So here it is

I have had so many people ask what I am taking this quarter that I thought I would just put it here.  Its not the schedule, just the classes.  :)

*Voice lessons
*Accompanying lessons
*Voice Master Class
*Accompanying Master Class
*Concert Choir
*Aural Skills 4
*Music Seminar: Opera History 1
*Conducting Practicum
*Hispanic Literature

Accompanying: 2 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, 1 flautist - practice and their lessons

Preparing for: Conducting Concert Choir at the 2012 Invitational Choral Festival, Choir tour to Europe, accompany 1 mezzo-soprano's junior recital and 1 tenor's junior recital.

Also... choir director at church.

This quarter is seriously going to be one of the best ever!  So excited!!

Us three

When I first started university, I never really thought that I would be able to find some good and true friends. You know the kind that you can do anything with, that kind that love you no matter what, and the kind that love Jesus more than they love you.

But, God was faithful and He blessed me with two amazing friends: Liz and Ulya! Ah, I am not sure how I would have made it through this school year without them. Their joy, love for the Lord, musical talent, and sweet friendship mean so much to me.

What amazing memories we have together too. Being in many of the same classes over the last three quarters has provided us with awesome memories. I love the nights we have spent studying for our history tests... sprawled out on the floor (candy and popcorn surrounded us) with books, notes, and pencils while we endeavor to be studios. Those times of studying always contain many long moments of random conversation, hysterical laughter, or loud yawns.We have spent the night in the computer lab at school as we worked on huge research papers... but during that time we also Facebooked, listened to music, ate candy, and sang the "Coconut" song out loud.

But that adventure wouldn't be complete without a walk around campus at 4:15am as we tried to find unlocked doors, nor would it be right without us finally taking a short nap on one of the practice room floors.

The three of us consistently celebrate seemingly tiny accomplishments... such as juries be done, or history tests or papers completed. But we make each outing a adventure... one in which we always try to do something we have never done.

We have a list... a very LONG list of things we want to do, places we want to go, foods we want to eat, and movies we want to watch... together. Slowly, that list is getting done... but all the while it gets added to.

The three of us are very different.

Ulya is organized, on-time, neat, sweet, caring, and beautiful...

Liz is funny, quick, tender-hearted, and beautiful.

I am... well, we will skip that part.

But then on the other hand...

Uyla worries and therefore I strive to quell those worries.

Liz is late and last minute... and for that I consistently wish her a merry Christmas.

And I am silly, foolish at times, and crazy.

We play piano together, walk to our cars together, eat together, sing together, and study together. I think that people in our department have begun to associate the three of us together. If we go to a concert... we sit together. If we study for a test... we study together.

Even now, I am sitting with them, as the three of us work on our history papers. We are quiet as we type and listen to music. But every once in a while somebody says something... its all part of it. We are sad if we don't see each other for more than a day, and after they return from a weekend home, it feels like I haven't seen them in years. They are the type of friends you feel like you have known forever! I love that about them.

But the best part of this friendship is that we all love Jesus. It is such a huge blessing to me that the three of us can pray together and share our struggles. These two girls have encouraged me and prayed for me so many times over these last 3 quarters. Their encouragement, wisdom, joy, and love have brought me closer to Christ and provided with motivation and inspiration.

I praise the Lord for these wonderful and beautiful women He has placed in my life! And Liz and Uyla, I love you my friends!

Me... at 4 am

Sometimes on school days I will get up at 4am... most of the time it is 5:00 or 5:30am... still, this is definitely what I feel like and it is a fairly accurate description of what I look like. (ie. don't mess with me at that point in my day... hehe)

Tomorrow is the day!!

Well y'all... tomorrow is the day. Its the first day of Winter quarter. Aaaaaaaaah! Where did break go?!?! I guess way down deep in my heart I am excited. The first day is always quite easy with hardly any homework and that is also the day that ALL the teachers seem nice. :D
There are some cool parts about this coming quarter.

• 20 credits
• 2 of my classes are in the same room/same building and are consecutive
• Geography with Trevor... not quite sure yet if that is a good thing. LOL It will be fun.
• Taking Freddy with me
• Being done pretty early on T/Th
• Tutoring
• Finally doing math
• No science... actually biology would have been cool to keep doing
• Seeing how long I can go without coffee
• Practicing piano

Winter '09... wow! I can actually see the end in sight now, graduation is around the corner. Yipee!

So I will see some of you tomorrow!!! Bright and early, ready to hit this new quarter with all that we've got. Its going to be fun, crazy, exhausting, irritating, and a great opportunity to rely on God for everything.

Freddy

Yes, you see, I feel it necessary to tell you about this new "one" that has entered my life. He is no ordinary creature, in fact you couldn't even call him a creature he is that special. Well, you have probably already looked at the picture and are wondering when I lost my mind, so I had better explain. Freddy, as he was so aptly named, is a penguin (in case you didn't know), and a penguin from the movie "Madagascar". He even has a thing on his back so he can roll and slide around like real penguins do. Freddy came to me because his previous owner deserted him. I know its sad isn't it... desertion? It was the worst kind of abandonment, but at least the previous owner had the decency to name him.

I have decided that Freddy is going to be my school companion. Whenever I go to school he shall go with me, traveling in the top of my backpack where an Ipod (that I don't have) would go. If you want to see Freddy (which I know you all are dying to do) you must treat him with the utmost gentleness and care, for if you hurt him, well... just DON'T.

Already I have been laughed at for associating with such a friend as this, but I shall not be deterred or influenced in any way. Freddy is such a nice little thing, riding along in such a compliant manner and smiling and waving to any passerby who might get the privilege of viewing him. Currently he is on break, or should I call it hibernation, until winter quarter starts. I am quite excited to take him on all sorts of adventures. He shall go to psychology class and get psyched out, to Spanish class and become bilingual, to chemistry and learn the wonders of science, to math class and learn how to count, and listen to all my conversations at school (and yours too, so beware!). What a well-rounded and educated penguin he shall be in a matter of a few years! I am still contemplating taking him to graduation. I will have to see if he behaves himself, and IF he doesn't get himself lost then he has a marvelous chance at walking and receiving a diploma with me.

Saying good-bye to the 2008 school year!

Its OVER!!! No more school during 2008! I am so excited! Wednesday I had a Spanish Oral Exam which went awesome... it was so fun to have a conversation in Spanish. I got paired with this Christian guy and so it was really easy and fun to talk. Then I had my Biology final that was on DNA and genetics. The teacher had said that it was going to be hard, but it wasn't and I actually had a lot of fun taking it!
Yesterday I had a Spanish final... not so good. It wasn't supposed to be a cummalative final but it was. Hence was not quite as prepared as I would have liked. I forgot how to conjugate in a certain tense and so made my own conjugations up. I think I got some of them right. lol After that I tried to study but it was rather difficult because the certain people I was studying with were talking... thats ok, it was funny and laughing is much better than studying. My geology teacher told us that our final was going to be a lot easier than the other tests... ummm, it wasn't. 14 pages of test and a fried brain were the results of that test. But its OVER!
No more homework, I can sleep, eat 3 real meals a day, sleep, clean my room, sleep, see my friends, sleep, bake, sleep, read, sleep, watch movies, sleep, ride, sleep, play piano, and SLEEP!!!
I am going to miss seeing friends everyday at school, but break is going to be AWESOME! Congratulations to all of you out there who have now finished Fall Quarter '08!!! Good-bye to the 2008 school year!

Left to do...

This is what I have left to do for this quarter...
Then I am DONE!

1. Post lab on DNA fingerprinting and gel electrophoresis
2. Biology Final Exam
3. Watch movie in Spanish and write 3-4 page summary
4. Do 2 small research projects for Spanish - each 2 pages
5. Read 5 page story in Spanish
6. Complete Spanish Manual
7. Spanish Oral Exam
8. Spanish Final Exam
9. Avalanche Online Activity
10. Read Fire article
11. Geology Final Exam
12. Complete my sonata's 2nd movement
13. Write my sonata's 3rd movement
14. Take math placement test :D

Almost done!!!! 4 quarters down and 2 more to go!!!
Hope everything goes well for the rest of you taking finals!
Before you know it Christmas break will be here! Happy days!

The Day Before...

Its Wednesday: probably one of the hardest days of the week for me because there is still one more day left of school and sleep deprivation is piling up.
I started out the day at the coffee shop before school… really early in the morning. Following begins a overview of what went on.
As I march into Spanish class a while later with frozen fingers and a nose that is rather red, I gulp at the thought that exactly 24 hours from this moment I will be taking a midterm. Throughout class I continually glance at the clock. How much more time left? Not how much more time till class is over, but how much more time before the midterm?!?! Will I survive until then? The class laughs… wait what did I miss? Refocus!
Next is biology and here is where problems start. My mind wanders from cellular respiration to the happy days of summer, to sleep in warm blankets, to cozy sofas, fluffy robes and thick socks, and then to where I am going after college. Suddenly my thoughts jerk back as bizarre pictures flash across the screen in class. Yes, yes… I totally get this whole protein thing right now. Ummm… not really! Haha… but I soooo look like I do, as I sit there nodding, writing, and “pondering”. I fight to pay attention. I gave up on the understanding and keeping up part, now I just need to get what is currently being taught.
We get out of class 5 minutes early and I race to check email. Prayer meeting is next and it is so refreshing; I am much better now. Bringing others before the throne of grace is always a blessing. “Lord please help those who are in tests right now” I pray. Our group breaks up as people scatter to their separate classes and myself to the seclusion of a windowsill in the science building. I go take care of random errands then go hang out waiting for my next class.
Before I know it, my “free” time is up. I trudge up the stairs and around the hall into the class room, my pace noticeably slower than 3 hours ago. It was only a 50 minute class, but it felt like an eternity. As I gazed at the screen filled with thunderstorm information I only see a blank screen. My eyelids began to droop. It’s a good thing I was sitting right in front of the teacher. Finally after what seemed like the longest class ever, I was DONE! I groaned inside as I picked up my backpack. Now I understand why they give us coupon books that have tons of stuff for chiropractors.
Run into the library again to print out research information on amines in chemistry for the paper due tomorrow. I feel pretty smart dealing reading about this stuff. But just don’t ask me anything about it; I prefer to be in my own happy world minus the reality that I really don’t get the info. As I run across campus to go work and I ponder the fact that I haven’t written a sentence for that paper. Aaaah well. As I stride into work somebody is having a birthday so there is cake and ice cream. Working has its benefits! :D I work for an hour… tedious stuff but fun.
Then I head home. I turn the music up super loud in the car to try and get all hyped up. The weird part is that it doesn’t work. Into the house I go and begin more research. I email people, back and forth emails fly and all the while I am doing Spanish research. Uh oh, time to leave for the baby shower. Run and change and leave just as my grandparents walk in the door. So sorry to leave.
The shower goes great… drive and get a triple shot of coffee. Hopefully it will get me through the night. When I get home I chill for a few minutes then it is off to homework again. IM after an hour or so and feel pretty energetic as the caffeine takes effect. Around 11:30 I creep downstairs, quiet as a mouse until my foot hits the creaky stair, then I sound like an elephant. LOL!
I open the door to my room and stare at the hurricane. Only 3 feet to my bed and yet it takes great effort to get past the piles. Aaaah, when I have time I will deal with everything. I sit on my bed and do Spanish, then start trying to read some biology research. I doze, then pop my head up and gulp down some coffee. Then… well I don’t remember because…
45 minutes later I wake up feeling much better. Once again I creep around, this time back up to the computer. One of my friends is still on IM doing the same thing I am. Check a few things then haul my computer down stairs bumping into furniture and nearly killing myself. Let’s see if I can wake the WHOLE house up! It’s now 12:45 (uh oh that means it is now Thursday). Spanish, Spanish, Spanish… and before I know it is 2:30. I turn on Chris Rice and prepare for the next phase of Spanish, the writing part.
But wait!
I feel a blog post coming on. Hence this post, written quite clearly at 2:45 in the morning by a girl sitting in a pile of paper and books, surrounded by mounds of clothes and stuff, writing in different tenses… yet it all makes complete sense.
In a few hours I will be sitting in class taking a midterm. Then I will hand in my research paper. THEN I will go about my day with the end being sleep!!! How beautiful!
In between??? Well, that would be: NO sleep, furious writing, cramming, rushing, and complete insanity in order to maintain sanity. All of this is MIDTERMS, at least midterms for a procrastinating, slow, tired, and silly person!
Tis THE life!
You all should try it a time or two, or at least come join me on my next go around of this.

Moment in Time

Rain trickling down the gutter, a little bit of gray light sliding through the slats in my blind, and a slight strain of music coming through my sister's door. This is how I woke up on my last sleep-in day before school. Before me lay a year of work, fun, and learning. As I lay there curled up in my warm blankets with my head nestled in a mound of pillows I thought on the year past and the year to come. The challenges, friendships, experiences and trials.... what a wonderful school year I had. Yes, there were days of misery, days when I wanted to give up, and days when I felt all alone. But because of these days the days of joy, fun, laughter, success and learning were still greater. The realization of how totally blessed I was and still am washed over me like a big wave in the ocean, as I lay there, content...
The year ahead? Well only the Lord knows for sure. I have an "idea" as to what it might hold, but it is only and idea and I get to wait and be surprised. The "idea" is more school with harder classes, new friends, new trials, new experiences of God's grace and faithfulness, and so many other things. Suddenly though as I lay there... the contentedness began to vanish as my mind played through all the trials, all those miserable times of no sleep and bad classes. "Not this year please Lord" I cried out. But the peace came again as if the Lord said "My child, did I not bring you through this past school year? Did I not show myself to you in new ways? Did you not learn great things about your heavenly father? Did you not make new friends and create deeper relationships with your other friends? Did you not truly enjoy the challenge?" Then I was content again....
The future = unknown. God's plan = perfect. He has never yet failed me nor will He ever fail me. This coming year is in the hands of One who never makes mistakes!!!
2008-2009 school year here I COME!!! The Lord is with me and I am excited for every challenge ahead!!!