(Written June 27, 2014)

Six years ago tonight I fell asleep on the floor of my mom's family room in Provo, Utah, while my sisters watched Better Off Ted and made fun of me. What else is new? 

The next day changed my life forever.

I got married.

Six years later I sit alone in my apartment in Florida, contemplating all that has transpired in the past six years and how I got where I am today. I graduated from BYU with my bachelor's degree, from Michigan with my masters, and I'm presently working on a doctorate at Florida State (ABD!). I've lived in four different states, worked in six, and applied/auditioned for a bunch of jobs I didn't get and a few I did.

But I also came to another life-changing realization: I've suffered with depression and anxiety for most of my life; I realized that I needed help. Unfortunately, it took a handful of life-changing events over the past three years to get me in to see a good psychiatrist and therapist. I won't mention them all, but I will mention two.

1) Trouble in Paradise

As a result of my depression in part, my marriage suffered. We lost the ability to communicate effectively and we grew apart. Eventually, we decided that we should separate to focus on taking care of our mental health. The divorce was finalized on July 31, 2013. It was the most amicable breakup I have ever experienced, and I still have nothing but love and respect for Katie. I don't know what the future holds for our friendship, or if that's even a possibility, but I have the utmost respect for her and wish her the best. She is an amazing woman and will do great things.

I have been in therapy for a little over a year and have come face-to-face with many of my demons. I won't lie; it's been tough. Perhaps the most difficult thing I have ever experienced. But of the few things in life I know, I know I am in a much better place today than I was a year ago at this time.

2) Leadership Roulette

While my then-wife and I were experiencing trouble in paradise, I was serving in my local LDS ward (congregation) in the bishopric as the ward clerk. When things got really hard at home I requested to be released from my responsibilities at church.

Unfortunately, our bishop was brand new to his calling and quite young. In this conversation I also expressed some questions and doubts about my faith and mentioned that that was another reason I felt I should step away from the bishopric and focus on my marriage and my faith.

This was not received well. Because of my concerns and desires to better myself before I felt like I could effectively serve in the Church, this bishop asked me to turn in my temple recommend. While, ultimately, he allowed me to keep it, he did say that he or his connections in town would be monitoring our behavior, and that if we did anything wrong he would call us back in. I was hurt (a life-long member with pioneer heritage, returned missionary, temple-married, etc), and from that moment I have not felt welcome in my local ward family. In that moment, and many since then, I have felt judged by other members of the faith community because I think differently than many of them.

But I have a great group of friends--both in person and in my online networks--who have helped me realize that my depression does not have to define me.

Now, I don't say all of this seeking sympathy or praise or anything like that.

I do, however, want to articulate two points:

1) Just because people may seem alright on the outside doesn't mean that they're totally cool on the inside. Mental illness affects every one of us, either within yourself or by watching those you love suffer.

If you have any mental health issues, seek help. There is no weakness in admitting you need help. Do not allow the best things in your life to be taken from you as a result of your illness.

2) We need to treat people the way we ourselves would like to be treated. As my current trumpet professor and mentor told me once, "Everybody deserves respect."

No matter where you are in life, no matter what you believe, no matter what you find important, we all deserve respect. We all have our own adventure to discover, and just because another person chooses a different path, choosing instead to blaze their own trail, does not make it the wrong path. I think it is a true sign of respect and love--I dare say the truest sign of respect and love--to support people we don't agree with as they work to achieve their goals.

Be patient. Give the benefit of the doubt. Love.

T-A-double L-A-H-A-double S-double E

Well, it's official: We will be moving down to Tallahassee this fall for Joe to start his DMA at Florida State! We are very excited to move from chilly Michigan to sunny Florida.

Go Seminoles!

New Year's Resolutions

I don't usually do so well with intense, specific goals, so here's a few vague ones for 2012:

-Read more books
-Eat less sugar
-Eat more produce
-Go to a midnight showing
-Get bangs (check!)
-Floss more
-Keep a more organized house, car, and purse

Here's to you, 2012! Let's hope you do a little better than 2011.

And magically, overnight, our backyard turned into THIS:

Welcome to winter, Ann Arbor!

The extent of our Christmas decor this year:

Just call me Martha Stewart.

Ketchup time!

Guys, I can't believe it's been seven months since I've updated this thing! But I'm back! So let's review where the heck I've been...

-I graduated (unofficially) at the end of April! "Unofficially" means I'd finished all of my classes, but still needed to play my recital (minor detail).

We're cute.

-Joe flew to China with the UM Symphony Band for almost a month while I went back to VA to live with the parentals and work. Joe had a great experience in China, but missed American food (and bathrooms) and of course ME! We stayed connected through his Yahoo email (gmail's banned there) and some jerky, pixelated Skype chats. Boy does being halfway across the world from each other make you appreciate one another so much more!

Anyway, back to the food and bathrooms... He also ate some new animals/animal parts like jellyfish, donkey, and duck tongues, and even walked in on a Chinese man smoking a cigarette in a squatty-potty! Ah, culture at its finest. The last concert of the tour was in LA at Disney Hall over Memorial Day weekend and I, being the luckiest daughter-in-law in the world, was flown out courtesy of Joe's mom. We spent the whole weekend with Joe's family in LA and had a great time! I still look back at that as one of my favorite trips EVER! The band sounded amazing, Disney Hall was awe-inspiring (if you haven't seen the interior, you should google image it real quick), and it was so great to finally be back together again!

Joe on the Great Wall of China...how cool is that?!?

The Nib fam before Joe's concert at Disney Hall. If you're wondering what the heck is going on with my hair, it was a windy day...don't judge.

-If you didn't think it could get any cooler, Joe took a trip to France with his trumpet teacher and a few studio to France just a few short days after he got back from China. They stayed in a small town called Pontlevoy that looked like it came straight out of Beauty and the Beast. Poor thing! They stayed there for ten days, playing recitals, taking masterclasses from famous French trumpet dudes, and most importantly, eating amazing French pastries!

The view from Joe's room in Pontlevoy. I mean, come on...is this even real?

The pastry shop Joe frequented on a daily basis. I am laughing really hard right now about how daintily he's holding his pastry box. That's my husband!

-While Joe was off gallivanting around the world, I was busy living the dream working at LOFT. Come to find out, I quite enjoy working in retail. I must say, it came pretty naturally considering I've been my mom's personal stylist my whole life. Real Housewives of Loudoun County, thank you for allowing me to style you.

-Oh yeah and I also spent a lot of time practicing for my itty-bitty Master's recital.

-After Joe got back from France, he went to Chautauqua, New York for a seven week-long musical festival (i.e. band camp for big kids). Chautauqua is a tiny, weird little lake town where rich people come to vacation and "experience the arts." Picture "Dirty Dancing" and you've pretty much got it. He played in an orchestra and chamber groups, took weekly lessons with a trumpet teacher, and spent hours in little practice cabins (or shacks, as I called them). He also had to live in a dorm, eat cafeteria food, and SURVIVE WITH NO AC for seven whole weeks. How he did it, I do not know.

The trumpet section after their last concert. Aren't they cute?

Joe duking it out on Lake Chautauqua. This picture actually kinda freaks me out a little.

-Then finally, after a very long summer, we were reunited and came back to Ann Arbor! I played my recital (which I didn't really get any good pictures of...woops), then started working again at the LOFT here in Ann Arbor. After a week or so, I decided one job wasn't enough and decided to get a second job at Pandora (not the online radio station or the mythical box, but the jewelry store). It has been a lot of fun to learn a new job and have a chance to meet and interact with new people! Also, now that I'm done with school, I have time to do fun things like try new recipes, Book Club, and other housewifey-type things. I am looking for a new (cheap) hobby, so if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.

-Joe is still working on his Master's (he'll be done April 2012) and he is super busy preparing for his DMA auditions. We are loving life here in Ann Arbor!

Screw you, hips. I'm eating carrot cake.

Guys, I found a fabulous carrot sheet cake recipe that I made for Easter Sunday. It was TO DIE FOR and uber-moist, the perfect carrot cake but without the stress of a layer cake. Yes, it does involve grating 1.5 lbs of carrots, but it is WORTH IT. Or you can just use a food processor. Also, I topped it with chopped pecans and used a different cream cheese frosting recipe, but I'm sure her version with heavy whipping cream isn't bad...

Carrot Sheet Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

*Serves 16-20

Cake:
4 large eggs
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 pounds carrots, washed and ends trimmed (they don't need to be peeled)

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour an 11X17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Shred the carrots, finely, on a box grater or food processor. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, oil, applesauce, water and vanilla. Whisk in the sugar to combine until evenly mixed.

In a second bowl mix flour, spices, salt, soda and baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until moistened. Gently fold the carrots into the batter until evenly distributed. Bake the cake for 30-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely.

For the frosting, mix the cream cheese, vanilla and butter with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the frosting and whip to combine (don't overmix or the frosting will become too stiff). The frosting should be smooth and creamy.

Recipe Source: from melskitchencafe.com/adapted from Alisha O. http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/carrot-sheet-cake-with-whipped-cream-cheese-frosting.html

Winter Survival

Well friends I suppose it's time for an update seeing as it's the first day of spring (can I get a HALLELUJAH?!). Joe and I have had a really fun winter despite all of the nasty cold, wind, and snow.

First off, I think we can officially rename our apartment the Nibley Bed and Breakfast. We finally put our air mattress and sofa bed to good use because we had lots of guests coming to Ann Arbor! At the beginning of January, our friend Jason came to town to finish his last trumpet recital and oral defense for his DMA. It was so much fun to catch up with him and hear all about life in Mississippi. Plus we ate a lot of ice cream and watched a lot of Hulu...despite all of our efforts to distract him, he gave an incredible recital, finished his orals, and became a doctor! We loved having him over and we are so grateful for his friendship and great example!

A couple weeks later, we hosted a Brazilian trumpet student of Jason's who came up to Ann Arbor to check out UM and have a lesson with Professor Campbell. It was very fun to get to know him and hear all about what it's like coming from Brazil to America. He loved the snow, which is good because we had a LOT of it!

But wait, there's more! At the end of February, my parents came in town for the weekend to hear our USO concert. We were playing Shostakovich 10 and we really wanted them to hear us and get to experience Hill Auditorium. The concert was wonderful - everyone sounded fantastic. I can't think of many other performance experiences that could top it. It was really special to have my husband sitting right behind me, and my parents sitting out in the audience. Can I just say that I have the BEST family?!? How did I get so lucky? The rest of their visit was a blast because the first time they came to A2, we were moving in and had NO idea where anything was. This time we could actually show them around and go to all the good restaurants (Zingerman's, anyone? MMMM). On the day that my dad was supposed to fly out, there was a HUGE snow dump and so his flight got delayed til the next day. Luckily he and my mom were able to fly out the next morning, but it was fun to have him over for an extra night!

Joe and me after the Shostakovich concert. (No that is not a yarmulke on my head...it's a flower headband, people!!!)

Nance and Randinator at Zingerman's.

And finally, Joe's mom Carol flew out the very next weekend to come hear Joe's chamber recital! Joe sounded great and we were so glad to have Carol there. This was her first time in Ann Arbor so it was really fun to give her the "Grand Tour" of the place. We went out to some great restaurants, took her to our ward, and just had a really good time showing her "our world."

We took Carol to Bagel Fragel. Fragel = fried bagel, a Michigan delicacy.

Joe and me after his recital

Phew, that concludes our guest list! We love our family and friends and boy they sure helped to make our winter brighter! If anyone would like to book a stay at the Nibley Bed and Breakfast, you have until May and then we are shutting the place down for the summer!

Right after Carol left, we drove down to Virginia for SPRING BREAK! I'd forgotten how awesome those were...darn that BYU. We got some much-needed R&R and spent some time with our friends Beau and Mackenzie who were staying at La Casa Smith for most of the week. Joe was excited to have a basketball buddy and I was excited to have a talking buddy. Other than that, I got to spend most of my Spring Break with this little guy:

Me: Ok hold still, just one more picture!

Baby D: PLEASE, SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM CRAZY AUNT KATIE!!!!

Poor Baby D...he was a good sport, though, putting up with my amateur diaper-changing skills and watching Say Yes to the Dress with me. I love aunting!

Day 1: Husband out of town

5:10 a.m. Wake up

5:30 Drive Joe and trumpet friends to the airport

6:30 Back to bed

9:00 Yoga

10:00 Go home, shower

11:00 Practice

1:30 p.m. Class

3:00 Go home, work

4:30 Soak in tub

4:32 Fall asleep in tub

5:15 Wake up in half-full tub

5:45 Go to Kroger, buy essentials (nail polish and movie that Joe refuses to watch)

6:15 Make lazy dinner (pasta) and watch girl movie while painting nails

MY LIFE IS AWESOME.

Adventures in Detroit

This post is about a month late! Sorry for the lack of blogging! So, some of you might know that I am subbing right now as a mentor in the Detroit Civic Youth Orchestra. Basically that means that I get to drive up to Detroit every Saturday, rehearse with the orchestra, and play concerts with them. Even though it makes for a long Saturday afternoon, I am very grateful for the employment right now!

ANYWAY, I had quite the experience back in January driving to Detroit for the first time. If you know me at all, you know three things - 1. I am a terrible driver 2. I get very nervous navigating around places I'm not familiar with on my own 3. I am very paranoid and I get really scared in shady cities like Detroit. Plus on top of all that, I spent the night before googling the shadiest areas of Detroit so needless to say I was feeling pretty scared to go into the city. Luckily, everyone had been telling me that the orchestra hall is on one of the main drags of the city (Woodward) so as long as I stuck to that street and didn't wander too far, I'd be ok.

So I start on my journey and everything's going well when, about 30 min. into my drive, I'm cruising along in the left lane and see a big ol' chunk of what I thought was black snow/slush. There were cars all around me so I couldn't exactly swerve out of the way and I thought, "Oh well I'll just roll right over it, it's just snow." AU CONTRAIRE my friends this was not soft snow but some kind of rock-hard piece of...rock. I felt and heard a huge KA-CHUNK on my left front wheel and immediately my stomach flipped. I tried to stay calm and kept driving, promising myself that if I noticed anything off about the car, I'd pull over. Well, I got into Detroit, drove a little bit through the city (even the supposedly un-shady parts look SHADY) just praying that I could get to the parking garage by the orchestra hall where I knew I would be safe. I mean, I was a blonde girl driving a bright red car with Utah plates with my little GPS inside...how much more could I scream, "JUMP ME PLEASE I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I'M GOING!"

Well thank heavens I got into the parking garage safely without having to pull my car over (although I could tell something was seriously wrong with my tire), got out of my car, and discovered that my front left tire was JACKED. Totally flat. So of course the first thing I did was call Joe and tell him what happened. I unfortunately couldn't do much about it because I had to be in my rehearsal but luckily Joe was at home and in a position to take care of it. He called USAA (thank goodness we have roadside assistance) and set up a time for someone to come and change my tire after my rehearsal.

After my rehearsal, I came back out to the parking garage and expected to wait for the guy for the next half hour. Well lo and behold I hadn't been out there for two minutes when the guy called saying he was pulling into the parking garage! I hadn't even gotten to my car yet so he swung around and picked me up and we drove to my car. Now, this guy was a CHARACTER. Big black guy, big smile, named Larrance (pronounced Luh-rahnce). He was the nicest guy EVER...kept calling me "Miss Katie." Here are a few of my favorite excerpts from our conversation:

"Well thanks for coming and helping me Larrance, I just moved to Michigan a few months ago so I'm not too familiar with the area."

"Oh, really? Do you like it here, Miss Katie?"

"Yeah, we love it, it's great!"

"REALLY?!?"

"Larrance, how much should I drive on this spare tire? My husband told me I shouldn't drive too fast on it."

"Miss Katie, do you know what kind of tires they used on the original Model T Fords?"

"Umm...not sure?"

"BICYCLE TIRES! I mean seriously, they were drivin' around on bike tires on those things and they were just FINE! So you'll be fine on this tire here, Miss Katie, don't worry about goin' too fast or anything like that."

And my personal favorite...

"Man it sure is cold out here, Larrance!"

"I know...it is so cold it makes me want to SHOUT!"

Anyway, I was very very grateful that I got my tire taken care of and that Larrance was so nice to me when I was feeling pretty scared and vulnerable. After he got the tire replaced, he drove off and I swung around to leave the parking garage. I was not looking forward to paying the seven bucks it cost to park there, but in my panic to take care of my tire, I didn't pick up a Civic Orchestra parking pass. I figured it was worth the money to park somewhere safe and not have to park on a creepy side street. So I pulled up to the booth, scrambled around in my wallet for cash, and the lady at the window said, "Hey you know what, don't worry about paying, sweetheart! My shift's about to end and I am just done for the day! You go along now." That just MADE my day. I mean, seriously, talk about a cherry on top!

So I've decided that Detroiters are a lot nicer than people give them credit for! Of course I'm sure that there are still some very scary and creepy people in that city, but I felt very sure that I was being watched after and protected by my Heavenly Father that day. He knew that I was feeling worried and scared so he put some wonderful people in my path to help me out. And luckily none of my trips to Detroit after that have been quite so eventful!

Girly Mormony Flowery Stuff

Well you guys I think I can official get my "I'm a Mormon married person" badge now because I made a craft yesterday. Successfully (after a couple crappy ones). I am so proud of myself I just had to document it!
Sorry for the awkward self-taken picture. Joe wasn't home. But seriously, look at those cutenesses!

I also learned something else - when you bring a dessert to an Enrichment (ahem, Relief Society) Meeting, it not only needs to taste good, but it has to look good too. I brought a deeeeelicious pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting all made from scratch. Seriously, heaven in my mouth. But it ain't pretty. I brought it covered in foil in my ugly well-used and well-loved baking sheet, to find that when I pulled the foil off it took some of the frosting off with it. As I scrambled to patch it back together, I saw beautiful cake after cake being placed on to the table next to my "sweet spirit." Seriously, those things were masterpieces - we all thought they were store bought because of their very precise, beautiful frosting patterns, plus they tasted SO GOOD! My sheet cake looked like a rusty old oil tanker next to these fancy shiny speedboats. I wanted to grab my cake and hide it in the kitchen! Sigh. So note to self, next time I make a cake for Relief Society (which will probably be NEVER), I've gotta step my game up! Haha. Oh well.

New recipe!

Joe and I tried a new recipe for Halloween - stuffed pizza rolls! We got the recipe from Our Best Bites (one of my favorite food blogs). We made the chicken bacon ranch flavor and pepperoni, which we adapted from the ham and pineapple recipe on their website. The chicken bacon ranch was definitely more labor-intensive, but if you're looking for a fun/easy party food that is just a little cooler than your average party snack, the pepperoni kind was fast and easy! Both were delicious...we will definitely be making them again sometime.

Wanna hear a crazy story?

(Note the shoddily self-cut bangs. What?!?)

See this picture? That's me, circa 2007. And that girl that I'm pointing to in the picture, with the blonde hair and white shirt? That's me, circa 2006. That painting recorded an important day in Katie and Joe history that we didn't even know was important until years later. That was the day that we brushed shoulders and didn't even realize it!

Let me explain...

Once upon a time I was a sophomore at BYU on October 6, 2006. My friend Spencer, a trumpet player from my freshman ward, was leaving on his mission and he came down to Provo to say goodbye to all his friends before he left. We met up at the HFAC to reminisce and do lunch at the Cougareat (we ate chicken taco wraps at L&T - it's almost eerie how many details I remember about that day). While meeting at the HFAC, an art major stopped us and asked if he could take a picture of us looking at some artwork in the main gallery. We were going to be subjects in his painting. It was supposed to be a sort of "picture of a person looking at a picture" type of thing. Deep. So we posed for the photo and I remember trying to look very serious and concentrated (very unnatural traits for me). Anyway, we went to the Cougareat and had a grand old time remembering stories from freshman year, speculating about the future, and wondering where we'd be in two years. It was lots of fun and we parted ways back at the HFAC, with me scooting off with my bassoon to E-251 to practice just as Spencer ran into some trumpet friends.

Enter Joe. Joe was fresh, and I mean FRESH, off his mission. Like, he'd been home for 24 hours fresh. I'm not as clear on the details of his side, but he wanted to come back and visit the HFAC - get reacquainted with the place and visit his old music friends, etc. So on October 6, 2006, he was strolling by the rehearsal halls with his trumpet pals when BOOM! I said goodbye to Spencer, rounded the corner to E-251 and didn't look twice at the group of people Spencer was joining. That is when Spencer met Joe. (So strange that Spencer was leaving for his mission right as Joe was coming back.)

About six months later, a painting popped up in the HFAC - a painting of people looking at a painting. I happened upon the painting, freaked out, and took a picture. Because, who wouldn't want a picture of a painting of themselves looking at a painting? And I loved it because it reminded me of my friend Spencer and forever memorialized the last day we hung out before his mission. Little did I know that it also memorialized the first time Joe and I ever crossed paths.

Years later, sometime in the blur of 2008-2009, Joe and I figured this all out and realized we'd crossed paths the day after Joe came home from his mission and I'd said goodbye to Spencer just as Joe was meeting him. And it wasn't until now that I realized this painting will forever mark October 6, 2006 in our history.

Strange how the universe works, huh?

P.S. I don't think Spencer made it into the painting. I guess the back of his head just didn't look serious/concentrated enough!

My husband

I thought I should do a little feature on the person I love the very most in this world, so this post is dedicated to the one and only Joe! He is quite the multi-faceted human being.

He's handy:

He's musical (and looks great in a tux!):

He's a super-star athlete:

He loves being Uncle Joe:

He's smart:

He's a master chef:

He LOVES swimming:

He's funny:

He's a great friend and example:

He's romantic:

There are lots of other things I could post but I'll be done now! I am so lucky to have the greatest husband EVER. I know everyone says that, but he really is the perfect match for me. I love Joe!!!

(Aww look at us, all young and engaged. Can you guys believe that was almost 3 years ago?!?)

American's Got Talent's Jackie Evancho - A Musician's Opinion

I'm sure most of you have heard about the 10-year-old opera singer, Jackie Evancho, who is a finalist and heavy favorite to win on America's Got Talent. If you haven't, you can get caught up here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nabo1iTcA5w&feature=PlayList&p=40589F682349E4DF&index=0&playnext=1

Pretty amazing, huh? First off, I won't argue that this girl has some astounding God-given talent and she seems like a truly sweet little girl with a good heart. But as a musician (albeit one who has limited vocal knowledge) I have some concerns for her.

To start, if I were just listening to her voice on face-value, without knowing that she was ten years old, I'd rate her as OK at best. Her intonation's shaky, her vibrato's not developed, and her musicality is immature. She lacks overall finesse. BUT when you realize that she's only ten years old, it is truly amazing. My fear is that with all of the ego-stroking she's been getting from the show, she will think that she's made it to the top and doesn't need to develop her vocal/musical skills any further, which is a HUGE PROBLEM!!! Like I said before, she has some amazing raw talent, but that's the problem - it's raw. It hasn't been developed. She lacks the finesse, musicality, and maturity that all great opera singers have. All musicians have raw talent to some extent (some more than others), but to be one of the great masters you have to pay your dues. No amount of raw talent can compensate for years and years of practicing and studying music. So I'm afraid that while her success on the show is wonderful at the present, it may hurt her long-term future career as an adult because she will think she's already "made it" and doesn't need any further musical development. I just hope she's smart enough to realize that this is not the case.

My other worry is how her voice will change over the years. What will happen to it as she matures? Obviously, girls do not go through quite the dramatic voice-changes as boys do during puberty, but there are some changes nonetheless. Will her astoundingly mature vocal chords go sour in adulthood? I am no vocal expert so I can't weigh in on this, but I think it's a legitimate concern. If any vocalists read this blog, tell me your opinions - I'm curious!

But at any rate, I'm fascinated to see what path this girl's musical career will take. Will she grow and develop and become a respected opera singer in the years to come? Or is she just a flash-in-the-pan that will fade into nothingness?

Things we love about Ann Arbor:

-Our awesome big apartment! It is literally twice the size of our old one in Provo.

-Having a dishwasher and washer/dryer. The loud banging and sloshing is music to my ears.

-Our new ward. Even though we've only been there for one Sunday, everyone was so nice and welcoming. We hadn't sat down for ten seconds in the chapel and there were people lined up to introduce themselves...I have realized just how nice it is to have a network of members in a place where we know absolutely no one.

-The weather! It was a tad chilly today, but most days have been 70's and 80's, sunny, with a nice breeze. We're enjoying it while it lasts!

-No TV - well, at least, I like this one. It is so nice to come home to peace and quiet with no loud TV noises in the background.

-Our apartment complex's heated pool and hot tub. Great for late-night dips!

-Being grad students = awesome. If any of you are considering graduate degrees, DO IT! You know how everyone says college is so much better than high school? Well, grad school is so much better than your bachelor's! It is wonderful to study exactly what you want to without having to take any of those nasty GE's. In the music program, we basically get to choose whatever classes we're interested in, as long as we get in all the credits we need at the end of the two years. Other than that, you choose, and there are limitless options of what to take. It is also nice to be in small classes and get a lot of one-on-one time with professors and develop a mentor-ship with them.

-Michigan accents. You didn't know there was such a thing, either? Well, just mix a bit of Minnesota with some Upstate New York and you've got a Michigan accent!

What I learned from watching the new Twilight movie.

-I cannot believe I spent $9 and two hours of my life watching the new Twilight movie.

-Vampires and werewolves do not get along. Shocker?

-When playing Edward, Robert Pattinson chooses a different accent for every scene...versatile!

-Apparently this movie was better than the first two?

-We counted 27 smolders.

-In group settings, if you want a strong smolder, it is important to stand in a semi-circle, facing out.

-It's important to get what you want, even if it means playing two guys at the same time. And as long as you're skinny.

-Edward got Bella's engagement ring at Forever 21. FUG. We see right through your antique BS, Edward.

-Stephanie Midol sure did write some true-to-life dialogue. I mean, it felt like I was watching a movie of my LIFE.

-There were five men in our theater. Five. [NOTE: Joe was NOT one of them.]

Summer update!

Hi everyone! I hope you guys haven't given up on me, although I would have if I were you. I fail as a blogger! Oh well. Just thought I'd catch you all up on the past three months, in a somewhat chronological order...

-I had my non-required Master's recital which went well! It was a lot of fun and a "last hurrah" before I left BYU.

-We played our last concert with the BYU phil (Beethoven 5). SAD SAD SAD. Not sure what the future will hold at Michigan, but I know I will miss all the friends I made over the years, but most of all I will miss Kory! No one can replace him!

-Joe graduated! Here's a stunning visual with him and the K-Man:

Fun Fact: Joe's wearing my cap and gown...never mind that the tassel says '09, right?

-After the semester ended, Joe worked full-time at the performance library for two weeks while I enjoyed life as a stay-at-home-wife (way cooler/easier than being a stay-at-home-mom).

-THE BIG MOVE!!! I got deathly ill a few days before we drove cross-country to Virginia. Perfect timing, I know. The doctors said it was a virus that could last 10-14 days and, of course, they couldn't give me any medication to make it go away faster. Awesome! So Joe did the brunt of the heavy lifting and moving, while I sat on the couch with my Ibuprofen, Kleenex box, Vitamin C drops, and ten blankets. It was fabulous. After a couple days though, I was able to muster and help a lot more/clean stuff. With the help of family, friends, and guys from the ward, we got our butts out of our apartment!

-Carol threw us a going-away party and a lot of our friends came. It was a lot of fun but made me realize how much I will miss all of the awesome people I pay to pretend they like me.

-ROAD TRIP. We packed our little red Solara full of all our earthly possessions and drove to Virginia! It took us three days , driving around 11-13 hours each day. Highlights of the trip included listening to copious amounts of Flight of the Conchords and Muse, and me narrating the first two books in the Chronicles of Narnia. I think I have a future in recording books on tape. Did I mention Joe drove THE WHOLE WAY? Yes, that's right. I still don't know how he did it.

-Which pretty much brings us to now. We've been having a lot of fun in Virginia with the fam. Joe and I have been looking for jobs for the last two weeks, to no avail. It is so hard to just get a job for the summer! But we'll keep trying...on the other hand, being jobless really helps fuel my WoW addiction.

-My sister Sarah suffered a traumatic bike accident a few days ago. Her and my dad are into cycling, and they were on a long 50-mile bike ride when it happened. She was going downhill really fast, hit some turns and lost control. The end result was that she knocked out 3 1/2 of her top front teeth, got stitches on the bottom of her chin, has a fractured jaw, and some major road rash on her legs and arms. It was traumatic, to say the least, and I wasn't even there! She spent two days in the hospital, and thank goodness the doctors found no injuries to her head or spine. Now she's at home recovering on an all-liquid diet. On the plus side, she has an awesome lisp from her missing teeth! Anyway, it has been a crazy week for the Smith fam, but it has made me realize how wonderful it is to have a strong, supportive, loving family and ward. It has been difficult, but we are grateful that all of her injuries will heal over time and that she didn't sustain any life-threatening/long-term injuries.

Welp, that is everything. Hopefully I won't wait three months to post again!

For everyone who's been dying to know...

After applying, auditioning, and waiting...waiting...waiting...

Joe and I are going to the University of Michigan this fall!!! We absolutely love the school and Ann Arbor and we are so excited to go there (despite the butt cold winters!). We are so thrilled/grateful/hugely blessed to have this opportunity to pursue our Masters Degrees at such an awesome place.

WOO! Go...wait, what's U of M's mascot?

WOLVERINES!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Holy crap just google imaged "University of Michigan mascot" and this is what popped up:

Wtf? I guess I've never seen a wolverine before...I had more of a "Hugh Jackman" look in mind.

Possibly all of my favorite things at once?

Behold, the pear and gorgonzola pizza from California Pizza Kitchen:

(Image from foodiebytes.com)

Just LOOK at what's in this baby: Caramelized pears, Gorgonzola, Fontina and Mozzerella cheeses, caramelized sweet onions, and chopped hazelnuts. Topped with field greens tossed in Gorgonzola ranch dressing.

Is it possible to have all of the things I love in my mouth at one time? I once said that if I could have one taste in my mouth forever, it would be Five Guys fries...but I might have to change that.

To Annie freakin' Elmer my taste bud twin, if you haven't tried this, you MUST! It may seem weird at first, but I have a feeling you will fall in love.