Here's my update...finally :)
Well it’s been a long time since I promised a good update and it’s FINALLY not busy at the store so I actually have time to write! So let’s see….school started at the end of August. It’s a strange feeling being a graduate student and not an undergraduate. Graduate Theory Seminar with Dr. Averitt is good….I’ve had WAY too many classes with that man the past few semesters….he’s still amusing though :) Plus Steve is in that class with me! I’m also taking Business of Studio Teaching which is an incredibly interesting class…it only meets five times during the semester for two and a half hours at a time. Over the course of the class we will build a studio materials portfolio containing a curriculum vitae, performing and teaching resumes, letterhead, studio policy, business cards, advertisement flyers, a website, and many other things….very helpful and Dr. Caluda makes the class time go by pretty quick….although I’m shocked to find another teacher who gives more notes than Dr. Johnston or Dr. Phipps! So yeah, classes are good…that’s about all there is to say about them…
Harp stuff next….well there are three new freshman harpists….they’re very enthusiastic (I’m sure a few months with Mrs. Blakeslee will cure that *cough cough*) and I like Abbie a lot….don’t really know Bradleigh and Renee that well as they don’t particularly seem like they want to get to know Tula, Jen, or me….oh well…but yeah, we did the Blacksburg harp extravaganza during my birthday weekend. Renee took herself down separately but Jen rode with me, Bradleigh rode with Abbie, and Tula drove alone. We left EARLY Saturday morning in our nice harp “caravan” down I-81….stopped for lunch at Subway and then arrived in Blacksburg around 1:30….got all the harps and miscellaneous accessories unpacked and rehearsal started at 3. Rehearsed for two and a half hours….then had a short dinner (mostly for the social aspects) with the entire group and then Kittie took all the SU harpists out to dinner at Kabuki. It was phenomenal! Much more impressive than Ichiban…..and Tula and Kittie just had to tell the waiter that it was my birthday….not only did they all come out singing….they brought a cake and took a picture as well. I was laughing so hard that I look absolutely retarded in the picture….everyone else looks great though…..so I might post the picture later…we’ll see :)
Anyway, after dinner we took the cake back to the hotel and checked into our NICE hotel rooms at the Hampton Inn in Christiansburg/Blacksburg. Abbie and I shared a room, Tula and Jenn shared a room, and Bradleigh and Renee went off to Virginia Tech to visit Renee’s sister…Kittie stayed a little longer to hang out and then headed back home around 10…We were all absolutely exhausted….during rehearsal we caught ourselves nodding off….so after calling Steve to say goodnight I crawled into bed around 11 and was dead to the world until 930 the next morning….Sunday morning we woke up and went down for the hotel’s continental breakfast (which was actually pretty impressive)…Met Tula and Jenn for breakfast and then went back upstairs to bed for another hour :) We had a catered lunch from Wendy’s at the church and the concert was at 3….It was incredibly well attended (they made over $4000.00 from donations and CD sales!!) Ashley came up from Radford to see me which was a nice surprise….all in all it was a good concert. Even though it was really simple music we still played well and managed to impress the audience…..So yeah after it was all over and we got packed up again, we stopped at Kroger to pick up snacks for the ride home and then got back into our little caravan to get home. We got back to Winchester around 9 so it wasn’t too bad…Steve and Merlin met me there to help move the harp :)
So yeah, this is really out of order….but yes, my birthday was great! Many thanks to all those who wished me a happy birthday! ;) (no matter what day you wished it on!....ha ha Liz!) On that Friday we had an early harp ensemble rehearsal and I had to meet with a woman about harp lessons but after that was over it was much more relaxing. Steve and I packed a picnic lunch and took Merlin up to Skyline Drive. We drove for a bit looking at the view and then hiked a little bit with Merlin. He seemed to like the hike down much better than the hike back :) Then it started to pour as we drove home so I’m glad we missed it! Got home, relaxed a bit and then went to Donato’s for dinner. It’s recently been bought back by the previous owner so it was MUCH better than the last time we were there…we got back to the house and had cake (Steve made me a raspberry filled vanilla cake with icing!) and I got to open presents! Lots of interesting books with special reasons behind them :), the Dreamtheater Score DVD (we were there!), and the Caesar IV game (which will be released this Tuesday) :) After that I packed for the harp trip and we watched Nip/Tuck…a very good birthday!
And back to harpists…so yeah now that the Blacksburg thing is over we’re back to our music….and Mrs. Blakeslee really picked nice pieces for this concert. We’re doing the Rachmaninoff Elegie, a Bach Prelude, Cordova (which is a really pretty Spanish piece), and a Tournier Prelude….so a nice representation of music and great arrangements! (We’re back to playing hard music again! YAY!) And hopefully now that we’re back into a regular schedule Jen and I will actually get to know the other harpists….I miss the previous groups we’ve had….we all wanted to get to know each other and we all got along really well….I was listening to old harp ensemble cds and I think my favorite group so far was me, Julie, Emily, Taurean, Kittie, and Clare….we played some amazing music that one semester!...But we’ll see…hopefully it’ll get better!
Well, work is busy….it’s rental season so there’s hardly time to breathe between customers…..and usually the customers are all really nice….but there are definitely a few here and there that I’d love to smack….ah well….in October my hours go back down to 20 a week and I’ll be a much happier Jessica :) Plus I’ll get to see Mel more which is always more amusing!
Teaching is also great but also incredibly busy! I have 13 students in Harrisonburg….8 that I alternate every other week and 5 that take weekly lessons…So yeah, my students range in age from 8 to 72….and range all over the beginner to intermediate levels…But despite it being a REALLY long day every Wednesday, my students are all hard workers and we’re already planning a December studio recital!!
NVSR is crazy as well….I’m the co-coordinator for the picnic and we’re getting down to the very last week with picnic planning! But I think it will go well…and I’m looking forward to seeing some of our old fosters and transports that have found new loving homes! And hopefully we’ll find someone to adopt Teddy soon!
Hmm…what else….Steve and I are good….in 5 days we pass the 3 year, 6 month mark! :) We’re starting to look at job opportunities for him next year….we’re still not sure yet, but I think I might want to actually finish my Pedagogy degree at SU (Mrs. Blakeslee is being incredibly tolerable these days)….so yeah, I might take a bunch of the required classes this spring and summer and then move into the Harrisonburg area at the end of the summer. Then I could teach out of my home and hopefully expand my harp studio and also add piano students…..since I pay a hefty rent fee and gas to travel to Harrisonburg, this might work out nicely….especially if Steve can get a teaching job in the area. And we’re looking for a dog friendly townhome or house!! :) Very exciting….so yeah we’ll see….then technically I’d only be in Winchester on Mondays for harp lessons and otherwise I’d be teaching in Harrisonburg and practicing!
Merlin, Nestle, and Cookie are all still good….hopefully we might be adding a kitty to the mix soon! Steve and I have recently gotten hooked on Nip/Tuck and are currently catching up on past seasons….ha ha we also like watching Flavor of Love 2….it’s a very sad addiction….and Law and Order: SVU and House have started up their new seasons so TV-wise we’re good to go ;) Merlin’s agility class starts October 10th and with graduate supervisor work, we’re starting to get more and more events….so it’s pretty busy, but also pretty enjoyable….(I can’t wait until rental season is over!!)
Well I think this is a long enough update….
Upcoming Dates:
9/23-25 Home for Rosh Hashanah
9/30 NVSR 5th Annual Picnic in Fredricksburg
10/1 Maryland Renn Fest with Steve’s family
10/13-17 Fall Break
11/12 Emmanuel Ceysson performance at the Kennedy Center
**i love you! I Love You!! I LOVE YOU!!!** :)
Harp stuff next….well there are three new freshman harpists….they’re very enthusiastic (I’m sure a few months with Mrs. Blakeslee will cure that *cough cough*) and I like Abbie a lot….don’t really know Bradleigh and Renee that well as they don’t particularly seem like they want to get to know Tula, Jen, or me….oh well…but yeah, we did the Blacksburg harp extravaganza during my birthday weekend. Renee took herself down separately but Jen rode with me, Bradleigh rode with Abbie, and Tula drove alone. We left EARLY Saturday morning in our nice harp “caravan” down I-81….stopped for lunch at Subway and then arrived in Blacksburg around 1:30….got all the harps and miscellaneous accessories unpacked and rehearsal started at 3. Rehearsed for two and a half hours….then had a short dinner (mostly for the social aspects) with the entire group and then Kittie took all the SU harpists out to dinner at Kabuki. It was phenomenal! Much more impressive than Ichiban…..and Tula and Kittie just had to tell the waiter that it was my birthday….not only did they all come out singing….they brought a cake and took a picture as well. I was laughing so hard that I look absolutely retarded in the picture….everyone else looks great though…..so I might post the picture later…we’ll see :)
Anyway, after dinner we took the cake back to the hotel and checked into our NICE hotel rooms at the Hampton Inn in Christiansburg/Blacksburg. Abbie and I shared a room, Tula and Jenn shared a room, and Bradleigh and Renee went off to Virginia Tech to visit Renee’s sister…Kittie stayed a little longer to hang out and then headed back home around 10…We were all absolutely exhausted….during rehearsal we caught ourselves nodding off….so after calling Steve to say goodnight I crawled into bed around 11 and was dead to the world until 930 the next morning….Sunday morning we woke up and went down for the hotel’s continental breakfast (which was actually pretty impressive)…Met Tula and Jenn for breakfast and then went back upstairs to bed for another hour :) We had a catered lunch from Wendy’s at the church and the concert was at 3….It was incredibly well attended (they made over $4000.00 from donations and CD sales!!) Ashley came up from Radford to see me which was a nice surprise….all in all it was a good concert. Even though it was really simple music we still played well and managed to impress the audience…..So yeah after it was all over and we got packed up again, we stopped at Kroger to pick up snacks for the ride home and then got back into our little caravan to get home. We got back to Winchester around 9 so it wasn’t too bad…Steve and Merlin met me there to help move the harp :)
So yeah, this is really out of order….but yes, my birthday was great! Many thanks to all those who wished me a happy birthday! ;) (no matter what day you wished it on!....ha ha Liz!) On that Friday we had an early harp ensemble rehearsal and I had to meet with a woman about harp lessons but after that was over it was much more relaxing. Steve and I packed a picnic lunch and took Merlin up to Skyline Drive. We drove for a bit looking at the view and then hiked a little bit with Merlin. He seemed to like the hike down much better than the hike back :) Then it started to pour as we drove home so I’m glad we missed it! Got home, relaxed a bit and then went to Donato’s for dinner. It’s recently been bought back by the previous owner so it was MUCH better than the last time we were there…we got back to the house and had cake (Steve made me a raspberry filled vanilla cake with icing!) and I got to open presents! Lots of interesting books with special reasons behind them :), the Dreamtheater Score DVD (we were there!), and the Caesar IV game (which will be released this Tuesday) :) After that I packed for the harp trip and we watched Nip/Tuck…a very good birthday!
And back to harpists…so yeah now that the Blacksburg thing is over we’re back to our music….and Mrs. Blakeslee really picked nice pieces for this concert. We’re doing the Rachmaninoff Elegie, a Bach Prelude, Cordova (which is a really pretty Spanish piece), and a Tournier Prelude….so a nice representation of music and great arrangements! (We’re back to playing hard music again! YAY!) And hopefully now that we’re back into a regular schedule Jen and I will actually get to know the other harpists….I miss the previous groups we’ve had….we all wanted to get to know each other and we all got along really well….I was listening to old harp ensemble cds and I think my favorite group so far was me, Julie, Emily, Taurean, Kittie, and Clare….we played some amazing music that one semester!...But we’ll see…hopefully it’ll get better!
Well, work is busy….it’s rental season so there’s hardly time to breathe between customers…..and usually the customers are all really nice….but there are definitely a few here and there that I’d love to smack….ah well….in October my hours go back down to 20 a week and I’ll be a much happier Jessica :) Plus I’ll get to see Mel more which is always more amusing!
Teaching is also great but also incredibly busy! I have 13 students in Harrisonburg….8 that I alternate every other week and 5 that take weekly lessons…So yeah, my students range in age from 8 to 72….and range all over the beginner to intermediate levels…But despite it being a REALLY long day every Wednesday, my students are all hard workers and we’re already planning a December studio recital!!
NVSR is crazy as well….I’m the co-coordinator for the picnic and we’re getting down to the very last week with picnic planning! But I think it will go well…and I’m looking forward to seeing some of our old fosters and transports that have found new loving homes! And hopefully we’ll find someone to adopt Teddy soon!
Hmm…what else….Steve and I are good….in 5 days we pass the 3 year, 6 month mark! :) We’re starting to look at job opportunities for him next year….we’re still not sure yet, but I think I might want to actually finish my Pedagogy degree at SU (Mrs. Blakeslee is being incredibly tolerable these days)….so yeah, I might take a bunch of the required classes this spring and summer and then move into the Harrisonburg area at the end of the summer. Then I could teach out of my home and hopefully expand my harp studio and also add piano students…..since I pay a hefty rent fee and gas to travel to Harrisonburg, this might work out nicely….especially if Steve can get a teaching job in the area. And we’re looking for a dog friendly townhome or house!! :) Very exciting….so yeah we’ll see….then technically I’d only be in Winchester on Mondays for harp lessons and otherwise I’d be teaching in Harrisonburg and practicing!
Merlin, Nestle, and Cookie are all still good….hopefully we might be adding a kitty to the mix soon! Steve and I have recently gotten hooked on Nip/Tuck and are currently catching up on past seasons….ha ha we also like watching Flavor of Love 2….it’s a very sad addiction….and Law and Order: SVU and House have started up their new seasons so TV-wise we’re good to go ;) Merlin’s agility class starts October 10th and with graduate supervisor work, we’re starting to get more and more events….so it’s pretty busy, but also pretty enjoyable….(I can’t wait until rental season is over!!)
Well I think this is a long enough update….
Upcoming Dates:
9/23-25 Home for Rosh Hashanah
9/30 NVSR 5th Annual Picnic in Fredricksburg
10/1 Maryland Renn Fest with Steve’s family
10/13-17 Fall Break
11/12 Emmanuel Ceysson performance at the Kennedy Center
**i love you! I Love You!! I LOVE YOU!!!** :)