Words. Super duper words.

So um, quick little news flash. I'm going to BYU.

Also, I got accepted into the Flute Studio at the School of Music. What??

Here's the thing. This has been such a big deal to me for such a long time that I can't believe it's actually here. Honestly, I don't think I've quite caught up with it yet. How is it humanly possible that I've come this far in such a short time? And how am I going to even measure up to being in such a fantastic program? I feel vastly not qualified and a little bit confused about how this even happened.

However, I think I've reached a conclusion about it. Number one, I'm scared out of my wits. I'm so intimidated--next year is going to be a world of change. But I'm excited too! Number two, I'm not even sure this is what I want to do with my life. Is music really it? What about English? I want to do that too! But as long as I have a chance at trying music, I'm going to give it my best shot.

That seems to be the case with a lot of things in my life lately....everything is a bit confusing and a lot of things are pretty freakin' scary. I was talking to a couple of friends during 7th today about life--growing up and all the tremendous changes that we're dealing with. We're losing friends, growing apart, going to college, planning our futures, and trying to figure out who we're going to be. At times, the prospect seems pretty bleak. Sometimes I might even call it terrifying. But I've come to realize that if you spend your life hanging out on the sidelines, you're going to miss the whole game. So I'll jump in with both feet and love what I'm doing and be where I am. I'll learn all sorts of things and meet all sorts of people, and it will be fabulous! I'll work my hardest and see where it takes me; and that's a good place to start.

Love always,
Kate

I'll Always Carry a Camera

The other day, I was in the car with my father and brother. We were driving to Wal Mart for various and sundry foodstuffs and other household items. As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw two homeless guys standing on little patches of grass on either side of the entrance to the parking lot. The one on the left was sitting on the grass with an old backpack and a faded red cooler, holding the stereotypical hobo sign; you know, "Hungry family. Anything helps, please give."

The other hobo was a bigger guy with a grizzly gray beard. He had a nasty old baseball cap on, and he also had a sign. It looked like this:















We all looked at each other in surprise, and then laughed for a good two minutes. We very nearly went back for a picture, but nobody had a camera.

Never again will I be caught unawares by such a stellar situation--I'll always carry my camera with me. :)

Love always,
Kate

One Day...

I'll get this right sometime, I'm sure of it. In the meantime, here's a swift and interesting blurb about my life.

I....sing. And play. And write. You know in Pride and Prejudice when the housekeeper at Pemberley is talking about Georgiana and she says, "She sings and plays all day long!" That's how I feel. I sing and play all day long.

Also, my brother is coming home from his mission in 10 days, if you don't count the rest of today. Wait, did I just write 10 days?? No no that can't be right. Oh my gosh. It's totally right. Where did two years go?! It's been so peaceful around here. But dull. Peaceful and dull. So, I guess it will be a good thing. Heh heh. I'm excited.

What else? I'm tired. Also, I'm auditioning for the School of Music. Wish me luck, since I'm 99.9% sure I won't blog again before that goes down. Also, ALL STATE ORCHESTRA! Woo! I'm so psyched out to play Sibelius, even if it isn't in Abravanel Hall. I guess I'll live.

Um, I think it's bedtime. Here's a nice parting gift.


(I'm extremely excited about this.)


















Love always,
Kate

Getting Old.

Not really old, necessarily...but guess what I did yesterday? That's right, I started firing up my BYU application. YIKES. Surely I'm not old enough to go to college yet. It simply isn't possible that I am that old. I'm not, I tell you. I'm still a little curly-haired girl wearing denim overalls and socks on my hands, jumping on the trampoline. That sounds a lot more like me than filling out college applications and writing entrance essays and worrying about money and where I'm going to live.

I feel like I should still be watching Scooby-Doo and playing with Pokemon cards and hating long division; not reading Jane Eyre and writing essays about how a bill passes through Congress.

The point is, I'm pretty dag-blasted sure I'm still a kid. I remember how excited I was to see how I would be in high school. For some reason, I thought I would be completely different. There would be some magical transformation between middle and high school which would automatically turn me into a smart, confident lady who knew exactly where she was going in life AND how she was going to get there. (It doesn't exactly work like that.)

See, I just don't feel ready for college. It's kind of....scary. I feel like baby Wade, who declared to my mom when he was but a wee lad, "I don't want to go to high school, Mom. I'm afraid I might fall off." The world is big and I am little, and I don't feel ready for life.

However, I'm so excited for what's coming my way. As Papa Paul would say, "This is where it's at." I love where I'm at, even though it's stressful. I love where I'm going, even though I'm not sure where exactly that might be just yet. Here, let me sum it up in the immortal words of Calvin: "Well, you never know...something could happen today. And if anything does, by golly, I'm going to be ready for it!"











So if anyone happens to have a helmet in their closet....


Love always,
Kate

Why I'm Not at School

See Sunday's post. BLAH.

Love,
Kate

Why I'm Not at Church

So, here's the story. Yesterday, I was reading A Tale of Two Cities and I fell asleep. I woke up from a little twenty minute nap and my back was kind of sore. I thought nothing of it and got up to get ready to go hang out with some friends. I took a couple ibuprofen before I left, thinking I had slept in a funny position and cramped some muscles up, and it would go away in a couple hours.

By the time I got to Katelyn's house, I was in some serious discomfort. I got into a comfortable position on her couch and we sat down and watched a movie. Then, around 7, I had to leave to make dinner for a kid I was babysitting. But by the time I got home, it was all I could do to get through the front door and throw myself on the floor. I laid there crying until my parents got home.

(Yes, this is all ridiculously dramatic. But my life isn't usually this exciting, so I'm making this one good.)

So. Parents come home, crying on the floor, etc. They relocated me to the couch with a heating pad and gave me some Tylenol and I laid there for a bit. Then my darling friends came over and sat with me for a while so I wouldn't be lonely. I have good friends. I like them.

A little while after they left, I started feeling better. So I started walking around a bit. Then I did some homework and even played the piano for a while. Then I laid back down. My friends came over again, and about one minute later, I had the absolute most gut-wrenching, excruciating pain in my...stomach? What? It was my back that was hurting. Except that it seemed to have moved to my stomach. At this point, my friends took leave of me, since I was on the kitchen floor weeping and writhing around. My Dad and Mike gave me a blessing, and I slowly started to feel better, bit by little bit.

We decided at some point along the way, when the pain was moving to my stomach and I had to go to the bathroom every two minutes, except that I really didn't, that I was having kidney stones. Someone please explain to me why I'm having kidney stones at the age of 17! At least two women who have had experience with kidney stones told me that it's worse than giving birth, so there's something to look forward to.... Anyway, I crawled into my little brother's bed an hour later and ended up spending the night there because I didn't want to move, and woke up this morning feeling sick, but with substantially less pain.

And that is why I'm not at church today! :)

(I would post a picture of kidney stones, but they're gross and I'm not going to make you see them if you don't want to. Look it up if you get enthusiastic...)

Feeling better,
Kate

Moo.

Should I drop a class? Quit my job? Give up flute or voice?

What class could I drop? I need the money. I can't give up music or I'll die.

THEN WHAT IS TO BE DONE? I need to learn to manage my time. I am so desperately unhappy.

Oh help.