What a busy season. This month I had a F.A.M.E. (Future Alabama Music Educators) conferance, and A.M.E.A. (Alabama Music Educators Association) performance, and All State Honor Band Auditions. In the coming month I have All County Auditions, All County, All State, M.P.A. (Music Performance Assessment), Spring Concert, Solo Ensemble, and a scholarship audition. Today I got to excersise 10 in my trombone beginer book and repaired a pad in my new saxophone. All of this is to prepare me for my future career. Then my father said, "You need to work on a fall back in case this music thing dosnt work out." Like I have time to work on a fall back? This from the man that tried to be a lead guitarist in a metal band only to end up working in industry. Wich is fine. I respect him for his job now and love him for his musicianship, but dang. What more does he want from me? All of that and I maintain an average high enough to keep me in the top ten. Sometimes I feel like screaming and telling everyone to get off my back. I know whats good for me better than they do. It may not be that way for other young people that dont know where theyre going. I have a damn good work ethic and skills to back it up. I know what I'm doing. Now I need space.
Jada Dalrymple Content - 12 years, 3 months, 15 days ago

I would like to speak a moment on symbols. It's amazing how an image can have it's meaning completely warped by how it is used. My great great great grandfather faught and survived the civil war as a confederate soldier. I display the confederate flag out of heratige, not hate. Associations have taken that historic symbol and used it as a sign of hatred and racism. It is now illegal for me to display my family's history and my heratige due to this abuse. I ask that everyone take a moment and contemplate a symbols true meaning when you next see one, and try to have love and respect for one another.
Jada Dalrymple Content - 12 years, 3 months, 28 days ago

I recieved my Faculty scholarship for the university. Thats the majority of my tuition and books. I'm also signed up for a scholarship audition in March. Five Bagtelles is coming along nicely. We purchased a new puppy. Well my mom did. She said it was her and her boyfriends present for each other. He's a boxer and his name is now Tyson. Just last month I lost my girl Willow. And while noone can be sure, some believe that it's due to my mother's and her boyfriend's irresponsability. I loved that dog so much. She was a basset beagle mix that was left at the school. It was close to my birthday, so my mother let me keep her. I have to live in another town to go to school, so I left Willow in my mother's care. While I was gone, Willow became ill. When I could get to her, she seemed close to death. I was told that if she made it through the night, they would take her to the vet. I stayed up with her all night and woke my mother an hour before the vet office opened. She wouldn't go without her boyfriend and he refused to get out of bed. Willow lasted till midday. The man woke up, but said that it was too late and there was no point anyway. An hour later I lost her. I had only had her a week, but I have never been so attached to another living thing. She was my baby. And she was also like the first born to me and my fiance. She was our child. I don't think either my fiance, nor I can ever forgive them fo what they did. And now just as month later they run off and get this puppy. A puppy that they let on the furniture and in the house even though he has fleas. They wouldn't allow Willow in the house with fleas or on the furniture at all. I never plan on having children. Dogs are my children. This was like burrying a child. And I can't be mad at Tyson. It's not his fault. I plan to take care of him when he's left in my care. And it's true he's been left with me when he should have been left with who is really responsible for him. To add to all of this is my sister who was promised a pet a year ago. Her cat ran away and my mother promised to replace her. She keeps coming up with excuses and using that promise as a negotiative tool. If my sister moves in with my mother, then she would get this pet when she promised to get her one regardless. Kara could take the new pet with her back and forth, but we're still getting refusal after refusal. I'm losing respect for my mother who when I try to talk intelegently about the issues we have yells and blames me for what I can not control. I've had enough. My only hope all rests in the hands of my fiance. He is my way out and to a brighter future. It's a shame my sister dosn't have what I do. I'll do what I have to for her sake.
Jada Dalrymple Content - 12 years, 4 months, 20 days ago

I was accepted to the college I applied for, but I havn't heard anything about the scholarship I was told I qualified. Full tuition and books. I don't know how I'm going to get through without that. So I'm in kind of a panic. Let's hope that everything works out. Today we had a rehersal for AMEA. Our clinician didn't show, so it was like a regualr practice. That annoys me. You think a professional would call ahead in time to schedual someone else. Some alum came back to help out. Our clarinet alum played contra with us and he was always behind our section leader. So she tried to boss him around like back in the old days. Guess she didn't realize that he's an adult now. He looked pretty iritated. I miss the boy. Can't wait to get to college and start playing with him again. Our old flute section leader is at that school too. It's going to be jsut like the good ol' days. the two of them making fun of random passers by and me chuckling quietly in the background under me unheard reamarks. Usually soething along the lines of, "That's awefull." That all depends on a scholarship coming through. And my audition. Let's hope I can get some money there too. God knows I need it.
Jada Dalrymple Content - 12 years, 5 months, 5 days ago

Thursday was the last home game of the regular football season. Senior night. No, I didn't cry or feal upset. It was a fun game, even though we lost 21 to 0. Our percussion captain got to start A&M (A&M is a drum feature that begins with the lowest bass. He's a small guy and has never played that bass. Starting A&M was his dream since he started marching band). We started Go Big Red (called The Ultimate Cheer by some) really slowly. Then we played at about 300 bpm on the second repeat. we laghed harder than we have all year at the cheerleaders fumbling to catch up. Add a great halftime preformance and that made the best game of the season. As a gift I recieved a recording of all of our MPA and Marching Contest tapes. I've been listening to them all morning. I might miss some of this, but I'm more excited to start some band traditions of my own at my future school. I hope all goes as planned and I can have a succesful music program one day.
Jada Dalrymple Content - 12 years, 6 months, 11 days ago