A Senior?!

Wow! It's been quite awhile. I apologize for that. However, I figured studying for finals held precedence over blogging. haha! I spent so many hours in the library this past week! I think it paid off, though. My music history exam yesterday morning, I feel, went very well. I am anxious to know my grade. I had my last exam this afternoon. Science. Ugh. However, it was not too awful. And now I am technically a senior?! Eeek! That's a little unnerving and hard to believe.

Last night, as I sat in the library studying for an exam (aka science) that I, unfortunately, had little motivation to prepare for nor care much about, my ipod began to play "Different Drum" by Aurora, a Christian pop group from I think early 2000s. The music was just there, clearing distractions of the room around me and, hopefully, helping me pass time and absorb myself in the endless notes. (There had to have been 50 trees killed for my binder of notes alone! Nem jó!) I have always liked the song...it spoke to me somehow, especially in times when I found myself wandering down unbeaten paths on my own because they were the paths I must follow...my yellow-brick road, as I like to call it. (Seems to be how my entire life goes, actually, but that's okay...it wouldn't be "Samantha" any other way!) However, I never noticed the whispering voice at the end of the track saying in hushed tones, "Don't be afraid of the future." haha! How ironic! Because that is exactly how I have been in recent weeks...afraid of the future...the unknown. I couldn't help but think that after that last exam the next day, I became officially a senior. Scary. The unknown lies ever before me. How appropriate to hear that little message...like God speaking (which, by the way, is the name of another song my friend Cam gave me last year). It was like he was saying, "Fear not, Samantha, for I am with you always..." Or something along those lines.

So now I am finished with the semester...and it is not yet May! Craziness! This year has been huge for me. I have made fabulous break-throughs with my voice. Made some brilliant new friends. Traveled the freaking world!!! (And got some pretty stamps in my passport! hehe!) Sang in Europe! Gave a recital just months after returning to the States. Done more public speaking than possibly ever before. Saw Renee Fleming...maybe next year will be the actual meeting her. Was asked to sing at my opera buddy Katie's wedding next summer. Yay! I Am ever-thankful for my weird and fabulous relationships with Lynn and Chad. Strengthened my faith...especially thanks to some incredible friends whose faith is enviably strong. Learned some Hungarian. Developed my musicianship and renewed/strengthened my bond with music more than ever in my entire life. Slept in hostels. Opera nights. Random adventures to Sonic, Build-a-Bear, Katie and Bryan's, around Bexley, etc. This new-found yoga-zen-thing I have discovered...fewer freak-outs and calmness rather than stress. (I like it!) The list is possibly endless.

I have grown so much. This year especially. I was talking with my friend Sarah the other night and was just thinking about how I have changed and grown over the past three years. I am not the same girl that went on her own four hours from home to study singing and music. Most definitely not. But that is not a bad thing in any way, either. Quite the contrary, I think it has only strengthened who I am; I know my morals, values, and ideals and hold them ever with me. The boundaries of this campus, the walls of the conservatory, the brick paths, my teachers...they have seen me grow. (Well, besides the time I was gone...but that is actually an extension of such things...I grew even more because of that...) With every step, every fall or stumble, every success, every adventure, every freak-out, every excitement or disappointment. And you know, I am glad for it all...even the stress-filled, semi-defeated tears...each one of the tear drops or bubbles of laughter have had a part in shaping who I am today. They have all been necessary. And I am so thankful for it. Köszönöm szépen, Isten. Thank you beautifully, God.

Okay, well, I did not intend for this post to end up as sappy as it has. Oh, well. It happens. In other news:

Sarah, Tracy and I finally did have our adventure to Build-a-Bear to make SAI bears. haha! It was brilliant! ;)

And we definitely named them each after a founder or SAI. haha! There are seven founders, and we each picked our favorite. Mine is Georgina Potts, Tracy's is Nora Crane Hunt, and Sarah's is Leila Farlin Laughlin. Yes, those are real freaking names! The guy at Build-a-Bear gave us the most ridiculous look, like "you have got to be kidding me, right?" Nope, it's true. And the other four aren't much better. But then again, it was 1903.

Gratitude 93
Guess what?! My friend Quinton, a composition major, has asked if it would be alright if he wrote me a song. Well, duh! haha! That's so awesome! He has asked me to find a Hungarian poem to set...he has Hungarian ancestry and is very interested in Hungarian influences in his music. How cool! He writes some brilliant pieces! I am so excited! I cannot wait!

Also, for those avid readers, you may remember a bit about flying a frog kite last April and getting it stuck eternally in a tree. Well, eternally may have been the correct adverb, as it is still there. Here's the picture to prove it:

How silly! It makes me giggle every time I walk past it.

And, I suppose, lastly for this ridiculously long post, a little more laughter...Katie sent me this video, and it is hilarious! I freaking love opera! ;)

Denyce Graves is actually going to be giving a recital nearby in May, but I will be at home during that time.