Back in Michigan!

Hello hello! I am back in Michigan, back in East Lansing, back in...well, not back in my old pad, because I'm living in a new place this year. Rather than live in the dorms (Owen), some of the music teachers and I decided to get an on-campus apartment. (I know, insane, right? 4 music teachers - in one place...crazy. Insert band camp jokes here.)

I'll tell more about my apartment in a later blog, probably - most likely. Very likely. Yeah. Anyway.

It was so great getting here. I had this hilarious cab driver who played me an old R&B song (from the 50s) and tried to get me to guess who it was. I did guess, it was Sam Cook - very cool guy. Check out "You Send Me" if you get a chance. He then played a whole bunch of old R&B and Motown stuff. The most entertaining part was when he put on some mix CD that started out with "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye, and proceeded to include songs about "making love," etc. This was made even more hilarious because he was a rather large guy wearing a huge silver cross, who told me that he didn't follow religion - he just follows Star Wars. No joke. "People are either for the Dark Side or for the Force," he said. He did get me to my new apartment really fast though, so I gave him a big tip.

It's funny being back here. I walked over to CVS to purchase a bunch of random stuff that you need if you are basically furnishing an apartment. I feel so comfortable on this campus. Honestly, it feels like I'm coming home. I don't belong in California, I think. Where do I belong? Especially since most of my friends are in California? I don't know. But coming here feels great - so freeing.

Of course, being in a new apartment, by myself, with no roommates for a week...that's a little lonely.

But I get to go to a wedding tomorrow, and then on Monday, I begin the whirlwind 2 week course in Music Learning Theory. After that, whoosh! It'll fly by.

Keep on coming back! I will try to update daily!

I leave tomorrow!

So tomorrow, I head back to Michigan. What??? Crazy...where has the year gone?

I am very very excited to go back. I am super excited to see my friends again, particularly Abby, Angela, and Ali! :) Yay! I am also excited to be IN school, not teaching, but learning. I love to learn!

I am also a little...anxious? Something? Who knows? I am sick, which makes life not as much fun. I spent the afternoon cleaning, and I suppose I should get to packing. I don't really want to though, to be honest. Packing is so final - especially since I'll be gone for 2 months. 2 months! Wow.

I'm also sad about leaving my friends and my super amazing boyfriend, Kevin. Kevin will be visiting Indiana during 4th of July weekend though, so that's cool. I'm planning on driving (or taking a train, or a bus, or something) down there to meet the rest of his family. Hopefully that will go well!

I began this blog last summer, as I started on the adventure that is my masters. I will be much more diligent in keeping it while I am gone - for that is the reason I started it! Hopefully my life will be full of lots of excitement and wonder as I return to the beautiful state of Michigan. I can't wait!

Keep on reading - I'll write more soon!

Ah, May...

May has not been my friend.

I mean, May usually isn't my friend. May is concert month. May is "I gotta get through this so June can come!" month. But this May, my personal life decided to invade and get crazy as well.

First off, Kevin's mom came to visit. Always a stressful time, meeting the parents of the guy you're dating. It was fine, but you know.

Then, roommate drama. And Kevin got sick.

Then, Knott's Berry Farm with 117 kids. Some of whom thought it was a great idea to put their instruments at the front of the park, and leave them there, because, you know, people will take care of it. Right? Right...

Then, Concert on the Green usual insanity. Outside concert (blech), 250 kids (elementary and middle school), sound system setting up, stands, chairs, moving furniture, 8 different ensembles. Ended up being 2 hours long. Long! Some people I wanted to be there couldn't make it, and our videographer's camera died, so we didn't even get it recorded. (Much apologies were had from the videographer, but still...)

Then, Friday. Took Kevin to ER. Spent the weekend at the hospital with him. He has tonsilitis, mono, and some other bacteria thing. But the mono and the tonsilities is viral, so it can't really be treated with antibiotics. It is stressful watching your boyfriend act differently because he's on morphine. I was there most of the weekend. I wouldn't be any place else - of course. But it wasn't exactly what I planned for the weekend. (A month ago, Kevin and I had talked about going to Catalina. Good thing we didn't book that!)

Anyway. May is almost over. Thank goodness! Hopefully, June will be better.

Now I have to prepare to go back to Michigan...packing. Eek! But I'm excited to go back.

And, of course...to be done with teaching for a while. :)

Yes, I have a boyfriend

Hello all you people out there. Yes, it is true - I do have a boyfriend.

I kept it quiet, because, hey, I am a rather reserved person. Ha! I hear some of you laughing right now. But with stuff like relationships, I don't like to wave them around much - at least not at first. At least not until it becomes official. Which this did, last Friday. So, let the waving around begin! :)

His name is Kevin Brinker. I met him on eharmony, after a person close to me recommended I jump back on. (I had previously been on in May, before my last relationship began basically in June.) She said I wasn't grieving or anything about the end of the last relationship (which stopped in January), and said that it would be a good way to put myself out there without feeling too much pressure, whatever. Anyway.

Kevin contacted me during the first couple of days I was on there. We chatted, we talked on the phone, we went on our first date (to El Torito and Dave and Busters at the Block), we talked on the phone. A lot. Like every day for at least an hour. :) I met some of his friends (all of whom I like - a nice change, by the way), we kept talking on the phone. While I was in New York, I STILL talked to him every night - 2 a.m. in NYC, 11 p.m. here in SoCal. And when I got back, we hung out, and on Friday, he asked me to be his girlfriend (in a roundabout, bashful kind of way that was very adorable).

He is very devoted to Christ. He serves at his church in Brea with the high school ministry there, as well as doing a one-on-one Bible study with the missions pastor. He is from Indiana, and came out in June after graduating. (Yes, he's 2 years younger than me...let the jokes begin. But he's mature, I swear!) He is a great communicator, he loves to talk on the phone (and hates texting). He is super super romantic. He is comfortable talking about all sorts of things. He is also very cute. :)

I'm REALLY enjoying this.

So yes, I want you all to meet him. Whether I want to do a big "meet my boyfriend" party or just do some dinner date things, I haven't decided yet. Probably will start with the small group meeting things at first - and depending on how it's going by the time I leave for Michigan (June 13 - wow!), maybe a party will happen too. (By the way, there is talk that he'll visit me, while I'm there...sigh...)

So, please don't feel left out. I want you to meet him! I'm really enjoying this. Feel free to ask any questions...and I will do my best to answer. :)

Side note - starting a relationship on Facebook is hilarious, by the way, just because of who notices what's going on and who doesn't. I was a little surprised more people did NOT comment when I changed my status. But hey, I know we're all busy, and nobody can keep up with everyone's life.

Mine is going well. :)

I've got a crush...

...on a guy. And he likes me too!

Heeheehee!

More to follow...just felt like being tantalizing today. :)

Most of Ever

Tonight, I got to see my old friends from Fuel. We had a reunion of people who went to New Orleans last March (my idea, oh yeah!). A lot of these people I just don't see very much anymore, for various reasons. It's been hard for me, because I am so community-oriented. I miss Fuel.

But tonight, I got a taste of that again. I got to laugh - so much that tears were streaming down my face and all my eye makeup washed off. I got to get teased by Justin, one of my favorite things - seriously! (Most of ever=greatest, in case you were wondering. At least when you're me, and you're playing Catch Phrase, Music Edition.) I got to catch up and chat with so many people who mean so much to me.

It was fantastic.

And instead of feeling nostalgic and bitter and sad, I felt joyful. I felt peaceful. These people are still my friends. Just because we don't see each other does not mean that we are not still close. I am so thankful that God used these people in big ways in my own life. I am so thankful to still be close to them. I miss them. But I always remember that one day, we will be together forever, in heaven.

In the meantime, I can enjoy our get-togethers and look forward to them with excitement. I can leave with a song in my heart (to be totally cliche). I can thank God for so much.

Truly I am blessed.

(By the way, according to Jeanna we are going to hell when we die. Bummer.)

Phone marathons...

...are fun.

In other news, UCLA lost. Again. At least U$C lost too. And they were beaten by my grad school, awesome!

There are things happening in my life, but nothing that I want to put on here (yet...).

Can't wait to see all my friends from NOLA tomorrow!

I love RENT!

That's it, I think. :)