29 Days, Day 3

Today I'm thankful for my alma mater, the NC School of the Arts. Even though I'm no longer a career musician, I don't believe that my time there or my years as a musician afterwards were a mistake. That time in my life contributes to my being the unique person that God has made me to be. And I miss certain aspects of that life, but am also thankful for the journey God has taken me on. Saturday I had a chance to visit NCSA for a friend's senior recital. NCSA has always been one of the 16 NC universities, but about five year ago the new chancellor decided that we needed to be more in conformity with the other universities in the system, which led to a lot of sign changes, logo changes on apparel, etc. There was a big outcry, because NCSA has always been a very unique part of the UNC system- dedicated entirely to the Arts(music, drama, dance, visual arts, film, and design & production), and completely without any type of sports program, etc.

I had a vision in my head of blocking the "U" with my body, but I was neither tall enough or wide enough =-D

I was so excited to see my second favorite teacher there(after my viola prof.). Jaimie was my Opera Conductor and he made Opera(which can be painful) a great experience. I also played under his conducting two summers in a festival on the Outer Banks of NC

Pickle Pride!! Like I said, there are no sports teams. The story goes that years and years ago some students decided that we needed a mascot, so being artsy and all, they held a competition and voted on the most creative, unusual entry. Hence, the Fighting Pickle!!

This year, Cheetos made their first ever list of the top 25 Cheesiest College Mascots in the US, and I'm proud to say.......We're #1!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's the link, go check it out:

http://www.fritolay.com/about-us/press-release-20120820.html

So today, on Day 3 of 29 Days of Thankfulness, I'm thankful for:

-the fantastic arts environment at NCSA
-the privilege to study with a viola prof. who is known around the world & all that he taught me
-the outlet that music was for me and the passion that God gave me for music
-those special four years
-the things that those years taught me about the world and about standing strong for my faith
-the wacky uniqueness that is NCSA