Winter

Those of you who don't know, I'm in a creative writing class, and it is awesome! We are just finishing up our poetry unit, and even though we already have at least 2 amazing poets in the family (todd and dad), I'm going to risk it anyway and share one with you.


Winter

Oxygen level low
Praying hard
In the snow
Angels marred
With a stone's throw

Blink twice
and the sun's away
low light--
A darkening day

Praying hard
A singing soul,
Yet failing heart
and falling snow--

Life level low




Let me know what you think. I like it, but I welcome your comments. If you have questions, ask! Love you all!

Orchestra Concert

Last night The University Orchestra (of which I am a member) had its' concert. And it was AWESOME!!! This is probably my last sememster in orchestra and I tell you we went out with a bang. I'll tell you about the pieces and which ones were my favorite.

We started out on the right Foote... Ha ha ha! Just a little joke. Okay, I'll explain it. Our first piece was Air and Gavotte by Arthur Foote. (hence the pun...it's lame I know).
Air--very pretty and slow.
Gavotte--passionate, fun, angry, with a bouncy middle part.

Next piece Little Suite by Carl Nielsen (He's Danish--can you tell by the Picture?) (two student conductors for this piece)
At one point while we were practicing this piece I said to my stand partner (and very good friend Anna) "the composer must have been a cellist" "or really liked cellos" she added. Because this whole piece had many parts featuring the cello. We had a solo in each movement, which was fun. They were fun to play, but not my favorite of the pieces, but still fun.

Merrill Jenson is the composer of the next piece (he is a famous LDS composer). It was a composition that used 3 melodies of hymns to form the basis of this (kinda crazy/sonata form) piece. He even came and conducted it for us! It was a difficult song but we pulled it off. This also I didn't care much for. It seemed...a little frantic and went through too many keys in too short a time. But there were some really cool parts and it was satisfying to conquer such a challenging piece.

Forth piece is my favorite. (He's pretty handsome...) Ralph (pronounced Rayfe) Vaughn Williams' Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra. AMAZING. A Concerto Grosso is basically an Orchestra accompanying a smaller orchestra who has the solo part or "concertino." I was lucky enough to play the concertino along with 3 other cellists. So only four cellists playing the hard part (and often we split into 2 parts so there were only 2 of us playing one part! so exhilirating!) I'll have to do a play by play on all the movements.

Intrada-- My favorite. So powerful. Polyphonic (many voices), complex, and deep. I actually cried one day playing it.

Burlesca Ostinata-- Really fun. fast and challenging. a lot of tempo changes, which are always difficult.

Sarabande-- So heart wrenching and powerful. I felt I was ripping part of my heart out everytime I played it(sorry for the drama).

Scherzo-- literally means "joke" and it was very... almost schizophrenic (hmm..scherzo..schizo...) But I really loved it. It was really cool for its' weird ness. especially the last chord. because it seems like we're building up for a huge minor bang ending, but the song just breaks and then we come in with a soft major chord. kinda like saying "haha! Just kidding!" It was awesome.

March and Reprise-- the march was interesting, I liked it least (but that's definitely not saying that I disliked it because I still loved it). It was cool. but the best part about it was that it went back into the first piece. And the whole Concerto ended with the first piece.
It was one of the best pieces I've ever played... amazing.

BUT THEN! The band came onto the stage and for our finale we played higlights from the Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet.
(you know, Carmen, the Opera about a Spanish seductress, an officer who she seduces then dumps (he kills her because of it (it's opera--it has to be dramatic)) there is also Toreador (bullfighter) in there somewhere) It was awesome!!! It was so fun to be with the band. It just added another element that made the whole piece really powerful and so fun. It was a great piece to end with. We went out with a bang!


This concert was WONDERFUL! I wish everyone could have come. But I am so grateful that Mom, Dad, Steve, Andrea came. I also invited two friends from my ward, who came. The Littles (Ben's mom and dad) came. And surprise, I totally, jokingly invited Ben to come up for the day (he had the day off from work, but he lives in Utah, so I was joking), but he came! So that was a cool surprise too!



I know most of you know this, but I LOVE MUSIC so much. This concert was so fulfilling and so satisfying. I was just beaming and glowing afterwards! It was the best feeling ever. I pretty nervous beforehand, but afterwards the feeling makes up for it and more. It was awesome. Spectacular. Amazing. FANTASTIC!!!

Bright Future

If those of you who don't know, I've been struggling with health issues for the past while. My psychiatrist has been playing with several (many) medications that may or may not have been causing more adverse effects than good. So I've been struggling with knowing what to do about it. I've felt confused and even sick about it. So Andrea encouraged me to ask for a Priesthood blessing this weekend while the guys were up.
So yesterday I asked for a blessing from Dad, Kevin, and Will. It was a really wonderful thing.

It promised a bright future and that made me very hopeful. Hope is something that has eluded me for quite a while. I meet with my Psychiatrist this Thursday and I'm going to ask him about seriously cutting back on a lot (if not all) of my meds. It's kind of a scary prospect and I know it will be pretty hard, but I want to see if something else will work better, and the only way to know is to try.

So there is a brief update. Things are looking up. Down times will come, but sunny days are ahead.

Gratitude: I'm grateful...

For the Beauty of the Earth
*For my family
*For the love my family has for me
*For all the things my family has taught, teaches, and will teach me
*For the examples set for me by my family
*For compassion
*For second chances
*And third chances
*For forgiveness
*For kisses
*For hugs
*For fireplaces and soft rugs
*For cuddling in warm blankets
*For a nice warm bed
*For food
*For MUSIC
*The piano
*The cello
*My voice
*For all the choirs I have been in and will be in
*For learning
*For my fingers
*For safety
*For freedom
*For agency
*For the Ultimate Sacrifice
*For The Lord and Savior
*For Heavenly Father
*For the Holy Spirit
*For tender mercies
*When I'm having a bad day and I get in the car and one of my favorite pieces just happen to be on the radios
*For my future husband
*For all my past and present counselors
*For my friends
*For Lindsey and Anna
*For new opportunities
*For the new day
*For Life
*For LOVE


There are so many more. But I want to finish with the lyrics to a song I sang in a choir long ago:

Pilgrims' Hymn

Even before we call on Thy name
To ask Thee, dear Lord;
And we seek the words to glorify Thee
Thou hearest our prayer

Unceasing Love! Oh, Unceasing Love:
Surpassing all we know.
Glory to the Father and the Son
And to the Holy Spirit.

Even with darkness sealing us in
We breathe Thy name;
And through all the days that follow so fast
We trust in Thee

Endless Thy grace! Oh, Endless Thy grace:
Beyond all mortal dream.
Both now and forever and unto ages,
and ages. Amen


Happy Thanksgiving

Snow

Well, it finally snowed... It's true. I am actually amazed that we lasted so long without it! It was crazy how long it stayed dry. Well, there are some good things about snow: snowmen, snowball fights, there is something about being out in nature when it's covered in snow that is so peaceful, sledding, (skiing for those of you who do that), and my favorite, clear winter nights where the sky is so absolutely clear where the stars look so near that you can almost touch them. If it wasn't so durn cold, I could stay out there for hours just looking at the sky (oh and another great thing is one of my favorite constellations is out: Orion. I don't know why, but I've always liked him).

There are a lot of negatives associated with winter as well. BUT, I'm going to focus on the positives and hopefully I can make it through! I'll just remember that the Lord gave us winter so we can love summer. :) And trust me, after 5 months (sometimes 6) of the white stuff, we need lots of summer! Even if it means I have to say goodbye to my good friend Orion.

HURRAY!!!!!

Pi-tui! Pi-tui! (that is the sound of fireworks going off... Richard will know what I mean ;) It's done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My 10 Page Research Paper entitled "Weary of the Shadowy Self": The Quest for Virtue in George MacDonalds the Wise Woman and C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce phew. Even saying the title wears me out... It was quite a lot of work and I am so grateful for everyone that helped me on it. Thanks to Lindsey for encouraging me and helping with my works cited page, thanks to Andrea for her encouragement (I could not have made it without your pep talks), and thanks to DAD for your revisions! I might actually get a good grade because of your coaching! and thanks most of all, to my Heavenly Father for His sustaining power and help. I definitely could not have done it without him. It was SOOOOO HARD!!! But I did it! YAY! I don't even care what grade I get... well, maybe just a little... :D But I'm DONE!!!! (Now all I have to worry about is the next paper... which rumor has it is supposed to be even longer... waaaaaaaaaaaaa....) But OKAY!

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!!!!

New Poem

Well, I was walking on campus one day and a very attractive young man walked by me and I thought to myself: "why is it that I couldn't meet him and fall in love with him?" Just a silly passing thought. But it was the thought that followed that I held onto: "Paths cross, but never meet." And Voila! (not to be confused with a viola) Two lines for a new poem! Then I built around it and I came up with an okay poem. Well I like it a lot. So here goes.


Crossing Paths (working title)

The road I'm on
I did not choose
Of all I hold
It's dreams I lose
I see a face
Beyond the feet
Our paths cross
But never meet

Sitting still
I'm running hard
Once solid heart
Now broken shards
Pale face and
Empty breast
A weight upon
My beating chest

Looking down
And seeing black
The sound of feet
Run front and back
Will it end
This path of grey?
This path of damned,
Gone yesterdays?

Once I sang
For only you
Now I sing
To make it through
But though I sing
You still stay
Just one path
One path away


I know it's kind of a dark poem, but let me know what you think. I welcome feedback (preferably in the form of constructive criticism :) Love You!

Elisabeth/Buzz/Betty, etc.