Evolution

I had this idea come to mind tonight. My thought is on the evolution of friendship. It's interesting to reflect on friendships as they come and go, as they grow and dwindle, gain strength only to fall a part.

I've had some changes in my "friends" this last year. At times it's been hard. Very trying. Deeply hurtful. Other times I find myself relieved. Is that awful? Am I a bad person to be relieved?

Then I got to thinking about a particular friend of mine. This friend is one I met since going back to school. This friend has been my "saving grace" in the music department. This friend and I have a sibling-type of relationship.

So why am I thinking about them? Because I don't see this person much anymore. I don't get to talk with this person, laugh with this person, create music with this person, study with this person, discover musicality with this person. No, I rarely see them. And I won't lie, I'm sad. I'm really sad. I feel that my one real friend at school has disappeared. And I don't know if they mind..



I would never want to hold this friend back from growth, even if it was at the expense of our friendship - the evolution of our friendship. But at the same time I'm completely saddened. Does it have to come to an end? Is it over? Or will we continue to be friends?

I can't think about it too much. I'll end up bawling myself to sleep. (sigh)

I just miss my friend, is all.

Please don't read into this as if I'm saying Travis isn't satisfying to me in any way. I'm talking about a friend - Travis is much, much more than my friend. Travis is amazing. No, what I'm talking about is the evolution of friendship - not marriage. Friendship.

It's been a bit of a downer week for me. Sorry. :(

Not a happy post...stupid, stupid, stupid day

Okay, I have to keep this short because it's late and my sectional is waiting for me. No, really. We're probably going to spend the night on our new sectional because our room flooded this afternoon (see post below) and our bed was SOAKING WET. We've had fans in our room blowing on the carpet, our bed, our pillows..you name it - it's wet and currently airing out. :(

So, what am I going to rant about?! Get this: since we currently live with my parents we have assigned laundry days (to avoid mass chaos). Mine and Trav's day happens to be Monday, today. So, I started a load this morning before I went to school. I come home to the flooded room, get that cleaned up, and head into the laundry room to switch our laundry from the washer to the dryer. Oh, wait! I can't do that because our stupid washer decided to quit working in the middle of the cycle. Unbeknownst to me, the washer doesn't drain when it decides to randomly stop so ignorant little me opens the door (it's one of the new forward facing washers) and out comes - you got it - MORE STUPID WATER! All over the floor. Yes, a naughty four letter word did come flying outta my mouth.

More towels. More mess to clean up. Good stupid crap.

After cleaning up my new mess in the laundry room I re-start the washer hoping it'll complete the cycle so Trav and I can have clean underwear tomorrow. I check on it an hour later and guess what?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

IT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STUPID CYCLE AGAIN!!!!

Okay, breathe Adrienne (my heart is honestly racing as I type this).

So, this time I don't open the door. Instead I opt to restart the washer for the third time. Only, I don't do an entire cycle I just select the "rinse and spin" option (claims it only takes about 20 minutes). I leave. I come back about 45 minutes later and you STUPID got it!!!! It stopped again. I was so mad I grabbed the stupid bucket I used earlier to clean out my damn window-well (is that how you spell that stupid word?), took the bucket downstairs, opened the stupid door to the stupid washer (not nearly as much water came out this go round) and started to squeeze each piece of stupid clothing, one at a stupid time.

Trav must have heard me mumblin' under my breath because he came in without me asking and helped "strain" our stupid clothes and put them in the stupid dryer.

Mad? Just a tad.

I'm now waiting for a tsunami to hit the middle of the desert. With my luck we'll be washed into the stupid ocean by midnight.

PS If you try to tell me what a great day it's been or that it'll only make tomorrow a better day, come on over so I can kindly knock you upside your stupid head with my best friend, the stupid bucket.

So, our bedroom flooded

I came home from school today to find that our window-well had about 4 inches of water in it. Not only was it full of water (and still accumulating) but there was a waterfall coming into our bedroom through our window (which was closed). I'm so grateful I went downstairs to start some laundry when I did. I can't imagine how bad it would have been had I not gone down for another couple of hours. :(

Needless to say, as soon as I saw the lake overtaking our bedroom, I threw on my rain boots, RAN outside, moved the sprinkler, jumped in our window well, and emptied the window well as fast as I could (I used a bucket from the garage). It was about 20 minutes of "shoveling" before the water was below our window again.

What a mess. But I have soaked up most of the water from our floor with towels and now have fans blowing on it. I just have to figure out how to get our SOAKING mattress dried before tonight. Neither of us are going to want to sleep on a wet mattress.

Good thing we just bought an enormous sectional. Lol...............

Chris Botti & Katharin McPhee - I've Got You Under my Skin

I don't sing jazz but I certainly enjoy it. My vocal teacher, Serena, sent me this video and I thought I'd share with all of you. It's totally chill and nice to watch/listen too.

One day I hope to be a performer like her - only singing classical stuff. :)

My Boy

Travis is a stud. What more can I say?

Travis is doing well. He was able to pass the blasted Praxis II test and now the only thing holding him back from having his teaching certificate in hand is ONE class. That's it! ONE CLASS and then he'll be done with all the licensing shiz-nit. We'll both be thrilled, I think him more than me. It's been stressful because he has a time limit to complete all the required classes and testing. It's not that big of deal unless the testing is completely unfair, unpredictable, and all over the place. Trav had to take the test three times before passing (that's quite normal, I hear) because the test is so ridiculous. But! He has passed it and we're moving forward. He's currently taking his last required class at UVU. So, come Christmas, Trav will be D.O.N.E.

Travis is a great example to me. He endures and does so with optimism and determination. He rarely gets down and depressed. When things get tough he plants himself more firmly on the ground and pushes his way forward. Uphill? Doesn't matter. He takes it one step at a time. And he always seems to conquer his "mountains".

I'm so grateful for him. I always ask myself, and often others, why am I so lucky? Why did I get such a good man? What makes me deserve someone like him? There are so many women out there deserving of their own Travis's. Why am I the lucky one to have him? It's more a question of astonishment, a rhetorical question. I'm not looking for compliments or a pat on the back when I ask these questions. It's more that I'm blown away and truly wondering, WHY ME?!? Why did I get one of the most gentle, loyal, kind, observant, honest, loving, patient men alive? Why??!?!?!?

All I can say is I am grateful. More grateful than I think I could ever express. I recognize the blessing Travis is in my life and am humbled by it. He is deserving of someone so much better than I. I am so, so grateful he's mine. I'm so grateful he found me and loves me despite my many, many flaws. I am, and will continue to be, a better person because of him.

I love you, Travis.

One month & one day!!

Kolton has been in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) for one month and one day as of today!!! YAY!! Only 23 months to go! :)

Kolton has been stretched and tested already. I'm CERTAIN he is a strong individual for it too. I can only imagine the rigorous preparation he's been involved in the last few weeks. It sounds wonderful yet overwhelming. Kolton is amazing. I know he can do it.

Kolton wrote to us and was THRILLED at the idea that his time in the MTC is half over. He doesn't care for it too much. But in a little less than one month he'll be on his way to Mexico. In fact, one month from today he'll BE in Mexico serving the people, speaking the language (as best he can), and hopefully avoiding getting sick. Ha! It makes me so excited thinking about it! Wow!!!!

I love my brother. I love him so much. I am so incredibly pleased with his decision to serve an LDS mission. I'm so pleased with his determination to make a decision and follow through with it. No matter what, I support him and his righteous desires. I can't even imagine the kind of man he'll be when he returns from Mexico in two years. He'll be so different. It'll be a good different, I think.

We'll keep you posted.

My Voice is CoMpLeTeLy Gone

I have been sick for a little over a week now and I'm sad to say my voice is gone. I cannot sing at all. :(

I was supposed to sing in church today with a double quartet but couldn't speak louder than a whisper this morning. So, I called Ashley (my twin) and asked her if she'd come over and learn my part (soprano line) and sing it today in church. I'm so, so, so grateful Ashley was willing and able to help me with this. I don't know what I would have done up there! I'm sure the double quartet would have just sung without me and been fine, but it's the fact that I committed and couldn't follow through with that commitment. I'm grateful I didn't have to worry about any of this because of Ashley. Ashley sang beautifully this morning. She held her own and sang confidently - as if she'd been practicing with the group for a couple of weeks.

(SIGH)

I just hope this goes away soon. I'm on some serious meds right now. I can't afford to be sick. I especially can't afford to lose my voice!

So if you see me around and I seem uninterested in, well everything, it's not the case. I'm simply not talking anymore than I must. Even when I talk I sound awful. To avoid embarrassment I am sitting and kindly observing.

Found dog :)

So, Kota was found this morning. A neighbor lady was getting into her car to head to work around 6:45 and saw him run across her drive way. She thought nothing of it (just another dog...) and got in her car and drove off. Well, as she approached the corner she saw a flyer of the very dog she just saw. So, she stopped and called Megan. We're all so grateful this woman took two minutes to call. Otherwise I don't know if we would have found him yet.

Needless to say, all is well. Kota has some bumps and scratches but nothing too terribly worrisome. We're all just relieved he's home safe.

Lost Dog :'(

Dakota - "Kota"

He's such a good little dog. And he's lost. He belongs to my brother, Kade, and his wife, Megan. I can only imagine how scared he must be. He some how got out of their home yesterday in the early afternoon and hasn't been seen since. They live here in Orem, so if anyone in Utah Valley is reading this PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE (I am begging you) keep an eye out for him. He's scared of strangers...I'm so sad when I think of him alone out there.

Only pet lovers truly understand how heart breaking this is.

One last thing...

I forgot to give details about my recital. I originally planned it for mid-November. Then I changed it to the first week in December. I am now (hopefully) settling on Tuesday, November 29th at 6:30 (time may change). It will be held at the Orem Public Library and will be less than an hour long. I hope you can set aside the evening and attend. I would love to have you!

I'm also looking into getting it web-cast so those who don't live near by can still "attend" by watching it online, real time. We'll see though. I'll keep you posted.

A craZy busy weekend

I can't believe it's only Tuesday. Seriously, it feels like it should at least be Thursday. Maybe I feel this way because while my weekend was enjoyable, it was busy.

Wednesday my vocal teacher asked me to get a double quartet together to learn a piece for Sunday evening. Sunday evening was The National Day of Prayer for Habitat for Humanity. The local "chapter" (I don't know what else to call it) held their services at a church in Provo, The Community of Christ. I've performed there multiple times before so I was up for the challenge. Not only did I miraculously get 7 other people who were available and willing to sing Sunday, we were some how able to learn a Duke Ellington piece titled, "Aint But the One". It's an upbeat jazzy piece. Serena asked us to sing it (my vocal teacher). She also asked me to sing a solo, "The Lord's Prayer". What's even more miraculous than finding 7 people and learning a song none of us knew is that I've come down with a nasty cold and cough. I didn't know if I was going to be able to sing so I had Travis give me a priesthood blessing - and I was able to sing without having any cough attacks during my solo and the group number. What a blessing!!! I'm so grateful!

I was fed some very kind compliments after the service that I'd like to share. Not because I want to flaunt them but because I tend to tear myself a part. I'm really trying to listen to compliments more (the sincere ones) and take them to heart. It's important that I do this.

*After finishing "The Lord's Prayer" the President of the local Habitat for Humanity stood and said, "Adrienne, if I had closed my eyes and the person sitting next me had told me an angel was singing, I would have believed them."

*After the service ended (my solo was at the beginning of the service) a woman came up to me and thanked me for my interpretation of the piece. She said, "That was exactly what I needed to hear right now. Thank you." I, of course hugged her and told her it was an honor to be a part of the program.

*After the service another woman came up to me and said, "I have done that song many times so I am sincere when I say you sang it beautifully. You're voice is so clear, especially on the high notes."

*After the service ended the same man who gave such kind remarks after I sat down came and shook my hand and told me, "I love your voice." He then asked me if I'm attending UVU (the program said all students in the double quartet were UVU students and I sang with the double quartet). I told him I was currently attending UVU. He said, "Oh, I work at UVU. I'm one of the Vice Presidents of the University. At this point I just stared at him and some how muttered, "Well, if you're ever in need of musical numbers for any of your meetings, please look me up." and I shook his hand. Hopefully he will. I need all the performing opportunities I can get!

Then yesterday, Monday, September 19th, I had another performance at the Orem Public Library. The Utah Lyric Opera had a workshop there and I put my name on their list because I want to get as much experience performing as possible. Plus, these people are professional performers. I'm certain they have plenty they could work with me on. Yet again, I was sick yesterday. Even worse than Sunday. I tried to run through my piece and couldn't finish it. I tried twice and it wasn't pretty. I was freaking out because I had to pay to participate in this workshop. Not only that but I WANTED to gain the experience and get feedback on things. So, I asked Trav to give me another priesthood blessing, specifically asking Heavenly Father to allow me to sing in a healthy manner and be able to complete my song. Not only did I finish the song I prepared, they asked me to sing a second piece (I was completely caught off guard) and I was able to finish that one as well. Again, what a blessing!

*After the workshop ended, the man who was working with us, Dr. Isaac Hurtado (google him. His credentials are crazy!) came up to me and said, "Adrienne, I absolutely love your voice." That may not sound like a big deal but after you look him up and see what he's done, professionally, it may mean more. He's a professional opera singer (my dream). I could only say, "Thank you for working with me. I enjoyed tonight's workshop."

*After everyone left (I tried to go around and talk with the other performers in the workshop) a woman who works at the library came up to me and said, "What's your name?" So, I told her. She said, "I overheard you telling another woman that you're thinking of holding your recital here at the Library. Do you think you will?" To which I said, "Yes. I'd really like to." She said, "Okay, so your name is Adrienne Braun. I'm going to make sure I'm here the night of your recital. I was working at the front desk on the other side of the building and couldn't help but try to watch and listen while you were up singing. I loved your pieces. You have such a clear, powerful voice." -Isn't that cool??!?

*Another woman came up to me last night and asked who I study with. She was wondering because she has some jaw and mouth tension when she sings and was wondering if I ever struggled with that in the past. I told her I had but that I didn't know how bad it was because I was oblivious to everything when I came back to school and started studying music. I told her the best person to ask would be my vocal teacher, Serena. The woman took Serena's information and then said, "I'm a soprano too, but I'm studying at BYU with so-and-so (don't remember who she said). I really struggle with tension, especially on my high notes. How do you sing so high without tension?" To which I said, "Contact my vocal teacher. Even if you only have one session with her you'll walk away a better singer." It's so true too! Serena's amazing.

I know it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn. I don't mean to come off that way. I'm just so relieved it went as well as it did. Both nights! I'm so grateful for the power of the Priesthood on earth. I'm so grateful Travis is worthy to hold the priesthood and to give me blessings in my hours of need. I couldn't have done the last few days had it not been for those blessings. The kind feedback only proves that the blessings really did work. I'm so, so grateful.

However, today I sound more like a man. My voice is scratchy, I've got mucus that I can't, for the life of me, cough up, and I'm coughing my flippin' head off. Uhg. I'm so glad this weekend has come and gone. I'm so grateful things were successful.

above and beyond the performing, Travis and I bought a our very first couch set/sectional. It RoCkS!! Seriously, it's enormous! We absolutely love it. It has a very modern, contemporary feel to it all while being incredibly comfortable and inviting. What's even better is my ENTIRE family can fit on the sucker. I'm not kidding, it's HUGE. It looks awesome downstairs in the living room.

But with new furniture comes the cleaning, the dusting, and the rearranging. So, I spent quite some time doing said items. Our room is nearly dust free now. That's a wonderful feeling considering I haven't dusted in like..oh, eight months or more. It was sick. I had dust balls everywhere. No joke. Eww.

Well, I need to get back to my homework. I'm trying not to drown but can't seem to keep my head above water. You'd think I wouldn't be as swamped since I quit my job last month. Nope, not the case. I'm super, super busy. But it's a good busy, I guess. So long as I can keep up with my assignments. :s

Toodles.

PS Travis is a hotty. Yum.

"Holy war"

I'm sittin' here watching the BYU vs Utah game. Yes, people out here call it the "holy war". I think that's funny. Ha!

This game is pretty pathetic if you ask me. BYU's offense sucks pretty bad. I swear they talked in the locker room before the game and made some sort of pitiful goal to see how many turn-overs they could have. It's disgusting.

I won't lie though, I'm torn. I want to cheer for the coug's because Trav, Nic, Ash, and my mom cheer for them. However, I'm aching to attend the University of Utah to get my master's degree. Do I cheer for a school I'm hoping to attend? Or do I cheer for the team who can't seem to keep their hands on the ball? LOL.

Trav said it perfectly, we should just cheer for which ever team is winning, that way we'd never lose!

Lame. Lame. Lame.

30 minutes

and then I need to take off.

Hm, how do I accurately describe my first few weeks of school? I don't think I can. It's been awful. I have been pulled in what feels like every direction. I have the opportunity to learn music for the UVU Wind Symphony as well as UVU Orchestra. However, I don't think I'm going to do it. I am really trying to focus on my recital (tentatively scheduled for December 6th - used to be in November, not anymore) rather than stretch myself incredibly thin.

I also dropped all my choir classes. I think I'm done with that stage in my life. I'm ready to move on to bigger things. I am, however, in a community choir with my mom and Ashley. That's been fun..I guess. I don't know what's gotten into me but I'm just NOT enjoying choir anymore. Uhg.

I had a rough week last week but things are looking up. I'm slowly deleting classes/credit hours and it's feeling marvelous. I think I'm at 15 or 16 credits now. Next semester I'm hoping to student teach. My goal is to student teach at the same school Travis teaches at. It would be great because then we could car pool to work and have lunch together. Travis wouldn't be my cooperating teacher (that's not allowed, for good reason too.) but it would still be quite the experience working together. We've never done that before. ;)

What else can I ramble about? Oh, Kolton is doing well. He was sick for about a week or so and sent us letters expressing his misery and desire to "punch [his] companion in the face". Ha! He also said he has been thinking about "punching his 'investigator' in the face" too. His "investigator" is his Spanish teacher, so Kolton has spent more time with him than the 10 or so minutes it takes to meet with an "investigator".

Sounds like he's having a lovely time, if you ask me. We heard from him today and he sounds MUCH better. He's not sick anymore, thank goodness. But he's anxious to get out to Mexico and dive into the work out there. He'll be great, I just know it. But until then we've been trying to encourage him to take things one day at a time. I think Kolton is a perfectionist so he struggles when he feels like he's not learning things fast enough or may be letting someone down. It's in his blood to over achieve. I'm sure the time will come when that over achieving will happen but until then he'll have to give himself a break. He's human, after all.

In regards to Kolton having a hard time and feeling discouraged, plus my sucky week last week, I'd like to share a quote I came across. This quote totally lifted my spirits. It was awesome for me in my moment of ugliness.

A GREAT SAILOR DIDN'T BECOME GREAT IN CALM SEAS.

So, I guess Kolton and I (and everyone else for that matter) are bound for greatness because this life isn't calm.

Okay, I've only typed for like 10 minutes but I'm going to check out for now. I need to run to the bank.

Welcome home, Shtinky!

Thanks! It's good to be back! :)

I was thinking about all the things that have gone on the last couple of months and to be honest with you, I don't know why I haven't blogged until now. I've had more time than usual...sort of. I just haven't had the motivation. I really should have blogged though because a lot has happened within the last 6 - 8 weeks. To keep things simple I think I'll post in bullet point format:

o I quit my job at First Choice Home Health & Hospice. I gave them my one month notice near the end of July. I sobbed and sobbed that day. It isn't easy for me to walk away from a place I feel I grew up in. Many of those people are dear friends. Many of them I admire and am so close too. The people I worked directly with have been so wonderful. And my supervisor is one of the best bosses I have EVER had. Quitting my job was like leaving a part of my heart, never to get it back again. It was a hard day. However, I have now been jobless (sort of) since August 26th and I am at complete peace. I know it was the right thing to do. I haven't missed the work, just the people. I find myself having small panic attacks because I just know there's something I'm needing to do at work. And then I remember I don't have to worry about that anymore. I have the great opportunity and blessing to just focus on my music for the next year. Yippppeee!

o We had a last little "hoorah" stay-cation with my family mid-July. We did all activities local. We went up the canyon and played, we camped over night in the mountains (I swear I thought we were going to be eaten by a bear. I didn't sleep well that night), we went on a few hikes to lakes and water falls, we watched movies, went wave running on the lake (Trav and I didn't go because we couldn't afford to rent wave runners), etc. It was a lot of fun! I'll post some pics for ya'll to enjoy.

o Kolton entered the MTC on August 24th. That was one of the hardest days I've had in a while. I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect it to be THAT hard. It honestly felt like another loss in the family. I had intentionally scheduled my therapy for that night because I knew it was going to be hard on me. I'm so grateful I did. I needed to purge myself of somethings as well as gain perspective. I cried and cried during that session. I cried REALLY hard. It was bitter-sweet. Kolton will be serving a full-time LDS Mission. This means that for the next two years we will have very little contact with him. We can write letters/emails as much as we'd like but he is only able to read and respond once a week. We cannot call, text, or stop by and visit him. It's been RoUgH. I have a new admiration for the families who send off missionaries. Wow. I was so shocked with how hard it was, emotionally, I found myself a little angry. It was weird.

o I was hired by the Scera to teach a 55+ choir for adults in the community over the age of 55. I'm really excited about this, however I'm a little concerned too. I am supposed this is the first time they're offering a choir to adults in the community, so I'm supposed to build this program from the ground up. I have no clue what I'm doing as I've never done anything like this before. I'm stoked with the idea that I get to APPLY what I've been studying for the last 3 1/2 years and that hopefully I'll see a paycheck. But until then, I've got to figure out how to recruit effectively. The Scera also offered me two children's choirs. I'm soooo excited. One choir is ages Kindergarten - 2nd grade and the other is 3rd grade - 5th grade. So if any of you are 55+ and want to be in a community choir ($20/month) or have children/grandchildren between Kindergarten & 5th grade who would enjoy a children's choir ($20/month) send them to the Scera in Orem! I'll be the lucky one to teach them!

o Travis took the Praxis test for the third time and finally passed that beast of a test. This is a required test he has to take to get his teaching license. It is one of the worst tests ever written. No, seriously. Every test analysis done on it proves how poor it is. So why do they continue to use it if it sucks so bad? Because it's easy to "grade" (they use a bubble sheet) and it's cheap (they scan the test and BAM! They have the results). Because of this, all those who are wanting to get their teaching license HAVE to take this blasted test. It's ridiculous! But we're happy to announce that Trav passed! He's now done with that! He has one more class to take and he'll be a licensed teacher. Gooooo Mr. Braun!!!

o I am hoping to graduate within the next year. This idea brings a smile to my face. I have been pursuing my undergrad long enough. I've dealt with too many stupid people. I have had to go to battle for myself enough. I am ready to move forward. However, I have recently decided my dream is not to lead a choir. No, my dream is to be a soloist. I want to be in an opera too. 4 years ago I never thought I'd say that. But there is something dignified and incredibly challenging about being a classical soloist. I want to tackle that. Because of this, I'm planning on applying and attending a master's program in Vocal performance. I recently met with a professor and shared my thoughts about my dream of being a soloist and he totally encouraged it. He had a lot of compliments and I graciously listened (I've had a little bit of a rough summer vocally). So, within the next year, hopefully, I'll have my undergrad done and will be looking into graduate schools. I'm thinkin' I'll be going to the University of Utah, if they'll accept me.

o I have been incredibly sensitive to smells and tastes. Please do not stand near me if you haven't showered in the last day or so OR if you've eaten anything garlic-y. It's disgusting and I can barely keep what little tact I have in me when I hold back my dry-heaving. S.I.C.K. I'm also gaining a little bit of...shall we call it a flat tire? It's crazy because guess what? I'm NOT pregnant. But someone I'm close to is and I'm totally suffering her pregnancy "stuff". I sleep like a bear in hibernation. I eat NON-STOP. I'm totally emotional (although I was before) and I can smell pickles a mile away. Hehe. It'll totally be worth it though when I see the little nugget! I can't wait. Although, I should say I am in no way saying I am feeling all things pregnant like "she" is (she has yet to blog about it - e'hem - so I can't mention names.). She is so willing to endure whatever is thrown at her and do so with dignity. She rarely complains. In fact, I had no idea she was feeling discouraged and exhausted until the other night. I have been insensitive and blind to her feelings and I regret that. I've been so focused on me and what I'm going through (boohoo, right?)...I've decided I'm not going to keep focusing on me. She deserves better. Angel and her deserve the world for what they quietly suffer. I love you both for you faith, your determination, your gratitude, your examples.

o School started back up for both Travis and me. It's been hard for both of us. We enjoyed our summer months way too much. But we can say, with gratitude, that it was a wonderful summer. Travis got a lot of his art done and still has plenty to keep him motivated and busy. I was able to take some beastly classes and get them out of the way. We were able to have a wonderful visit out to Minnesota (I love that place!) as well. It's so nice going back there. We have so much to be grateful for. Really, we do.

o I have started teaching voice lessons and I love it! It's been challenging to learn the pedagogy of it all but it's been very rewarding. I have awesome family members who are willing to let me experiment on them until I feel confident in my approach to teaching technique. They're all wonderful and each of them honestly have beautiful voices. It's been fun working with them. Because of this, I'm hoping to have my own vocal studio where I teach classical technique (not belt!). I think it could be a great way to help contribute to our income, when the time comes. Until then, I hope to pick up a few students to help with my lack of income now that I've quit my job.

o Travis experienced what I would like to call "the attack of the grill" the other night. We decided to grill hot dogs and veggie burgers for dinner. When Trav went out to light the grill he couldn't get the match to light. When he finally got one, he threw it in the grill but by then the propane had been running for a bit. Needless to say, the end result was singed eyelashes and arm hair. Bahahaha! I laugh thinking about the poor guy! But apparently it happens quite often. Not to him but to everyone. The grill must feel it has something to say because I've heard a lot of stories similar to this one. Oh, how I love my husband. He's so awesome.

o I auditioned for band and orchestra at UVU and I got in! Ha! They were desperate for oboe players, obviously. Oboe players are hard to come by. That's not the easiest instrument to learn. I know they have me down for band but I haven't heard back about orchestra. I honestly don't care what they decide though. It was a good experience to audition. Humiliating but good.

o I have my junior recital coming up in a couple of months. I'm excited to nail this thing! It's gonna be fun! So, if you live near by, save the evening of Monday, November 14th. My recital will be free and will be less than an hour. :) I'd love to have you attend, if you're able!

Okay, I need to get to bed. I'll have to post pictures another day. I'm waaay too tired right now. G'night.