No Nationals for Me

Things and things and things today I guess...

Making decisions.

Choices.

Things that are going to effect the rest of this year...the rest of this summer...more? I don't know yet.

I guess this is me letting everyone know, I am not going to be doing national fine arts.

Though I qualified (see earlier post) I have made the decision that I am not going to go through with my original plan to participate in the national festival.

You see, national fine arts festival is in Phoenix, AR.

Since I barely made it to districts (thank you Jesus!) actually going to nationals was rather out of the question...well, really outside of being realistic.

Don't get me wrong, I was totally open to something (God-thing) happening so that I could go, but thats just not how things went down.

However, there was the option to register the entries I got invited to nationals for and hopefully finding someone from another church who was already going to take my entries down for me. You see entries that need displays (for example, like my t-shirt design) are required to be checked in at the beginning of the festival, and then checked out afterwards.

At first after receiving Superior with Invitation to Nationals I wasn't going to do that at all. But my mom encouraged me to go for it.

After having been home for almost a month after district fine arts now, I have been working to try and earn money to pay for nationals when I read up on everything again and realized that registration was actually more than I thought it was going to be.

I knew registration was $80...however, I thought that covered the first entry, so if I were to just enter my t-shirt design it would only be $80. Not too bad.
However, I discovered that that doesn't include the first entry, after that each entry is an additional $20.

Ouch.

I thought, "well I'll get through it somehow...maybe I just won't enter my photography that I haven't heard back about yet."

But then I continued thinking about everything it would entail just to enter my t-shirt design.

Not only is there registration, there is proper mounting/display for it and of course my time to set it all up.
Then there's figuring out a way so that whoever I get it to can either fit it in a suitcase easily (its rather large) or that it'll have its own bag. In all likeliness, it would have to have its own bag.

Which would mean, extra luggage that I would have to pay for.

Oh and then theres the little detail of getting the display to whoever would take it for me.

Shipping costs.

Did I mention I still hadn't (haven't) heard anything about contact information for people already going? Yeah, thats definitely no small detail for this plan.

And of course there's the fact that when I do things, I like to do them right and would be fretting about how my display was being cared for, set up...all that stuff.

And so everything kept stacking up.
Time...money...lack of cooperation from people...

It just wasn't worth it.

In the end, I'd be putting out at least $200 in time and money (mostly money...) with the final registration date barely a month away.

I couldn't handle the stress.

Trying to make sure I finish all my school on time, having to worry about doing math over the summer.

With worrying about nationals on top of that, it just wasn't worth it.

I would pour so much into it, but for what?

I mean really?

Another certificate on the wall?

Bragging rights?

*shrugs*

Just didn't seem at all worth it.


But you know what?

Next year, I am planning ahead.

As in, as soon as I know what the theme for the 2011-2010 year is going to be, I'm going to be writing my spoken word, sketching that t-shirt design, rhyming that poem into being and snapping those pictures.

Oh yeah, and earning the money.


Thank you everyone for your support, I love you all for it.
To the friends and family who offered to help me pay for stuff.
To the wonderful people who opened their home.
To everyone who gave me a job.
To all the people who were sad I was backing out but respected my choice.
For everyone who had a smile and a word of encouragement along the way.

Thank you so much and God bless!

(lets kick some butt next year, eh? ;)

Fine Arts Trip Recap Day 3 FESTIVAL

So, I have failed my dear bloggies.

I started recapping the Fine Arts Trip almost two weeks ago (or is it more?) when the trip itself was already almost a month ago (wow...).

So here's the final day of the Fine Arts trip...the festival itself!

Saturday : FINE ARTS FESTIVAL

wake up same time (super early in other words)
shower
get dressed
practice spoken word in my head
do hair and makeup(sounding familiar, no?)
stand in front of large mirror and quietly practice spoken word
actually have time to eat something before leaving
relieved to realize its Saturday and therefore traffic won't be as bad...
get on the road
drive
point out my lack of navigation skills
drive
drive
drive
consider sleeping this time since hopefully we won't get lost...
not much traffic
feeling sleepy
decide to practice, practice, practice my spoken word
drive
practice more
drive
make it to the church with time to spare
stand in line to get my schedule
schedule acquired
find single, unoccupied table
see white binder on table, ignore it
look through info
find out my spoken word presentation is at 9:53am
practice spoken word in my head
try to figure out how the book works (the one filled with who's doing what, at what time, and where)
sit in the foyer reading the info book
go and set up my t-shirt design
go find a place for my photography entry
find out that the poetry entries are shown somewhere in the foyer
try to figure out where the poetry entries are
find out that the book chapter entries are shown somewhere in the foyer
try to figure out where
randomly take a glance at the white binder
read that the white binder says 'BOOK CHAPTER ENTRIES'
feel really stupid
discover I'm the only one who entered book chapter
find where the poetry entries are
avoid reading poetry entries while random guy has the binder
wait 'til random guy leaves
read other poetry entries
randomly run into one person I kind of know from camp
talk for a while
run into another person I actually know from camp
have nice chat
find out what she's performing in
decide to attend some of her performances after mine
go and watch the only band that signed up under 'christian band'
clap (great job NOVA)
decide to find the room where my spoken word presentation is
almost get lost trying to find the room (in my defence, the church was massive)
point out my lack of navigation skills

make it to room right after the door closes (they close the door and don't open it 'til after each presentation is over, no distractions that way)

listen to the guy before me perform (through door)
wondering why he entered spoken word (he was rapping)
thinking "wow that guy was good...but why didn't he enter in the rap category?!"
go into the room
wait for judges to finish scoring rapping-guy

find it very comforting (<--haha sarcasm there)that the judges are talking about how "well at least I think I know what spoken word is now..."

think "great...."
get nervous
practice spoken word in my head
get really nervous
practice even more in my head
pray I don't miss part of it
my time to perform comes
judges still writing forms on last guy
getting more nervous
practicing more
judges finally finish
still nervous I stand up to go to the front of the room
announcer announces who I am...
prepare myself and step to the front of the room
start speaking
realize that I'm talking a bit too fast
keep going

wish that they were using a timer that I could SEE because I broke my presentation into 45sec. intervals (there's a 3min limit)

keep going
finish presentation
people clap
guy that went before me looking not particularly happy (just had to include that...even if it wasn't a competition ;)
know I talked too fast but ah well
totally stoked I didn't forget anything
receive a compliment from some judges
they ask if I composed that entirely myself
I reply yes (of course)
receive compliment from announcer
watch the only other two entries
leave
go back to foyer
mum gets coco I get a ginormous chocolate muffin (there was a starbucks IN the church. yes.)
I head off to find my friend's presentation
clap because she did really good (songwriting...)
head to the foyer
chat with other girl I know from camp
decide to go catch last of the human video performances
LOVE LOVE LOVE the human video performances after I realize what they are
(click here for a good example of a human video...some people think they're skits when in fact they aren't because there is no talking, its set to song)
wish I had thought to get the camera out for the human video performances
realize I should get it out and try to get the last one

while waiting I take a picture of one of the epic chandeliers in the senior youth room (the church was so huge, they had a whole building for kids, a room for teens, and an even bigger (like almost large church on its own) size room for the senior high teens)


last few performances
lunch!
head over to the caf to pick up my sack lunch
first one! whoo
enjoy my sandwhich...
mum gets her lunch
foyer once again becomes rather loud, and filled with people!
enjoy lunch
talk about everything happening
decide to watch the drama performances after lunch
watching the drama performances
fantastic jobs to EVERYONE who participated!
loved, loved, loved the skits!
things start wrapping up as there is little time before the celebration service!
sit in the foyer for a while
decide to get our seats for the celebration service
service starts
congrats to everyone who received Superior with invite to Nationals!!!
they announce spoken word results
rapping-guy received merit award (highest scoring) and superior with invite to nationals
performances like choir, band, songwriting, etc.
they announce POETRY WINNER

GUESS WHO WON MERIT AWARD AND INVITE TO NATIONALS?????

MEEEEE!!!! xD

heart stops beating

random people clap for me (I'm assuming to be polite or people who actually recognized my name because they read my poem)

super giddy
can't wait to find out about t-shirt design
more performances
more clapping
they announce T-SHIRT DESIGN WINNER

GUESS WHO GOT SUPERIOR WITH INVITE TO NATIONALS??????

ME! xD

Funny story though, for some reason my name was registered as Sirina insead of Siriana so I was being announced as Serina basically and so when my name was called for my t-shirt design (which I worked so hard on! and ended up loving it!) and my mom yells out "SIRIANA!!!!"
So it was kind of awkward but funny and okay at the same time.
I was so happy!!!!!

Anyway, so afterwards there were a bit more performances like the drama winners, and it ended *sigh*.

headed back out to the foyer
got on facebook and posted to tell everyone!!!
went and picked up all my score sheets
met the super-nice lady (good job Mrs. Huff!!!!) who directs Fine Arts
had my name on all my certificates corrected (thank you!!!)
was super excited
decided to go to the movies again
went and saw Hanna (dunno if most of you would like it...I did, though there was a couple scenes it could've done without other than that it was an action/violent girl who kicks butt kind of movie lol)

and continued to be super stoked all weekend!!!

And then there was day 4...which wasn't terribly interesting considering it was merely driving back home!

And that friends, family and bloggie readers, is the conclusion to my Fine Arts trip.

Right now I'm trying really hard to earn the $120 I need for registration (thats due in a few weeks) for National Fine Arts.
Of course I won't be going, I barely made the gas money I needed to get to districts so unless there's some awesome God-thing miracle, I'm not going to have the money to go to Phoenix, Arizona.
BUT! If I can find someone from another church that is already going with their group to take it down for me, that'll work because someone just has to check in and out my entries...so hoping that works out!

Prayers for the whole thing would be greatly appreciated, and if you guys would share my etsy shoppe with everyone you know (and maybe some people you don't!) I would love that!

thanks everyone, blessings!!!