Well folks, this is IT! From now on, blog posts will be posted at the following... check it out if you care to follow the life of a college musician.

http://something-musical.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

9 and counting...

it's tough to believe that 4 months has already flown by and in 9 short little days i'll be going into the MTC.

hello.

that came a little faster than i thought.

getting ready for a mission is tough.

and fun.

and time consuming.

and busy.

and a huge ol' growing experience.

in january, i never thought i'd be cramming the last week before the MTC and putting my life into boxes and now i've purchased lovely Rubbermaids and find myself in the travel section of Target more often than not. awesome. i love how everything is so little though. little laundry soap. little toothbrush (which is entirely inadequate for my 18-month need). little kleenex. little everything, really.

now it's just time to pack it all into the bags and organize the heck out of everything so it's completely packed, labeled, and put in its place. the joys of packing. i'd better get used to this though. it's going to happen every 6 weeks for the next 18 months. woo!

for now, life consists of a lot of studying and reading a whole lot, playing with the kiddos so they won't forget in their little brains who the heck i am, playing with friends, organizing, cleaning, running errands, driving my mama to work and back so i can use a car, and the list could go on and on and on... life is so good though. i never could have picked better timing for all of this, but isn't that how Heavenly Father is? i thank heaven every day that He is omniscient, all-loving, and that He provides a Comforter when i feel like i'm going to lose it with stress or something. at least He knows the plan!

the hardest part is trusting Him. but. i found an awesome solution. want to know about it? click here to see.

done and done. cha-chiiiiiingggg!!

i never imagined that i would be calm as i walked into the testing auditorium tonight. how could i be calm? pencils scratched scantrons, people squashed into the too small seats, backpacks were strewn about the room (and bless her soul, that little girl with the rolling backpack... you looked more like you were on a dang vacation toting that carryon around the room staring everyone down for an empty seat), and test monitors peering over every shoulder to ensure cheating wouldn't occur. how could it with their hawk-like eyes following each person's every move?

anyway.

i somehow didn't feel any anxiety, fear, waves of panic, or even the teensiest bit nervous about taking this beloved 15-pager. i just knew it was the last one.

i sat down. on the floor. pulled out the good ol' no. 2 and went to town.

1 hour and 17 minutes later that exam was toast and i wanted to stand up and cheer.

my last academic test for the next 18 months was OVER!!!!! IS over!!!

i was so exhilarated that i didn't even check my score. i happily dropped my test and scantron into the hands of the all-too-happy testing center employee and traipsed out the doors.

(personally, i seriously think the employee had just finished his last final and was cracking every joke in his book in celebration that the monsters were defeated for this semester. no one can actually be that happy collecting exams during finals week. meanwhile, other students shuffled through the doors as they had yet to take their tests... just an opinion folks. he's probably a happy chappy with nothing on his mind now that tests are over. maybe he's even graduating this semester. no wonder he would be happy...)

so. that's that.

my tests are over.

let the celebrations commence.

no more of this for a while... thank. goodness. :)

kid like

i have awesome days at school.

sometimes, i feel like a little kid when i come home, though.

i shuffled down the sidewalk to my home after taking a 'yeah-that-was-kind-of-ok' final feeling like my brain was going to leak out of my head.

'so', you ask, 'what do you do after days like THAT?'

because let's face it - school is hard and finals week can wipe. you. out.

period.

here was my solution. (and reader, please note that i make lists. for everything. there have only been two posts when i haven't made a list... how embarrassing...)

- p.b. and honey sandwich, bananas on the side

- nap time

- a notion to play the day away and leave my last final until thursday

that last option, my friends, is an awful one.

awful to take the final and awful to leave it alone.

that's what i think about that mr. professor (who is thankfully NOT reading this collection of sentences...)

but i am done. done with school (almost) for 18 months.

i could not be happier with my life.

good things are happening all of the time for me (if i look hard enough).

today is a kid day.

xxoo

time time time

goede dag!

yep, i'm still here. i seem to make posts just before big events in my life. not that i don't have interesting things happen between, say, now and last august when the last post was made - i'm just busy living my life rather than documenting it online.

the latest news is that i'm going ON A MISSION!!!! my punctuation seems to be excited about this.

i've been called to the...

BELGIUM BRUSSELS NETHERLANDS MISSION

...and i report to the lovely provo mtc on may 18th. one month from today in fact. ah!

it's hard to believe that the time has flown by so fast since january 14th when i first read my call letter. where did the time go? i have yet to figure that one out.

these are other things i am currently exuberant about...

- friends who ride bikes and have barbie-Qs. yum.

- finals are (almost) over... ok, three down, four left.

- my friend had her harp recital and it was incredible. period. she is amazing.

- it's raining outside and the flowers are finally happy to have a drink. i am happy to jump in the puddles on the way home from school...

- i will be done with school for ever and ever (umm... if forever and ever is 18 months...) on wednesday

- i have the most awesome sister who has agreed to be my running buddy for the next 3 weeks to help me get back into running again. she is my motivator.

so things are winding down with school

... and winding up for moving home and mission.

it makes my stomach excited and my brain spin. and i am ready.

i think.

bring on europe, man.

Ready or not, here it comes!

Oh life. :) This is a common phrase the comes out of my mouth, especially on beautiful days like today when the sun is shining and I realize that school begins again soon. Soon as in tomorrow. Time feels like it has FLOWN by this summer, which is actually pretty normal. So many fun things, so little time I guess.

BUUUTTTTTTT... there are a few things of note that need to be pointed out.

- On August 13th, my mom graduated with her Masters degree from Brigham Young University! This is such a huge accomplishment (see previous posts) and my family couldn't be more happy for her, especially Dad. He's the man! For standing by mom and motivating her in the first place to actually apply for college when she didn't know if she could do it is a big ol' task. But, way to go mom for making it the past 7 years and doing it quite successfully I might add! You're an important motivator in my life.

- My sweet sister Kendra had a birthday last week! Happy

birthday sista! I can't believe how big her little ones are getting either.

They are the sweetest girls with pretty dang awesome personalities. Just check out the picture below. Can you see that? M. does the "bug eyes" when she's trying to be goofy, B. will help take care of the babe any chance she can get her hands on her, and H. just is a chub that smiles and laughs ALL the time (sometimes even on command!). They are the joys of my sister and brother-in-law's life and they definitely are a joy in mine as well. Aaaaaannnnndddd I get to see them TODAY! Thank heaven for family parties :) That's all I'm sayin' about that one.

- Last but certainly not least, school is officially going to begin in less than 24 hours. Yes, I still get the nervous bug in my stomach the night before, set out my

clothes, and pack a lunch like I'm in elementary school. Whatever it takes to be on time in the morning man! I'm really Really REALLY glad I chose to come to BYU though. At first, I'll admit, I was terrified because during Fall and Winter semesters it's easy to feel like a teeny spec amid a monster crowd of students. After a while though, it's pretty easy to find your "spot", you know? To click with new people and to make so many great friends has been a real blessing :) Once I passed my freshman year though, it seemed to get a WHOLE lot easier. Thank the heavens above for awesome roommates now. I have the best ones ever. If you don't believe me, you should meet Anne and Torrey. They're great. :)

As usual, life is rollin' along whether or not I think I'm ready for it. I'm stoked to start a new year of school and have a feeling like this is going to be a great one.

backpacks and chiropractors

I am celebrating!

This is an interpretation of a conversation I frequently have with friends, parents, teachers, strangers... you name it. I even got a weird pick-up line one time about a backpack. It went as follows:

Strange guy: "Hey, your backpack's real big."

Me: "Umm, yeah. Thank you?"

... and that was the end of that, thank heaven.

Bbbbbuuuuttt... today is the LAST day I will carry this lovely 27-pound wonder to school and back again. Trust me, a big backpack is something like a signature Courtney thing to have (of all things). Just ask one of my school chums. Not even joking.

So, this is goodbye to the ridiculous back-breaker of the century... for at least 8 weeks anyway. :)