This is one of those life posts.

I'm rethinking my future and as always never know if I'm making the right decision, so any input would be fine.

Here's the deal...

So I've been planning for several months to stay in Buffalo for the remainder of this school year, and then move out of state somewhere to go to graduate school. I'm 23, I teach high school music and would be going for my Master's Degree in Vocal Performance or Pedagogy. Now I'm starting to think maybe I want to stay in Buffalo and wait another year to start my Master's.

The pros, benefits would be...

I can save more money. I can take voice lessons and improve my singing, so that I could sound better for my grad school auditions. I can get more teaching experience and delay the fact that I'm simply going to leave my students. I get to spend more time with my friends and family, and can continue singing with the groups I sing with.

The cons would be...

It is really just the way I feel. I have always been afraid to just settle. I feel like if I don't go away to grad school, I'm wasting my potential and talent and taking the easy way out by just staying here. I have felt that way for awhile and I don't know why.
Plus grad school may be a nice place to meet people. And I ain't getting any younger. By the time I get to grad school, everyone else will probably be married with 2 kids. Ha.

The bottom line is, most people move away because they are tired of where they are. But I am honestly not tired of being here at all. I love my friends, I love my family, I, well, my job is okay, I love my voice teacher. So I feel like if I leave...am I doing it for the right reasons?

There's nowhere in Buffalo I can do my gradwork. I KNOW that I eventually want to be a full time graduate student. The problem is just...do I want to wait? Will I feel like I missed out or that I'm not doing all that I could?

MEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I'm sitting in the Peabody Marriott in Massachusetts. The girl at the front desk says Peabody in a very funny way but you'd have to ask me to say it for you because I can't type it.

We drove through Salem a little bit last night. It seems a cool place and I'm looking forward to going there during the day. Today we are going to Boston. We may go to the Aquarium. I saw a brochure for the Mapparium and remembered how much (e:Mike) and (e:Maureen) loved it. Maybe I could get there too. What a long drive it was, and I had to drive the whole way because my friend who is with me doesn't know how to drive standard. Yuck!

ps I don't think I have gone on a vacation yet that something didn't spill all over the place somewhere. Always a bottle of shampoo, or body wash, or hair gel, or something. Seriously I have a streak going. I spilled (expensive) shampoo on the backseat of my car because it was slightly open, soaking a couple bottles, a shirt, and part of a book of sheet music. It is so annoying, why don't I just check to make sure the bottles are closed all the way!?!?

pps I was invited to sing at a concert in Fredonia in February. It makes me nervous just thinking about it because I haven't sang for people in a long time. I also of course would need to look great and sound better to wow the ex. What should I do...I have like 3 months to work on it and I've been singing the songs since this summer so theoretically they should be ready but I'm already scared!!!....

It is sooooo easy to distract myself from doing work...

Here are the rest of the pics from Halloweeeeeen!!!



(e:Jill) showing off her well-earned prize


admiring (e:kookcity2000) 's costume



looking at the votes...




















gee I wonder why we all had red facepaint all over ourselves












"Mary Kate, this isn't funny anymore."


happy halloween!

So I'm going to post some more of my pictures but first I need to discuss my evening. Me, (e:Mike) , (e:Jill) and (e:Beast) started with dinner at Carrabba's which was very delicious, as we were anticipating (I'll let (e:Mike) mention the scrapbook because he will do a much better job than me) They had great bread which just makes a restaurant seem so much better. I would recommend it to one and all.

Then we headed out to the Eastern Hills Mall, well, Syms, to Frightworld. Frightworld has five different "houses" inside a big building, and you pay for one ticket and then go to each one once. Well individually I think maybe we would all do okay, but put the four of us together and we can scare the crap out of each other by just building up the tension and scariness of any moment. Let's just say that we actually had to be escorted out of the first house through the fire exit/kiddie door. It was really, really scary!!!! We needed a break after that. Eventually (e:Beast) and I went through all five, and (e:Mike) and (e:Jill) made it through three of them! The two scariest were definitely the first house and then the insane asylum. An example of its scariness: after about 10 steps into the asylum, when you are walking in the pitch black trying to find the first room, out of NOWHERE, a GLOWING FACE appeared out of nowhere for a split second and then disappeared. It was terrifying, and it just got worse and worse, with a crazy man just following behind us the whole time and being in rooms where everything looks the same and you have no idea how to get out...

But overall it was fun, I haven't been to a haunted house in a long time. I'm glad we went and that I made it through all five...wooo!!!

Okay onto some more pictures....
















This may be my favorite picture of (e:Mike) yet

So last night the Starlight Express crew made an appearance at (e:ladycroft) 's Halloween partay, and it was a great time! In our usual style, our costumes were thrown together at the very last minute but turned out excellent, if I do say so myself. I took about 100 pictures last night (I know, ridiciulous) and I've narrowed down my top like...40...so here is the first batch...


(e:Mike) almost sewed his red shirt thing too tight to go over his head...


my legs covered in sparkly garland














I smell userpics...


(e:Mike)


me


(e:Jill)


(e:Diana) and (e:Jill)




my fun sparkly eyelashes up close!


at the party



more to come....!