My parents came to town!

Hello anyone who reads this!

My parents were in town this past weekend, and Jared and I had a great time with them. Jared and I instated a rule a while back that when the parentals come to visit, they will stay in a hotel. It definitely works out better for everyone b/c our apartment is small and it is nice for everyone to have some space. Jared and I have some time to debrief the day when everyone is not around each other the whole time. I reccommend this to anyone who feels like they can't get any spouse time when his/her parents are in town.

I had an orchestra concert Friday night for school and we went to a ridiculous concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday. And by ridiculous I mean a very bizzare concert entitled Sights and Sounds of Mystic Persia: A tribute to Rumi...so I guess I didn't clue in to all that title implies. I was trying to stay engaged during the concert, but not much was happening...The singer kept droning on the same note, and the lady reading the poems was really creepy. I kind of felt like I was involved in something I shouldn't be...you know that feeling...anyway we later realized we were glad we missed the first half of the concert because the will call line was so long...the second half alone was 2 hours.

My parents came to church with us Sunday which was great, but it was hilarious when we went to take communion, she came back to her seat and said, that's not grape juice! Haha! No mom, this is not a baptist church...we use actual wine here! Hehe!

I was sad when they left, and realized that this distance is not going to grow any closer between us. I do not want to move back to Texas, but I do miss seeing my family everyday. I know God wouldn't have Jared and I out in LA if it wasn't for a reason, so I have to trust that this is the best for us right now. I am learning a lot by being so far away from them, but I still love them and miss them very much!

Jared and I had a movie night Sunday night after my parents left and watched Lady in the Water. It never got good reviews, but I kinda liked it. It had some good themes...if you haven't seen it, check it out!

It was 100 degrees in Long Beach today...where has the hint of fall gone?

P.S. I chopped all my hair off, so I am going to post pictures soon!

So today I had lunch with my sweet friend Eliza and our conversation was revolving around how we are slowly but surely getting to know everyone at church in a deeper way. But sometimes, it is difficult to figure out how different people work. It occurred to me later how much more I understand people who are not like me now than even a year ago. In undergrad, everyone (including me) had a fend for themselves attitude because it is a difficult adjustment, and most people are trying to figure out "what they want to do". After college, I feel like I "know what I want to do", whatever that means...hehe, and so attitudes change. I have been placed in a church, school, and neighborhood with people who have completely different personalities than I do. In college, it was really easy to "pick" your friends. I surrounded myself with people who had similar interests as I did and who were as equally as excited about being my friend as I was to be theirs!

So, should college students be expected to have more of an outward view when there is so much life change going on in their own lives?
Should I still be able to "pick" my friends? My mom actually called today and told me she had invited someone over to stay with them who doesn't have power yet bc of Ike, but she is having a hard time being ok with them coming over to stay because they are not best friends. Should she just have not invited them, or is that God's way of stretching us by giving us that instinct to invite someone over even though we don't necissarily think it is going to be the best time you have ever had?

So there you have it...a random thought!

Concert week!

Hey everybody! I haven't been blogging much since I started school because it has been a whirlwind of fun and exhaustion!

We went to the Vampire Weekend concert Wednesday night at the Wiltern in LA! It was so fun and they sounded just like the CD! The opening bands weren't all that great, though. It was a really cool venue, though! I am glad I found tix on Ebay! This made for a long rest of the week bc I didn't get much sleep that night! Tonight we are going to the Beck/MGMT/Spoon concert! I am so happy! It will be a great night with the Feistel's!

I had my second week of teaching at the preschool and that is going well! Pray for some more enrollment for the classes, though, because if the classes don't get bigger, I am not sure what will happen!

I also had my first day of teaching flute sectionals at Irvine High School! It was so fun to work with good high school players who are excited about the flute! I am looking forward to going there once a week!

I am also trying to keep on top of getting my thesis ready! I have to file for graduation in less than 3 weeks and have to have a proposal for my thesis and decide on my committee of readers!

I am excited for the fall! It can't get here fast enough! I love any baked good with pumpkin, so if you are ever craving it, stop on by...there will probably be something on the counter in the kitchen! I also love the cooler weather! I can't wait to go shopping for warm clothes! If you want to go call me!

Crappers

My throat started getting sore on Saturday night, and unfortunately it still hurts. I think it is just a result of allergies, but I did start teaching at a preschool, so I am hoping it is not something the kids gave me! I started taking Zyrtec, which helps to keep my ears clear and not get the itchy eyes/throat, but I have a very dry, sore throat instead! Anyway, I am wondering if going to an allergist is worth it. If he finds out what I am allergic to, it won't really mean much unless something is bad enough to treat with something stronger than Zyrtec or Claritin....I digresssssss

I am trying to get back into the swing of school as well as my other jobs I have started. I am very tired after today, but I think that is partly because I am not feeling that great. I am about to make some tea, and make soft tacos for dinner!
I ran into a new friend from church today at the store (so random) and heard that she hadn't eaten lunch today (neither had I...unless a cookie counts) and it was already 4:45. I was inspired by the similar situation (not a great one per se) to create some healthy, quick lunches I can fix before I run to school. I got lettuce, blue cheese, grilled chicken, apples, and walnuts for a yummy salad, and I can also use some of those same ingredients to make wraps! I am excited about my new lunch creations!

P.S. Some dumb couch delivery people for the apartment next door dented the screen on one of my windows, and I let them know that I would not be paying for it if the landlord gets mad...bc he is uptight and would charge me for the damages...not happening...the guy looked a little surprised that he had "messed up" anything. Duh people....I heard you cuss when you lost control of it and was sitting right by the window when you dropped it! People are so funny....I hope I don't try to act like something didn't happen when it did! But I know I do!...

P.P.S. I am going to go see Vampire Weekend on Wednesday! Sick or not!

So Precious!

So today was my first official day of teaching preschool music at Launching Pad! It was the cutest thing ever, and I definitely was assured that this is something I want to have in my life! Teaching those little kids how to love music at such a young age is great! More to come!

Tax cuts and such

Hey everybody! There has been a lot going on lately! Hence the non-post in a week!

So, all my life, my parents have always told me how the Democrats always give a tax increase to the middle class. Well, regardless of whether this is true or not, I received this link from Stefani Wilkinson's facebook recently, which shows otherwise to those in and around my income bracket.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/09/ST2008060900950.html

I am still weighing all of the pro's and con's of each candidate. I don't like the fact that McCain is giving a tax break to people who make above 600,000 a year and above....

So, on Tuesday I auditioned for the principal flute spot in the Pacific Symphony. It was such a great experience to see how a professional orchestra holds their auditions. I have never been that controlled over my stress/nervousness, and was able to play the excerpts to the best of my ability under pressure. I also worked up a lot of the pieces that I had previously been afraid of because they were "hard". I now feel great about taking any audition and "not knowing the pieces" will not prevent me from trying out for something! I learned a lot more, but that would just bore you!

School started Tuesday even though I don't have class on Tuesday this year which is nice. I get to play principal flute in orchestra which is also great! I am also going to be playing in the University Woodwind Quintet (which means I get another scholarship! Yay!) I like my theory class and I also am excited to start coaching chamber music and masterclass for non-major flutes!

I will start work Tuesday at the Launching Pad Preschool attached to Northrop Grumman every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings teaching music! I got to meet some of the staff yesterday and see the room, etc. and I am very excited about it! I will also start teaching flute lessons Tuesdays and hope to get more students soon!

Jared and I are going to try and rest this weekend and catch up! It feels like every night this week has flown by and we haven't gotten much talk time! I am excited about our mostly free weekend starting Saturday morning bc we have band practice for church tonight.

Well, there you have it!