Friday, January 29, 2010

MAHLER FOUR.

One of my favorite things ever.  I have a bias.  It was the very first symphony I ever played.

The time was June, 2008.  The place was Hot Springs, Arkansas.  I was alone.  It was one of the best trips of my life.

I auditioned for a music festival, The Hot Springs Music Festival.  The audition process is simple.  Record yourself playing excerpts and Mozart, send the tape in.  DONE.  Well, I was put on a waiting list.  Crap.

The best part about this specific music festival was that the tuition AND room & board were all free.  Rare find.

After hearing nothing for another few months, I figured that my chances weren't good.  So I got a summer job and was preparing for the long summer of practicing for my recital, which was scheduled for the fall. 

Well, the day before my job was to start, and the week before the festival started, I got a call.  They wanted me to come--a horn player canceled.  Normally, someone would might feel a little like second best.  But not me.  I checked my bank account, called my mom for some financial support (and she gave in) and booked a flight for five days out.

I had never flown alone before and had no idea what to do.  Luckily, my good friend, Lizz, drove me to Pittsburgh to catch my flight at 5am.  I was on two teeny tiny flights to get to Little Rock, Arkansas.  A scary man driving a van took me to Hot Springs--about an hour away. 

So, the water there really does come out of fountains in the streets and stuff.  And it really is naturally hot.  And you can drink it.  But who would want to drink hot water out of a fountain in the ground when it is already 110 degrees in the summer?  Not me. 

On top of that, we stayed in an old dormitory.  Gross.  Bugs.  Alone in my own room (thought I was getting a roomate).  Dirty shower and bathroom.  Hot.  Nothing to eat. Drink. Or do.

I had to walk over a mile to each rehearsal.  At first, alone.  After I met friends, with them.  With my horn on my back.  And my music.  And my stand.  In the heat.  In Arkansas.  In June.  Over a mile to the rehearsal, almost a mile to the nearest deli for lunch and back, more rehearsal, then over a mile back home that night.  To play a concert in the heat.  Every day.  I lost some weight while I was there. 

I was practically the only person there under 21, so I was left out of some festivities and was forced to instead... read.

Sounds terrible, huh?

Well, let me list the AMAZING things that happened to me.

1. I met, played with, and played for the horn teacher there, Lowell Greer.
2. I lost some weight and started the process of getting in shape (which I ultimately ruined that winter HAHA)
3. I met SO  many friends there---most of which I am still in some contact with!
4. I played with some really awesome musicians... some teachers and professionals, and some great students.
5. My horn section of seven was really cool--and I was the youngest :o)
6. I got to play the following pieces of music for the first time (in the TWO weeks I was there):
  • Tchaikovsky, Cappriccio Italien
  • Strauss, Also Sprach... representing Horn 6!
  • A Haydn mass--which I got suckered into and ultimately loved.
  • Mahler, Symphony #4--my first symphony ever.
  • Many, many others.
7. I learned how to travel by myself--even though I had an ugly experience on the way home.
8. I really fell in love with playing the horn on that trip.

Tonight, Josh and I are going to Pittsburgh to see the PSO perform Mahler 4.  This will be my first time hearing it live.  SO EXCITED.  There is something about that symphony that makes me feel so good.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

...

I have had a LONG weekend.

Friday after school I came home, got ready, and went to Pittsburgh with Josh to see the PSO.  It was great.  Best I have ever heard them play.  Got home around 1am, went to sleep.

Saturday I woke up to find out about some crappy family news.  Then I spent the next few hours on the phone.  Then went on a long run.  Then ate some lunch and took a nap.  Woke, went out to dinner with my sister, came home, and drank some wine.

Today I went to church, accidentally volunteered for a huge social after church which took forever, found out more crappy news, and came home.  I took a bubble bath and now I am in bed early.  I am not even finished with lesson planning for tomorrow... OH WELL.

I also have a huge week coming up with lots of plans and stuff.


On a brighter note, yesterday was absolutely beautiful.  And I am going for an interview for a second job tomorrow evening.  I need some extra dough for this wedding thing!  Early to bed.  Hopefully early to rise :)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

My life is moving too quickly!

I feel as if I am just getting really comfortable in my school and the people I work with.  And now I am already getting ready to submit applications and resumes to other places :-(

I think Josh and I are going to a job fair in Howard County, MD on Feb.2.  All I need is a sub!  I am glad we are trying to get a head start, but geez, give me a break!  I am trying to plan a wedding and plan for 650 kids/week!  I get myself into these things...

On a lighter note, Josh and I are meeting with a travel agent today to discuss some of our options concerning a honeymoon, so we are pretty excited about that. 

And I have zumba tonight!  This is my third time going to zumba.  I can't go to the rec anymore because I am no longer a student!  So I PAY to go at my church.  And I'll tell you what, it's as much fun as it used to be!  I love it :-)  Working out is super hard lately.  Maybe it's because I didn't do much of it for a long time.  Crap. 

There are two things holding me back from fitting into my wedding gown: FOOD and MOTIVATION. I can work out every day, and usually once I get started I love it.  I don't want to stop.  But it's the getting started that sucks.  Also, I love chocolate.  And most things with sugar.  And fat.  And calories.  And all of those things combined.  Wish me luck!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Date Night

I had a wonderful evening last night.

We didn't have school on Monday (Thank you, Dr. King) and Josh and I accidentally got stuck watching that show, Intervention.  It's on A&E, I think.  Anyway, I couldn't stop watching it and ended up staying up forever.  Well I did have school the following morning.  It was actually a great day at school, but I was exhausted.  I went home, had some wheat thins and hummus (mmmm...)  and took a nap.  Josh woke me up two hours later and we started a puzzle!  What a great way to spend time together!  Just sitting and working on a puzzle.  Then we ate the dinner that I had prepared in the crock pot... white chicken chili!  We finished our puzzle while watching Roseanne, my favorite show.  Then I went back to bed and got lots of rest for today!  Probably the best day ever.  Full of comfort: Josh, naps, crackers, soup, puzzle, Roseanne, and bed.


On another note:  This morning while listening to the radio on the way to school, I heard something VERY weird.  Apparently, there is a Holiday Inn in London which pays people to warm your beds for you.  Say you know you will come to bed around 11:45pm.  You call the front desk and ask for your bed to be warmed.  They will send a REAL person up there at 11:40 to lay in your bed for five minutes before you get in it... SERIOUSLY.  This is real, people.  It sounds strange and weird, but to be honest, why didn't we think of this earlier?!?!  No one likes hopping into a cold bed.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Honeymoon Registry

So we have been debating this honeymoon business.  We REALLY want a honeymoon registry.  Basically, (for those of you who don't know what it is), here is the process:

-Go to a travel agent
-Tell them what you want to do for your honeymoon
-Agent sets up registry website where your wedding guests can go online and give money using their credit card that will go toward the cost of your honeymoon
-Bride & groom sign a contract promising to foot the remainder of the bill if it is not covered by gift money

Here's the thing:  If we don't do this, we are going to Morgantown, WV for our honeymoon.  Keep that in mind.

PROS:
  • We can potentially get a free honeymoon, or at least part of it paid for.
  • We can get a gift that we will not only use, but be happy about and remember forever :-)
  • We already have plenty of things.  I honestly cannot think of enough things to put on a store registry that we want or need.  This way, we could have some of both
CONS:
  • With my luck, only 10% of our honeymoon bill will be paid and we will have to pay a bunch of money that we don't have--just saying, it's a possibility
  • I feel odd asking people to pay for a beautiful vacation for us that they themselves may not be able to afford.
Yes, the pros outweigh the cons.  Any advice would be appreciated!  We may contact a travel agent this week to at least see what our options are and ask some questions.

Wedding Website

Please visit our Wedding Website!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

My Home Group

For the first time, I joined a small home group from church.  Sort of as a bible study, but so far we are kind of following a prescribed path with a book/DVD, etc. until we get on our feet.  Even though I grew up as a pastor's kid, there are certain things that go on in a young woman's mind that sometimes need to be said.  And not always to her dad.  I am lucky to have recently had spiritual growth in my relationship with my father.  But I have never had the opportunity to speak openly and without judgement, prejudice, etc., specifically about religious things.  It is SO  refreshing! 

We have only known eachother for a short period of time, but I already feel so happy that we were brought together (obviously for a reason) and I can't wait to get to know eachother better.  I also can't wait to talk about things that have been on my mind for a LONG time--but I never felt as if I had many people to talk to about them.

Please pray for me and my group.  that we will continue to grow together.  that we will learn from eachother.  that we will form long-lasting and meaningful relationships. 

Wedding Updates!

So I just recieved a BUNCH of stuff in the mail.  Josh is starting to cringe every time he sees the UPS truck come up the road!  haha *whoops*

All DIY projects:

  • Just recently got all of the business card magnets and attached our Save the Dates to them.  That was fun.  Still not sure how I will send these out yet.
  • All of my invitations!  I am excited.  These are the kind you put together yourself.  Josh's mom is coming this weekend to help me put them together.
  • Huge box of styrofoam balls and HUGER box of the realest, coolest, most awesome 260 silk rose heads.  Which I will attach to the balls to make pomanders.  Seriously, the roses even feel like real roses.  I think it's in my mind, but when I open the box, I swear I smell them :-)
  • Josh's mom is also hemming all of our beautiful red silk table runners that I found for SUPER cheap.
Did I mention?  All of this stuff came from Ebay or on clearance/super cheap.  We are lucky! Can't wait! 

So, what do I have left to do, do you ask?
-We need to find Josh's ring--eek.
-Men's tuxes
-Possible hair/makeup appts--still not sure if I want to pay for this!
-Transportation for wedding party
-Bon-Ton registry and HONEYMOON registry
-Meet with our pastor for pre-marital course
-Make final arrangements for decoration
-wedding party gifts
-bridesmaid's dresses... buying them TODAY!
-place for me and Josh to stay the evening of the wedding

Almost there!  Just over 5 months!  :-)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Days of the Week

Sung to the familiar tune of the Addam's Family theme song:

Days of the week *snap* *snap*
Days of the week * snap* *snap*
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week *snap* *snap*
There's Sunday and there's Monday,
There's Tuesday and there's Wednesday,
There's Thursday and there's Friday,
And then there's Saturday!
Days of the week *snap* *snap*

Monday, January 11, 2010

Back to School

Well, we are back to school... again.  After what seemed like a second winter vacation, it looks like we may have a full week of school!  The kids are more wild than they were last week!  I haven't been raising my voice much, but it is already tired after one day... yikes.  As I was walking through the halls, I realized that I could hear ALL of the teachers teaching.  And they weren't yelling or angry.  They were just speaking normally... loud.  Maybe I teach with more volume than I technically need.  I will try to use a more conversational volume tomorrow.  See how that works.

On a more exciting note, starting next week, the Kindergarten is getting into their "Ocean, whales, and ocean animals" unit.  This is really super exciting for me.  I sometimes like to coordinate my lessons with their units and WOW am I excited.  These are only some of the things I have planned for the next two weeks:

At the Bottom of the Sea (song with dance and instruments)
Swimmy, by Leo Leoni (book)
Aquarius, Music for Creative Dance Vol IV (song. with book, the class will make larger animals by working together, --similar to the moral of the story in Swimmy)
Aquarium, by Saint-Saens (mvt of larger musical work)
Charlie Over the Ocean (song with game)
Baby Beluga (sing and act out animal mvts)
Whales, Music for Creative Dance Vol I (uses whale sounds and underwater-themed music... not sure what I will do with this yet)
The Whale Pokey (Hokey Pokey with fins)

SO exxxxcited!  Sometimes I think I am destined to be a K classroom teacher or daycare/preschool teacher JUST so I can have units and create activities to go with them. haha.  Maybe someday.

I teach a class of 3-4 students with autism twice a week.  They are WONDERFUL... I have fallen in love with all of them.  But I am working on ME more than them.  I have a hard time explaining my instructions to them.  They need a different delivery than I am used to.  So I am working on that.  But I am proud to admit that they have come a long way so far and I am just excited to see where they go.  This week and probably next week  we are working on ALL NONVERBAL cues.  I am starting with huge peices of solid color poster.  Green means go and red means stop.  Should be easy...  We will see :-)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

New Year :-)

It is Thursday and only our second day of school this week.  We had Monday and Wednesday off due to snow fall.  And it looks like tomorrow might be another one of those days.  We are expected to get some left-over lake-effect snow from this afternoon until SUNDAY.  That's a long time!  Nothing would make me happier than to know TONIGHT that school is canceled tomorrow.  I have some wedding things that I would like to do all day tomorrow.  Josh is working during the day, too, so I will be home alone listening to music and folding paper/preparing invitations/etc.  Then I think (if school is closed) that I will make a delicious chicken enchilada dinner for us :-)

On another note... I did, as I always do, make a "resolution" of sorts to be in shape this year.  I seem to always lose weight in the summer.  Two summers ago, I literally weighed about 28 lbs less than I do right now.  I was eating well, doing pilates EVERY days, running 2-4 miles EVERY day, toning up my arms with my 5lb weights, doing ab workouts, etc.  Then school started, then it got cold, then I got lazy.  Last summer, I was a little less motivated, but still was exercising regularly.  I love the way I feel when I am in shape and healthy... so WHY do I keep falling off the wagon?  Because it's easy. 

I have been working out for three days in a row now, and I'm hoping to go for four!  Wish me luck :-)
--Plus: I need to fit into my wedding gown without sucking in too much!

So, here's to 2010 (a BIG year for me and Josh)!
Help me pray for the following things that we need this year:

-WEDDING
-Josh's first job
-my second job
-jobs in the same location
-a place to live
-health insurance... as well as good health
-$$$... at least enough to pay the bills and eat (that's all I am asking for in 2010)