goodbye choir.

So, Monday night was the last choir concert! Sooo bittersweet. so so so bittersweet. Chamber Choir goes last, so I sat through the entire beginning of the concert telling myself that I wouldn't cry. but... as you'll see in the pictures that didn't work.

We sang the first songs... all was well and good... then the awards. The seniors got recognized, then awards that the choir voted on (I got the leadership award!!), then the scholarship. Then the National School Choral Award. (That's the top choir award that 2 students in the entire choral program get). And, completely to my surprise, I got it! Along with Taylor (remember the one from Adam's state?) I was soooo honored!

(see the plaque that the lady on the left is holder? yeahh, my name is gonna be engraved on that and hung in the school!!)

After the awards, we sang the last song. man oh man, the entire alto section was bawling our eyes out by the end of the song with mrs. leu. It didn't help that this is the song that the seniors got to choose: (this isn't us singing it, however)

It was a really sad moment. Some of these girls have been with me in every single choir class. It's weird to think that next year, I'll start out in a choir knowing NO ONE. Choir has been the best experience I could have asked for, even on the days I would have rather had an open hour. Gosh, I can't believe it's over.

That was it. Another goodbye that was amazingly hard. and once again, I know I won't miss high school, but I sure will miss memories like this.

The next day of choir Mrs. Leu surprised us with Picardy Third shirts!!! (inside joke...)

and I wrote my senior note in my folder. I always loved reading the notes of seniors from a few years ago, so I hope I offered some decent advice to whoever gets folder #24 next year!

Sincerely,

Erica Michelle

randomness.

Last week was CRAZY. tennis matches (I actually won one!), team dinners, penny surfing (yes, penny surfing). oh, and the choir competition on Friday. (yep... outstanding 4A mixed choir. love my choir)

well, I have very limited time, and I have an entire prom post to write, so this is all for this post!

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

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

dinner theater year four.

well hello there!
this is going to be a short post because heaven knows i should be studying AP US History. well... here's a random picture of freshmen year choir with ashlee (left) and rachael (right)... why this random picture you say? because i'm getting awfully excited for all of my choir events this year!! including All State, Adam's State, and (drum roll please) CHAIRMEN OF THE DECORATION COMMITTEE! whooo! yep, that's right, this girl right here is in charge of ALL the decorations and planning for dinner theater (with my own committee of course!)!! Do i have time for this? nope, especially because it's the day after i get back from All State and three days before I leave for Adams, but oh well! I love planning stuff like this, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE decorations. and the theme is "Back to the Future". 1940's to present day. 1940's people!!! yep...

freshmen year:

and here's the video.

one thing about this nice little video... it was freshman year, and i was nervous. so i sorta look... awkward the whole way through... and there were definitely missed notes... and yeah...

this year will be better, no worries(:

Sincerely,

Erica Michelle