Gratitude 4

I am thankful for having the opportunity to have stood here. In this room, Mozart gave his first Imperial concert at age 6. I sneaked this picture inside Schönbrunn Schloß this afternoon. (It's not great because taking photos are forbidden, and I had to be quick about it. hehe!) I was in awe knowing that one of the greatest composers of the Classical era once stood where I was. Vienna holds so much of our musical history. This is just incredible.

I spent today at Schönbrunn Schloß exploring. Such a pretty place! I was there for I think 5 or 6 hours! And...when I was thru, I made it back to Katrin and Martin's apartment! (Martin was worried I would get lost....shh!...I did for a short bit but soon found my way again.) I guess I am becoming quite the city girl. (Okay, probably not.) Also, I LOVE my new camera. It has settings for everything...I can even take clear pictures in dark cathedrals! (Danke schön, Dad!) :)

First days in Vienna...

I arrived safely to Vienna Saturday evening after over 24 hours of traveling. (Oy!) My flights were great. On the overnight plane, I had two whole seats to myself, so I slept quite a bit actually. Plus I was by the window, so I got some beautiful shots of the sky. I saw the sun set and then rise about 3 or 4 hours later. After dark, I opened the window to find the Big Dipper right beside me. So pretty! Once I landed in Budapest, things were a little rough. I suppose the realization that I was/am 6000 miles from home for four months hit me like a brick in the face then. I met my driver, who spoke very little English. That was a bit of a challenge, but we made it thru. He took me to the train station and tried to help me figure things out, but it didn't go so well. Before I knew it, he was trying to explain something that I obviously had no idea what he was talking about and then left me standing in the middle of the station. Short story of the station: I wandered around aimlessly for awhile before finding someone who could speak English to tell me where to get a ticket (at which point a kind old French man and I figured out the system together...somehow the language barriers were not an issue then.), ended up with sparkling water...not still..., wandering around trying to figure out where the train is, etc. So that was my arrival experience. Three or so hours later I was with Katrin and Martin making my way to their flat. They have a rather tiny flat...a kitchen, bathroom, and one bedroom/living room...but it is very nice. By the time I got to them, though, I was rather overwhelmed and frustrated and just wanted a good cry, a hug, food, a shower, and a call home to let them know I had arrived safely. But all of that is behind us now. Vienna is beautiful! I love it! Ich liebe Wien! I think I could definitely live here! hehe! I slept till nearly 11am (Vienna time) the past two mornings! Probably not so good for fighting jet lag! but oh well.

Gratitude 2

I am thankful for these young fellows for reminding me of the reason I have been brought to Europe for...music and my love and passion for the art. On my first day in Vienna, Katrin and Martin took me on a little tour of the city after brunch. We walked a bit, I rode my first subway, and we also rented bicycles for an hour. (And this time, no, I did not fall off!) I love European bikes with their little bells and baskets. hehe! We rode around Stadtpark and saw a statue of Johann Strauss, smelled roses in another park, saw street musicians...Hungarian ones at that! (see picture above)...and after they had told me they do not really have street musicians anymore...but there were four or so places we saw them. The Hungarians were brilliant! So passionate and genuine! They showed me many wonderful places that I am excited to go to and explore. They made me get some chocolate wafers called Manner. It was pretty good. It makes me giggle how much Mozart is made out like a pop star! His face is everywhere...and so is he! People dress up like him! Him and Strauss, anyway. We wandered down some little allies and ended up on a street ironically titled "Singerstraße," singer's street. On this street, we stumbled upon an old residence of Mozart. How cool! It's like I said, these are the places where it [the music] all began. And now, I get to discover what they left behind. (Reminiscent of National Treasure, no? hehe!) We eventually made our way back to the apartment, where I searched my guidebook, and they cooked supper. I had some yummy Austrian white wine. Mmm! I enjoyed it. After dinner, we got ready, and Martin, Katrin, and I went to see a broadcast of the opera La Fille du Regiment with Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez. (So handsome!) It was good but certainly not my favorite in the Bel canto repertoire. It was a little harder to follow for me, too, because it was in French with German subtitles. Oh, and there is this fabulous trio in Act 2 that I want to sing now! At the show, Katrin bought me a drink...a raspberry something or other. It had raspberries that had been frozen in it, and they acted as the ice cubes. It was very good. I told her my family would be very jealous that she gets to drink with me first. (Sorry, Dad...when I get home again!)

Gratitude 3

I am thankful for the beauty in the simplest of things. These candles I found in the Michaelerkirche (St. Michael's Church). Today, my second day in Vienna, I, again, woke up late. (I don't know what is up with me!) Martin and I ate brunch and then went a trek to get Katrin from work. We saw lots thru the city as we walked. We ate lunch in Naschmarkt...Turkish food, and then we wandered over to Burggarten by way of a coffee shop. From that point, I took off on my own for some exploration. I wandered around wondering if I would find my way, which I eventually did. For most of the time, though, I abandoned the map and explored the streets. I stumbled upon a book shop where I found a rare Maria Callas CD collection! I saw Michaelerkirche, which is where Mozart's Requiem was first premiered. Then, I discovered residences of Mozart and Beethoven!! By pure luck, too!! Beethoven's apartment was on the top floor of a long winding staircase...no wonder he was so grumpy! I would be too from all those steps and not being able to hear, either! It was a wonderful day of adventuring! I spent three hours wandering! I enjoyed it very much. Vienna is such a great city! (Although quite expensive!) We stopped at the market on the way home, where I got peanut butter, because they have it in Austria...just not Hungary for some reason, so the peanut butter I had to discard at the airport in Columbus because my bag was too heavy is now replaced. They made me Lebkäse for dinner, and Martin had me try beer for the first time, dark beer, that is. Kind of tasted like a cider. Well, off to bed...early start tomorrow. I will post more pictures when I have more time. And Salzburg may not happen anymore right now. :( Too much money. Oh, well. I'll still have fun in Vienna.

And so it begins...

The time has finally come. Later this afternoon, I will be on my way to Europe. Eeek! I'm so excited! I am filled with the bubbly feeling of wonderful nerves. The next few months hold so much, so many experiences. I fly up and down quite a bit and then am taking a train to Vienna as planned, so I have many, many hours of travel ahead of me, but the end result will be fantastic. A whole week in Austria? Who could ask for anything more? ;) I've been thinking a lot lately (scary, I know!) about everything and anything and have decided to take on a project. I got the idea from YankeeDiva. (This happens to actually be the blog of a famous opera singer, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.) She has started a project of 365 gratitudes. She doesn't post everyday, but each time she does she picks up from where she left off. In turn, it won't be completed in one year, but is symbolic of giving thanks everyday. My mom and Lynn have always reminded me to be sure to count my blessings. And so I begin, along with my trip to Europe, a project of 365 gratitudes, which I am sure will take me well over 365 actual days to complete also. (I'm sure thinking of Europe so much has given me only more reason to take this on.) As much as possible, I hope to post a picture with my gratitude...with special thanks to my pretty new camera my dad bought me! Today, I leave you with Gratitude 1:

(And, of course, it has every bit to do with my travels later today! Surprised?)

The Final Stretch

Europe countdown: 10 days

It's amazing how time flies by. I can remember when it was 110 days. It crept up much faster than I expected, so my final week at home for the summer was filled with much craziness trying to fit everything in. Plus finishing up work. I finished working at the produce stand last Tuesday but was still at the day care up thru this past Thursday repainting/designing their signs for the building....that was stressful! Friday, I moved into the townhouse apartment near school with Courtney and Karly. It's looking good. My mom stuck around all weekend to help get things together. Needless to say, that means the past week has held a lot of sorting, organizing, packing, unpacking, etc. I got the brilliant task of packing for four months in Hungary, a week in Vienna, and moving into an apartment all at the same time. How I did it, I'm not quite sure, but I did. (And I fit everything I need in my suitcase...with room and weight allowance yet to spare! Although my backpack is a little on the hefty side with my books.) In my last week at home getting things ready, I got to see my friends Noémi, Sandy, and David once more before I left. Noémi invited me over for dinner last Wednesday. I got to meet her one-year-old Havela who is the most adorable little girl ever! Big, beautiful brown eyes and dark hair. Noémi taught me a few more Hungarian phrases...including how to say, "Today is my birthday, give me cake!" hehe! My birthday is the first day of orientation in Hungary, so now I'll know how to get cake! Ridiculous, I know. I spent a night at my sister's place and watched movies...she's getting big! Maybe she'll have the baby before I leave....probably not, but that'd be cool. I also had the chance to drop in on my dear friends from the community theatre I did a lot of work with in high school, the people that really propelled me into the world of music. They were doing a production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, which was my first show with the theatre years ago. It was so wonderful to surprise them, see their shocked faces and double-takes before they realized who I was, and catch up on life. I miss them oodles! Since I'll be away for my birthday, my family had a little party on the 8th. My dad got me a new camera, too! It's pretty! So now I can take pretty pictures in Europe and post pictures as well. Since I'll be away for my birthday, my family had a little party on the 8th. Then, again, everyone got together for breakfast on Friday morning as a little "bon voyage" party.

It was very sweet of them. So now I'm here for the next ten days with not much to do. Hopefully Lynn will be able to meet with me for a couple of lessons before I leave. Oh, and Chadwick promised to take us to the zoo in April and still hasn't, so maybe he will take us this week.

Mmm! Schokolade!

My family and I spent a few days this past week in Hershey, PA, the U.S. chocolate capital. Yum! It was a nice little vacation even if only for three days. We stayed at the Hershey Lodge in "the Tower" which was pretty cool. Believe it or not, everything was chocolate or had a reference to it. The sheets, wallpaper, room number plates, lamp switches, etc. were emboldened with the famous Hershey Kiss. Even the soap in the shower was chocolate scented. A little ridiculous, I know but cool. And we got soooo much chocolate. Pretty much everywhere you went, they just handed it to you. For most of the time there we occupied ourselves with activities at the lodge, playing putt-putt golf, chocolate bingo, tennis, swimming in one of the three pools, having a cup of coffee or a smoothie in the cafe downstairs, etc. It was nice just to relax and have no particular schedule for a few days. We also visited Hershey's Chocolate World, which besides the amusement park (no, we didn't go there...which is good since the temperature was in the 90's and humid!) is the main attraction. You cannot tour the actual chocolate factory, so this is the alternative where they have simulated tours and such. We saw "The REALLY BIG 3-D movie," which was super cool! I have to say it was quite a spectacle and very well done. We also took a class on chocolate tasting where we learned all about the art of tasting chocolate and the cacao bean and the different varieties of chocolate. No, Hershey's isn't exactly Swiss or Belgian chocolate, but it is certainly a great next best. Some kinds actually remind me a lot of Swiss milk chocolates. Before heading out of town, we visited the Hershey Museum, and although they are building a new one which may be really fascinating, do not bother wasting your time! Besides watching Hershey Kiss commercials from through the years (many I remember from when I was very little), it was absolutely awful! And the Apostolic Clock that is "the 9th wonder of the world" should be considered among the scars on the face of America. I mean, honestly, that is nothing to be proud of. It was so dumb. On a bright note, though, my dad and I went on a tour of the Hershey Theatre (moreso, I dragged him along, but he ended up enjoying more than myself I think). We saw EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) and got to see the ins and outs from top to bottom. The ceiling in the theatre I think was my favorite part. They can simulate a starry night inside the building...kind of like a planitarium dome attached to the ceiling of the theatre. The tour concluded with my dad "making" me sing for the all of four people on the tour. Sure, I didn't mind it, but I was also kind of put on the spot and didn't really have a choice. But it was really cool to sing on the stage of a really cool historical theatre where many greats in American song and theatre have sung before. Next stop, though, the great stages of theatres in Europe?! :)

My computer is finished, and I just have to go pick it up. Apparently, they replaced the fan, something else, and the motherboard!! What?! Pretty much all that is originally my computer now is the shell from what I've gathered. I would have saved the hassle and just handed over another one...probably would have been cheaper on their part, too. Luckily, I don't have to pay anything because it's still under warranty. It just makes me laugh. Yesterday, was my sister's baby shower, so Saturday night and Sunday were spent deep in baby decorations, food preparation, gifts, and socializing. I think it turned out quite well, though. Oh, I must add...before we went to Hershey, my little sister Becca and I spent the night at my older sister Jessi's house and I had "sister time"....suprised we didn't kill each other! hehe! We went to see Mamma Mia! the movie, and I have to say it was one of the worst I've seen but HIGHLY entertaining. I'd watch it again just for the entertainment value! The quality of performance as a musical was nothing like the stage version, though. I was not at all impressed in that aspect, but then again, that awfulness was probably what made it so entertaining! Well, two more weeks at home and 25 days and counting until my 36 straight hours of travel at the end of which I will hopefully end up in the same place at the same time as Katrin. hehe! I'm sure all will be fine, but my overactive imagination takes me through all the crazy cunundrums that I could...and probably will...encounter on my adventure to get there! I'm slightly worried after being navigator on the Hershey trip and getting lost on more than one occasion! I might be in trouble! Oh, life! All part of the journey! :)

A neon sign...on a church?!

Before I catch up on what's been happening in my life, I must tell about this amazing sign. On my way to or from my day care job, I pass this church. This isn't an ordinary church, though. This church has a neon sign attached to the front. Yes, neon. Like a bar sign. But this sign says, "Jesus Saves." It just cracks me up every time. It is really cool, but so weird. The part that gets me most is that this church is in a little Mayberry-like town, literally like two blocks of a town. And then there's this neon sign. And to top it off, my friend David, the pastor, used to live in the parsonage of this church! haha! What a world! I took a picture of the sign with my *new phone* and will post a picture whenever I figure out how to get it from my phone to the computer.

After quite a long hiatus, here is a bit of an update on my life:

My friends Sandy and David have done it again. They have a Hungarian friend that happens to live about a block away from them, and they introduced me. Her name is Noémi. She's about my friend Katrin's age and is so nice. Her and her husband have a little girl a little less than a year old named Havela (I think that's how you spell it). Anyway, she actually grew up in Sweden because they moved there when she was about four and then moved to the U.S. when she was 17. But she speaks Hungarian fluently...as well as Swedish and English. Her mom (anya in Hungarian) called while I was visiting and they spoke in Hungarian. It was crazy! I got "igen" which means "yes." The rest was...well, Hungarian to me. It was really cool to talk to her, though...in English, and she taught me a few things I didn't know before. And...she has tons of cousins that live just outside of Budapest, so she is going to get in touch with some to show me around some time while I'm there. How cool! That shall be great fun. I'm racking up a nice little list of contacts, too. As mentioned previously, I finally got a new cell phone. Yes, shocking! It's a Samsung Juke...it plays music! Ooooh! (And currently, Josh Groban serenades me whenever anyone calls!) And I actually have reception! The 15th was my apu's (dad in Hungarian) birthday, so we went out to eat and to see my older sister. That's when we all got new phones. We also went to Build-a-Bear. My dad is so ridiculous sometimes. It just cracks me up. His 40th birthday a few years back we spent at Build-a-Bear...by his request! And the frog he built then has four hearts in it, which he constantly reminds us of. He is such a little kid. This time, we got him a dog (we are still looking for a new dog for him...a real one, that is). For some reason, my parents decided to give me a birthday gift super early (my birthday isn't until Sept. 8th...but I will be away). It was a little orange bear with candy corn all over it. For those unaware, I love candy corn. Not sure why, I just do. The bear was kind of a little joke but is super cute, and they put a lot into finding it. So I stuffed it with dad. We had a lot of fun. That same day, I also took my laptop in because it was freaking out. The result: they sent it away for 2-3 weeks! Oh, well, it doesn't really matter because I don't need it for a few weeks anyway...plus the guy at the Geek Squad was really cute. What can I say...I can't help it, I like the geeks. Hopefully they don't do anything like replace the hard drive without telling me like they did last time. Although, I wouldn't mind a whole new computer. I was smart this time and backed up my documents, so all should be okay. Alright, moving on. A few days later, my little sister and I were riding bikes on my day off, and needless to say, I smacked the pavement and now have a pretty good bruise on my chin and a somewhat lame left arm. It sucks. And I'm left-handed. I am not exactly sure what I did to it, but it hurts and is pretty useless. I can pretty much use my hand, so I don't have to type one-handed anymore, but that's about the extent of it's function. Let's just say, at work, my wimpy arm is inhibiting my ability to lift boxes and chase/catch kids around. This sucks. But it could be far worse, so I am thankful for that. Other than that, our entertainment around here has been watching Ace of Cakes on the FoodNetwork...those cakes are crazy amazing!...and watching my very pregnant older sisters belly move...we put a music player on her tummy the one night she was visiting, and Baby Xander (that's going to be my nephew's name) danced around. It was so funny. (Note: When we played opera is when he moved around the most! hehe! Hopefully, he was moving from excitement.) Well, I suppose that is about it for now. I shall add more if I think of it.

Moving to Ecuador

No, not me. Last night, I met some wonderful people who will be. It is a missionary family who visited a nearby church where my sister attends their youth group. Actually, it is my friends Sandy and David's church (the latter happening to be the pastor). I was visiting with Sandy, and we ended up walking over to the sanctuary where Paul Nordland, the father in the family, was speaking to the kids about their lives, what they did as missionaries, and how they would soon be moving to Ecuador to be missionaries there. It was incredible to hear what he had to say. I caught only the second half of his presentation, but I was certainly amazed by God's presence in their lives. He said that when they decided to become missionaries each of them had to downsize to three bins (I'm guessing each one the size of a Rubbermaid container)! And two of them are in storage! My goodness! And I freak out about trying to pack for four months in Europe in two suitcases. But, you know, this family had to have been some of the happiest people I have ever met. When youth group was finished, I waited for my sister. As we left, I wished Paul the best of luck in their endeavors. They still have lengthy paperwork to complete for their visas and will be thrown into a culture that speaks another language. I told him I knew how the paperwork can be exhausting and stressful and how trying to interpret things you don't understand can be extremely frustrating. We got to talking about my trip to Hungary. As soon as I answered I'd being studying music, he instantly replied with Kodály, and that his wife, Karyn, had studied Kodály at the Hartt School in Connecticut. What a small world! We spoke for a short while more, and as we parted he said they'd keep me in their prayers and asked to send them an email or two to tell them how life in Hungary was, and they'd let me know how Ecuador life was going. He said they'd keep me in their prayers. Check out their blog: Nordlands in Ecuador. I think I really needed to meet these people last night. It was God's impeccable timing. They reminded me how blessed I was. That the greatness I do/have done is truly God's greatness, not mine. And that God was watching out for me...and is especially there when I am stressing or freaking out about one thing and worrying about another. Oh, and on the subject of missionaries, my mom met this lady in her Lupus support group (my mom has Lupus) whose friend has been a missionary in Hungary for the past five years. She lives about two hours from where I'll be and has invited me over for a weekend. I think I will take her up on that offer sometime. It be a neat experience to visit the site where she works.

Because why?

You know when you were little and you'd continually ask your mom or dad questions...mostly that they could not answer...and they would always reply with a "Because," to which you would push the question further by answering, "Because why?" Recently, I have found myself asking these questions. (Well, more often that I usually do!) Questions that have no real answer...known to man that is. Perhaps my curiousity has been heightened by watching the little kids at day care as they discover something new in the world but also from the last book I read (yes, the not-so-interesting one). It was basically a travel journal, and the guy said he knew he'd been traveling solo too long when he started to ask himself these questions. His biggest curiousity was "Why do they call it a grapefruit?" He said something to the idea of this: "If you handed me a grapefruit...something yellow, the size of a cannonbal, and sour...a grape is nowhere near the first thing to come to mind, so why do they call it that?" He's right. Why do they call it a grapefruit? (If anyone can answer that for me, I'd love to be enlightened.) But, of course, gave my overactive imagination the beginning of a spiral that is still continuing. I get why they call an orange an orange because it is in fact orange. And watermelon is mostly water. But what about a cantaloupe? This didn't stop at fruit. Why do they call it toilette water if it smells good? Or, in music, who decided what sounded beautiful in harmony, melody, form, etc.? You stick a few notes together and sound them simultaneously, but who decided if it was pretty or ugly? And how could they decide that before equal temperament? Or how did the internet become what it is? I mean, how did virtually all information get there in order for them to have created this thing we call the web? Sure over time it gets there, but in the beginning, who was the brainiac that got it all there in the first place? Alright, I'll stop making your head swim...it's contagious...and I apologize for starting the spiral in your head!


Wow. I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since my last post. My life: work, work, and more work. That's about it. I haven't even really practiced or anything...by the time I get off work, I'm too tired to do much. No worries, though. (Well, doing my best not to stress myself out!) Everything will be just fine. But forgetting about work for now...thoughts on Hungary: sooo excited!! Yes, occasionally I freak about money and sucking at music there, but all that aside, I am super psyched. (I'm sure that's not new news, though!) My little sister Becca attended Bible camp last week. My friend Sandy's husband is the pastor at a church not too far from here, so he invited her. She had a great time, and I got to do some visiting with Sandy and her mommy-in-law. David (her husband) is going to teach me some self-defense this summer, too. He taught me a little bit before I went off to college, but I unfortunately forgot most of it. Oh, and they have a Hungarian lady that attends their church, so they are going to get us together to chat. Fun! My old theatre director from the community theatre I was involved with in high school came to the fruit stand the other day. It was so crazy to see him...and totally unexpected. I looked up to tell him his total and freaked when I saw who it was. It was good to see him, but it made me realize how much I miss all of those people. That theatre really helped me develop as a musician, performer, and a person. And the people there were my greatest friends in those days. However, dance and that theatre are pretty much the only things I miss from high school. You couldn't pay me to go back to high school. Not even a million dollars! I hated high school. It just wasn't full of very good experiences, and never want to relive that hell! But enough of that. Life is absolutely fabulous, and I love it. :)

Life on Planet Ice Cream

It's ice cream time! Yum! It has been quite stifling around here, although yesterday and today, it's cooled off a bit. Monday we hit 96°F, but it's not the heat that'll kill you...it's the humidity! I promise that come September my posts will become far more intriguing and frequent. For now, there isn't always much holding interest to say. I have begun to drive, though. I got my learner's permit last week and since then have been doing a little here and there. (Scheiße--thanks Katrin!--escaped my mouth a few times!) I won't, however, get my actual license until sometime in the spring after coming back from Europe...would be silly to pay insurance when I won't be using it. It's been going quite well...except Monday when a woodchuck ran in front of me, and with no time to react, I hit it!! Poor woodchuck! I freaked out a little because I felt so bad. :( Other than new experiences in a car, I've been working at the day care, which is actually quite enjoyable (except I don't the lady I worked with yesterday appreciated my sense of humor)...I love kids...I can just only take them for so many hours at a time...certainly not ready for any of my own anytime soon! Also, I start working at a produce stand this afternoon. Two part-time jobs, but they aren't bad...and I'll be very grateful to have the money when Europe time comes! 79 days to go! YAY! I am pretty psyched! I have never done the whole switching planes deal and never taken a train, so it's all a little scary, but it'll be an adventure. And a week in Vienna before starting school! How brilliant! The frustrating part is trying to figure out how to go all the places I want to go on this trip and not without soaking up as much as should be. There are many places I would like to see this time around, but even more do not want to pop in and out just to say I was there...I want to really experience each place. Oh, well, I shall try not to fret too much over it...must leave room for spontaneity! Anyway, back to life at home. I've actually been reading. Book I'm reading now is not very interesting, but it's almost over then onto something more exciting. We just got a wii, so my little sister and I have been goofing off with that. And I've been practicing. Only short amounts for now...work back up some stamina after a month off. And I think I really need to start working hard core on solfege and such to prepare myself for Hungary...and learn a little more Hungarian... I have a feeling the ability to say yes, no, please, thank you, hello, orange juice, water, and wine will only get me so far! Brushing up on some German would prove useful, too.

Day Care: It Gives Me Fever!

Out of nowhere, the other day I found myself thinking of the song "Fever" (not unusual...always a song going thru my head!) made most recently popular by Michael Bublé but also sung by such greats as Peggy Lee and Ella. It's a pretty snappy song. I like it! However, this most recent thought of it was not so pleasant. There was no presence of love giving me fever; children's sneezes did: my part-time job at the day care got me sick!...and after only two days at that! From Tuesday thru Saturday, I was on the couch with a fever of 102°F!! It was ridiculous! I haven't been that sick since the fifth or sixth grade! Sure, I come down with a little headcold a couple times a year, some more severe than others, but I can handle that. This was far more than I bargained for! I survived unscathed from the plagues in dorms and classrooms (and let me tell you...germ heaven sometimes!), but not this. (No, I'm not bitter!) Oh, well. Most is well now. Just left with a bit of stuffiness and limited mobility of the voice. What really breaks my heart, though, is that just before I was brought down by the evil day care plague, I had decided that I was ready to return to my music. I missed it, and it was time. And now, I won't be able to return to it for a little while longer due to recooperation time tables. *Sigh* On the bright side of life, this sickness made me really want it. Singing, that is. Practicing. I have not felt that strongly about a desire to practice while at home in a long while. I knew when I came home, that it was necessary to step away before music became a chore, as it was the rain cloud's shadows were foreboding. This is good, but now I'm aching to do some laughing above that treble staff! haha! Another good thing: I acquired Josh Groban's amazing Awake Live DVD. Ah! It's pretty fabulous! :)