The sun will come out tomorrow!

Well it's another sun in the sky picture but it fits. I just know summer is coming soon. I can not wait to have no school and just have time to run free!

I have not really had quality friend time (like movie night, sleep over, bonfires...etc.) in a long time. Now that we are just moving into our new house things are still going to be hectic with unpacking. I just can not wait until summer when most of that stuff will be done and I can go to the pool, movies, park, or even just a friends house.

But now we're moved in to my mothers house!! New decorating and ideas and environment. Everything is taking a lot of time and thinking, but eventually it will all come together and be Magnificent! Things are confusing already, because I am being bugged to unpack my things yet some of it is going to my dads house and then I do not have my shelving units in my closet yet. Then I want to paint the walls so I do not want a lot of clutter to just pack up again....annnddd I also do not want all my things just out in the open in this room. I would rather have them hidden in baskets or bins or something!

Well I am still excited though to have a completely new room and new house to come home to. I really am excited to be involved in it all too! This summer I think will be more enjoyable to have people over because we have the really nice, big, trendy basement and then a pool/ping-pong table in the other room...annddd my room is right there too. Everything will be sweet, plus the deck in the back is perfect to tan on and I've never had that before.

I think my dad gets to move into his house on the sixth? or maybe the eighth? I can not really remember which it is, but soon I will start to have to help him out with things around his house too. I think he needs more help because he does not have the family support system around like my mom does, and I do not want him to get lonely and sad. So I will definitly have to focus more of my love and attention on my dad to help him out in his move.

I love getting these new houses and rooms. The environment is completely new and I am really starting to like it. I can not wait till summer though when I can actually enjoy it a little more.

Only the beginning...

The musical performance days have started! Yesterday we got all day of school off to perform the previews for school and do our first complete performance for some senior citizens. The previews went completely better than I had expected. You kind of think that the kids in highschool might be a tough audience but most of them enjoyed the little preview performance and were laughing and getting all the funny parts.

The previews each lasted for thirty minutes (give or take) and we all got to say our intros but then only four people got to sing their song. There just wasn't that much time and we didn't want to give away the whole show. I really think that this year so many people will want to come to watch this musical because they know they actually will enjoy it. And it wont just be to go see their friend(s).

After the previews the chorus got to leave but the principals had to stay to review parts in the show that were recently changed and needed work on to remember correctly. We really did not want to be there because we wanted as much time as we could to mess around and go to lunch, but we all knew that we needed that review. Most of the principals ended up going to Panera for lunch...which was very delicious. We got back at noon and got ready for the senior citizen show. They started coming in an hour and a half early. They were really early so we moved our start time to twenty minutes earlier. The show went really well I thought. The parts we did review...we messed up on, but it was not terrible and it gives us something to improve. It seemed a little weird to say/do some of the things in the show for older people because they might not take to it as easily. There were parts though that younger people would not get that they laughed at right away. It was completely a different show and all of them were so accepting and pleased when we met them after the show.

Then all the principals got time off before five to go do what we pleased. Most of us took a delightful trip to fruitzen. I was upset though because I left my card at home that day :( After that, all of the group pretty much went to target to get gifts for their "secret" buddy. Mostly everyone got cheap little random gifts. Later when we were in practice we had a little session where you guessed who had you and then that person would say some good things about you, the the circle would say things about you too if they wanted. It turned in to a twenty minute things for each person. We only have a two hour practice scheduled so we went way over and eventually I just had to leave.

The show has been going great and I cannot wait until tonight to really make it even better. I have gained so many friends through this entire process and I am soo happy that I decided to try out for the musical this year. Four more performances to go!!!

I want it!

Ever since one of my friends made a song on their mac I have been convinced that I want one. We used to use them all the time in elementary school but with less advanced systems. My mother thinks that I wont be able to switch over from using windows to using the systems on the mac. I am really good at figuring new technology out though and I also have some people that could help if I did need help. I really love the options that the mac has. There are different tools but they pretty much work the same as the tools on Windows do. I also like that on the macbook, you can use the tool garage band. There is a camera built in to the book. Also you can record music through the macbook. I love music and having the option to create my own music would be so neat and fun. I love to make things up and just mess around. This is one of the major reasons why I really want a macbook. I feel like I love the style an design of their technology too.

I have been trying to talk about mac computers with my friends who know about them or have and use them. The friends that do not have the mac really seem to want one. They think it seems really cool to have a built in camera and sound system in there. They are also all musical people who probably enjoy that feature the most. Working with garage band seems to be the fun thing to do in our music group. There are so many fun tools and items to use on these computers. I would love to have a macbook to use instead of the one I have now. The only thing is that they are expensive. I think it would be worth it though if I could get one. I really am starting to love to experiment with music, and I really wish that I could get a macbook because I think it has the feature to make it easier along with just using it as a normal fast working computer.

I hope to have time to get a job soon so I can start saving up money to get a computer. Maybe I could ask for some help from my parents for Christmas too. It would be so nice to get one. I would still be happy keep the computer I have now, but I feel like getting a mac would be new, sleek, and very convenient to use new tools.

Colorado!!!

Spring break was also filled with going to Colorado, specifically Keystone. I went with my venture crew. The leader has a condo up there that ten of us all stayed in. It was another realllllly long car ride over there.... even longer than driving to Nashville. Once we got there we bought our lift tickets and food for the week at a local grocery store. As soon as we had arrived at the condo everyone put everything away and the new guys explored the condo. I had already been to this place before a couple years ago along with one of the other guys too so I did not need to look around.

The next morning my ski boots were not fitting so I had to go to the local sporting goods store to get some while everyone else started off their skiing/snowboarding sessions. I finally found some and went over to the slopes when we all met for lunch. From there I got to ski, but soon my boots were starting to bother me, which was not good at all. That night we went back to the ski place and just got some incerts which were supposed to help support my foot and move it so it did not hurt as bad. Mostly they told me though that I was supposed to wear them a lot to have them settle to my foot.

The next couple of days we went to the slopes again. The first two days had snowy weather which was good for the slopes but made it cold and hard to see when you went down the hill. The last day we went though was sooo beautiful. It was a nice ending to skiing. By that day my shin was hurting from an old bruise and just wearing the new boots in general all the time. But to take a break our leader took some of us snow tubing. It was a lot of fun since I never really knew exactly what it was and how it worked. I kind of wish I was not wearing ski boots though because you are not allowed to go down with anyone else since the boots are dangerous to others if they get hit. You go down this section out part of a hill, like a big slide kind of. Then you have to walk to the belt that takes you and your tube back up. I thought I could just figure it out and did not need any help, but I was wrong... I ended up almost falling backwards because I was not leaning forwards enough. Luckily there was a helper guy that was on his way up right after me that pretty much caught me from falling backwards. I felt really dumb. Either way it was still fun though. That Saturday was our rest day pretty much. We cleaned in the morning before we went back home and then went dog sledding and had a nice dinner out before returning home the next day.

Nashville!!!

Nashville was such a great experience. It was so much more than what I was expecting. I did not really have a good experience when I went on another kind of trip the spring break before that, so I was so glad that it had surpassed my expectations.

First there was a tremendously long bus ride there, but.... oh well. I pretty much slept most of it away anyways. When we got there we stayed at this amazingly huge hotel. It is the biggest hotel I have ever stayed in. There was like a jungle type area in the middle with a gondola ride going around the center. In the middle of these places were little shops and gifts places to go enjoy on free time. At the beginning of the trip everyone was in awe of the hotel, the city, and the time we were about to have. But soon everyone was switched into show choir mode. We had to go that night we got there to watch other groups. They ranged from middle schools all the way up to varsity groups. All of the groups were good and had different styles. There was one middle school group that just blew everyone away. They had sooooo much fun. There was a little red head in the group that I had caught my eye from the beginning and then I find out that he has the funnest solo later in the show. He had everyone laughing, clapping, and enjoying themselves. It was so powerful to see the entire auditorium in an uproar over this little boy and this middle school group. I loved it, and that is the show I remember most out of all the show choirs.

We performed the next day and found out that we had made it into finals which was exciting. That Friday night we went to the mall and Dave and Busters. It was kind of a relaxing evening before we had to perform the next morning. Then Saturday we perform our show and come to find out that we only make fifth. A lot of us were so upset and just started getting mad in general and taking it out on other people. I thought it was a little ridiculous. I mean we had beat lots of others out of finals. Yeah, we had been going pretty strong but things happen. I just really wanted to enjoy the experience for what it was and not dwell on the fact that it could have been better if we would have gotten a different placing. Oh well. I'm still glad we got to experience how it felt to perform on that stage in the Grand Ole Opry. The sound was so amazing. I kind of wish we had listened to our own show from the back of the theatre, but that would be kind of hard to do and perform at the same time. This experience was soo fun and great.

Spring Break!!!

This spring break has come up pretty fast. Actually the entire school year has gone by pretty fast I think. Maybe not the school day or week itself but... Well I just really love breaks. The worst part is going back to school after they are over. This spring break though I have a full schedule. The Thursday before our show choir group leaves at 3 in the morning to head for Nashville, Tennessee. From there we come back that Sunday. After that I have Monday free then Tuesday at 6 in the morning I get to leave again to go to Colorado with Venture Crew 2000 that I am also in. I do not get back until the Sunday before break at about 9. I have no idea when I am going to be able to do my homework in between all of that. And I know that my teachers will give it because obviously breaks are when homework should be done. Plus I will have to make-up those first two day that I will be gone.

This spring break should be very exciting though despite all the homework I will have to worry about. I can not wait to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. The stage I have heard is amazing to sing and dance on. I think the experience will be unforgettable. There is a spot on the stage that is a part of the old stage. It is a different color of wood and kind of out of place. This spot is supposed to be like lucky or something like that. Many famous people have stood on that very spot in the floor. A lot of people in the group really want to stand there. And those that have that kind of a spot onstage are so excited and think it will be destiny or something when they stand there. I can kind of see the excitement peice but I really think a lot of people have stood there and never been really famous so I really do not believe that part of it. The experience will just be amazing in general though singing there on the stage.

I really can not wait for this spring break. Hopefully all the hecticness and stressfullness can get behind me and I can concentrate on having an amazing experience spending time with friends in a new place and just having so much fun!!!

Blogging

Blogging has been something I have done a lot lately. It has been a requirement for a class. Sometimes it feels like something I have to force myself to do and other times I enjoy getting my different opinions out on things. When we first started out our blogs, there was supposed to be a point of interest that we focused our blogs on. Mine started out to be music, movies, and turned in to adding books also. As I have looked at other peoples blogs and have talked with them, they have pretty much dropped their focus topic and blogged about whatever comes to mind. I have sort of adopted those ideas in my blog. I try to stay focused around my music life or things I have done pertaining to the subjects. When I first was trying to think of subjects I did not know what was appropriate or best for readers. I am also involved in shooting sports, which is another big part of my life, but I did not know how well people would take it or want to even read about it. I decided that the subjects I am writing about now would be the best choice and I would not have to worry about others reactions.

Since music is a big focus in my life, that is really what I can talk most about or find things to write about easiest. I have choir, chamber choir, show choir, speech (musical theatre), and now the musical that are all what I am a part of. Working around all of these events is hard enough to blog, but it also gives me something to blog about. Rather than try to come up with something every day. I can just write about the new things that have occured from my busy schedule. I think being involved in the thing you are blogging about helps a lot, since you can have something new to bring up more often then trying to come up with random ideas in your head.

In the beginning

In my younger years I started off getting into music from Discovery Choir. I remember I was so nervous to try out for the group, since I did not know what to expect. I ended up making it for a couple of years in a row. We would practice different songs as a huge group then sing them with the symphony for friends and family at the Paramount. Discovery Choir really made me feel like I was a part of something. Through Discovery Choir I tried out for a "lost child" spot in the opera Hansel and Gretel that was going to be a production. I ended up making it with some other kids from the choir. This way also another new experience that I never though I would have had when I was younger. This created my love of the music world.

The schedule for the opera, was the most rigorous I had ever experienced at that age. We practiced a lot every week, yet the practices were fun and I started to make even more new friends. It was kind of fun to play out the parts of the "lost children" yet I still was not quite sure of what to do yet at that age. I did not quite get the acting part... only the singing. As it started to get closer and closer to performance time, it became more exciting. I really loved the feeling of creating the costume and look and putting the entire show together. Performances were so fun. We all got to hang out in the green room below the stage and just play little quiet games with our newfound friends. We were not really on stage for a great amount of time, so the rest was for us to just hang out and do whatever. Even though the role was not very important, it still made us all feel like we were a part of something.

Ohh the technology

Technology has started to take over our lives. Everyone has something, whether it be a cell phone, iPod, laptop, or handheld video game. Now the new Wii has come out and I have to admit I love it along with the rest. Technology always gives me something to do when I am bored. I can always text or call a friend, listen to music, write an email, or play an intense game of Tetris.

The only way to keep your life from revolved around a screen is to broaden your hobbies. I also love to read, sketch, paint by numbers (silly, I know), piano, guitar, and I also shoot guns, which is more of a sport though. Just having multiple things to turn to is so much better for your brain. I also like to mix things up a bit which is nice. Recently I have tried to do some calligraphy which turns out pretty cool and is not that hard to learn. The worst time and the most common to use a lot of technology for kids, is in the summer time when we have all that free time. It is easy to get sucked into watching tv or playing a video game all day long. This is the essential time to use that free time to spend it outside though.

I am not saying to quit using any form of technology. I think people just need to broaden their options of things to do, instead of always turning to a video game or computer. My brother went to the army right out of highschool. This is when I started to write letters. I think it feels more sentimental and memorable then a phone call. The person will always have the letters to look back on whenever they feel fit. I now try to write my brother as much as I can since he does not have a phone number that we can call. Recently I got a letter from my six year old cousin who lives in Minnesota. Her parents sent me and my little brother the letter she wrote along with personalized stationary for both of us to write back to her. Now I am trying to write to her as often as I can. It really means a lot to me that she even thought to write to me and ask me how my life has been going. I only want her to having that caring feeling too.

Technology does not have to be what your entire life revolves around. So the next time your bored and want to watch tv maybe sit down and write to someone you care about even if they live close.