Flute Focus

So last week I went to Santa Barbara for what some people would call their worst nightmare...however I call it one of the most inspiring and fun weeks of my life! I went to flute camp...more specifically Flute Focus on the campus of UC Santa Barbara. I arrived on Tuesday and got back to LA Saturday night!
So for 6 1/2 hours everyday we would all gather into the recital hall, perform for each other, and then get critiqued by two phenomenal flutists/teacher/professors (one was my undergrad professor Marianne Gedigian and the other is the professor at UCSB...Jill Felber...and lets not forget the amazing pianist who played 50 flute pieces flawlessly and incredibly...Dianne Frazer). It was so great to see both of them again, too! Each of the 25 invited flutists got to play for 30 minutes for each teacher. I learned so much about playing with dazzle, flow, inspiration, etc! I am so happy that I was able to attend, and know that this experience will remain as a huge leap in my musical career. I am so inspired by the teachers and other students at the camp. It is going to be hard not to want to play all the time!!!
Here is Flute Focus class of 2008!

What about the Bison?

So this is by far the most hilarious commercial ever! Also some pretty darn good marketing!




There are 7 of us!

But we have too many beverages!

What about the bison?

That thing got my blood a boilin'!

Nice!

Life is happy!

I am going to write once again about how blessed and wonderful life is out here in Cali!!

I got to go shopping with an amazing friend, her mom, and her sister yesterday in Newport Beach where there was an amazing view of the ocean! It was really gorgeous down there!
There was kind of an Austin vibe at a couple places we went which made me very happy. We also talked about how much we missed Austin because it was one of the greatest parts of our lives so far! We were blessed with amazing friends, an incredible learning environment, and fun things to go do! Don't get me wrong, we also discussed how California has soooo much to do, but that feeling of becoming the person you really are during the college years can never be replaced!

Right now I am making cinnamon rolls for breakfast and going to have them with my freshly ground starbucks coffee, waiting for Jared to wake up (he never sleeps in so I will let him! hehe!), going to practice my flute for camp next week, and hopefully go to the beach with Jared!
I don't know why I get to enjoy so many wonderful people and places right now (I certainly don't deserve it), but I am very thankful and couldn't wish for anything else! Not even Austin!

Birds!

So there have been some crazy birds outside our bedroom window every morning that wake me up at 6:00! And of course, they are doing some awful mating call or something. Not your typical bird chirp! It almost sounds like they are dying! I want to pull out a gun and shoot them! Sorry to all the bird lovers out there! If only I could figure out exactly where they are! Oh, and they are still chirping and squaking... it is 11:00am! Maybe I should position a bird feeder at the next apartment so they will fly away!!!

:)

San Francisco!

So San Francisco was soooo much fun! I loved getting to spend so much time with my brother and his girlfriend Beth! She is so cool and a lot of fun! I don't get to see them that much, so it was nice to hang out for a few days!
We started out by driving up the 1 highway all the way there! It was sooooo gorgeous! One of the prettiest drives I have ever been on!

We stopped like every 30 minutes to an hour to take pictures as the sun was setting! We made it to Cupertino where Patrick Haskew is working at Apple this summer to eat dinner with him and Guillermo Careaga, Jared's friend from Ringling.
We went to Domain Chandon Winery the next day which was unbelievable! So much fun! I am going to have to go back and just do a winery trip at some point!
Here are Beth and Andrew at the winery...So cute!
We went on the world famous 11:00 tour with Cyrus...he was awesome! And of course my brother had to buy the $65 bottle of wine at the end of the tour!

We later drove into town and walked on and around the Golden Gate Bridge! It was so incredible!
Later we went to the Tadich Grill for dinner which was very delicious! The oldest restaurant in California!

Thursday we went to Alcatraz which was very cool! I know I keep saying cool, awesome, delicious, etc...but everything really was so incredible! We also shopped, ate lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, rode the cable cars, got Irish coffee at Buena Vista, and ice cream/chocolate at Ghirardelli Square, and then sadly, we had to drive home...But first we had to search San Francisco for the Full House house! We gave up after about half an hour!

Jared took some awesome pics along the way of our trip...so go to Flickr to check the rest of them out! Along with all of my other pictures from various trips this month (coming soon!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredbrient/

Adios!

Stressed for no reason

So ever since I got back from Ft. Worth I have been stressing about all the things I "have" to get done by some random deadline made up in my head. I am most frustrated at myself because I do not have to be stressed. I felt like all I have been saying is "Lord, calm me down", but I think He is waiting for me to realize I don't have to be running like a chicken with my head cut off. 

I am so thankful for my friend Koni out here, because whenever I am feeling crazy, I can just go over to her house, and it is so relaxing and peaceful. I hope that people feel that way when they are at my house, because sometimes I don't even feel that way. We laid out by the pool which really got my mind off of all the dumb to-do's I had. I was able to get most things done yesterday and today, but I still have a few things to take care of for my job that starts in July.

For those of you who don't know, I am going to be working at a summer camp and school that teaches music lessons to kids age 2-grade 8! I will be teaching general music and flute lessons. I am so blessed that God dropped this job in my lap. I emailed this place when I first moved out here a year ago, but they were filled, and then I decided to try again for the summer, and they were like, "oh, our flute teacher and camp leader just cancelled for the summer this morning...perfect timing!" Sooooo cool...I know! She also called me yesterday and asked if I wanted all the flute students at the store during the year because the flute teacher is moving...also very cool. All last year when I was looking and desiring to have a job on top of school, it never worked out, but now, jobs are just falling from the sky! Even though I have one year of school left, it will be much less time because I am not playing in band anymore and only have one class (theory...booo)....

So, Does anyone have a good way to make themselves relax? I fell like I try everything when I get worked up to slow the crap down, but sometimes it doesn't work! Even taking a long moment of silence!

I also feel like I had too much coffe today and am really hyper!!!!!!!

I am so excited that my brother and his girlfriend Beth get here Sunday and we are leaving Tuesday for San Francisco! Which reminds me, I need to get Alcatraz tickets!!!

Peace! 

Disneyland and Stef's Wedding

Last week Jared and I went to Disneyland with our good friends the Brewers. We had such a good time! I would go there every week if I could. The only sad thing was that there were no fireworks. We got to ride a few adult rides...space mountain, thunder mountain railroad, and indiana jones. We did ride Buzz lightyear 3 times. It is so fun! You get a laser gun and get to shoot targets for a score. We also got to meet Jasmine, Cinderella, and Snow White!!!

Jared and I with the beast!

I also had a blast at Stefani's wedding in Ft. Worth! I am very glad to be home and organizing my life again! I feel like I have been gone forever!