the emily

My new spot.

The piano room has never quite gotten to where I want it ever since we moved in. I have now finally turned it into the sanctuary I was hoping it would become. Our friend Walter gave us his old bookshelf and desk which fits nicely in the room. I moved in the map from our bedroom which was a nice touch. I am waiting until Paul can help me to add the final touch--the amazing word art that Melissa made me for graduation last year. Obviously this project was overdue. The rainy memorial day weekend has turned out to be quite productive.

Fucoidal Quartzite Climb

Rock climbing has already been a big part of our Summer so far-especially for Paul. He has always been very passionate about this sport. Paul explained to me the reason he loves it so much is because not only does it demand a lot of strength and endurance, but it is also extremely technically and mentally challenging. He says it is the first sport he has tried that didn't come natural to him. And lets be honest, he is an adrenaline junky.

I am a bit baffled by my relationship with rock climbing. I have always been fascinated by the sport and involved with it on and off. The biggest frustration for me is that it hurts my fingers, and HELLO people those are the money makers. When Paul and I first went out I was never scared of it really, just challenged and motivated to climb harder and get better. But then after a few bad experiences (nothing drastic, just minor scrapes and bruises) I experienced a mental shift. As soon as I am on the rock my hear starts racing and I have to remind myself not to panic. I am not scared of heights, or even falling. I know that part of my anger and fear comes feeling inadequate. But that feeling has never been an obstacle too big for me to overcome. I am still climbing regularly, but am definitely not pushing myself very hard. I am hoping with time my mental block will dissolve so I can progress quicker. But until then, "climb on!"

Our friend Walter. The picture says it all.

100% happiness on his face.

New York Trip

It was always in my plans to study abroad during college. But due to the nature of the rigorous piano department it was never a logical option for me. However I have had some pretty incredible traveling experiences through USU. So far I have spent three weeks in Europe, one week in Fort Worth Texas to see the Van Cliburn piano competition, and now I got to visit New York City--all for free!

The Music Teachers National Association had the annual conference there this year in NY which is why we got to go. Dr. Olson, the head of the USU Youth Conservatory and a nationally acclaimed piano composer premiered one of his works at the conference so us students put together a proposal to go support him. Also Brandon Lee, a top pianist in our department, won both the regional and state competition so he was invited to compete on the national level which took place during the conference. I felt so proud to be apart of the USU piano department. It was confirmed to me that yes, we are in fact recognized nation wide for not only Professor Amano, but also for the Youth Conservatory. I was introduced by Dr. Olson and Professor Hirst as the Youth Conservatory Office Coordinator, and I never felt more proud to own such a professional sounding title. I felt both honored and intimidated.

It was both inspiring and intimidating to spend so much time around fabulous musicians and teachers. One thing I definitely realized was the huge potential there is for somebody to come out with a line of teaching products for the piano that don't look like they were made in the early 90's. Melissa and I hope to start developing some stuff soon since nothing out there is that great.

One of my very favorite part of this trip was watching all of the people. I feel like all of the rich and beautiful people of the world live there. It was so cool to see all of the fancy clothing, hair, and accessories to go with it. By the end of the week I was so ready to go back to the west where people rock out in loose tank tops and chacos. I missed my hippy boyfriend very much.

About two months after this trip Dr. Olson nominated me to be the UMTA Bridgerland chapter president. I of course said yes but still feel under qualified and intimidated by the responsibility. The next conference will be held in Anaheim. One of our chapters goals is to have our own display focused on how technology can help supplement piano studios. We submitted the proposal but we haven't heard anything back yet...I will let you know!

I was certain that I would bump into Liz Lemon.

Stephanie and I enjoyed breakfast here almost every morning. I thought I was being so "New York" but then realized it was a brand new Coffee Shop that came straight from California. Nice.