International Youth Symphony rehearsal - Day 2

Today was another 7-hour day. We learned the second movements of both symphonies, plus worked some more on the other movements. It was even more exhausting than yesterday. After 2 hours, my back started to hurt. After lunch, I could barely continue. Somehow I managed to finish rehearsal. I had In-N-Out for lunch during the break. Yummy!

Then I came home and had about a 30 minute break before I had to teach 4 students.

Afterwards, I went to the "G" Group. We ate Moroccan food and played Bunco! It was so much fun! I won the most "loses" so I won a bucket and shovel!

Mom and I won the first round so she got to wear the crown

My prize

First Rehearsal

Ok, so I am absolutely DRAINED! Rehearsal started this morning at 8:30 and went until 3:30. We had 2 breaks plus lunch, but still, it was an awful lot of rehearsing. Usually, my back starts to hurt right away but I played for 3 hours before it started hurting. I was so happy! It doesn't hurt as much as it has but it still hurts a bit. So, we're rehearsing in a classroom at a middle school (it's been a different location every year) and we are playing Beethoven's 4th symphony and Mozart's 35th symphony. They are very neat pieces. We learned the 1st, 3rd and 4th movements of each symphony today and got them pretty much up to tempo (some go FAST) and barely started sight-reading the 2nd movement of the Beethoven. So we got through most of the music. There are kids from 14 other countries in our group. I met some really neat people and I'm anxious to get together with them again. I think the most exciting thing that happened during rehearsal was one of the pictures on the wall fell off and crashed to the floor. There was glass everywhere. I saw it wobbling and start to fall but obviously there was nothing anybody could have done because the only people who saw it were facing it (those on the other side of the room.) It scared those who didn't know it was coming because it was loud. Luckily nobody was hurt. Oh, and the bell kept going off. It was an F# (yes, I'm a geek.) More to come later.

Exciting weekend

Yesterday, Douglas and I went on a double date with our friends Paul and Marlena to Applebee's. It was yummy. I had one of their 3-course specials and got full so I boxed up the shrimp and fries. We came to my family's house and watched Cars and then I remembered I left the food at the restaurant! I was so mad at myself. But, there's nothing I can do about it. Oh, well. Yesterday, I also found out that someone close to me is pregnant (and I'm trying really hard not to be jealous) and also I missed out on a party that I chose not to go to because I thought it was going to be short and I wasn't hungry. Turns out it was great. Grrr. So, I wasn't really a happy camper. Now these things seem silly that I was upset about. Overall, it really was a fun day, despite my complaining. I'm trying to cut back. :)

Today we went to church (which was extra good today) and then came over to my family's house for chicken dinner and cookies!

Tomorrow starts the International Youth Symphony's summer camp I'm participating in (put on by the San Diego Youth Symphony.) I'm really excited but I'm nervous too. This is my 4th year in a row that I'm playing with them so I know it's going to be fun. The first day is always nerve-wracking, though. It's going to be a long, tough two weeks, but it will also be very rewarding. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Sweetie?

I went to 2 business establishments today (the bank and Jack in the Box) and both times when I left, they called me "sweetie." (both girls, btw) Do I look like a sweetie? I'm not sure whether to be flattered or... something. Yeah, I just found it weird that 2 random strangers would call me sweetie in the same day.

Random pictures and such

We went to the beach on July 12 for the ward beach party. It was very hot and we had fun but we didn't stay very long.

Jared bummed out because he wanted to stay longer

This past Monday, we went over to the Busaths for Family Home Evening. We ate spaghetti and garlic bread (yum!) and played In the Manner of the Adverb. It was very fun.

Here's Jared and little Caelum. I love Caelum's face. He's just studying Jared, trying to figure out who this human being is that is not quite as big as everyone else, but not as small as he is

I just thought this was pretty. It was taken in our driveway

I love my family!

For a family home evening recently, we played one of our favorite family games (if you can call it a game.) Everyone has a piece of paper and starts writing a story. You start out with about 3 or 4 lines and then fold the piece of paper over so you can only see the last line. Then you pass it to the person next to you. Only seeing that last line, they continue the story and write about 2 lines and then fold it over again so you can only see the last line. You continue around the room until the paper is filled. Then everyone reads their stories and they are absolutely hilarious! Here's my favorite:

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jared who loved to watch Sponge Bob. One day while he was watching Sponge Bob he decided to leave the room for a minute. When he came back he saw a bunny hopping down the hill. It had a carrot stuck straight out of his mouth. It looked so funny that he exclaimed, "Holy moly, that is one big pimple! I've got to get some cream for this or something." So he went to the local CVS and bought some TP and I drove to a house and I TP'ed it til the morning light. And guess what!? It rained! The next morning the owner came outside to get his newspaper and said, "Dear, did it snow last night?" "Well, I don't know; let me take a look out the window! Oh my, what do my eyes behold?" Popcorn popping on the apricot tree. So, where are all the apricots? Since when does popcorn pop on apricot trees? Those crazy Mormons! They teach the strangest songs to their children. I think there are strange meanings behind these songs. Songs are fun. K, bye.

And here's the one I started:

Twice upon a time, there lived in sunny Cali-five-nia... Wait, let's start over. No more inflationary language [Victor Borge reference, if you didn't catch that.] Once upon a time, there lived in sunny California a young man named Bob. He lived in a grass hut named Wayne-O. Wayne-O?! What kind of name is that? Well, Bob can name it what he wants, I guess. Anyways, Bob was living in a log which was way too small for him so he looked in the paper for a house. There was one foreclosure he found but it was so trashed that it turned him off. Even his dog whined a lot about it, but soon got over it as dogs usually do. Give them a dog biscuit and they'll forget all about it. Pretty soon, they won't remember anything anymore and they'll have to be checked into the Alzheimer's Unit for the rest of their lives. Good news is they were visited by their grandchildren for years to come. They would come and read stories to them. The end of the story and the paper for that matter. So I wrote "The End" on the paper and turned it in. I got an "F."

I'm sitting here laughing at all these stories that we wrote. I doubt you'll find them quite as amusing as I do, but I just thought I would share some with you.

The adventures of being sick

So, remember my post about the fever after giving blood? Well, that was only the start to a month-long illness that I am finally freed of. It really wasn't all that bad, but the worst part about it is that it would not go away. Since the first two weeks were mainly feeling light-headed and nauseous every morning for 3 hours (I had to stay in bed until it would go away,) I thought for sure I was pregnant. (I didn't tell anyone I suspected it, but somehow the word spread because I said I was sick in the morning.) I went to get a pregnancy test that came out negative so I requested a blood test since they are more accurate. The regular test was free but the blood test was $12. No big deal, I thought. I need to know if I'm pregnant so I can stop the morning sickness (since it was interfering with my activities.) So, the results came in a week later. They wouldn't tell me over the phone, I had to come in and pay them $30. So, I sit in the waiting room for over 2 hours (I ended up having to cancel a student because of it) and then I go in and the doctor says, "So, you're here for the results." I said yes. Then she says, "They came back negative. You're not pregnant." (That's it??) So, I asked her if she knew the reason I had been sick for almost 3 weeks. She said, "It might be the flu." Really?? I paid $42 for THAT?? So, I was not happy about it. My only choice was to wait it out. Slowly but surely, every day got better and better until it was all gone. Since I had no appetite and could hardly eat, I lost 12 pounds. That's one good thing that came out of this. Sorry to all of you who thought I was pregnant. Hopefully someday soon.

So, while I was sick, I played 2 gigs and a funeral. That was really tough. Then, I played in church when I was almost better, which was my second time in a month (the first being Father's Day.) Counting the funeral, that's 3 times. I guess people can't get enough of my playing. :)

So, now I'm all better! Down 32 pounds, I only have 18 more pounds to lose!