I'm going to cut right to the chase here.
A Life Lesson with Karla, brought to you by Delta Airlines:
Life Lesson #6: Be careful what you wish for. As they say, you just might get it.
After a semester of emotional ups and downs, inconsistencies, and trying to make peace with change, I am finding myself blogging on a couch in the basement of my grandmother's house instead of upstairs hanging out with family. Granted, it doesn't help that I've been up till 2am the past two nights and then getting up early the next day, so being tired is a part of this apathetic funk that I feel like I'm in. But if I push away the exhaustion, there's a feeling in my gut that I haven't felt for a long time. After many conversations and late nights losing sleep over seemingly uncontrollable feelings, I am finally, blissfully alone.
Completely and totally alone.
This is what I wished for. I know it's what I want deep down. But even being surrounded by family and dozens of cookie tins, I can't seem to reach myself where I am. I'm in such a different place than I've been in a long time and for some reason no amount of food, alcohol, or close friends and family can just be with me where I am.
I used to think I would relish in this feeling. No obligations, no commitments, no nada. As Billy Crystal said in When Harry Met Sally (I'm improvising a little), "It's not because I'm lonely and it's not because it's Christmas!" There aren't any special circumstances that contribute to this feeling of utter alone-ness. And I feel like you can be alone without being lonely - I'm not lonely. I guess I'm just confused. I thought for the longest time that I would arrive at this point with a solid grounding in myself and confidence that I've made the right decisions in the past few months. But all I can seem to muster up is a feeling of disappointment, like I haven't really been honest with myself and like I haven't yet committed to the idea of being alone.
When you wish for something, you never quite know how it's going to show up. It might ring your doorbell, call you late at night, or just slap you in the face when you least expect it. I think my remedy for this funk is going to be a good cry, a few Special K bars, and surrounding myself with family. Maybe I'll even use this experience to practice grace, not just with other people but with myself this time.
....
Okay! So after that downer of a post, here are ten things that have been good in the past couple of weeks:
1. First casino experience. Lost $14, but that's okay. It was worth it.
2. I've eaten more brie in the past week than I have in my entire life.
3. You know it's Christmas when my grandmother has an entire closet full of Christmas cookie tins.
4. I skipped a two-day road trip with my parents by flying to Minneapolis instead and hanging out with two of my favorite people.
5. I frosted Engbring Christmas cookies for the first time in 6 years today.
6. The pillow that I sleep on is encased in a flannel pillow case with dancing penguins.
7. Christmas at Luther 2008 is on upstairs, and I can hear my parents scream every time they see my sister on the television. Makes me smile.
8. Discovered my new favorite wine: Eroica Riesling
9. White chocolate pretzels.
10. Picking out the Christmas pajamas for me and my sister.
Here's to new beginnings, Wisconsin Public Television, and flannel. Merry Christmas, friends.
December 23, 2011
December 9, 2011
emotional french fries
Well, I mostly survived The Week from Hell. Mostly.
It is now the end of the last week of classes and then next week is exam week. Why is it that the ends of semesters are always so annoyingly busy? I have four finals to study for, three performances in the next 5 days, two violins to break in, and a partridge in a pear tree. Or something like that.
So, 10 things that I've learned in the past week. Ready, go:
1. I love butter toffee almonds. I could eat them all day.
2. My attempt at grace really failed last weekend. Grace is more difficult than I thought.
3. McDonalds fries have the power to cure any mental/emotional ailment. At least for the amount of time it takes to eat them.
4. I love folk music. Or singer/songwriter folk music. That is the stuff that really gets to me. Oh, it's so delicious.
5. Pressing on is really the only thing you can do. Just gotta keep moving.
6. Beethoven's favorite food was macaroni and cheese. We have that in common.
7. I know what I want. And I know that the way to get there isn't easy, but oh well. What tough stuff in my life has ever been easy?
8. I'm figuring out how to push through the pain. Like, when I workout. It's really fun to feel the burn in my abs and say, "Yeah? What now? Take that, abs!" They get mad at me afterwards, but they know it's good for them.
9. Communication is key. I keep having to relearn this one.
10. I am a better human being when I make to-do lists. Whether I actually do those things or not is another story, but making lists makes me feel better about myself.
Needless to say, it's been another emotional week of inconsistencies, problems, and the little dramas that seem to dominate college life. One more week until I am on the downstairs couch with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, staring at our gorgeous Christmas tree. Bring it on, finals. Ain't nothing keeping me from getting back to Georgia.
Here's to sleeping in, new music, and Beethoven.
It is now the end of the last week of classes and then next week is exam week. Why is it that the ends of semesters are always so annoyingly busy? I have four finals to study for, three performances in the next 5 days, two violins to break in, and a partridge in a pear tree. Or something like that.
So, 10 things that I've learned in the past week. Ready, go:
1. I love butter toffee almonds. I could eat them all day.
2. My attempt at grace really failed last weekend. Grace is more difficult than I thought.
3. McDonalds fries have the power to cure any mental/emotional ailment. At least for the amount of time it takes to eat them.
4. I love folk music. Or singer/songwriter folk music. That is the stuff that really gets to me. Oh, it's so delicious.
5. Pressing on is really the only thing you can do. Just gotta keep moving.
6. Beethoven's favorite food was macaroni and cheese. We have that in common.
7. I know what I want. And I know that the way to get there isn't easy, but oh well. What tough stuff in my life has ever been easy?
8. I'm figuring out how to push through the pain. Like, when I workout. It's really fun to feel the burn in my abs and say, "Yeah? What now? Take that, abs!" They get mad at me afterwards, but they know it's good for them.
9. Communication is key. I keep having to relearn this one.
10. I am a better human being when I make to-do lists. Whether I actually do those things or not is another story, but making lists makes me feel better about myself.
Needless to say, it's been another emotional week of inconsistencies, problems, and the little dramas that seem to dominate college life. One more week until I am on the downstairs couch with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, staring at our gorgeous Christmas tree. Bring it on, finals. Ain't nothing keeping me from getting back to Georgia.
Here's to sleeping in, new music, and Beethoven.
November 28, 2011
grace
I write to you at the cusp of a new week, the week affectionately known to me as The Week From Hell. So far, I have to write a 6 page paper (not too bad), memorize the first movement of the Sibelius violin concerto (dear God help me), attend three more 3-hour rehearsals and 5 performances (back pain up the wazoo), and find a way to gracefully glide my way through all of these things without losing it.
But you know what? It's going to be fine.
Sounds like a good time for A Life Lesson With Karla, brought to you by Glade Plugins:
Life Lesson #5: There will be good days, and there will be bad days. Just gotta roll with it.
It's hard to remember this one sometimes, especially when it's a bad day. But funny enough, today was a good day. Things felt normal. I felt good. I ate food, I practiced, I worked out, I went to a three hour rehearsal and didn't complain... It really was a good day. And I've had plenty of bad days in the past few months to know that there will be both kinds of days, even just from day to day. You never know what kind of day it's going to be when you wake up, but you do get the power to do something about it. I think that power is a powerful thing indeed, to be able to look at a situation and try your hardest to make the best of it. Or to have conversations with people that you've been needing to have... It's funny how communication skills can change how your day goes. Communication is key, people. Maybe that should be the next Life Lesson.
Anyway, the point is that it is easy to have a bad day and never expect to have another good day. Been there. It's also easy to have a good day, like today, and expect to not have a bad day for awhile. I've been working my way towards having consistent good days for a few months, and I've discovered that it's all about grace. Grace in the way I handle inconsistencies or confusion, and grace in the way I deal with other people. I'm hoping that I will be able to handle these next few weeks of school with a certain amount of grace - taking every inconsistency and problem with a grain of salt and a smile on my face.
Here's to hope, friendships, SPO Love, and Christmas At Luther. 'Tis the season!
P.S. I picked up my new violins last week... I will devote an entire post to them sometime. They are divas and would expect nothing less than an entire post all about them.
But you know what? It's going to be fine.
Sounds like a good time for A Life Lesson With Karla, brought to you by Glade Plugins:
Life Lesson #5: There will be good days, and there will be bad days. Just gotta roll with it.
It's hard to remember this one sometimes, especially when it's a bad day. But funny enough, today was a good day. Things felt normal. I felt good. I ate food, I practiced, I worked out, I went to a three hour rehearsal and didn't complain... It really was a good day. And I've had plenty of bad days in the past few months to know that there will be both kinds of days, even just from day to day. You never know what kind of day it's going to be when you wake up, but you do get the power to do something about it. I think that power is a powerful thing indeed, to be able to look at a situation and try your hardest to make the best of it. Or to have conversations with people that you've been needing to have... It's funny how communication skills can change how your day goes. Communication is key, people. Maybe that should be the next Life Lesson.
Anyway, the point is that it is easy to have a bad day and never expect to have another good day. Been there. It's also easy to have a good day, like today, and expect to not have a bad day for awhile. I've been working my way towards having consistent good days for a few months, and I've discovered that it's all about grace. Grace in the way I handle inconsistencies or confusion, and grace in the way I deal with other people. I'm hoping that I will be able to handle these next few weeks of school with a certain amount of grace - taking every inconsistency and problem with a grain of salt and a smile on my face.
Here's to hope, friendships, SPO Love, and Christmas At Luther. 'Tis the season!
P.S. I picked up my new violins last week... I will devote an entire post to them sometime. They are divas and would expect nothing less than an entire post all about them.
November 18, 2011
felix
Today I found out that I will get to take home a new violin next week. On Black Friday, I will drive up to Atlanta and see the instruments that Stephanie has been making for about 7 months now. We've been taking pictures throughout the building experience, and I have to say that this is one of the most incredible processes that I've witnessed in my life so far.
The excitement is overwhelming. Quite literally, actually. I was telling some friends about the instruments today and had to force myself to stay in one spot - it was all I could do to keep from screaming and basically exploding all over the Jenson hallway. Yesterday, I saw the pictures of the coats of varnish on the instrument and I almost cried. I am so beyond ecstatic for these new instruments... I have no words. No words.
On the other side of things, though, I am down to my last 7 days with my current instrument. It's so funny because I've known that I will be getting a new instrument soon for a few months now, and every day that I play the violin I have now there are so many moments where I can't wait for a bigger, brighter sound. But still, I can't imagine giving up Felix just quite yet. It is hard for me to imagine giving up the instrument that I've basically grown up with.
I feel like I sound silly right now, talking about a violin this way. But I can't help it. The strongest relationships that I have in my life are those where music is involved, and my violin is no exception. I think I've spent more time with that instrument than I have with any one person over the past decade. I have poured sweat and tears and probably some blood into that violin, and we have shared too many memories to count. Maybe I will share some of them.
I was either ten or eleven when I went to try full size violins for the first time at Stephanie's shop in Atlanta. I was short and chubby, wore Harry Potter glasses, and had super short hair. It was my awkward stage. But I remember out of all the violins I tried, that was the one that actually spoke to me. I just knew, you know?
I've traveled so much with that instrument - Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Green Bay, Cleveland, Ithaca, New York City, Nashville, Madison, Minneapolis, Decorah, Atlanta, Birmingham, Denver, Snowmass, Savannah, Orlando, Washington D.C., Chicago, Kansas City, Lexington, Boston, Ann Arbor, St. Peter, St. Louis, Lincoln, somewhere in South Carolina... I'm sure there are more. But a lot of those times it was just me, my violin, and my backpack. I would always think as we got on the plane, "It's just you and me, Felix." He's a great traveler.
I couldn't always express myself through words to friends or family, but Felix knew how to. I remember several Christmas Eves where the only lights on in the house would be the Christmas tree lights, and I stood in the music room playing the Bach Partita in D minor. Or when I was pissed off about something, I would drag myself through endless amounts of scales to calm down... We were good at solitude and quiet.
We played the Mendelssohn violin concerto with the LSM Festival Orchestra in 2007. It was incredible. We played jazz with Tracy Silverman in Nashville, we've done fiddling with Mark O'Connor; we've played everything from Mozart to LMFAO to Maroon 5. Brahms, Beethoven, Lalo, Bach, Telemann, Schumann, Ravel, Shostakovich, Ysaÿe, Sibelius, Mahler, Dvorak, Mendelssohn... All of the great works that you can play as a young violinist, we've pretty much done together.
I got tendonitis one summer at Ithaca - I fell in love with a boy who played piano at a piano camp that only lasted for two weeks. I was there for four weeks. So when he left, I went to the practice room and stayed there. For a week and a half. Not my smartest move.
People have told me that I have this sound, that when I play it just sounds like Karla. I owe that to Felix. I think one of the greatest memories behind that sound is TenString Serenade and the recording we did. We just soared when we played that music with Alex. It felt like flying.
Felix got me through middle school, high school, and my first two and a half years of college. He's seen me at my worst, at my best, and every other time in between. He is the most patient creature I know. And there have been plenty of times when I could tell he was pissed off because I hadn't played in a few days, or times when he was happy because I've never sounded so good before... But if he has been nothing else, he has been a true constant in my life. The most constant thing next to my family. Always there, ready and waiting for the next practice session or rehearsal or performance. We were always in it together.
I don't think I would be the kind of violinist I am right now if I hadn't chosen Felix ten years ago. I don't know how I would be different, but I don't even want to know. That instrument taught me how to be everything I know how to be. Plus, he's been around for over 200 years, so he has truly seen it all. He has been quietly teaching me lessons about life and music in our time together. I am indebted to that instrument.
Here's to the old and the new. Long live Felix!
The excitement is overwhelming. Quite literally, actually. I was telling some friends about the instruments today and had to force myself to stay in one spot - it was all I could do to keep from screaming and basically exploding all over the Jenson hallway. Yesterday, I saw the pictures of the coats of varnish on the instrument and I almost cried. I am so beyond ecstatic for these new instruments... I have no words. No words.
On the other side of things, though, I am down to my last 7 days with my current instrument. It's so funny because I've known that I will be getting a new instrument soon for a few months now, and every day that I play the violin I have now there are so many moments where I can't wait for a bigger, brighter sound. But still, I can't imagine giving up Felix just quite yet. It is hard for me to imagine giving up the instrument that I've basically grown up with.
I feel like I sound silly right now, talking about a violin this way. But I can't help it. The strongest relationships that I have in my life are those where music is involved, and my violin is no exception. I think I've spent more time with that instrument than I have with any one person over the past decade. I have poured sweat and tears and probably some blood into that violin, and we have shared too many memories to count. Maybe I will share some of them.
I was either ten or eleven when I went to try full size violins for the first time at Stephanie's shop in Atlanta. I was short and chubby, wore Harry Potter glasses, and had super short hair. It was my awkward stage. But I remember out of all the violins I tried, that was the one that actually spoke to me. I just knew, you know?
I've traveled so much with that instrument - Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Green Bay, Cleveland, Ithaca, New York City, Nashville, Madison, Minneapolis, Decorah, Atlanta, Birmingham, Denver, Snowmass, Savannah, Orlando, Washington D.C., Chicago, Kansas City, Lexington, Boston, Ann Arbor, St. Peter, St. Louis, Lincoln, somewhere in South Carolina... I'm sure there are more. But a lot of those times it was just me, my violin, and my backpack. I would always think as we got on the plane, "It's just you and me, Felix." He's a great traveler.
I couldn't always express myself through words to friends or family, but Felix knew how to. I remember several Christmas Eves where the only lights on in the house would be the Christmas tree lights, and I stood in the music room playing the Bach Partita in D minor. Or when I was pissed off about something, I would drag myself through endless amounts of scales to calm down... We were good at solitude and quiet.
We played the Mendelssohn violin concerto with the LSM Festival Orchestra in 2007. It was incredible. We played jazz with Tracy Silverman in Nashville, we've done fiddling with Mark O'Connor; we've played everything from Mozart to LMFAO to Maroon 5. Brahms, Beethoven, Lalo, Bach, Telemann, Schumann, Ravel, Shostakovich, Ysaÿe, Sibelius, Mahler, Dvorak, Mendelssohn... All of the great works that you can play as a young violinist, we've pretty much done together.
I got tendonitis one summer at Ithaca - I fell in love with a boy who played piano at a piano camp that only lasted for two weeks. I was there for four weeks. So when he left, I went to the practice room and stayed there. For a week and a half. Not my smartest move.
People have told me that I have this sound, that when I play it just sounds like Karla. I owe that to Felix. I think one of the greatest memories behind that sound is TenString Serenade and the recording we did. We just soared when we played that music with Alex. It felt like flying.
Felix got me through middle school, high school, and my first two and a half years of college. He's seen me at my worst, at my best, and every other time in between. He is the most patient creature I know. And there have been plenty of times when I could tell he was pissed off because I hadn't played in a few days, or times when he was happy because I've never sounded so good before... But if he has been nothing else, he has been a true constant in my life. The most constant thing next to my family. Always there, ready and waiting for the next practice session or rehearsal or performance. We were always in it together.
I don't think I would be the kind of violinist I am right now if I hadn't chosen Felix ten years ago. I don't know how I would be different, but I don't even want to know. That instrument taught me how to be everything I know how to be. Plus, he's been around for over 200 years, so he has truly seen it all. He has been quietly teaching me lessons about life and music in our time together. I am indebted to that instrument.
Here's to the old and the new. Long live Felix!
November 13, 2011
falalalala
I am doing something stupid right now.
Christmas at Luther 2010 is playing on my iTunes.
I'm trying to force myself to get ready for it because it's going to show up whether I'm ready or not.
What is it about C@L that I'm not ready to face yet, you ask?
Nostalgia. Most days I can handle it. But throw Christmas in the mix and it's just a recipe for disaster.
I have to face myself and the truth and everything else that I'm just not ready to face yet. And lucky me, for four nights in a row I will be bombarded with those things that I'm not ready to face. I will have no choice but to just try.
I feel like that's all I've been doing for the past two months, just trying. Is there a point at which I don't have to try anymore? Is that the point where I stop caring?
I love nostalgia and I hate nostalgia at the same time. Nostalgia houses some of my best memories from the life I have lived so far, as well as the memories that keep me up past my bed time writing blog posts. It is at the same time a lovely scrapbook and a prison.
Hmmm.
Here's to apples, McDonald's, and the Dvorak cello concerto. One more week till I'm home. Let's do this.
Christmas at Luther 2010 is playing on my iTunes.
I'm trying to force myself to get ready for it because it's going to show up whether I'm ready or not.
What is it about C@L that I'm not ready to face yet, you ask?
Nostalgia. Most days I can handle it. But throw Christmas in the mix and it's just a recipe for disaster.
I have to face myself and the truth and everything else that I'm just not ready to face yet. And lucky me, for four nights in a row I will be bombarded with those things that I'm not ready to face. I will have no choice but to just try.
I feel like that's all I've been doing for the past two months, just trying. Is there a point at which I don't have to try anymore? Is that the point where I stop caring?
I love nostalgia and I hate nostalgia at the same time. Nostalgia houses some of my best memories from the life I have lived so far, as well as the memories that keep me up past my bed time writing blog posts. It is at the same time a lovely scrapbook and a prison.
Hmmm.
Here's to apples, McDonald's, and the Dvorak cello concerto. One more week till I'm home. Let's do this.
November 9, 2011
georgia on my mind
I just put on some Vince Guaraldi Christmas music and it made me want to write a post. So here goes.
First snow of the season here in Decorah! It has mostly melted by now, but I thoroughly enjoyed looking out my window this morning to see white. I was so happy that I promptly fell back asleep for fifteen minutes.
See, the only thing about posting on a Wednesday afternoon is that I don't have much to say. I don't have much to say normally, but I seem to be more inspired in the evenings. However, Vince Guaraldi thinks otherwise today.
I think I posted a list of things I love about October last year. This year I'll list it up for November, how about that?
10 Things I Love About November:
1. Pumpkin-flavored everything in the caf and sweet potatoes. Every day.
2. I get to go home. I miss Georgia in the fall.
3. Thanksgiving. Obviously.
4. With Thanksgiving comes awesome traditions, like the Windham Hill Thanksgiving album that I put on repeat every year, and my dad's favorite mugs on his mug tree in the kitchen. Oh, and jigsaw puzzles and golf cart rides with the cousins.
5. Mom's cooking. Om to the nom. Pumpkin pie, homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, her famous backed snack mix, fajitas, pumpkin soup, sandwich rings...
6. My mom is the best decorator, too. Her Thanksgiving-themed house is just fabulous in the fall. And the table decor when we sit down to eat... Picture perfect. She gives Martha Stewart a run for her money.
7. Family of Four (plus Evan) time. We sing carols around the piano, go to church and eat chili, engage in late night conversations on the couch with wine and candles, talk about everything from grad school to Mom's latest photography ventures. I have the most amazing family.
8. Snuggling with my dad in mornings when he comes to wake me up. He always brings me a cup of coffee, sets it on my bedside table so I can smell it, and then he sings me a song. Best way to wake up.
9. Concert Palooza at school. Symphony, Chamber, and Jazz concerts, not to mention two student chamber recitals that will blow all other chamber recitals out of the water. I'm biased, of course.
10. The feeling that Christmas is just right around the corner. It's in the air, people. Love it.
Here's to maple pecan spice cake, pretty scarves, and fresh snow. Happy Almost Thanksgiving!
First snow of the season here in Decorah! It has mostly melted by now, but I thoroughly enjoyed looking out my window this morning to see white. I was so happy that I promptly fell back asleep for fifteen minutes.
See, the only thing about posting on a Wednesday afternoon is that I don't have much to say. I don't have much to say normally, but I seem to be more inspired in the evenings. However, Vince Guaraldi thinks otherwise today.
I think I posted a list of things I love about October last year. This year I'll list it up for November, how about that?
10 Things I Love About November:
1. Pumpkin-flavored everything in the caf and sweet potatoes. Every day.
2. I get to go home. I miss Georgia in the fall.
3. Thanksgiving. Obviously.
4. With Thanksgiving comes awesome traditions, like the Windham Hill Thanksgiving album that I put on repeat every year, and my dad's favorite mugs on his mug tree in the kitchen. Oh, and jigsaw puzzles and golf cart rides with the cousins.
5. Mom's cooking. Om to the nom. Pumpkin pie, homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, her famous backed snack mix, fajitas, pumpkin soup, sandwich rings...
6. My mom is the best decorator, too. Her Thanksgiving-themed house is just fabulous in the fall. And the table decor when we sit down to eat... Picture perfect. She gives Martha Stewart a run for her money.
7. Family of Four (plus Evan) time. We sing carols around the piano, go to church and eat chili, engage in late night conversations on the couch with wine and candles, talk about everything from grad school to Mom's latest photography ventures. I have the most amazing family.
8. Snuggling with my dad in mornings when he comes to wake me up. He always brings me a cup of coffee, sets it on my bedside table so I can smell it, and then he sings me a song. Best way to wake up.
9. Concert Palooza at school. Symphony, Chamber, and Jazz concerts, not to mention two student chamber recitals that will blow all other chamber recitals out of the water. I'm biased, of course.
10. The feeling that Christmas is just right around the corner. It's in the air, people. Love it.
Here's to maple pecan spice cake, pretty scarves, and fresh snow. Happy Almost Thanksgiving!
October 15, 2011
birthday history
I don't think I've ever posted on my birthday before, so I thought I would change that. It's October 15th, 2011, and it's my birthday.
I think that today I can come up with a list of more than 6 things that are happy in my life, you ready?
1. Mendelssohn Octet - It is a beautiful piece of work and even better that I get to play it with some of my closest friends.
2. The Moon - I've gone moon/cloud watching at night at least twice this month. Puts things in perspective.
3. Sisters - they always know what to say and next time I see her, we will be able to drink wine together and laugh about everything.
4. Inspiration - lately I've found inspiration in the Dvorak cello concert, just listening to Phuc play it seems to make everything alright. I love how music does that.
5. Woodchucks - happy little bottles of hard cider. What could be happier?!
6. Impromptu jam sessions with Aaron Rosell - my favorite thing ever.
7. Setting goals - it's easier to find my way out of a pile of crap with a little guidelines.
8. Cute scarves - pretty and feminine and fun. Just the right amount of awesome.
9. Strangz - we've played 4 gigs already this semester, and I swear I love every minute. Feels really good to see a brainchild come to life.
10. Relient K - soundtrack to the fall (and my life, really).
11. L.A. - I'm going there in two weeks. Clubbing with my best friend in the world? Yes please.
12. Mail - I've been getting lots of mail lately. Next to kitchen utensils, mail comes in a close second for my weakness.
13. Tony Guzman - we are basically the same person, and I feel so lucky to have a second dad on campus.
14. Books - losing myself in a book never felt so good these days.
Look at that, I doubled my original list! Proud.
So today is full of friends, beer, burgers, pumpkins, cider, and so much laughter that I'm going to have a 6-pack in the morning. Here's to the 21st birthdays that go down in history. Add mine to the list, ladies and gents!
I think that today I can come up with a list of more than 6 things that are happy in my life, you ready?
1. Mendelssohn Octet - It is a beautiful piece of work and even better that I get to play it with some of my closest friends.
2. The Moon - I've gone moon/cloud watching at night at least twice this month. Puts things in perspective.
3. Sisters - they always know what to say and next time I see her, we will be able to drink wine together and laugh about everything.
4. Inspiration - lately I've found inspiration in the Dvorak cello concert, just listening to Phuc play it seems to make everything alright. I love how music does that.
5. Woodchucks - happy little bottles of hard cider. What could be happier?!
6. Impromptu jam sessions with Aaron Rosell - my favorite thing ever.
7. Setting goals - it's easier to find my way out of a pile of crap with a little guidelines.
8. Cute scarves - pretty and feminine and fun. Just the right amount of awesome.
9. Strangz - we've played 4 gigs already this semester, and I swear I love every minute. Feels really good to see a brainchild come to life.
10. Relient K - soundtrack to the fall (and my life, really).
11. L.A. - I'm going there in two weeks. Clubbing with my best friend in the world? Yes please.
12. Mail - I've been getting lots of mail lately. Next to kitchen utensils, mail comes in a close second for my weakness.
13. Tony Guzman - we are basically the same person, and I feel so lucky to have a second dad on campus.
14. Books - losing myself in a book never felt so good these days.
Look at that, I doubled my original list! Proud.
So today is full of friends, beer, burgers, pumpkins, cider, and so much laughter that I'm going to have a 6-pack in the morning. Here's to the 21st birthdays that go down in history. Add mine to the list, ladies and gents!
October 7, 2011
fifteen thousand first steps
Alright, mid-afternoon post. Orchestra in 45 minutes. Haven't eaten anything since 10am. What's the deal?
Well, I just had a long conversation that seems to have been inevitable after the last week or so. Good talk. But, for some reason I am the most inept person when it comes to the ends of conversations because I want my last words to be remarkable and weighty. Today, I was not so remarkable with my last words. So just in case the recipient of those last words reads these posts, here's what I should've said instead:
I know that I am a complicated person and I make things really difficult sometimes. I am well aware of this fact. I appreciate your honesty and hope that someday soon I will not be as much of a heartbroken idiot as I am right now. Maybe then I will be able to say things to you without having to publicly post a recanting of them. I wish you well and hope that things start making sense for you.
There. Sort of better.
I probably shouldn't be posting right now - the lack of food in my belly is making me feel super funny. But now I am going to go play some Beethoven and take my 15,000th first step in moving on.
Well, I just had a long conversation that seems to have been inevitable after the last week or so. Good talk. But, for some reason I am the most inept person when it comes to the ends of conversations because I want my last words to be remarkable and weighty. Today, I was not so remarkable with my last words. So just in case the recipient of those last words reads these posts, here's what I should've said instead:
I know that I am a complicated person and I make things really difficult sometimes. I am well aware of this fact. I appreciate your honesty and hope that someday soon I will not be as much of a heartbroken idiot as I am right now. Maybe then I will be able to say things to you without having to publicly post a recanting of them. I wish you well and hope that things start making sense for you.
There. Sort of better.
I probably shouldn't be posting right now - the lack of food in my belly is making me feel super funny. But now I am going to go play some Beethoven and take my 15,000th first step in moving on.
October 4, 2011
boxes
It's funny. Things feel almost exactly the same as they did one year ago. To the day.
Sitting at my computer, thinking I should be doing something else, being total strangers with someone I used to know so well... It's all a little too familiar. I'm not interested in reliving last fall.
But some good things have happened in the past few days so I thought I would share.
1. I have found my savior from this mess. It's called The Practice Room. Not even kidding. I have felt so out of control lately, but when I step in a practice room and do nothing but play violin like a boss, everything changes. I go from being a total wreck to calm and in control. It's kind of like the home base when you're playing a game of hide and seek - as long as you are there, you are safe. So, for the first time EVER, I am actually exceeding the practice requirements for a violin performance major. That's right, 3+ hours everyday.
2. I feel more like myself. Not sure if that's a good thing because I'm not at 100% yet, but when I'm with friends and just doing my everyday stuff, I feel like me. I don't feel like I'm trying too hard to be something I'm not. Not trying to fit in a box. It's nice to realize that.
3. Michael Buble has a new Christmas album coming out at the end of the month. Talk about exciting stuff.
4. I made a cake last night. It didn't exactly turn out the way I had hoped, but I still got to put sprinkles on it, so that makes up for it. And because I made a cake last night, I had to go to Walmart and buy my first frosting knife. Kitchen gadgets are my weakness.
5. I lost my debit card the other day, so I canceled it because I couldn't find it. And of course, two days later, I found it. But it's a good thing, because for awhile there I was participating in retail therapy, hardcore. Haha, so now I can't buy anything. Like I said, a good thing.
6. I'm turning 21 in a week and a half. Pumped.
That's all I got. Hopefully someday soon I will be able to think of more than six good things that have happened in the past few days.
Till then, here's to cake, sad songs, and good hair days.
Sitting at my computer, thinking I should be doing something else, being total strangers with someone I used to know so well... It's all a little too familiar. I'm not interested in reliving last fall.
But some good things have happened in the past few days so I thought I would share.
1. I have found my savior from this mess. It's called The Practice Room. Not even kidding. I have felt so out of control lately, but when I step in a practice room and do nothing but play violin like a boss, everything changes. I go from being a total wreck to calm and in control. It's kind of like the home base when you're playing a game of hide and seek - as long as you are there, you are safe. So, for the first time EVER, I am actually exceeding the practice requirements for a violin performance major. That's right, 3+ hours everyday.
2. I feel more like myself. Not sure if that's a good thing because I'm not at 100% yet, but when I'm with friends and just doing my everyday stuff, I feel like me. I don't feel like I'm trying too hard to be something I'm not. Not trying to fit in a box. It's nice to realize that.
3. Michael Buble has a new Christmas album coming out at the end of the month. Talk about exciting stuff.
4. I made a cake last night. It didn't exactly turn out the way I had hoped, but I still got to put sprinkles on it, so that makes up for it. And because I made a cake last night, I had to go to Walmart and buy my first frosting knife. Kitchen gadgets are my weakness.
5. I lost my debit card the other day, so I canceled it because I couldn't find it. And of course, two days later, I found it. But it's a good thing, because for awhile there I was participating in retail therapy, hardcore. Haha, so now I can't buy anything. Like I said, a good thing.
6. I'm turning 21 in a week and a half. Pumped.
That's all I got. Hopefully someday soon I will be able to think of more than six good things that have happened in the past few days.
Till then, here's to cake, sad songs, and good hair days.
September 28, 2011
not even close
I've been buying a lot of music lately. I like to sit on the iTunes store and browse. It's my new favorite hobby. My bank account is not thrilled, but that's okay. I am enjoying some old school Maroon 5, Usher, Haydn Symphony No. 92, Russian Unicorn, and some random Top 40 hits. It's a good day when I don't have to listen to music from the past 9 months or so.
Ever feel like your maturity level just kind of dips down below what it normally is? Lately my maturity level has been that of a 13 year old. It's funny because I'm turning 21 in like, 3 weeks. But this week I am 13 years old and cranky, grumpy, jealous, and having a pity party for myself basically every day. I feel like I am doing better than I was two weeks ago on this very night, but I am still pretty unhappy and slightly miserable.
It's my own choice, though, which really sucks. I am in charge of how I feel and how I let things affect me. I looked back at some of my older posts about how everything happens for a reason and how awesome it felt to be on the other side of a giant pile of crap, and all I can think is, "Really. Show me the other side." It's funny how every small triumph in life makes you feel like you can get through anything, yet when you're in another similar situation, you can't find the way out. I remember when I was writing that post I felt like I was on top of the world. So happy, in love, just in total college-20-year-old bliss. It's kind of the opposite of all that right now; attempting to remember how to be happy, still in love but trying not to be, no college bliss here. This sounds like a pity party.
Must be a good time for A Life Lesson With Karla, brought to you by Advil.
Life Lesson #4: You are the person you need the most.
I read something in a book the other day that said, "You are the one person whom you will have to wake up to every day of your life. You are the person you need the most." It is so true. It's easy to think that you 'need' certain people, that there are people in your life that you absolutely cannot live without and without them you can't make it through the day. But if we're being honest here, I am the only person that I need the most. I think that there are people in my life that I do need, like my family and my closest friends, but they can't help me like I can. I am the only person who can save me, who can choose to get out of bed everyday and breathe in and out and eat food to stay alive. I know I've spent a lot of brain space trying to figure out what one person is thinking or feeling throughout the day, but when do I wonder about what I am thinking or how I am feeling? Hardly. It seems I am more concerned with how someone else is doing when clearly I am the one that needs more help here.
It still feels like I did something wrong, like I am the reason this ended. Mostly because I somehow lost a lot of love for myself. Maybe that's why I feel like I am 13 again! I hated myself when I was 13. Bad year. It's funny what people teach you when they come into your life, though. Looking back at that old post, I wrote that I felt like he had taught me how to love myself again, and with him everything was fine. More than fine. Now that things aren't the same, I am a little lost. Maybe I have to figure out how to love myself on a different level, on the kind of level that an external relationship couldn't reach before. Maybe I really am the person I need the most.
This is the song of the day.
Ever feel like your maturity level just kind of dips down below what it normally is? Lately my maturity level has been that of a 13 year old. It's funny because I'm turning 21 in like, 3 weeks. But this week I am 13 years old and cranky, grumpy, jealous, and having a pity party for myself basically every day. I feel like I am doing better than I was two weeks ago on this very night, but I am still pretty unhappy and slightly miserable.
It's my own choice, though, which really sucks. I am in charge of how I feel and how I let things affect me. I looked back at some of my older posts about how everything happens for a reason and how awesome it felt to be on the other side of a giant pile of crap, and all I can think is, "Really. Show me the other side." It's funny how every small triumph in life makes you feel like you can get through anything, yet when you're in another similar situation, you can't find the way out. I remember when I was writing that post I felt like I was on top of the world. So happy, in love, just in total college-20-year-old bliss. It's kind of the opposite of all that right now; attempting to remember how to be happy, still in love but trying not to be, no college bliss here. This sounds like a pity party.
Must be a good time for A Life Lesson With Karla, brought to you by Advil.
Life Lesson #4: You are the person you need the most.
I read something in a book the other day that said, "You are the one person whom you will have to wake up to every day of your life. You are the person you need the most." It is so true. It's easy to think that you 'need' certain people, that there are people in your life that you absolutely cannot live without and without them you can't make it through the day. But if we're being honest here, I am the only person that I need the most. I think that there are people in my life that I do need, like my family and my closest friends, but they can't help me like I can. I am the only person who can save me, who can choose to get out of bed everyday and breathe in and out and eat food to stay alive. I know I've spent a lot of brain space trying to figure out what one person is thinking or feeling throughout the day, but when do I wonder about what I am thinking or how I am feeling? Hardly. It seems I am more concerned with how someone else is doing when clearly I am the one that needs more help here.
It still feels like I did something wrong, like I am the reason this ended. Mostly because I somehow lost a lot of love for myself. Maybe that's why I feel like I am 13 again! I hated myself when I was 13. Bad year. It's funny what people teach you when they come into your life, though. Looking back at that old post, I wrote that I felt like he had taught me how to love myself again, and with him everything was fine. More than fine. Now that things aren't the same, I am a little lost. Maybe I have to figure out how to love myself on a different level, on the kind of level that an external relationship couldn't reach before. Maybe I really am the person I need the most.
This is the song of the day.
September 16, 2011
strangers
Totally should not be writing right now. Totally should be in bed because I have rehearsal at 8am tomorrow morning.
Funny thing is, though, I don't want to sleep. What I really want to do is climb the hill to where the new wind turbine is sitting across the valley. I'm super scared of them, and my theme for this year is "Let's be brave today," so I think it's fitting to someday encounter that giant spinning creepy windmill. Gotta start checking things off my list. It's even better now that I have all this free time and free brain space to use - I can literally do whatever I want. So I think I'm going to team up with one of my senior friends and, as he so delicately put it, be "balls to the walls from here on out." Balls to the walls, ladies and gentlemen.
Yet, as much as I want to climb the hill to that turbine or skinny dip in the Iowa river or finger paint whilst being slightly intoxicated (when I turn 21 in a month), I can't seem to move from this chair that I'm writing from. This has been a sad pattern for awhile now. I have a funny feeling that it's not going to change. Remember this time last year when I was waiting for laundry? This time I'm waiting for something different.
It's at least 50 degrees in my room and I'm shaking. I'm rambling. And I'm heartbroken.
There's a certain band that I've been avoiding listening to for about a year now. Mostly because I tend to associate music with the events that happened during the time I was into that band or whatever. But I'm surfacing this band again because they are good to listen to when I feel lost.
http://youtu.be/vwVHX1kiLUU
I'll be holding my breath that you would stay.
Funny thing is, though, I don't want to sleep. What I really want to do is climb the hill to where the new wind turbine is sitting across the valley. I'm super scared of them, and my theme for this year is "Let's be brave today," so I think it's fitting to someday encounter that giant spinning creepy windmill. Gotta start checking things off my list. It's even better now that I have all this free time and free brain space to use - I can literally do whatever I want. So I think I'm going to team up with one of my senior friends and, as he so delicately put it, be "balls to the walls from here on out." Balls to the walls, ladies and gentlemen.
Yet, as much as I want to climb the hill to that turbine or skinny dip in the Iowa river or finger paint whilst being slightly intoxicated (when I turn 21 in a month), I can't seem to move from this chair that I'm writing from. This has been a sad pattern for awhile now. I have a funny feeling that it's not going to change. Remember this time last year when I was waiting for laundry? This time I'm waiting for something different.
It's at least 50 degrees in my room and I'm shaking. I'm rambling. And I'm heartbroken.
There's a certain band that I've been avoiding listening to for about a year now. Mostly because I tend to associate music with the events that happened during the time I was into that band or whatever. But I'm surfacing this band again because they are good to listen to when I feel lost.
http://youtu.be/vwVHX1kiLUU
I'll be holding my breath that you would stay.
August 30, 2011
2:33am rejuvenation
I must be back at college because it's 2:33 am and I am still awake. :-)
Except that tonight was a different night than all of those other lonely late nights waiting for God knows what.
I spent the majority of the evening looking at graduate schools and talking with one of the people who understands me the best. Talk about rejuvenating.
I've spent a good portion of the last year telling myself that I don't know what it is that I want to do after I graduate. Grad school maybe, freelancing in a big city somewhere, doing all the other odd jobs or whatever. I've never actually had a concrete idea about where I wanted to go or what kind of program I wanted to pursue, though. I've had ideas about the kind of person I want to be and the kind of music that I want to play, but it's never been crystal clear before. And now, I think I've finally found a program that really fits me. It's not exactly prestigious or "high-minded," but I've been waiting so long for the thing that would keep me up until all hours of the night with this excited feeling inside that just won't go away. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for some kind of inspiration to keep me moving forward in the direction that I know is right. I know, hands down, that I am a musician for life. No question about that. I've been fooling myself into thinking that because I have other interests it makes it okay if I don't make it in music. I can be a marketer or a artist manager or a professional sewer. But I just can't live like that anymore! I can't keep thinking along the line of failure. It is getting me nothing but low self-esteem and a cloudy mind full of doubt and honestly, I'm tired of worrying and wondering. At some point it has to end.
It feels so good to find something that truly fits with who I know I am. So rejuvenating.
Except that tonight was a different night than all of those other lonely late nights waiting for God knows what.
I spent the majority of the evening looking at graduate schools and talking with one of the people who understands me the best. Talk about rejuvenating.
I've spent a good portion of the last year telling myself that I don't know what it is that I want to do after I graduate. Grad school maybe, freelancing in a big city somewhere, doing all the other odd jobs or whatever. I've never actually had a concrete idea about where I wanted to go or what kind of program I wanted to pursue, though. I've had ideas about the kind of person I want to be and the kind of music that I want to play, but it's never been crystal clear before. And now, I think I've finally found a program that really fits me. It's not exactly prestigious or "high-minded," but I've been waiting so long for the thing that would keep me up until all hours of the night with this excited feeling inside that just won't go away. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for some kind of inspiration to keep me moving forward in the direction that I know is right. I know, hands down, that I am a musician for life. No question about that. I've been fooling myself into thinking that because I have other interests it makes it okay if I don't make it in music. I can be a marketer or a artist manager or a professional sewer. But I just can't live like that anymore! I can't keep thinking along the line of failure. It is getting me nothing but low self-esteem and a cloudy mind full of doubt and honestly, I'm tired of worrying and wondering. At some point it has to end.
It feels so good to find something that truly fits with who I know I am. So rejuvenating.
May 15, 2011
are you ready for this?
Dictionary.com has ten entries on the word “ready.” My personal favorite is as follows:
read·y
–adjective
1. completely prepared or in fit condition for immediate action or use: troops ready for battle; Dinner is ready.
2. duly equipped, completed, adjusted, or arranged, as for an occasion or purpose: The mechanic called to say that the car is ready.
3. willing: ready to forgive.
I’ve been thinking about being “ready” a lot these days. Ready for concertmaster auditions, ready for summer, ready for graduate school, ready for life after school, ready for my test tomorrow… Somehow it always seems like I’m trying to be ready for something. Trying to be prepared and stable.
And wait for it...
A Life Lesson With Karla, brought to you by the Jenson-Noble Hall of Music:
Life Lesson #3: There are many definitions of being “ready.” Prepared, duly equipped, willing - any way you look at it, being ready is not just one thing.
Life goes on.
But for me, it's difficult to accept the fact that Life goes on even after something unwanted because I'm never willing to accept that my way isn't the right way, that if it's not one way then something is wrong and things won't be the same. But that's just the point - things are never going to be the same no matter if you're ready for them or not. The constant change of Life is just that: constant. And Being Ready for anything is almost a moot point at this point in the discussion except that Being Willing brings readiness to a whole new level. If I can be willing to be flexible, to give up my fears of the future and my illusions of how life is going to work out, then I can be open to change. I want to be able to embrace whatever challenges come my way but if I'm not willing to accept that they are going to happen, I'll never be ready for them.
So, I ended up getting the concertmaster chair and scholarship, and now I feel at least 40 pounds lighter than I have all week. Just three exams and a composition away from a summer in Decorah! I go home for a week on Sunday and then move in to my house on June 1st. Looking forward to practicing, bike riding, tubing on the river, picnics with Trevor... I'm so ready for summer this time around. So ready. :-)
May 7, 2011
passing of time
It's been a full year... I used to be an idiot, indecisive, illogical, hurt. And now, maybe I'm still some of those things sometimes, but I'm different now. Happy, at peace, okay.
It's amazing to think back through all of the things that got me to where I am right now. I can wish all I want that they had never happened, but it won't change the fact that those are the very things that changed me.
I know that there are still people who can't see it, who don't know how afraid I used to be, or who think that I'm still the scared little girl I was a year ago. But there are people who know and don't care, who love me enough to understand that hurt and who push me to keep moving forward.
Life Lesson with Karla, brought to you by The Macaulley Whitlock Foundation:
Life lesson #2: Don't give up on yourself.
Never let the past dictate how you act in the present; don't let yourself fall for the same mistakes that brought you down in the first place. Keep trusting that you can get out of the mess, that you can find a way out even though it might be the hardest thing you have had to do at that point in your life. There will still be that one person who will still find everything that is wrong with you, even though there are hundreds of others who love you just the way you are; don't let that one person manipulate you into thinking that you aren't worth anything. Because whatever they say is the farthest thing from the truth.
I know I say this too much, but I am so grateful to be where I am right now. Right here, right now. This is life, and it is beautiful.
~
It's amazing to think back through all of the things that got me to where I am right now. I can wish all I want that they had never happened, but it won't change the fact that those are the very things that changed me.
I know that there are still people who can't see it, who don't know how afraid I used to be, or who think that I'm still the scared little girl I was a year ago. But there are people who know and don't care, who love me enough to understand that hurt and who push me to keep moving forward.
Life Lesson with Karla, brought to you by The Macaulley Whitlock Foundation:
Life lesson #2: Don't give up on yourself.
Never let the past dictate how you act in the present; don't let yourself fall for the same mistakes that brought you down in the first place. Keep trusting that you can get out of the mess, that you can find a way out even though it might be the hardest thing you have had to do at that point in your life. There will still be that one person who will still find everything that is wrong with you, even though there are hundreds of others who love you just the way you are; don't let that one person manipulate you into thinking that you aren't worth anything. Because whatever they say is the farthest thing from the truth.
I know I say this too much, but I am so grateful to be where I am right now. Right here, right now. This is life, and it is beautiful.
~
February 28, 2011
clockin' in & doin' work
**The date says the 28th of February, but that's wrong. We've traveled in time and it's really March 5th**
Well, hello there.
I see you've noticed the background change...again. I'm trying to encourage Spring to get here a little earlier. Last time we talked I was in Vienna, right? Man, we have lots to catch up on. Here we go.
The rest of the Vienna trip was great. We performed three amazing concerts in three fabulous places. I will never forget standing on the stage at the Wiener Konzerthaus to a wildly applauding audience, seeing the smiling faces of my parents in the first row of the balcony... I loved the feeling of playing the solos from the Vaughan Williams in that big space. The Konzerthaus was made for music, and it sounds so good in there. There was a spectacular dinner post-concert where I drank a large beer with my father and Dr. Baldwin gave at least 4 speeches. I captured it all on video, too. Epic last couple of days in Austria, that's for sure.
We went to Munich for a couple days after we were finished in Vienna, and my best friend from home, Matthew, flew out from California to see me! It was our first foreign country experience together in our many years of friendship, and he was fantastic to have along for the few hours that we were in a new city. He had never been to Munich before either, but he arrived in the city five hours before I did so he had some time to scope things out and show me around. We walked through the city center, had dinner (epic German mac & cheese) and beer at a local place, ate giant pretzels, and turned in early both nights. Then we hopped on a plane and flew ourselves back to the US. I have never been so happy to see a water fountain in my life as I was in the Chicago airport that afternoon.
Second semester started all too soon. I was very glad to be back from Europe, but I had gotten used to the routine of 3 hour rehearsals in the morning, shopping and museums in the afternoon, and concerts in the evening. Homework and practicing were not a welcome return to post-Vienna life. Anyway, it's been almost 6 weeks since school started. Still as busy as usual, but this time with a different approach and routine. The awesome contemporary string ensemble that we started last semester has accepted five gigs this spring, and we're working with numerous student composers on compositions and arrangements! We've played at two basketball games, the BSU talent show, and a couple things in Marty's so far this year. I have great things in mind for this ensemble. Also, I opted out of the concerto competition this year, which I spent many evenings stressing and worrying over. Some things just aren't worth that stress and worry, you know? Besides, a very deserving friend of mine won this year, and I will be honored to play in the symphony while he rocks out on the cello as a soloist next fall.
Other than that, school is pretty much school. Waiting for the snow to melt so I can buy a bike. Scored an internship at LSM this summer, so I'll be in Decorah from graduation to August. Met a boy back in December who I may or may not have vaguely mentioned in a previous post. Trying to keep up TenString Serenade because I miss that music.
How about A Life Lesson with Karla? Brought to you by Nike. Just Do It.
Life Lesson #1: Things always work out. And there are usually good reasons behind why they do.
Sometimes it really irks me how many times in my life I have worried and lost sleep over some issue for weeks and then come to find out that 3 months later everything turns out just fine. It's nothing short of annoying, only because I have yet to embrace this fact and continue to unnecessarily freak out.
Scenario: I am so good at making plans and thinking about things and how they will play out in the future. Then when things go wrong and all my ideas are shot down, I'm left stewing over what happened. A couple days go by and things seem okay. I realize the true meaning behind my feelings and intentions and spend a few more days just feeling dumb. Then a few more weeks pass, I'm figuring myself out again, and before you know it it's December. Christmas at Luther, finals, two blissful weeks of break looming over head, aka Prime Stress Time. Usually this is where Life shoves one too many servings of college on the plate and you overload, right? And yet... this time around Life said, "Hey kid, you've been struggling. I've looked into the past 6 months and PHEW what a ride! Sorry about that, really. Looks like you pulled through though, eh? Anyway, I've got something for ya that I think you'll like. It's a bit different from your usual, but I think you'll find that it's exactly what you need..."
Here's when it gets good. Obviously you can tell that this scenario involves relationship issues, and golly gee, wouldn't it be just like Life to throw another relationship at me when I had just sworn off them to better connect with my Self?? This is a joke, right?
The Punch Line: After a four hour conversation with a certain Trevor Maloney, I felt more like myself than I had in months. I had spent most of August through November coming to terms with and figuring out how to live with myself, and this kid just walks into my life like he's clocking in for work study. No big deal or anything - he just takes in everything about who I am, where I'm from, my favorite chord progressions, past pet history, everything. He simply took my heart from my own hands where I was working so delicately on piecing it back together and just made it whole. In four hours. I've never met anyone like him.
Moral: Trust your instinct that things are going to work out. I know what it feels like to be in the midst of an absolute pile of crap with no clear way out. I now know what it feels like to be on the other side of that, and I am so happy to be where I am. Boys are not the answer to life's problems, but somehow even after what seems like the worst of the worst in life, things smooth themselves out and you are so much better for it. And sometimes someone who just happens to be a boy will come along at the right moment in the right place and turn the world upside down.
I'm sure there will be more of these in the future, but for now I'm outta here. I've got 8 hours of sleep and a lovely weekend ahead of me. Cheers to work study, really nice boys, and my favorite beverage of the week, Highlander Grog coffee. :-)
Well, hello there.
I see you've noticed the background change...again. I'm trying to encourage Spring to get here a little earlier. Last time we talked I was in Vienna, right? Man, we have lots to catch up on. Here we go.
The rest of the Vienna trip was great. We performed three amazing concerts in three fabulous places. I will never forget standing on the stage at the Wiener Konzerthaus to a wildly applauding audience, seeing the smiling faces of my parents in the first row of the balcony... I loved the feeling of playing the solos from the Vaughan Williams in that big space. The Konzerthaus was made for music, and it sounds so good in there. There was a spectacular dinner post-concert where I drank a large beer with my father and Dr. Baldwin gave at least 4 speeches. I captured it all on video, too. Epic last couple of days in Austria, that's for sure.
We went to Munich for a couple days after we were finished in Vienna, and my best friend from home, Matthew, flew out from California to see me! It was our first foreign country experience together in our many years of friendship, and he was fantastic to have along for the few hours that we were in a new city. He had never been to Munich before either, but he arrived in the city five hours before I did so he had some time to scope things out and show me around. We walked through the city center, had dinner (epic German mac & cheese) and beer at a local place, ate giant pretzels, and turned in early both nights. Then we hopped on a plane and flew ourselves back to the US. I have never been so happy to see a water fountain in my life as I was in the Chicago airport that afternoon.
Second semester started all too soon. I was very glad to be back from Europe, but I had gotten used to the routine of 3 hour rehearsals in the morning, shopping and museums in the afternoon, and concerts in the evening. Homework and practicing were not a welcome return to post-Vienna life. Anyway, it's been almost 6 weeks since school started. Still as busy as usual, but this time with a different approach and routine. The awesome contemporary string ensemble that we started last semester has accepted five gigs this spring, and we're working with numerous student composers on compositions and arrangements! We've played at two basketball games, the BSU talent show, and a couple things in Marty's so far this year. I have great things in mind for this ensemble. Also, I opted out of the concerto competition this year, which I spent many evenings stressing and worrying over. Some things just aren't worth that stress and worry, you know? Besides, a very deserving friend of mine won this year, and I will be honored to play in the symphony while he rocks out on the cello as a soloist next fall.
Other than that, school is pretty much school. Waiting for the snow to melt so I can buy a bike. Scored an internship at LSM this summer, so I'll be in Decorah from graduation to August. Met a boy back in December who I may or may not have vaguely mentioned in a previous post. Trying to keep up TenString Serenade because I miss that music.
How about A Life Lesson with Karla? Brought to you by Nike. Just Do It.
Life Lesson #1: Things always work out. And there are usually good reasons behind why they do.
Sometimes it really irks me how many times in my life I have worried and lost sleep over some issue for weeks and then come to find out that 3 months later everything turns out just fine. It's nothing short of annoying, only because I have yet to embrace this fact and continue to unnecessarily freak out.
Scenario: I am so good at making plans and thinking about things and how they will play out in the future. Then when things go wrong and all my ideas are shot down, I'm left stewing over what happened. A couple days go by and things seem okay. I realize the true meaning behind my feelings and intentions and spend a few more days just feeling dumb. Then a few more weeks pass, I'm figuring myself out again, and before you know it it's December. Christmas at Luther, finals, two blissful weeks of break looming over head, aka Prime Stress Time. Usually this is where Life shoves one too many servings of college on the plate and you overload, right? And yet... this time around Life said, "Hey kid, you've been struggling. I've looked into the past 6 months and PHEW what a ride! Sorry about that, really. Looks like you pulled through though, eh? Anyway, I've got something for ya that I think you'll like. It's a bit different from your usual, but I think you'll find that it's exactly what you need..."
Here's when it gets good. Obviously you can tell that this scenario involves relationship issues, and golly gee, wouldn't it be just like Life to throw another relationship at me when I had just sworn off them to better connect with my Self?? This is a joke, right?
The Punch Line: After a four hour conversation with a certain Trevor Maloney, I felt more like myself than I had in months. I had spent most of August through November coming to terms with and figuring out how to live with myself, and this kid just walks into my life like he's clocking in for work study. No big deal or anything - he just takes in everything about who I am, where I'm from, my favorite chord progressions, past pet history, everything. He simply took my heart from my own hands where I was working so delicately on piecing it back together and just made it whole. In four hours. I've never met anyone like him.
Moral: Trust your instinct that things are going to work out. I know what it feels like to be in the midst of an absolute pile of crap with no clear way out. I now know what it feels like to be on the other side of that, and I am so happy to be where I am. Boys are not the answer to life's problems, but somehow even after what seems like the worst of the worst in life, things smooth themselves out and you are so much better for it. And sometimes someone who just happens to be a boy will come along at the right moment in the right place and turn the world upside down.
I'm sure there will be more of these in the future, but for now I'm outta here. I've got 8 hours of sleep and a lovely weekend ahead of me. Cheers to work study, really nice boys, and my favorite beverage of the week, Highlander Grog coffee. :-)
January 22, 2011
entschuldigung
Believe it or not, I'm sitting in a Starbucks. In Vienna. Not what you expected, you say? Me either.
We are moving towards our last week here in Austria. Time has just flown by! We've seen a lot - museums, fabulous artwork, grand architecture, hundreds of coffeehouses. We've eaten most of the famous Austrian dishes, in Salzburg and here in Vienna. I've tried the coffee, the schnitzel, the frankfurter, etc. And the best part for me? All the fabulous music. I think I've seen 3 operas and 3 or 4 spectacular concerts since we've been here. There is a Mozart opera tonight at the Staatsoper that I'm not going to because my feet are extremely mad at me for what I did to them last night - the 2011 Officer's Ball at the Hofburg Palace.
Where should I start?
LCSO arrived in Munich on January 7th and drove straight to Salzburg, introducing us to the glorious Alps and the phenomenon of paying to use a public bathroom. Salzburg was my favorite, I think. Smallish town, gorgeous buildings and views, surrounded by unparalleled mountainous terrain... Absolutely beautiful. We spent two days there, getting accustomed to Austrian culture and the language, especially. Luckily I just finished my second semester of German back at Luther, so I had enough to get me around and to help out those around me. Although, they can totally tell when you're an American, even if you try to speak in German. You'll say, "Ich möchte ein Bier, bitte," and they'll respond with, "Two euro fifty, please." I met an Austrian officer last night who said that their English response was more of their way of trying to be friendly with us, but it just feels as though we are being mocked. Sometimes it works, though, and they will respond in German so quickly that I can't understand them and then I have to say, "Es tut mir leid, ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsche!" Then they will either laugh and respond in English, or scowl and respond in English. Curious people, the Austrians.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed walking around Salzburg by the river, seeing the old fortress and climbing the 2000+ stairs (don't know that for a fact, but it felt like so much more!) to the very top. We loved finding the local bars and ordering a beer just for fun - apparently I'm the only one the group to have gotten carded so far. Didn't think I looked like I was 16, but whatever. I enjoyed picking up a few groceries at the Billa near our hotel for late night snacks - Nutella and Tuc crackers. The best. We visited Mozart's birthplace, an old cemetery with Mozart's wife and father's graves, several fabulous shopping streets, and many local eateries. I have fallen in love with the kepab and frankfurter.
So after a couple days of sight seeing and general assimilation, we took a bus to Vienna. First we stopped off at the Mathausen Concentration Camp for a visit - a very sobering experience. I never thought I would get to see a concentration camp in my lifetime, and after years of learning about the Holocaust in school I was ______ (what is the right word for this?) to finally get to visit one. We arrived in Wien late that night, ate dinner at the hotel, and had a quick map orientation and introduction to the U-bahn, the underground train system that we use to go all over the city. Early rehearsals the next morning and for the rest of the day, and then I can't remember what we did on our first day, but I'm pretty sure there was an opera involved. The Staatsoper is a gorgeous opera house at the center of the city, right on the main drag, the Ringstraße. The center of Vienna is encircled by the Ringstraße, which used to be where the original limits and fortress walls of the city were. Eventually they were broken down and the city expanded past the Ring and allowed for the public use of the city center. It is now full of the most important buildings and fabulous shopping in the entire city, like the opera house, Musikverein (concert hall), Konzerthaus, Rathaus (city hall), and several large cathedrals. So! The Staatsoper! Fun experience... we ended up going three nights in a row because we loved it so much. The Vienna Phil usually plays in the pit, and the singers are phenomenal, of course. It is a beautiful place to hear equally beautiful music. Big fan of the Staatsoper.
What else, what else...
Life is not exactly what I expected it to be like in Vienna. I think I expected more of the experience I got in Salzburg - smaller town, more of a local economy, seriously historical. And not that Vienna isn't historical, because it absolutely is. The Viennese thrive on their past and it shows. It's just that I wasn't expecting the large, bustling metropolis that it seems to be. The street that our hotel is on, Mariahilferstraße, reminds me of lower Manhattan in New York City. But, there is an old, old church about a block down from our hotel entrance, right smack dab in between the Pizza/Kebap stand and some other fancy clothing store. So that's a great distinguishing feature - shoppingshoppingshoppingReallyFabulousOldChurchshoppingshopping... Haha, there is great shopping, though, and three H&M stores, all within about 3 blocks of the hotel! Not to mention the Starbucks that I'm in now, as well as the classiest McDonalds you will ever see. Some friends and I made it a nightly habit to go to the McDonalds, order fries, and use their janky wifi for an hour or two, until we discovered that one of the rooms in the hotel gets the wifi from the Cafe Ritter next door. One of our other favorite places to eat is the Lucky Noodle, just this tiny Asian noodle place on the next block over. And I have a personal favorite, the Schnitzelhaus. Not only do they have excellent schnitzel, they have fabulous Nutella crepe things. They aren't called crepes, but they look like it. They also have wifi, and I'm notorious for stopping by the outside real quick in the mornings before rehearsals to download my emails. Keeps me sane, what can I say?
Rehearsals have been going well, by the way. We had our last full rehearsal at the Haus der Begegnung on Otto-Bauergasse, about 3 blocks from the hotel, on Friday afternoon. We cleared the floor afterwards and had a dance lesson on the Viennese Waltz for the ball that evening. We were champions at it, let me tell you. :-) Anyway, our first performance is on Monday in Stockerau. I think I will enjoy this next week more than the other two weeks that we've been here. I mean, we came here to perform and that is what I want to do, darn it! I can only stand so much sight-seeing, and I'm about ready to show Austria why the hell we are here in the first place. We take our final exam for our Viennese History class on Tuesday, and then perform again on Wednesday in another city that I can't remember the name of, and then finally on Thursday in the Wien Konzerthaus. We attended a performance of the Vienna Symphony in the Konzerthaus last week, and it was amazing. They played Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (which was less than stellar only because of the soloist) and a Brahms Symphony. I sat in the first row and had a fantastic view of the concertmaster (who was playing on a Guarneri, by the way. I was less than 10 feet away from a Guarneri violin). Learned a lot from him. Anyway, the Konzerthaus is a fabulous venue, and I know our performance and the atmosphere will make my parents cry. They are coming on Tuesday to see our Wednesday and Thursday performances, and generally make me the happiest girl in Vienna with their presence. Pumped.
Overall, it's been a great trip so far. I am used to the routine of rehearsal - lunch - rehearsal - museum/walking around - concert/opera - maybe a bar sometimes (I've only been out to experience Vienna nightlife once) - bed. I am well versed in the U-bahn and feel awesome that I know enough German to speak with the locals and order food. I think everyone else in the symphony is thoroughly enjoying themselves as well, and hopefully soon after we get back I will have a fabulous video documentary to post from all the video footage I've taken while being here!
Here's to all the fabulous coffee, culture, and craziness that is Vienna. Auf wiedersehen, meine Fruende!
We are moving towards our last week here in Austria. Time has just flown by! We've seen a lot - museums, fabulous artwork, grand architecture, hundreds of coffeehouses. We've eaten most of the famous Austrian dishes, in Salzburg and here in Vienna. I've tried the coffee, the schnitzel, the frankfurter, etc. And the best part for me? All the fabulous music. I think I've seen 3 operas and 3 or 4 spectacular concerts since we've been here. There is a Mozart opera tonight at the Staatsoper that I'm not going to because my feet are extremely mad at me for what I did to them last night - the 2011 Officer's Ball at the Hofburg Palace.
Where should I start?
LCSO arrived in Munich on January 7th and drove straight to Salzburg, introducing us to the glorious Alps and the phenomenon of paying to use a public bathroom. Salzburg was my favorite, I think. Smallish town, gorgeous buildings and views, surrounded by unparalleled mountainous terrain... Absolutely beautiful. We spent two days there, getting accustomed to Austrian culture and the language, especially. Luckily I just finished my second semester of German back at Luther, so I had enough to get me around and to help out those around me. Although, they can totally tell when you're an American, even if you try to speak in German. You'll say, "Ich möchte ein Bier, bitte," and they'll respond with, "Two euro fifty, please." I met an Austrian officer last night who said that their English response was more of their way of trying to be friendly with us, but it just feels as though we are being mocked. Sometimes it works, though, and they will respond in German so quickly that I can't understand them and then I have to say, "Es tut mir leid, ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsche!" Then they will either laugh and respond in English, or scowl and respond in English. Curious people, the Austrians.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed walking around Salzburg by the river, seeing the old fortress and climbing the 2000+ stairs (don't know that for a fact, but it felt like so much more!) to the very top. We loved finding the local bars and ordering a beer just for fun - apparently I'm the only one the group to have gotten carded so far. Didn't think I looked like I was 16, but whatever. I enjoyed picking up a few groceries at the Billa near our hotel for late night snacks - Nutella and Tuc crackers. The best. We visited Mozart's birthplace, an old cemetery with Mozart's wife and father's graves, several fabulous shopping streets, and many local eateries. I have fallen in love with the kepab and frankfurter.
So after a couple days of sight seeing and general assimilation, we took a bus to Vienna. First we stopped off at the Mathausen Concentration Camp for a visit - a very sobering experience. I never thought I would get to see a concentration camp in my lifetime, and after years of learning about the Holocaust in school I was ______ (what is the right word for this?) to finally get to visit one. We arrived in Wien late that night, ate dinner at the hotel, and had a quick map orientation and introduction to the U-bahn, the underground train system that we use to go all over the city. Early rehearsals the next morning and for the rest of the day, and then I can't remember what we did on our first day, but I'm pretty sure there was an opera involved. The Staatsoper is a gorgeous opera house at the center of the city, right on the main drag, the Ringstraße. The center of Vienna is encircled by the Ringstraße, which used to be where the original limits and fortress walls of the city were. Eventually they were broken down and the city expanded past the Ring and allowed for the public use of the city center. It is now full of the most important buildings and fabulous shopping in the entire city, like the opera house, Musikverein (concert hall), Konzerthaus, Rathaus (city hall), and several large cathedrals. So! The Staatsoper! Fun experience... we ended up going three nights in a row because we loved it so much. The Vienna Phil usually plays in the pit, and the singers are phenomenal, of course. It is a beautiful place to hear equally beautiful music. Big fan of the Staatsoper.
What else, what else...
Life is not exactly what I expected it to be like in Vienna. I think I expected more of the experience I got in Salzburg - smaller town, more of a local economy, seriously historical. And not that Vienna isn't historical, because it absolutely is. The Viennese thrive on their past and it shows. It's just that I wasn't expecting the large, bustling metropolis that it seems to be. The street that our hotel is on, Mariahilferstraße, reminds me of lower Manhattan in New York City. But, there is an old, old church about a block down from our hotel entrance, right smack dab in between the Pizza/Kebap stand and some other fancy clothing store. So that's a great distinguishing feature - shoppingshoppingshoppingReallyFabulousOldChurchshoppingshopping... Haha, there is great shopping, though, and three H&M stores, all within about 3 blocks of the hotel! Not to mention the Starbucks that I'm in now, as well as the classiest McDonalds you will ever see. Some friends and I made it a nightly habit to go to the McDonalds, order fries, and use their janky wifi for an hour or two, until we discovered that one of the rooms in the hotel gets the wifi from the Cafe Ritter next door. One of our other favorite places to eat is the Lucky Noodle, just this tiny Asian noodle place on the next block over. And I have a personal favorite, the Schnitzelhaus. Not only do they have excellent schnitzel, they have fabulous Nutella crepe things. They aren't called crepes, but they look like it. They also have wifi, and I'm notorious for stopping by the outside real quick in the mornings before rehearsals to download my emails. Keeps me sane, what can I say?
Rehearsals have been going well, by the way. We had our last full rehearsal at the Haus der Begegnung on Otto-Bauergasse, about 3 blocks from the hotel, on Friday afternoon. We cleared the floor afterwards and had a dance lesson on the Viennese Waltz for the ball that evening. We were champions at it, let me tell you. :-) Anyway, our first performance is on Monday in Stockerau. I think I will enjoy this next week more than the other two weeks that we've been here. I mean, we came here to perform and that is what I want to do, darn it! I can only stand so much sight-seeing, and I'm about ready to show Austria why the hell we are here in the first place. We take our final exam for our Viennese History class on Tuesday, and then perform again on Wednesday in another city that I can't remember the name of, and then finally on Thursday in the Wien Konzerthaus. We attended a performance of the Vienna Symphony in the Konzerthaus last week, and it was amazing. They played Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (which was less than stellar only because of the soloist) and a Brahms Symphony. I sat in the first row and had a fantastic view of the concertmaster (who was playing on a Guarneri, by the way. I was less than 10 feet away from a Guarneri violin). Learned a lot from him. Anyway, the Konzerthaus is a fabulous venue, and I know our performance and the atmosphere will make my parents cry. They are coming on Tuesday to see our Wednesday and Thursday performances, and generally make me the happiest girl in Vienna with their presence. Pumped.
Overall, it's been a great trip so far. I am used to the routine of rehearsal - lunch - rehearsal - museum/walking around - concert/opera - maybe a bar sometimes (I've only been out to experience Vienna nightlife once) - bed. I am well versed in the U-bahn and feel awesome that I know enough German to speak with the locals and order food. I think everyone else in the symphony is thoroughly enjoying themselves as well, and hopefully soon after we get back I will have a fabulous video documentary to post from all the video footage I've taken while being here!
Here's to all the fabulous coffee, culture, and craziness that is Vienna. Auf wiedersehen, meine Fruende!
January 2, 2011
when you smile
So, I'm sitting on my bed at home, laughing to myself about how I've been meaning to write another post for about 2 weeks but haven't got around to it. It's fitting, though, because like my last post, these are my final moments at home before I head back to Luther for Vienna and 2nd semester. I've, uh, been a little busy in the past month. Shall I share? I think I will.
Christmas at Luther was amazing. So special and so wonderful, even though my parents didn't make it up for a concert because of the weather. I made a new friend at C@L, though, and have been enjoying getting to know him. I remember the last two weeks of school as several things. I'll make a list because I'm really good at them:
1. Stressful - finals and 10 page linguistics papers and performances and juries and etc.
2. Exciting - going home for Christmas and my sister's wedding
3. Surprising - two things happened that I wasn't expecting and the timing was both awful and perfect.
4. Unforgettable - don't think that I'll be forgetting C@L 2010 anytime soon. :-)
I played in the Bach Cantata at First Lutheran on a Wednesday, took a shuttle to MSP early Thursday morning, and was asleep in my own bed in Georgia until 2pm on Friday. It was joyful and triumphant. :-)
I spent the week of Christmas running errands for mom, helping out with wedding stuff, and seeing old friends. I spent Christmas Eve in the kitchen, getting to know my mother's oven and surprisingly becoming very good friends with it! Together we made a whole army of Gingerbread Men, Thumbprint Jam cookies, Special K bars, Sugar cookies, and then some white chocolate peppermint and white chocolate/pineapple/almond bark. Exquisite. Best baking I've ever done. Also probably the only baking I've ever done.
Christmas was lovely. I MADE SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP! I, KARLA DIETMEYER, COOKED. ON THE STOVE. WITH SPINACH!! :-) It was quiet and we spent 3 hours opening gifts, drinking the annual Christmas Blend from Starbucks, eating waaay to much food, and being astonished when it started to snow. Christmas miracle!!! It was beautiful until I decided to run around barefoot on the driveway. I didn't want to get my socks wet and I was too impatient to find shoes! Guess who woke up the next morning with a bad cold and proceeded to get my whole family sick? *insert guilty karla smile here*
So Mom, Laura, and I spent the week before the wedding with tissues and Advil and a host of other Get Well Right Now drugs while running around like crazy people doing final prep and checking things off the hundreds of lists my sister had compiled for the event. Family started arriving on Wednesday, and what I thought was going to be a giant party for four days turned into more running around like crazy people and running the dishwasher more times than I thought possible in a single weekend. But everyone was so helpful, and on Wedding Day everything was as perfect as it could be. It rained, but the sky looked amazing by the time we were at the reception hall, so those pictures will be incredible. Laura was absolutely the single most incredible bride I have ever seen. Gorgeous and classic, romantic and so, so grown up. I will never forget standing next to her at the altar, watching her say her vows, and seeing the look on Evan's face when the pastor said, "Laura, you may now kiss your husband!" Absolutely priceless. They are honeymooning in the Caribbean as we speak! I asked to come along, but they said no. Strange. :-)
Tomorrow I go back to my other life. LCSO leaves for Vienna on Thursday, and we'll be there for threeish weeks. Hopefully I'll get to post a little while I'm there, but I'll definitely post some pictures when I have time. So looking forward to good Viennese coffee and pretending to be European with Dan Fernelius.
Here's to weddings, traveling, coffee, contact lenses, Christmas cookies, tissues, the New Year, and love. Tschüss!
Christmas at Luther was amazing. So special and so wonderful, even though my parents didn't make it up for a concert because of the weather. I made a new friend at C@L, though, and have been enjoying getting to know him. I remember the last two weeks of school as several things. I'll make a list because I'm really good at them:
1. Stressful - finals and 10 page linguistics papers and performances and juries and etc.
2. Exciting - going home for Christmas and my sister's wedding
3. Surprising - two things happened that I wasn't expecting and the timing was both awful and perfect.
4. Unforgettable - don't think that I'll be forgetting C@L 2010 anytime soon. :-)
I played in the Bach Cantata at First Lutheran on a Wednesday, took a shuttle to MSP early Thursday morning, and was asleep in my own bed in Georgia until 2pm on Friday. It was joyful and triumphant. :-)
I spent the week of Christmas running errands for mom, helping out with wedding stuff, and seeing old friends. I spent Christmas Eve in the kitchen, getting to know my mother's oven and surprisingly becoming very good friends with it! Together we made a whole army of Gingerbread Men, Thumbprint Jam cookies, Special K bars, Sugar cookies, and then some white chocolate peppermint and white chocolate/pineapple/almond bark. Exquisite. Best baking I've ever done. Also probably the only baking I've ever done.
Christmas was lovely. I MADE SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP! I, KARLA DIETMEYER, COOKED. ON THE STOVE. WITH SPINACH!! :-) It was quiet and we spent 3 hours opening gifts, drinking the annual Christmas Blend from Starbucks, eating waaay to much food, and being astonished when it started to snow. Christmas miracle!!! It was beautiful until I decided to run around barefoot on the driveway. I didn't want to get my socks wet and I was too impatient to find shoes! Guess who woke up the next morning with a bad cold and proceeded to get my whole family sick? *insert guilty karla smile here*
So Mom, Laura, and I spent the week before the wedding with tissues and Advil and a host of other Get Well Right Now drugs while running around like crazy people doing final prep and checking things off the hundreds of lists my sister had compiled for the event. Family started arriving on Wednesday, and what I thought was going to be a giant party for four days turned into more running around like crazy people and running the dishwasher more times than I thought possible in a single weekend. But everyone was so helpful, and on Wedding Day everything was as perfect as it could be. It rained, but the sky looked amazing by the time we were at the reception hall, so those pictures will be incredible. Laura was absolutely the single most incredible bride I have ever seen. Gorgeous and classic, romantic and so, so grown up. I will never forget standing next to her at the altar, watching her say her vows, and seeing the look on Evan's face when the pastor said, "Laura, you may now kiss your husband!" Absolutely priceless. They are honeymooning in the Caribbean as we speak! I asked to come along, but they said no. Strange. :-)
Tomorrow I go back to my other life. LCSO leaves for Vienna on Thursday, and we'll be there for threeish weeks. Hopefully I'll get to post a little while I'm there, but I'll definitely post some pictures when I have time. So looking forward to good Viennese coffee and pretending to be European with Dan Fernelius.
Here's to weddings, traveling, coffee, contact lenses, Christmas cookies, tissues, the New Year, and love. Tschüss!
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