Mother's Day

This Mother's Day, I feel pretty lame because my planned gift fell through, and now I have nothing to give to my mother or grandmother. However, I wish to express my love and gratitude for these two women.

Now that I am almost 18, and have seen many other lifestyles, I realize the true sheltered nature of my own. Shockingly, not everyone irons every t-shirt, pair of pants (including jeans) and pillowcase. Not everyone has a gallon-sized Ziploc of individually bagged homemade chocolate chip cookies, with two to a baggie, of course, making them perfect to grab for lunches(or breakfast). Not everyone can buy pants which are 5 inches too long, take them down to the basement and come back with custom-tailored jeans, hemmed exactly to my height. Not everyone borrows their grandmother's clothes for big occasions, such as musical auditions and the first day of school. Not everyone wishes their feet were just a little smaller so they can also borrow from said grandma's extensive selection of shoes. Not everyone can go to grandma's house and snack on either homemade cookies or bread at any given time.

Not everyone has Denise Wood for a mother and Charlotte Petersen for a grandma.

Some of my favorite memories from this school year happened in my grandma's kitchen. I loved spending my off-periods from school having lunch with grandma. While eating cheese tostadas and apples, we would talk about boys, school, friends, and the gospel. To have grandma with a sound mind and body is blessing enough, but to have a grandma so rooted in the gospel is one of my greatest blessings. I love hearing about what she's praying for and how she communicates with her Heavenly Father. Even at 80-years-old, she works each day to improve. I love her so much.

My mother is another woman rooted in the gospel. Her quiet, spiritual strength and steadfastness teach me and bless me so much. One of our missionaries commented last week at dinner that home is truly centered in the the gospel. This was a wonderful reminder to me, because I realize that I take that blessing for granted. My mother also works tirelessly to serve our family and her parents. She is a wonderful example of productivity and rejection of the desire to be idle. At points of physical exhaustion which would leave many passed out at the sewing machine, my Mom keeps working. Just give her a Diet Pepsi Big Gulp with a shot of cherry Slurpee, and she can sew five more kilts, proofread your scholarship application, and mix up some bread for tomorrow's dinner.

What I most appreciate about these two women is the close bond I feel to them both. I know that the Lord put us on earth together to strengthen each other. I am so grateful that I will be with them forever.

Happy Mother's Day Mom, Grandma, Susan, Jessie, Michelle, and all the other strong and beautiful women I look up to! Today, I hope for you to see the good you do each day for me, your families, and countless others.

A Wonderful Weekend

This is a post I started over two months ago in between classes, and forgot about. Sorry for the severe level of outdated news.

I spent last weekend in Provo, part of which included my audition for BYU's music program. I decided almost two years ago that I wanted to study music in college, and since then, my piano teacher, Vicki Duckworth, supplied me with the necessary material and instruction to prepare. However, that decision also created a dilemma. BYU's only piano degree, Piano Performance, combines performance studies with pedagogy. I am more interested in the pedagogy aspect, which is learning how people learn how to play the piano and understand music. My piano teacher exemplifies talent, service, and musicality to me, and I want to be her; she is an amazing accompanist, and though the most musically talented individual I know, also the most humble. Every school should offer a Vicki Duckworth Degree. (Vicki and I have a close personal and musical relationship and when I told her my dream, she said she would give me a scholarship! I love her.)

Considering the limited piano study options offered at the Y, and my refusal to attend any other school, I decided a few months ago that Piano Performance major was not for me. I know myself well enough to know that I could not be happy locked in a creepy HFAC practice room for 4+ hours a day. I love music, and playing piano is my greatest release and high, but I don't play for competition. I don't want to be "the" best; I want to be my best. I knew my choice was right because I felt confident and relieved, and my teacher sealed the deal when she stood up next to the piano bench at the lesson when I told her and hugged me. She knows my musical self better than I do, and I think she felt the way I do for a while. Again, I just love Vicki Duckworth.

Last weekend was the weekend, and with pieces practiced and memorized, I flew to Provo last Friday. On Thursday night, my Dad gave me a father's blessing, in which he blessed me with many things I had not even thought of, but was grateful to have. In my frenzy to memorize a Bach Prelude and Fugue, Schumann Novelette, and Mozart Sonata, I forgot why I practice and play piano. My Dad blessed me to be able to remember and feel once again the passion I have for music, and playing the instument I love. This blessing and resulting strength allowed me to be excited more than nervous for my audition. Even on Saturday morning, when I was down by the HFAC practice rooms, surrounded by auditioners, I felt great.

The audition itself was a quick 10 minutes. My memory blanked near the beginning of my Prelude, but I recovered and moved onto the next section I knew. I wish that I could have played more of my Novelette, because that piece is my favorite, and most expressive for me, but the directors cut me off before I was half-way through. The weakest part of my audition was the scales, however. I did not practice the scales, because Mrs. Duckworth and I do not enjoy spending time on them. They're boring. Unfortunately, the scales were at the very end of the audition, and the two I was asked to play--A flat major and minor--were especially difficult. Aside from the butchered scales, I left the Nelke Theater accomplished and extremely relieved.

The best part of the weekend was spending buddy time with Charlotte. I'm so excited to be out at the Y together next year, and have even more time to share Kraft Mac n' Cheese, Thin Mints, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson movies!

A Start

My english teacher started a blog for our AP English class, and since I already had a user name, I thought that I might as well start my own blog and join the ranks of my blogging friends and family.

Facing the second semester of my senior year of high school, I am trying to make the most out of the time I have left living at home and going to school where I am at the top before everything changes next year. My goals include:

1. Making up for the past year and a half of seminary tardies by turning waking up on time into a habit. I'm going for 21 days in a row, because a P.E. substitute I had in elementary school told our class that it takes that long to form a habit. I feel so much better in the morning when I wake up before 5, than when I wait until the last second, hurry to get ready, and walk into seminary late, then suffer the angry glares of the boy across from me because he was on time, but I have cocoa and Frosted Mini Wheats.

2. Make up for the past 3 and a half years of giving the sacrament meeting hymns to the organist at the last minute by picking them at the beginning of each week, or month if I feel especially ambitious.

I can't remember many specific goals that I made at the beginning of the month, but my main hope for this semester is that I can become more of who the Lord wants me to be. I am always amazed by how much He gave me by sending me to my faithful, wonderful family, my healthy body, and blessing me with a testimony, and many opportunites for growth. I want to make the most of what I have and who I am. I want to be awesome!Question: How might I rotate and/or delete a photo from my post? I'm struggling. I also realize that my picture at the top is huge. Any suggestions?