Birthday Week, Spring Break, and a Joyous Feeling

Last week was Spring Break and it was absolutely stupendous! I went to New Mexico to visit my sister, Nicole, and I just had a great time. The day after I got there, when I wasn't even acclimated yet, I did a 13 mile hike with her and Joel up and around Sandia Peak. It was beautiful! Actually, all I saw in New Mexico, for the most part, was beautiful. There was so much space, so much sky, and the air was so free. I couldn't get over it all. Living in Chicago really makes you appreciate simple things like that. But as great as break was, I was glad to return to Chicago and see all my friends again.

Not to mention that when I got back it was my birthday! Monday I celebrated my birthday by going to Target and Walgreens with Kathleen and Steph. We bought a Bob Dylan movie called "I'm Not There" and purple hair dye. I had fun dying the bottom layer of my hair purple and then we watched the movie, not going to bed 'til after midnight. Tuesday was the real celebration, however. Kathleen, Steph, and I took our unexcused absence from Concert Band and went downtown. We walked out to Lake Michigan and laid out in the sun for an hour, then went to an Irish pub for some food, got a Shamrock Shake from McDonalds, and finished off with more sun-soaking in Millennium Park (where we were randomly interviewed by college students with mic and camcorder about love). The rest of this week has been phenomenal in its own right as well. Wednesday at Jazz Band I just had a blast, it was so much fun, and I was playing pretty well - certainly not perfect, but well. I had fun in Concert Band on Thursday, especially since it was my ONLY class. I got a good lot of stuff taken care of on Thursday morning, and that was good. Percussion Ensemble was fun too - and our concert is coming up in just a couple weeks! I'm excited. I like Percussion Ensemble, it's fun to play percussion instruments.

Anyways, I've been exuberantly elated these past few days, and I really have no rational explanation for it. But if I had some really, really down weeks, I guess it makes sense that I should have an equal and opposite reaction! :) I just hope that things don't taper off too violently. But I'll try not to think about that. I'm in a great mood right now, bubbling and bursting with happiness, and I don't need to worry myself over when it's going to end.

Have a great week everyone!

~monkey