Freshman... again.

*If you haven't caught my last post: Preparing for the Jump, I accidentally forgot to publish it so it's under the September tab.*

Here we are; it has been exactly a week since Mom and Dad left and I am starting to get used to the swing of things. The first couple days were a little rough for me but needless to say, I am adjusting to the way of the Whitworth. I have been blessed with two roommates, Hannah and Stephanie and whether they know it or not, they've been fairly helpful with the transition... they're both pretty cool. Oh! By the way, Grandma has already made me two batches of cookies in the past week that I've been here... Spokane may be alright. ;]

I had my audition for the Wind Symphony on Friday night and unfortunately I completely biffed it. But, on the other hand, only two tubas auditioned (me and an upperclassman) and with two bands we had to be split up. So, I am jumping into my position in the Concert Band with my eyes set on the goal of somehow boosting into the Wind Symphony by the end of the year. That was definitely a tough day for me because as much as I knew that that was not "me" playing in that audition, it was the way I reflected myself and it made me feel as if that was "me". However, I'm taking this as a blessing in disguise because everybody needs to be humbled every now and then, right? I'm super excited to play with this band and this also opens up more time to try to find a local job!

Other than that, the food here is pretty edible and my classes haven't gotten the best of me yet. I have fairly late mornings and get out at a reasonable time too! The dorm I'm in is called Cornerstone and is an all freshman girl dorm which is jam-packed with a bunch of friendly, outgoing, and all around fun ladies not a mention a ridiculous R.A.! I am very happy with all of the lifetime friendships that I'm starting to form and am very excited to see what this year has in store for me and the rest of the class of 2016.

I'll update y'all soon on anything exciting (or horrifying) that may happen while I'm on this ridiculously long train ride. Until then, keep it classy my friends... and family.

A tour of my dorm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekDXlwKnIs4

 

 

Preparing for the Jump

So, when we last touched base I was recapping the end of my senior year and gave a sneak peak of how my summer had been going so far. Now, as I hit the brakes on my journey through the best summer of my life (it takes a mile to come to a complete stop, right?) I can't help but sit back with a smile on my face as I reflect with you on my jam-packed goodie bag of summer.

I don't know how exactly this happened but somehow I think my friends and I gave this summer a theme of: ADVENTURE because that's basically all we did this summer. July was full of all kinds of crazy events with some of the greatest friends I've ever had. We went on a 2 day camping trip up at Mt. Rainier NP which I may mention had a couple of the most beautiful viewing points I have ever seen in my life. We also did a couple different hikes (one of which we may or may not've been stopped for trespassing... oops. My fault.) We also did a 15-mile bike ride to South Prairie and back which consisted of a coffee stop once we got there. I also went to Denny's a lot this summer (I bet those waitresses probably almost know me by name.) Then came August which Mom and I started with a week long trip to Utah to see the Helliges. That was really nice because I've been really missing those guys lately! C.J., Shaun, and I did a pretty neat hike there that lead us to a neat little cave with a waterfall inside (Doughnut Falls is the name), we also went bowling which I totally whipped their butts at, and even saw Rock of Ages with the parents (Which Shaun thinks should be rated PG23). The last day in Utah, I spent with just C.J. and it was buckets of fun. We went and saw The Hunger Games (both of us this was the second time seeing it in theaters), drove around a little bit, went and got lunch at a really neat restaurant called The Porcupine where we split a serving of chips and salsa (my
favorite) and then went to town on overcooked fish tacos and salad (can you guess who had what? I am my mother's daughter). Shortly after getting home from Utah, I had my wisdom teeth out (which ended up being a LOT easier than I expected). And after that, every thing's been pretty much running full force ahead. I am ready for the journey that awaits me but still nervous for what it holds. I will update once I get all settled in! See you on the flipside!

*I apologize: apparently, I forgot to publish this post so it has been sitting in my drafts for a couple of weeks.*


At Mt. Rainier NP

The crew I went camping with

Our bike riding crew

Hiking Pinnacle Peak

 

C.J. and I

 

A few of my favorites