Monday, April 19, 2004
Seasons of Change
This weekend was chorus weekend for me, and it was amazing. Friday night, after work, I went over to Caroline's house for pizza. Then, we all drove over to Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church for our space rehearsal. That went really well. After rehearsal, we sang at Relay For Life. That went really well! It was good practice for us, and tons of fun. I got to see Emily for a few minutes, and I got to talk to Alex Chapin for awhile after.
Saturday, we had our call time at 1:15. Since I knew I was going to have to walk, I left ridiculously early. I was impressed though. I made it in twenty minutes. I guess I was inspired by all the marathon runners who kept passing me. The concert was fantastic!!!!! I thought we sounded really good. The blend, pitch, and enthusiasm were all there. Great job, girls!!! I am super proud! Also, I didn't freak out about my solos, and I thought they sounded really good, so I am happy about that. Those of you who know me well know that I have AWFUL stage fright when I have to sing in front of others. So, being able to sing them in front of a sold out audience is a HUGE accomplishment for me. I guess I am gaining more confidence. Just in time for grad school at my wonderful conservatory! :) Many thanks to Tom, Lisa F., Charles, and Eddie for coming out to support me! I hope you enjoyed it.
After the concert, we had a reception in the Garden of Pavilion I. That was really nice, and the food was wonderful. I went home after the reception to quickly change. Then, I met Katie and we went to the AVP concert. Sam sat with us, which was cool. :) The concert was AMAZING!! Seriously, the music was great, and the guys were hilarious. The musical was especially wonderful. I cannot believe how much I laughed. Good times. After the concert, I went to Little John's with Mindy, Mindy's friend Sarah, her friend Emily, and Katie. That was enjoyable. After that, Mindy dragged me to the AVP after party. SOOOO fun! I loved getting to hang out with my girls. And it was fun partying with Ari. Anyway, I had a blast on Saturday.
Sunday, we had Rent-A-Dancer. Sarah P. and I cleaned this couple's house for 8 hours. It was one of the best I've done so far, which is good. I was pretty dead afterwards, though. I went to church and then pretty much went to bed.
Tonight was the Virginia Women's Chorus Spring/End of the Year Dinner. It was really touching. I cannot even begin to express how much this group means to me. I love every girl in it, and I feel like you are all my sisters. I really missed singing my first two years, and I am so glad that I got to be part of such a phenomenal group of musicians. You are awesome singers, wonderful people, and fantastic friends. I love you guys, and my fourth-year will didn't even begin to express how much I am going to miss all of you! Know that wherever I am, you will always be in my heart. I will try to come visit as much as I can, and look for me in the front row of your concerts. :) I love you, ladies!!!!!!!!!!!! VWC love and Soprano I love forever!
Saturday, we had our call time at 1:15. Since I knew I was going to have to walk, I left ridiculously early. I was impressed though. I made it in twenty minutes. I guess I was inspired by all the marathon runners who kept passing me. The concert was fantastic!!!!! I thought we sounded really good. The blend, pitch, and enthusiasm were all there. Great job, girls!!! I am super proud! Also, I didn't freak out about my solos, and I thought they sounded really good, so I am happy about that. Those of you who know me well know that I have AWFUL stage fright when I have to sing in front of others. So, being able to sing them in front of a sold out audience is a HUGE accomplishment for me. I guess I am gaining more confidence. Just in time for grad school at my wonderful conservatory! :) Many thanks to Tom, Lisa F., Charles, and Eddie for coming out to support me! I hope you enjoyed it.
After the concert, we had a reception in the Garden of Pavilion I. That was really nice, and the food was wonderful. I went home after the reception to quickly change. Then, I met Katie and we went to the AVP concert. Sam sat with us, which was cool. :) The concert was AMAZING!! Seriously, the music was great, and the guys were hilarious. The musical was especially wonderful. I cannot believe how much I laughed. Good times. After the concert, I went to Little John's with Mindy, Mindy's friend Sarah, her friend Emily, and Katie. That was enjoyable. After that, Mindy dragged me to the AVP after party. SOOOO fun! I loved getting to hang out with my girls. And it was fun partying with Ari. Anyway, I had a blast on Saturday.
Sunday, we had Rent-A-Dancer. Sarah P. and I cleaned this couple's house for 8 hours. It was one of the best I've done so far, which is good. I was pretty dead afterwards, though. I went to church and then pretty much went to bed.
Tonight was the Virginia Women's Chorus Spring/End of the Year Dinner. It was really touching. I cannot even begin to express how much this group means to me. I love every girl in it, and I feel like you are all my sisters. I really missed singing my first two years, and I am so glad that I got to be part of such a phenomenal group of musicians. You are awesome singers, wonderful people, and fantastic friends. I love you guys, and my fourth-year will didn't even begin to express how much I am going to miss all of you! Know that wherever I am, you will always be in my heart. I will try to come visit as much as I can, and look for me in the front row of your concerts. :) I love you, ladies!!!!!!!!!!!! VWC love and Soprano I love forever!
Sunday, April 11, 2004
The Great Storm is Over
Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!
Today is, of course, Easter, and, as such, I have been doing some serious reflection on the Lenten journey I have just finished. For Lent, I decided to give up negative thoughts. I am not really sure how or why I came up with this idea, but I felt only good could come from it. I was told repeatedly that it would be really hard, and a lot of people didn't think I could do it. Now, I did limit this to negative thoughts about myself, so I really couldn't see why people doubted my decision. Of course I was likely to fail, and in my opinion, failing at that is a bit more drastic than giving in and eating chocolate or something similar. But the whole point of Lent is to fail over and over, struggle over and over, and come away with a better understanding of yourself, a closer relationship to God, and a stronger faith. Now really, how could I possibly fail at that?
I admit, giving up negative thoughts about myself was hard. I tend to berate myself on a regular basis, and I am by far my harshest critic. I often expect perfection, and I tend to get rather upset with myself when I fail to achieve it. I have unrealistic expectations. I know this. In a lot of ways, this isn't so bad. Because I expect a lot, I work really hard. And hard work and dedication do bring results. I have a lot to show for my efforts, and I am proud of my accomplishments. The bad part of being so hard on myself is that I sometimes fail to see those accomplishments. I know that I need to learn to be happy with myself as I am, and that means faults and all. I know that I am constantly changing and growing, and that it is okay to want to be better, but it is also good to realize your shortcomings and be okay with them. That's what this Lenten process was all about. And as I enter this Easter season, I can say that I am stronger than when I started, closer to my God, and confident that I am going to be a better person. I can honestly say that the great storm is over, and I am lifting up my wings to fly.
Thanks be to God.
Lift up your wings and fly!
Today is, of course, Easter, and, as such, I have been doing some serious reflection on the Lenten journey I have just finished. For Lent, I decided to give up negative thoughts. I am not really sure how or why I came up with this idea, but I felt only good could come from it. I was told repeatedly that it would be really hard, and a lot of people didn't think I could do it. Now, I did limit this to negative thoughts about myself, so I really couldn't see why people doubted my decision. Of course I was likely to fail, and in my opinion, failing at that is a bit more drastic than giving in and eating chocolate or something similar. But the whole point of Lent is to fail over and over, struggle over and over, and come away with a better understanding of yourself, a closer relationship to God, and a stronger faith. Now really, how could I possibly fail at that?
I admit, giving up negative thoughts about myself was hard. I tend to berate myself on a regular basis, and I am by far my harshest critic. I often expect perfection, and I tend to get rather upset with myself when I fail to achieve it. I have unrealistic expectations. I know this. In a lot of ways, this isn't so bad. Because I expect a lot, I work really hard. And hard work and dedication do bring results. I have a lot to show for my efforts, and I am proud of my accomplishments. The bad part of being so hard on myself is that I sometimes fail to see those accomplishments. I know that I need to learn to be happy with myself as I am, and that means faults and all. I know that I am constantly changing and growing, and that it is okay to want to be better, but it is also good to realize your shortcomings and be okay with them. That's what this Lenten process was all about. And as I enter this Easter season, I can say that I am stronger than when I started, closer to my God, and confident that I am going to be a better person. I can honestly say that the great storm is over, and I am lifting up my wings to fly.
Thanks be to God.
Sunday, April 04, 2004
It's Been A While
I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but I know not very many people actually read this, so.... Anyway, I have been writing, just not on this. I started a notebook journal just after I returned from Spring Break, probably as a direct result of reading the Princess Diaries books. But really, that's irrelevant. This notebook has proved to be most helpful. I can record all of my thoughts and feelings, and I never have to worry about what I say because I am the only one who reads it. I also use it to write my To Do lists in and plan out my schedule for the day or the next few days. Lately this has gotten to the point where every minute is planned because I have been insanely busy. I cannot even believe how much work I have had to do lately. I have a ton to do today, too, but luckily I am not feeling very stressed about it. I think this is because I finally got to chill out for a few hours yesterday afternoon for the first time in weeks.
I suppose I should tell you all what has been going on in my life lately. Basically I have just been really, really busy. I have lots of papers and school work to do. I got bronchitis again, and that put me behind a bit in my religion class. Thankfully, it hasn't been that bad a case, so at least I don't feel bad. I did feel it today after dancing non-stop for two hours, though. My poor lungs. Anyway, I have also been attending a lot of concerts. I went to Robert Griffin's trumpet recital, which was amazing. That Sunday, I went to Tabatha Easley's flute recital, which was also amazing. I attended Luke's rectial the following Sunday, again, amazing. We had our Wind Ensemble concert Friday night, and last night I went to Emily's Silhooettes concert. She sounded so beautiful on her solo. I think she does read this, so she will be happy to know that I was blown away by how much her voice has matured since first year. Em, you sounded absolutely beautiful, perfectly on pitch, and your musicality was touching. I love you!
As for the Wind Ensemble concert, it was my very last one here at UVA. That in itself was a little sad, but oddly enough, I didn't get teary about it. I was, however, truly touched by the crowd and the band's appreciation of Dwight. He has been the best teacher I've had here at UVA, and I know that he has had a huge impact on every single person who has ever been in the band. It was nice to see him finally being recognized. And we sounded good, too. I am glad our final concert went so well. I will miss it, but at least I will still be playing next year.
Speaking of next year, I am sooooo ready to graduate. Not that I won't miss each and every one of you, but I feel like I am gradually cutting all of my ties to this place. I am ready to embrace the future, and I am really excited about being at a school that takes music and performance seriously, and where I will be surrounded by other artists. I miss that feeling. I think it can only be positive for me.
Let me see, what else? I know this is really disjointed. Trying to catch up on several weeks is always difficult. The Ballroom Dance Club is having a recital on Thursday at 7:30 in Newcomb Hall Ballroom for $3. I am performing on both of the formation teams. Hopefully it will go well. Aside from that, I am just busy with classes, chorus, and clarinet quartet. (Nice alliteration there!) Oh, and Kristen and I have decided to perform a duet together for the Coffee House at the Foundation, so you can all look forward to that. :) Anyway, that basically wraps things up for the last few weeks. I hope all of you are well.
Much love!
I suppose I should tell you all what has been going on in my life lately. Basically I have just been really, really busy. I have lots of papers and school work to do. I got bronchitis again, and that put me behind a bit in my religion class. Thankfully, it hasn't been that bad a case, so at least I don't feel bad. I did feel it today after dancing non-stop for two hours, though. My poor lungs. Anyway, I have also been attending a lot of concerts. I went to Robert Griffin's trumpet recital, which was amazing. That Sunday, I went to Tabatha Easley's flute recital, which was also amazing. I attended Luke's rectial the following Sunday, again, amazing. We had our Wind Ensemble concert Friday night, and last night I went to Emily's Silhooettes concert. She sounded so beautiful on her solo. I think she does read this, so she will be happy to know that I was blown away by how much her voice has matured since first year. Em, you sounded absolutely beautiful, perfectly on pitch, and your musicality was touching. I love you!
As for the Wind Ensemble concert, it was my very last one here at UVA. That in itself was a little sad, but oddly enough, I didn't get teary about it. I was, however, truly touched by the crowd and the band's appreciation of Dwight. He has been the best teacher I've had here at UVA, and I know that he has had a huge impact on every single person who has ever been in the band. It was nice to see him finally being recognized. And we sounded good, too. I am glad our final concert went so well. I will miss it, but at least I will still be playing next year.
Speaking of next year, I am sooooo ready to graduate. Not that I won't miss each and every one of you, but I feel like I am gradually cutting all of my ties to this place. I am ready to embrace the future, and I am really excited about being at a school that takes music and performance seriously, and where I will be surrounded by other artists. I miss that feeling. I think it can only be positive for me.
Let me see, what else? I know this is really disjointed. Trying to catch up on several weeks is always difficult. The Ballroom Dance Club is having a recital on Thursday at 7:30 in Newcomb Hall Ballroom for $3. I am performing on both of the formation teams. Hopefully it will go well. Aside from that, I am just busy with classes, chorus, and clarinet quartet. (Nice alliteration there!) Oh, and Kristen and I have decided to perform a duet together for the Coffee House at the Foundation, so you can all look forward to that. :) Anyway, that basically wraps things up for the last few weeks. I hope all of you are well.
Much love!
