ONE WEEK

Hi guys,

So, yeah. One week. Seven days until I get on an airplane at 6am and fly back to California.

Since the anticipation has been killing me, I think it might be good for me to take a little time to think about what I'm grateful for here in Colorado. Here are three things that have made this summer bearable.

1. Time. The truth is, school is stressful-- we all know that. After the intensity of two semesters of the heaviest workload I've ever had, it's been really good to have the time to decompress. Read stuff I want to read. Have the peace of mind to actually write some music. Reconnect with some old friends. Spend days just doing nothing. Sure, doing nothing can become really boring, but sometimes it can be healthy too.

2. My Family. Now that I've been able to spend a lot of time away from my family, testing out my sense of identity on my own, I've been able to see how much they've influenced who I am. And you know what? I really love my family. Like, I really love them. And I'm more grateful for them now than I ever have been.

3. My Summer Job. Although having a generic (and rather unimportant) desk job over the summer got extremely boring at times, it was also a really good experience. It gave me a reason to get up in the morning. It put some money in my pocket-- I mean, uh, savings account. *cough* I got great work experience with database software and data entry. Best of all, my co-workers and supervisors were all very nice and patient with me (which is more than can be said for previous jobs I've had).

So I guess what I'm saying is, I know I've been griping about missing California, but the truth is there's a lot of good stuff here at home too.

For instance, today my dad and I drove up to Aspen to hear the dress rehearsal for the final performance of the Aspen Music Festival. Did you know that Mahler's 8th symphony is about 1.5 hours long? I do now. I also now know that the drive from Denver to Aspen has some of the most stunningly beautiful views in Colorado.

In conclusion, DFTBA.

Emily

P.S. My next post will be written from CALIFORNIA!!!!