Always, Forever

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.

My clarinet. And music. As much as I may complain about it sometimes, it's my life.

Speaking of my life, this past tuesday we had a masterclass with Suzanne Tirk from Wichita.  She didnt look like a typical professor, she's pretty tiny and energetic. Almost bubbly?  Rachel, Emma, Me, Dana and Abbey played for her and she had a lot of really good tips for us. Everyone else got embouchure tips, breathing, all the usual things for a masterclass....


I got in the saddle. 
First of all, she made me squat as I played, to straighten my back out.  Needless to say, the studio got a pretty big kick out of that, and I could hardly play because I was laughing (thanks Delin+Abbey!)  And then various squatting/playing techniques and stretches that she made the whole studio do.  Because my posture is apparently terrible...which I actually am aware of. She said it was probably because of my height, that I feel like I have to kind of hunch over to blend in better. I've never really thought about that.  I've always pretty much loved being this tall, and never felt the need to blend in. But then again I don't have many close friends who are as tall or taller than me, so I guess I could be shrinking a bit.. Maybe this means i need to start embracing my height in new ways...like high heels? ;)


I'm glad my Intro to Lit professor's a huge egotistical jerk. He wastes two weeks on electronic literature, and then got mad at me when i told him i couldnt go to some play he's requiring us to go to because i have a tournament. Excuse me..I wasnt aware my life should be planned around a liberal arts core class. Anger done.


On the bright side, I just got a B on my sight singing quiz! It's not the greatest...I honestly felt like I did worse than a B, but i'm not complaining!  Dr Washut kind of scares me...just when it comes to sight singing usually. I dont know why, he seems fine..but I get so nervous!  Then again i get nervous about everything. It's whatever..Hopefully I'll get over it sometime this semester.


Apparently, at UHS, there's been some drama going around in the band...more than usual anyway. I dont know any details, and I dont really know if I even want to. I have few good friends left there, so it really isnt any of my concern i guess. But the fact that the band is the central point of all of this (probably stupid) drama is ridiculous. Not giving a good name to band kids, at all. I guess people need to get out their ridiculous melodramatic sides out somewhere before college though. At least, let's hope they get it out. 


Speaking of high school band, Tallcorn was last weekend! Lil Urbandale Jazz kids came up as usual. I couldnt help but reflect on Tallcorns in the past few years...
~TPing Papa Schmitt's door!
~Pass the Pigs!
~Oattttttttttzzzzzzzz
~Winning 3rd place last year!
~Just hanging out at the hotel Thursday night after clinics
~Getting to know Kristen better!
~Curled hair
~Jazz dos and the Red Ties
~Hanging out with all the awesome people in the jazz bands
~Can I get...? At Coldstone!


Tallcorn was hands down the best band trip we ever went on, after Hawaii.  Every year it was a ton of fun, no matter how frustrating rehearsals had been up to that point.  Every time we walked off the stage after performing, we felt good about it.  Luckily, Kellar's jazz band was just as good as I expected it to be. They may not have placed, but they were great. Nothing to be disappointed with. :)


So for the rest of today, life is pretty packed.  Clarinet ensemble with Dr Johnson, seminar, quartet, quartet bonding at Bdubs, and an Orchestra concert? Sounds good to me. Macgamut time?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMG6PXbsXsc
Blast from the past. This guy is an amazing singer, and so passionate about it. I know the video is off with the music, but...still. Watch some, watch none. Doesnt matter to me. It's my song of the week.


Bye!

Be OK Today

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

Theodora! My little big brother, who is two years younger than me and about 7 inches taller. He's such a chill kid, no matter what's thrown at him. At least, that's how it seems.  When he was a little kid, he used to threaten to stab us with this walking stick and abuse us in various other ways, but somehow he managed to get past that :P I know he's never going to read this though.. But still. He's probably the sweetest kid I know.  He's my little brother, and if anyone messes with him, they're messing with me.

Alright... Lately my life has been filled with conflict.  Stress does that to me, I guess. I keep stuff inside, when things are bothering me i dont let anyone know, then it kind of explodes. It's something I got from high school/middle school i think.  I never wanted to upset anyone, or get in fights with anyone. I avoided fights at all costs... Honestly, just arguing makes me cry. I dont think I could handle a full blown fight. Other people I know being IN a fight makes me feel sick, and I have no idea why.   That's why, when I'm here at UNI and i hear about someone not speaking to someone else because of something stupid, or anything involving petty unimportant fights, I hate it. It's just like high school was, and I'm SO done with high school. This is me complaining for the day. 

You know what makes me feel better though? Days like today. Weather-wise...it is GORGEOUS outside!! And close to 60 degrees. Hopefully it will stay this way for the rest of February..and then Spring. :D  Spring is my absolute favorite season. Ever. Everything is growing and turning green, or whatever color, and there's no more shivering, or stupid boots.  And the people who wear leggings as pants wont have to lie about how warm they are anymore. This dumb mood-changing Winter weather wont exist anymore. Not til next winter, anyway. Also the other day in Russell while I was trying to play piano, I heard someone else playing a really happy piano song. I kept listening, and realized that whoever it was was playing/singing Ingrid Michaelson songs!! I decided I wanted that piano book. A different copy, obviously. So even though there might be things i dont feel like mentioning in my life that are stressing me out...there's always a reason to not freak out about it. There's always something there that makes up for it. And that makes the stressful things worth going through, you know? There's always people and things in life that are not stressful, at all. 

And yesterday, Dr. McCandless called Delin, Abcde, and I a three headed clarinet player. BT+MT+LT forever. <3 

Things are good. Pretty ok with me... I have a solo(ish) for the spring concert in symphonic band, My boyfriend still likes me even when I'm stressed, I still get my normal life, TallCorn is this weekend, and it's sunny out. Not much more is necessary to make me feel better. :)

Happy:

~Clarinet <3 

~Spring weather!

~Skirts!

~Michael Buble is coming to Wells Fargo Arena in JUNE! I'm there. 

~Happy birthday Dr. McCandless!!!

~The Legend + Delin

~Theory is starting to be ok!

~My dad's cousin WON the National Bowling Tournament! Such a pro.

~I got some stamps...I can start sending mail again :)

~Possible hair cut ideas going around in my head...

~A little over two months of school left!

This is for you, Madeline...
"Yuyuyuyuyuhuhuiiiiiii!"

Who Needs a King?

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

GREY'S ANATOMY!

What to say about Grey's....It's my favorite show ever. I have never EVER gotten tired of watching it, and trust me...I have seen the episodes many, many times.  I own all of the seasons that are out on DVD so far (Thanks to my parents!). 

It's basically entirely about the lives of a surgical staff at a hospital in Seattle. Amazingly, all of them are attractive to some degree which is misleading...real doctors are definitely NOT that attractive! None that I've seen anyway.... My dad likes to complain that this show is just about "having sex with everyone and everything, blahhahhhahha" which is somewhat true. But they've grown up a lot throughout the seasons! Trust me. Anyway. This is what i go to when I'm stressed, want to relax, bored, and actually have TIME. I love it! <3

Day 04 - A picture of a habit you wish you didn’t have


I bite my nails. I think it's pretty self-explanatory. 

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.


Anything and Everything from Hawaii..

We went there on a band trip when I was a sophomore in high school, and it was amazing... I spent so much time on the beach that I got EXTREMELY sunburnt. I won the award for the "Magic Frisbee" and managed to keep all my teeth. I ate strange clear noodles that were terrible. Pineapple for breakfast, Reese's for every other meal, and Kim Thede as the best chaperone ever. I still want to go back, and I think I always will. Aloha :)

So today is February 14th, also known as Valentine's Day. Technically, there's a "St" added on there, but it's been shortened..obviously... Anyway!  I've always heard people say how stupid they think today is, and what a consumer trap it is for people, etc. Ok, sure, it's not really an important enough day to be considered a holiday. But seriously...stop ruining it for people who like it for different reasons.  Please stop complaining about how stupid it is, or how pointless. I know a lot of people who still love Valentine's day, just to give out the cheesy cute little Valentines, even here at UNI.  My parents even sent me some, actually...I did give some out :)  Basically, I'm just saying that it IS just another day. But it's also a day where loving other people is emphasized. People may argue that there shouldn't be a day specifically pointed towards loving others, but if there weren't days like Valentine's Day or Anniversaries or birthdays, some people probably wouldn't feel compelled to love on a regular basis.  It's not just a day for couples, it's a day for everyone. That's all. 

On a super cute note though, my boyfriend got me pink gerber daisies and a cd he made.... He's my fav. :)

Today has been a good day... I did not have to wear a coat. I played the keyboard component decently in theory. We gave Dr Washut and Dr McCandless Valentines. Hindemith is exciting. BE PREPARED Abcde. Tallcorn is this weekend, I'm very excited to hear Urbandale. Goooood memories! So basically...things are going up. Hopefully.

Things that are things:

~Spring weather = Spring Dresses

~Frozen poptarts = Frozen Heaven

~I have Daisies on my desk. 

~Tallcorn is this weekend!!!

~After February's over, half the semester is done. 

~Spending half of Spring Break in Mason City will be exciting :)

~Harmonization with Abcde!

~OUR NEW QUARTET <3 Alec will be forever missed, however..

~Monochrome III is kinda exciting

~Did i mention spring weather...?

<3 

Promise Not to Promise Anymore

Babies goin to Hawaii!

My parents, Prom 2010

Delin, at The Hub!

He likes me :)


Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for awhile. a.k.a. BFF's

This was clearly a four way tie. Five way i guess, if you count my parents as separate beings.

Alriiiight, lets get started. Through high school, me and Kayla had always been pretty tight.  Even through many MANY dramatic moments, losing a member of an old "trio", college/senior year related stress, and everything else. For some reason we stayed besties. We were kinda complementary, she was the gorgeous tall skinny girl with guys chasing after her wherever she went, I was the nerdy clarinet obsessed girl with braces.. and somehow we clicked.  I miss everything we would do in high school. Dress shopping, boy looking (remember that one time at Target in 8th grade...??) This girl made high school bearable.  Somehow we've drifted during college. But maybe that's what was supposed to happen, you know?  I don't know why, and I don't exactly like it. It happened anyway, and it is really sad to me. I miss being besties with her more than anything. I'm just not good at saying things like that in person. 

 Next... So my parents are awesome.  Look at them, adorably squishing me in between them. That was mostly my dad's fault i guess...but anyway. We were never really a family that threw "I love you" around too much as i grew up, and it never bothered me.  They've done pretty much everything for me. Put me through clarinet lessons (aka "paid off Joyce's boat payments!" :P), BOUGHT me a new clarinet, paid for pretty much everything since I'm a bum and have never had a legit job, etc, etc... Plus they're the most adorable, chill couple in the world. My mom's a nurse, so she's automatically pretty chill, and very VERY caring (hence all my care packages, especially the ones sent after I've injured myself), and my dad is just a chill guy. Obviously. Thankfully, i get my ability to tan from my practically native american padre, and not my norweigan mother. But she did give me her depressing teeth problem. Which i continually give her crap for :) Anyway. I love my parents. And i don't tell them that nearly enough, especially with all that they do for me, even when I'm two hours away and cant bring myself to regularly call them. But i do love them. :)

DELIN. Not to copy hers or anything, but i seriously do feel like I've known her forever.  We just met via Clarinet Studio here at UNI this year, and all i can say is...it's fate. We bring out the craziest parts of each other, and already she's been here for me through many stressful moments.  We talk about anything, pancakes, BT/MT/LT/NT, Dr McCandless stories/picture drawings, literally everything. I dont know how it happened, or why. But I'm so glad for her. I think I've already raved about Madz at some point on this blogggg, so yeah. Basically my love for her is well proven. <3 <3 

Alright...haters gonna hate. So we've only been dating for a few months, but I know I'm really close to this guy. We randomly started talking way back at the end of October, thanks to Rachel Jones, and I never ever thought it would get to the dating point...ever. I honestly still don't quite believe it actually worked out, but hey, I'm not complaining... :) Jake Humburg is probz the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. For one, he's 6'3". For anyone that really knows me, you understand how exciting that is to me.. He always says the cutest things, loves me for who I am (whether I'm freaking out/stressed/upset/overly happy), and is seriously perfect for me in every way. I cant wait to see how this may end up. :)

So these are people I've been close to for the longest. Whether it's literally time-wise, or whether it's just getting to know people extremely well within a short amount of time. Either way, these people have had big impacts on my life. A lot of others have too, of course..but it's different.  

Now I need to finish filling out little V-Day cards my parents sent me haha. Obviously i have matured while I've been in college. :)  

ps, I'm officially a pledge to SAI, and the little sister of one awesome Jennifer Miller.  I'm so unbelievably excited for all of that to start up. You all have NO idea. 

So maybe in a way I have grown up. Looking back on old friendships, compared to new ones..there are definitely things that have changed. Different things to worry about, less things to have melodrama about, people who don't care about the little things.. It's still exciting. And new.

But then again, people will say I'm not mature, because i like to color. Nothing wrong with that. :D

<3 

30 Days - Blog Style!

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts:

• I had braces for a total of 4 years and 1 month -- Yes, I counted. 
• I plan on teaching Band at a high school somewhere, NEVER elementary grades. I would go crazy.
• I love taking pictures, especially with a legit camera...I just wish i was better at it.
• Spring is my favorite season, not just because that's when my birthday is.. :)
• I love Daisies!
• Whatever style i have is accidental.
• Watching Grey's Anatomy never fails to put me in a good mood...same goes for brushing my teeth, weirdly enough.
• My middle name is Kay. It's a family thing, and i think it fits my name really well. :)
• I'm currently dating the cutest person i know!
• I'm an awesome speller. 
• Music is muy importante. I play it, listen to it, sing it, etc. It's pretty much life support.
• I have a baby. Her name is Lucy, she is a dog.  She's the cutest puppy in the world, and she loves me more than anyone else..
• I like squished pennies, lucky pennies, sharpies, crayons, crystal lite, sleeping, peanut butter and plaid (on boys..mostly mine)
• I found a whole new group of friends (including a best friend) and first love here, cemented my major/future career, learned to be independent (aka learned how to do laundry), had intense moments of laughing and also sadness, and most importantly, a sense of belonging. Cedar Falls is the exact right place for me right now. <3 

So this is the "30 Days" Phenomenon, Blog style. I just dont want to do it on facebook for some reason.  So that's me ^^ , condensed form.


At this very moment, i have a swollen face... I'm not gonna get into the details, because I dont even like hearing about them. But it is complicating a LOT of things. Plus i look like a chub!  But I have meds and whatnot so it'll get better. However, I'm apparently being prohibited from playing by Dr. Madeline BT Young. Oh wait...she's not a doctor, she's a music major! :P But it's probably a good idea...I honestly have no idea why I'm having teeth/mouth issues, aside from having the worst luck ever. Also, Jake, Dr McCandless is blaming you for my problems. Guess what that means...? ;)


So I went shopping this weekend, and I was in the Chapstick/Lipchap/Chapball aisle and found this little ball of chapstick created by EOS... Needless to say, I love it. It's just really fun! I just used it, right at this moment. Pretty sure everyone would benefit from getting one.  I love Target. It seriously has everything I would ever need, I could shop there forever! 


Tonight, I am pledging to SAI. SAI is the women's music fraternity (Yes, fraternity. It's service based, not social based), at UNI. I'm way excited for many reasons. It's going to be a great opportunity to do stuff for the School of Music, make friends with a lot of music majors, and it's something new for me. I never expected to join a fraternity/sorority/frarority of any kind. Luckily, this one is not based on how I look or how effectively I can flirt with guys or down illegal drinks. So that's a huge plus.  Also, I'm pretty sure their main color is red, sooo....heck yes I'm in. :) 


I can't believe it's already February! January seemed to take forever, but it's still strange that it's now February. Literally three months of school left until my first year of college is officially over, and my parents stop sending me care packages.  My mom said this once in regards to them sending me stuff.. "You only have your first year of college once". So yeah. After this year, no more love from the parents. :(  We'll see, I may change their mind..


Things I'm looking forward to:
~Baby Belle having puppies over spring break (She's one of my dad's dogs)
~Spring Break!!!
~Clarinet Ensemble/Studio Recital! April 7th BE THERE!
~The end of the school year
~Summer!
~V-Day <3 
~My natural hair color to grow back in (vain, i know.)
~SAI!
~Living with Delin next year!
~Everything


I'm going to go clean now. I have an awesome life. 

Liquid Sunshine

So let me just start off by officially owning up to the fact that i should never bring a razor near my legs. I'm probably the worst leg shaver in the world... Ouch.  Probably a perfect ending to the day I had yesterday...it was pretty bad. And i usually do not have terrible days like this, which explains my reaction of crying multiple times...in front of multiple people.  Which is kind of unheard of, especially to anyone at home because, I rarely cry. ESPECIALLY not in front of people! But anyway, past the tears part...  I have the absolute best clarinet professor in the world.  Madeline keeps telling me how awesome she is, and how she's always willing to help her figure out her problems and be there for her, and i guess i never believed her for some reason. But yesterday i went in to have my lesson (after crying to Madeline for about 5 minutes) and she just took a look at my face and knew something was up.

I have no idea why, but yesterday morning, everything just started hitting me, and stressing me out for stupid reasons.  First, I fell out of my loft as i was trying to get up. It's hilarious now that i think about it, because after i fell to the floor, I just kind of sat there. I didn't make noise or anything. :P  But then...i had to go to MATH. At 8. That's enough to start anyone's day off badly, if you ask me. In theory, i got a disappointing grade on my homework, and that's the class that's always worried me the most. Needless to say, the day was worse. Cue Madeline Young! She came to my practice room and talked me down, which is good because if she hadn't I probably would've ended up throwing my clarinet across the room. I haven't panicked that badly in a loooong time... And then Dr McCandless gave me theory books for extra help, which is seriously the best thing she could've done, strange as it sounds. Piano was Hell, which is partly my fault and partly the fact that Dr Guy does not teach us. She gives us songs to practice on our own time and expects them to be perfect... Me and Isaak are frequently wishing we were ANYWHERE else, during every single class. I practiced afterwards. Problem solved. Then when I got back to my room, I had a care package from my parents...i literally ran to the office. I LOVE packages :)

So basically, yesterday was tough. And I think I was kind of taken aback by all of the stuff that was hitting me because i'm used to helping others through their problems. I don't like to bring up little things that are bothering me, because they're little. They're not important compared to things other people have gone and are going through.  Like Whitney Houston! I'm a yahoo news creeper, saw this, clicked on it and watched it. I think it's amazing, and i dont even know Whitney Houston's story.  Gospel, when it's sung/related to like this is amazing..

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/hiphopmediatraining/362780/whitney-houston-sounds-great-during-surprise-bet-performance/

Random side-note over.  So while yesterday was hard for me, it showed me that i have support in many places. Delin, Dr McCandless, Jake, and others... And there's always coloring and care packages and peanut butter to make me feel better.


I misss my siiiister.  She's taken to drawing random crazy pictures on her phone, and sending them to me. Which is great, because it shows that, even with everything she's been through she still has the crazy-insane artistic talent that i wish i had. So Niki, if you're reading this...I love you. And i'm glad things are going well for you, it's well past time for that. <3

Good things about January:
~Braces off again!
~Coming back to UNI
~Bass Clarinet in Symphonic Band!
~Jake <3
~Rearranging my desk.. haha
~Being in Washut's theory classes...tough as they are, I can't say I'm not learning.
~Delin/Abcde/Clarinet Studio and many others
~Racquetball!
~Orange Mango Naked... Apparently it's "Liquid Sunshine". I believe it.
~Clarinet Symposium!

Not so Good things..
~SNOW
~Wind
~No sunshine
~Gross Piazza food (I swear, every single meal I've gotten a sandwich.)
~Cold hands...cold face...cold body.
~Cut legs