The lovely Ms. Crystal!

This weekend my dear friend Crystal dropped in! :) She goes to grad school in Cleveland now, so I don't always get to see her anymore. She graduated last year (also a vocal performance major...and also a soprano...and a lovely one at that!...She sings so pretty!) She's become one of my dearest friends. Anyway, she had to go to a wedding on Friday night, so she camped out in my room all weekend. It was fabulous. We pretty much goofed off all weekend. (She is ridiculous and crazy like me...) Good times! And we did a lot of much needed talking. Crystal always makes me feel better about life. She's part of my support system. We took a road trip to Wittenberg University on Saturday to visit some friends from summer camp. (Oh, yeah...I worked at a Lutheran day camp last summer in Florida...one time only deal for me!) I found out that my friend Rachel from camp is going to be in Finland while I'm in Hungary! How cool! So we decided we are going to meet up while we are there. YAY! She had to leave today, though. I didn't want her to go because that means that I actually have to get back to work and be "serious" again (hahaha! like that's going to happen!).

(This picture is actually from summer camp...I'd put up one from this weekend, but oh yeah...my camera is broken, so I don't have any! argh! Crystal is on the far left, then that is Rachel, and then moi!...and yes, we are in a liquor store BUT we are holding the "just-add-rum" cocktail mixes...no alcohol allowed for "minors" like Rachel and I...and for no one on camp rules.)

There's a time for fun and a time for work. I get to see her next weekend at NATS competition, though. AAAAHHH! I am kind of freaked about that. I don't feel ready for this week, but I guess I'll have to figure out how to be. I am supposed to sign Wednesday night on SAI musicale, and I turned in a form to sing on the general recital Friday morning (every Friday, we have a recital hour in the conservatory...we alternate between areas-voice and instrumental separate and generals-the whole conservatory.). I am singing stuff I have to sing Saturday...I just really need to memorize! Ugh! I can do it, though. I was in the conservatory earlier today and ended up ushering for a show. Lynn stepped in, too. The girls that were supposed to usher weren't there, so we got stuck. It was nice, though. We got to talk a bit. I love our friendship...and how supportive and caring she is...especially about Hungary. I really need that. This is such a big step. I kind of freaked out the other night. I am just kind of stressed out right now (and frustrated with my voice! I am really struggling with my support and singing "full voice," so I am kind of overdoing it. ugh!), so it all kind of hit me. I have plane tickets. This is the real deal. And they are going to kick my butt over there. Not all fun and games, that is for sure. But it'll be sooo good for me. Here's a picture of Lynn's "Lovelies." That's what she calls her girls in her studio. We designed shirts, and they are pretty sweet.

(Left to right; back row: Diane, Jennie, Alexa, moi, Lynn, Aani, Courtney, Katie; front row: Kristen, Melody-she designed them!, Rachel, Karly)

Lynn was joking around saying that maybe she'd be the faculty representative to come visit the institute in Hungary in the fall, but I have heard rumor that they aren't sending anyone because only I am going! :( How sad! I hope that isn't true. It'd be nice to see a familiar face while I'm there. And if it was Lynn...that would be A-MAZING! I told her that she needs to so she can get her Samantha fix. She keeps saying how she doesn't know how she'll be able to go four months without seeing bubbly me every day. All the same, she knows how terribly important it is that I do this. Oh, and I got to play with Aani's (in the picture above) niece today. She was so precious! Three months old. Oh, yeah...I don't think I ever mentioned this, but I'm going to be an aunt! Except the baby's going to be born while I'm away. :( Oh, well. What can you do? I see them at Christmas, which isn't much off from if I stayed in Ohio. I wouldn't be home to see the baby then, either, except for the week of Thanksgiving.