prom dress.

sorry for three posts in one day... man oh man!! BUT... i just ordered my prom dress!!!

it's from this handy dandy website called milanoo.com... really, it's the best place ever. last year, i spent... {ok, my parents spent} QUITE A LOT of money on a prom dress from latterdaybride.com and now that i look back on the pictures... i don't even like the dress that much. so this year, i decided would be better. and this is the dress i got (in this color):

I AM SO FREAKIN EXCITED ABOUT IT. and... the best part? it was wayyyy cheaper, AND i got to custom order with my sizes exactly for only 15 bucks more... that, my friends, is a bargain(:
and last but not least... yes, these dresses are from the other side of the world, so it is a bit worrisom, and it does take a month to get here, but Katie and Sam both already received theirs that they ordered from here, and they turned out just like expected (except sam didn't like hers, so she's sending it back) so i have faith in the site!!! check it out!

sincerely,
erica michelle

adam's state. all state. dinner theater.

well, here is the post! if you've read my blog before, you know that i'm sort of a choir nerd! and February was FULL of choir!

All State Choir.

first came All State Choir- i was the only one from my school who made it in, and this year my choir director didn't go either, so it was just my mom and i! It turned out to be an AMAZING experience and it totally reminded me why i want to go into choral music education!!!

the best part was that my dad came up for the concert on saturday (since it's tax season, that's a big deal!!). it was supposed to be a surprise, bbuut my mom accidentally mentioned something about it... but i was super happy anyways!!!

there's three choirs, mixed, women's, and men's. last year i was in mixes, so this year i was put in women's... yes, yes i would have LOVED to be in mixed again, but women's was still SOOO GREAT!!!

let me explain about all state. LAST YEAR, re-auditions (yes, RE-auditions) DID NOT GO WELL AT ALL. during re-auditions you have to go into a room, just your and some choir director person, and you have to sing a part of three of the songs, memorized. doesn't sound too bad? WRONG. it's any three of the six pieces, a couple of which are ALWAYS in a different language. it's the hardest parts within those pieces. it's a cd with all the parts but yours. and they just are like "open to page blah blah blah... measure whatever. close your book" *presses play* "now sing". IT IS NERVE-RACKING ok. especially when (last year) one of the pieces is a TEN MINUTE (no exaggeration) LATIN MOZART piece. NOT GOOD AT ALL. i failed the first re-audition. and the second. THEN i had to sing for the chairmen of the board. but don't worry, he told me i knew my part (which was mostly true) and i was just nervous (which was totally true... i had been crying for the last like four hours probably). so THIS YEAR, i made a deal with myself that that wouldn't happen again. so for about three weeks prior to all state, that's all i did: practice. and that, my friends, is why i have a C- in AP US History (don't worry, i'll get it up to an A). the re-audition this year? absolutely wonderful(: i didn't even have to meet with the board chairmen!!

so thankful for my wonderful, supportive parents!!

{please ignore the hideous choir dress}

(this is the women's choir... i'm second row to the top, wayyy on the right, like one person from the end)

So... All-State Choir was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! There's just something so great about being around these phenomenal musicians... just fantastic!

Dinner Theater.

Well, Dinner Theater was the monday night after we got home from All State... if you remember, i was in charge of decorations... which actually ended up me going and getting the stuff from the storage unit with AJ... then leaving the commitee to do it sunday because we were still on our way home :/
however, Jayde basically took charge, listened to my idea for how it'll look, and did it... i swear to you, that girl saved me!!! it looked absolutely WONDERFUL basically totally without my help (:

then came the acts(:

Ashlee, Rachael, and I sang boogie woogie bugle boy... (with MUCH better outfits this time around)

Martell and I sang Jackson by Johnny and June Cash
(the pictures didn't turn out super great)

the whole evening went so well (:

Adam's State Honor Choir. 
("Top of the Nation Honor Choir"... not sure why it's called that)

this was by far the most fun honor choir i've been to! (and i've been to adam's three times, all state two times, and CCD once... sooo that's saying something)

why?

because the group of girls i went with this year were AWESOME!! there was taylor, sam, and jennifer from montrose, and bethany from olathe...

 pizza on friday night(:

 bethany and I!

taylor and jen... just eatin our frozen lemonade or whatever it was(:

 sam

 morning coffee (or not if you're me)

 CHINESE!!

 girls gotta have our snacks right?? (:

 we were healthy eaters as you can tell (;

 the whole group!!

left to right: Taylor (she's been to adam's with me all three years!! her voice is AMAZING), Sam, Jennifer, Me, Bethany, and Mrs. E (as we now call her: E-Dawg... and only WE are allowed to call her that because we went on this trip with her! She's our schools librarian, mrs. leu couldn't make it)

 ...with a random girl that jumped in our photo on the right (:

all of us right before the concert (:

Conclusion.

adam's was the last honor choir i'll ever go to... it was actually really really bittersweet.

i know i want to move on... go to college, and everything, but i'm going to miss these experiences. when my middle school choir director asked me if i wanted to do choir during high school i said no. it wasn't until the day before freshmen year started that i actually signed up... my mom talked me into it. i went in with a VERY bad attitude. 

and then i loved it.

yeah, i do complain about it, but i wouldn't choose anything different. choir has given me opportunities i couldn't even imagine... and i've loved them all!! i mean, one of my majors in college is going to be choral music education... all because i signed up for women's honor choir in ninth grade!!

here's all the music i've ever learned in honor choirs... 

the best experience i could ask for!!

sincerely,

erica michelle

church.

well, today at church, we had one of the best lessons EVER.

We read this talk by Dieter F. Uchtodorf. It was seriously the best talk i've ever heard in my life... i know i listened to it when he gave it, but it is soo amazing and for some crazy reason i had forgotten about it. (click for a link)

Here is a video of it:

(skip to 2:40)

It seriously was amazing. It really made me think about the way i'm living my life.

She ended with this quote by Bishop H. Burke Peterson:

"My dear friends, you are a royal generation. You were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special purpose. Not just a few of you, but all of you. There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you... If you will let Him, I testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know your special purpose here."

Most importantly, I know my goal is to get here:

     (google images: Oquirrh Mountain Temple)
and I need to live my life so I can. So I made a deal with myself, and I know I'll feel accountable if I put it on here, where anyone can read it. I'm going to live my life worthily. I'm not saying I wasn't already, but, as my mom says, we need to live a "celestial" life, not anything less.

sincerely,
erica michelle

BYU here I come.

yes, my post title looks calm. like, pshhhh, whatevs, i just...

GOT ACCEPTED TO BYU!!!!

but i AM NOT CALM.

let me tell you the story...

i was sick this morning so i woke up late, checked besmart.com (BYU's admission site), still no answer. (by the way, i've been checking the actual website and the app every.. ohhhhh, 5 minutes). now, exactly two years ago today was the day zach found out, so i had a sneaking suspicion this would come today. i went to the doctors, i went to school (for ap stats and ap history), i came home, i checked besmart.com... no answer. i start doing random stuff, and, in the middle of cleaning my bathroom, i get on instagram. on instagram i see a picture of a BYU decision from my friend.

i literally throw (ok, instantly drop... still not good) my phone on the floor and go RUNNING (yes, sprinting) into the kitchen and to the computer. my mom's piano student is sitting at the grand piano sorta just looking at me like i had lost it. my mom was on the phone standing by the computer and all i say is "Regan got accepted" then proceed to immediately close out of her stuff and change to my page.

bookmark tab.

log in.

wait wait wait (this probably took 3 seconds tops, but you cannot believe how stressful it was)

then

byu/fall 2013/...

and there it was. it no longer said "complete", but "admitted"

and at that moment (yes, this sounds a bit corny) i cried just a little bit {ok, a lot}. and screamed (by now i think the piano student and his mom thought i was insane)
ok, actually i sat in my room for another like 5 minutes crying. i was just so dang happy!

and then i read the letter. the one that says this:

Dear Erica:

Congratulations! You have been admitted to Brigham Young University to begin Fall 2013. Through your preparation and personal achievements you have distinguished yourself from a very strong group of applicants. We believe you will make a positive contribution to our BYU community. It is a great pleasure to welcome you to our campus to pursue your educational goals.

and everything... is just perfect.

i think this is what i needed. i've had a lllooonnnggg couple of weeks, and last night i just sorta quit caring. i don't know, i just think this came at the perfect time!

so here i am, a future BYU cougar, zoobie, whaatteevveerr you wanna call it. all i know is,

my life could not be more perfect right now. and i could not be so happy. 

so, here is is... my future college (pictures are not mine, they are from the BYU facebook) 

now where to live?!?!!?!?!

sincerely,
(a very very very happy)
erica michelle

ben rector.

To start off... All-State Choir was absolutely amazing! I mean, I can't even explain how amazing it was, but I'll have to save that for my Honor Choir posts! Adam's State Honor Choir is tomorrow (and Taylor, Samantha, and Jennifer will all be there as well... whoooo! I have friends going!) so next week I'll blog all about the wonderfulness that is honor choirs and dinner theater! But, in the meantime, may I please introduce you to my newest love?

Ben Rector.

(google images)

I mean, really. I know I also really like Coldplay, and Two Door Cinema Club, and The Cab, and Maroon 5, and Death Cab for a Cutie, and Jason Reeves, and The Script, and... shall i continue?
I just, hmmm, I just am on a "don't listen to anything but Ben Rector" streak.
 

And I really thing that's just about it! I have lots of packing and everything else under the sun to do, so, good bye for now!

Sincerely,
Erica Michelle

random and all state.

well, here i am. a crazy crazy crazy crazy week. all i've been thinking about is all state re-auditions. seriously. i have been SOOOO nervous, i can't concentrate on anything else. it's not good, i tell you. the last week has made me an awful student, awful friend, awful everything. but... TOMORROW IS THE DAY.

ALL STATE CHOIR.

i am sooo excited, and nervous. mainly just nervous for the re-audtions. after that, it's all fun(: ahhhh oh my gosh. here it is!!!! unfortunatnly, mrs. leu isn't coming because her husband is really sick, so it's just my mom and i, which will still be wonderful!

in other news. i have two new food addictions. (well, maybe not new but once-again-realized)

veggie straws and yogurt covered raisins. (not together obviously)

also, over the last couple weeks, my two wonderful, amazing best friends turned 18! crazy. as of last week, we have been best friends for five years.
i seriously can't think about it without getting super sad. we're all leaving in 6 months.

here, have a picture of our cute little cars all lined up last friday when we were going to look at kels's ceramics:

  

and here is just some of kelsey's AMAZING pottery!!!

and here is a video of our scripture master friday in seminary.
the rules?
everyone sits in a circle at individual tables. sister knight taped scripture mastery references to everyone's table (other people could see it, but not the person sitting at the table). she begins reading a clue to a scripture mastery. once you look up the scripture, you get to start pelting the person who has that reference taped to the front of their desk with big marshmellows. you don't stop until they have their scriptures turned to the page(:
it's hilarious.
i wish i had a better video of it!

so, i know this is a random post, but i figured i needed to blog. so, there ya are! it's gonna get better when i quit stressing about all state!

sincerely, 
erica