My Perfect Running Partner

Lilo!!! Who knew? That dog is amazing. I decided with my extra time today to get a bit of a jog in. Lilo set the perfect pace, enjoyed breaks, and made running as fast as I physically can fun. Yep, that's what I said- FUN! I was literally giggling. We went in a big loop around my neighborhood. It wasn't a long walk, I would have gone longer if I hadn't forgotten water... but hey! It's a great start! I think I'll work on it all summer. We'll go earlier in the day so her feet don't get so hot. And I'll bring water for both of us, I forgot that one today... not smart. But the neighbor kids had a lemonade stand! After I put Lilo in her pen, watered her up, and gave her a serious belly rub, I grabbed some cash and gave those kids the tip of their lives. It felt so great :) {the lemonade, and probably the tip too} A cute big brother (9? 10?) was laying down in the shade, just enjoying his time on this planet. His little brother and sister were running around ringing a bell, holding a sign: 'Lemonade, 25c' and yelling "LEMONADE! LEMONADE!!!". It was way too cute to pass up. Yes, another woman was lost in that instant to the "cute tactic" that many young sales people employ. Well, when I came back with my 2.00$ for that 25c cup of crystal light, the big brother gazed up from under the umbrella and said "Thank you. It's for the kids' future. I'm their manager. I don't need the money anymore." Well, having experience with my brothers, my brain put on its sassy pants and I thought: mmmhhhmm. You is gonna take all of that good money, aint you punk? I seen the likes of yous before. Yeah, don't judge, my sassy self has bad grammar, (some of it leaks through sometimes but meh! what can I say.). Anyway, it was a great day, and a great start.

Whoa Life, hold on a second!

And we thought March would be easy after February... Ha! Not allowed. Life is running faster and faster and I'm loving it so much! Ryan got his mission call tonight- Manchester, England! And Adam gets his next week. I have to admit, maybe I'm a little jealous. I want to go on my mission! But I'm going to start college in the fall at the University of Who-Knows-Where and that's going to be an adventure! It's so difficult to decide where to go! My top three: BYU, Utah, Utah State. Am I un-Utahan to be considering all three? But I could get a full ride for an associates at Snow College too. Lots of prayers spent on this subject :) There is so much to say and so much to be done! I must now write a Honors Physics paper on Nicola Tesla. And yes, I realize that I haven't finished writing about DC- lame sauce. 
Hey, I'll get there eventually! I'm having so much fun! I can hardly believe all the amazing things that I see around me and get to be a part of. I'm very grateful for my friends and family!  :) (I'll write more later)

Holy Guacamole!

Life is SO crazy and exciting!!!

Tonight, just after I snapped my retainer in, my cell phone started ringing. It being 9:00 pm, I hesitantly answered so as to ensure my lisp wouldn't come through. Barbara Scrocroft was on the phone!!!! Holy Guacamole- what did I do to deserve the honor of getting a phone call from my beloved conductor of the Utah Youth Symphony? She informed me that I was chosen to be a part of the Side by Side concert!!! To be honest, not knowing that I would ever have the chance to be nominated for such an honor, I didn't pay much attention to what little information they gave us about it at previous rehearsals. Never fear, I sent an email to Barb in reply and asked her what I needed to do to prepare for it. But back to the phone call!!! Barb said that I was chosen because I work hard, play well, and have a happy personality :) Today, we had a festival at Abravanel Hall where both groups played 4 movements of the Prokofiev's we've been working on (Phil: Lieutenant Kije, Symphony Orch: Suite 2 Romeo and Juliet). In the Troika, Barb galloped a bit of Gangam Style and pointed to me in the back of the orchestra :D :D :D At a previous rehearsal, I had started the brass section doing that while we rested- when she saw us, she made us stand up and do it while the orchestra played so they could see from what she got so much enjoyment. It was so much fun! Then, beaming she remembered that during the concert! I was sooo happy!!! I thought I did awful at the festival today, but apparently it wasn't so bad! EEP! I had so much fun!!! It is always an honor to play at Abravanel Hall and especially with all my friends. I will definitely keep you posted about the Side by Side! What an honor :)

Tomorrow I have an audition/interview for the second round of Sterling Scholar in our region! This Friday I'm auditioning for scholarships in the School of Music at Snow College, and Last Sat I did the same thing at the University of Utah. I NEVER thought all this would happen! Who knows what's in store! I'm so grateful for my Heavenly Father who surely has a hand in my life. I'm so happy!