A dream is a wish your heart makes

I hope that Cinderella wasn't right. I have strange dreams all the time.

I'm still at the dorms for a few weeks. I noticed yesterday that there were still several bikes left in the bike rack. I wondered what the housing director would do with all those bikes.
I dreamed last night that he clipped all the locks and gave the bikes away. I was so frustrated, since one of the bikes was mine, that I stormed into his office and yelled at him until I cried.
I just sent him an email (in real life) requesting that he save me the embarrassment and realize that one of those bikes is mine and not to give them away just yet.

And the night before (Saturday to Sunday), I had a dream that I was playing the organ for church services. My voice was hoarse from being so jubilant and silly on graduation night, so I couldn't sing while I played. I noticed that no one else was singing, either. I was so saddened that I started to cry. I couldn't be consoled. (If you know me, then this would be no surprise. Okay, maybe the crying would be a surprise, but the fact that I was so upset that no one was singing shouldn't surprise you. I love nothing more than the singing of the hymns.) Then some young man had the audacity to add to my grief by blaming me for playing poorly.
It was an awful dream.

I don't know why I've had two frustrating dreams the last couple nights. Maybe it's due to the fact that my family and I went to Outback Steakhouse on Saturday night. I used to have frustrating and stressful dreams all the time when I worked there. Serving in a busy restaurant is very stressful work. If you don't believe me, try playing Diner Dash.

Random post is now ending.

I love to sing

I sang the musical number for the fireside tonight. Read about my experience here. More specifically here and here (since I posted a few things there today).

I'll teach you something

Today I taught my very first clarinet lesson. It was delightful. I taught Jodilyn's daughter a few things. She learned very quickly and should be ready for a recital by week's end. I don't know how much credit I should give myself, because I think most of the credit goes to her. She's ridiculously smart and was very excited to learn. Teaching someone something is really easy when they're as excited as she was. I'll be showing her a few more things tomorrow.
Speaking of lessons, I will be starting guitar lessons on Friday. I took a beginning guitar class years ago and absolutely loved it. I've been wanting to improve my skills ever since, but I kind of got stuck and then my playing decreased until it stopped. My short term goal for my guitar skills is to learn well enough to use the guitar frequently in my classroom. I graduate in the spring and want to spend part of my summer making up silly songs to teach my class curriculum. I also plan to use songwriting frequently for class assignments. I will teach my students about meter and have them write lyrics for a pre-written melody based on this meter. I will use songwriting for review or to introduce a new topic. The guitar will be much more practical than a piano. Although, I've already invested in a keyboard for similar reasons.
My long term goal will be to learn the guitar well enough to create more complex/creative music so that I can live my dream of being a singer/songwriter. I have a great desire to write music and to perform. I don't want to perform for sell-out crowds, but I'd love to be able to sing a song mid-lesson at church, during a visiting teaching lesson, or to perform for family or friends whenever. I'd play/sing for anyone who would listen. (This is all part of my plan to continue to become less and less shy.)

Attendance at the Southwest Symphony and Chorale Concert is Mandatory

Now that you've read this, you are required to attend the Southwest Symphony and Chorale Concert on Saturday in Springdale at the O.C. Tanner Outdoor Amphitheater at 8pm. The only people who are exempt from attending are those who live more than 60 miles away from Springdale. I don't expect you to drive more than an hour for this performance, but if you did, you wouldn't regret it.
The concert will be AMAZING! It has an Americana theme. The Chorale is singing "When the Saints Go Marching In" with a Dixieland combo playing along with us. There will be a guest pianist who will perform the Gershwin favorite "Rhapsody in Blue" with the symphony. That alone is worth the trip up to Springdale.
There is no concert like this one. The amphitheater is nestled next to the towering mountains of Zion National Park. The concert starts while there is still a little daylight, but it will end with a star studded sky. There is nothing more beautiful than the light blue that outlines the mountain's edge as the rest of the sky gets black. That scene is one of my favorite things about Southern Utah.
See you all at the concert on Saturday. Bring some cash to purchase the BBQ dinner before the concert or some snacks from concessions.

Happy Mother's Day

In my ward today, we opened the meeting by singing "Joy to the World". Yes, you are thinking of the right hymn. As the music chairperson, I was meeting with my Bishop a month ago. I wondered out loud why we don't sing certain songs all year long. During that meeting, he decided for Mother's Day he would assign talks about Mary, mother of Jesus, Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet Joseph's mother, and about modern day mothers. He suggested we sing "Joy to the World" for the opening hymn and "Jesus Once of Humble Birth" as the Sacrament hymn to remind us that Jesus was born and was raised as was every child.
During the talk about Lucy Mack, I was pondering the hymn that I knew was coming up, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer". Joseph's parents, particularly his mother, raised him to be God-fearing, to read his scriptures, and to pray. Had he not been taught these principles growing up, he may have never read and pondered the scripture passage in James. Had his mother not been such a great example of faith and seeking truth, he may have never been desirous to seek out his Father in prayer.
As we sang the hymn, I imagined Mary and Lucy. I became very excited to be a mother in Zion. I want to teach my children the gospel principles so that they may also bring about great works and be a contributor to the Kingdom of God. It is a great responsibility, but as I pondered this I felt peace in my heart that I could do it. Even now as I type, I am not overwhelmed but rather joyful at the opportunities to come.
I look forward with patience and faith for the opportunity to be a mother. I look forward to the extension of trust from my Father in Heaven to care for His children. I will teach them the principles of the gospel, namely faith, repentance, and baptism. I will teach them diligently in love.
For things my mother taught me, read "As long as you know what you're doing is right" and "Education for Real Life" on my other blog.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu

Today was my last day of Practicum at George Washington Academy.
Three of my classmates and I were assigned the two fifth grade classes there. Today, the four of us taught the entire day. We had to go out strong. We split the classes into groups and rotated them through spelling games. Mine was a team spelling game involving a Scrabble board and tiles.
I also taught an amazing lesson about the Underground Railroad. The students went on an adventure outside doing numerous team-building activities.
For PE, the students voted on their two favorite activities that we had done this semester, and so we played Front of the Boat/Back of the Boat and Reverse Charades.
My favorite part of the day came at the end. My Practicum class always ends their Wednesdays with Show and Tell. We decided to combine the two classes and have the college students do their own Show and Tell. Jodilyn drew an amazing picture on the white board (since her Photo Story of her artwork wouldn't play). Jana read two of her favorite poems. Ashley, who had a hard time coming up with something despite being ridiculously amazing, stood up and let the students ask her 10 questions. They wasted most of them by asking things like, "Do you want to be a teacher?" and "Do you like pickles?"
My Show and Tell was sharing my love for singing--especially karaoke. I busted out my karaoke machine and sang "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick. I encouraged the students to sway their arms and join with me on the chorus. They loved the karaoke thing so much that they requested an encore. As a class, we sang the sappy Celine Dion hit, "My Heart Will Go On." The students took turns with the microphone while the rest busted their chops singing this song with so much passion. I wish I could post pictures or a video--but posting pictures of other people's children without their permission is CREEPY.
It was such an amazing day. I was definitely tired at day's end, but it was well worth it.
To my dyad partner and the neighboring dyad: Thanks for a rockin' Practicum experience. I had so much fun every week.
To all the fifth graders at George Washington Academy: I had such a wonderful time in your classroom. You are all amazing kids. I got tickled every Tuesday night thinking about going to your class the next day. I was sad to leave. I hope we cross paths again in the future.

I love to sing!

I may be among the minority (young that is), but I love to sing with the Southwest Chorale. This last concert was particularly cool, because members of the Southwest Symphony performed with us. With the brass and percussion backup, we performed some powerful numbers. Watch for the concert on Channel 22. You'll find me on the back row. I'm the twenty-something year-old with long hair. I won't be hard to miss.

Be sure to come to my most favorite concert on Saturday, May 17 at 8pm at the O.C. Tanner Outdoor Amphitheater. Listen to the Southwest Symphony and Chorale as the stars emerge above Zion's Walls.
The theme is the Wild West and Americana.