Christmas Harp Concert

My ensemble partners, teachers, fellow harp students, and me

Home Again for Thanksgiving

Mom, Dad, and Katie
Blogger won't let me upload any more pictures, so they'll just have to wait until later.

Hi.

Went to see Hansel and Gretel (sp?) with Hannah last night. We took a couple of pictures and didn't get a single good one before my camera batteries died. Arg. So here is the one where we both look like we're looking at the camera screen in the mirror instead of looking at the camera (which we were : ), and in the next one we decided to see if it would work to hold the camera facing the mirror. Didn't work either. Oh well... Hanna's the tall one and I have a glowing head.
I haven't really done anything else lately other than theory, and nobody wants to see a picture of that! More later, Bye!

My "Happy Place"

Though this is not "my" kitchen, it is one of my favorite places to be. I love my time practicing with my harp, I really enjoy reading, and crafting is awesome, but there is nothing in this world like... a kitchen. There is no therapy quite like turning on a good CD and baking. It's one of the many things that makes a house a home. I can't wait to go home and cook in my kitchen with Mom. Why??? It's my favorite place to be!

Oh Deer!

Well, I knew it would happen eventually, but not quite so soon! Unc. Brad shot a deer tonight. I hate to admit it, but since he doesn't even know I have a blog, I can safely say that I prayed from the bottom of my heart that it wouldn't happen while I was here. Over Thanksgiving break, Christmas break...anytime but now! I know that is selfish of me, but both God and I know that I don't handle things like this well, in fact, I handle them VERY badly! It is dark outside now, and luckily I didn't get here until "it" was in the back yard, but I don't know what I'll do in the morning when, looking out the kitchen window, there is a deer hanging in the back yard. I have no idea how long the process takes, but I've been warned that he does every nastly little thing. Not only does he cut the poor animal to shreads, but he does it...are you ready for this??? He does it in the kitchen. I can't get into to the downstairs without either going through the kitchen, or the back yard. I LOATHE this!!!

The Opera Again

Well... I went to the opera with Hannah (another harpist) last night, and it was really good other than that...well... ....Manon, the lead, dies in her lover's arms, and it's over. Isn't that terrible? It is pretty long, and has two intermissions, AND the soprano playing Manon wasn't there so it was a last minute ringer playing the part. Oh well. It's a story line that you don't have to think about, and it's easy to follow without having your eyes glued to the subtitles. That's always good.
Also, I knew a lot of the orchestra people down in the pit. That was pretty fun. And for those of you who know about my ever-so-lovely trombone lesson, you'll be happy to know that the guy that taught me is first chair bass trombone. Pretty spiffy, huh?
Hope everyone's having a good semester that's not miserably busy! T.T.F.N.

Three strings down, forty-seven to go!

Well, I have had Three strings break in the much-too-recent past. Grr. Maybe if I just change them all at once they'll not break for a while. Sure. Well, not much has been going on other than class, practice, and work, so even if I did have time, I wouldn't really have anything to write about. I went to some concertish things though! I have boring pictures of stuff I'm going to put on here. The first picture is on the front of the program to the concert I played in on...I don't remember what day. Last week. The picture really is not good, but I will comment no further. My conductor is the bald guy, and he really isn't ugly, he's really nice. Next is the Ballet I went to. Ah, it was georgous! and as for Tony Flannigan (who performed that night), once again, I need not comment. Next is just the wristband to get into the Lotus Festival. It is huge and it's a weekend of world music where people come here from everywhere just to do whatever it is that they do. Last is Orchid. Isn't she pretty? Mom and Dad sent her to me. Have a good rest of the day!

Seeing What Eyes Can't

I stand six steps from the bed's edge. My arms extended. Hands open. On the bed Sara - all four years of har - crouches, posed like a playful kitten. She's going to jump. But she's not ready. I'm too close.
"Back more Daddy," she stands and dares.
I dramatically comply, confessing admiratoin for her courage. After two fiant steps I stop. "More?" I ask.
"Yes!" Sara squeals, hopping on the bed.
With each step she laughs and claps and motions for more. When I'm on the other side of the canyon, when I'm beyond the reach of mortal man, when I am but a tiny figure on the horizon, she stops me. "There, stop there."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," she shouts. I extend my arms. Once again she crouches, then springs. Superman without a cape. Skydiver without a chute. Only her heart flies higher than her body. In that airborne instant her only hope is her father. If he proves weak, she'll fall. If he proves cruel, she'll crash. If he proves forgetful, she'll tumble to the hard floor.
But such fear she does not know, for her father she does. She trusts him. Four years under the same roof have convinced her he is reliable. He is not superhuman, but he is strong. He is not holy, but he is good. He's not brilliant, but he doesn't have to remember to catch his child when she jumps.
And she flies.
And she soars.
And so he catches her and the two rejoice at the wedding of her trust and his faithfulness.

~Max Lucado~
~When God Whispers Your Name~

My Favoritestes EVER!

Ahem...Sorry about the doubles of the shoe pictures. It said it didn't post twice, but evidently it did!
Hey Abby, How did you, um..overcome the beta blog situation? Did you create another? Anna is BEEutiful these days. Love you all!
P.S. Like my cricket patrol from Betsy? I haven't resulted to swatting yet, but if you give a little nudge to the poor souls (or rather corpses) and they're dead, you can scoop really well with it.

My Harp Shoes

New Harp Shoes

Otherwise known as ballroom dancing shoes. They are really really...etc. cool. The bloggie thing won't let me put more pictures on here, so that's all for now.

Nearly Nothing New

I don't really have any new pictures, or really anything to say, so I thought I would add two things I really like that I see every day. The first is the painting that I hated when I first brought it home, then liked it a little more after Mom and I framed it. Now you can't really see what it is, but I really like it next to that lamp. It's the painting of a picture Dad took of a house on a roadside in Switzerland.

The second is a Willow Tree that Mom gave me as a g0ing away present. Isn't she pretty???

Old as well as New

These are pictures that were taken right before I left home. Not the most attractive of me, but they are sporting my Ma and Poppy, so they can't be all that bad! The first three were of our walk at home (the best state in the whole world if I do say so myself), but the next one, though picturesque, was taken on my walk from the stadium to my class. I walk over that pretty little bridge and it is just a breath of fresh air. Also on the stadium walk is the locust tree. I don't like it at all, it actually turns me inside out every time I see it. The poor thing has thornage growing all over it. There are two right next to each other, both labeled like they are just something, so they are either a novelty, or something to be aware of. I'm not quite sure.
More building pictures where you can almost make out words, and then the circle building where all of my harp classes are. It is rather confusing because the inside is not only circular, but there is an inner circle and an outer. Pretty nifty!
I am going to turn in, so...good night!

The University: A Visual

Well, the uploady thingy wouldn't let me put any more pictures on here (I think it secretly doesn't like Wagner), so here are the ones I had before it decided to be contrary. My favorite ones are actually some of the ones I couldn't add, but these are good also. Being completely honest, I know that they just look like buildings, but I think they are neat anyways. The first is one of a series that I took. All of the windows of that building have composer's names concreted above the windows. I think it is rather awe inspiring.
The picture that I think is next is actually cut off, but it is the top of the door that I go in and out of several times a day. The next is my favorite bench. The crosswalk in the sidewalk in front the bench (try to figure that out!) is made of brick, and it makes a staff with darker brick. There are also notes that do not spell out a song that I can tell. Pretty neat.
Next is just a stairwell going into the hallway, going into the library.
The water fountain is in front of the building I have almost all of my classes in, and it is also the music library. I think it's pretty.
The glass windows are the front of the MAC (Music Arts Center).
Last but not least is my harp in it's temporary house, and the music to the Nutcracker Suite Cadenza that I have to have memorized in a week.
I hope all is going well with everyone. I will talk to you all later.
Good night to all, and to all a good night!