I feel like a thousand pounds have been taken off my shoulders. 

  Lately everything has been crazy.  I'm in high school taking Honors classes, I'm in cheer, I've been doing stuff with choir, my siblings have been in plays...  It's all great.  Really.  But I think, deep down, I was on the verge of drowning.  My lips were still far enough from the water that I could still breathe, but it would only be moments before the exhaustion hit me and my ability to keep swimming would dissolve.  

  Yesterday I took part in a big state-wide event called Regionals.  It's for high school music students, and as a part of choir I was highly encouraged way back in November to sign up.  Being the sucker that I am, I gave in to my choir teachers' persuading pleadings and signed up.  And not saying that I regret that either.  It was a good experience to learn a classical song {Beneath a Weeping Willow's Shade by Francis Hopkinson}, practice my sight-reading, and take part in a big competition, I just don't know if I'll necessarily do it again. There's only 25 people in each section, SATB, that makes it, and those that do have to practice every day for some big event.  And the song that got picked for me didn't exactly fit my voice, being one of those light, "frolicky" songs, if you know I mean; I would've done better with a stronger, more "moving" type of song.  I also didn't find much time until right before the competition to work with voice coaches, and I wasn't too excited to have to sing it in front of my entire choir class "for practice."  Trust me, I love to sing for people, it's just that song...  Anyway, I got up at was on the bus by 6:45 and we got to Peoria High School by about 8.  I actually knew a lot of people doing it, including one of my best friends, Tesah. We had to get signed it, then just waited for our auditions.  Mine wasn't till 10:52, and with the judges running well over 30 minutes behind, you can imagine what it was like waiting.  I wasn't nervous at all.  It just bored me enough to death that, by the time I finally went in, I think I was mentally done.  Not that I didn't try my hardest. I think the solo went good, but I will just admit that the sight reading sucked.   I have this thing called relative pitch that allows me to know relatively where a certain note/pitch is on the keyboard, so often times if you ask me what a middle C is I'll either know it or only be a half-step off.  Unfortunately it was of no help during audition since I was so concerned with finding the pitch, whether or not I actually got it, that I forget to keep tempo.  Yeah... But you would not believe the excitement that swelled up in me like a balloon.  Literally.   I'm sure my friends were all so confused when I walked out with the biggest smile on my face as I told them that I bombed it.  I was just so happy to be done!  On the bus ride home, I talked with cute guys and laughed hysterically as I watched people turned their iPods up as loud as they could so they couldn't hear themselves as they sang.     

  So that's over and done with.  Cheer is over except for tumbling on Mondays and one last game on Tuesday.  Should I have gotten teal instead of the usual plain gray for my braces to be super school-supportor one last time?  I'm just scared of people staring at my teeth.  Maybe I'll just streak some of my hair with teal marker so that it'll look cute in the game but wash out immediately in the shower...  

  I know, I'm rambling.  And it's a school night, so I'd better get some sleep.