25 Things I've Done This Summer

1. Joined Marching Band (!!!) and had a BLAST rehearsing (?) and marching the parade. :)

2. Played all day at Summerfest with my friends. We listened to UPB perform, looked at shops, and went on "big kid rides," (I'm a big kid now... whooo!!!)

3. Watched Finding Nemo

4. Ate pizza at least three times a week

5. Went to a student concert at BYU with some friends--it was AMAZING!!! And parts of it were really funny. I also left my phone there and had to pick it up the next morning.

6. Became a better teacher by learning from Ray Smith at my clarinet lesson. :)

7. Saw the biggest, most amazing bouffant EVER on this lady at Macey's.

8. Experienced 24/7 cruise buffet service while hanging out in the mountains for a bit. ;)

9. Practiced my saxophone standing up on a chair.

10. Screamed in the car when my friend said, "GREEN LIGHT!!!"

11. Decided to change my name to Lawrence... haha...

12. Played through my Jon Schmidt piano books.

13. Went to the library, read some, talked some.

14. Hung out in the playground, swinging on my swing and sitting in the clubhouse while thinking all the while.

15. Got a little tan... woot!! I'm still super white, but at least I'm not Caspar anymore! :)

16. Made cookies.

17. Cried

18. Laughed with my new favorite YW leaders... oh my goodness, they're awesome. :D

19. Learned how to pronounce "c"s with a Swahili accent

20. Went to Youth Conference and had a BLAST with friends and wardies.

21. Danced ZUMBA!! :)

22. Walked down the street wearing navy sweatshorts, tacky black socks and marching shoes.

23. Drove my family crazy by lying on the floor moaning, "I'm.... bored.... uggghhhh..."

24. Improv-ed on the piano. I'm trying to find a name and a form for the quirky, plucky song in D.

25. Laughed at myself. :D

Band Posse Politics Are:

1. CRAZY!!!

2. Wonderful

3. Dramatic

4. FUN!

5. Stressful

6. Upbeat

7. Exciting!!

8. Complicated

9. Confusing

10. Life

And that's what it all boils down to.

Funny. I always say I take myself too seriously... and I do. But I don't for a minute take life too seriously. I enjoy it, I ponder it, I analyze it, sometimes I stress about it, but what I do most of all is live it.

At least that's what it feels like when the skies are blue after a storm. :)

Right Now 6/1 5:38 a.m.

This morning I woke up at 4:54. And could not for the life of me go back to sleep.

I don't know if it was an insomnia attack, or if I'm just not used to sleeping so well. Last night was the third night in a row I slept with all the lights off, including my lamp, and I discovered--or at least I think I discovered, because I really don't know for sure--that I sleep better with no lights on. That would then explain why I woke up so early: I woke up when I got my normal amount of rest, but in a shorter time than usual.

Also, I've been thinking. If you could call it thinking. It's not really anything, actually, it's just... well, let's say this:

I'm in high school. Therefore, nothing makes sense.

I guess that's true of life in general, though. Nothing ever makes sense. Is it supposed to? I don't think so. If we understood everything, we wouldn't be here, making mistakes and forging ahead in life. So in a way, it's good that nothing makes sense. It's also annoying, but good.

On to other things... school is almost out!! Two days. Two. Including today. And there's graduation, which the band is playing at, and then it's all over!

I have to admit, I'm a little sad. I'm going to miss my seniors: Jessica, and Kito, and Dallin, and Stevo, and everyone else. I'm also going to miss our lunch spot.

Speaking of which... hahaha.... "We sit HERE!!! Every. Single. Day." (Made my life)

Anyway. Even with the changes, senior year is going to be a blast. I'll be in MB (ooh scary, the impenetrable unknown...), Jazz Band (we'll have VETERAN saxophones... yes!!), Wind Symphony, AP English Language, AP Chemistry, Statistics (not exactly excited about that), and LUNCH. Funny, I never thought lunch would be my favorite part of the school day, with me loving the academics and all. But seriously... it must be my friends, who are amazing and I love spending time with them. It's a party.

Also: say hello to my new favorite saying. Which I haven't actually got to say yet, but I'll find a way:

"I just had a little party with myself..."

Yeah, okay, it sounds dorkier when I write it out like that, but trust me, it's going to be amazing. :)

So... I think I'm done ranting. I wasn't really ranting about anything, though, just killing some time. It's now an acceptable hour to go shower and get ready for school... Thank goodness for time-killers.

:D

Bees

Since I have some free time (which is really weird, especially for the last two weeks), and I'm dying to press down keys on a keyboard (also really weird, but you know. I'm quirky), I'll just share some of the thoughts that have gone through my head recently.

From my friend Dallin, I realized a new meaning to the musical term "expression": To express is to convey an emotion, so to be expressive in music is to play from your heart and send a message of love, or mourning, or anything else. :)

p.s. I'm writing another song for AP Music/English 11 Honors. It's gonna be awesome!!

Faith conquers fear.

We are all playing a game. Everything in this live is trivial, in the literal sense of the word. Waiters, doctors, they're all just "jobs", like in a game children play. We are so little, so small and insignificant. We don't know the real meaning of anything... family, love, life. This life is to prepare us for the next one. :)

AP Music Theory is the funnest test I've taken in my LIFE!!! Oh man, it was a blast. Aural multiple choice section? Cake. Non-aural multiple choice? EASY-CHEESE! Free response? This one was the easiest of all the practice tests I've taken. Sight-singing? Nailed it!! I got a 5. (Nuff said.)

Life is good.

Took Me Long Enough

SO this Daily Blog Challenge I've been doing... well, it was supposed to take me 30 days. BUT that was also assuming I would post every day for thirty days (which wasn't gonna happen) and that the DBC was going to be the only thing consuming my blog during that time (Which also wasn't gonna happen). SO basically after four months or so, I finally finish DAY 30.

A photo of you today and lots of good things that have happened in the last "30" days

1. I played in the Crescent Jazz Festival, as part of the Octet and also the competition with Orem High Jazz Band. I also received an outstanding soloist award. :)

2. My reflections piece, Take Wing, took State and is currently being judged at nationals.

3. I had a great time at OHS Sweethearts and Prom.

4. My friends threw several movie parties and they were a lot of fun. :) :)

5. Orem High Jazz Band received straight I's at STATE. Orem High Wind Symphony received straight I's at STATE also. Yayyy!!

6. I received a I at STATE solo/ensemble!

7. I was a part of the Les Mis orchestra pit. It was so much fun!!!

8. I watched General Conference and it was amazing. <3

9. I started playing the piano again.

10. I'm beginning to get over my musicianitis.

11. I went to the temple again. I love the peace it brings.

12. I finished my autobiography, Project Me.

13. I survived crunch time/festival season/stress week. Well, most of it. I have a few weeks left, but it's winding down, and life is so good!

14. I smiled. :)

Day 29

Something you could never get tired of doing.

1. Playing the piano. Even when I'm sick of practicing or playing certain songs, still being able to play (anything) is exciting and wondrous.

2. Eating Sunday Dinner. We have it every week, without fail, and it is still my favorite meal. :)

3. Thinking/pondering/daydreaming. This is me we're talking about. {Enough said.}

Day 28

Day 28: A photo of somewhere you'd like to go

This is Germany. Rhine Valley, actually, but to me it doesn't really matter. I'd just like to get out of the country... or east of Colorado.

I'm thinking one day, if I don't go on a mission (which I'd like to), that I'll study abroad for a semester or so. I would love to see the world, in the nice sense of the word. Being somewhere else... it's an exciting prospect. Especially when that somewhere else is as beautiful as this:



:)