I start pet-sitting today! YAY! It's for this really nice family up the street, who moved here from Germany two years ago. They have a six-year-old named Abigail, and a two-year-old named Cecily. Anyway, they're going to Germany for three and a half weeks in February, and they've got to take their dog to California first, so I will be pet sitting while they are in California and Germany! They have a cat named Musafa and a guinea pig named Minka. I will be feeding, playing with, watering them, taking care of the plants, etc. I am psyched! I play with Abby and Cecily all the time - very nice people. They walk their dog, Ciro, alot. He is a German German Shepherd, which means he is not that sort of police German Shepherd, but he is big and black and furry. If you google them you can find pictures. He's about 18 months old.
I have a swim meet today, too. I hate swim meets. I always feel soooo pressured, and I hyperventilate, and I'm freaked I'll come in dead last, and not get a personal best, and get kicked out of gold, you get the picture. Unfortunately, Veronica is like, "don't feel pressured, Tash, you just do the best you can, and not worry about what other people are doing." Easy for her to say. She is very Zen-y. We are very different in that respect. I feel sick at the mere mention of a swim meet.
I had my riding lesson yesterday, and I jumped cross country for the first time! It was soo exhilirating! Log jumps, big jumps, ditch jumps, stretch jumps, everything. It was sooooo awesome! I LOVE cross country.
GTG,
Natasha
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday...........
I auditioned for the concerto competition on Saturday, so I should get the results before Thursday. I'm pretty sure I didn't make it-- there are so many good musicians!-- but I'm happy I did it, and I did my best. I woke up super early, at quarter to six, but Veronica and Dad were already up, making coffee, because I could hear the coffee grinder going. Veronica and Dad both like grinding the coffee beans themselves. I groggily staggered out of bed, and put on my yellow fuzzy bathrobe, and went downstairs. At my spot there was a huge bouquet, sort of golden and white, with yellow roses, and lilies, and white mums, and some other flowers I don't know the name of.
Then I took FOREVER deciding what to wear - I finally wore a white Henley and an indigo gauzy skirt w/mary-janes. I played the Haydn well, and then I went home for about half an hour, then I had to go to a two-hour swim team intensive, which drove me nuts, 'cause I had wanted just to not do anything the whole day, and then Veronica drove me home and we ate spaghetti. Afterward, V., my dad and I had frozen vanilla yogurt, and put tons of toppings on it! My dad used cashews, caramel sauce, butterscotch chips, and alot of whipped cream. I put on walnuts, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, and banana. Veronica laughed and said she liked her ice cream plain with regular chocolate sauce. However, she did cave and slice banana onto it at my persistent pleading. She admitted it was good. Then we all sat around and watched Lord of the Rings. Rivendell is soooo pretty!
GTG,
Hannah
Then I took FOREVER deciding what to wear - I finally wore a white Henley and an indigo gauzy skirt w/mary-janes. I played the Haydn well, and then I went home for about half an hour, then I had to go to a two-hour swim team intensive, which drove me nuts, 'cause I had wanted just to not do anything the whole day, and then Veronica drove me home and we ate spaghetti. Afterward, V., my dad and I had frozen vanilla yogurt, and put tons of toppings on it! My dad used cashews, caramel sauce, butterscotch chips, and alot of whipped cream. I put on walnuts, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, and banana. Veronica laughed and said she liked her ice cream plain with regular chocolate sauce. However, she did cave and slice banana onto it at my persistent pleading. She admitted it was good. Then we all sat around and watched Lord of the Rings. Rivendell is soooo pretty!
GTG,
Hannah
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Rambling...........
Okay, this is going to be short, but, oh, well.
I am still sort of nervous about the competition, but my accompaniment thing went good yesterday, so not so freaked. (The fact I played it thirteen times last night helps, too!) I was practicing in an empty classroom at school, you know, just to get ready, since if we went home I would have exactly 0 minutes to practice, so I played some there, Meditation, Shastokovich, but mostly Haydn. I'd been playing about fifteen minutes, when Derek had to come in and get his backpack, and then Garik, who was waiting for his next class to start, kept watching me through the window, and then Lanie came in and I had to play the fast sixteenth note sections for her. It was just so weird! I usually practice all by myself, in my room, with Veronica occasionally commenting, like, "little higher on the F#", or "that shift is a bit muddy," etc. (She's a pianist, so she knows that kind of stuff.) Just, like, having people watching me when I'm practicing, makes me feel funny. I mean, it's not like they're, I dunno, judging me or something, (Lanie's the best of them, and she can barely play 'Twinkle, Twinkle,') but practicing has been a sort of personal thing for me, I guess. Only Veronica, my dad, my grandma, my grandpa, my aunt, Mira, Tera, and my teacher have heard me practice. Practicing, I mess up. I fudge trills, I shift wrong, I go flat. I'm not performing. It's just this weird sort of feeling.
When I got home I just sat in the shower and tried to figure out what made me feel so weird practicing in front of them. All I ended up with was hair that smelled like strawberry shampoo and a wet towel. So, that's still not solved. My stepmom asked what was up, since I got in bed right after dinner, (swedish meatballs, green beans, and mashed potatoes) and read 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' and 'The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey'. I tried reading a Phantom Stallion book, (Run away home) but I ended chucking it under the bed in exasperation. Sometimes cowgirls get on my nerves. I just told her I was tired (which was half true).
GTG,
Natasha
I am still sort of nervous about the competition, but my accompaniment thing went good yesterday, so not so freaked. (The fact I played it thirteen times last night helps, too!) I was practicing in an empty classroom at school, you know, just to get ready, since if we went home I would have exactly 0 minutes to practice, so I played some there, Meditation, Shastokovich, but mostly Haydn. I'd been playing about fifteen minutes, when Derek had to come in and get his backpack, and then Garik, who was waiting for his next class to start, kept watching me through the window, and then Lanie came in and I had to play the fast sixteenth note sections for her. It was just so weird! I usually practice all by myself, in my room, with Veronica occasionally commenting, like, "little higher on the F#", or "that shift is a bit muddy," etc. (She's a pianist, so she knows that kind of stuff.) Just, like, having people watching me when I'm practicing, makes me feel funny. I mean, it's not like they're, I dunno, judging me or something, (Lanie's the best of them, and she can barely play 'Twinkle, Twinkle,') but practicing has been a sort of personal thing for me, I guess. Only Veronica, my dad, my grandma, my grandpa, my aunt, Mira, Tera, and my teacher have heard me practice. Practicing, I mess up. I fudge trills, I shift wrong, I go flat. I'm not performing. It's just this weird sort of feeling.
When I got home I just sat in the shower and tried to figure out what made me feel so weird practicing in front of them. All I ended up with was hair that smelled like strawberry shampoo and a wet towel. So, that's still not solved. My stepmom asked what was up, since I got in bed right after dinner, (swedish meatballs, green beans, and mashed potatoes) and read 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' and 'The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey'. I tried reading a Phantom Stallion book, (Run away home) but I ended chucking it under the bed in exasperation. Sometimes cowgirls get on my nerves. I just told her I was tired (which was half true).
GTG,
Natasha
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Just news...
MY SOLO COMPETITION IS IN THREE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooo nervous...... I did it last year, and I was sooooooosooooosooooo nervous, and I hit a wrong note in my cadenza, and I nearly blew the second trill section -- I hope I do better this year! There are four adjudicators, all sitting at this table with their little comment sheets, and it's in this big cathedral, so awesome acoustics (only thing is, your mistakes are beyond crystal clear), and you stand up and play your piece with your accompanist. My teacher, Amy Gudorf, who is awesome, is going to try to come see me play, because this has been really important, since the people who won last year can't win this year, and I'm probably better than most of the contestants, so I'm psyched and freaked at the same time.
I am totally on my toes about Jasmin coming up! I feel like I can't tell anyone, for fear of jinxing the trip. I almost let it slip to my whole drama class! We were doing improv, and the only thing I could think of at the moment, (we had just had a scene about cow pies coming out of an ATM!) was that "My BFF is coming up this summer." I'm a little worried that Garik saw through it, because I intended it to be a bombshell sometime in Febuary or March or April, to get everyone excited.
I've thinking of what we could do; Veronica, my stepmom, says that we can spend the week at our vacation house on Whidbey, so we can go to Lone Lake, Goss Lake, Double Bluff, and Holmes Harbor for swimming, Castle Park, Putney Woods, and, of course, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Aquarium, Future of Flight Museum, and maybe the Children's Museum. We might even be able to sleep in the tent in the backyard! Just a thought, though, haven't run THAT by Veronica. We'll probably just sleep in my room. It's not anything like my real room, it's all clean and white and extraordinarily neat (unlike my real room, which is passable, but definitely not going to win any awards, unlike Jaccquelyn's).
Since it's summer, I probably won't get to introduce Jaz to many people; alot of people at my school come up to Whidbey for vacation, but I probably won't see them. I volunteer at HOPE all summer long, too. I'm going to talk to Miriam and Denise - maybe Jasmin could help one time? After all, it's only on Tuesdays! Of course, she might not be able too, 'cause there's emergency procedures, student safety, etc. Plus, I don't think Jasmin has ever tacked up or groomed a horse, much less sidewalked a student!
GTG,
Natasha
I am totally on my toes about Jasmin coming up! I feel like I can't tell anyone, for fear of jinxing the trip. I almost let it slip to my whole drama class! We were doing improv, and the only thing I could think of at the moment, (we had just had a scene about cow pies coming out of an ATM!) was that "My BFF is coming up this summer." I'm a little worried that Garik saw through it, because I intended it to be a bombshell sometime in Febuary or March or April, to get everyone excited.
I've thinking of what we could do; Veronica, my stepmom, says that we can spend the week at our vacation house on Whidbey, so we can go to Lone Lake, Goss Lake, Double Bluff, and Holmes Harbor for swimming, Castle Park, Putney Woods, and, of course, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Aquarium, Future of Flight Museum, and maybe the Children's Museum. We might even be able to sleep in the tent in the backyard! Just a thought, though, haven't run THAT by Veronica. We'll probably just sleep in my room. It's not anything like my real room, it's all clean and white and extraordinarily neat (unlike my real room, which is passable, but definitely not going to win any awards, unlike Jaccquelyn's).
Since it's summer, I probably won't get to introduce Jaz to many people; alot of people at my school come up to Whidbey for vacation, but I probably won't see them. I volunteer at HOPE all summer long, too. I'm going to talk to Miriam and Denise - maybe Jasmin could help one time? After all, it's only on Tuesdays! Of course, she might not be able too, 'cause there's emergency procedures, student safety, etc. Plus, I don't think Jasmin has ever tacked up or groomed a horse, much less sidewalked a student!
GTG,
Natasha
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Exciting new development: Jasmin might be coming up for a week in July! Of course, our moms are lecturing us about straight A's, and my stepmom is warning me about working really hard on riding and violin - I have a solo competition on the 24th! - but other than that it's probably going to be okay! She won't be able to see Romeo and Juliet, but it's going to be filmed, anyway, so no big deal. She can't come up earlier because she has training with the Audobon and her zoo, and there are only ten days all summer she can come up. She is really into animals; not like Nicole, though, Jasmin is into ocelots and lemurs and jaguars and things like that. In her room she has all these gorgeous animal photos on the wall above her desk. She says it inspires her.
I should probably describe my room. It's big, and it's all painted pale green. My bed is a sleigh bed, all painted white, and it's good to hide under because it's just high enough to wiggle under, but low enough that it's pretty dark and hard to see under (which can be a bad thing if my homework is under there). The duvet cover is plain old mint green, but my sheets are mint green and white striped. My desk is white, too, and so is my closet. But my favorite place in my room is the windowseat. it's built into the wall, and there's a huge window that's like a rectangle with a half-moon on top. the cushions are white and soft, and the pillows are green. Also recessed into the wall, perpendicular to the window so you can't see them from the outside, are bookshelves. They're stuffed with books: The Redwall series, Eva Ibbotson, E. Nesbit, Roald Dahl, Harry Potter, Sisters Grimm, the Phantom Stallion, the Saddle Club, The Betsy-Tacy series, Charlotte's web, Judy Blume, The Black Stallion series, Wild Horse Island, Artemis Fowl, etc. It's my favorite place.
Gabrielle was used by another student for dressage yesterday, so I rode Chrysanthemum, who is a really sweet palomino. She doesn't have quite the spark of Gabrielle, who whenever she sees a jump perks up, but she jumped well. Ms. Aarons said we could try cross-country next week! I am so excited.
GTG.
Natasha
I should probably describe my room. It's big, and it's all painted pale green. My bed is a sleigh bed, all painted white, and it's good to hide under because it's just high enough to wiggle under, but low enough that it's pretty dark and hard to see under (which can be a bad thing if my homework is under there). The duvet cover is plain old mint green, but my sheets are mint green and white striped. My desk is white, too, and so is my closet. But my favorite place in my room is the windowseat. it's built into the wall, and there's a huge window that's like a rectangle with a half-moon on top. the cushions are white and soft, and the pillows are green. Also recessed into the wall, perpendicular to the window so you can't see them from the outside, are bookshelves. They're stuffed with books: The Redwall series, Eva Ibbotson, E. Nesbit, Roald Dahl, Harry Potter, Sisters Grimm, the Phantom Stallion, the Saddle Club, The Betsy-Tacy series, Charlotte's web, Judy Blume, The Black Stallion series, Wild Horse Island, Artemis Fowl, etc. It's my favorite place.
Gabrielle was used by another student for dressage yesterday, so I rode Chrysanthemum, who is a really sweet palomino. She doesn't have quite the spark of Gabrielle, who whenever she sees a jump perks up, but she jumped well. Ms. Aarons said we could try cross-country next week! I am so excited.
GTG.
Natasha
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in so long -- it snowed, I forgot to post, my laptop was down, etc. Anyway, I'm back now and I have so much to write!
The weekend before Christmas, we went up and visited some good friends of ours on Whidbey Island, the Sinclairs. They have a twelve year old daughter, Jaccquelyn, and a six year old daughter, Jane, and we're good friends. We went for a trail ride in the snow at a nearby stable, and then came back and went sledding! We sledded for three hours, until about five thirty, and then we went in and had fondue. There was meat and cheese and fruit and bread and pickles and everything was fab! We stayed over, my parents in a guest bedroom and me in Jaccquelyn's room, which is the complete opposite of my room, but I still love it. Jaccquelyn's room is a beautiful warm yellow, with honey-colored wood furniture, and it has these beautiful paintings of flower gardens in it, because Mrs. Sinclair is an amazing artist. In the morning we had a really hearty breakfast, because the Sinclairs moved here from Britain a few months before Jaccquelyn was born. (Oh, just a note, Jaccquelyn Hates being called Jackie.) So we had poached eggs, whole wheat toast, sliced pears, oatmeal, and cinnamon rolls. After breakfast we had a big snowball fight, and then went sledding again. Then after grilled cheese and soup for lunch, we had to leave so we could get home before the roads froze.
Christmas was wonderful, it was mostly snowy and everything was perfect! On Christmas Eve my whole family decorated the Christmas tree, and then while my stepmom, made the lasagna and potatoes for dinner, my dad and I wrapped, then my stepmom went up and wrapped while me and Dad made the salad and made the Yorkshire pudding. Then after dinner, we went to church which had a beautiful service. There were candles all around the church in glass jars: big pillar candles, tea candles, short candles, fat candles, skinny candles. Then everyone was handed a candle, and when they were lit there was a warm, cozy, golden glow over everything. We sang 'Silent Night' and 'Hark a thrilling voice is sounding' and 'Away in a manger', and the choir sang 'Carol of the Bells'.
And Christmas morning was wonderful, too. I ran downstairs, and around the tree were tons of presents, all gorgeously wrapped. (My stepmom and her family have an incredible knack with wrapping presents. They always come out pristinely perfect. They're always better than store-wrapped presents, because they have pinecones, or candycanes, or something special like curly sparkly ribbon or something. I woke up my parents, and they made hot cocoa, and we ate Yulekakka, which is a traditional Norwegian Christmas bread, before rushing over to the tree. I think my favorite presents were a subscription to Horse Illustrated, a diary with a very pretty japanese cherry blossom print on the cover, and an mp3. I have already downloaded about forty songs.
Then after a few days, we went to a New Year's Eve party, given by some other good friends of ours, the Calloways. My stepmom and I had just gone shopping for a dress and we couldn't find anything until we found this dropdead gorgeous white gauzy dress. It was sleeveless, and in had these ribbons going down the front and shirring it so it twirled nicely. I wore that with my new white shrug I got for Christmas. It was a good party, and I got to see some of my friends from school, but that kiss at midnight stuff? I was on tenterhooks for the half-hour between quarter to midnight to quarter after. We left at about one, but we walked because we only three blocks away anyway, and my stepmom wasn't wearing heels.
I have good news, too! Jasmin might be able to come up for the summer! I am currently begging, pleading, whining, wheedling, etc. I want her to see Romeo and Juliet! I have to go. Bye!
The weekend before Christmas, we went up and visited some good friends of ours on Whidbey Island, the Sinclairs. They have a twelve year old daughter, Jaccquelyn, and a six year old daughter, Jane, and we're good friends. We went for a trail ride in the snow at a nearby stable, and then came back and went sledding! We sledded for three hours, until about five thirty, and then we went in and had fondue. There was meat and cheese and fruit and bread and pickles and everything was fab! We stayed over, my parents in a guest bedroom and me in Jaccquelyn's room, which is the complete opposite of my room, but I still love it. Jaccquelyn's room is a beautiful warm yellow, with honey-colored wood furniture, and it has these beautiful paintings of flower gardens in it, because Mrs. Sinclair is an amazing artist. In the morning we had a really hearty breakfast, because the Sinclairs moved here from Britain a few months before Jaccquelyn was born. (Oh, just a note, Jaccquelyn Hates being called Jackie.) So we had poached eggs, whole wheat toast, sliced pears, oatmeal, and cinnamon rolls. After breakfast we had a big snowball fight, and then went sledding again. Then after grilled cheese and soup for lunch, we had to leave so we could get home before the roads froze.
Christmas was wonderful, it was mostly snowy and everything was perfect! On Christmas Eve my whole family decorated the Christmas tree, and then while my stepmom, made the lasagna and potatoes for dinner, my dad and I wrapped, then my stepmom went up and wrapped while me and Dad made the salad and made the Yorkshire pudding. Then after dinner, we went to church which had a beautiful service. There were candles all around the church in glass jars: big pillar candles, tea candles, short candles, fat candles, skinny candles. Then everyone was handed a candle, and when they were lit there was a warm, cozy, golden glow over everything. We sang 'Silent Night' and 'Hark a thrilling voice is sounding' and 'Away in a manger', and the choir sang 'Carol of the Bells'.
And Christmas morning was wonderful, too. I ran downstairs, and around the tree were tons of presents, all gorgeously wrapped. (My stepmom and her family have an incredible knack with wrapping presents. They always come out pristinely perfect. They're always better than store-wrapped presents, because they have pinecones, or candycanes, or something special like curly sparkly ribbon or something. I woke up my parents, and they made hot cocoa, and we ate Yulekakka, which is a traditional Norwegian Christmas bread, before rushing over to the tree. I think my favorite presents were a subscription to Horse Illustrated, a diary with a very pretty japanese cherry blossom print on the cover, and an mp3. I have already downloaded about forty songs.
Then after a few days, we went to a New Year's Eve party, given by some other good friends of ours, the Calloways. My stepmom and I had just gone shopping for a dress and we couldn't find anything until we found this dropdead gorgeous white gauzy dress. It was sleeveless, and in had these ribbons going down the front and shirring it so it twirled nicely. I wore that with my new white shrug I got for Christmas. It was a good party, and I got to see some of my friends from school, but that kiss at midnight stuff? I was on tenterhooks for the half-hour between quarter to midnight to quarter after. We left at about one, but we walked because we only three blocks away anyway, and my stepmom wasn't wearing heels.
I have good news, too! Jasmin might be able to come up for the summer! I am currently begging, pleading, whining, wheedling, etc. I want her to see Romeo and Juliet! I have to go. Bye!
Natasha
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