I hope everyone responds to (e:Mike) and signs up for the soap opera. We were so proud of it back in the day and it really has always been (e:Mike) 's dream and mine to get a few episodes taped. So come be part of the action and fun and drama!

Finally gonna finish posting my Europe trip pictures...my mom found a random scrapbook that she never used and apparently never planned to use and gave it to me, so I can' t wait to fill it up with pictures and show it off.




Helsinki, Finland



a cathedral in Helsinki that is made entirely out of rock



The beeyootiful concert hall that we sang in at the festival



me, Emily and David walking down a street in the Latin Quarter in Paris (a section a little similar to the strip...but French)



This is the Pompidou, which, like many things in Paris, was a big controversy when it was built. It's built like it's inside out with pipes and stuff on the outside, and the elevators are like tubes that run along the side of the building.


Ok I guess I lied, I have more pics but don't have time to put them up...so stay tuned... ;)

Thanks to (e:Jill) and (e:Beast) for the pictures from Scotland, I loved it, keep 'em coming... :)

I'm just really in the mood for European pictures, so here are a few from my trip...



on the Tower Bridge in London





eating lunch on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral in London





enjoying the view of Big Ben and Parliament from the London Eye





a view of beautiful Bergen, Norway



another view...we hiked up that big hill later around 9 pm to watch the sunset...which didn't set until 11 pm...ahhh!



from a day trip called "Norway in a Nutshell"...one of many waterfalls that we saw along with mountains and villages that haven't been changed since the 19th century and my favorite, "fjords" (pronounced like fyord), which are bodies of water that we took a cruise through.

more pics from Finland and Paris to come...

Has anyone ever beat the expert level of Minesweeper? I think I've made that one of my goals of summer. Sad but true. I have mastered the two beginning levels but have never once beat the highest level. I would really like to this summer.


p.s. Buttery popcorn has probably the best and most tempting smell of any food in the world.

For (e:Jill)...a popular clothing store in Finland that I saw many times. Thought you would enjoy... :)





Hey, you Scots...WE MISS YOU!!!!!

And I am officially back in the USA. Have been for about 4 days now. My trip with the Chamber Singers was ridiculously eventful due to the fact that both our tour manager and director had no idea what they were doing. The itinerary we were given was basically BS because the group totally ran out of money and nothing was planned or thought out in advance AT ALL. People ended up having to buy basically all of their meals, when we were originally told we would be able to eat cheaply at our hostels or with host families. There was even a night when we didn't have a hotel booked until 12:30 in the morning and all 33 of us were stranded in a train station in Stockholm. So needless to say, I wasn't sad when me, Chris and my friends David and Emily departed from the group to go to Paris for the week.

We did get to sing in a big festival in Tampere, Finland, and actually did pretty well. We were the only American choir and were chosen to sing in the final concert (13 out of 50 choirs were chosen.) We didn't win a prize or money but it was still really cool, and a nice way for me to end my time with the group (that I really do love and will miss but am not sorry to leave after this tour fiasco!)

Paris was so great. We ate so much bread and cheese and drank just as much wine. The arts are thriving there, and have been for a long time. I can understand why so many famous writers, artists and musicians made their homes in Paris. I only wish I spoke French. Most people were nice about speaking English but I felt so guilty anyway. Everywhere we go, people learn English as well as their native language, because Americans seem to be too caught up with themselves to spend a great deal of time educating in language arts.

Paris still had its own troubles, such as Chris losing his passport on the very last day! He somehow made it to London without his passport but then had to make a trip to the US Embassy in order to fly home. Silly Americans. Luckily that turned out ok, and now the only other battle we have is to tackle a $400 phone bill from our hotel in London...thanks a lot AT&T phone cards...

I'm glad to be back home. It's nice to make some money after having spent so much, and I'm hoping to relieve Mike from some of his crappiness. I know I can't always provide the same entertainment as Jill or Teres, but I guess he knows that too. I think we are going to have a great time anyway. A trip to NYC is in the works (and definitely WILL HAPPEN!) and the rest of the usual summer fun. And somewhere in there I hope to go to Albany a couple times.

So that's my life lately. Glad to be back. Jill and Beast sounds like you are getting by in freakin expensive Great Britain! I'm sorry we didn't get together. I didn't even end up going to the city on the night of the 19th because we were so worn out and had an amazing hotel right by the airport (yay priceline!) Miss you lots.

TTFN tata for now.

P.S. Who thinks Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be popular and successful and who thinks it might end up as another weird Johnny Depp movie that no one really remembers down the road?