just so you know...

FINALS ARE DONE!!!!!

that is all.

Change

Now that it's the almost the end of my first semester and the end of 2011, I can look back and reflect. A lot can happen in a year but it's still surprising to realize how much really did change and happen. Almost a year ago I was amazed at how fast my first semester of my senior year went by and now I'm amazed at how fast my first semester of college whizzed by. When I look back I can see how much I've changed and grown as a person. Especially, it seems, how much I've grown since I graduated and first started college.

I've started to become an adult and take on many adult responsibilities. I've learned how to manage my own money, support myself, balance a job with school, learn a new job, start learning and experiencing my profession, handle stress, be more social, ask questions, be more assertive, and step out of my comfort zone. All these experiences have helped me grow. It definitely hasn't been easy, but I feel I'm a stronger, more confident, and more mature person than I was before. Im just reflecting here-I'm not trying to sound conceited or anything. :) I'm still growing too. I feel the Lord is definitely guiding my life and helping me grow into the person He wants me to be.

I know I'm a choir nerd...

I know I'm a choir nerd when I get super excited to buy Handel's Sing Unto God sheet music at the music store. It's pretty much the same version I sang my sophomore year of high school in Advanced Women's Ensemble with chamber singers and concert choir. Brings back memories. :) This is what it sounds like...

Update...

-I've been in my new job about a week and a half. It's stressful at times and I hate popcorn now. :) But I'm grateful I have a job and can make money now.
-Was able to spend most of Thanksgiving with my family before work. I got to see my aunt, uncle, and other two cousins I don't get to see that often. It was good to see them.
-Christmas is in the air, and I'm way excited for this holiday season. I hope I don't have to work on Christmas.
-I get to meet 2 of my favorite authors next weekend and watch my first PHS holiday dinner from an audience's point of view.
-I'm observing in an elementary school for one of my classes, and I absolutely love all the kids I'm working with. They're so cute!
-Finals and final projects are steadily approaching and I'm really nervous and stressed over them.
-I'm struggling to balance school, work, observation hours, and life into my schedule. I'm feeling the stress.
-I miss my old friends. :( But I'm grateful for the new ones I'm making too.
-At times I feel I'm wearing different uniforms, and performing different things so much that I forget to take time to just be me. I'm the movie theater worker, the teacher's aid, the student, etc. that I sometimes forget to be me. I need to take more time to remember who I am.

How's your life going? I'd like to hear your updates too. :)

Keep your inner-child alive

I saw this when it came out in 2003. It follows the book really great, and keeps the story alive. It reminds us all to keep the inner-child in us alive, no matter how old we get. It was always one of my favorite stories, and this adaptation portrays the story perfectly in my opinion. It's very inspiring and touching. Like J.M. Barrie said, "All children grow up, except one." Yes we all do grow up. But the inner-Peter Pan inside us doesn't have to. I hope we always keep that alive. Here's the first part of Peter Pan (2003 version). You should watch the whole thing. I highly recommend it. :)

p.s. I'm pretty sure that these are the best Peter Pan, Wendy, and Captain Hook I've ever seen too. They're just awesome. :)

Good News

I'm so excited about it that I had to post. :) I turned in an application to the cinemark during the summer. Didn't hear back from them. Then, yesterday, out of the blue, I get a phone call from them asking me to come in for an interview that afternoon. I was so nervous about it all day, but after I got off the phone, I had a real peaceful feeling. I felt that this was something guided to me and it was something I should do. I said a prayer and drove myself down to the theater. There were others being interviewed as well. My interview went pretty good (especially considering how nervous I was), but I wasn't 100% positive about it. I drove home. Not long after I got home, in fact as I was telling my dad about my interview, the phone rang. I joked and said it would be funny if that was them, calling to tell me I got a job. My dad looked at the phone, laughed, and said, "It's them." I was like, are you serious? I answer and they told me that I got the job. It was hard not to squeal into the receiver after he told me. :)I did yell "yes!" as soon as he hung up though. :)it was exciting to tell my parents that I got the job.

I'm very grateful for this opportunity. I prayed that Heavenly Father would let me get the job if it was right. I remember that feeling of peace I felt when I first got the call. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father was telling me it was right, and that He put this in my life. I'm so grateful to Him.

Even though I've been feeling so stressed over trying to fit school, elementary observation hours, and now work into my life--I know that it came into my life for a reason. I have to take a leap of faith and trust the Lord. I know He will help me. He'll provide a way for me. I'm so grateful for Him and for His great love. I love Him so much.

I like that quote, "Come what may and love it." That explains my life well now. Here goes a leap of faith.

The ups and downs of this week...

The ups...
-seeing our concert come together (it is very cool)
-going visiting teaching last Sunday for the first time (it was awesome!)
-making new friends in church and at school
-having fun with my family for Halloween
-doorbell ditching treats with my v.t. companion
-going to my first stake conference in my ward with a new friend today
-finding a possible subject for my research paper :) (unless my teacher says it won't work)
-eating lunch with my old high school friends
-listening to music (especially soundtracks! Go Harry-Gregson Williams!) (yes I can be a nerd at times :))
-writing and reading
-nice parents who take care of me when I'm sick
-taking a break from school because I was sick
-knowing I'm not alone

The downs...
-being sick for half the week (yuck!)
-being sick for my concerts (not a good combo.)
-getting behind in school because of being sick

"It's Carmina Time!"

UVU choirs are singing this this week: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

It's about an hour long performance, but it's pretty cool sounding. It's 25 movements long, but thankfully I don't have to sing in all 25. :) The most famous movement is O Fortuna; used a lot in action movies. :)
It's gonna be a big production with dancers, UVU Masterwork's Chorale and high school choirs, soloists, and an orchestra. I'm excited to see how it sounds! You should come and watch it! Talk to me for details. :) In the words of my director, "It's Carmina Time!"

Over halfway through...

I just had my first midterm, so I know I'm over halfway done with my first semester of college. Wow! That went really fast! We're starting November next week, which means the 3 big holidays of the year are also coming up. Yeah! Now I have to figure out which classes to take next semester. Sigh. My freshman year is flying by fast though! In both happy and sad about that. I still have to decide what I want to do for sure, but so far, so good!

My other blog

Hey guys, just letting you know that I made another blog-this one for my writing. It's my digital writer's journal. You can check it out at www.euesteneago.blogspot.com
I've decided to finally try and get some feedback from my trusted family and friends, as well as post my ideas in one place besides on paper. An author's writing is very personal to them-almost like a real journal. Well, it kind of is going to be a real journal. :) Anyways, feel free to read and comment on it. I'll be excited to hear from you!

"Just because you can't see him, doesn't mean he's not watching"

I just heard this quote from an old Barney video I used to watch all the time growing up. (Now it's my little brother's new favorite video. Funny how that worked out huh? :))

Anyways, the scene with that quote is when two kids are waiting for Santa to come to their house, and they are hoping to stay up and see him. The sister tells her brother, referring to Santa, "just because you can't see him, doesn't mean he's not watching."

That quote, for the first time out of the hundreds of times I've seen this video, resonated with me. But not about Santa.

I've heard many variations of the truthfulness of this quote, referring instead to Heavenly Father and the Savior, Jesus Christ. They are watching us, even if we can't see them. They are also there for us, even if we can't see them. I know this is true, and it brings me great comfort. I'm grateful they are always beside me, ready to help me when I need them. It also inspires me to want to do better, because I know they are watching me. I want to make them happy.

I'm grateful for #2...

1. the mountains
2. the change of seasons
3. family
4. friends (new and old)
5. sleep
6. happy people
7. sunsets
8. prayer
9. the scriptures
10. my grandparents
11. family history resources
12. good teachers
13. the ocean
14. my new calling

I'm grateful for...

I want to start listing things I'm grateful for, maybe once a week. I've noticed that the more I recognize all the good things the Lord has blessed me with, the happier I feel. Big things and little things, there are many wonderful things given to me.

I'm grateful for...

1. going on drives with my dad and listening to 80's music
2. walking around the mall with my mom
3. making my brother laugh
4. my chihuahua sleeping on my lap and wanting me to pet him
5. my pomeranian always acting happy to see me
6. sleeping at night after a long day
7. my math class that got canceled tomorrow morning:)
8.  people that say "hi" to me
9. seeing a familiar face at school
10.  feeling the Lord's comfort and strength throughout the day
11. my new calling
12. my dog sleeping at the foot of my bed
13. friday evenings
14. making choir
15. laughter

No matter your trials, I encourage you to find things you're grateful for. It always makes me feel so much better and helps me remember how blessed I am.

Smile!!! And have a good day. :)

T.G.I.F.

Thank goodness it's friday

I'm so glad it's friday! Ok, so today I had my first experience in using the testing center. It was quite an interesting experience. :) Apparently my math teacher gave us the wrong dates for the test, so I went on the last day (according to the testing center) and had to pay. Those who think they can take it tomorrow are going to be facing a problem. Hopefully, our math teacher will extend the date (and hopefully reimburse us somehow too). It's not fun going in, thinking you're ahead of schedule and taking a free test, and then finding out that it's not. Oh well. Life goes on.

Anyway, it was sort of intimidating for the first time testing there. The proctors walking around, staring at everyone in the room in turn, was kind of nerve-wracking. His stare made me feel uneasy even though I wasn't doing anything wrong. I mean, it's kind of distracting to have someone breathing down your neck while you're trying to concentrate on a test. But, the point is I survived, and now I know what to do next time.

I'm just glad I have the weekend to relax, enjoy, breathe... and do homework. bleh! haha

Have a good weekend!

Need a laugh or stress reliever?

I sure do. :) I need a way to release stress everyday, and these videos help me do so. BYU Divine Comedy is hilarious! I discovered them on YouTube, and my goal is to see a live performance sometime soon.

This is a spoof on Harry Potter.

This one I understand so much more since I've had to buy my textbooks.

This one is just funny.

This is one of their most creative. Their spoof on Lord of the Rings. The guy in the white shirt is the now famous author, Brandon Mull.

This isn't DC, but a video to go along with the version of this song I sang in choir last year. This video and song make me feel grateful for all God has given us.

This song is close to my heart. This is a recording of the last time we sang this together in one of our last performances with Mr. Mendenhall as the director. We were all pretty emotional. This song is so true.

Smile, laugh, have hope, be optimistic, pray, read your scriptures, be grateful. Love life. See the beauty in it and in yourself. See the good in the world.That's my message for the day. :)

p.s. Check out DC's YouTube channel and provo high choir as well. :)

Hand in Hand

I just found out that the Masterwork's Chorale at UVU is putting on a performance for the song "Carmina Burana" in November. We'll be combining with an orchestra, dancers, and several high school choirs. On the school's website I found out that one of the HS choirs, (unless it's wrong), is going to be Maple Mountain High School. And what does that mean? I'll once again run into my old PHS choir director, Mr. Mendenhall. When I found out, it made me laugh and feel excited too. Choir and Mr. Mendenhall always go hand in hand--even after I've left high school. :) I hope I can run into him during rehearsals and say hi again. :)

p.s. I made Masterwork's Chorale and Women's Chorus! I'm so excited and so grateful!! I'm very grateful and so blessed to be involved in the great choirs here. A former PHS choir member and I are in both together, and she said exactly what was on my mind: "Choir never changes does it?" Haha, no it doesn't, and I'm glad. :)

"Fall is here..."

"Fall is here, hear the yell,
back to school, ring the bell"

So fall's here everybody! At least, sort of. I'm still kind of saying it's still summer. You ever hear the song, "I can tell that we are going to be friends"? I don't know who originally wrote it, but it's that song at the beginning of Napolean Dynamite. I like the version by Jack Johnson personally. Anyway, that's what those words were from. :)

I'm almost done with my first week of college. It's gone by pretty fast thankfully, because now I'm starting to get a lot of homework. Not more than I've ever had, but still more than I've had the first week of school ever. From 9 math assignments due tomorrow, to reading 3 chapters in boring textbooks every other day, I'm starting to get quite a load. I'm also not used to the long hours I have to spend on campus each day. In high school I've always been done at 2:15 (unless I had to stay after school), but now my classes are all spread out so I spend some days on campus all day. It's weird, and somewhat tiring. This school is so crowded that it's crazy!! Almost every square inch of campus is occupied. However, I did find a new favorite place to relax and study (and it has a great view too).

Well, it's starting to get cooler now, and it's starting to feel a little bit like fall. The summers in Utah are always too short. My mom said something funny yesterday. She said she has a love/hate relationship with fall, a love relationship with summer, and a hate relationship with winter. When I asked her about spring she said "I don't have any relationship with spring. It doesn't stay long enough for me to have a relationship with it." Haha, I totally agree! Spring in Utah is virtually nonexistant.

Well, I hope everyone has a...well...tries to have a good time in school. :) It does have it's fun moments.

Since I mentioned Napolean Dynamite earlier, I'll say good-bye in Kip fashion.

Peace Out.

Back to School

I know what you're thinking--5 blog posts in 1 month! Does she have a life? Yes I do, maybe not so much in the summer, but I still do stuff. :) I told you, I like to write. :)

So, anyways, I have a lot of changes going on and coming up recently. I start college in a week!! Crazy right?! I'm torn between extreme excitement and extreme nervouseness. But mostly excitement!

Today, I signed up for an audition time to audition for a UVU choir! I decided, once I saw the announcement for choir auditions, that I was going to try out for an auditioned choir instead of the open enrollment one. And if I don't make it, I'll do the open enrollment one instead like I was planning before. I wonder how hard it is to make a choir here? I guess I'll find out! I'm nervous because I have to do sight-singing as part of the audition. That means you'll get handed a random piece of music and you have to try and sing it even though you may not have ever seen it before in your life. Yes it is really hard, and it's not one of my strengths. Choir helped me a lot with this and I've gotten better, but I'll have to practice. :)

Well, good-luck to you all starting school again! Here goes another year!

Everybody clap your hands! (choir memories)

One of the things I'm going to miss most about high school are my experiences in the choir program. I'm so grateful for the experiences I had there, the people I met, the songs I sang, and the spirit that I felt. I know without a doubt that it was a huge blessing in my life, and that I needed to be there. I'm really, really, really going to miss PHS choir. I knew I was going to have a hard time saying good-bye to it, and it was really hard. I know it was my time to leave and that helped me feel better, but I'm still going to miss it.

Thank you Mr. Mendenhall, Mrs. Boogert, Tiave, and Mrs. Garrett--the choir teachers that I had (even if some were only there for a short time). You all taught me so much--not only about music, but about life. I'll always appreciate your example, lessons, talents, and time you put into your students. I love you all! Thanks to all my friends in choir: the older kids who I looked up to and who were incredible examples and great friends, my friends my age who helped give me the encouragement and friendship I needed during hard times (we made it together!), and the younger kids who became great friends and helped me want to always try harder to do my best. I love you all forever!!!

Thanks mom for encouraging me to join choir in the first place, and telling me to give it a try. I wouldn't have had all those experiences if it wasn't for you. Thanks to both my parents for all your support, late hours, encouragement, and attending most concerts for all 4 years (believe me, that's a lot of concerts!). I love you guys!!!

Thank you, most of all, Heavenly Father for guiding me to choir, helping me change my heart so I realized I liked it, pouring out thy spirit upon us while we sang, guiding me to teachers and friends who changed my life, helping me develop my talents, answering all my prayers, comforting me, helping me, guiding me, and giving me a place I felt like I belonged in at school. I will always be grateful to thee for these experiences and I all I learned. I love thee so much.

So, I'm going to post some of my favorite memories/sayings that I have of my experiences in choir. If your not a PHS choir nerd like me, you may not understand any of this, but bear with me. :)

-"everybody clap your hands!"
-"wait...what?"
-"Fruitcake!"
-"I commit...forever and ever Amen!"
-the songs, How Can I Keep from Singing?, Weep No More, We Are Not Alone, My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord 
-singing in a ward on choir tour and by the San Diego temple
-Mrs. Garrett's actions for songs :) (haha, sometimes not so happy memories)
-"You gone done good"
-"1,2,3" (clap!)
-waiting to go on stage for concerts :)
-holiday dinners
-getting standing ovations
-all choir tours
-obnoxious singing (we can also sing really bad if we want to) :)

And the list could go on, but this post is already long enough. :) Well, I hope this doesn't seem too long, but I wanted to post a tribute to this awesome part of my life. I'll never forget those experiences. I'm so grateful for them.

p.s. I'm already signed up for two choirs at UVU. :) Once a choir nerd, always a choir nerd. And to think I didn't even like choir at first my freshman year! That's definately changed. :)

I love Oregon

Recently my family and I went to a family reunion in Oregon. I hadn't been there since I was a little kid, so I was excited to see it again. And let me tell you, it's so beautiful! I don't think I've seen bigger trees in real life before--huge, tall, mossy pine trees that are everywhere! We drove by the city of Portland, and it's also beautiful.
We got to spend some time in a nice house by a beach in Seaside, OR. It's a cute little beachtown with beautiful scenery. You wouldn't expect to see a beach when you're driving through trees and mountains, but then it just appears there at the end of the drive. In my opinion the only downside of Oregon is that it rains most of the time, and it's kind of dreary when it's not sunny. I wouldn't want to live there, but it' s really fun to visit. The house we stayed in was huge! We rented it for a couple of days from the family who owns it. It has this huge porch in the backyard with a clear view of the ocean--that is if it's not foggy. It was absolutely beautiful.

We had a lot of fun as a family there. We laid out on the beach, rode rides at the small amusement park at Seaside--bumper cars and tilt-a-whirl (not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach), visited the aquarium and saw live seals (who were hilarious), ate at a seafood restraunt, went on a pretty hike, and just talked together. It was great to get to know my aunt, uncle, and cousin better who I haven't seen that often. It was so much fun!

Beach at Seaside, OR



Oregon forest

The house we stayed in by the beach

view of ocean from the patio of the house



Good-bye high school... hello college!

It's weird to think that high school is forever over for me... and at the same time it's a huge relief. :) There are many things I'll miss about it, like: seeing my friends, certain classes and inside jokes, choir and all those good times, and the simpler life that goes along with it. Things I won't miss are: intervention (a thing my school did) and getting stamps :), the crowded lunchroom and the school's food (though sometimes it was good), immature people in the hallways (but I'm sure I'll still see more of that), and the same old routine that got old after 4 years. I'm going to miss my old friends that are still in high school, and my friends going to different colleges all over the country. It's always hard to say good-bye, but I'll see them all again right? :)

And now I start college. Weird. And exciting! I feel like I only just graduated and now I'm off to college this month! I do have some experience so far since I take an institute class once a week. But honestly, I don't really know what to expect. Will it be extremely hard? I really hope I won't be too overwhelmed. I did take some AP classes in high school, but how do they compare to real college classes? I really don't know. I'm taking a leap of faith here, both in college and in my major--elementary education. I don't know if that will be what I end up doing, but I feel right about going into it right now, so that's what I'm doing. I know the Lord will guide me, and that gives me comfort.

So many choices to make--especially in that summer after you graduate. What ward should I go to? What should I major in? What college should I go to? Where can I find a job? How will I pay for college? What classes should I take? How many credits? It goes on and on. :) I honestly don't remember ever having to make so many decisions in my whole life. But, thankfully, for now most of those questions are finally answered. I feel ready, mostly, to start this new phase in my life, and I'm mostly excited. Yes, in a few weeks time I will be a freshman again! But now I will be a freshman in college. And I'm so excited!!! :)

p.s. Go wolverines!!! :)

I like to write

Hello. I decided to start a blog, since so many other people I know started one. I chose the title I did because I'm a writer. I've been writing for close to ten years, and it's a huge part of who I am. It's always been easier to express myself through writing and also through music. It's sometimes been difficult to say how I feel verbally, so maybe that's why writing comes easier. So I hope you enjoy reading about me and my ramblings. :) You are now invited to read inside the heart of a writer.