Our new home

FYI. Our apartment doesn't have internet...yet...and probably won't until August... Just incase if you want to contact me. But hopefully I can get a bunch of posts up and scheduled. :)

On to our topic: I really like Atlanta. I don't know if I could call it love yet becuase it still feels foreign and complex, but I already know that our apartment will be a wonderful HOME, not just house. There are a lot of things I love about it, but also dislike completely. Doesn't it look cozy?

 View from the front door. To the right is the living room. Straight ahead is the door leading to the patio. 

Look to the right and you will see the laundry room/ planning desk. 

The lovely washer/dryer

The living room as viewed from the "dining room"

View from the hall way into the kitchen. Straight ahead is the "dining room"

The left side of the kitchen. 

The right side of the kitchen. 

The Royal Bathroom

The clean shower and wash basin

View of our bedroom from the other wall

View of the small, but WALK IN closet. 

View of the door leading to the patio. 

View from the patio on the left. Notice the street. 

View from our patio on the right. 

Looking up. 

I hope you enjoyed your tour!

Rachel Reece

Atlanta Edition

Vacation?

Darn! I wish I had my camera. Nevertheless, for all you out there who want a glimpse of my life, you will get it...as soon as my cord is unpacked.

Being in Atlanta is surreal. Right now it almost feels like we are on vacation and will soon go back to Provo. We're staying in my Aunt and Uncle's house (well, great aunt and uncle...but they are about my parents age...) They are so kind to us. Good old fashioned Southern Hospitality. As David and I explored around Atlanta, they were our tour guides. They told us where to eat and not to eat; where the Governor's mansion is; where famous basketball and baseball players houses are; where the biggest and grandest houses are in town (think houses the size of the White House); they showed and told about farmer's markets and shopping centers; and they helped us navigate our way around town.

There is so much to be excited about! And I am excited, but it just doesn't feel real yet. Will it ever? Farmer's markets, different people to learn from, big houses, the city life, and awesome food, is enticing, but I will be grateful when it finally hits me that those are MINE, not cool things that are borrowed.

With out them I would feel so lost and so alone. We already have such great friends because of them. I feel a bit more familiar with the crazy Atlanta streets, but I am sure it will be years before I solidly know my way around town. Moving away has been hard. I will randomly acquire a few tears in my eyes thinking about home. One time was as I was petting their cat and another was during Sacrament meeting singing "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord." I wonder when it will sink in that this is not a vacation. I wonder when it will begin to feel like home.

At the moment we don't know when our truck will arrive with all our booty. It could be tomorrow or it could be Thursday. I will feel so much more relieved once everything is safe and snuggled securely in our apartment--not even unpacked--but there.

So as of now we are keeping busy picking blueberries (we picked 5 gallons on Saturday!) and figuring out everything that has to do with Atlanta.

I'll share more about our new ward in another post as well as pictures (hopefully soon) of our surroundings. Until then,

Rachel Reece,
Atlanta Edition

2/3 there

Sorry, no pictures this post. My camera cord is packed and en route to Atlanta.

If I could predict the future, I could say with relative certainty that this will be one of those stories you share with your kids about the joys of young married life. My parents had them: Bathroom ceiling caving in on them (wait...that just happened to us too) living in a scary apartment with bullet holes, living on a student income for 8 years, that sort of stuff.

Well, its happened. It's our turn. Driving from Clovis, NM to Atlanta with no air conditioning. Not to mention but our exhaust pipe corroded and fell off and we have to get a new muffler... sigh. It's all part of the adventure, right? Hopefully nothing is wrong when we get to Atlanta... At least we still have a car that works, right? That can get us there?

Here's to adventures.

Fluffy water vapor

The past two weeks captured my imagination. It happened as I was 10,000 feet up looking out the window. 

Clouds like these were especially prominent. The smooth layer mimicked what was underneath--a vast, never ending ocean.

Often the clouds would suddenly part as if a big wedge was cut from the earth looking down into a deep chasm. (sorry--no picture). 

How blessed we are to be able to look at such a wonder so close. It is special--it could only happen in this day and age. It makes me feel very grateful for the opportunity to experience nature in such a way. 

Here the clouds mimic whip cream piled high atop a coconut cream pie. 

Or here the clouds mimic earth. 

Think about it. These beautiful shapes are essentially water--condensed water vapor.

I think it's cool. 

The end

I ended my career as a BYU college student by playing at the Utah Flute Association sonata competition winners recital. The recital wasn't exactly prestigious by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun. In a way it was a fitting way to end the semester of doom. Why?

Because I had fun performing a movement of my favorite piece of all time. And not only did I have fun, but I nailed it--at least in comparison with my many other performances of the piece. One person came up and said I played that movement better than on my recital. At first I said to myself: Oh...what does that mean! Was I really that bad on my recital? But then I used my rethinking skills that I am trying to hone and I thought: No, that just meant I really had soul with tonight's performance. :) 

But what made me really happy, was Dr. Clayton. She is not a woman of many words, but her smile and the way she said "good job" made me feel like a million bucks. That is when your semester of doom becomes worth it. I showed the world that I could stick to my instrument and make it to the end. 

Katie, Dr. C, and me

We're really great friends. It happens when you push a gigantic stone up a mountain together. 

The bike ride

David has the car for work so I am stuck at home all day without a car, but today I rode my bike and it was quite the adventure. I felt very eco-friendly. Suddenly I was several people: the poor, almost homeless man, the car-less college student, the Asian, and the obsessive girl who only eats organic food, is a vegan, whose favorite color is green, and often reflects on her hippie roots.

It was kind of fun changing my routine up a bit and exercising not only my muscles but also my imagination. That is, until it started pouring and I got lost. While it was raining, windy, and cold, I recieved some appologetic looks from several strangers, which strangly enough made me feel independant. But I got a lot done! I got a new drivers licence, turned in check, got some quarters, and picked up some toothpaste.

The adventure made made me think of "Bicycle" by Journey. Not only did I unlock my bike from the dust of winter, but I found a new mode of transportation this summer. AND it will help me get outside and away from the apartment.  Don't get me wrong, I am loving this "no job and no school" thing. Shows you how burnt my brain has become. It's fun to play house. Who knew being a house-wife was so much fun. Cleaning, cooking, organizing, laundering, etc. makes me feel very domestic. I rather like this aspect of womanhood. I think it suits me fine.

The above picture is a manifestation of this new found joy. Of course I love cooking! But now I have time to experiment. Example: Zucchini, banana, orange muffins.

For the record, the were OK... not fantastic. Note to self: I don't like orange flavored anything. Why can't I remember?

The man with the scratchy voice

Yesterday I played with the Wasatch Choral at their end of season concert--and what an experience it was. First of all I had no idea this group even existed--it's kind of like the Utah Valley Symphony, but for choir. It consists of mostly those in their 60-80s with a few young vocal lovers thrown in.

It truly touched my life and the power of music was unmistakable. We played two songs: Symphony of Psalms by Stravinsky and Requiem by John Rutter. Both songs sing and praise Christ, although under different contexts and styles of music. A Requiem is a mass for the Dead while Symphony of Psalms incorporates the text of several psalms. Stravinsky wrote Symphony of Psalms during his neoclassical period, but the sound is very avant-garde. There is lots of dissonance, unusual harmonies and interval combinations. But I think it is beautiful. I could hear the fervor of Stravinsky's faith and religious conviction. We didn't play the exact score of Symphony of Psalms but a reduced chamber version with the piano filling in the holes. The vocal parts were difficult because of their unusual harmonies and while the choir certainly didn't sound professional, they pulled it off wonderfully. It was inspiring to see their love the music.

Although Symphony of Psalms was wonderful, Rutter's Requiem was heavenly. The music by itself is beautiful, but what touched my heart was the look on the singer's faces as they sang. One man in particular, with wrinkles, a stooped back, and caring eyes, truly sang from his heart. The look on his face as he sang "Kyrie Eleison" (Lord, Have Mercy) could not have been more poignant. His voice was scratchy and not as silky as it once was thanks to Father Time, but to me it could not have been more sincere. I knew he loved the Lord with all his heart.

The beautiful music Rutter created was magnified through the faith of the vocalists. Music is funny like that. It communicates what can not be felt through words alone. And it is not only music supplemented by words that touches my soul--often it is merely the music. The cello solo at the beginning of the second movement is deep and ernest, as if pleading to the Lord for supplication.

I am grateful I was given the opportunity to participate and contribute to such beauty and add my faith to those already singing and playing. This is why I play the flute.

And here is a link if you want to listen to the second movement. Here