The End of the Semester Nears. . .

As the end of the semester nears, I am happy but also sad. Sad because I will not see many of my new friends till next fall. I cherish many of the relationships I have made this year and it will be hard to leave. I am happy because, quite frankly, I will be done with finals, homework, and juries (well, not exactly, I'll still be taking summer school).

This summer I look forward to refining a lot of my playing on the clarinet. My summer will also be highlighted with a Chicago Cubs game in Miami, a visit to see my former youth pastor in Ft. Lauderdale, and my cousin's wedding! I hope to take part in some outdoor excusrions also, i.e. white water rafting, hiking, or rock climbing. We will see how possible this is. I also have missed my family and cat, so I will be glad to see them again. One thing I can not believe is how OLD my cat is. April 29th she will turn 11 years old! It seems like my family adopted her as a kitten just yesterday.

Over the summer I will have a chance to spend more time practicing and I am starting some new projects, including working on Tschaikowsky's(German spelling) 4th symphony. I also have some new solos to choose from. I am determined to get into University Philharmonia next year. This is partly because next year will be the final year I can play with many of my orchestra friends, since our junior year they will be playing in USO.

Looking back at the past year, I am AMAZED by how God has worked in my life. I never would have dreamed to move up so fast from concert band to symphonic band over the course of two semesters. The number of opportunities I got to perform exceeded my expectations. I had the chance to tour with symphonic band, play about 13 or 14 concerts in the spring split between symphonic band, wind quintet, and the, "When I'm 64," clarinet quartet. I also had an awesome time playing at Wildwood on Sundays. In the fall I was able to play under the direction of Dr. Shellahaymer in his last semester as a band director and I even "subbed" for the musical, "Sweet Charity." Back at home, my house has a brand new roof after Hurricane Wilma hit Naples last year. My parents have been married 26 years! and they have found a great church with many old friends after problems at our former church. Praise God for his goodness.

The end of the semester nears and I am truly blessed. Now that I am done with 3 out of 7 finals/juries, I am beginning to see the light. :-)