Why I Am Marrying Nathan Morris

Today is the first day in a long time where I have had an entire day with no scheduled obligations. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that I had nothing to do, it just means that there have been no specific times to be somewhere or do something. I should have worked on my Brahms paper. I should be working on my Brahms paper right now. But instead, I want to take a second to tell all of my blog friends a few reasons (that you might not already know) why I am super excited to get to be with Nathan Matthew Morris for the rest of forever.

1. He can reach things on shelves that I'll never be able to reach. And he can clearly see what is on top of the refrigerator. Every short girl can understand how useful this could be to have around all the time.

2. If I make dinner, he does the dishes. Without even being asked.

3. He has an amazing sense of direction. When left on my own, I have the potential to get all sorts of crazy lost- even if I have mapquest directions. He scans over the directions one time, and gets us places without a problem. Every time.

4. He loves my guinea pig. And sometimes refills her water if I forget.

5. He isn't a picky eater. I think it takes a brave man to marry a vegetarian who cooks meals that contain things like textured vegetable protein, couscous, and hummus. Not only does he eat what I eat, but he likes it! He's never complained to me about lack of carnage.

6. We have the same favorite color. I love that we both love orange!

7. He's usually pretty amazing at helping me chillax when I get all worked up over something. And believe me, I get worked up! However, he doesn't let me get away with being a brat, even when I feel justified in my brattiness.

8. He planned a secret honeymoon for me. He is awesome at surprises, and he knows that I love them.

9. I really love it that he likes sports. I love curling up on Sunday afternoons to watch a Colts game with him. Or when he talks about Jazz stats, or texts my dad after a stellar U of U football play.

10. The two of us together will never have a lack of good tunes. He shares my love for good music, and is always on the lookout for bands and songs and albums worth listening to.

All this and more will be mine in FOUR days. :)

Woot.

Do you like the new playlist?

The next 5 days will be devoted to:

3 book reports on pedigogical treatises

(I feel like I haven't written a book report since high school)

1 pedagogy doctoral project

1 music theory presentation on the Mozart Clarinet Concerto

1 formal analysis paper on a Brahms lied

practice Beethoven Sonata #5 for juries- find a pianist!!

... in that order

THEN the next 4 days:

Study for and rock at a pedagogy final

Finish formal analysis of Brahms

practice more for juries

wedding details

turn 25

go to the temple

... in that order

THEN 7 more days to:

play a stellar jury

turn in my Brahms Lied project

more wedding details

declutter

move 25 years worth of (de-cluttered) stuff into our tiny apartment

clean the space I'm leaving in my parent's house

BaChElOrEtTe PaRtY!

Pack for the mystery honeymoon

** New clue: 2 days cold, 5 days warm**

and THEN

Get Married

Have a Party

Go on Vacation

Celebrate first married Christmas

And married New Years

... in that order

SEE YA IN 2011!

Hot Kool Aid

Everyone that I live with has contracted death by chest cold.

Nathan's got it too.

What do the sickies want to drink?

Hot Lemonade.

So I make it for them.

And it reminds me of a seriously awesome Youtube video.

One of my favorite things to say to Nathan lately:

"I MADE THIS... FOR YOOOOU!"

They'll have their hot lemonade.

I'll keep sippin' Airbourne.

And we'll all be healthy and happy for finals and wedding.

I hope.

Watch the video. :)

Bella Umbrella

Due to the recent blizzards, I have started to get a little concerned that we might have some major snow on our wedding day.

Then I found THIS awesome website that rents out vintage umbrellas for weddings. And I may or may not have made a rental reservation. :)

Now I kind of hope that it does snow on December 18- big fluffy flakes that will land on our stylish vintage red umbrellas.

Catching Up. November Edition.

My sweet girl Gloria is now 2 years old. Happy Birthday Glo!! I'm so glad that I have her cute little personality in my life. I did a web search to find out how long guinea pigs live (5 years) and I ended up reading an extensive article about them on wikipedia. According to the article (which must be true, cause I found it online) native american witch doctors in Chile use guinea pigs in many of their healing ceremonies. Black guinea pigs, in particular, have extra potent healing powers. If you hold a black guinea pig near an infected area, or rub it on the chest of a sick person, it will be healed. After reading this, I tried to convince my mom to rub Gloria on her chest. Maybe Glo can heal cancer? But the article also stated that the only way to find out if the healing was effective is to cut open the guinea pig and examine it's internal organs. Hmmm.

Don't judge my Saturday Morning hair. Instead, notice the cuteness of Miss Gloria.

Nathan and I also went to the Kate Nash concert at In the Venue. When I bought two tickets for us, I was unaware that The Rocket Summer, Nathan's favorite band, was also playing at The Venue the same night, but on a different stage. And when we tried to buy last-minute tickets, they were all sold out. So Nathan, all decked out in his Rocket Summer shirt, was a good sport and came to Kate Nash as planned. And she was tons of fun. I'm glad we went. Do you like sassy British indie tunes? Check her out.

Did you know that Village Inn has free slice Wednesday? This means that you can go to any Village Inn on Wednesday night, and as long as you buy a drink or a meal. you get a free slice of amazing pie. We are fans. This could be potentially dangerous, because our new apartment is no less than 3 minutes from a Village Inn.

Go to www.savethewords.org and adopt a word that has been removed from the English dictionary due to lack of use. The words need our help. And the website is fun.

I had a good Sunday a while back. I was feeling less than happy, and generally grumpy at the world. I was probably a pain for Nathan to be around, and I know my family was sick of me. Then at church, testimony meeting reminded of what brings real happiness. It's about gratitude and caring about other people. I wish I was a person that this came naturally to, but I am not. I need to remember that every time I'm in a grumpy funk, I need to count my blessings, and think about others. And it works like a charm.

NEW GOALS- until the wedding

Practice cello for at least 3 hours, Mon-Sat

Do one secret sweet thing for Nathan every day

Be grateful. Write a gratitude list daily

Here's a funny story. On Thursday night, I had a wonderful bridal shower with the neighborhood women. There were all sorts of wonderful treats there, and they sent home a plate of left over goodies with me. Then yesterday morning, on the way out the door to school, I grabbed an eclair from the plate for breakfast. I also brought 4 sugar cookies for quartet rehearsal treats. At quartet rehearsal, Henrie also brought us cupcakes, and at break I ate a tiramisu cupcake, and a sugar cookie. When I got home after the orchestra concert, Nathan and Jeff came over. We went to the store to buy an ink cartridge to print address labels for wedding announcements, and while we were there, they picked up some drinks, and mint oreos, and little debbie snacks. And as we were labeling envelopes, I definitely ate many oreos, and carmel fudge cookies. And washed it all down with a Sobe. This morning I woke up feeling like junk. JUNK! Brides should not eat like that a month before their wedding. Nobody should eat like that, EVER.

Today, I have a cello lesson, then a bridal shower with my family, then we're going to go meet with our wedding videographer, and record a "love story" video, then I'm going to go play in the U of U orchestra scholarship concert number 2. Then maybe I get to hang out with Nathan after all of that.

We;re getting married in 28 days. The end of the semester is in 27 days. Right now, I am thankful for Thanksgiving coming soon. Cause I need a break!

Things I should blog about but never have time

Gloria's 2nd birthday and fun facts about Guinea Pigs

The Kate Nash (not Rocket Summer) concert

www.savethewords.org and my adopted word

A particularly good Sunday which inspired me to be a better person

NEW GOALS!

Country Dancing with Dutson and Hertig

Free Slice Wednesday at Village Inn

A delicious new Minestrone recipe

Do you want to hear more about any of those? Let me know.

Halloween and Whatever

Halloween 2010

Started with two kiddie concerts with the UofU Philharmonia. "Fire and Ice" theme. My favorite part was the little kid costume parade across the front of the stage. Kids in costumes are more cute than grown ups in costume.

Except that Nathan and I make a pretty cute Mario, and Luigi, don't ya think? If you're ever planning on being a Mario, or a Scarecrow, or a farmer, or anything like that for Halloween, don't think you can wait till the last minute to find overalls at the thrift store. Thanks to Nathan's resourcefulness, and after searching every thrift store in town, we found a pair of Jamilyn-sized tan overall capris, and an (almost) Nathan sized pair of green overalls, and dyed them both denim blue. You'd never guess, huh?

For Halloween Saturday, we were supposed to go to a church party with a chili cook-off, which would have been amazing, cause I love love love chili. Nathan and I made a big ol' pot of some burn-your-mouth-off delicious veg chili, and were ready to take it to the cook-off and win some major prizes. But when we got to the church, no one was there except for a news reporter and a camera crew. I guess someone tried to burn our church down. So the party was cancelled. SO LAME.

But it was ok, because instead, we got to go hang out with Jeffery Hertig, just returned from the Texas San Antonio Mission. I passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters at the Hertig home while Nathan and Jeff caught up on being BFFs. And then we went and got "fiddys" at McDonalds.

On Sunday Halloween, we went to Hertig's church to hear him speak. Then hung out at his house some more. Took an enormous nap, ate left overs for dinner and watched a movie. Man, we're boring.

And that was Halloween 2010.

We're getting married in 44 days.

It might was well be a billion.

Love in the Leaves

This is a sneak peak of a sneak peak of our Bride and Groom pictures taken last Friday. We haven't gotten the proofs back yet, and I'm really excited to see more, but you can check out a few on the James Erick Photography blog.

I'm really glad we caught the autumn leaves before the snow started drifting down. Seems like we were just in time. But man, it's a beautiful world we live in!

Cancer Sucks

I think it's hard to understand completely, unless you've lived with (or perhaps taken care of) a person with cancer- but cancer really really sucks.

This week, cancer has been reminding me of a really ugly and messy house guest that has outstayed it's welcome by a couple of years. A house guest that keeps switching rooms without notice. One that you think you've evicted, but keeps showing up again and again. LEAVE ALREADY! We're changing the locks.

To my amazing Mom- a full time kindergarden teacher, a full time masters student, and a full time cancer patient, a grandma, and my wedding planning assistant- I love you. I love bringing you luke-warm (how warm is luke?) peppermint tea and reading you John Rybicki poems into the night. And I know you think I'm not, but I'm so glad that you were able to come to my bridal pictures yesterday- the day after surgery. Thanks for climbing the Bountiful mountains in the amazing autumn leaves to tell me to straighten the sash of my dress. :)

This is one of the poems I skipped over when we were reading, because I can't read it out loud, especially to you, without getting all tight-throat. I know we're not Julie and John, but I know that this is how we are both feeling.

OUTSIDE THE BONE MARROW UNIT

by John Rybicki

It has been over a year since Julie waved

aside the wheelchair and walked in her own bright bones

out of that sterilized chamber; the butterfly

doors swung open and she walked out into air

that two weeks earlier could have killed her.

I'm worried that writing about cancer,

thinking about cancer, will start cancer

growing again inside her. Where in that sweet void,

where in those wide heavens

could it be hiding?

I stand on my toes and kiss one of my angels,

and in that kiss beg her

to take a stiff broom to this talk:

sweep the cancer back across the heavens;

please don't miss one crumb of it. Sweep

the cancer back into its black box of oblivion.

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing." he said.

Usually I completely agree with Pooh here. Food is often my favorite part of the day. But this week, other exciting things have happened. Nathan and I found a perfect apartment. We signed the lease. We bought a kitchen table. And started moving our stuff in. And that totally trumps breakfast.

** Excerpt from The World of Pooh by A. A. Milne, which I have been reading lately as bedtime stories. pp 147-48.

New Goal

Confession: Nathan and I have turned into TV junkies. It's embarrassingly all we ever do with our limited time together. I seriously don't even remember the last time we went outside to do something fun. And I'm a little disgusted with myself.

Glee is my absolute new favorite show. We watched the entire first season together on hulu so we could be caught up for the start of season two. And I'm loving it. Brittany as Britney Spears. Awesome. Grilled Cheesus. Hilarious. I don't even care if you make fun of me for being a Gleek.
The office is an old-time favorite. While Nathan was in Texas, I didn't watch a single episode of season 6 so that we could watch it together when he got back. And this week it became available on Netflicks on demand. We watched every episode within 3 days. Finished last night.
Top Gear is also a Netflicks favorite. Thanks to Ashley and Lynsie, we're hooked. I think we've watched almost every season available online. I usually fall asleep watching it, not because it's boring, but because we watch it way late into the night.
So, last night after Glee, then finishing the Office, and considering watching an episode of Top Gear before sleeping, I presented a novel plan. What if we went an entire week without TV. It would mean we'd have to be creative with our free time. We might even have to go outside. And we'd probably even have to talk to each other. But I think it would remind me that those are some of my favorite things about life.

So that's the goal. No TV this week. Reconvened for the next episode of Glee.

Autumn

Oh Autumn. Welcome back.

And... a new blog playlist! Welcome back to many autumn-y favorites!

Isn't it great that I'm finally done with the 30 day music challenge, so I can blog about real life again? After (what I thought was) a horrible week, I had a wonderfully rejuvenating weekend. I've been feeling so stuck in life lately- stuck in school, stuck living with my parents, stuck engaged, stuck in Utah, stuck in my job- but I this weekend helped me to realize that I have been being completely selfish. I feel like I need a wake-up call like this all the time! If I'm feeling unhappy with my situation, I need to just flip over the coin and look at all the good that's going on all around me. And then figure out how I can add even more to it. So this is me, publicly admitting my change of mind. My change of attitude. My flipping of the coin.

I found a new favorite place in Salt Lake. It's called The Beehive Tea Room, and it is divinely delicious! Imagine nibbling on a lavender white chocolate scone dipped in raspberry mint tea that has been stirred with a honey stick. YUM! And it's got ambiance. :)

Nathan and I picked up some loose herbal tea for the road. He decided on Chocolate Mint Rooibos. I know it's hard to believe, but I think it tops Kalamazoo's Waterstreet Peppermint Rooibos on my 'absolute favorite tea' list. Mmmm.

However, nothing has topped my favorite Sweetwater Donut mill. It's fall, and I'm craving a black forest cherry. It's been so long since I've had a DONUT!

Other delicious new find- Pumpkin Smash smoothies at Jamba Juice. It's like drinking pumpkin pie- in a pleasant way. These are the tastes of autumn.
My little morning orchestra class is so much fun (flip side of the coin- SUCH A CHALLENGE!) I am learning so so much. I might even be learning to play the violin in secret. But there are 9 adorable little uniform-clad children that show up each morning at 7:20, awake and eager to learn. The trick now is holding that enthusiasm all the way to 8:00. Eight year olds, I am learning, are SO so so different than college students. :)

I'm not sure what else to report. School is going well. I feel like I read more than I ever have in my life- and I love reading. Quartet is awesome. We're cruising through the Mendelssohn op. 13, Haydn "fifths" and a student composer piece called "Plains of Heaven," which doesn't sound like any heaven I've ever imagined. I had a revolutionary cello lesson where we did nothing but focus on the ends of notes. I think it might have changed my life. :) Wedding plans are truckin' along. This week's triumphs included Bridesmaid dresses and ring bearer outfits. It was awesome to watch/hear Hilary Haun rock the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at the Symphony. And awesome to see so many old friends with good news! Women's conference was an inspiration. And I'm looking forward to General Conference next weekend.

I am grateful for my wonderfully patient and hard-working fiance.

I am grateful for a free and comfortable place to live.

I am grateful to live close to family and friends, surrounded by the mountains.

I am thrilled to be getting married in less than 3 months.

I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and be challenged in my school and work.

And this is what helps me un-stick myself from my previous bad-mood week. Things are looking up.

And it's autumn!

DAY 30 (the end!!)- MY FAVORITE SONG THIS TIME LAST YEAR

This time last year, the wonderful Regina Spektor was touring with her fantastic new album, Far. And a year and six days ago, I went and saw her in concert at the Michigan Theater. The day before that, I purchased her new album. And for probably the next six weeks, I was on a non-stop Regina binge. My first favorite from the new album, I think, was Dance Anthem of the 80s. It helped me get out of my weird funk that was the summer 2009. And now, it's set as the ring tone for my alarm clock. :)

DAY 29 (are we done yet??)- A SONG FROM MY CHILDHOOD

Do you remember the awesome disney movie, The Little Mermaid? It made its fantastic debut into 1980s movie theaters merely 2 weeks before my 4th birthday. What better age is there to fall in love with an animated romance between a mermaid and a sailor? I submit that there is none. I loved it. I distinctly remember opening my birthday present from my grandma, an entire year later, and being ecstatic to pull The Little Mermaid VHS through the wrapping paper. I think it quickly replaced Flight of the Navigator and Never Ending Story on my 'most frequently watched' list.

In one of the pinnacle scenes of the movie, Ursula the Sea Witch has decided that in order to take over King Triton's kingdom, she will kidnap his youngest daughter, steal her voice, turn her human, and hold her ransom. She takes her to her deep, scary cave, lays out the plan, Ariel signs a contract, and pretty much sings her life away. This was one of my favorite scenes! Here's a childhood Jamilyn story: Imagine me and my best friend from across the street, Rebecca, ages 5 and 6, both die-hard Little Mermaid fans, hanging out on the swing set in the back yard and acting out the Ursula vs. Ariel scene. Rebecca was always Ariel, because she was older, and she thought she had a better voice. I would sing all the words to Poor Unfortunate Souls ( I still remember them to this day) and Rebecca would chime in on the "ahhh ahhh ahhhhhh" part. We thought we were so cool.

DAY 28- A SONG THAT MAKES ME FEEL GUILTY

I think this is the hardest one I've had to come up with so far. But since it's Sunday, this one has been in my head. I Stand All Amazed by Charles H. Gabriel has, on occasion, brought me to tears, but other times made me so happy, grateful, and overwhelmed by what Jesus Christ has done for me. I can't help but feel guilty sometimes. But the coolest part is that because of the atonement, I'm not a hopeless case. He'll always take me back, clean me up, and show me who he sees in me. "Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me."

Since the sound file I found doesn't have words, I'll share my favorite verse:

"I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine,

to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine

That he should extend his great love unto such as I

Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify!

Oh it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me

Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"

I feel like I need to give photo credit to our wonderful photographer, James Erick, for the engagement pictures that we all love so much. Thanks so much for your comments! Also, the hot car that we were lucky enough to use came from Something Vintage, Something Blue.

Engagement Pictures!!

Remember how we got our engagement pictures taken last Saturday? I was really surprised yesterday when the mail came, and when I opened it, our photographer had already sent us an entire CD of proofs! He is amazing! And we love them! Here are some of my favorites. Leave a comment and tell me your favorite ones.

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And then there are some that are a little goofy/ really odd.

Jamilyn on the chair

The Stink Eye

Rapist in the back seat

Girl without legs

K. Now tell me what you think.

:)

DAY 27- A SONG I WISH I COULD PLAY ON AN INSTUMENT

Have I told you all before how crazy I am about Joshua Radin? If I were to choose a celebrity crush, I think it might have to be him. I love his sound, I love his lyrics, I love his look. I wish I could play guitar like him. So my day #27 pick is one of my favorites of his songs, Paperweight. Maybe someday, if I'm lucky, he'll be looking for a rad cellists to go on tour with him. And somehow he'll choose me. I need to find out how to make that happen.

DAY 26- A SONG I CAN PLAY ON AN INSTRUMENT

I don't know how to play songs on any instrument.

Just kidding, I play the cello. :)

At my first cello lesson ever, in Richard Hoyt's clutttered basement, both my mom and I knew almost nothing about the cello, or cello repertoire. Luckily that day, Richard signed me up for a classical CD club membership. And for signing up, I got 7 free CDs. And in typical fashion, Richard picked them out for me. I'm grateful that he did. Among my first 7 cello CDs, he selected a 2 disc set of Yo Yo Ma playing Bach's solo cello suites, which quickly became my absolute favorite. I would lay in my dark room at night, surrounded by nothing but solo cello, and get excited for the day that I could finally learn to play like that. I was inspired.

About 5 years later, I finally learned the Prelude to Bach's First Cello Suite in G Major. And since then, I've learned suites 1-5 completely. I know that they are among the most famous and recognizable cello pieces ever, but they are still a very personal favorite of mine.

DAY 25- A SONG THAT MAKES ME LAUGH

If I Had A Million Dollars by the Bare Naked Ladies. Favorite line- "If I had a million dollars, if I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a green dress, but not a real green dress, that's cruel."

Also, Lazy Sunday. Favorite line- "I love those cupcakes like McAdams loves Gosling gosling gosling."

Recommend more funny songs! Youtube videos. Whatever.

Today was my first day of teaching early morning orchestra at Waterford school. There were only 5 kids that showed up. I made them a little survey to learn more about them. One of the questions said "I'm taking this class because I want to." And they could circle YES or NO. Only one kid circled YES. And his name is Shoop. I think he's from India. He might be my favorite.

DAY 24- A SONG I WANT PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL

I haven't planned my life this far in advance. But I've been thinking about this one for a few days now, cause I knew it was coming up. And the answer I came up with is a little bit cheesy, but who cares? It's my funeral. I'll tell them to play what I want to. And if I could leave a musical message to whom ever is left after I'm gone, I think it could be summed up by Simon and Garfunkel's awesome Bridge Over Troubled Water. Whether it be my parents, my lover, my friends, or my children and grandchildren, I want them to know that even when they are sad and troubled, I'm always there. I want to live my life so that my funeral feels like this song.

Engagement pictures were today. We got heckled by crazy down town drunk people more than once. Being engaged is fun.

DAY 23- A SONG I WANT PLAYED AT MY WEDDING

(which is in 98 days, by the way)

Here's a little story for ya. March 2004, T-ville Cheerleaders had just gotten back from Nationals in Florida and Jr. Prom was that weekend. I had a major crush on a certain geek named Nathan Morris, and he hadn't asked anyone to prom yet. During lunch, a bunch of friends, including Nathan and me, were hanging out in back of the choir room (which was the cool thing to do). Lynsie asked Nathan if he had asked anyone to prom, even though she knew he hadn't. Then she said, "why don't you ask Jamilyn." And then he did. Right there in front of everyone, he got down on one knee (foreshadowing the future a bit?) and asked me to go to prom with him. Of course I said yes!

This is us, looking super geeky and young, right before leaving for the dance.

And here is a very high school-ish quote from my journal entry after coming home that night.

"At the dance, he told me he liked me, and I told him I liked him too. We've never really talked like that before. It was cool. I really do like him best right now. The last song we danced to was 'It's Your Love' by Tim McGraw. It's going to make me think of Nathan Morris now, and our very first date. My last high school dance ever."

Ever since then, It's Your Love by Tim McGraw has kind of been our song. We dance to it in the kitchen when no one is watching. He learned how to play it on the guitar, and he sings it to me sometimes. When he was serving in Texas, for at least the first year and a half, it was on the list of songs I couldn't bring myself to listen to. And on the night he came home, it was one of the first songs that we listened to again together.

And now, in just a little over 3 months, we'll play it at our wedding. For our first dance as husband and wife.

DAY 22- A SONG I LISTEN TO WHEN I'M SAD

I have a lot of favorite songs on the mellow/sad side of things. Which I think is funny, cause I don't consider myself a particularly sad person. (maybe mellow, though.) I considered posting about The Chain, by Ingrid Michaelson, or Star Mile by Joshua Radin, or World Spins Madly On by The Weepies, Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight by Amos Lee, Let it Be Me by Ray Lamontagne, or Hard Times by Eastmountain South. (If you don't know any of those, I think you probably should.) But somehow Between The Bars by Elliot Smith connects to a deeper level of sad than the others. So if I'm really really devastatingly downcast, melancholy, forlorn, or utterly heartbroken, I'd seek comfort in the music of Elliot Smith.

DAY 21- A SONG THAT I LISTEN TO WHEN I'M HAPPY

This song is called Grace Kelly by MIKA. Doesn't it make you happy? I first heard MIKA in my creative arts class at Utah State. In a ginormous class with over 600 students, mostly freshmen, packed into Kent Concert Hall, we watched the music video for this song to point out his creative use of costume and lighting. I think our professor just really liked the song. And thanks to him, now I like it too.

I have exactly 100 days left of life as single Jamilyn. I bet it's gonna go fast!

DAY 20- A SONG I LISTEN TO WHEN I'M ANGRY

Any song by Apocalyptica. Some are more angry than others. But I think that listening to stuff without words helps me to be less distracted, sort through my thoughts, and get un-angry. Apocalyptica is so rad that it's easy to turn around a bad mood listening to them anyway.

We're headed to Park City for a little Labor Day overnighter! I'm definitely not angry.

DAY 19- A SONG FROM MY FAVORITE ALBUM

Which is 11:11 by Regina Spektor. Hands Down.

Above all of my many favorites, Regina stands alone. I love all of her stuff, from Songs to Far. But 11:11 feels more awesome than the rest. I vividly remember the first time I heard Regina, and it was the 11:11 album that I heard. I was with Nathan in his grandparent's basement, I'm guessing summer of 2006, and we were cleaning his room. He was excited to show me this awesome new singer he had discovered on myspace. And I had never heard anything like it ever before. A few months later we went to her Begin To Hope concert at The Venue, where she stopped and giggled at the sound of the train horn blowing in the middle of her song. And I was completely hooked.

Man, what song to choose from 11:11? They are all wonderful in a raw and simple way. Pavlov's Daughter has been a favorite for a while now. I love the scat stuff at the beginning, and her Regina-style rapping, and the contrasting slow, Russianesque middle section. And the random spurt of poetry that ends it all. I get this song stuck in my head a lot. :)

For some reason, the playlist version of Pavlov's Daughter isn't working very well. So I also added my newest favorite Regina song, which is Real Love from the Instant Karma album.

DAY 18- A SONG I WISH I HEARD ON THE RADIO

Ya know what? I wish that radio stations played more Imogen Heap. And by more Imogen, I mean any at all. A good one that they could start with is Hide And Seek. I don't know anyone who doesn't like that song. (well, I take that back. My dear Mom doesn't like it because it says "What the hell.")

Know what is lame? There is an annoying song that is a blatant ripoff of Hide and Seek that gets TONS of radio air time. I vote that every time a radio station is considering playing Jason Derulo's song "Whatcha Say," they bust that CD in half, and play some Imogen Heap instead.

DAYS 13-16

Apparently I skipped a few days in the music project. And then stopped blogging for a few days. But I'm back, and playing catch up. Man, the combination of doctoral school and fiance equal limited amounts of free time. ever. Luckily school and Nathan are two of my favorite things, huh?

DAY 13- A SONG THAT IS A GUILTY PLEASURE

How about WANNA BE by THE SPICE GIRLS. The song was cool in 5th grade. And maybe I feel a little silly for getting excited when it comes up in an itunes playlist.

DAY 14- A SONG THAT NO ONE WOULD EXPECT ME TO LOVE

Do people have expectations for songs that I love? I sort of feel like the songs that I love cover a wide spectrum. But maybe HATE ME by BLUE OCTOBER is a little un-Jamilyn-ish. But I still love it. Would you expect that? Tell me a song that you WOULDN'T expect.

DAY 15- A SONG THAT DESCRIBES YOU

Man, I feel like this is kind of a bold statement. As far as I know, no one has ever written a song about me. And I'm not quite like anyone else. So no song really describes me. But if someone were to write a song about me, I think it might be something like ALWAYS A WOMAN by BILLY JOEL. At lease I hope it would.

DAY 16- A SONG THAT I USED TO LOVE, BUT NOW HATE

Easy one. CANON IN D by PACHELBEL. Before I started playing the cello, when ever I heard this song, I used to think it was so so so wonderful. And beautiful. Nearly transcendent. I would imagine my future wedding (like little girls do) and I would see myself walking down a rose-petal laced isle while a string quartet passionately played this glorious song in the background. But now, after ten years of cello playing, and at least 50 performances of this song at wedding gigs, I now feel differently. The same 8 notes are repeated in the cello line no less than 50 times. After 2500 repetitions of the same ostinato in one's lifetime, I think any quartet cellist can tell you how they feel about this song. Even when it's all jazzed up, I'm still not a fan.

DAY 17- A SONG I HEAR OFTEN ON THE RADIO

Lay Me Down by the Dirty Heads. I hear this song a lot, and I guess I'm not quite sick of it yet. I don't instantly change the station like I do when I hear other overplayed songs like airplanes and shooting stars, california girls, cooler than me, billionaires, or even that new one by Maroon 5.

Man, I'm in a horrible mood. Probably no emotional state to be blogging. All I can say is that this week MUST go better than last week. I need to find some positive energy, good karma, or what ever. Or I might have a mental break down. And move to Costa Rica. And sell bananas for a living.

I'll letcha know how it goes.

DAY 12- A SONG FROM A BAND I HATE

Now ya see, this one is tricky too, because I don't know songs from bands that I hate, because I don't listen to them. I had a hard time thinking of any bands, or even artists for that matter, that I absolutely can not stand. I think this is as close as I'm going to get this morning. Although I think Amy Winehouse is a trashy mess, and most of her music isn't worth spending my time on, I really actually do like her song Rehab. Do you have a band/artist that you hate more?

DAY 11- A SONG FROM MY FAVORITE BAND

This is almost as hard as choosing my favorite song. There are so many bands that I like. And those bands have so many good songs! :) Here, in no particular order, are my favorite songs from 5 of my favorite bands.

The Beatles- Something (The Radiohead cover on the playlist isn't bad either)

The Rocket Summer- Around The Clock

U2- All I Want Is You

Iron and Wine- My Lady's House

The Postal Service- Brand New Colony

And here, in no particular order, are 4 things that are frustrating me about school.

I have non-residency tuition status in a state that I've lived for 22 years of my life

I still don't know who my cello teacher is going to be

My textbooks for remedial theory cost $150

The graduate quartet can't find more than 2 hours of rehearsal time that work for everyone

Dear blog readers, do you have a favorite song from a favorite band? If so, let me know!

DAY 10- A SONG THAT MAKES ME FALL ASLEEP

Not that it's boring or uninteresting at all, but Godspeed by the Dixie Chicks is a song that I love falling asleep to. It's just a beautiful country lully full of love and comfort. And it flies me away to dreamland.

It seems like no matter what school I go to, Wednesdays are crazy. 2 and a half hours of Graduate Quartet, followed by 2 hours of Orchestra, followed by 2 and a half more hours of Theory Survey. Not to mention cello practice. Looks like no more home-made pizza wednesdays.

DAY 9- A SONG I CAN DANCE TO

I don't know if I can necessarily dance. I like music, and I like to groove to it, but I'm pretty sure I look more like a fool than a dancer. But who cares, right? A song that I have danced to since high school, in the car, at a KOA campground in Cedar city, at sleepovers, and most recently at Katie's Wedding, is I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston. A friend once told me that no good music came out of the 80s. Well, dear friend, with this song as top evidence, I'd like to disagree.

What do you groove to?

DAY 8- A SONG I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO

Alright, I'm not usually the type to gush over broadway soundtracks, but this one is completely worth it. I was first introduced to it by vocal performance roommate Karlie (from the prenup story). And I was surprised when I moved to Michigan that many of my friends out there knew it too. Karlie and listened to it at top volume as we mopped the kitchen floor. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I spent a few nights crying to it in Kalamazoo. I absolutely love the music, and the creativity of the plot line- how Jamie and Kathy's stories weave in and out of each other. I love that this musical only has two actors. And that the orchestra features two cellos. When I got an email from a musical director in Benton Harbor looking for a Last Five Years cellist, I jumped at the chance. And brought along cello pal Bethany and violin pal Ishtar to fill out the string section. And that's how we all spent spring break 2009- rehearsing and performing in a little off-broadway production of my favorite show. And because of all of that, I now know every word of every song of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. And I still sing along at the top of my voice. If you've never heard this music, even if you hate broadway, check it out!

Today is my first day of 19th grade. I'm starting my Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at the University of Utah. I've figured out how to get to school on Trax, I impressed my new professors with my music history placement exam, and I landed co-principal cellist (why always CO principal?) in the top orchestra at my audition last night. So I guess I'm off to a good start. I'm full of high hopes and anticipation- the kind that only come along with the first day of school. Wish me luck!

DAY 7- A SONG THAT REMINDS ME OF A CERTAIN EVENT

August 2006, Nathan and I haven't spoken for most of the summer due to an epic break up in early June. He calls me up to remind me that he still has the Death Cab For Cutie tickets that we bought together almost 4 months earlier. He wants to know if we still want to go- as friends- or if he should try to sell them. I apprehensively agree to go, not knowing at all what to expect. He drives to Logan on his motorcycle, but we drive my little Escort down to the concert in Orem. We have lots of time to talk. I apologize, he listens. At the concert, we miss most of the opening band, but we still have time to buy t-shirts. We laugh together as we change shirts under the bleachers. We have seats in the stands, but we wish we were with all the cool people on the floor. The music is awesome either way. Ben Gibbard plays guitar, keyboards, drums, and sings. They don't even really need other band members. After 2 or 3 encore numbers, including a cover of Weezer's Sweater Song, they pull out the one we came to see. Imagine only Ben and his guitar, alone on a black stage, singing I Will Follow You Into the Dark. Something about that night changed Nathan and me. Or maybe just changed me. But I realized what a lucky lucky girl I am to have a friend like him. A friend who listens, and respects, and forgives. A friend who, no matter what we're doing, I have the time of my life with. A friend who really does, in a sense, follow me into the dark. And no one ever compares. From that moment on, I stopped taking him for granted. This song reminds me of that concert. And that concert reminds me of a path, chosen at a fork in the road, that lead me to where we are now.

DAY 6- A SONG THAT REMINDS ME OF SOMEWHERE

This is a post dedicated to songs that remind me of Michigan. My day 6 pick is called All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands by the wonderful Sufjan Stevens. But I'd say that pretty much any Sufjan song reminds me of my time spent in the 269. I think I got my first Sufjan Stevens song on a Bekah-made mix CD, so I knew about him in Utah. But when I moved to the land of trees and lakes, something with me and his music really clicked. Many a cozy night was spent in my little studio apartment drinking peppermint rooibos and chillin' out to the Greetings From Michigan album. The general mood of his music is a close match to my general mood in Michigan, which I think created a kind of sympathetic vibration with my soul. That also happened with the music of another Midwest native, Daisy May, who will always remind me of Martini's delicious margherita pizza, and a delightfully crowded CD release party upstairs. And when we randomly found her and Seth Bernard at the Lansing Art Festival. Alexi Murdoch's song Wait is another Michigan-esque song for me, as well as anything by Brett Dennon, Rachel Davis, or Wilco. Oh. And Breathe Owl Breath, and Crooked Still will forever be great musical souvenirs of my last Michigan Hurrah!

DAY 5- A SONG THAT REMINDS ME OF SOMEONE

I have one song that reminds me of two people. Both memories are from the era of the Yellow House in Logan, UT. With two of my favorite people from my Utah State music family. And the song is Gold Digger by Kanye West.

This is Nyle. He is one fantastic pianist. A loyal friend. A dance dance revolution champion. And a killer karaoke singer. Where ever there is Nyle, there is a party. We were singing karaoke one such spring night at Yellow House, and Nyle busted out Gold Digger. Now you might not think Nyle to be the type, but he totally rocked it as if he were Kanye himself. And now any time I hear it, I think of him. And wish that Austin, Texas were closer to Utah than it really is.

And THIS is Karlie Ann Rhodes Keisker Ady. And she was my roommate in Yellow House. Together we braved the cold cold winters of no heat plus no hot water plus spiders as big as my hand plus frequent basement flooding. So naturally we became pretty close. Gold Digger reminds me of her, because, bless her heart, it taught her a new vocabulary word. Karlie and I are both quite fond of food, and we would cook together often, listening and dancing around to our trusty ipod docking station in the kitchen. One night while cooking together and listening to Gold Digger on the ipod, she decided to make some appetizers while we waited for the real dinner to be done- and she called them "prenup"- meaning (in her creative mind) the food you eat before you eat dinner. Ha. And she seriously thought that's what prenup meant. So now whenever I hear Kanye say the line "Holla WE WANT PRENUP! Yeeeeaaahhhh" I can only think of dear Karlie. And to me, appetizers will always be prenup. :)

Do any songs remind YOU of ME?

DAY 4- A SONG THAT MAKES ME SAD

I know this is a throw back, but it was one of my favorites for a long long time. And maybe it still is. But Let Her Cry by Hootie and the Blowfish is a classic Jamilyn song that still makes me sad sometimes.

Day one of placement exams- OVER! And I'm feelin' good.

DAY 3- A SONG THAT MAKES ME HAPPY

It's been a wonderful day. Tongan musical number in church, BBQ veggie burgers, the idea of Nathan changing his last name to Beckstrom in a non-conventional move, and many rounds of 'delmudi' with the adult fam. And tomorrow starts the dreaded graduate school placement exams. Even the idea of 8 hours worth of music history essay questions makes me want to bang my head against the wall. Wish me luck.

In lieu of that, I'll make this entry short so I can get some good pre-exam sleep. A song that has been making me happy for a long time is called MERRY HAPPY by Kate Nash. Something about the brittish accent, appreciation for good bums, and ending phrases with "doot doo, da doot doo!" make me merry happy. :)

A song that makes YOU happy?

DAY 2- MY LEAST FAVORITE SONG

Remember how the CD player and ipod adapter were stolen from my car last spring? (jerks!) Well, I used the insurance money to buy my awesome bike, and was lucky enough to have a car friend help me install a new tape player from the junk yard. And since I discarded all of my most awesome tapes in ... maybe the 4th grade, I've been listening to lots of radio in the car. That is the major component in the selection of my two least favorite songs, tied in first place for the songs I would least like to hear ever again any time soon. Your Love Is My Drug by KE$HA and also California Gurls by Katy Perry. If simply listening to them isn't enough to drive you out of your mind, imagine turning on the radio every day and having one or both of them playing on at least one radio station. And then again 20 minutes later. And again. And again. And again. It's enough to make a girl drive around in silence! Fellow Utah Cd-less drivers- Do you know of any radio stations where I can find solace in some Ingrid Michaelson, Nick Drake, or Iron and Wine? And also, what's your least favorite song?

It's All About The Music!

I'm completely stealing this idea from Adrienne, but I like the sound of it. Music is kind of a big deal for me, so this should be fun. And ya might learn a thing or two about me in the meantime!

"It's the 30 day music challenge. Everyday for the next 30 days I'm going to dedicate a post to a certain song, according to this list:"

Day 1 - Your favorite song

Day 2 - Your least favorite song

Day 3 - A song that makes you happy

Day 4 - A song that makes you sad

Day 5 - A song that reminds you of someone

Day 6 - A song that reminds you of somewhere

Day 7 - A song that reminds you of a certain event

Day 8 - A song that you know all the words to

Day 9 - A song that you can dance to

Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep

Day 11 - A song from your favorite band

Day 12 - A song from a band you hate

Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure

Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love

Day 15 - A song that describes you

Day 16 - A song that you used to love but now hate

Day 17 - A song that you hear often on the radio

Day 18 - A song that you wish you heard on the radio

Day 19 - A song from your favorite album

Day 20 - A song that you listen to when you're angry

Day 21 - A song that you listen to when you're happy

Day 22 - A song that you listen to when you're sad

Day 23 - A song that you want to play at your wedding

Day 24 - A song that you want to play at your funeral

Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh

Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument

Day 27 - A song that you wish you could play

Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty

Day 29 - A song from your childhood

Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year

DAY ONE- MY FAVORITE SONG

Hmmmm. This is ALWAYS always a hard question for me to answer. My favorite song right now? My favorite song of all time? My favorite song by my favorite Regina Spektor or James Taylor or the Beatles? ... or maybe my favorite Bach or Shostakovich? I'm going to go with my favorite song TODAY. The Bird and the Worm by Owl City. It's so happy, and silly, and reminds me of everything sun and summery. And lately I feel silly and happy and in love. Plus, this adorable video is where I first heard it. And I'm so excited that this guy is going to be our wedding videographer :)

At the end of these music posts, leave a comment and tell me your "song of the day" pick. I'm always up for awesome new music ideas. So... what's YOUR favorite song?