So, to all of my loyal blog followers :), I'm very sorry to have lapsed in my updating...I've been out of town and forgot the cord to upload pictures from my camera.
I went to New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut for a week, and then camping.
I went to the northeast to visit relatives, but I managed to fit in a flute lesson and playing for 2 conductors. Everything was really great...it was awesome to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins again, and I think all the flute stuff went pretty well.
In New Jersey, I swam in the lake at least once a day. It's SO beautiful and the temperature was completely perfect. I always thought it was so incredibly far across the lake, but I did it in less than 17 minutes this year, so my guess is that it's only about half a mile. Pretty funny how perception changes, you know? That lake used to look unattainably large...
In New York, I met my mom's first flute teacher and we played trios and went to a great dinner and then saw 'Doubt' on Broadway...it was fun to feel like I was part of city life for a while.
In Connecticut, we were supposed to see fireworks on the beach, but they were cancelled due to rain in the forecast...it didn't end up raining, so it was a bit of a bummer. But...we ended up getting Thai food and watching "Beyond the Sea", which was alright...a little slow, but a decent movie. My Aunt Sandy is trying to convince me to run the Chicago marathon with her. I think I want to, but I'm just not sure if I'm ready yet. I'm giving it some serious thought though...I followed the schedule this past week, but just by chance...next weekend I would have to run 10 miles, which would be a feat...so I have to decide by then, I suppose.
Driving in the northeast is HELL. I somehow ended up in NYC in the heart of all the traffic in the country on July 4th weekend...don't ask me how...my mom ended up having to take the subway to the airport, and everything was just a disaster. 2 hours later, I crossed the George Washington Bridge and was on my way. Traffic through the rest of the trip home was pretty light, so that was good. I definitely got my dose of holiday traffic...for a while, I swear we were moving 10 feet every 5 minutes...I just turned on the radio and tried to ignore the cramp in my left foot from holding down the stupid clutch...
Camping was a lot of fun. Some tense moments (too big a group, perhaps), but I think people generally had a good time. It was nice to be officially reunited with Phil...it's been more than a month since we were steadily in the same place! We spent an afternoon hanging out in the river, and ate amazing food for every meal---Bryce and Kurt made better stuff while camping than I eat on a regular basis! I went for a run last night that ripped my quads up...it was a nice dirt road though, with beautiful scenery, so it was a pleasant run. This morning, we went for a hike in a nearby campground...it was a nice ending to the weekend.
I managed to take some time out from the group activity and listen to my taping session from last week. I think I have a good take of almost everything I need, so that's good. The sound of the piccolo was a little disappointing, but that should be a given, I suppose. :) Now I just have to finalize everything by Friday.
In other news, I've decided to be a vegetarian again. I saw a really horrible chicken truck on the way to New Jersey, and I just can't quite shake the image. I feel a lot better after just a week of it, actually, and as long as I make sure I'm eating enough protien and iron, I think it's a good decision. My Team in Training friends sure gave me a hard time about it though! They said they made a bet about when I was going to give in and eat meat, but I think they were just kidding...in any case, they have no idea how resolved I can be. When I put my mind to something, it happens. And now that there is all this build up, I'm sure as hell not going to give in! I'm still eating fish and dairy, so I guess I'm not a full vegetarian, but here's my logic:
I have no problem going fishing and even killing fish. On the the other hand, I do have a problem with catching a chicken and cutting it's head off...so...I'll eat what I personally could kill...sound reasonable?
Now I have to get back into the swing of things here after being gone. It shouldn't be TOO hard...it was; afterall, only a bit more than a week...but somehow I feel like everything has been turned upside down since then...
ps---more camping pictures to come soon once elizabeth sends hers to me!
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