winter semester is hard.

which may possibly explain why I'm currently downing my weight in chocolate covered cinnamon bears...

haha. But! I will be done with this semester in 4 days time! #yikes That is still mildly terrifying. But it's good too. It's great! And I will be the world's happiest human being in 4 days time. Which is great, cause that's my birthday! But I'm happy now too. I really am! And yes, I'm stressed as all get out, but I am happy and life is good. I'm trying to be better about being happy NOW. Not in 4 days, and not only when its convenient.

I have a to do list for these next several days, and I've been checkin' stuff off! Which is the world's best feeling. Hahah. #IamsuchatypeApersonality But amidst all the to dos and craziness, I've also been thinking about everything that's happened this last year and all the wonderful friends I've been blessed with. It's been so fantastic and I feel so #blessed . And I feel like I have some time to reflect a little at the moment because I'm facebook fasting. haha. Oh the irony...

Anyways, here are some things that have happened this last year!

--I moved and got put with the best random roommates IN THE WORLD. I mean I already knew J-Dawg, and she's great, but Grace, Tasha, and Janine are all great too! It's been great!

--I got to serve in the Relief Society Presidency with some of the greatest, most genuine, and wonderful people I have ever met. I will forever love Elise, Ali, and Stephenie for all that I've learned from them.

--I took a bowling class with Emily and Alexander. It was the best.

--I started teaching cello lessons and got to teach 5 wonderful students, which has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I luuuhh it.

--I played in not only BYU Philharmonic, but also Chamber Orchestra and Baroque Ensemble this year. It was crazy, but so wonderful, and I feel like I have grown so much because of how much cello I got to play.

--I trained for and ran the Halloween Half at the end of October. #itwashard but so good!

--I relearned Elgar 1 and 2 to try out for the concerto competition. And consequently fell even more in love with it.

--I dressed up as a bag of jelly beans for Halloween, and was a finalist in that costume competition.

--I went to a Harry Potter party as Bertie Botts and won that costume contest.

--I met one of my best friends.

--I chopped my hair off.

--I went caroling with my family and it was, once again, my favorite thing about Christmas.

--I survived all of fall semester with my bff thousands of miles away in Jerusalem and was SOOO EXCITED to have her back in January.

--I got an all sports pass and went to almost every men's basketball game winter semester.

--I played a movement of Bach with one of my percussion friends on marimba.

--I decided that I wanted to go to a music festival this summer, so I chose a couple that I wanted to audition for and spent the whole first part of the semester relearning and practicing orchestral excerpts.

--I decided that I wanted to get a French Certificate, so I signed up for French with my brother and some friends. It was one of the hardest classes I've taken (mostly cause I didn't have enough time to dedicate to it,) but it was sooo great.

--I played a second semester in all three ensembles and threw in a trio on top just for funsies. #sooomuchcello

--I learned how to do a backflip at Hang Time.

--I learned to play the Baroque cello, kinda. And I even played in a quartet with friends! Meg, Maren, and Devan are the best!

--I got to play in a trio with Lynds and Alex and it was the best. We played a whole three movement piece by Philippe Gaubert #onparlefrancais

--I learned some of the hardest music I've ever had to play, in the shortest amount of time I've ever had to prepare it, #thirdmovementofConnesson and put it together with Forrest, my wonderful pianist, in not very many rehearsals.

--We started monthly family dinners, and it was the best idea ever.

--I played Bach and got to see different performers play on campus for Bach's birthday. It was the greatest.

--I planned my first surprise birthday party! Well, almost... haha #itwaskindaafail

--I organized and played Bachianas Brasilieras with Katie (who sang) and lots of my super cool fellow cellists.

--I found out that I got into the Brevard Music Festival, a seven week program, in North Carolina this summer.

--I passed my prerecital hearing! And was stoked about it.

--I found out that I got the RA position at Brevard, making the usual  > $6000 tuition, free. #blessings

--I completely ignored all homework and my backpack in general for 3 weeks before my recital. I'm still working through the repercussions of that...

--I had my first, very large, embarrassing musical moment in the Chamber concert at the end of March. #itwasbad

--I gave my senior recital on April 9th, less than a week ago, and it was scary, but so fun!

--And I got to give that recital in my dream (Beyonce) dress.

--I have gotten to see two members from New Cal who are currently here visiting.

--I became an Auror. Just kidding. But I will be one. In a couple days, after I conduct my final!

That's all I can think of for now. If I think of more I'll add on. But I am so very grateful for all that this year has brought. It's been a really good one. It's been a stretching and trying year, but I'm grateful for that! I really am. I love my life! And I'm so grateful for my friends and family.

L'evangile est vrai!

Love, Pono

A change of heart.

So for those of you that don't know me, I am the legit the Grinch/Scrooge/whateveryouwannacallit of snow. It's baddd. Sometimes randomly, I like it but usually I can't stand it. Mostly I can't stand being in it. I dunno, maybs I'm weird. Anyways, this morning, as it was dumping snow I was not having it. Any of it. I woke up early to write my french paper, thankfully didn't see the snow during those couple hours, but then 7am rolled around, and I was starting to think about going to school. Normally I'm on campus by 7:30 at the latest to practice for a bit before class, but from 7- almost 9am, literally all I was doing was talking to myself, trying to convince myself to not go to school; to have a snow day. Mostly cause, if I lived in any other state besides Utah it probably would have been a snow day. #Iamdramaticok haha.

Anyways, from 7-9 I am literally just striding back and forth in my apt. Trying to talk myself out of going to school and into having my own little snow day. *SPOILER ALERT* my responsible side won. But that's not to say I was happily living with my decision. I was a whiny grumpy piece of attitude for most of the day, sometimes outwardly, sometimes inwardly.

And I wish I could say I had counted my blessings sooner, but it didn't happen til about 3:30pm. I was in trio rehearsal and we were playing this heavenly music. (The first movement of if) and it just hit me... I am I being such a grumpy gills about some silly snow? I realized how silly it was. And how I should really try and be more grateful.

Something that has been in EVERY SINGLE Priesthood blessing I've gotten since being home is gratitude. Every person I've received a blessing from has said some short little snippet on it. I think Heavenly Father's up there like, "Here's your sign!" So I would really like to focus more on that. I am so blessed. SO BLESSED. So I hope that I can better remember that the next time it dumps snow and I have to go outside in it. Which, if I'm being honest with myself... Will probs be tonight ;)

Plus, I gotta wear this awesome sweater all day long :) Thanks J-Dawg. So, life is good.

Well, until next time! I should probs catch up on my journal writing before I blog again though...

L'evangile est vraie!

Love, Pono