January Catch-up

It has been a crazy month! I thought I couldn't get busier than I was last quarter, but I have had less time to get more things done this quarter. Somehow I survive though.
I started right back in school on January 3rd. I really love my classes, but they are taking so much time. I am taking a music and technology class, a interdisciplinary curriculum class, I'm mentoring/taking the undergraduate general music methods class, and I'm taking conducting lessons as well as continuing with Chapel Choir. It keeps me really busy, but I'm learning lots. Sometimes all I can say is "whew."
My second weekend back I took a road trip to Nashville, Tennessee to go to my friend Tessa's wedding. I drove to my brother's house in Carterville, Il on Friday, then got up early and drove the rest of the way to Nashville Saturday morning. It was so great to be able to be there with Tessa and Paul. Tessa was such a beautiful bride and I loved being able to also see Katie, Kate, and Melissa who had flown in for the wedding. It was such a long drive, that I had to leave before the reception to make it back to my brother, Whitney's house before it got too late. I was so happy to be able to go though.







My nieces showered me with affection, and luckily it was Eleanor's birthday while I was there. We had such a fun time playing college and dress-ups, and the girls got to see Star Wars for the first time ever. I love having Whitney's family close, even though it is still five hours away.

The next weekend I had to complete a project for school. My requirement was to go to any type of arts exhibit and experience one work without any knowledge of it, then find out about it and re-experience it. My friend Amanda had gone to the Jim Henson exhibit the weekend I was in Nashville, but she offered me a few free vouchers she had to go the next weekend. I took two friends and we went to explore "Jim Henson's Fantastic World." I was so glad I had to go for school otherwise I probably would have felt guilty going even though I will never have the chance like this to explore Chicago later. Somehow I made it all fit in. It was so much fun to go to the Museum of Science and Industry and see a few of the other exhibits besides the Henson exhibit.







This was the same weekend we had two general authorities come visit the young single adults in Chicago. It was a very packed weekend. Packed has been the story of my life though.