"Sayonara, America"

Everyone, thank you.

I love you, and will miss seeing your faces.

Talk to me on Facebook, on Twitter,

or, even better, leave me a little note here on Whimsical Musical.

Once I get settled, I'll post again.

And also, I wanted to leave you with a magnificent quote

from C.S. Lewis:

Imagine yourself as a living house.

God comes in to rebuild that house.

At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing.

He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently, He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of -- throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.

He intends to come and live in it Himself.

Image via Neptune

"Village of the King"

"The unexamined life is not worth living." -Socrates

A song that is particularly close to my heart is

"Village of the King", originally sung by Felicia Sorenson

{who is now, regrettably, a very different woman}.

It thrills me to make music with talented people.

{*ahem* Bryn *ahem*}

So, when Rob agreed to record this beautiful song with me,

I was very smiley. {*twinkle*}

Forgive us if we're out of tune,

the goal was to have fun {atleast for me}.

By the way, Bryn, we're going to record a myriad of songs

once we're both back in America.

Your talents will be utilized. {merherher.}

Image via Dalla

"21"

"May you live all the days of your life." -Jonathan Swift

This is the first {and last} time I'll celebrate my birthday

TWICE in one year.

Mom was thinking of doing it Christmas day,

but that was a little much.

{I turn 21 on January 2nd.}

I drove over to my family's home yesterday afternoon

and helped top a fruit pizza Mom was so kindly making for me.

"A birthday fruit pizza", she called it.

And it was so good.
We enjoyed watching the beginning of Julie & Julia together

before the boys came home.

At which time, we switched to Guitar Hero mode,

and I discovered my love for electronic, musically-inaccurate drums.

{You get the guitar from now on, Chan;

I want the drum kit.}

Pere's too much of a real musician to play such a silly game.

{He's amazing.}
Mom got me a SPA TREATMENT for a gift.

Oh, how well she knows me.

I love you, Mere.

We dined at Red Robin for dinner {a.k.a. "tea" for you, Bryn-love}

and watched the beautifully refreshing film, Sherlock Holmes.

And for those who don't understand why we celebrated a little bit early,

please refer to prior blog posts.

{Psst, I'll be out of the country.}

Happy birthday in advance to all the other January babies!

{That means you too, Mom!}

"Wolf Lass {and other fine fotos}"

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang the best." -Henry Van Dyke

So, my friend is incredibly gifted.

Not too long ago, some gals and I gathered at the library

and had ourselves a little "fantasy photoshoot".

{Laura wished for some new pictures to play with on her computer.}

What became of the promising photos is a work-in-process...

This beautiful wolf transformation is the first of the batch

{and I'll post the others as they're created.}

Oh, and I fully encourage you to look at Laura's enchanting gallery.

You will be dazzled.

---

Also, there are outtakes.

{Which makes me grin; my favorite part of a dvd is the blooper reel.}

Here are some favorites:

Miss Kristen is absolutely hilarious to pose with.

Thank you, dears, for another unforgettable memory

of which I will pack in my suitcase to Japan.

5 more days, loves.

"Some Days, the Muse Ain't Here"

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops..." -Dorothy

No, that isn't me looking at the lyrics WHILE I SING.

{Miss Marcie--"Voice Teacher"--is probably crying right now.}

This just shows how awful I sing sometimes.

...Or I just bite in front of a camera.

I'll try harder. Promise.

And to the individual who requested this song, I hope you can use the audio track, despite the awkward key change.

{Maybe you could do an awesome mini chord progression on your ukelele?}

If YOU have a request, lovely blog reader, I'm sure you won't tell me now that you've seen how nicely I botch up my music. Or maybe you'll be brave and ask me anyways.

You never what what yer gonna get... kufufufu <--Japanese cackle.

PS: I really do love this song.

PPS: Have a beautiful, cozy, Merry Christmas!

"Have Yourself a Snowy Little Weekend"

"When he spoke, what tender words he used! So softly, that like flakes of feathered snow, they melted as they fell." -John Dryden

One of the best things about Utah

{and, sometimes, the worst}

is the snow.

I hope you're enjoying your countdown to Christmas!

{And not too much sangria... ourgh, my stomach hates me.}

By this time, we're usually celebrating (LDS) Advent with our German friends,

but this year is a little different.

For those of you who don't get white Christmases...

I'll send some snow your way! Whoosh!

"Farewell, Mates"

{Music credit: "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas}

"We only part to meet again." -John Gay

...And by "boss", he meant "landlord". {Sorry about the noise, Sam.}

Our last night all together turned into boot camp.

{I guess it makes sense, Caz being a soldier and all.}

The past few months have really been incredible, guys.

The movies, the ice skating, the light-seeing, the corn mazes...

But this isn't the end, no sir!

Until next year! {muah!}

"Putting Up the Tree"

"Tradition is a guide and not a jailer." -William Somerset MaughamThe week before Christmas, and our tree is finally up.

{We're normally the people who whip out the decos after Thanksgiving dinner.}

Well, better late than never!

"An Almost-Proposal"

{Image via Niko}

"The heart has reasons that reason does not understand."

-Jacques B. Bossuel

Last night, I was nearly proposed to.

I met a boy on Facebook {red flag already...?}

We have one mutual friend, so I asked her about him {is he safe to date?}

She confirmed he was, and so I accepted the boy's {very polite} invitation.

At first, it was absolutely enjoyable.

We played an intense game of chess at Barnes & Noble, and I totally won.

{Which never happens.}

And then, to make my smile grow, we dined at Kneaders.

I was very comfortable all throughout,

being in "my element" at Barnes & Noble,

winning a game of chess,

eating at Kneaders,

befriending a fellow composer and lover of John Mayer...

...And then, he took me to a ring shoppe.

And he asked me to pick one.

I stared at him, cough-laughed, blinked alot...

I thought it might be a joke...

like, his friends dared him to scare some girl he doesn't know...?

But he was dead serious.

And so, I shook my head, and played along,

trying on the most expensive-looking one.

But he didn't even blink,

and instead, placed a 3 carat diamond on the crown saying,

"That looks so beautiful on you."

and,

"Couldn't you see yourself wearing that every day?"

and,

"Your set plans can change very quickly."

implying,

"You can stay home from Japan. You can marry me."

...

We went to the movies, afterward.

And while I was whisking myself away in the romance onscreen,

he leaned over and whispered in my ear,

"I love you."

...

He was beautiful, towering over me in his long coat,

his face sweet, his hair dark and curled.

But there was something amiss in his mind,

as though a girl should be nothing-but excited to accept a stranger's proposal.

I may be old fashioned in some ways,

but instant marriage is not one of them.

...

So, there you have it.

My first experience ring shopping, and it was with a complete stranger.

I've decided my new theme song is "Don't Say You Love Me" by M2M.

It's rather relatable.

"I'm Not Even Married, Let Alone..."

{Image via Andrez}

The valve (or something) on my refrigerator's water dispenser broke.

So, I trotted up the stairs to my landlord's office and blurted,

"Sam! My water thingy broke!"

...

He doubled over and laugh-yelled,

"Don't ever say that!"

Ah, it's the little things. :)

"Penelope"

"I like myself the way I am!" -Penelope ("Penelope")

If all movies could be like this one,
the world would be a little brighter, I think.

My problems may not be as apparent as the nose on my face,

but they exist

{in my arms and on my belly... ;)}

This film helped me love myself more,

imperfections and all.

And in fact, it was Penelope's nose that made her perfect;

it taught her how to love herself for who she was.

I don't have to hide behind a wall,

no, I don't have to hide at all.

Thank you, filmmakers.

Thank you, Penelope.

"Icy Lights"

"Stop making noises!" -Rob Alexander

'tis the Season... for ice!
Friends and I hit up the BYU party at Peaks Arena,
and played us some broom hockey.
{I really just filmed it, clasping my camera for fear of it breaking on the ice.}

The next day, we drove through the Thanksgiving Point light show.
And it was beautiful!
When we were passing the nativity scene,
Belinda began to talk in the backseat.
And this is when Rob said his epic quote of the night:
"STOP MAKING NOISES!"
Which, he wasn't saying to her,
he was saying it to the tinny protests his window was making as he rolled it down.
But it shut poor Belinda up pretty dang well.
What a hoot.

"Colors of the Wind"

"You can own the earth and still, all you'll own is earth until... you can paint with all the colors of the wind." -Pocahontas (Disney's Pocahontas)While doing my homework the other night,

I watched one of the most beautiful Disney classics.

And I was so moved by Judy Kuhn's vocals, that

I had to try singing the theme song myself.

♥

宿題をやりながら、

一番奇麗なディズニーの映画を見た。

ジュディクンの声が気にいったので、

テームソングを歌いたかったので。。。

どうぞよろしく。：）

"One of My Favorites"

"Love"

by Billy Collins

The boy at the far end of the train car

kept looking behind him

as if he were afraid or expecting someone

and then she appeared in the glass door

of the forward car and he rose

and opened the door and let her in

and she entered the car carrying

a large black case

in the unmistakable shape of a cello.

She looked like an angel with a high forehead

and somber eyes and her hair

was tied up behind her neck with a black bow.

And because all of that,

he seemed a little awkward

in his happiness to see her,

whereas she was simply there,

perfectly existing as a creature

with a soft face who played the cello.

And the reason I am writing this

on the back of a manila envelope

now that the two have left the train together

is to tell you that when she turned

to lift the large, delicate cello

onto the overhead rack,

I saw him looking up at her

and what she was doing

the way the eyes of saints are painted

when they are looking up at God

when he is doing something remarkable,

something that identifies him as God.

{Image via Emmy C}