"Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays..."

So much has happened since the last time I posted! I suppose I should start at the beginning. I got all moved out of my apartment, then it was on to Katelyn's wedding! Emily and I spent the night with Katelyn right before the wedding in a hotel by the temple. The journey to said hotel was a little bit treacherious due to the exceedingly icy road conditions, but it was worth it. The next day went beautifully well. The weather was great for pictures (even if it was freezing!), the luncheon was lovely, even though this is when I found out that I am a wedding crier. Who knew? The reception was beautifull. Oh, and I think that Katelyn was pretty happy about the whole getting married part of the day too :).

The day after the wedding, my dad and I set out on our cross-country road trip! The drive went really well. Thankfully, we didn't run into any bad weather, even if it was freezing! At one point my ambient temperature thermometer ready one degree outside! Brrrr! My poor little car heater just couldn't keep up with that. The trip took thirty two hours, and we drove it in two days. We were pretty proud of ourselves.

Seeing my family has been great. It's always good to be home for the holidays! We had a fairly relaxed Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we went and saw the lights on Sandy Creek Road, and went caroling to the Lundsfords and our neighbors. Then we had the traditional Nativity reading, and opened pajamas. The next morning, my siblings woke me up bright and early, and we scampered down the stairs to see our loot! I got a new digital camera, which will be great for documenting my Vienna adventures! Around two o'clock, my Aunt, Uncle, and Nana came down and we had a delicious lunch! Oh, and my family got a PS3, so we watched Casino Royale and The Dark Knight on blue-ray. It was awesome.

Yesterday, the holiday festivities continued... with Kwanza, of course! Grant, Morgan, Karl, and I decided that we were going to celebrate Kwanza. Well, actually it was mostly Grant, but we all participated. Here are some pictures of us, the first candle of Kwanza, and the Kwanza squirrel (don't ask, just go with it).

We may be crazy, but it was fun!

Yes, Morgan is dipping her finger in the wax. Typical.

And now for something completely different. I got new clothes today! Yayhoo! A few days ago, I came to the horrifying realization that I had very few shirts for my European escapades. This is not the case anymore! I got a new tweed jacket, a silvery shrug, and four new sweaters. Yay!! My mom also bought me new Uggs yesterday. Hooray for moms! These new boots are a huge upgrade from the four dollar Target boots that I have completely worn through over the past year. For one thing, they actually have traction, not to mention the snow probably won't seep through the soles. And with that, I bid you goodnight. This post was incredibly random, but that's pretty much how my life is, so it's fitting I suppose!

Finals, packing, and weddings, oh my!

I finished my finals today! Yayhoo! My finals week actually wasn't all that stressful. I had most of my finals last week, and so I only had theory and German this week. I took my German final at ten this morning, and then it was on to packing! I hate both packing and un-packing with a burning passion. Luckily, I took a few things up to Salt Lake a few weeks ago, so my packing wasn't as intense as it usually is when I move. Also, my friend Ginger hung out with me while I packed, which was fun, and Steve helped me pack up the car which sped up the process exponentially. I am moving out a few days early because Katelyn is getting married! I didn't want to be worrying about moving when I was supposed to be focusing on helping Katelyn and enjoying her day. So, my plan for the next few days is to finish moving and cleaning tomorrow, participate in Katelyn's wedding festivities on Saturday, spend the night in SLC Saturday night, and then begin the 3-day trek home with my dad on Sunday! If all goes well, I should be home on Tuesday - just in time for Christmas with the family! It will be so great to see everyone from home! I'll be in Peachtree City for about a month before I go overseas. I am looking forward to hanging out with my family, and for Vienna, of course.

My last Sunday in Provo

It's crazy how fast this semester has flown by! Today was my last Sunday in Provo for six months. Six months! Six weeks from today, I will be in Vienna. That blows my mind! I am so indescribeably ecstatic to go! Is there any better city in the world to study music? I submit that there is not. I am going to Vienna on study abroad, and will be documenting my adventures on this very blog. I am living in the First District with my friend Britain. The things that I am probably the most excited about in terms of my Vienna adventure are the concert series and opera scenes program that I will be perfoming in. It ihas been a life-long dream of mine to perform in Europe, and I never in a million years thought that I would get that opportunity this early in my life. The only piece that I am singing in for sure right now is the first scene of Mozart's "The Magic Flute", but there are more to come! It has been so fun putting that scene together, and I can't wait to work on more pieces! The first district is the oldest, and thus the most historic district in Vienna. I cannot wait to get there! Here are some pictures of the first district:

Schoenbrun Palace

This is the Staatsoper (State Opera). Words cannot describe how excited I am to go there!!!!!

Stephansdom. This is two or three blocks from my apartment. Amazing.

So, while I am sad to be leaving all my fabulous friends in Provo, I am also anxiously anticipating my trip across the pond!

And so it begins...

Welcome to my very first blog post! Very exciting, I'm sure. First of all, I think I should explain the title. I wanted this title to convey the way I feel about my life right now, at least in some small part. I feel so blessed in so many ways. I have the incredible opportunity to study music at BYU, which while it may be difficult, is more rewarding every day. Through my musical journey, I am learning things about myself and the world around me that I am sure cannot be discovered through any other medium. Not for me, in any case. If that weren't enough, I also have the most wonderful and supportive friends and family in the universe, and I thank God for them every day. I think that "Dreaming While I'm Wide Awake" is an appropriate title for my thoughts, because I don't think I could dream of a better life to be living right now. Of course, it's not perfect, but it is mine, and I hope to make the best of it.