Break

Wonderful...for the most part. A few drops, but that is to be expected.

Irritation: Due to my stupid forgetful brain, I received a B in my voice lessons instead of an A. Dumb, dumb, dumb!!!!

Nutcracker: Going well. Running over for tech is normal, but not aways a blast. Dress rehearsals tomorrow and Thursday.

I'm done with my ankle being bad. I'm ready for it to be healed. Today at the doctor's, she said that I shouldn't dance for about 2 months and my ankle won't be fully healed for about 6 months. What have I to say to that? Basically...I'm going to take dance classes anyway. I'll just take it easy and make sure my ankle is wrapped. I'm not going to lie though, I was pretty bummed that she told me not to dance for another 2 months. So why am I defying her wishes? 1) the physical therapist at Otterbein said I could start to dance during break, 2) I'm a dancer. It's what I do. I sacrifice my comfort in order to dance. 3) I can't say just yet, but I'll let you know number 3 later.

Who's ready for a snow day? Me!!! I'm not even in school and I"m ready for one.

I have loved seeing people whom I haven't seen in a while. Like all of my drama geeks. And Sil. And Lynn and Heather.

Come see Nutcracker!!! It'll be really good!

Lots of Love.

Home

Wonderful, glorious home. How much I have missed thee.

I cannot say how weird it feels to know that I'm here for more than just a weekend. It's almost like I'm vacationing to Oregon for 6 weeks and then going back home to Ohio. That was weird to type, but it kind of feels like that.

There is so much for me to do while I'm here. I can't even believe how much there is. Sadly, I know these 6 weeks are going to fly by. I mean, sure, right now it seems like I have forever, but after Nutcracker, there are only a few more weeks before I leave again. Ok....stop focusing on the going back part, Crystal.

The flights here went smoothly...that is, I was able to make my connection perfectly and I was dropped off with plenty of time to spare.

I think clouds are fascinating. I love being in an airplane, looking at the different shapes the clouds make. I love flying by a thunderstorm and seeing the lightening in the clouds and the humungous virtical shape the thunderhead makes.

I read all of Ella Enchanted today. Yes, all of it in one day. Not too surprising though, I guess, since I was on a plane for about 8 hours. Though, we did have Pirates: Dead Man's Chest to keep us occupied while on the first flight, so not much reading got done on that flight.

Just to let you all know, I got home about 11:00 PM. So why am I up so late/early? I was at Nathan's house dropping some of Elizabeth's things off and visiting and when I got back, I simply wasn't tired. So I watched some dance tapes and now am posting.

It is wonderful being in the same time zone as everyone else I usually talk to on the phone!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Quarter One: Complete

Wow. I can't believe it. I have been away at college and survived...for the most part. Sure I had a few down moments, but those are bound to happen, right? I have learned a lot about myself in these few months. I can indeed survive being so far away for so long. I look forward to what lies ahead next quarter. I'll miss the people in my classes....but hopefully I'll have a lot of them in other classes coming in the winter.

My finals went well today. I think I'll have all A's....maybe a B in Intro. But you know...not bad for my first college experience. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect grade wise when coming here. I was prepared for anything and everything.

I am so thankful for the experiences I've had here. I know this quarter will always stick with me...for more reasons than just being my first quarter. I'll miss the people I've met here, but I can't wait to see all of my family and friends back home! Speaking of which....

I come home TODAY!!!!!! Yippee!!!

Lots of Love.

Sitting in Elizabeth's Room...Cus That's Where I Am

Elizabeth excalims, "Yay packing!" I would have to agree. Packing is what I did most of the day today. Packing means going home. As much as I enjoyed my first quarter of college, I can't wait to be home. Be with the people I love. Be near the familiar.

My experience here has been good. I have had hard times, good times, wonderful times, gloomy times, awful times, glorious times. My classes haven't been too challenging, but I'm fine with that. Mostly, they have been review, but what do you expect from beginning music classes? I have loved seeing new films. Loved seeing old movies. Loved the people in my classes. Disliked the people in my classes. Laughed with the people in my classes.

I look forward to next quarter. Seeing familiar faces. Laughing with some of the same people in the same classes we took last quarter (only now the class is a bit harder).

I can't wait to come home. Dance again. Sing with my family. Play Hand and Foot. Play ERS. Yes, even play Kings in the Corner.

2 days...2days...

Lots of Love.

I Think a Few of My Brain Cells Just Died

I just saw Borat. Don't ever need to see it again. I'm sure some of you would think it's hilarious, but as for me...I'm fine with never seeing it again. So why'd I see it if it was "so wonderful"? We couldn't decide on a movie to see (either Saw 3, Stranger than Fiction, or Borat)...so we decided that Borat was our compromise movie. Oh Borat.

By the way, the "we" means Breanne, Robby, Rachel, Nathan (not mine because he's a long ways away), and me.

I went to a senior recital this evening. It was pretty good. I liked a lot of the songs. However, it was basically all classical music. This made me decide that at my senior recital I'm going to have a classical first half and a musical theatre second half. I don't care if I'm not a muscial theatre major...I'm going to have musical theatre as my second half. So there! :)

As of now.... 3 days...3 days...

Lots of Love.

What a Weekend So Far...

Well, I slept in today...until 1:30!!! It was glorious. Unfortunately, my dreams dealt with some dinosaurs running through my house (that happened to be a mansion). These dinos were chasing after me, trying to get something I was holding that was very valuable. It was somewhat intense, but not that scary either.

Last night was awesome. I spent a good deal of time with Elizabeth. We ate ice cream and walked around in the freezing cold night. Wonderful.

Today I slipped and fell in the Cardinal's Nest. I guess the floor was slippery, so when I turned around, my foot came out from under me and I fell on my bad foot. Luckily, I was wearing my brace. It hurt a lot for a while, but the pain is gone now. It wasn't that humiliating either....only because there was basically no one in the room.

Tomorrow I'm going to church with my grandma again. And then out to lunch.
Tomorrow I'm going to study for my Intro and Theory finals...at least that's my plan. Maybe that'll be Monday's adventure....hmmm...we'll see.

4 days....4 days...

Lots of Love.

Wonderful

Today has been wonderful. Sight-singing went really well. 50/50!!
Physical Therapy was good. I have homework for break.

I wish you felt better.

Opera workshop was good. I sang well.
I danced a bit. It hurt, yet again, but not as much as last time. Oh silly pressure on my ankle.

6 days...6 days...

Lots of Love.

A Good Day

Yes. Today has been a good day.

I woke up pretty refreshed.
Classes went well.
My counciling session was awesome.
I did releves on pointe...even on just my left foot. (It hurt, but I did it!)
I fell over backwards off my chair. Unfortunately, no one was there to laugh with me.
I watched 100 Greatest Red Carpet Moments on VH1. Very interesting.
I was able to sing!!!
I found the info I needed for my song sheet that is due tomorrow.
It rained hard. I walked in it like it was nothing. Granted I had my big fluffy coat on, but I refrained from using an umbrella.
I'm going to take my piano final on Friday instead of Monday.

Tomorrow=part 1 of sight-singing final...eeek!
Tomorrow=physical therapy....I'm going to ice my foot this time.
Tomorrow=more jumping on my foot...and more releves on pointe.

7 days...7 days...

Lots of Love.

A Change in the Room

Previously, me mattress has been on the floor, due to my ankle. Today, Phaedra and I moved it back to the loft. I think this will be good for my ankle. Now it has to work harder than it has for a while.

Today in physical therapy I jumped on my foot. It wasn't anything too difficult. Just jumping onto 2 feet from a short distance from the ground and doing 180 tours from a small second. After class I danced a bit in my room. It wasn't anything big...especially since my room is only so big. But I did a few dances from Nutcracker (since the CD is now on my computer!) It hurt a bit to do sote's and basically plie in general, but I know I'll be better by break. I am determined to dance at the studio when I come home!

Sight-singing on Thursday. I'm kind of nervous. I know I'll be ok though. Oh sight-singing.

8 days...8 days...

Lots of Love.

My First Ever College Choir Concert

Overall, it went pretty well. All of the choirs sounded good...well at least I think the ones I was in sounded good. I don't really know since I was singing :) It went better than I thought it would. This does not mean I had doubts in the choirs...oh no...but in my own performance. For you see, this morning/afternoon/evening I had about a 7 note range. I mean I could sing to a high A but there was no color, vibrato or anything. It was just a note...and not a very loud/pretty one at that. However, once the concert came, I was able to sing much better. Still not to the leve I normally am at, but a lot better than before. It was a packed church this evening. People were standing against the walls. Crazy!!

I forgot to mention that on Thursday I heard a countertenor sing. He's really good. For those of you who don't know, a countertenor is someone who sings only in falsetto...or whose voice hasn't and won't drop. Basically he is a man soprano. And like I said, this guy was really good.

So basically this whole weekend I have walked around without my brace. It has been tough at times, but I have survived. Also, most of this time was in flipflops. I think I'll be able to dance soon! Hooray!!!!!

10 days...10 days...

Lots of Love.

The Best and Worst 28 Hours of My Life...thus far

I have had a pretty interesting past 28 hours. I'll start with yesterday.

I woke up at 8:30 AM to get to my class by 9:30. Class lasted until 10:50. From here I went to the B 'n B to visit with Nathan, Joel, and Eizabeth. Once there, we talked for quite some time with a lady named Kathrine. She has a nephew who goes to Otterbein...Josh (we're in a lot of the same classes). So she asked me to tell Josh a story that would totally freak him out. The story related to his personal life, but she didn't want him to know that I had met her, so I told it from my point of view to see his reaction. The story went like this:

When I was little, my aunt loved to hold me. When it was time to be given back to my mom, my aunt would say, "Here you go...back to Aunt Deanne" because my aunt couldn't grasp that my mom was in fact a mom.

Josh was so freaked out by this story that he got up, left the room, and came back in...demanding to know if I was at the restaurant that he and his aunt had been at the night before (talking about this very subject). I wish I could describe his reactions. They were priceless.

After the talk with Katherine (before telling Josh the story), Elizabeth, Nathan, Joel, and I went to Elizabeth's house to pack a few suitcases for Nathan and Joel to take home. We went to Panera Bread for lunch. Then it was time for me to go to piano. Right before piano was when I told Josh the story. Piano class lasted a short 30 minutes...glorious. I then went back to the B 'n B to take Nathan and Joel to Graeter's (Elizabeth was in class). Shortly after we got there, Elizabeth was able to join us. Several minutes later it was time for me to go to voice lessons.

Voice went well. I was able to catch on to my new song pretty well. And I spoke the French. I also got a new song in German. Woohoo!

After voice, I zipped to Target to get a tape for the camera. After buying a tape, I found out that it was the wrong one. So I dashed back in and bought the right one. From here, I scurried to Panera Bread to join Nathan, Joel, and their relatives for a quick dinner. Then it was off the the theatre to be an usher.

The performance went really well. Ah Elizabeth, how you make me smile :)

After the performance, Alexis, Crystal, Nathan, Joel, Elizabeth, and I went to Hounddog's Pizza. Really good pizza. After that, we went back to the B 'n B to split our separate ways...Elizabeth with Alexiz and Crystal....Joel, Nathan, and me together. Joel went to sleep at the B 'n B while Nathan and I went on a walk. About 3:00 we decided it was time to sleep. Here is where the trouble starts.

We drove my car back to the B 'n B and left the battery on with some air blowing. We were in my car for about 10 minutes when the battery suddenly died. Try as we might, we could not get it to start. So we decided to wake up early and get someone to jump start it for us. As we walked back to my dorm (where I would sleep...Nathan was being nice and walking me there...what a gentleman), I called Mom to see about calling AAA...for the number I had didn't work. So she called and gave us a number. Wd called AAA and walked back to my car to wait for the toe truck. I realize by now you might be a bit confused as to why we walked back and and forth from my dorm so many times, but I'm too tired to explain everything. So we waited for the truck by my car. 45 minutes later, the truck came. The guy was really nice. He said it was probably just a weak battery. He suggested going to Wal-Mart to get a new battery installed. So about 5:00 the guy finished and we left for Wal-Mart.

Unfortunetly, the car place didn't open until 8:00 (Nathan had to leave for the airport by 7:00). So we headed back to the B 'n B. It was about 5:30 when we headed back, so we decided to get some breakfast at Bob Evans. It didn't open until 6:00, but we figured we could wait. Breakfast was good. I had some coffee to keep me awake. At 7:00, we headed to the B 'n B, picked up Joel, and went to the airport.

I dropped Joel and Nathan off and went to my first ever parking garage experience. It was amazing. I found Joel and Nathan and we got some more coffee. After about 20 minutes, Joel and Nathan left for their gate.

From here, I ventured to Wal-Mart to get my battery changed. I arrived at 8:30 and was told I would get my car in for about an hour and a half. I figured that was fine, since I had no where else to go anyway. So I talked to Mom (to calm me down), bought some pop-tats and flat black shoes (so I wouldn't have to walk around in heels at the concert this Sunday), and got some pictures sent from Mom and Dad. 3 hours late, I left Wal-Mart for my dorm room. It was pooring down rain when I went outside. I was in flip-flops, PJ's and a sweater. Not really rain material. Once at my dorm, I took a HOT shower and now am here, typing this post.

God must be looking out for me. Everytime I'm in car trouble, somone is always with me. Dad with the flat tire and running out of gas; Aunty Bette with a flat tire; Nathan with a dead battery.

Let me tell you, had Nathan not been with me, the whole thing would have been a lot worse. I would probably have been in hysterics. Why? Because I wouldn't know what to do. I would be totally lost. And having someone with me helped me keep calm. Sure I teared up, but Nathan kept me from crying a lot. He was there to take my mind off of what was going on too. Thank goodness for Nathan!

So now I am going to take a very long nap. Oh sleep....how I miss thee.

11 days...11 days...

Lots of Love.

Yippee!!

Nathan and Joel arrived safe and sound. The place they're staying at is really cool. I think I want to stay at a bed 'n breakfast sometime. I can't wait til tomorrow!!

Today went pretty well. I ate breakfast for the first time in the Cardinal's Nest. It was pretty good. Surprising for a cafeteria, huh?

So my newest countdown is for my arrival back home. This quarter has gone by pretty quickly. Hmm...I use "pretty" a lot. Eh, oh well.

13 days...13 days...

Lots of Love.

Pretty Good Day

Besides waking up extremely tired, even with a good 8 hours of sleep, today has been good. The sight singing test I thought I had done poorly actually went pretty well. I got a 96! Yay! I found out that I don't have my INST class on Friday. My professor has a movie review with the UN. His film should be coming out on DVD soon. Not having INST means...more time with Nathan, Joel, and Elizabeth! Speaking of them....

1 day!!! 1 day!!!

I can't wait!

I got my song from Faust today. It is called Faites-lui mes aveux. It's an upbeat, fun song. I like those kinds :)

I got the DT DVD!!!! It was funny. I love my dad :)

You know what? In 2 weeks I'm coming home for break! Man, time flies.

Lots of Love.

Good Day

Yes. Today has been a good day.

Physical therapy went well. Shelly wasn't there, but that's ok. The only bummer was that the inside of my ankle hurt more than it has in a while. This was during physical therapy. But the ice helped a lot.

I had no theory homework. Yay!

In studio class, I sang Si, tra i ceppi. I did pretty good....well it felt good and everyone else said it was good, so I figure, it must have been good. Yesterday at voice I got a new song...finally. This song is from Faust. I don't know if it has an actual name....probably does. I like this song. I can't wait to sing it!

2 days...2 days...

Lots of Love.

Today

Good Times with Elizabeth
~Panera Bread
~Cold Stone
~Sitting in the parking lot
~Talking
~Laughing
~Hugging
~Smiling

Church:
~Good sermon: God answers our prayers, not always how we'd like Him to, the answers are: yes, no, not now; God din't put us on Earth to be at ease, we're here to be challenged and become stronger, if everything was easy why would we live and how would we learn?
~Friendly pastors
~Welcoming attitude

Talking to Aunty Bette=really good

4 days...4 days...

Lots of Love.

The Symphony

Sitting with my program open, pen in hand, ready to take notes for a paper I have to write. Not knowing what to expect. Maybe a ballet will form in my head. Maybe not. Maybe I'll be extremely bored. Myabe I'll love it.

The lights dim.

The music starts. Not a ballet do I see, but I enjoy the music anyway. Instead, my eyes are directed towards the conductor. A little Asain man, no bigger than 5 foot. He's really into the music. Jumping around, thrusting his fist in the air, moving his body to the beat of the music; he is very entertaining.

The second peice starts after a grand piano is put on stage. The pianist is huge compared to the small Asain man. The second peice is not that pleasing to the ear. It is very complex, especially for the pianist. Once it is over, the pianist plays an encore piece.

This peice would make a great ballet solo. Too bad I don't know what it is.

Intermission.

The third piece. Much more pleasing. A possible ballet. Once again my eyes are glued to the conductor. This time he reminds me of Mickey Mouse in Fantasia.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at the symphony. Would I go again? Yes, I think so.

Jennifer and Kelly came today. I spent time with them just before I had to leave for the symphony. I love Jennifer. Kelly was realy cool too!

Lots of Love.

Tartuffe

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Hilarious. I encourage all of you to see it at some point in your life. It is so witty. It was awesome. Not to mention, Elizabeth was wonderful in it too. Man, she is an amazing actress.

Phone conversations with Michelle really brighten my day. I can't wait to see her!!!

Today in Turning Points we watched a flim my professor wrote when he just started writing screenplays. Unfortunately he could get the subtitles on, so we watched it in Hindi with him commentating. We only watched like 15 minutes of the film. But what I saw was pretty good. We're going to watch the newest one when it comes out on DVD. He's never shown a film of his before to a class, but it fit in with the war theme of the other movies we were watching this week.

What are my amazing weekend plans? Well, I am going to a symphony tomorrow night (required for a class). I'm looking forward to it. Working out at the gym (haven't done so in a while thanks to my foot). Writing a concert review on the symphony. Doing laundry? Hmmm. Possibly. And above all.....sleeping!!

6 days....Thursday come faster!!!!

Lots of Love.

Wynona Rider and your wild ways

I had a very interesting dream. It didn't last long, for I only had about an hour to dream before my alarm went off. Anywho, I was watching a scene from the movie Little Women. I don't remember what scene it was (I think I made it up), only that Beth, Jo, Amy, and Meg were in it. Beth, Amy, and Meg were leaving a little cottage, Jo still in the cottage. I was behind Jo. Jo was crying too. She ran outside to catch up with her sisters, only as she ran out I suddenly became Jo. And it turned to the present day....meaning cars and everything, though people were still dressed in the movies clothes and some were riding in carriages. I saw my sisters leaving in a carriage as another carriage passed. In this carriage, 2 older ladies were talking about me, saying things like "That Jo March, she'll never get married." I cried. I started to walk around, tears streaming down my face. As I walked, I looked up at the sky. There were clouds that ooked slightly thunderous, but not bad. However, I remembered what my dad had told me (this ebing my real dad...Tim)...a tornado is at the edge/cliff of the cloud (or something like that). Where I was standing was definitely at the edge. And I thought, "Oh shoot. I have to get under cover." So I looked around in search of shelter. As I did so, I also looked up at the clouds. Suddenly, the cloud right above me started to swirl. It went faster and faster. I thought, "No! This can't be happening. I prayed that a tornado would never come!" And what do you know, a tornado hit the ground near me. However, it was far enough away that I could still find shelter. I knew a house would be best, but the closest thing to me was a red mini van. I tried to run to it, but I couldn't. You know in those dreams where you run as fast as you can, but you just don't get anywhere? Yeah, that was me. So I tried and tried to get to the van. Finally, I succeeded. I looked in the direction of the tornado. It was coming closer, zipping from left to right at unimaginable speeds. I thought, "It's not that close. I can make it to the cottage. The cottage isn't as good as a basement, but it's better than the van." So I headed towards the cottage. However, once again I couldn't run. I ended up hopping on one foot most of the time, trying to get in the direction I needed. I woke up breathing heavily.

What do you suppose this dream means? I have no clue.

Also, I'm having slight difficulty in remembering what is real and what are my dreams. I say this because I had a conversation with Nathan early this morning. I went to bed, but I remember waking up at 6:30 and appologizing to my roommates for the phone call. However, neither rememeber me saying anything of the sort. They don't even remember the phone call.

Hmmm....maybe I'm going insane.

I need sleep.

Lots of Love.

The Sleeping Beauty

I love this ballet. I watched it today. I would love to do it sometime. I was thinking of how NVDC could do it, even with the billions of little kids. It is do-able. Man would this ballet be fun.

In regards to the title as well....I wish I could sleep better. I may be a beauty, but I'm not sleeping. I don't really knwo why either. Well, I mean I am sleeping, but I guess not well. I woke up this morning really tired. I almost slept through my alarm. And I got 7 hours of sleep too. Oh sleep. How I wish we were on better terms.

I have physical therapy tomorrow. I hope all goes well...like it did on Tuesday. My foot was pretty sore this morning. But I suppose that's good...right?

Only 8 days until Nathan and Joel come! Those 8 days can't come sooner.

Lots of Love.