Long Day...Please NO more drama...

I know. I am posting a venting style blog today, but it really has been one of those days. I was up at 6am this morning. A friend of mine is serving in the US Marine Corp and he would his designated internet time when the sun comes up in the morning (Afghanistan has a different time zone in case some of you didn't know...hehe). While getting ready for my 8am Ballet class I multi-tasked cleaning and chatting with this friend. Then I went to school at 7:30am and stayed there until 5:30pm due to classes, placement issues and auditions. I came home and just wanted to eat and relax. I did for a time but was faced with two roommates complaining about my roommate that has just moved in on Saturday. Then they kept judging her and noticing that I wouldn't. Then I just had my roommate Phoxay (pronounced poe-sigh) just talked me and noticed that everone is on edge and she (Phoxay) does not have Christ-like feelings not necessarily for the new roomate but just in general. I have never seen her be this nervous and anxious before. I just need to calm down and try not to get in the middle of things. Pray that things work out better.

Saying Goodbye Was Never Easy...pt. 2

As many of you know, on Saturday I went to the funeral of a dear friend to say goodbye (for now). This upcoming weekend, I say goodbye to another. My best friend is moving back to California. He tried so hard to stay but fell just a little bit short. He now feels that he must go back home for a time to work. He has a place to stay (practically for free) and can work for his landlady until he finds work. He says he may not be back in Utah for a long while (at least a year but we are both hoping it is shorter than that). On Saturday evening, I am taking him to the train station so that he hop on the 11:30pm train back to Sacramento. We are both dreading that night. Neither of us are very good at saying goodbye. He doesn't want to leave me here (he is concerned about the timing of his leaving and how it will affect me).

We both made several promises to each other though. We would go to each others wedding receptions (and if I am married first each others sealings! although he does promise to be there for mine anyways) and that we would keep in contact all the time (via text, calls or skype) and we are working on putting a youtube channel together (shh...that's a secret...) among other promises. Yeah. Not my favorite of weeks.

Saying Goodbye Was Never Easy...

I am usually so excited and grateful that I made it through the week to enjoy a wonderful weekend. However, I must face a weekend similar to what I faced 10 months ago. In under a year I have had to say goodbye to two people that have impacted me in so many ways. Tomorrow I say goodbye and Saturday those of us who have lost these two will celebrate Sara, then, if we can, we will travel down I-15 to visit the teacher that gave her life 10 months ago...our beautiful Heather.

Now, there are certain people (I will not mention any names) who feel that I want to suffer alone and therefore refuse to talk about. This is for all of you...I write to deal but not always publicly and quite honestly I with hold a lot of information from everybody. I don't want to suffer alone (no one does) but I deal in a different way. I am not going to apologize if it seems as though I suffer alone. I put on a strong face and get everyone else through this before I even consider my own feelings. Its habit. I am not going to apologize for how I cope and deal with things. I am more complicated than I think any of you think. Saying goodbye is never easy and, unfortunately I have had to do it more than twice in the last 12 months and have had to do it at least 5 times in the last 24 months but I don't tell any of you who think I suffer alone because then everyone would worry and think I was "driving for attention." I deal then I try to move on. Only a select few know how much I have lost in the last 24 months. I don't tell the world and I am sorry if that offends you. Now, please don't abandon me because of it.

The rest of you whom this does not apply too thank you! Note there are so many who do not know who or what I have lost and how difficult the last year has been but the paragraph above may not apply to you so some of you don't need to worry.

I love you all!

Zombie Unicorn Guitar Swords

This is my friend Kaleb Nation. I made a promise to him a while ago that I would help him as much as I can with his book! He is writing a series and is about to release the second installment in the series, so if you're interested go find his first book "Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse" and read it, then pre-order his second book "Bran Hambric: The Specter Key!" He's a cool guy and will be doing a book tour in Salt Lake for all those that are interested. Go check him out on youTube as well at www.youtube.com/kalebnation.

*yawn* Bedtime!

The title says it all! Enough has been said. 'Night folks!

More Details...

I got the following text today from my friend Cory...

"The cause of her passing is still unknown until some time after the autopsy. She passed in her sleep so she did pass peacefully and it is assumed she had no pain behind her passing. Susan is still in a whole lot of shock of losing her daughter. Apparently, Susan talked to Sara not even six hours before the news of her passing (which is why Susan is in shock). Susan is heading to New Zealand tonight. She has promised an update. More details to follow."

She is not back in the states yet. Apparently, they are doing the autopsy in New Zealand today or tomorrow and then making arrangements for her to come back to the states. Cory then sent me this text which made me cry and smile all at once...

"I think Heather and Sara immediately found each other in heaven, hugged, then started plans for a music and dance/colorguard program in heaven. They are teaching together now! They are happy to have each other there now!"

It is true. Sara missed Heather terribly but decided to teach her Riverton students the way Heather taught her. Now, she can teach along side her too! 

2 Gone in 10 Months...

Yep, I lost another friend today. I was sitting at the dollar movie theatre waiting for Karate Kid to start. I received a phone call from my friend Chase that went something like this (please note that Chase broke to the news to me about Heather not even ten months ago)...

*phone rings, I noticed Chase's name and answer it*

Me: Hey Chase. What's up?

Chase: Hello Kristen.

Me: Hi!

Chase: You are going to hate me as I always carry bad news whenever I seem to call you.

*very long pause as I realize someone has gone from this wrold*

Me: What happened? Who is it?

Chase: Susan's daughter passed away this morning.

Me: Sara? Sara died?

Chase: Yeah, it happened this morning.

Me: How did it happen?

Chase: It is unclear. They are waiting for autopsy results.

*phone clicks dead.*

I, sadly, was then tasked by a friend to sent out a mass text message to all my Blue Knights Drum Corp contacts as she did tour with them and to tell another friend of her passing since I worked with both of them at West Jordan High School. The mast texting started and the word went quick. The movie was less than two hours long and in that time, we all had spread the word, arranged for people to comfort her family (since her Mom was my director) and are now attempting to pin down a date for a funneral. She was in New Zealand on an internship at the time of her death so getting the body back to the states is going to be a bit of a challenge.
I was so overwhelmed with getting everything going I didn't have time to grieve until now. I went to Heather's page and told her to look after Sara and to start a marching band and have Sara be in the colorguard while they are in heaven. It made me realize, I have lost two friends, colleagues and well-respected and admired people in the short span of 10 months.

I love you Sara Raymond. I will be sure to look after your family. Mike, Lorraine and Scott promised to do so too.

VERY Early Morning Post!

I am going to be honest with everyone. I have been up since 5am trying to get a lot of last minute stuff done. I have to finalize the research paper some time today. The research paper is a group project so we are getting everything together. I need to go to BYU today to get some dance journal to defend our research paper. That is what I am doing all day today. Looking for work and finishing up all papers!

Summer Finals Week 2010

Obviously today is Sunday. But it is not just any Sunday. It is the last Sunday of the semester before I start classes in the Fall. I have class tomorrow and class on Wednesday, then I have exactly two weeks of a break to prepare for Fall term. Until that much needed and much anticipated break, though, I have to finish a whole bundle of assignments and hope I receive adequate grades on all of them. This weekend I have put in over 20 hours of study time (ten on Friday and ten on Saturday) and will spend most of today finishing everything up. I can hold off on a presentation and one of two portfolios until Wednesday and hold off on the other portfolio until Tuesday. Needless, to say I will be rather happy to have the two week break before Fall term. So, my plan for the day includes working on the following (in order):

1. Philosophy of Dance Paper
2. Revelations by Alvin Ailey Critique
3. Finish take home final
4. Revise research paper
5. Put together basics of both portfolios.
6. Finish "Ballet Companion" lesson plan
7. Finish tables, charts and graphs for Tuesdays portfolio!

Yeah, I get a three hour break for church for the most part I am working all day to finish all of tomorrows assignments! Better get back to work!

Busy Week Part 2

I have just over 15 minutes to produce this blog before I get back to working on more assignments. I decided to post another list of what needs to get done today especially since about 70% of them are due tomorrow. Good thing I got most of the rough drafts and editing done yesterday. That means I just have to go in and revise those papers meaning I can get more done today! I have 12 things that must get done today and I will list below what they are:

1. Revisions for research paper
2. Revisions for portfolio
3. Philosophy Paper Outline
4. Math Pre-Test
5. Alvin Ailey Review
6. Religion sec. 6-8
7. In formal Interviews (must do 5 today).
8. Dance Resume for dance portfolio
9. cg portfolio (finish calendars, expand on goals section table(s) and graph(s) and part 2 if I finish everything else)
10. Send a message to Rebecca
11. Set-up the job shadow
12. Journal Entries

Yup that's what I get to do today...also, as I finish a task, I may come back and put a strike through on each completed task!!!

Such a busy Monday or a busy Week?

I wrote out my to do list for the week and realized how much I have to do. I thought I could compact it all into one day! I don't think I will even make a dent today. I will tackle homework and the easier, time consuming, somewhat smaller tasks, since I do have a whole lot of homework. I get to put my DVDs out in the living room where Jamie had her DVDs. I will soon be able to put some of my books in the living room too. I want to be able to inventory all my books and DVDs so I if people borrow any of them, I know which is missing and possibly an inventory of who is borrowing which item! I am also trying to get my room cleaned up, organized and decorated!

Today, I got both my final assignments for my classes and an assignment to be completed before Fall term begins on August 25th (one my goodness, less than a month away and end of term is two weeks away). Both final assignments are major portfolios (again) and neither of them are small. The first half of both of them are not that difficult to put together. Mostly, I just compile all written assignments together and that creates the first half of both portfolios. The second half on one of them involves video and music editing for the performance CD I have to include with it and some more writing among other things!

I have decided to let eveyone know how much I have to do today. This is what I wrote on my twitter (note it was in three seperate twwitter posts since I can only have 140 characters or less)...

Twitter Post #1: Working on homework in the following order...cg portfolio (calendars, introduction and Part 1), research paper rough draft, poster summary

Twitter Post #2: resume revision, religion sections 6-8, philosophy paper outline, reflection paper and my dance midterm paper...

Twitter Post #3:all before tomorrow because tomorrow's schedule is busier...

Yeah, I am going to maybe get half of that done. The research paper is putting together the skeletons of the group works and paragraphs. The poster summary is one small paragraph about the research paper. The resume revisions is for an assignment and since I have my resume saved I can make easy corrections. The biggest ones are going to be the portfolio and all the papers due by Wednesday. Yep, a long and busy Monday as well as a busy and productive Tuesday will ensue this week. Luckily, most of the final drafts of the papers and the entire portfolio is not due until Friday (granted I do have two of them due Monday as well).

So, I best be gettintg back to work!