I'm gonna blog and I'm gonna like it

So, the past little while I've been at a loss over what I should put on this thing. I did have a burst of inspiration when my baby sis turned 11, but other than that, I really haven't known what to put on here. Not like it mattered too much that I wasn't posting my every thought and action, but I have this thing where if I have something, weather it be a material possession or a bit of property in cyberspace, I have to use it. My stinking google and skype accounts are on my mind waaaaaay more than they need to be simply because I don't use them that much and it bugs me. So what is my inspiration for writing today? Absolutely nothing! Which is why I'm inspired, make sense?? Not being inspired inspires me. It's not that there isn't anything going on in my life, there are actually quite a few things that I haven't blogged about, but for some reason, those things just don't seem quite ready to be posted on this here page of mine.

I will say this though. The first book of the Hunger Games trilogy?? Freakin' amazing!! Holy cow I was so sucked in, it was difficult to get anything else done until that sucker was finished. (Like my little play on words? Sucked in, sucker? yeah.) Now I hafta get the other two books a-sap, but since my mother also read the first one, I will have to wait on her to read the other books since we can't possibly coordinate the reading time well enough for us both to be happy. Goodness life is hard. My favorite part of the book? I won't give too much detail, but the main character, Katniss?? Totally kicks Bella Swan's butt!! And that's all I'll say.

Hmm, writer's block is kicking in again. Train of thought? De-railed. Well, guess that will keep me from blabbin' too much!

Sidney

This post is about my baby sister.

Just as this picture shows, she is full of life!! She can go non-stop all day playing, riding her scooter at break-neck speeds, cuddling with her bird, kicking a soccer ball,... You name it, this girl has done it.

She turns eleven tomorrow.

I remember when my mom and dad first told us kids we were going to have a baby sister. My mom told me to get the pregnancy test as proof. I ran back into her bathroom, and as I looked at the test, I screamed with excitement. I loved my brothers very much, but had always wanted a baby sister. I used to draw pictures of what she would look like, I just knew it would happen one day.

I was eleven when she was born. The most adorable little girl in every way. She smiled all the time, had hair that stuck straight up, and had the roundest little kissable cheeks ever!! She came home weighing 6 lbs 4 oz. She was teeny tiny! Her little newborn outfit was too big for her. I insisted she sleep in my room from the very first night. My mom warned me she would wake me up when she cried, but I was adamant. That first night, I didn't sleep much, not because she cried, but because I was sooo excited to have her in my room. I looked at her every few minutes to make sure she was okay. When she woke up, I took her out of her crib and held her for a while before taking her to my mom. She didn't cry. She just looked at me with her pretty eyes.

My little baby sister is going to be the same age tomorrow as I was when she was born. Time flies.

She is so sweet, blows everyone kisses out the window any time we leave the house. writes the most creative stories, and is so sensitive to how I am feeling. She always knows when something is up and tells everyone to be sensitive. Oh how I love my baby sister. Happy Birthday, Sidney! This blog post can't express half of how amazing you are.

For the Music

Hey guys. I have a piano concert tonight that I am doing as part of Artown. I am nervous. Being up there, alone on the stage, exposing my weaknesses and mistakes to the world, not something I'm a big fan of. But let me tell you something.

I have been playing piano since I was 7 years old. That's about 15 years now. 2/3 of my life. I can't really remember not playing piano. When I was 7, I remember being so excited to play piano. I wanted to take lessons from my cousin April because she was SO good and I wanted to play like her. The piano I started learning on was a tiny electric keyboard with only about 32 keys. Once when I was out with my mom, I found a 5 dollar bill just laying on the ground in some parking lot. I considered that a major score and my mom said I could use it to pay for my first piano lesson, which I did. Looking back, $5 for a piano lesson seems VERY cheap.

Now, I have graduated with my Bachelor's degree in music with emphasis on Piano Performance. It seems amazing how little steps and choices can completely influence and direct the course of life.

I love my music. Love it to death. I love how my fingers can move across the keys. They know the territory, and the sounds that come out can be beautiful. Sometimes when I am stressed I just sit down and play. I can't explain how it feels inside. It is a great pleasure, and as I release my emotions on the keys, I feel a sense of freedom and relaxation.

Now, sometimes playing piano has been my greatest stress as well as pleasure. In school and through much of my life, I have had performances, competitions and festivals, all with deadlines and judges that tend to make me very nervous. I think nervous is putting it lightly. I have had some pretty major emotional breakdowns at some points because of these events. And it's all because I am afraid of messing up. I hate that phrase. Messing up. But only recently have I been trying to learn a new lesson. It's not about the "messing up". I'm ALWAYS going to make some mistakes, large or small whenever I play. It will never be completely perfect. But I don't want to share the mistakes. I want to share the feelings I have for music with my friends and family in the audience. Because when I am up there, everyone in the audience is getting a pretty large glimpse into who I am, and so, in a way, everyone is becoming a part of my life, a friend.

So when I'm up there tonight, I will try not to make mistakes. But more important, I will try to make you feel excitement, sadness, love, joy, giddiness, darkness, light, and everything all mixed into the notes I will be playing. Because that is why the composers wrote. They wrote their innermost desires, feelings, thoughts, pains, into the keys. And that expression gave them freedom, as it does me.

Senior recital at SUU

This one goes out to all those who have seen Harry Potter, or those who haven't yet, or those who want to....

There is a joke in that long title, Jessica Stoneman, it's for you :)

OKAY!!!! Soooo, I have seen Harry Potter three times since it's release last week. Embarrassing? No way! I feel like my own life at Hogwarts just concluded and it's sad and happy, and a lot of mixed up things.

Let me start at the beginning. I think I was around 10 when I read the first book?? I was 12 ish when the first movie came out. So I was about the proper age to start attending Hogwarts, which I did in my imaginary 12 year old world. And I am about the same age as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, so I feel like all those guys are my personal mates. (Mate as in the British use of the word of course...) I mean, I don't usually care too much about an particular actor or actress, I'll read OMG on yahoo, but that's just for some drama. But these guys, we grew up together! We went through all the battles with He Who Must Not Be Named together! We endured the taunts of Slytherin house together! So it was only appropriate for me to witness the end of our adventures 3 times minimum. Who knows if that will be the last time in theaters? I bawled like a baby during viewing number one, viewing number two was close to the same, only on viewing number three was I able to contain my emotions a little better. Needless to say I loved this movie. Don't go see it as a cynic, please. For all our sakes, have an understanding attitude.

Here's Mom and me with our Harry Potter XD glasses. We were so very excited :)

Thanks to every one who saw it with me, Mom that first time, and Mark, the next two. You guys were excellent movie buddies. (Except for the slight teasing I got from Mark for crying all three times)

GO SEE HARRY POTTER!!!!!

Like the Movies

It seems recently I've been really in touch with the romantic in me. Every sappy song, chick flick, romance novel (the good kinds), I am soaking them all in. I'm single, so I can dream a little, right? Sooo, here are some fav movies, songs, and books, and why they are my favorites. Here goes, prepare yourselves.

Top favorite romance novel of the moment, Persuasion by Jane Austen. I love this book, I must have read it at least five times. Short synopsis, A man and woman fall in love when they are young, but for various reasons, she is persuaded by those she cares about not to marry him and they part ways, with a lot of bitterness on his side. Favorite quote, "There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison"
8 years later, they cross paths again, and not to spoil it, you should probably read it yourself;) But to me, it is a beautiful story about real love lasting even when they don't communicate or see each other for years. *sigh*, it really strikes a chord:)

This is my favorite movie version, but I still recommend reading the book.

Next, I would have to say my most favorite chick-flick of the moment is Leap Year. I won't give you the full run-down, but I like it because Amy Adams' character, Anna, finds unexpected love when she wasn't looking for it, and it makes her so much happier than the path she was taking. And not to mention, Matthew Goode, total cutie!! Definitely watch this movie if you need a romantic pick-me-up!

 

Also, I recently watched My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding because it had been a while. When Toula's family doesn't accept Ian because he isn't Greek, he tells her he will get baptized because he wants to make her and her family happy. He tells her he will do whatever it takes to make them accept him. He tells her he loves her, she asks why, and he says it's because he came alive when he met her. Talk about making a girl feel worth while, special, important, all those great things we want to feel!

 

Okay, now it's time for a favorite song.  Don't you laugh at me, but here it is. Ain't No Mountain High Enough, the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell version. Yep, that's right. This song speaks to me. They tell each other "ain't" nothing that will stand in their way. "Our love is alive way down in my heart, although we are miles apart." What a great line! *another sigh*          

Look at them singing together, aren't they so cute?

Well folks, that's all for my romance rant, for now anyway:)