but as the practice went on--it began to flow very well. I think it will be a wonderful performance--2 weeks from today! Next week is our dress rehearsal. I have a few things to get done before the performance: make programs, have the refreshments figured out (My friend, Valene, is helping me with that! Hooray!!), practice with all those having speaking parts. It will all be worth it. I just know it. FROM CUMORAH'S HILL is a lovely cantata--I'm so happy we've been able to sing it. So, we're gearing up for the performance. It may sound silly, but I'm already ready for the next piece of music we're going to sing: i believe in christ. The arrangement is from the cd of Consider the Lilies by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It's just lovely and I'm so excited to do it! :o)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Fruit Trees
Where fruit flies live? Don't I wish--then they wouldn't be IN MY HOUSE!!! Anyhow, Tyler & I have this romantic idea of planting a fruit tree wherever we live. Kind of like Johnny Appleseed, leaving something for those who come after us. So, we went down to pick out a tree--and I guess we were completely unprepared--because most fruit trees require another tree to cross pollinate...but they cost about $60 each. YIKES! I would like to have, I guess 2 apple trees or 2 peach trees. However, there's a cherry tree that doesn't require another tree to pollinate...so we're debating on that option as well. Do you have a fruit tree? Did you grow up with them? Which do you like? What did you do with the fruit? Do they require a lot of up-keep? Fill me in.
This morning I slept in and it was fantastic!!! I got up & made whole wheat waffles (major alliteration there...scattergories, anyone?) then we went to wal-mart for Anna to spend her chore money. She bought some play-dough and some lip gloss with her $3.15 that she has earned. I bought a digital scale. It just makes sense to have a reliable scale AT HOME, so I can weigh each week and not have to drive anywhere else to weigh. I recognize that my first weight on this scale may differ from the one at the YMCA, but that's how it goes. I made some jiaozi for the enrichment night in a week 1/2 from now. I'm doing a presentation on Taiwan and these pork/cabbage jiaozi (dumplings) are so tasty. That's my day!
This morning I slept in and it was fantastic!!! I got up & made whole wheat waffles (major alliteration there...scattergories, anyone?) then we went to wal-mart for Anna to spend her chore money. She bought some play-dough and some lip gloss with her $3.15 that she has earned. I bought a digital scale. It just makes sense to have a reliable scale AT HOME, so I can weigh each week and not have to drive anywhere else to weigh. I recognize that my first weight on this scale may differ from the one at the YMCA, but that's how it goes. I made some jiaozi for the enrichment night in a week 1/2 from now. I'm doing a presentation on Taiwan and these pork/cabbage jiaozi (dumplings) are so tasty. That's my day!
Friday, September 14, 2007
How old are you?
http://www.poodwaddle.com/realage.swf
My real age is 11.5 and my life expectancy is 91.5---I can expect to live approximately another 22800 more days. What's your real age?
My real age is 11.5 and my life expectancy is 91.5---I can expect to live approximately another 22800 more days. What's your real age?
Overflowing
My sight singing...er, sight screaming class went pretty well. We're working on intervals. It is hard for me to instantly tell what an interval is by hearing it played on the piano. I hope it gets easier (music major survivors...help me out here). Before choir I went to the restroom. On my way out, the gal in the stall next to me flushed her toilet, but, um, it overflowed. I'm not talking about a little water on the floor, it was like niagara falls in there. I'm sure glad it didn't happen to me...how embarrassing...
I worked on my italian and music theory. It's starting to all come together--some of the concepts in music theory will take some work to memorize. The struggle in italian is the difference in spelling from spanish when the word sounds similar to the spanish translation plus I can't stop saying "Como" instead of "Come." Grrr.
Have you ever been in a class and there was one person in there who just seemed a little off? You know what I mean, they make comments out of turn about things that have nothing to do with the topic at hand and go on & on about stuff like video games and space-themed movies. There's a guy in my Italian class who is this way. The teacher is even annoyed by his behavior, not to mention the students. To put this in perspective, let me relate to you that there are more students than chairs/tables in the room. However, class after class, this guy is sitting at his table with an empty chair next to him--while 4-5 people sit on the floor. Which brings me to my question: knowing what we know about how we are all children of God, should I start sitting by him? Should I be nice to him and not simply avoid all contact/conversations with him like the rest of the class? What should I do???
Enjoy this clip on email forwards, courtesy of my good friend, Kathey:
http://info.org.il/irrelevant/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf
I worked on my italian and music theory. It's starting to all come together--some of the concepts in music theory will take some work to memorize. The struggle in italian is the difference in spelling from spanish when the word sounds similar to the spanish translation plus I can't stop saying "Como" instead of "Come." Grrr.
Have you ever been in a class and there was one person in there who just seemed a little off? You know what I mean, they make comments out of turn about things that have nothing to do with the topic at hand and go on & on about stuff like video games and space-themed movies. There's a guy in my Italian class who is this way. The teacher is even annoyed by his behavior, not to mention the students. To put this in perspective, let me relate to you that there are more students than chairs/tables in the room. However, class after class, this guy is sitting at his table with an empty chair next to him--while 4-5 people sit on the floor. Which brings me to my question: knowing what we know about how we are all children of God, should I start sitting by him? Should I be nice to him and not simply avoid all contact/conversations with him like the rest of the class? What should I do???
Enjoy this clip on email forwards, courtesy of my good friend, Kathey:
http://info.org.il/irrelevant/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf
Shahrukh's new style
I haven't seen Shahrukh in this way before...I could do without all the half-way dressed ladies...but this song has a great rhythm...if you like Shahrukh, check it out:
Thursday, September 13, 2007
My upper lip woes
I went to class today, first class is music theory. We learned about finding the parallel and relative minor key signatures. Partway through explaining how to find the minor key through the major key, the instructor became a little confused in her explanation. A girl in the class--who has told me many times previously that she lives in the HONORS DORMS--proceeded to instruct the teacher on what she was trying to instruct the class. This bothered me. Even if I felt I knew a lot on a certain topic--I wouldn't dare feel that it was my place to instruct the teacher, even if they were having some trouble. I think the professor wasn't too pleased with this girl's obstinant behavior. Have you ever experienced this? I asked Peggy if chinese students behaved the way american students did--she emphatically said "NO."
I caved and had my upper lip waxed. Yes, I know that this bit of information just made this blog that much more desirable to read...have you ever had your lip/eyebrows waxed?? The first time I did, I cried. It hurt so bad. I wish I could say it didn't hurt today-but I didn't cry, so I suppose that's an improvement...
In my Italian class we had an exercise where we had to introduce ourselves to another person, pretending that we were a celebrity, of sorts. I introduced myself as Anna Netrebko, however no one--not even the professoressa seemed to know who she was & she's a singer--knew who Anna Netrebko was. Oh well. However, then another guy introduced himself as Jesus Christ. I immediately felt very uncomfortable. It was definitely not appropriate and I felt that he had show extreme disrespect to my Savior. It made the class feel very uncomfortable, including the professoressa. I hope he won't do anything like that again...
I went to the commissary today--hooray we have food again! I worked on homework and such. All for today...
I caved and had my upper lip waxed. Yes, I know that this bit of information just made this blog that much more desirable to read...have you ever had your lip/eyebrows waxed?? The first time I did, I cried. It hurt so bad. I wish I could say it didn't hurt today-but I didn't cry, so I suppose that's an improvement...
In my Italian class we had an exercise where we had to introduce ourselves to another person, pretending that we were a celebrity, of sorts. I introduced myself as Anna Netrebko, however no one--not even the professoressa seemed to know who she was & she's a singer--knew who Anna Netrebko was. Oh well. However, then another guy introduced himself as Jesus Christ. I immediately felt very uncomfortable. It was definitely not appropriate and I felt that he had show extreme disrespect to my Savior. It made the class feel very uncomfortable, including the professoressa. I hope he won't do anything like that again...
I went to the commissary today--hooray we have food again! I worked on homework and such. All for today...
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
New glasses, take 2
I had my first Sight Singing (just like it sounds) quiz today where I had to sight sing a really, really old manuscript of music, called Kyrie. The first type of notation was quite different than the music you see today...anyhow, I did great & was in and out quite fast. My friend, Peggy (she's chinese, otherwise I wouldn't know anyone my age named "Peggy") was amazed at how fast I was at my quiz. She & I make a great team--she's a piano major, I'm a vocal performance major. And her theory skills are awesome. She passed the placement test for 1st & 2nd quarter of theory. China must be awesome in their music theory classes...
I did LOTS of "studying" today, music style. I practiced/learned my voice lesson songs (2), I worked on 5 pieces of music for choir, & I worked on my opera scene for my opera class. It's amazing how much work it is to sing. When I tell people--who aren't music majors--how hard it is, they usually say: "You're so talented, you'll do great." But talent doesn't make you smart in theory or help you learn what a dorian mode is. That takes time and studying the books. I want to be able to do EVERYTHING in music theory. I'm so proud of myself--I've become a great student just in the past 2 weeks. It feels GREAT to be this dedicated to my studies. I love it.
So I forgot to wear one of my new pairs of glasses today and wore my old ones. 2 people (including my choir director) asked me if my glasses were new. I was surprised--since these are old and I have 2 new pairs at home. Oh well. They'll probably ask me tomorrow why I'm wearing my old pairs...when they'd actually be my new ones...*sigh*
I did LOTS of "studying" today, music style. I practiced/learned my voice lesson songs (2), I worked on 5 pieces of music for choir, & I worked on my opera scene for my opera class. It's amazing how much work it is to sing. When I tell people--who aren't music majors--how hard it is, they usually say: "You're so talented, you'll do great." But talent doesn't make you smart in theory or help you learn what a dorian mode is. That takes time and studying the books. I want to be able to do EVERYTHING in music theory. I'm so proud of myself--I've become a great student just in the past 2 weeks. It feels GREAT to be this dedicated to my studies. I love it.
So I forgot to wear one of my new pairs of glasses today and wore my old ones. 2 people (including my choir director) asked me if my glasses were new. I was surprised--since these are old and I have 2 new pairs at home. Oh well. They'll probably ask me tomorrow why I'm wearing my old pairs...when they'd actually be my new ones...*sigh*
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Figaro & me
So, I went to the library to check out the Marriage of Figaro cd & the dvd. So, me & Figaro...we're good friends now. What's that, you say? You aren't family with The Marriage of Figaro? Then, just listen to this youtube...you might be surprised how well you know Figaro!
Today I took my first test. Yeah, I had one lecture in music theory and then we had our first test. I studied and prepared like no tomorrow, or a lot anyhow, and was super duper prepared for the test. I was done in 15 minutes. It didn't contain all of the lecture, so I was over-prepared, but I'm sure it will help me in the long-run.
I came home & taught a voice lesson, then went VT with Sarah, which was nice. Then I had my Italian class. She's moving really slow in the course, I'm wondering how much I'm going to learn in there for the first quarter. I don't know if I should complain or just be glad that it's one less thing I need to do right now...
I received an email about the Dayton Opera chorus auditions. That might be fun---I'm going to talk with my voice teacher to see if that would be right for me. I figure that I might as well audition--to get used to that--and if I don't get in, no problem. If I do get in--more experience for me in the world of Opera. Either way, it's worth a shot, right?
Today I took my first test. Yeah, I had one lecture in music theory and then we had our first test. I studied and prepared like no tomorrow, or a lot anyhow, and was super duper prepared for the test. I was done in 15 minutes. It didn't contain all of the lecture, so I was over-prepared, but I'm sure it will help me in the long-run.
I came home & taught a voice lesson, then went VT with Sarah, which was nice. Then I had my Italian class. She's moving really slow in the course, I'm wondering how much I'm going to learn in there for the first quarter. I don't know if I should complain or just be glad that it's one less thing I need to do right now...
I received an email about the Dayton Opera chorus auditions. That might be fun---I'm going to talk with my voice teacher to see if that would be right for me. I figure that I might as well audition--to get used to that--and if I don't get in, no problem. If I do get in--more experience for me in the world of Opera. Either way, it's worth a shot, right?
The macarena in STYLE
Enjoy Anna recounting the months of the year "macarena" style and then the days of the week in Addams family theme song form. Remember my previous post about Anna learning how to snap???
Monday, September 10, 2007
How to bake a banana
This morning I went to the YMCA to exercise--but mainly to weigh in. The weather has been so nice, that I've been walking around my neighborhood instead of driving 10 minutes to walk on a treadmill. I lost 1 pound! Which brings me to a total of 17 pounds in the past 9 weeks, and I now weigh 313 pounds. Very exciting! I just hope that my knee will heal quickly so I can walk more than just 20 minutes at a time...I haven't been exercising very much because it hurts when I do. Grrr! Of course, you might wonder why I'm exercising at all when my knee is hurting...?
Classes went well today. I had my first voice lesson. I'm exciting about my instructor--I was amazed at how much better I sang when he told me to change the way that I breathe--I didn't even recognize my voice, it sounded so different. More lyrical, less mezzo-y. Got that?
In my opera class I have been cast in a scene from The Marriage of Figaro. I was nervous when we were handed our parts and then expected to sight read it right then IN CLASS--but when I saw that other people couldn't read their parts perfectly, I relaxed and was able to enjoy myself. From what I've seen of it--it's a comical opera! I'm excited to be a part of it.
While packing my lunch this morning, I took along a banana that was just beginning to ripen--with the few flecks on it (just the way I like bananas). In my hurry to my 9am class, I left the banana in the car...when I returned to my car-around 7pm-the banana was completely BLACK and my car smelled like bananas...I guess that's one type of air freshner...
Classes went well today. I had my first voice lesson. I'm exciting about my instructor--I was amazed at how much better I sang when he told me to change the way that I breathe--I didn't even recognize my voice, it sounded so different. More lyrical, less mezzo-y. Got that?
In my opera class I have been cast in a scene from The Marriage of Figaro. I was nervous when we were handed our parts and then expected to sight read it right then IN CLASS--but when I saw that other people couldn't read their parts perfectly, I relaxed and was able to enjoy myself. From what I've seen of it--it's a comical opera! I'm excited to be a part of it.
While packing my lunch this morning, I took along a banana that was just beginning to ripen--with the few flecks on it (just the way I like bananas). In my hurry to my 9am class, I left the banana in the car...when I returned to my car-around 7pm-the banana was completely BLACK and my car smelled like bananas...I guess that's one type of air freshner...
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Overwhelmed
Would you believe that after a wonderful TOFW that I could already be overwhelmed??? I guess the whole day wasn't overwhelming-just choir practice. We only have 2 more practices to go and it was slow-going as we learned the last 2 songs. However, I think we learned them pretty well, for the most part. Now we have one more practice to polish the songs, then a dress rehearsal, then a performance. It will be WONDERFUL. I just know it will be. They sing so well and are very talented in music.
Before choir practice, my little family & I visited a "Back to School" get together for some music students at my college. I was a bit reluctant to attend since the invitation mentioned some non-word of wisdom-drinks. However, I thought it might be a good "opportunity" for them to learn my standards. Anna ended up being the center of attention. No one else there was married, let alone had children. She soaked up all the attention and even convinced 2 guys to play freeze tag with her...everyone seems quite friendly.
Well, we have attempted to rid ourselves of the fruit flies. We cut up a banana and put it in a tall glass, topped it with saran wrap and poked one little hole on the top. As of now there are 3 fruit flies in there...we'll see how many more join in on the "fun."
Before choir practice, my little family & I visited a "Back to School" get together for some music students at my college. I was a bit reluctant to attend since the invitation mentioned some non-word of wisdom-drinks. However, I thought it might be a good "opportunity" for them to learn my standards. Anna ended up being the center of attention. No one else there was married, let alone had children. She soaked up all the attention and even convinced 2 guys to play freeze tag with her...everyone seems quite friendly.
Well, we have attempted to rid ourselves of the fruit flies. We cut up a banana and put it in a tall glass, topped it with saran wrap and poked one little hole on the top. As of now there are 3 fruit flies in there...we'll see how many more join in on the "fun."
Saturday, September 08, 2007
TOFW
This morning I was up before any of you, I think, around 5am. (that's 2am for you KC, you may have still been UP) My good friend Stacy came by my house with 3 other lovely ladies and we drove to Indianapolis, IN, for TIME OUT FOR WOMEN. It was a wonderful, wonderful program. Hilary Weeks hosted the show and sang several songs for us. I hadn't really heard her before, however she sings one of my favorite LDS contemporary songs entitled: He Will. (remember that song, Lauren?) We heard several amazing speakers, including a daughter of President Hinckley. She said that her dad is doing well and that he lifts little weights every night while saying "this is terrible!" Isn't that cute? I cried a lot during the conference. I heard things that I needed to hear, like: I do lots of things right, I was reminded of who I really am & that Heavenly Father wouldn't want for me to think negative things about myself--which made sense to me because I don't like it when Anna says she can't do something or when she isn't good at something, etc. Mainly I just felt closer to my Savior, and a desire to depend upon him more in my life. I feel that I will accomplish more if I trust more in him. A wonderful day. I even bought 2 Mormon Tabernacle Choir cds that I didn't have: Love Is Spoken Here & Then Sings My Soul. I also ordered 2 cds of Hilary Weeks online when I got home...she's great and I feel the Spirit when I hear her songs. The words are so simple--yet speak truths that I need to remember, like: He Hears Me, When He Calls My Name, etc. A wonderful day--I wish you all could have been there!
Friday, September 07, 2007
All auditioned out
This past week has included 4 auditions and frankly, I could use some downtime to recover from all the stress that auditions bring me. Today I had my sight singing class, then went to the student union to register for my italian class plus the keyboarding class that I tested out of...funny how I need to sign up for a class that I tested out of...anyways, then I had my choir call back audition for the collegiate choir. The choir director told me that I have a lovely voice, which apparantely is rare for him to compliment anyone-so that was encouraging. I did make the collegiate choir, but not the chamber choir. I was a bit bummed about not making that choir--but I figure that I'll be here another 2-3 years, and most likely I'll be in it at some point. So, for now I'm content to be in the collegiate choir, especially when I saw a poor girl crying that she didn't make the CC--when she had made it last year...you have to re-audition every year...poor girl. (no I didn't take her place, I'm singing alto & she's a soprano)
Tyler took me out to subway for lunch. I have enjoyed the time that we are having to MAKE to see each other, now that we are so busy. He's so good to me.
I had my Opera class. I sang Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento. It went quite well, several people complimented me on my singing. I don't foresee any other auditions in the near future, thankfully!!!
Tomorrow I'm going to Indianapolis for TIME OUT FOR WOMEN. It's my first time to go and I'm really excited about it except for the fact that we're leaving before 6am. (so much for catching up on sleep from this past week...) Has anyone been in the past? Tell me about it!
Tyler took me out to subway for lunch. I have enjoyed the time that we are having to MAKE to see each other, now that we are so busy. He's so good to me.
I had my Opera class. I sang Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento. It went quite well, several people complimented me on my singing. I don't foresee any other auditions in the near future, thankfully!!!
Tomorrow I'm going to Indianapolis for TIME OUT FOR WOMEN. It's my first time to go and I'm really excited about it except for the fact that we're leaving before 6am. (so much for catching up on sleep from this past week...) Has anyone been in the past? Tell me about it!
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Fruit Flies
Does anyone know how to rid your house of fruit flies? (besides the obvious answer to not buy fruit) Well, I never knew what brought fruit flies in the house, but my theory is that they are somehow in the skin of the fruit before I buy the fruit...is there any validity to this theory? Do share. And while you're at it--tell me how to get rid of them!!!!
I had my music theory class today. I learned a lot of things. It's amazing to me that I haven't learned in which order the sharps & flats are on the staff until now. I'm sure that will be useful to me, eh? I also had my italian course. Buongiorno! Come ti chiami? Mi chiamo Jill. Come stai? Sto bene. It's a fun language, I'm trying very hard to focus on learning the correct spelling of the words. Since they are somewhat similar to spanish, I hope to be able to separate them in my mind. (fingers crossed)
Tyler is building some great shelves in our garage. He's so handy, and it helps feed my desire to be more organized while satisfies his desire to be using his tools--everyone wins!
I had my music theory class today. I learned a lot of things. It's amazing to me that I haven't learned in which order the sharps & flats are on the staff until now. I'm sure that will be useful to me, eh? I also had my italian course. Buongiorno! Come ti chiami? Mi chiamo Jill. Come stai? Sto bene. It's a fun language, I'm trying very hard to focus on learning the correct spelling of the words. Since they are somewhat similar to spanish, I hope to be able to separate them in my mind. (fingers crossed)
Tyler is building some great shelves in our garage. He's so handy, and it helps feed my desire to be more organized while satisfies his desire to be using his tools--everyone wins!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Home away from home
Today was BUSY. I went to my first class: Sight Singing. That class isn't going to be easy, with all the quizzes, exams, projects, etc. Then I had an hour break until I took my keyboarding "test" to see where I would be placed. I tested out of the first quarter of keyboarding and he said I could place out of the second quarter as well--but I have to play for the course, even if I test out of it--so I think I'll take the second quarter just to make sure I'm up to speed on things. After that I found a computer lab in the building. The computers were mac and it was the first time I'd ever used them before--I couldn't figure out how to maximize the webpage to fit the whole screen. Oh well. I called Tyler and he met me for a lunch date at Wendy's. Then I had a meeting for choir members. I'm in the "call backs" for the collegiate choir & chamber choir. The director gave us 2 pages of short pieces to learn (5-10 measures each) and I will go & perform them on friday in his office. Some are kind of tricky and rhythm is difficult for me. I hope I will get them learned quite well by friday. I spent an hour on them today...My new voice teacher is a man. I was kind of surprised by this--since there are 3 female voice teachers and 1 male and I was placed with him. I only hope that he will help me achieve the most and help my voice reach its potential. My last class of the day was Opera (from 4pm-6pm). I have to audition in there on friday to determine which opera scene I will be involved in. It's lonely not knowing ANYONE in my classes, but I hope to make friends quickly. I bought my books: $350. I came home and watched a movie with Tyler & Anna. Now he's putting her to bed. I hope to get to bed soon, myself!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Drama in real life
Back to the grindstone--up at 6:30am to read scrippys, make Anna's lunch and feed her breakfast, plus I did a load of dishes and started the dishwasher--there's so much satisfaction in having the dishwasher going before 7am. I felt quite productive! After I took Anna & Laura to school, I went on a 15 minute walk around my neighborhood, showered and raced to my first class: Music Theory 101 (literally). The teacher announced at the beginning of class that she was going to do a placement exam and if we scored 95 or above then we would be exempt from taking the class. For some reason I felt that I had a good chance of accomplishing this feat, despite how long it's been since I took music theory. Halfway through the first page I realized how badly I needed to take the course and was sure I couldn't pass it, let alone get a 95. Such as it is, I am fine with it. Plus there's a girl from China in there, and I love speaking what little chinese I know and impressing the Chinese. They are just amazed that I can say NI HAO MA (how are you). It's fun to talk with them.
I went & registered for my 9 credits: Music Theory, Sight Singing, Choir, Vocal Technique, Opera, Keyboarding, & Voice lessons, not to mention the "recital class" which means I need to attend several recitals throughout the quarter--those are fun, I'm looking forward to them! Then I realized that my vocal technique class was going to be on italian. I figured that it would be best to be learning the italian language while learning how to pronounce it for musical purposes. I show up to the class and the teacher isn't from Italy nor USA, but from IRELAND. How wild is that? She's a good teacher, though, and seems to know Italian quite well. I know that I will learn a lot from her--plus she's a singer and specifically said to the 4 voice students in the class how much she loves teaching Italian to singers...so that's a good sign.
Anyone like space ghost? Perhaps Brak can help me learn to speak it-alian.
On the drive home, I witnessed a car accident amid the 3 cars behind me. Since I witnessed it (and was almost hit myself by the domino effect) I pulled over to wait for the police and to assist the other drivers. All 3 of them were young-1 high schooler and 2 young college kids. The young man had a burn from the air bags (I'm not sure how he got a burn from it, is there a chemical that comes out when the air bags release? Help me out here). One gal had a first aid kit in her car and I proceeded to help the young man with some burn cooling gel, gauze & tape plus some pain medication. They asked me if I was a nurse, and I said "No, I'm a mom." Immediately they seemed to calm down. I know that I wasn't even 10 years older than they were, but I felt that I was able to help them through the situation. The girl at fault had just bought her car yesterday--her "dream car," she said. She was in tears. I normally don't hug people that I don't know, but she seemed to need it. I hope she's doing better now. That's my drama in real life. I'm grateful for my safety. The gal who was driving directly behind me said she thought she was going to hit me too, that her car was thisclose to hitting me. I feel blessed to have been protected and honored to help those other kids.
I went & registered for my 9 credits: Music Theory, Sight Singing, Choir, Vocal Technique, Opera, Keyboarding, & Voice lessons, not to mention the "recital class" which means I need to attend several recitals throughout the quarter--those are fun, I'm looking forward to them! Then I realized that my vocal technique class was going to be on italian. I figured that it would be best to be learning the italian language while learning how to pronounce it for musical purposes. I show up to the class and the teacher isn't from Italy nor USA, but from IRELAND. How wild is that? She's a good teacher, though, and seems to know Italian quite well. I know that I will learn a lot from her--plus she's a singer and specifically said to the 4 voice students in the class how much she loves teaching Italian to singers...so that's a good sign.
Anyone like space ghost? Perhaps Brak can help me learn to speak it-alian.
On the drive home, I witnessed a car accident amid the 3 cars behind me. Since I witnessed it (and was almost hit myself by the domino effect) I pulled over to wait for the police and to assist the other drivers. All 3 of them were young-1 high schooler and 2 young college kids. The young man had a burn from the air bags (I'm not sure how he got a burn from it, is there a chemical that comes out when the air bags release? Help me out here). One gal had a first aid kit in her car and I proceeded to help the young man with some burn cooling gel, gauze & tape plus some pain medication. They asked me if I was a nurse, and I said "No, I'm a mom." Immediately they seemed to calm down. I know that I wasn't even 10 years older than they were, but I felt that I was able to help them through the situation. The girl at fault had just bought her car yesterday--her "dream car," she said. She was in tears. I normally don't hug people that I don't know, but she seemed to need it. I hope she's doing better now. That's my drama in real life. I'm grateful for my safety. The gal who was driving directly behind me said she thought she was going to hit me too, that her car was thisclose to hitting me. I feel blessed to have been protected and honored to help those other kids.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Birthday/Labor Day Weekend
I awoke around 6:30am on my birthday to Anna freaking out because she'd "had an accident," meaning she peed in her bed. I turned to my side to look for Tyler-but he was gone. "Good," I thought, he's awake--he can take care of it. I called the home phone from my cell phone. No answer. I called his cell phone. He answered, but he wasn't home. HUH?! Where are you??? He was out buying my birthday presents and was trying to do it while I was sleeping. In fact, he woke up at 5:30am to sneak away so I wouldn't notice. I told him that he could have left at 8am and I would have slept through it...anyhow, his surprise was ruined because of the little accident. And yes, I cleaned it up.
I came downstairs to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my sweet husband. Plus he gave me a present early--some splatter shields for the kitchen! So handy! Dad, Suzanne, & Alleigh showed up around 11am. We ate a late breakfast and then spent the day indoors. It was lovely. We talked, relaxed, played games, & took naps while Anna & Alleigh played NON-STOP the whole time. For my birthday dinner we had flank steak, fresh corn on the cob, fresh beets (from our garden), rainbow jello (sugar-free), & chocolate zucchini cake for dessert (almost completely sugar-free). Tyler also bought me a set of sheets--400 count egyptian cotton gold-colored sheets. They are so soft! Plus Dad, Suzanne, & Alleigh bought me some cloth napkins for the dinner table--they are gold with leaf prints on them--perfect! I felt so blessed to have my family with me on my birthday--it was a lot of fun! We played carcassonne & settlers of catan. We tried to make every moment count since we only had about 2 days to be together.
Sunday was fast Sunday. I sang FOR ME ALONE (by Sally Deford) for prelude. It's such a powerful song. I had been planning to bear my testimony. I wanted to tell my parents how much I appreciate them for teaching me the gospel. Before I could go up-Tyler bore his testimony. I bore my testimony and cried (which I didn't completely expect) and then my Dad bore his testimony. It was a lovely meeting. I fasted about my going back to school. I had mixed feelings about it--should I be in school, wouldn't it be better to be at home, how can I spend enough time for my classes plus take care of my family, etc...during the sacrament, a thought came to me that it was a blessing that I could have this opportunity to go back to school and that many women would like to have such an opportunity as this. I immediately felt grateful that I could go to school and grateful for another confirmation from the Lord that I should be going to school. Another thought was that I should be teachable, that I should try to soak up all I could learn at school.
We came home and had Crock Pot Au Jus Roast with carrots & onions, broccoli with cheese, whole wheat rolls & rainbow jello. I made a sugar-free whole wheat crust cherry pie--it was quite tasy! I had choir practice--which went quite well. We came home & my dad gave both Tyler & I blessings for the next school year. Many of the words in the blessing were just what I was needing to hear while other things surprised me. It will be fun to see those things come to pass in my future.
This morning my Dad took me shopping for my birthday. He bought me a watch, a whisk, & a new shower curtain--one like Heather's (white and very soft)--it was fun to just be with him and spend more time getting to know him. It seems that the more I know him-the more I find out who I am or notice similar traits. It's a fun self-discovery. :)
We drove to Cincinatti to see the Cincinatti Reds play the New York Mets. (professional baseball, in case you weren't sure) It was HOT HOT HOT! It was only 85 or 90 degrees, but we were sitting in full sun at 1pm and it was more than I could handle. We eventually found more shaded seating and were able to enjoy the game. Dad, Suzanne, & Alleigh left early and went back to Oklahoma. Anna was SO SAD! She kept asking why I wouldn't let her go too and wanted to know when we are moving back to Oklahoma...it was hard to see them go. We had such a wonderful visit and hope to see them soon! Here are some photos:
I came downstairs to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my sweet husband. Plus he gave me a present early--some splatter shields for the kitchen! So handy! Dad, Suzanne, & Alleigh showed up around 11am. We ate a late breakfast and then spent the day indoors. It was lovely. We talked, relaxed, played games, & took naps while Anna & Alleigh played NON-STOP the whole time. For my birthday dinner we had flank steak, fresh corn on the cob, fresh beets (from our garden), rainbow jello (sugar-free), & chocolate zucchini cake for dessert (almost completely sugar-free). Tyler also bought me a set of sheets--400 count egyptian cotton gold-colored sheets. They are so soft! Plus Dad, Suzanne, & Alleigh bought me some cloth napkins for the dinner table--they are gold with leaf prints on them--perfect! I felt so blessed to have my family with me on my birthday--it was a lot of fun! We played carcassonne & settlers of catan. We tried to make every moment count since we only had about 2 days to be together.
Sunday was fast Sunday. I sang FOR ME ALONE (by Sally Deford) for prelude. It's such a powerful song. I had been planning to bear my testimony. I wanted to tell my parents how much I appreciate them for teaching me the gospel. Before I could go up-Tyler bore his testimony. I bore my testimony and cried (which I didn't completely expect) and then my Dad bore his testimony. It was a lovely meeting. I fasted about my going back to school. I had mixed feelings about it--should I be in school, wouldn't it be better to be at home, how can I spend enough time for my classes plus take care of my family, etc...during the sacrament, a thought came to me that it was a blessing that I could have this opportunity to go back to school and that many women would like to have such an opportunity as this. I immediately felt grateful that I could go to school and grateful for another confirmation from the Lord that I should be going to school. Another thought was that I should be teachable, that I should try to soak up all I could learn at school.
We came home and had Crock Pot Au Jus Roast with carrots & onions, broccoli with cheese, whole wheat rolls & rainbow jello. I made a sugar-free whole wheat crust cherry pie--it was quite tasy! I had choir practice--which went quite well. We came home & my dad gave both Tyler & I blessings for the next school year. Many of the words in the blessing were just what I was needing to hear while other things surprised me. It will be fun to see those things come to pass in my future.
This morning my Dad took me shopping for my birthday. He bought me a watch, a whisk, & a new shower curtain--one like Heather's (white and very soft)--it was fun to just be with him and spend more time getting to know him. It seems that the more I know him-the more I find out who I am or notice similar traits. It's a fun self-discovery. :)
We drove to Cincinatti to see the Cincinatti Reds play the New York Mets. (professional baseball, in case you weren't sure) It was HOT HOT HOT! It was only 85 or 90 degrees, but we were sitting in full sun at 1pm and it was more than I could handle. We eventually found more shaded seating and were able to enjoy the game. Dad, Suzanne, & Alleigh left early and went back to Oklahoma. Anna was SO SAD! She kept asking why I wouldn't let her go too and wanted to know when we are moving back to Oklahoma...it was hard to see them go. We had such a wonderful visit and hope to see them soon! Here are some photos:
It seems that Alleigh likes Anna's style of taking silly pictures...
Isn't she cute??
This is how I look from Anna's height...
Tyler & Anna burning up at the Cincinatti Reds game...
Dad, Suzanne, & Alleigh trying to keep cool...
THANKS FOR COMING TO VISIT!!! WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!!!!!!
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