two weeks left

I'll probably post more once I get back from EUROPE, but for today I thought I'd share a quote that my friend Keith left on his facebook:

                     "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, 'press on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race. 
-Calvin Coolidge"

This, people, is a wonderful quote... and I'm a total nerd for good quotes. That, and Romantic music. (from the Romantic period, lol) Well, I'm a nerd for a lot of things, but the point of sharing THIS quote in particular is that it's very near the end of the semester. It's time to kick it up a notch if I ever want to reach my goals. (SK)


My barrier is coming, and I still have to sing for Big. Big seminar is when all the vocal majors gather together to perform for one another. Small seminar is the students of your teacher and the rest of their personal students gathering, which in my case is Mrs. Davis. Dr. Howard is with us also because we're pretty small still, and he only has one student. I'm not too worried about the barrier thing, although it's arguably more important. I was SUPPOSED to sing for Big on Monday, but they ran out of time. So I spent the whole time tense and nervous.
I haven't sung in front of most of these people yet, (peers, respected faculty, etc.) and in my brain I know it's silly to be worried, but I am! I've sung in front of thousands of people. Silly brain.... and it's not like I'm unprepared, because I could sing most of the pieces I've been working on in my sleep. It's just that extra rush of adrenaline which will either move down to my legs, causing them to shake, or move into my energy bank, making me rock out loud. We'll see, lol.
It just feels so weird to me that it's already the end of the semester.
I also can't believe that I've been dating Nathan for almost ten months. Time sure flies.

don't give up.

Sometimes, I get overwhelmed. It makes me feel helpless and ashamed, because most of the time it's because I haven't prioritized my time effectively, or because I have procrastinated.  Then I get annoyed with myself because I know there is no one to blame but me, and yet I always manage to get back on top. That's something I've always admired about myself; That optimistic, positive part of my brain that reminds me that one day it's going to be ok.
I have a little widget on my phone that just has one word written in large letters: perseverence.
It used to say "patience," because I felt like I was NEVER going to get to Nacogdoches. Well, I made it. However, patience is still important.
I feel as if a lot of "p" words are shaping my life lately.
passion.
participation.
pulchritude
power.
pensive.
people.
potential.
purpose.
positivity.
parnassian.
and the aforementioned two.
It's important to remember to just keep swimming, or keep moving forward, or whichever Disney-esque positive mantra you like to chant. Everything's going to be ok in the end! Just keep following those dreams.

The end of the semester is coming really soon, and then before I know it I'll be in Europe. :)

Entertaining things to check out:
www.cracked.com (I especially like the "After Hours" series.)
www.sourcefed.com (Really anything pertaining to DeFranco Inc. is awesome. It's not like super news or anything, just fun stories about some things going on.)
John Green's youtube channel (He and his brother Hank update every Tues & Fri)