I'm really back. Really, really.

Hello all. It has been a couple of weeks since my last post. How depressing! Nothing amazing or noteworthy here... WELL, okay that's not true. Here are some things that have brightened my existence since I've been home:

• Finally feasting my eyes on the Rocky Mountains. Today as I walked across campus I was once again struck by their epic beauty. I was crossing the plaza of the library and had to catch my breath when I saw them - just bold and huge and unforgiving. It is amazing to me how they can evoke such emotion simply be being. The colors are earthy this time of year and the clouds occasionally kiss the tops as if to say, "Oh hello, massive piece of land that thrust up through the earth's crust! Here, have a kiss!"
  
• Seeing Manny again! I love my bicycle! He is a good boy. He needs some fixing up and fine-tuning but we will be riding soon!
  
• Living with the Schmidts. They are so good to me. I am still living out of my suitcase and I am barely home, but I have a bed to sleep on and the best roomies in the world...
• Driving in cars??? I guess I forgot about this over the summer, but when Peggy picked me up from the airport I was tripping on the fact that I was riding passenger seat in a car. I took a few taxis in NYC, but never drove in a CAR. It was so weird.
• I have slight agoraphobia here. The streets are SO WIDE and there is SO MUCH SPACE and the buildings are SO SHORT. I miss the claustrophobia!
• Seeing familiar faces :) I got my sushi fix with Ruby, my backyard barbeque fix with Kyle, my Cafe Rio fix with Austin, my home-sweet-home fix with Bryan, my Pie fix with Patreek, my girl-talk fix with Leah, and now that school has started - I am overwhelmed with friends and colleagues here in the Music building.

Something important: I fall asleep to crickets here instead of cars. Let me explain:
Last night I was writing in my journal and paused for a moment. I looked up and rested my pen against my lips and closed my eyes. The music from my laptop was transitioning songs, and during those three seconds of silence I heard crickets coming from outside. I quickly paused the music before the next song played and resumed that still position. I listened to the crickets for a good ten minutes. I closed my journal and got under the covers. I listened and smiled and fell asleep. How wonderful that 2,000 miles away some girl in her bed was settling in for the night and heard the city traffic, smiled, and fell asleep to it.

I am amazed by life and its transitions. I am humbled by the opportunities I've had at such a young age. I will happily anticipate the adventures to come.

"It's not New York or Hawai'i, buuuuuuut it's where we live!" -Kyle Martin

Love to all.