A Little Reflection on 2012

Well, here we are at the end of another December, and it's time to look back and remember all the year's blessings.... and then make a list of commitments we hope to stick to next year. I've never been good at keeping my New Year Resolutions though, so here's a little reflection on my 2012. So much has changed since this time last year. But I have to say... I'm pretty darn happy with the way this year turned out. :)

In January, I was basketball homecoming queen. I had so much fun. I was honored to represent THS!

I can't believe this was almost a year ago!

The next day, I auditioned for Belmont's School of Music. Then, in March, I made the decision to attend Belmont. Until I got to school, I felt nervous (and a little guilty) about my decision, but now I see that it was the best choice for me. 

In May, I graduated from Tullahoma High School! Graduation was so bittersweet.. I was afraid to leave the comfort of high school, home, and Tullahoma, but I know that without THS I would not be where I am today. 

I miss my straight-across bangs!

After a spectacular (and long!) summer, I moved to Nashville for school. I am so blessed. I met a great group of friends who help me through the most difficult days. And now I even have a boyfriend! :O 

Graham and me in the fall! Not the best picture of me, but aren't we presh?

My first semester at Belmont was stressful... but wonderful. I was enrolled in 2 honors classes, 4 music classes, private horn lessons, and 3 ensembles. I ended the semester with 1 B+, 7 A's, and 3 P's (for "pass" in a pass/fail course). I also performed in 14 concerts and worked ahead in piano so I can skip the next piano course.

This is from Christmas at Belmont. We performed 3 2-hour-long concerts in one weekend!

Needless to say, I am glad to be home for 3 weeks of rest. Next semester, I'll take 2 more honors courses, 6 music courses, and 3 ensembles. Hopefully I'll be more efficient and organized than I was this semester! After one semester, though, I have definitely seen that Belmont is the place for me.

2012 threw several challenges my way, but each one of them was an opportunity for me to learn a little more about myself. Now, here's to a great Christmas and an unforgettable new year!

Stuff I've Learned in College.... so far

Hi everyone! Well, I'm in college! Woooo! Here are some things I've learned here... besides the geography of the ancient Mediterranean world and how to make up harmonies for a melody line on piano.

P.S. I apologize for the random assortment of photos on this blog. I don't take many pictures!

1. You make friends quickly.

College is different. You live here. You eat 2 meals a day in the caf, you walk around to all your classes, and you hang out on the weekends here. You gotta have people to eat, walk, and hang out with! So, you get really close to your friends. I have the besssssttt friends here at Belmont. They are incredible. They help me chill out, they make me think about things I've never thought about before, and they even got me to church last Sunday! I love y'all!

A recent excursion to downtown Nashville

2. You don't sleep.

Seriously, though. Maybe it's just because I'm a music major in 3 ensembles and I'm in the honors program.... but I never sleep. I'm actually getting used to only getting 6 hours of sleep every night, instead of the 8-9 hours I got in high school. But for me, it would be impossible to do well in school AND music, AND have a decent social life if I were worried about getting to bed on time every night. Thankfully, I don't have class until 12:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.... mwahahah.

My weekly schedule - the iPhone app I used for this is called  iStudiez Pro. I totally recommend it!

3. You gotta drink water.

Okay. Okay. Water is essential. I have a really nice Camelbak water bottle that I carry around EVERYWHERE. Every day. It's a half liter, and I refill it 3 times a day. Whenever I forget to bring my bottle with me in the morning, I feel so dehydrated and gross all day. And with all this meningitis stuff floating around, I'm doing whatever I can to keep from getting sick. That includes attaching a mini bottle of germ-x to the side of my purse. No shame!

This is the graffiti inside the bathroom stalls on my floor of the dorm building. I love this school! :)

4. Weather is hard.

MEH. In high school, if it was pouring down rain or even storming, it was alright because the only time I was outside was when I went from my car to the school. In college, it's way different. I have to walk all over the campus every day (my ensemble rehearsals are off-campus at the concert hall), and when it's pouring rain, that's not fun. Thankfully, I have a good raincoat and an umbrella. It's difficult, but you just gotta be prepared.

My side of my dorm room! I've tweaked a few things since I took this picture on move-in day, but it still looks basically the same. I still want to do some stuff to it to make it feel more comfortable. What do you think?

5. Check. Your. Email.

Just for this reason, it's so beneficial to have a smartphone as a college student. Professors send important messages in email form, and you can be totally lost if you haven't checked your inbox. I check my email like four times a day! I even figured out how to forward my Belmont email to my Gmail account... Yeah, that was a stroke of genius for me.

The beautiful view from the top of the parking garage

6. Upperclassmen want to help you. Seriously.

If you're a freshman in college and you have a question about anything about your school, you're stupid if you don't ask an upperclassman. Every older student I've met is so eager to help with my issues. Last weekend, I went on a retreat with the freshman and some upperclassman honors students. The upperclassmen answered all of my questions and concerns, and even led a devotional Sunday morning that focused on letting go of your worries. Upperclassmen have most likely been through the same experiences you have, and they probably know what they're doing by now. If any of you are reading this, thank you so much for your help, and I'm sorry for asking you so many questions all the time!

Our cabins at the honors retreat to Barefoot Republic in Kentucky

7. We're all in this together!

As cheesey as that sounds, it's so true. We're all stressing out over tests, reading, presentations, music, and life. We all have stressful days. But if we stick together, we can make it through these four years! If not for my amazing friends and classmates, I think I would explode. You have to make time to have fun. You can't stay cooped up in your room all day doing homework.. Your mind will get bored and start wandering! So whether you take a long walk around campus, go out to eat, watch a movie on Netflix, or go to a concert, it's so important to free your mind for a few hours when you're feeling overwhelmed.

Even though this list makes it seem like college is horrible and stressful and killer, college is actually really fun. It's a little weird at first, since there's no curfew and no parents. But once you find a good group of friends who help you chill out on your most stressful days, you can actually have a great time.
I'm so happy to be here at Belmont! I love it here. I love Nashville. I love the people I've met who are from across the country. I'm so thankful for everyone who helped get me here, especially my parents. Thank y'all for sticking with me on this crazy journey! I'll post again once I think of a decent topic ;D Keep a smile on your face!

Last post before college... Whoah!

Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting all summer, but I really haven't done many exciting things. It has been a great summer, though. Okay, okay, it doesn't compare to last summer, but it's still been pretty wonderful.

First, I went to freshman orientation at Belmont. It was incredible! I got to learn the campus a lot better, and I scheduled all my classes for the fall. I met a lot of people, but orientation was hectic and we were all going to different places, so it was hard to actually make friends. Anyway, one of the best parts about orientation was getting to tour my dorm building, Wright Hall. The rooms are huge! Here's me being super excited about my gigantic closet!

It's huge! I'm so glad I don't have to worry about leaving clothes at home. Paradise!

A few weeks after orientation, I went to camp at Belmont. It was a week-long camp for high school musicians. Sure, it was a camp for high schoolers, but I was excited to spend a week at Belmont and to meet the French horn professor (he's wonderful!). Before camp, I had no idea that I would make great friends there. I met two girls who will also be freshmen in the fall, and we had a fantastic time that week. We ate every meal together, walked around together, and even watched the entire first season of Teen Wolf. Yeah, we're cool :) I can't wait to see Abby and Lisa again when we move in! 

We wore matching outfits for the camp dance/karaoke party

After our concert... It's not "goodbye", it's "see you in two months"!!!

We also got to tour Belmont's brand new concert hall! We'll get to play here in the fall... It's so beautiful!!

Ahhh!

Okay. Since camp, I haven't done anything really noteworthy. Meh! But I'll post some photos just for fun :)

Well. Here's a cute little outfit I figured out. I wore it to a production of Oliver here in Tullahoma. It was a great night!

It's so close! I move in Saturday and classes start Wednesday!

Well, here's my progress in packing for school. It's taking over my house... :|

And here's my awesome new Lenny & Eva bracelet from Merle Norman! I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Okie dokie, there's my totally uneventful summer in picture form :P Maybe I'll be able to post again with photos of my dorm, but I'm not entirely sure how busy I'll be once I get to school.

I'm so blessed to have parents who are willing to send me to my dream school! I can't wait to get to Belmont; this school is truly a blessing. I am absolutely certain that I belong at Belmont and in Nashville. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next. It will be difficult to leave Tullahoma, my dog, my cat, my bed, and of course my parents, but I know they'll all be here for me when I get the chance to come visit. It's going to be a big change, but there are 1,800 other freshmen going through the same thing, and I'm ready to meet the challenge with them! I'm thankful for my college friends who have given me advice along the way.. So if you're reading this, know I couldn't have stayed sane without you!  

Thank you for supporting me through this crazy journey. Thanks for reading my blog! 

Sorry it's a little late... But.. I GRADUATED!

So this is 3 weeks late, but yup, I graduated. Graduation week was pretty busy. I had lots of little events during the week...

First was baccalaureate. It was a Christian service led by students. We all wore our caps and gowns for the first time, too! 

My dad and me! <3

That afternoon, I had a party with my family. It was a blast!

My grandma and me.. Check out that Belmont shirt! 

The luncheon was right after graduation practice. It was nice! We had all submitted pictures of ourselves as babies for a little slideshow. Yeah that was cool.

Matthew, Faith, me, and Jake at the luncheon! Don't we look cute?

The night after the luncheon, we had the band banquet! The band banquet is always fun, but it was even better as a senior. The directors gave out awards, we watched a slideshow of pictures from marching band, the seniors gave advice to underclassmen, and of course we read "senior sticks." Senior sticks are a weird tradition in the band.. I don't really know how to explain them, but they're unique and entertaining.. I was also awarded the Tullahoma Band scholarship! I was soooo happy.

FC's!!! These two made my season lots of fun! I'm so thankful for them!

And of course... graduation :D Yaaaaay.

After graduation, I went to project graduation.. I didn't want to carry my phone around because I was afraid I would lose it. So I didn't get any pictures! But I did win $200, a Nike duffel bag, and a Hibbett's gift card! Plus I had lots of fun playing games and hanging out with the class of 2012! 

SO. Graduation week was a huge success. I was sad for a few minutes, but I'm ready to move on! I actually just had orientation at Belmont this week. I can't waaaaaiiiit to go. See ya later, friends! Thanks for reading! 

Graduation Festivities

WOW, I haven't posted in almost 2 whole months! I'm really sorry, readers. I've been super busy lately.. So that just means I have a lot to write about this time! So here we go.

When I left you, I had just confirmed my enrollment to Belmont University in Nashville. I'm still planning on going to Belmont, and I am so excited. 

Here's a little sneak peek at what my graduation gown looks like with my stoles and cords. You will have to wait until the next post to see the whole thing!

A few weeks after that, I went to Chattanooga to be in the All-State Orchestra. I earned a spot in All-State from my Mid-State audition back in November. I was third overall in middle Tennessee, and 6 of us got to go to All-State. In the orchestra, there were only 6 French horns - 2 from east TN, 2 from middle, and 2 from west. Our conductor was Steven Amundson, who conducts at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Yeahh, he had a funny accent. :) He was incredible, and he even composed a song for us to play. For anyone that cares, we played Candide Overture, Nimrod, Serendipities (the piece which our conductor wrote - our performance was the WORLD premiere!), and the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. All-State was an amaaaaazing experience. I got to see my Governor's School friends - I hadn't seen some of them since July 1, 2011. So... Playing with the All-State musicians was fun.. But the greatest part was hanging out with my friends from Knoxville and Memphis. I miss my friends already; spending 4 days with them was NOT enough. I've never met people like them, and I can only pray that I will meet such wonderful people in the future.

This is me and one of my friends outside the Tivoli Theater before our concerts. 

Okay, I'm about to cry. Time to move on to the next thing.

Two weeks after All-State was opening night for my school's production of The Phantom of the Opera. This is a big deal, y'all. Before this year, THS had not put on a musical in 15 years. And with the whole ordeal with our auditorium's roof collapsing and not getting fixed for 6 years.... needless to say, we did not have a strong theater program. Well, in January, we got a new theater teacher/director, Mr. Miller. He is young and ambitious, and he knew that if we didn't put on something big, then our musical may not be successful. He and our principal, Mr. Landis, decided to put on Phantom of the Opera. I have to admit, I didn't think it was going to happen. BUT IT HAPPENED. I played in the orchestra for the musical. It was a lot of work, but nowhere near the amount of work that the cast and crew put in. I am so proud of and happy for them. The show was amazing. We raised a ton of money for the theater program, and honestly I cannot wait to see how it improves in the next few years. 

I don't have a picture of our cast and crew, but our production really sparked my obsession with Phantom! I bought the 25th anniversary production on Blu-Ray. Ahh! It's so good.

The day after our fourth and final Phantom show, I had my last concert with the THS Band. Geez, being a senior is difficult. So many "lasts"! I was focused on the music during the whole concert UNTIL right before the last piece, one of my band directors said, "We're going to have our seniors stand up because this is the last time they'll perform on this stage." Oh my gosh. That killed me. I almost broke down, and I could hardly play for the first part of our last song. Now why did he have to say that? Goodness, my heart. I'm going to miss the THS Band more than I can express. I seriously do not know where I would be without it. 

I don't have a picture from the concert, but here's a picture from the program. The band is getting new uniforms next year, and they changed the logo to its original design (from before we got the current uniforms). I think it looks so sharp!

The week of the concert, I had my Advanced Placement tests. Advanced Placement tests are nationally standardized tests. They're a big deal, y'all. These tests determine whether you get college credit for taking a college-level course. At THS, if you get an A in an AP class, you get a 5.0 averaged into your GPA. People always ask how AP is more difficult than a Motlow class, but if you get an A in a Motlow (community college) course, you only get a 4.5. If you get a certain score on an AP course, then your college will exempt you from the introductory level of that course. However, at most private schools, Motlow classes don't transfer. SO, that's why I've taken the extra time, effort, and brain power to take AP courses instead of Motlow courses. Anyway, on May 7th I took the Psychology AP exam, and on May 10th I took the English Literature one. They were total brain-drains, but I feel pretty good about them. Last year I took U.S. History, English Language, and Microeconomics (economics for businesses, as opposed to Macroeconomics, which is more government-focused). I will get college credit for my English and Microeconomics tests, so I'm pretty happy about that! For this year's tests, I studied more than I have ever studied before. Seriously. I wasn't worried about failing, but I knew I needed to study... Man. I'm glad those are over! Because students across the country take the same tests, I won't get my scores back until late July. Soooo, I'll let you know how that goes!

These are vocabulary flash cards from ONE unit of AP psychology. There were 14 units! This is biological psych.

Okay. After my AP English exam, I only had a few days of high school left. The next Monday - the 14th - was senior awards night. This is where the local scholarships were given out. I received a scholarship from Kiwanis International for being an outstanding Key Club member. I was so happy - I have really enjoyed my time in Key Club, and I was ecstatic to get a scholarship for it! Before the program, though, I got a scholarship in my mailbox! I got a $2,000 scholarship from the Avon Foundation for Women. WOW!! That will really help. I am so thankful! 

On senior awards day at school, I couldn't attend because I was taking an AP exam. But I received honors awards for psychology, Spanish, and history! My teachers were recognizing me for being a good student, but I really should be thanking all of them. 

The next night was the Brass Recital. We had all the middle school and high school brass players play a piece together, and there were also some small ensembles and soloists. I played a piece with the brass from the Symphonic Band, one with all the French horns, and then the one with all the brass players. I also played my solo! Ahhh, my solo is difficult. If you want to look it up, it's called Adagio and Allegro by Robert Schumann. I only played part of it, though, because I didn't think everyone would want to listen to 10 minutes of me playing. I played some of the Allegro part... Allegro means fast, and boy... That thing is fast! It went really well, though. I got a lot of compliments! It's so  nice to see the middle schoolers get to play with the high schoolers. I remember when I was in middle school; I thought the high schoolers were so old-looking and intimidating! I mean, some of them had FACIAL HAIR! Whooooah! hehehe :)

Tuesday was also my last day of high school. Wednesday was supposed to be my last day, but all of my teachers told me that I didn't have to go on Wednesday. I just had to clean out my locker, turn in a textbook, and take care of a few last things before leaving THS forever. It seems so unreal that I'm finished with high school. I'm on summer break, but it feels like I'll be going back to THS band camp in the middle of July. I can't decide whether I'm happy or sad.. I've never felt this much emotional turmoil! It's just hard to believe that I won't be a student of Tullahoma City Schools. It's been 13 years! I'm so thankful for TCS, though, and for all the teachers who have helped me out along the way. And I can't thank my family and friends enough for supporting me - especially my parents. They paid for me to go to Tullahoma schools (because we don't live in Tullahoma), they went to all my football games, and they always made sure I had time to focus on schoolwork. SO if you're one of those people who's supported me throughout my 18.5 years, THANK YOU! I would NOT be here without you. 

My mom was getting pretty nostalgic last night, and she found all these pictures of me growing up.

Well, my next post will probably be about graduation. I've got a lot coming up: Baccalaureate, graduation party, senior luncheon, band banquet, graduation, and project grad... I'm looking forward to it! Thank you for reading!

About a week ago, I got to pick out a Pandora bracelet as a graduation gift! I don't get to wear it until after my graduation party, though. Bluhhh!

This is my senior prophecy in the school newspaper. The seniors write these for each other, predicting where we'll all be in 10 years. I pray that this little prophecy comes true! 

Confirming Enrollment

Well, folks, I finally made a decision.
I'm going to Belmont University!


I am SO ridiculously excited.
How am I going to survive the last 8 weeks of high school? I have no friggin' idea.

After a loooong talk on the balcony of our condo at Pigeon Forge, my parents and I decided that every aspect of Belmont is perfect for me. I am so proud/excited to be a Belmont bruin!!

That's right!

MY NEW HOME.

Yeah, yeah, you know I couldn't get through my enrollment confirmation without taking some cheesy photos!

I am SO thankful to God for making this possible and to my parents for being so supportive! My parents never really made me feel like I had to choose another school because of the money. I'm so blessed  that they are letting me go to my dream school.

Thanks for following my college decision process, friends! I'm so lucky to call Belmont home!

Spring Break Update

Hello everyone! I am posting this blog from Pigeon Forge, TN, where my parents and I are spending our spring break. This is the second week of my school's break, and I am so glad to be spending it here. Well, the title says it's an update, so here goes.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, THS hosted the MTSBOA (Middle TN School Band and Orchestra Association) Concert Performance Assessment. Bands from southern middle TN came to THS to play their concert music and be graded on it. We had to have a LOT of student volunteers to make this work. We needed people to set up the stage for each band, people to work at the registration desk, judges' assistants, and band guides... Each band had an assigned warm-up time, performance time, and sight-reading time. Each of these activities was in a different location. SO, the band guides had to lead the bands to each room. That was my job. I loved it! I got to observe several band directors. I saw plenty of good things that directors did with their bands. I enjoyed volunteering, even though it took up an entire two days of my much-needed break from school.

On Friday, I went to my cousin Kacy's wedding rehearsal dinner. I got to meet the other bridesmaids, eat a great meal (Kacy had picked the menu and we love the same foods), and run through the wedding a couple of times. I had never even BEEN to a wedding before, and so the rehearsal was new to me! To be honest, I really had no idea what was going on for a really long time. By the last run through, though, I understood everything. Or mostly everything.

The wedding was Saturday, and it was beautiful. It was at the theater at Motlow State C.C. and the colors were dark red and black. The theme was Disney. All the bridesmaids and Kacy got to Motlow several hours early to chill and start getting ready. The other bridesmaids were super friendly and the time flew by. The ceremony was wonderful. I didn't legitimately cry, but I got teary eyed several times... when Kacy came down the aisle, when Jeremy sang to Kacy, and when someone introduced my cousin as "Kacy Wilson." That's definitely going to take some getting used to! I am so glad Kacy found her match. I'm super happy for them. I wish them all the best!
Sorry I don't have any photos of the wedding. I'll make another post after Kacy posts her pictures on Facebook so I can steal them, hehe! Here's a little picture my mom took of me before the ceremony.

I LOVE THIS DRESS. I can totally wear it to other fancy functions! And look! WE GOT TO WEAR FLATS!! Thanks, Kacy, for not making us wear ugly dresses and heels. And look at the adorable Minnie ears and necklace :)

College Decision Update

• Do I have a college decision? No.
• Do I have more scholarship information? Yes: a music scholarship from Belmont - and I'm almost positive my TTU music scholarship is in my mailbox at home right now.
• Am I very, very close to making a decision? Yes.
• Have I talked everything over with my parents? Yes.
  
  
  Right now, my parents and I have pretty much come to a conclusion about where I will be spending the next four years. We are extremely excited, but we don't want to "make it public" until after we have sent in an enrollment confirmation. Get ready for a cliche here... I feel as though the world has been lifted off my shoulders. My anxiety and nervousness is gone because the uncertainty is gone. Basically, I am 99.9% sure of where I will be going this fall, and the only reason I'm not screaming it from the rooftops is that I want to wait until everything is official. After that, I will be sure to make a new blog post.
  
  
  See you soon, everyone! Thanks for reading!
  Remember: Never give up; you never know who is looking up to you.