Hey guys! 

I have all sorts of excuses for why I haven't blogged in over a year, but instead of boring you with them, let's just jump back in, why don't we?

Since we last chatted, a few things have changed for me. I took my first professional trumpet auditions, graduated with my Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois in May, spent a summer at home in Kansas enjoying quality time with Mom, and began working on my doctorate at the University of North Texas. Here at UNT, I am one of four doctoral trumpet teaching fellows, and I get to teach 12 undergraduate students private lessons! I am having a blast so far, and I can't wait to share some of the highlights of life as a doctoral student in Texas.

I fell off the running/workout train since my last blog post, and have been really inconsistent, going in spurts of working out and being a total bum. I'm ready to re-commit to getting in shape, though, and I'm looking forward to sharing my progress with you!

In case you're wondering, Quinn is still as rambunctious as ever. She's not so sure about this Texas heat, but loves exploring our neighborhood on long walks and has become best friends with my downstairs neighbors' husky, Gunner. 

And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without today's sports bra selfie! Today's workout was 30 minutes on my stationary bike while watching Breaking Bad, followed by 25 sit-ups.

The above pics were snapped after Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday's workouts. I did workout on Monday (I swear!) but forgot to take my daily selfie after I finished! I was super bummed, since I haven't forgotten one yet and having the "proof" of my workout is a little extra motivation for me to get moving. As you can see, I actually almost forgot again on Tuesday. Oops!

Band camp is going really well, and flying by! I have never been a counselor before, but I'm learning quickly and my "stern teacher voice" is developing just fine, according to my fellow counselors. :-)  The girls on my floor are great, and uber talented! We had a camper talent show last night, and I was so amazed at the varied and incredible skills our campers have! I am LOVING being a counselor, and am sad that I'm only here for one of the three weeks of camp since I was a last-minute add on the counseling staff. Hopefully they'll invite me back next year...

This past week, I have really been hitting the pavement on my workouts! I  have logged more than 23 miles in the last 10 days, and running is getting easier. However, my body is NOT used to it, so I'm developing some nasty and painful blisters. No pain, no gain, right?

This week's workouts:

I'm due back at the gym today for some lifting --  and I think my feet need a break from running anyway. Happy Friday, everyone!

In more recent news, band camp is off to a great start! The other counselors are incredibly nice, and the girls on my floor are fun and easy to work with. I'm the only first-time counselor, so I feel a little out of my league at times and am still getting used to being looked up to by students, but I think it's going to be a great week! 

Happy Friday, everyone!

Hopefully you have something fun or relaxing planned this weekend. I'm planning on a relaxing night in with Quinn tonight, and I'll be moving into the dorms at U of I tomorrow afternoon for a fun-filled week as a counselor at band camp!

I attended ISYM (Illinois Summer Youth Music) a couple of years in a row back when I was in high school, so it's really exciting to be back again as a counselor! It was my experience at summer programs like ISYM that made me realize I wanted to pursue music as a career, so I'm really looking  forward to working with the campers and watching them have amazing musical experiences. After all, some of the best stories begin with, "This one time, at band camp..."

Yesterday's workout was another "run to the gym, lift, run home" one, with a focus on arms/chest/back.

I'm hoping the weather will be nice enough for me to take Quinn for a nice long run this afternoon. I've mapped out a 5-mile route that goes around two nearby parks. The farthest we've gone so far was 4.5 miles, so this will be a hard one (for me... Quinn can run for days)!

One thing I miss most about Kansas in the summer is the lack of humidity. I sweat like crazy anyway, so the crazy humidity we've been having here in Illinois this week is really cramping my style when I bike to work and hope to smell even halfway decent upon arrival. That being said, I LOVE to sweat like crazy when I'm working out. It makes me feel hardcore and intense, and is cleansing, in a weird way. 

We had a few minutes of heavy rain yesterday afternoon, which cooled things down a little. I took advantage of the (slightly) relaxed temperature and took Quinn for a quick 2-mile run when I got home from work before I had to run off to summer band rehearsal. Quinn is such a great running buddy! Besides the occasional squirrel distraction or urge to pee (again), she does a great job of running right beside me. We get lots of smiles and waves from passers-by when we're out running! I got this sweet leash made by OllyDog to run with her. I sort of feel like it's the nerdy fanny pack equivalent of dog leashes, but it is so nice to have my hands free to run, and it has an elastic section to cushion any lunges Quinn might make at squirrels:

In other news:

As you know, I'm a trumpet performance major. I'm halfway through my master's degree, and the "real world" is looming! My dream is to play professionally in an orchestra and maintain a private studio. Sadly, orchestral trumpet jobs are hard to come by, and when they do come open, literally hundreds of people audition for a single spot. Job prospects aren't great, but I'm determined to do what I love!

Recently, I learned of a job opening in the Oregon Symphony -- a third trumpet position. For a long time now, I've thought Portland would be a great place to live! I've only been once, but it seems to have the beautiful mountains, hiking, etc. that I love alongside a city (being in/near a city is definitely necessary for a career in the performing arts). Plus, last year it was rated the #1 U.S. city for dogs (read the article here). By now, you guys have probably realized I'm head over heels for all dogs, especially Quinn, so that would be a huge added perk! Not to mention, Portland is less than 7 hours from Boise, ID where my sister, Karen, lives (Urbana is a 25-hour drive away) and just 3 hours from my amazing cousin Amy in Seattle! My dad's side of the family originated in Washington (my grandpa's ashes are scattered on Hurricane Ridge), so it'd be kind of cool to live near places that are historically significant to that part of my family. 

Now, I just have to win the audition this fall...