The End and the Beginning

Well, the year is coming to a close. It is an end as well as a beginning. A time to start afresh, and let things go. Looking back on 2008, I realized that I grew a lot this year. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. This year we performed the play "The Mouse that Roared." That really felt like the beginning of things to come in high school. It was a challenge and also extremely fun. I learned to golf in one of my favorite classes of the semester. I survived Spirit Week without many scratches and even earned myself a bow from the teacher I impersonated. My acting grew at Theatricum this year. My scene and monologue were big challenges and I am so proud of how hard I worked and that I was able to pull through. I got a great part in Taming of the Shrew and had a wonderful time. I learned a lot about acting, Shakespeare and what helps me with a scene. Being in a repratory Theatricum play has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. It was one of the highlights of my summer I really hope I can be a part of it again next year! I took some great photos this year. I'm not a master or anything, but it's nice to improve. I audtioned for Pippin and sung in front of people on my own. That has been a big fear for a while. Even though I didn't get the part I wanted I made my new part really fun and I'm so happy with what happened. I've taken chances with the role and wasn't afraid to look odd in front of everyone. The Native American trip will always linger in my mind for 2008. It was an amazing experience and I am so lucky to have been there. I will never forget the memories I have from there, the beautiful canyon, the friends I made and the laughs I had. I fulfilled another childhood dream by performing in the Halloween skits. I played in the winter concert loudly and didn't mess up more then twice. In all I think this past year really helped me begin to conquer some of my fears and well as accomplish some of my dreams. I had a wonderful time and I made so many good memories. I remember 2007 as a rather strange year, but I know I'll remember 2008 as one where I had hard times as well as fun ones. Goodbye 2008, hello 2009. What do you have in store for me I wonder. What goals will I accomplish and fears will I conquer? Happy old year and happy new year.
May 2009 bring joy and good fortune.

Winter Concert 08

On December 11 we had our Winter Concert at school. There were three groups that performed. First was hand bells. They played several songs which were pretty, but they could have done half of the pieces. Next was choir. There was a new choir teacher this year and it was interesting to see what the choir sounded like with her. I thought they did good, a bit off at times, but overall good. We, the orchestra, played last. My friend Claudia is an amazing violinist and the first piece, Violin Concerto, was her "solo" piece. She sounded wonderful and I think we backed her up nicely. Next the quartet played the Pachelbel's Canon. It was the first time I had heard them play it and I thought it sounded great! Next we played Chameleon by Herbie Hancock. That was my least favorite piece to play. It's hard for flute and we're supposed to play it really fast. We ended with my favorite piece Get Happy. The piece begins with a tom tom like drum beat, followed by the trombone and keyboard. The piece sounded great! I had a really good time! I was nervous but it felt nice playing with everyone in orchestra. I think we have a good group and I'll be sad when the seniors aren't there next year.
All in all, the night went really well. I hope everyone watching enjoyed it as much as I did.

Photographs taken by Andrew Neuhart

The Fall

We see many movies in our life. Some we like others we don't, and then there are those that are different and seem to hit a chord inside of us. I recently saw the film the Fall with my mom and Greg. I saw the trailer this summer and thought that it looked interesting so I was glad when it arrived in the mail via Netflix. I absolutely adored the film. It was so wonderful and inspiring. In a hospital in the 1940's, I young girl with a broken arm befriends a man who was injured by a fall. He tells her a fantastical story about 5 heroes. But are there darker motives behind this charming story? The film is a stunning treat for the eyes. Every shot is like a vivid work of art. It's colorful, simple and rich. The film was shot on 18 countries over the world which only adds to the films stunning appearance. The costumes were also brilliant. They were more dull for real life and when in the story they were vibrant and unusual. The acted was wonderful. The little girl had a lovely presence and you really feel for her. As for Roy (Lee Pace), the man who tells the story, he did a great job as well. He showed the pain that the character was feeling and even if his choices were not good, I couldn't force myself to dislike him. In all it was an amazing film which I highly recommend. It was really inspiring and I cannot wait to see it again! I hope it gets recognized when the Oscars come around it really deserves a nod for best costumes or cinematography.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times. I love eating good food and being with family. This year I didn't have a huge extravagant dinner, but a small one with my mom, dad and Greg. We spent most of the day cooking and then ate. There was the usual turkey mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce as well as a green bean salad that was amazing, fig and chestnut stuffing, a relish salad and homemade vanilla ice cream. We planned on seeing a movie afterwards, but it didn't quite work out. Instead we played Scrabble which was extremely fun. I don't think I had ever played before and I came in second place! We had a good deal of laughs and invented several new words, Balorclain and Downatoupe, thanks to dad and Greg.In all it was a really fun night and I had a great time eating yummy food and being with family.