Who the hell is Alice?

Another Vball come and gone...this one was weird for me. I'm used to going both nights and unfortunately I was only able to go Saturday because of our Wind Symphony tour down to Milwaukee. :/ My best friend Sandra and my brother came up and had a good time (despite the fact that he stepped on her toe and split the nail in half.) Owch. I was sad that I had to spend half the time playing Jazz and only getting to experience a little bit of the actual dance. But it was fun to play too.

I had my recital. It was great, or at least so I've been told. Felt I played pretty darn well overall and I can't wait to hear a recording! :) Today is Becker's recital and in all honesty, he sounds freaking amazing. Not only is he playing difficult tunes, but he's spent so much time on detail that they all sound really awesome. Hopefully someday I'll find the motivation to do the same with my playing.

Not much time to do much besides running all the time. I'm struggling in some of my classes, and it just doesn't seem fair. I work hard and in exchange I fail classes. Its not like I go out and party all the time; in fact, I haven't been to Thursday Club in forever. I guess I'll just have to take things one day at a time.

Ummmmmm....a million other things to write about; I'll summarize:

1. Dr. Heidel is leaving next year to teach at the University of Iowa. Majorly sucks; I'm really sad...but hopefully I'll be taking a look at grad school out there in a few years.

2. Saw Allison Ostrander and the baby today. So cute. :)

3. Trombone is fun. I wish I had time to play it. Lets just say that today's lesson is going to be crap.

4. My sister is getting surgery again; wish I could be there to support her...but money and school kind of get in the way of that.

5. Last summer of Valleyfair. I'm assistant team lead which essential = no extra work and extra pay. Whoo. Probably also working at a daycare this summer.

6. I recently discovered that I have little patience for kids who don't practice. I am not going to be a good high school/middle school teacher.

7. WYCLIFFE GORDON is going to be in Eau Claire TOMORROW. We're playing with him for Jazz I and Bone Choir. Should be really great.



Thats all...sorry for the boring list of things I've been up to, but its been quite awhile since I last wrote.

Love and final exams,
Rachel Catheryn

Yep, As Predicted...Its a Girl

Allison & Dr. O had their kid. Lydia Diane Ostrander...Born Saturday, March 15th at 4:32 p.m. Over 9 lbs. Poor Allison.

They asked me to spread the word to the studio, so I guess that includes Randy, Colin, James, Pat, Kenyon (ha yeah right), Vernie or whoever else might check this.

Sweet. Thats it for now...can't wait to see how trombone lessons go after this. We had all better be really prepared because I have a feeling he'll PAO will be bleary-eyed and crabby at every lesson for the rest of the semester. Joy.


If you're in The Cities this Saturday (before Easter) call me up. I've got nothing going on until Sunday morning.


Love and babies,
Rachel

PAO's Last Night Out...

Last night we kidnapped Dr. O and took him to El Patio where he was greeted by Nobu, Hudson, Heidel and basically the whole trombone studio. After a few beers and some delicious food we all headed over to the Joynt. I left pretty quickly after we got there because I had a girl party at my house, but the guys said they stayed until around 11 and it was a good time for all. It was awesome to do something fun for PAO, since he probably won't be able to hang out at the bars anymore once the baby comes in a few weeks. It was kind of a last 'hurrah' for him; kind of a male baby shower.

After I got home we had a 'girls night' for awhile until the guys showed up to play charades and eat every scrap of our food. I mean EVERY scrap; there was nothing left. It was awesome though; this weekend has been amazing so far. You really can't beat peach margaritas at El Patio.

Today was Allison's baby shower. I helped arrange the whole thing with Kelly Heidel and it turned out great. She looks about ready to deliver any time. All the ladies who showed up played games, ate delicious cake and watched Allison open presents.

The rest of the weekend will involve:

-Going to see "I Am Legend" with Monica at the Budget
-Practicing lesson stuff
-Washing dishes (boo)
-MUSIC HISTORY 10 PAGE PAPER!
-Music Ed Portfolio (due in a week...geez)
-Two dress rehearsals tomorrow (Bryce's recital & SAI recital)

So I'm busy. But life is good. If you can check out our Wind Symphony tour concert that is coming up pretty soon. We go to Omaha, Nebraska in a few weeks.


Love you all,
Rachel Catheryn

Dear wireless internet

You suck.

Pizza.

We are getting Pizza.

At Haas. Yum.

I've got sunshine.........on a cloudy day

I won. After lots of semesters of hard work I finally have been given the chance to play in principal trombone in Wind Symphony, and I also get to stick around in Jazz I for another semester on 2nd trombone. I know many people think that chair placement doesn't mean anything, but to me it is a more solid view of my progress. I am really excited to play principal bone because for the past 2 years I haven't had the chance to really take on some leadership. It's going to be really fun and challenging and I can't wait. Alright enough said. :)

Jazz tour begins Wednesday morning at 7 am. Get to go to my Dad's HS and play for his jazz ensemble; they are just starting off their program there, and overall I think they have some good things going for them. I have a feeling tour is going to be amazing.

Conducting class kicks ass...Dr. Heidel is both amusing and terrifying at the same time. I definitely don't want to disappoint him. I discovered that I have a lot of work to do to break my old 'drum majoring' habits. LOL.

This semester overall is off to a great start. I've become more organized. I feel like I am accomplishing a lot. Yesterday I:

-Woke up at 9:30.
-Did homework for 2 1/2 hours
-Cleaned my room *(complete with dusting, sweeping, sheet washing and bed making)
-Vacuumed the living room and kitchen
-Cleaned the living room/dusted moved all the shoes etc.
-Got into a car accident on the way to rehearsal for jazz gig. Whoops.
-Went to jazz gig rehearsal at 3 p.m. Wasn't late. YAY.
-Spent some more time cleaning
-Bone choir rehearsal at 6 p.m.
-Knock-down-drag-out rehearsal from 9 pm - Midnight. (not bad, I know)
-Came home, did dishes
-Bed

It feels great to be getting everything accomplished after my slacker semester last semester.

I'm really hungry. So instead of writing more I'm going to eat some delicious lunch.

Thanks for tuning in,

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Cabaret, Cabaret, Cabaret (and so on and so forth)

Auditions = done. Both went well I thought...but I guess we'll see about that later today. Went and saw Cabaret last night and sat in the pit. It was fun, the vocalists sounded really good. Pit was overall pretty good with a few spots that got a bit sloppy. Overall a commendable performance. :) If that is the worst the show has been, then it must be pretty darn amazing when its played well!

Went to the Joynt last night. Drank more than I meant to. Well, not really. I drank what I meant to, but since I haven't really had alcohol in awhile I didn't hold it very well. Was kind of hungover this morning, but luckily I don't have any classes until 1 pm. (so I guess i should start thinking about getting out of bed now.) LOL.

Went to water aerobics the other night with Nicole and Mary. That was fun, it felt great to work out again. Can't wait to go back...if anyone wants to join us tomorrow night, just give me a ring. Oh yeah, and Nicole was all slutty in her bikini....so guys, there is an incentive for you to come. (haha kidding...love you nicole). But seriously its fun.

Yeah thats about it. I'll be posting about a subleaser for this summer soon...so if you're looking for a place to live call me up.


Thats all for now.

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Killing three birds with one bird.

Had my jazz audition today. All things considered I thought it went well. Which is scary, because I don't know if anyone else feels this way but whenever I think I do well at something I am usually unpleasantly surprised with a bad result. So I guess we'll see about that. Baca is gone, so Crowell and Hudson ran the auditions. Sweet.

Tomorrow is the concert band audition. I feel ready. On the docket isssss:
---------------------------------------
-Rota Trombone Concerto (Mvt.1)
-William Tell (Commonly known around these parts as "Bill Tell")
-Javelin (band excerpt which is kind of wicked...)
-Sightreading

I feel super confident except for the last one. Sightreading and I are not friends. We fight on a daily basis. But oh well, we'll see how it all pans out this semester.



Jazz tour is a week from today. I guess we're getting a few new charts which are supposedly hard as well as our other music. That'll be a treat...I have a feeling this weekend will be very VERY jazz oriented. Holla. We're also stopping at my dad's school in Delevan. Their jazz band is small, but they do an ok job. I think it'll be a great experience for them. Plus, who doesn't love Nachito?!?!?!? Oh yeah, and I love jazz.


Heath Ledger died. I don't even like him as an actor really, but suddenly yesterday I got home from school and everyone was all sad because this guy died. Too bad for him, but I was much sadder when the Croc Hunter died. Tragic.

Ok thats all I have time for at this point. Since I've added working out (every night except Tuesday) to my list this semester I now have a whole hour less to waste every night. I guess its time well spent though...I don't want to turn into a big white whale trombone chick.



-Rachel

Annnnd so goes my life...

Dear Journal,

Today I wanted a Kit-Kat shake from Culvers. Instead of ignoring this craving that kind of followed me around all day, I up and bought one. Today made me realize that I have no self control when it comes to the foods I'm eating or how much I am eating.

That will change this semester. Oh yeah, and I'm doing water aerobics again too if anyone wants to join me. Every night at 8 pm. It'll be swell.


Goodnight.


Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Smoothies are deeeeeelicious!

Today I:

1. Slept in until nearly 3 pm after a night full of screwed up dreams.
I mean seriously, who dreams about twilight zone'esqe things? To keep it brief, my dream consisted of horrible ways of murders happening around me, my friends and I trying on all kinds of sexy lingerie, and creepy ghostlike appearances including a demon baby. It was a rough night.

2. Played cards with Becca.
It seems that the youngest child in each family tends to be overall the most talented. She beat me at almost every hand, and then proceeded to go downstairs and sightread Shostakovitch's "Folk Dances" nearly perfectly after not playing her oboe in like a year. Golden.

3. Tried to practice.
Didn't feel like it, so it was short lived. William Tell majorly sucked today, as did the Rota. Whatever...it'll be better tomorrow.

4. Made a smoothie. Didn't have the proper ingredients, so it ended up consisting of:
-Blackberry yogurt (weird, I know)
-Cranraspberry juice
-Orange Sherbert
-Frozen strawberries
-Frozen peaches
-Orange juice
-a bit of cream

It was weird, but ended up quite delicious.

Now, I have two tidbits of interesting news to share with anyone interested. First off, my mom was offered a job as an Operating Room Tech at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. She reapplied after taking, oh say 20 years off to raise us kiddies. So now she's back in action and couldn't be more excited. They formally offered her the job yesterday. Holla.

Secondly, my older sister received her test results back from her MIT brain scan. She's been having some cancer-like symptoms again, only this time in her brain and behind her eyes. Luckily the test results came back all clear today. Praise God. I'm seriously happy...I don't think I could deal with cancer part II.

This is turning into a long post, so I'll cash in for the night.

Thanks for reading.

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

p.s- I have a livejournal blog now too...we'll see if it works but the link is listed above.

Swirling...

my head is swirling...its been a crazy couple of days. I sometimes wonder if life should always seem so hectic and full of motion. Lately I've been really thinking about it. College is amazing, but after printing off my schedule for next semester I can't help but wish it was more open. That would leave more time for:

-Trombone playing just for fun
-Spending time with friends
-Having a cold beer. Alone. Watching chick flicks. In the dark
-Breathing
-Taking long hot showers
-Sleeping in
-Not doing homework


It just seems like I never have time to do these things except over Christmas break. And that is drawing to a close. Time to get geared up for Junior Year Mahem. Part II.

Oh yeah and to add to the already mounting stress, our orchestra audition excerpt is William Tell. Thanks, Dr. Ostrander.


Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Music keeps your brain in tune...

...is what is printed on the front of my quartet folder. I feel like I'm in middle school again.

I also decided that since I spent literally the whole day baking Christmas cookies (most of which I gave away) that I would waste some more precious practice/homework/party time on this survey.

1. Josh Becker
2. Kailyn VanBeckum
3. Hayley Nelson
4. Nobu
5. Justin Verhasselt
6. Dr. Heidel
7. Monica Waterhouse
8. Amanda Spindler
9. Mary Zimmerman
10. Jacob Boyle (whom I copied this survey from)
11. Matty Caine
12. Phil Ostrander
13. Josh Lee
14. Liz Soules
15. Becky Soules
16. T-SA
17. Abby Fredrick
18. Becca Carter
19. Josh Carter
20. Audrey Butler
21. Kyle Siegrist
22. Andy Bader
23. Bryce Bielec
24. Michelle Kochan
25. Bill Schultz

01. How did you meet 13?: VALLEYFAIIIIIIIIIIIIR! No, just kidding. In band.

02. What would you do if you never met 5?: Wow...I have no idea. He's one of the people whose face I see pretty regularly around here....it'd be weird as hell if he left. (you better come back from that tour w/Nachito, Justin).

03. Have you ever liked 3?: For awhile I didn't, because I thought Becker liked her. But then I began talking to her, and determined that she's pretty much tot sweet.

04. What do you honestly think of 10?: I think hes a super guy, who I dont' know well enough who is going on to bigger and better things in life after this year.

05. Would or did 19 and 8 go out?: Oh geez. If Amanda dated my brother, that would be a FREAKING WEIRD combination. I think they'd probably end up killing each other.

06. If 1 died tomorrow, what is one thing that you would need him/her to know?: How horribly sad I'd be if he died. I don't know what I'd do....

07. Would 2 and 11 make a good couple?: Matty and Kailyn??? Noooooooo....

08. Describe 6 in 3 words: G Minor Chorale.

09. Do you think 12 is hot?: Awkward. Lets not go there. (But no, I don't).

10. Would 1 and 17 ever go out?: I'd probably kill my roomate if they did....:P

11. What do you think of when you see 8?: Sushiii.

13. Do you know any of 7's family members?: Cha. I know her mom, and her sister. And I know a little about her brother Chad, and her dad although I haven't yet met them.
14. What's 20's favorite color?: I honestly think its probably blue. She wears lots of blue, and her room has a lot of blue in it too.

15. On a scale of 1-10 how cute is 14?: Pretty much a 10. Lizzy's cute as a button. :)
16. What would you do if 4 just professed their undying love for you?: I'd probably ask to hear it again, only in English so I could understand it. Then I'd freak out. A LOT.

17. What language does 19 speak?: English and some poor German (sorry J...;)
18. Who is 8 going out with? Phil Salwaaa
19. Does 2 have any siblings?: Yep, shes got a lil brother, Sam.

20. Where does 7 live?: with MEEEE! Roomates!
21. Is 15 single? Noooope, shes datin' this one blonde euphonium player. Rick something? yeah....shes definitely taken.

22. What is 18's fantasy?: I don't know what my sister's fantasy is. I think it has to do with becoming a lawyer and marrying some redheaded guy named Sam. HA. ;)
23. What school does 3 go to?: Eauuuuu Claire. :
24. would you ever date 9?: Haha...date my 'little sister?' Don't think so...nice try though.
25. Would you make out with 13?: AAAAAAAAAAAAH NOOOOOO!!!! AWKWARD!!!!!!!!!!!
26. How did you meet 5?: We were trombone people together. I think one of the first times we talked was sitting in the hallway at Haas or something like that. Don't even remember. But trombone played a big part in it.
27. What grade is 17 in?: Ummmm....shes a soph in college. Lets just go with that.

28. When was the last time you talked to 12?: Thursday after work.
29. What is 3's favorite band?: Holy balls, I have no idea. Hayley, what is your favorite band???
30. What do you really think of 16?: I love this chick. She's so passionate about music, its awesome. Plus, we're bassoon & bass clarinet buddies in conducting lab.Yesssss!
31. Are 21 and 25 friends? Well, 21 just got 25 freakin wasted last night. So yes?
32. What's 23's best quality?: Honesty.
33. What's 22's favorite thing to do?: Get haircuts from me. :D
34. Would you ever date 24?: Ooooh....I think I'd change for Michelle. She's hott. (two 't's)

Annnnnd I'm hittin the ground running...

Today I realized just how hard college really is. Everyone talks so much about how college is just a good time and only time for partying. Obviously this person was not a music major or a nursing major. This semester has been so tiring.

I haven't been good about practicing at all. I've been doing really mediocre in my schoolwork. I've gained a little weight (not a ton, but enough that it bothers me). The weird part is I'm almost NEVER just sitting doing nothing. Occasionally I'll have an hour to myself to eat and try to unwind. Should I feel guilty for taking that 60 minutes away from school?

Last week Colin came to town for the Bone Dinner (which, by the way was spectacular for the most part). Those few days were fantastic. It was like all the music majors suddenly remembered how to take a few minutes to just go out and have fun. So what if I have an 8 am final...I'm going to the Joynt for a few hours to drink and chat with close friends. Last Wednesday night EVERYONE was at the Joynt, and I must say it was awesome. I wish it was like that more often...


Well, enough time wasting. Thanks for tuning in.

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Audition results and update on life.

Well, it has been a rough few days.

The only bad news from this side of things is that I played what I thought was a great audition, (although I had some instrument problems during the sightreading portion). Results were posted a few days later, and it turns out that I moved DOWN 2 chairs in Wind Symphony. It really sucks, because I KNOW I'm getting better, and I don't know why I am consistantly placing lower each semester. I feel that Ostrander isn't doing a good job of telling me what needs to be done, or otherwise I'd be improving (in placement) like everyone else.

This has really been weighing on my mind, and it hurts me pretty deeply. I really believe that I am one of the most motivated students in the trombone studio, and I work incredibly hard. Something just isn't going right. So I'll be talking to Ostrander sometime within the next few days to figure out what the hell is happening.

On a much lighter and happier note; I finally made Jazz I. I worked pretty hard this summer on trying to improve my style and learn more about improvisation, so that was such a good surprise for me. Mr. Baca has great confidence that I'll be able to learn how to solo as well as some of the recordings. That in turn helps me with my confidence and is really motivating me to try harder. So its going to be a tough semester, but I'm going to learn SO MUCH.


Thats about all for now, I'm home and doing some homework until I go to bed in a little bit. I miss so many faces this year; its hard growing up and being one of the older people at EC. Randy, Kenyon, James, Heather and Colin are some of the few faces I really miss seeing around. It would be nice to have their encouragment at a time like this.


Alright, enough of my reflecting on things I can't change. :P Time to move ahead. I'm taking an audition this week for the Chippewa Valley Symphony. There are 3 of us auditioning for the principal position; me, Vernie and Becker. So I probably won't win the principal spot, but I'd like to play in the group anyways. Getting right back on the horse and not quitting is what I need to do right now.

Valleyfair is quickly drawing to a close; only 6 more days at the park. I have overall enjoyed it this summer, but am looking at a cruise ship for next summer. I think I might have to be gone this Christmas in order to investigate what playing on a ship is like, which I don't want to do. But I think I'm going to have to. I don't want to play at Valleyfair for the rest of my life. Time to explore some options.

School is good; I can't wait to start observing. Probably within the next few days or so. Can't wait....should be a great time.


Thats all for now; I have much homework to get done.

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

An Update

Hello blog reader people!

Here is what I've been up to since I last wrote:

1. Celebrated my 21st birthday in EC...everyone came. (I was hammered drunk, but what a good time.)
Drinks on the night: 2 margaritas, 3 shots, 3 beers, and 2 mixed drinks. FUN.

2. Enjoyed my first horrible hangover the next morning. I was out of commission until after 3 pm.

3. Found out as I was driving back to EC that the bridge right in Minneapolis collapsed. I'm still in shock of how something like this could happen, grateful that more aren't dead, yet still sad all at the same time. What a horrible thing.

4. Peformed at the TWINS game with the UWEC Trombone Choir. Over 30,000 people, and we sounded AMAZING, thanks to Joe Hartson's high chops. WTG. :)

5. Found out that half our studio is out for awhile....Kyle's lung collapsed (again) and Matt Tiller has Mono, Tonsillitis AND Lyme Disease. Always seems like the worst things happen to the best guys. :/ Speedy recovery is wished to both.

6. Played trombone at Becker's church yesterday morning...I thought it sounded ok, but Becker said it was some of the best playing he's heard me do. I guess not caring anymore does really help!

7. Went out to dinner with Becker & parents last night. Also had my first martini...watermelon. Too hard to drink, there is WAAAAAAAAAAY too much alcohol in those. So I'll stick to other drinks for now. :P

I guess thats it for catching up on stuff...valleyfair is good enough as usual...Pauly has been gone for a wedding, but should be back today. Thats good...I missed him, but it was good to see Jacob again.


Upcoming Events:
-August 6th??? ----> R. Pingrey Quartet at the Nucleus.
-August 11th ---> Ben Dobay Sextet @ the Dakota! (Randy's last performance b4 grad.)
-August 15th----> Lesson with John Tranter
-August 28th ----> Lesson with Megumi
-September 2nd ----> COLLEGE


Thats it, time to work out. Much love to you all,

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Bed

I'm soooooo tired! Haven't been sleeping well the past few weeks. All I want to do is sleep. Maybe less CSI and Law & Order right before bed will do the trick.

I guess we'll see...

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Merrrgh

Tomorrow we have an extra day off work!!! Well, we're supposed to, but I decided I need the hours more than the break. So I'm working 1:30 pm until like 7. But its ok, that means I get money and I can pay to fill up my car with gasoline! Does anyone else find it ridiculous that gas is like $3.50 a gallon now? Aaaargh....

Lesson with John Tranter tomorrow morning also. I plan to play most of "Aria and Polonaise" (its all done except some of the third page), Ein Heldenleben, and Rochut #75. Its nice to have a goal set...after tomorrow's lesson I'm going to start preparing for my lesson with Megumi at the end of August.

Speaking of which, I'll be home in Waukesha starting on August 27th or 28th for a few days if anyone wants to grab some coffee or some lunch. That'd be super. I'll also be in Eau Claire to celebrate my 21st birthday on August 1st...so if anyone's up for a little Joynt action, I sure will be! Feel free to join me!

Thats all, just writing to say that life is good, and I'm enjoying living here in Minnesota!!!

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Fuck life.

Now that I have your attention...

....life is good. :)

My family is coming to visit on Thursday! I'm so excited...I've been missing them a lot lately. For those of you who haven't yet heard, my sister Ashley finally beat her cancer. She is 100% cancer free, and it looks like she'll stay that way. Thanks for all of your prayers! Josh seems to be doing well...he's working 3 jobs all summer to make some money. I have no idea what Becca has been up to. My dad is still out of work. He's had some interviews (band director) but nothing seems to be opening up. So it looks like my mom will be working in the operating room again until he can find work. It will be good to see everyone.



Valleyfair is ok...I like the job, but there is waaaaaaay too much bitching in the dressing room. (from the GUYS too!) I'll complain if people are slacking and not doing their part to make the band sound/look good, but a few guys seem to think that the gig sucks. True its not as good as playing on Broadway or having a full time gig with a big band, but you're still getting paid to play your instrument and sit around. So hopefully they'll grow up and quit the whining. Otherwise it'll be a long summer.


Upcoming Events I'm excited about include:
-Fourth of July fireworks and booze (tomorrow)
- My family visiting the park (Thurs)
-Day off #3 (Friday)
-Old Man's wedding (Saturday)
-Lesson with John Tranter (July 11th)
-Movie with Mrs. Paula Becker (next week Friday)
-My 21st birthday! (ok, its a ways off, but I'm still excited....Aug.1)
-Trombone choir at the Twins game (Aug.3rd)



Oh yeah! We had a totally sweet party here at Becker's house while his parents were gone last Saturday. Not a HUGE party, but everyone who showed up had a good time I think. There are photos on facebook if you're up for a laugh...highlights of the evening included a bratwurst and onion fight, Josh Lee and Justin competing to make the most ridculous faces ever, and Becker getting really smashed and being hungover at work the next day. Too much whiskey I guess.

Anyways, not a whole lot going on here aside from that...just felt compelled to write. I've been awfully tired lately, don't know if there is something wrong with me. And on that note, I'm going to head to bed so I have energy to be totally kick-ass in my sweet red uniform tomorrow.


Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Bad decisions...

Sometimes I wonder if doing the Valleyfair thing again was a good decision. Overall, I've liked living up here, but there are some things that seriously make me question if I've made a good decision by doing this all again. Maybe today was just a rough day...but there have been a few of those lately, so thats why I'm concerned. I guess we'll see...no backing out now.

I'm so sore from the Taebo that Becker and I tried out yesterday at 7:30 am. It wasn't too taxing at the time (my legs felt like rubber, but otherwise it was ok) but now I'm really sore. Hopefully that'll get better soon so I can move normally!!!

Time for dinner, I'll write more later if I have time.

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Oh summer...

Whelp, test results are back and I do NOT have cancer. So I suppose that is a very good thing. Thanks for your thoughts/prayers.

Just started full time at Valleyfair with a 12 hour day on Saturday. That was rough. Yesterday was a normal 6 hour day, but that seemed to drag too. I hope that once we learn more music the summer will go faster. Like that arrangement of Happy Birthday Colin promised to send and hasn't yet. *ahem*. Oh well, At least I'm playing trombone.

Living at Beckers is nice, although I sometimes really wish I was at home in Milwaukee. The Cities are great though....a few nights ago we went and saw Mahler II. Before the concert, Becker and I met up with PAO at Brits Pub for beer (and in my case 'water'). Justin joined us later; it was really nice. Then came an amazing concert...the end brought me to tears it was so beautiful. The chorale in the fourth movement was flawless and incredibly powerful. What a great concert.

Thats all for now, time to warm up and pack a lunch for the day.

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Valleyfair: Round 2

I'm here in The Cities for the summer now. Not gonna lie, I wish I had a little more time at home with the family...2 weeks just felt a bit too short. So far stuff at VF is going pretty well, the band is MUCH better this year and a lot of the coreography is the same so I dont' have to relearn a bunch of stuff. I'm living at Becker's house this summer too, and so far that has been really nice.

Not a whole lot else happneing...still waiting on my test results from the doctor's office; however, if the results were bad I'm sure they would have gotten back to me much faster, so I'm encouraged by that. Haven't really talked to anyone from Eau Claire lately (besides the band). Sounds like everyone is just kind of doing their own thing and having a great time.

Time to play some trombone before work...thanks for tuning in. :)

Love,
Rachel

Ok, so not what I had planned...

Alright so summer has gotten off to somewhat of a lousy start. I've been sick the past few days, and there are some other things that have recently transpired that are bothering me a lot. No details; I guess I'm just confused on what to think.

Heading back to Eau Claire bright and early on Wednesday morning; then its moving in time and off to Minnesota for the remainder of the summer. It sucks, pretty sure that we're playing the SAME FREAKING MUSIC with the Benchwarmerz this summer. If I was good at arranging stuff I'd arrange some different stuff, but seeing as I'm not, that isn't really an option. So this summer is probably going to be long. At least I don't have to memorize a whole bunch of stuff.

Well, thats about it...life just completely sucks right now. I better go practice seeing as I haven't played trombone in like 4 freaking days.


Rachel

Summertime

Life = odd.

Family is good, all things considered. Each of us are dealing with our own personal struggles, but there are lots of supportive friends around, so I'm not worried.

Friendsare 100% great. Eau Claire people rock. The VERY few people that I have the desire to hang out with from high school are also great friends. Its amazing how people change once they hit college.

Trombone is going pretty well. Great lesson with Megumi today (worked on the Martin Ballade, Murders of the Rue Morgue, and Bruckner 8---> THAT was awesome.

School is done! I so far have done well on exams (except speech cuz my prof was a BITCH). Six A's, 2 B's (probably 3 once my music hist is averaged in) and hopefully a passing grade in Form and Analysis.


Those are the important parts of my life right now. I guess that makes sense; school, friends, family, trombone. Don't need much more than that.


Thats all. Thanks for tuning in.

Love,
Rachel Catheryn

Aaahhhhhhh spelling errors and such!

rediculous = ridiculous.

Thanks Randy.

5 finals in one day?!?

My exam schedule today was rediculous:

8 am - Speech final (screw that...)
10:30 - Exit Interview w/Dr. Rieck (Music Ed)
11:00 - Piano Proficiency (PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) :) :) :)
1:00 - Jury (went pretty ok)
5:00 - Music History final. (rocked it)
7:00 - Hang at PAO's. (good time)

Long day, but I feel like I did well. Now we'll see if Becker feels like coming over after the Stones Throw.

Schools almost done...and I'm almost a junior. Geez. A few more scattered finals this week, but mostly I'm done. Party at the Beaver Lodge tomorrow and then at The House on Thursday of finals. Valleyfair starts June 2nd already...wow.


Time for summer!

Love,
Rachel