I had a lesson today with Alex Klein. He is my favorite oboist ever and an all around amazing person. I forgot the CD of his I have at home, so I missed out on a chance to get an autograph, but I think he'll be bakc to teach us next month. In the meantime I have a technique bootcamp he prepared for me that should keep me busy!

Also cooked goodies for orchestra rehearsal tonight. Yay! I love to cook, and I have made a serious effort to do more of it this year. I'm succeeding so far.

Going to sleep now; lots to do tomorrow! :)

Just got home from the grocery store. Wednesday afternoon is a great time to go shopping, since there weren't too many people in the aisles.

I am making an oreo cake this afternoon, and also chicken and rice casserole... I keep thinking if I cook, then Katie will be enticed to come home and share all this food with me! :)

Also, I have been very good about keeping house. It is a little messy, but I have done 2 loads of laundry (AND hung them up!!) since I've been back. Also made a new yummy tater tot casserole. When I grow up I want to cook dinner for myself regularly. I think that it would be a good goal for this coming semester, too.

Hope everyone is doing well--

Home for Christmas. Went yesterday to visit Katie and her family in sherman, and that was very fun :) She got me a travel journal and a scrapbook (sniff sniff) for Christmas. I got her the Postsecret book and also some earings and nail polish. Oh yeah-- we all get to go see Cirque du Soleil in February! Yeah!!

Other stuff that has happened over the break:
1. Got tickets to the Cowboys game on New Year's Eve. Woot!

2. Sea monkeys!! There are 5 I think that have hatched, and they look like big sperm right now...

3. Not travelling anywhere this winter, which feels very strange. I went yesterday to get my passport, however, and that was exciting. I even got a halfway decent passport picture. Hooray! Also, I am super smart and got my passport before Jan. 1. Apparently after that the government is putting crazy secret chips in the passports with tons of personal information and creepy big brother tracking stuff. AHHH!

4. Went cake tasting with Corey and Brandon to choose wedding cakes. This made me (A) never want to get married because there are entirely too many stupid things to choose, like linens, which white cake is the best, whether to buy cheap suits or rents tuxes, etc.; and (B) feel very cutesy and romantic, since she is the one who has to make all the decisions, and I just get to hang out and eat 30 different kinds of cake.

5. Went to Midieval Times with the family on Christmas Eve. The blue knight was hilarious-- like the McDreamy of knights. But he was kind of a pussy and lost the joust. Sigh. Horses, falcons, evil sorcerers were cool as usual. We didn't go to church that night, though, and I really missed it. I wish that mom and dad would go to church SOMEwhere so that we don't go to Midieval times next Christmas...

P.S. Go to www.elfyourself.com before they take it down.

So the semester's over and I made it through! Not my greatest semester grades-wise, but I feel okay with that. I will have to focus a lot on my GPA next semester, however, to make up for math and science. Also, Becky, my oboe teacher is psycho-- sometimes I really regret coming to school here to study with her, but I am so thankful that I ended up in Austin that I guess I shouldn't let her get me down too much. It will all work out for the best in the end.

I am going to try to do better about updating so I can remember better what's going on in my life. Sigh. That will take effort and honesty with myself, which can't be a bad thing.

What I'm reading.

What I'm watching: President Bush has just proposed a $2.10 increase of the minimum wage in the next two years. YEAH! This is a good thing, wherever it comes from! :)

What I'm listening to.

Crap. I am really sick. I don't have time for this!! AHHHH!

Hope everyone is making it through the semester cootie-free. :)