Adios to the West Coast!

Okay so this is about the 5th time I've attempted to post this entry in the last 2 days. I really hope it works this time.
Before I write anything else, though, I'd like to apologize for being so...pre-menstrual in that last entry. No one likes to hear complaining, so thanks for putting up with it. As we say, "It's in the fire," out, over, and done with.
The main purpose of this entry has do to with the fact that I am leaving for New York in a little less than 2 hours. Okay, that's not totally true; I'm leaving for Salt Lake City in a little less than 2 hours and won't be in NYC until tomorrow night. But the trip starts today, so we'll just count it.
*Insert: What the weird timing! Candice just called me to invite me to hang out with some friends of hers tonight. Sorry Candice...I'm leaving town for a week in a little while, I'll have to catch up with you later!*
I want to let you all know that I love you dearly and can't wait to get back and write all about the fun adventures I've had and post pictures to prove that they're true. At the request of others, I will do everything in my power to do the things I've been told I must do. I'll take lots of pictures, try to get everyone in Times Square to sing in unison, and take a picture with The Naked Cowboy. I'll teach him the dance--da da daaa da da da da daaa! (Wow. That sounded a lot dirtier than I meant it to. I don't go in for cowboys anyways. I prefer punkish-retro-intelligent-nerdy boys.)
I would also like to announce that for the first time this school year, my roomate and good friend who for the purpose of this blog shall remain unnamed, peed her pants with laughter last night. It's actually a pretty common occurance...we used to see how many times we could get her to do it in one night. Cruel, I know. But you have no idea what a sense of accomplishment it gives! Not to her, obviously, but to us who got her to pee her pants. Anyway, she hadn't done it all year, but now the school year has officially begun, with the advent of one wetting-self incident.
Hugs and kisses to you all! Bye!

Language is a two-edged sword, and so is irritability

Thus I begin my amusing signs and advertisements gallery! I just noticed the small print on the bottom of this sign...
Beckah, I really enjoyed your last blog. You are very eloquent and I love you.
I've discovered an open-browser computer ON-CAMPUS. There's a secret computer lab in the Romney building, and the really fun part is that its got this kind of "room of requirement" nature to it. I KNOW it's there, but I always just sort of wander around the building until I happen upon it. If I deliberately search for this lab, or try to learn where in the building it actually is, I inevitably get screwed over and it refuses to be found.
Well, I leave for NYC the day after tomorrow. I still feel so unprepared and unfinalized and basically not ready to go yet. Everything will be done and taken care of and in place by the time I DO go, but in the mean time, I haven't quite got my footing in my own excitement. I'm still terrified that something will go wrong, and I'm SO exhausted from preparations that...well, nevermind what. I'm bringing the video camera and JD's bringing his digital camera, and between us and Christian, we're going to make a little memory DVD thing. I was kinda bummed out in NYC class today. I was so tired and hungry and cranky, and there's this lady going with us that drives me bananas. Anything she says makes me want to scream...I can feel all my muscles literally tensing whenever she talks. So I was already irritable, and then some of my info wasn't on the itinerary, and then I found out that Ben's driving down tomorrow instead of Saturday and I was all excited to drive down with him cause I haven't seen him in, like, 2 weeks. And on top of that, he's giving a ride to another friend of mine who we'll call "Megan" and she's liked Ben for a year or so and there's a whole other story involved that I don't feel like publicizing on the world wide web. Grumble grumble.
I'm sorry this is such a ranty blog. I'm being a little bratty right now, and I apologize for making you feel icky inside with all my unhappiness if I'm doing so.
There was one night at Cindy's when everyone seemed to be having a bad night. It was all circumstantial and everyone for different reasons, so while some of the others were laughing and talking and eating in the living room, those of us who were having a lame time slowly went into the den and sat in front of the wood stove and ranted. A phrase was born that night that we've used ever since. Sometimes you just have to emotionally purge all the ickiness in your heart and mind, but then let it go. No one really wanted to cause trouble or action, but needed to get things out of their system. So anytime you ranted about something, afterwards you would spit into the fire, because A) it showed that whatever was bothering you was out and over and done with, and B) it's very satisfying to spit when you're irate. So I'm just going to say a few things in these next few paragraphs and then "ptooey, it's in the fire."
I'm a little apprehensive about the trip; let me scare you for a while and tell you that as of now, our layover flight this weekend is in Fort Worth, Texas. It might rain again tonight, and I have to ride my bike home from Wal*mart. I have no luggage to take on this trip yet. My laundry isn't done. I've got a week's worth of homework to make up. NO ONE wants to buy my printer, and I'm running out of groceries but don't want to go shopping for food that I will eat tomorrow and then not touch again for another week. And then there's a bunch of drama among a few of the theatre girls. It's not legitimate drama, but the kind that's there because some theatre girls just NEED to have drama. I don't mind listening and comforting and all that jazz, but I would prefer that we all just get along.
I just noticed that I've got to finish up and go. I feel terrible for leaving you for a week with such a whiney entry to remember me by...I was planning on adding some happiness to the end. I'll try to write once more before I leave for NYC, and in the mean time, please settle for this little song.
My roomate Tory singing it is far better than reading the lyrics, but I hope they make you happy anyway:

Tarzan was flying through the trees and
He lost his underwear
He said "Me do not care
Cause Jane will get another pair!"

Second verse!
Cheetah was flying through the trees and
He lost his underwear
He said "Me do not care
Cause Jane will get another pair!"

Third verse!
Jane was flying through the trees and
She lost her underwear
She said "Me do not care
Cause Tarzan likes me better bare!"

And that's I think about as close to a dirty limerick I get! Hizzah for nudity.

I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps!

Okay, kids, it's official! I am going to New York City in 8 days! I was scared for a long time that the financial situation wouldn't work out, but it has! Barely, but at this point, I don't care.
I can't even begin to describe my excitement and happiness. I'm probably going to repeat myself a lot in this blog, but I'm not exactly thinking clearly. I am going to New York City, and not only that, but I'm going with wonderful people I love! Okay, 2 lists, here we go...

People who are going:
Erika, JD, Ben, Kjersti, Kristi, Mallory, the Merrill family, Bro. Clifford, Cameron, Mindy, and Christian. And a few other people that I don't know as well, but like a lot from what I know.

What I'm doing:
Check it out. We couldn't get group tickets for a lot of shows, because they're either just too hard to get into, or because we're going under the banner of "BYU-Idaho," we didn't think it was a good idea. Or both. Not terrible shows, but shows that may have one little part in them or something. Ben, JD, and the Merrills found this genius website where you could find tickets to shows that are SOLD OUT. They take the few scattered seats that may be open for some reason or other and try to get you the best ones for no more expensive than you would pay otherwise. Through that, a lot of us got tickets to shows that we didn't think we could. Here's my own schedule:

Sat, 9/23
Drive down to Salt Lake City

Sun, 9/24
Fly out of SLC to arrive in NYC

Mon, 9/25
With a few friends: See evening show of the off-broadway show "Altar Boyz" (Non-LDS equivalent to "Sons of Provo" in the style of "Forever Plaid")

Tuesday, 9/26
With entire group: See evening show of "Wicked" with a tentative backstage tour and talk with cast and crew

Wednesday, 9/27 (I'm really excited about this day!)
With a few friends: See matinee show of "Spamalot"!!!!
THEN,
With a few friends: See evening show of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"!!!

Thursday, 9/28
With entire group: See evening show of "Lion King" with tentative talks with cast (tour of theatre scheduled some other time this week that I can't remember)

Friday, 9/29
No definite plans that I know of...I think I want to leave this night open. It will be our last night in the city, so I think I'll leave it free to do anything I didn't get to do yet. What I'd really like to do is just take the night to wander the city. Just to explore and walk around and soak up the city. *Sigh*

Saturday, 9/30
Fly back home

Wow. Also planned as a group are visits to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, some other exciting places, and lots of yummy places to eat. JD, Christian, and I also want to visit Hell's Kitchen. Normally that'd be kind of scary, but I'll be with Christian and JD.
Okay, I'm about to go into, like, acceptance-speech-mode, but I can't talk about this trip without mentioning the miracles that have taken place in order for me to go. My financial situation was such that I wasn't sure if I would be able to go on this trip. I've been working 30 hours a week WHILE going to school full-time, which is just a little stressful, but it's worth it. I was still struggling, though, with finances and the stress and working sundays and trying to readjust to school and life again. So I asked a dear friend of mine to give me a Priesthood blessing. He blessed me with guidance and physical and emotional strength and made many promises regarding my finances. It was just what I needed, and was such a strengthening experience! Please don't misunderstand...I don't feel I can explain the entire private, sacred reasons I want to go to New York. It sounds so...worldly, but it really is a righteous desire and I just don't feel I can explain it in words on a public blog. Anyway, since that blessing, I've turned in my late tithing and worked twice as hard to work out my going on this trip. And everything started coming together! First, each of us going were awarded $400 in financial aid from the Performing Arts Society at school. Then Mom, who was planning on sending me money throughout the year, agreed to send it all now. Then, it turned out I have more money in savings than I thought. And everything else has just fallen into place. There's still this tiny part of me that refuses to believe it's possible that I'm going; I'm terrified something will go wrong and all my hopes and plans will be dashed. It won't hit me until I'm packed and on my way.
I'll just say that I'm so grateful that I have access to the blessings of the Priesthood and for worthy young men who are ready and willing to excercise it. (Thanks, JD.)
I think in closing, the words of a popular Broadway muscial (which I'm going to see) would be appropriate:

EV’RY WAY
THAT YOU LOOK IN THIS CITY
THERE’S SOMETHING EXQUISITE
YOU’LL WANT TO VISIT
BEFORE THE DAY’S THROUGH!
THERE ARE BUILDINGS TALL AS QUOXWOOD TREES
DRESS SALONS
AND LIBRARIES
PALACES!
MUSEUMS!
A HUNDRED STRONG …
THERE ARE WONDERS LIKE I’VE NEVER SEEN
IT’S ALL GRAND
AND IT’S ALL GREEN
I THINK WE’VE FOUND THE PLACE WHERE WE BELONG!
I WANNA BE
IN THIS HOI POLLOI
SO I’LL BE BACK FOR GOOD SOMEDAY
TO MAKE MY LIFE AND MAKE MY WAY
BUT FOR TODAY, WE’LL WANDER AND ENJOY …
AND WE’RE WARNING THE CITY:
NOW THAT WE’RE IN HERE
YOU’LL KNOW WE’VE BEEN HERE
BEFORE WE ARE DONE!

Okay, maybe New York City isn't all green, but I don't know, I've never been there. Anyway, love you all, and for those of you who are members of the Church, PAY YOUR TITHING, HAVE RIGHTEOUS DESIRES AND BELIEVE THAT THE LORD CAN DO ANYTHING!

PS: Oh oh oh!!! Reminder, Monday, Sept. 19th is National Talk Like a Pirate Day! Everyone observe this fabulous holiday, me hearties!

My gosh man! Don't you know that's against the laws of nature?! Clowns aren't meant to be that big!!

This is my friend Casey. Isn't he cool? Check out his MySpace...I just added the link. Sorry the links list is far away at the bottom of the page; I haven't figured out how to fix it yet.
Today's been a pretty satisfactory day thus far. The morning was fabulous because of one thing and one thing alone. My roomates and I discovered the cartoon "The Tick." Has anyone ever watched that show? IT'S FETCHING HILARIOUS! It totally made our day(s). Then I went to Bajio's for lunch with some other folks to celebrate our friend Ben's birthday. That was lots of fun, but more in a pleasant-what-great-people-I-know-sort-of-way. As opposed to a that-was-the-funniest-afternoon-ever-I-laughed-so-hard-let-me-tell-you-all-the-stories sort of way. Things feel a little awkward between this particular group of friends at the moment. There's no animosity or anything like that. It's just that half of them spent the entire summer getting closer up at Playmill, and the other half of us...didn't. Some of us did here in the Rexburger, but it's going to take some time for all of us to mesh again, and to create our own jokes together. New York should be lots of fun, and help bring us all together a ton.
I'm about to pee myself with excitement over that. New York. We leave in, like, 2 weeks. That's so wonderfully soon, I don't know what to do with myself. I'm supposed to research libraries and museums to visit, and it's just too big a task. I want to go everywhere, and one week is simply not enough time to see all the shows, go to all the museums, eat at all the restaurants, shop at all the stores, and do everything else there is to do. Mallory gave Ben a great birthday present...actually it was the lamest birthday present in the world. All it was was a peice of crappy information. She told him that the Saturday before we get there, a museum is having a 25th Anniversary Jim Henson celebration. Ben looked absolutely crestfallen. Tears actually came to his eyes at having to miss it. No one else even seemed to care about the Jim Henson celebration except Ben and me, but it was totally a bummer. What a crappy present.
We also found out that the last night we're there in New York, PAUL MCCARTNEY IN CONCERT!!!!!!!!! It's totally sold out as of now, but that doesn't mean anything, and we are determined to find a way to go.
I'm supposed to be doing homework right now, so I guess I should probably go do that. It's just such a shame that my homework is theatre history and researching New York City. Oh, the grind.

Uuuhmm...

Does anyone happen to know why my profile and links list and stuff is now way at the bottom of this page? I don't want it there. So I guess the more important question would be does anyone happen to know how to change it and if so could they please tell me?

I feel like a watermelon...and I like it!

Hello all! Today is the day. At midnight last night, I left teenagedom behind me forever, and entered the world of the 20's! Kinda freaky, if you ask me. I've been alive for 2 decades. A lot can happen in two decades. And let me tell you, a lot has.
When I woke up this morning, I lay in bed for a few minutes thinking about being 20 years old. I'm not sure if I can articulate my thoughts, but I'll give it a shot. Somehow, I couldn't quite wrap my mind around the fact that I am now no longer a teenager. I had a nice few years there when I could affiliate myself with 2 groups...the teenagers and the young adults. I'm excited to renounce teenhood and become a full-fledged young adult, but I feel like I shouldn't be yet.
When I get right down to it, I know that it's just one year older and it doesn't really have all that significant an effect on my life, but laying in bed this morning, it sure seemed to. I just thought about all the "episodes" that have played out in my life thus far, and I feel like turning 20 years old is the start of a new one. People's lives come in phases, you know what I mean? There are the phases that everyone shares...childhood, teenagehood, young adulthood, etc. etc. But individuals have their own personal phases too. Periods of their lives that are characterized by a particular frame of mind, or a particular social experience. It's sort of difficult to identify those phases in your own life if you sit down and try, and yet in spite of that, you know they were there. For example, I know I had a sort of mild "hippie" phase, that blended a little bit with my mild witchcraft phase. Both took place during the years that I was inactive in the Church. But it the other episodes get a little hazy when I try to actually map them out.
I keep thinking the last week or so about how immature and stupid I was this last school year. I realize my behavior and frame of mind were perfectly average for a 19-year-old, and that's just what infuriates me. I share Luisa's sentiment from "The Fantasticks"..."Please God, please! Don't let ME be normal!" And this too, is a "curiuos paradox"; that by wanting to be out of the ordinary, I'm like almost every other girl on the planet. Here's the other paradox: My stating I was so immature a year ago just shows how much maturing I still have to do.
In closing, I'll share the words of Miss L.M. Montgomery, who's much more articulate than I am, and whose sentiments I share. Here's a little excerpt from "Anne of the Island." Aunt Jamesina is the girls' elderly chaperone while they're at college, and the following is a conversation between her and Anne.

"To think that this is my twentieth birthday, and that I've left my teens behind me forever," said Anne, who was curled up on the hearth-rug with Rusty in her lap, to Aunt Jamesina who was reading in her pet chair. They were alone in the living room. Stella and Priscilla had gone to a committee meeting and Phile was upstairs adorning herself for a party.
"I suppose you feel kind of sorry," said Aunt Jamesina. "The teens are such a nice part of life. I'm glad I've never gone out of them myself."
Anne laughed.
"You never will, Aunty. You'll be eighteen when you should be a hundred. Yes, I'm sorry, and a little dissatisfied as well. Miss Stacey told me long ago that by the time I was twenty my character would be formed, for good or evil. I don't feel that it's what it should be. It's full of flaws."
"So's everybody's," said Aunt Jamesina cheerfully. "Mine's cracked in a hundred places. Your Miss Stacey likely meant that when you are twenty your character would have got its permanent bent in one direction or 'tother, and would go on developing in that line. Don't worry over it, Anne. Do your duty by God and your neighbor and yourself, and have a good time. That's my philosophy and it's always worked pretty well."

Comforting to see things in that simple way, isn't it? I'm just grateful that I can always grow and change, and I just pray and try to live so that I change for the better, though I fall short far more often than not.

You wear junior high pants, you play junior high games.

I gave in. Here's the super-cool picture. Sorry if that's awkward, but its too great a picture to hide from the rest of the world. Besides, I'm still using Jen's computer, and don't have any of my own pictures to post.
As you may have noticed, after a fairly angry and passionate rant last blog, I now return again to the somewhat light-hearted and dryly humorous. Two of my roomates are trying to figure out the TV/VCR/DVD-player right now, which I could probably help them with, but I don't want to try. Too much possibility for frustration on a day off from school and work. So good luck Jen and Ashley.
I've got this awful disease. I would say its a social disease, but that has a whole different connotation, so let's call it a...uhhh...people disease? Okay, the point is this. I really enjoy hanging out with people, but whenever I really want to, I get too shy to call or visit anyone to suggest it. Even with people I'm GOOD FRIENDS with, that I've known for a long time, and have hung out with on a daily basis since last September. I get shy. I think a lot of it actually has to do with the fact that I don't have a car. (Okay, here's an aside: They just figured out the TV stuff, but there are a few minor...idiosyncracies. The TV works, but you have to unplug the cable to watch a movie or DVD. Both the DVD player and the VCR work, but neither currently have audio. In order to change channels, you can't just flip channels, you have to enter the channels numerically on the remote. And my favorite part is that you can't turn the TV off. You have to unplug it if you want it off. Jen just spent 15 minutes trying to explain why all of that is the way it is to Jenny, which sounded a lot like an old deaf married couple arguing. Jen's on a little walk now, although everyone--including her--is giggling at the ridiculousness of the situation.) Back to the social disease--uh, people disease--uh, whatever. Not having a car adds a little awkwardness to the situation because hanging out at someone's house rarely works out because of roomates and other factors. So the best is to go somewhere. But if I initiate it, it's like "Hey, let's go do something...can I have a ride?" and that's just lame. So I just sit around at home and hope that someone calls me to come hang out. Which no one ever does because no one likes me. (Okay, that's a lie. When people DO do something, they call me and I go, but the conflict lies in the fact that when I want to do something and when others actually do something for me to also enjoy don't correspond very well.)
So, I shall sit here and blog and think about the International Phonetic Alphabet and the quiz I have on it tomorrow morning. And think about the food I'd like to eat. Or maybe I'll actually eat something. And then call someone to go hang out with. Actually, I'll probably just go next door. We can think about our International Phonetic Alphabet quiz together.

PS: I posted this several hours after I wrote it. For the record, all I did was make pancakes and read "Life, the Universe, and Everything." By myself.

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." Abraham Lincoln

We haven't had access to a television in our apartment for a while, so on Friday afternoon, I got on to CNN.com to watch coverage on Hurrican Katrina, and to find out what things were like out there and what people were doing about it. Listening to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin call for someone, ANYONE, to get in there and help people, I was filled with frustration. In his interview with WWL Radio, Mayor Nagin showed himself a good man, in my opinion. I share his thoughts that when people are dying, you don't have time to go through beaurocratic processes, you don't have time to care about politics. PEOPLE ARE DYING, SEND SOME HELP.
I didn't really have much of an idea about how much damage there was, what was being done in that area until Friday, several days after the initial damage. I sat in Jen's room for an hour, looking at the footage, hearing about the situation, and getting more and more frustrated because I couldn't figure out a way to do anything that would help. Biking to work later that afternoon, I watched the town of Rexburg carrying on around me and I couldn't help but feel...well, let me give you a brief transcipt of my thought process that afternoon, it seems the best way to communicate my feelings.
"Everything seems so normal around here. It shouldn't. Here, the only water around is the campus pool, when on only the other side of our own country, people's lungs are filling with it. Rexburg's population keeps moving around in its normal patterns, maybe glancing at the news and thanking their lucky stars it isn't them, and then continuing their errands to the grocery store and the post office. A part of me realizes that you can't put your life on hold to mourn every time there's a sadness in the world. If that were the case, no one would ever get anything done. But nothing seems to feel any different. I feel different, and I can't see that feeling reflected anywhere around me. Shouldn't the whole world stop for a moment? Shouldn't the banks be crammed with people sending money? Shouldn't community center programs be halted to make room for those volunteer crews setting up donation centers? Shouldn't there be jars in every business with signs that say 'For victims of Hurricane Katrina'?"
I felt so full of this sense of injustice, although the logical side of me knew that Hurricane Katrina is certainly not the only catastrophe in our world right now.
Compare for a moment this current tragedy with the U.S.'s most recent one, that of 9/11. When the two towers in NYC went down, America went crazy to do something about it. The federal government, in particular, was quick to take rather aggresive action to avenge those who had suffered. (And history has clearly shown that revenge is ALWAYS the best course of action...) In this case, there's no one to blame. There are no people to be angry with for causing this devastation. No country hiding more weapons to destroy America to invade. Only nature, fate, Diety, karma...some force that America as a whole can't identify and take revenge against. America has a completely different attitude toward this disaster. Here's my rant:
PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING!!!!!!!!! Was it death that tugged at everyone's heartstrings on Sept 11, 2001? Or just the fact that it was another country's fault? Since this was nature, did the people in the path of Hurricane Katrina somehow got what they deserved? I SAY IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT OR WHO CAUSED IT, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I'm so angry I don't know how to express it. There are children without mothers, hospitals filled with patients needing medicine, drug addicts on the loose, homes destroyed, firemen and police officers that held that city together for 4 days and nights straight. There are rescue worker's committing suicide because of what they've gone through. Like Mayor Nagin, I want to see action! I have no reason or worldly title to give me the right to call for action, except for the fact that I'm a human being.
Below are some resources for giving to the relief effort. LDS Humanitarian Services has asked for financial donations as opposed to food, clothing, etc. so as not to pull labor from the feild. Also please look to your local community and governement to see what efforts are being made for relief and how you can help.

Church Humanitarian Services
American Red Cross
Salvation Army
Direct Relief International

For those of you who are religious, your prayers and fasts are also powerful. Please keep the victims, their families, and those helping with the relief effort in your prayers.

PS: I've discovered that the link to Church Humanitarian Services doesn't work. Just go to google and enter "Church Humanitarian Services" and its the first site that comes up.

"How is the soap sticking on? Well, the toaster's talking, so I guess I shouldn't ask questions."

HELLO ALL! Sorry no picture today. My computer is sort of down still so I'm borrowing Jen's spiffy laptop to blog. I thought about putting a really cool picture of her brother up here, just cause its really cool, but A) I didn't feel like trying to figure that out, and B) I've never met Jen's brother and it struck me as slightly awkward.
Wow, there's so much to blog about I don't even know where to start. Uuuummm, these next 5 days are my last days as a teenager. I turn 20 on September 8, and can't quite get my mind to wrap around the idea that I've been on this earth for two decades. I'm so old!
School started on Monday, and it's going to be a fabulous sememster. I love my classes, and I have a friend from the theatre dept. in all of my classes but one. I'm taking Theatre History, which is interesting and kind of fun, and Annie, Cam, JD, Brant, and my new friend Tia are all in that class, and all of them are intelligent and funny, making the class doubly interesting. I'm also taking Shakespeare, which right now is just a review of all this stuff I already know, so I'm still waiting for it to get exciting. But it's Shakespeare and how can it not be exciting? I'm also re-taking Math 108, and for the second time in my life, I have a math teacher I really like, and I actually look forward to going to class! Sis. Toy is fantastic, and she tells the coolest stories. Also my friend Jared is in that class, and he's a funny guy.
Stage dialects is by far both the hardest and funnest class I'm taking. Justin Love, Sarah, Annie, and John Walker are all in it, and Bro. Clifford is teaching it, so it's bound to be an awesome class. We're learning Standard American stage, British, Irish, Scots, Brooklynese, American Southern, and Italian. *Whew* The hard part is learning the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is kicking my trash right now, but will be wonderfully useful once I know it. We're required to be able to read and write it by the end of the semester. My schedule also includes Intro to Family History, and I'm about to pee my pants with excitement telling you about the other class I'm taking.
Roger Merrill is doing a class this first fall block called "Travel." And the point of the class is...TO GO TO NEW YORK CITY WITH A GROUP OF STUDENTS. The class is pretty small, but other faculty and Roger's family are all going, and we're going for a whole week at the end of this month. (That's so soon. I'm going to explode with happiness.)
I've never been to New York City, and so to get to go for a whole week, and go with wonderful people I love dearly is too much of a blessing to even comprehend. The trip would normally cost thousands of dollars (EACH), but because its a class, the generous donations of the Eliza R. Snow Performing Arts Society is granting us funds so that we each only have to cough up a few hundred dollars. I'm willing to sacrifice other expenses for that. Listen to whose going: Roger and his family, Bro. Clifford, Mindy, Kristi Bates, Christian, JD, Ben, Kjersti, Erika, Chalise, my new friend Brenna, Cameron, and a few more familiar faces.
I'm honestly not trying to make you all crazy with jealousy (well, okay maybe I am a little bit), but I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! Check out our list of things planned so far:

"Wicked" on Broadway, with backstage talks with cast and crew
"Lion King" on Broadway with the same
Statue of Liberty
Empire State Building
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Other tentative plans include trying to see "Light in the Piazza," "Spamalot," and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," but those are all impossible to get tickets for. We also have a few evenings and afternoons left completely free for us, to basically do whatever we want to with. We are free to explore the city, see shows, go to jazz clubs, eat at restaurants, go dancing, and drink in New York City until we're bursting to the seams with it! Whatever I did in the last life to deserve this, I need to do it again.
Well, that's just about all that comes to mind to blog about at the moment, so farewell for now!