IS Class

I want to blog about our IS class since this is my last blog. I have thoroughly enjoyed being in class with everyone. The people in our class are fantastic, and it will be sad when I don't get to see you all next semester. Katie Tressel has now become one of my good friends, and I met her through IS. I also loved talking to Josh, who always makes people smile, and Emily and Kelly, who are kind and cheerful. And, of course, who didn't love hearing about Heidi's mail and her thing for the guy at the bank? She is one of the most interesting, hilarious, sunny people I have met this so far this year. I mean, the guy advice that people wrote her from home was seriously hilarious and always made me laugh.

It has been great having our discussions every day in class and I am so glad I have had the opportunity to know these people. I am looking forward to our last day Thursday when I am done with finals, things aren't stressful, and I get to see everyone one last time before break. It will be fun (except for the writing prompt that is planned. But that's all right, I don't mind those much). The Michael Crichton aspect of the class was really great as well, and Timeline is one of my favorite books. I know I will read it again. The science of the class was interesting and broadened my education, especially since I won't have many science classes as a music major.

So, for the last blog I'll write, thanks for an awesome semester! It was fun to see everyone every day and hear about all their experiences.

My Mom

Gilmore Girls is my favorite TV show. It is about a mother and a daughter who are only 16 years apart, so they are really close. They are almost more like best friends than mother-daughter. Besides the fact that they are hilarious together, I like this show partly because I am also really close to my mom.

My mom is probably the person I miss the most from home. She is the person I tell everything to and is always there for me when I am stressed out. I have called her countless of times this semester all in a frenzy about the things I have to get done. She has been extremely kind and understanding and has listened to me for as long as I needed to talk.

In high school I wasn't super social and stayed home a lot. Because of this, I often spent weekends at home. This was when my mom and I would rent movies for a Friday night. It was always really fun, and reminded me of Gilmore Girls again because they also have movie nights. Even though most people went out with friends or partied on the weekends, I had fun just being with my mom watching a movie. It sounds lame and sort of cheesy, but it's the truth.

My mom has been the one person I can tell anything to and will listen to what I have to say. She has come to all my band, choir, jazz band, and show choir concerts, as well as all my piano contests, festivals, recitals, and college auditions. Not to mention the millions of college visits I did last year. I guess I just wanted to write a bit about her because she means a lot to me, and she more than deserves a place in this blog.

My Roommate is Sick

My roommate Amanda is really sick tonight. She has severe stomach pains that started out as heart burn. Apparently stuff like this have been going on since the beginning of her freshman year in high school, but tonight it is especially awful. It is stressed induced, so that would make sense with the night before finals. I feel terrible for her and don't wish I could do something to help out. Our friend Kelsey went to get her medicine and I am staying with her in case she needs anything. I wish I could do more, but there's nothing much to do.

I feel terrible that she has a final tomorrow and is this sick. It makes me feel incredibly lucky that I am not ill from stress the night before all the craziness starts. It's given me some perspective on my situation. I have been complaining about my finals and my juries and all my stress for weeks now, especially these past two. However, I have it a lot better than Amanda does, since I can still function and am not in severe pain. It reminds me that there are a lot of people out there who have bigger complications than a theory final tomorrow and other busyness the rest of the week. Just something I was thinking about.

Sarah

Christmas Traditions

With Christmas coming up, I figured I would talk about what my family does over the holiday season. We have already put up our Christmas tree this year. We put it up over Thanksgiving break (but after Thanksgiving Day of course). We have a fake Christmas tree, so we all gather together and fluff the "branches"to make it look realistic. We listen to Christmas music, like Dean Martin and Manheim Steamroller. After the tree is up we put up the ornaments and other decorations around the house. This isn't a tradition that is really unique, but it is nice and fun all the same.

During the Christmas season one of my favorite things that we do every year is making Christmas cookies. My mom, brother, sister and I all have fun cutting the cookies out of the dough with Christmas cookie cutters. It is also fun when they come out of the oven and we can frost and decorate them however we want. They also taste really great! We have made Christmas cookies for as long as I can remember, and it has always been fun.

Although these traditions aren't anything that looks really great or unique to others, they are special to me because they are with my family and we have done them for years. It just wouldn't seem right if we didn't do these things together every year. I am excited to go home this Christmas because being away from my family has made me appreciate them more, especially my siblings. I am so looking forward to Christmas break and seeing them all again!