A Dickens' Christmas Festival, and Commencement

This weekend has been filled with some great events!  Friday night we hosted "game night" and had my sister-in-law and her husband over, in which we stayed up way too late...3:30 a.m. late, but it was a blast.  During game nights we have a few "staple" card games we typically play: pinochle, canasta, Rook, shanghai rummy, and hearts.  I actually disliked card games quite a bit before I met Michael, but him and his family have rubbed off on me, and now I really enjoy them a lot.  One of my all-time favorite games from that list would be pinochle, what are some of your favorite card games?  Gotta love family time!

Saturday was the highlight of my weekend though; witnessing my friend Bailey graduate, and helping out at the Dickens' Christmas Festival with my church, The Journey, was so much fun!  Bailey's graduation was great; I'm so glad to have witnessed this accomplishment in her life.  We met during our freshman year of college, but because of our horrendously busy schedules, we never had that much time to hang out.  After discovering we both like writing letters we became pin-pals over breaks, and would write encouraging words of wisdom to each other.  At the start of this semester we made it a priority to get lunch once a week, and our friendship took off.  I'm so glad to have shared some of our college years together and am looking forward to seeing what God has prepared for her.

I felt very "proper"

Saturday evening was spent volunteering with my church at the Dickens' Christmas Festival, which was held downtown.  The event was started last year and is intended to kick off the Christmas season.  It is similar to a street fair, with vendors set up in the square, in some buildings, and down "Dickens Ally".  Christmas lights were hung up everywhere, and there was plenty of hot chocolate to go around.  My church had a photo booth with a beautiful painted backdrop, and costumes for people to wear if they chose to do so.  Our goal was to get connected in the community, and provide good quality photos for anyone who wanted them....and did I mention that they were free!  Me and my friend Ashley dressed up as women from the Victorian Age to help fit the scene.  She was the photographer throughout the night and I was a greeter, passing out invite cards.  It was such a thrill being able to volunteer in the community with part of my church family.

What a great way to start my last Christmas break as a college student!  I can't believe that I graduate in less than a year...the years have flown by.  I'm thankful for everything God has been doing, and am eager to see what He has planned!

Our First Christmas & The Blessings to Come

Greetings from the Owen and Gracie household!  Christmas season is upon us, and it is one of my favorite times of the year.  Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer, a good book, hot chocolate, Christmas music non-stop, decorations galore, beautiful snow, and most of all the birth of Jesus Christ!  I've noticed quite a few blog posts about Christmas, how much people love it, and the true meaning of it, so I'll try not to mimic those,...but honestly, with this being my first blog...this post will more than likely mimic.

The semester ended on a good note, with my last jury (music performance "final") being one of the best performances I've given as a soloist.  The only final I had went very well.  And I was able to volunteer one last time this year for Murray FUMC's UMK program.  Now I'm able to stay at home for a few weeks, minus traveling for the holidays, and catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation.

Michael and I put up our Christmas tree right before Thanksgiving, and the stockings went up on the stair rail shortly after.  We weren't trying to set up ridiculously early for the upcoming holiday, we just wanted to have things done before traveling for Thanksgiving.  I'm glad we did, because the following two weeks were busy trying to push through the rest of the semester.  Presents have slowly been put under the tree, with a few more remaining to be delivered and wrapped.  All in all, I'm so glad to experience this Christmas with the love of my life, as a married couple.

So what exactly is the true meaning of Christmas?  The birth of Jesus Christ, son of God sent to Earth for all humanity.  "But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and his kingdom will never end." -Luke 1:30-33.  Further in the Christmas story, the angel speaks to the three wise men, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:10-11.  We're told that Jesus will be great, and His kingdom will never end; that is such great news!!!  As time has past since that day, there have been countless miracles and blessings poured upon this Earth.

As I take a look at my life and all that it has been, I can't help but thank God for all of the blessings He has poured upon me and my family.  If it wasn't for Jesus, my life wouldn't be what it is today.  I wasn't raised in church, I barely knew who God was growing up...all I knew was He created the Earth.  It wasn't until my mom was stationed in Kentucky, and my grandmother started taking me to church that my faith really begun.  I was about ten years old at that time, and boy did I have a lot to learn.

God has placed so many great influences in my life; my mom, grandma and grandpa, my loving husband, my godmother Donna, and my best friends.  All of these people have helped me tremendously in my walk of faith and I'm so blessed to be able to share my life with them.  I pray that God will continue to bless these wonderful people in my life, and continue to be an inspiring light in our lives, throughout this season, and as long as we live!  I'm so thankful that Jesus was sent to Earth for our sins and transgressions; God did an amazing miracle that can never be overcome!

"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." - Romans 8:27

Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving week has arrived and it was definitely worth the wait.  This week has been great, being able to spend some down time with family and to just relax.  This was the first time we have taken Gracie on a long road trip and it was interesting; she was pretty good for the first half of the trip, but started to meow and scratch at her carrier about an hour into the drive.  I took her out of the carrier and her personality turned into a dog!  I had the carrier on my lap, in which she decided to lay on top of it and look out at the road and up at the stars for the rest of the trip.  We haven't had her for long, but she has been one of the sweetest animals I've ever owned.  I'm so glad she is our first pet!

Thanksgiving day was amazing; we all slept in, had Thanksgiving lunch, rested all afternoon, played cards and games all night, and decided to go shopping around 10 pm to see what deals we could get on early Christmas gifts.  (The shopping that night wasn't as bad as we had anticipated either, we were only out for about an hour and a half before arriving back home).  I always feel so at home when I'm with the Owen family, I couldn't have been blessed more to have married into such a wonderful, loving, and caring family as them.

Another highlight of this week was getting to see Catching Fire, which I would rate a five out of five stars.  I think  the producers did a fantastic job of following the plot closely to the book without changing much.  Watching the movie made me want to re-read the entire series all over again!  Mockingjay is going to be an awesome ending to the movies as it was to the trilogy.

I'm looking forward to Christmas break and all the blogging that I'll be able to accomplish!  As this week comes to a close, we should all remember what we are thankful for and continue to take this thankfulness with us the rest of the year.

Thanksgiving & Family On My Mind

Good evening blogging world!  It's been a few days.  The semester is finally winding down!  There's only twenty more days until Thanksgiving break, and then I'll get to see some family, and have some much needed R&R.  Here is a good photo of the great family I married into. :)  Daniel is my younger brother-in-law, Darrel and Robin are my father and mother-in-laws, Sara is my sister-in-law, Kiefer is her husband, and Carrie is my younger sister-in-law.  Over the past few years I have had the privilege of getting to know each and every one of these amazing people, and I'm glad to be a part of their family.

(From left to right; Daniel, Darrel, Robin, me, Michael, Sara, Kiefer, and Carrie)

Every family is different, mine especially, because I grew up in a military home.  Growing up in a military home is great, but it makes it difficult to do "family" things such as eating at the dinner table every night and have family card/game nights on a weekly basis.  The Owen family is like the family I never had growing up.  I remember the first time I met Micheal's family and we had dinner at the kitchen table, and shortly after we finished eating we sat around and played card games until late night.  This was something that I could get use to, and fast.  This being said, I still love my own flesh and blood family with my whole being, we're just different than the normal family.

(Dad, Mom, Michael, Me, Brandon, and Grandpa)

My family is small and I really don't know my extended family well, but I wouldn't trade who my grandparents, parents, or brothers are in a heartbeat.  There will probably be more posts about my family to come, but the short version will be posted here.  My mom was in the Navy for twenty years, and she retired when I was a junior in high school.  I'm super bias for the Navy!  Having a mom who traveled the world protecting our country was one of the coolest things I would ever tell going through grade school.  Not only was she standing up for her family and nation, she was able to support her family and be an outstanding mom who would do anything for her kin.  My grandma and grandpa helped raise me and are like my second set of parents.  My step-dad and brothers became part of our family about ten years ago, and I'm so glad to call them mine!  Any who, I'll get off this rant and finish up.

Family is great and I'm glad to have a great one!

Praxis and Home

This past weekend was great!  For once this semester I actually felt married!  The only thing that I had to do this weekend was take the Praxis: Music Content & Instruction exam.  For those of you who don't know, the Praxis has multiple different sections and subject tests, and education majors across the nation are usually required to take and pass it to get fully licensed as a teacher.  I wasn't planning on taking it this semester, I had my mind set for taking it next semester; but something told me to check the ETS website about a month ago.  Upon checking it, I found out that the music subject test was not offered at Murray State next semester....so I decided to crack down on studying and take it on a whim.  After this past Saturday, I feel that I did pretty well!  I just have to wait four weeks to receive my scores, and hopefully they're passing.

Back to the feeling married part; because I only had to take the Praxis, I was able to have much needed time at home and with the hubby!  We were able to spend some quality time together and catch up on one of our favorite TV shows, Battlestar Galactica.  Only 39 days until it is officially Christmas Break, then I'll really feel married. :)  Being a full time college student, a Music Education major, and having to commute an hour every day really takes a toll on being married.  It has taken some time to adjust to this busy lifestyle, but thankfully next semester will be better on me and Michael.

This is one of the more recent photos of us, yet it was taken back in May!

What a Week

A glance at this past busy week:

1. Monday and Tuesday night was PASIC rehearsal until 10pm each night.
2. Wednesday night was dress rehearsal for the concert last night.
3. I had to observe a choir class early yesterday morning, and the concert was last night.

TGIF!

Yesterday was one of those days....everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong.  The whole west side of Kentucky was slammed with rain and storms all day, setting the "spooky" mood of Halloween.  I spilled a glass of water in one of the lunch lines at the T-Room, squirted hot sauce everywhere at the condiments station, was rushed everywhere all afternoon, and to top it off I couldn't find my mallet bag during the concert...right before I had to go on stage to play...during the concert.  I have never been so scared and nervous in my entire musical career.  My heart was racing and it suddenly felt like I was going to get sick.  With the help of some friends, I grabbed a set of mallets that were laying around back stage, walked out to the marimba, and lo-behold...my mallet bag was sitting there on stage.  I had a rush of emotions flood over me, and all I could tell myself was "Count, when you count you focus."  That method worked in helping me focus and play that piece, but as soon as I walked off stage I fell apart.  I was able to pull myself together before I went back on stage, and finished the concert with a bang.  I'm so thankful I had my percussion family back stage to help support me!

Despite yesterday's pitfalls, this morning was greeted with a beautiful sunrise on the commute to Murray.  I'm usually a early bird and happy in the morning, but after yesterday's fiascos I had no idea how today would start.  But seeing God's creation at it's fullest surely started off the morning swell!  I'm always amazed at how gorgeous nature is right after a storm; it's kind of like life.  We go through multiple frustrating events throughout our lives, yet after those events we can rejoice in what we accomplished, and the fact that we made it through.  My spiritual tank has been sitting on empty lately, but through prayer, music on K-Love, and church services, I've been holding on.  I'm so thankful that we have a God who never leaves us, even when we stumble and fall.

A Percussive Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!  Tonight is the Murray State Percussion Ensemble concert and we're celebrating it by having a night of "spooky" Halloween tunes and a costume contest.  The percussion ensemble typically has two concerts a semester, the Mallet Music concert and the Percussion Ensemble concert...I normally don't care too much for the second because we usually play a lot of avante garde music, which is stated as, "pushing the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo...".  I've never really been a big fan of avante garde music, but it's a good way of learning to appreciate music that is typically not heard.

I'm really looking forward to tonight's concert because we're playing numerous tunes that most people know; such as "Thriller", "Monster Mash", "Toccata and Fugue", and "Danse Macabe" to name a few.  Our dress rehearsal was last night and it was so much fun!  We're hoping that a lot of people show up, it's going to be a crowd pleaser.

 These are just some snap shots of last night.  We're working with some people who help with theatrics, and having fog spread throughout Lovett Auditorium.

Dr. Black will be hosting the entire event, keeping the crowd entertained before and during the performance.  He will also be cracking some jokes and singing on one of the pieces.

This is the first time that the percussion ensemble has pulled off a Halloween concert, and hopefully it can become tradition.

This past February we held a Valentine's Mallet Music concert and it was a huge success.  We collaborated with SAI, Sigma Alpha Iota (the woman's music sorority) in making it a dance as well.  I wish I had taken some pictures of that event, it could probably be a post in itself.  Anyway, tonight is going to be great!  I love being a musician!

Here is to a night of good times and good memories!  Good luck to everyone performing tonight, and Happy Halloween to everyone trick-or-treating.

BOO!!!!!

What a Semester

This semester has been more than interesting, it's been chaotic and exciting!  As stated in a previous post, the beginning of this semester started off rough.  I've never had such a rough start to a semester as I did this August.  Luckily, and with God's grace, I've made it over half way and can see the light!  Every day of practicum encourages me to become a better teacher and person; I'm always trying to figure out how I can improve my leadership skills for the benefit of the students.

What's ironic is, I've always told myself that I didn't want to teach at the middle school level, that it was an awkward age group to work with.  But as this semester progresses, my love for the middle school band/music program increases.  After the first week of being in the school system I fell in love with middle school  band.  My dream job as of now is to teach beginning band, in order to instill a passion for the arts into the minds and hearts of the students that pass through my classroom.  I understand that every child's life is different, and situations at home can vary.  This is one of the main statements that has pushed and encouraged me to make my future classroom a safe haven of sorts; one that children can come to, knowing that they are genuinely cared for, and having a great outlet such as learning/playing quality music.  I never envisioned myself teaching at the middle school level, but now I can't wait to get out into the field and start!

My academic to-do list is becoming shorter each and every day, which makes me ecstatic.  For some reason I thought it would be a "great" idea to put every major project and assignment into this list right away, which it was to an extent.  Doing this back in August only made the stress level rise, as I could see everything that was standing between then and Christmas break.  As Christmas break nears, this list gradually shortens...woohoo!  This semester has been so busy; with PASIC rehearsals late at night, a full course load, working with the Marching Mustangs, and balancing homework and practice time, my life has been consumed by "school".  I feel as if I'm being torn in two directions, school one way and life the other.

(A typical week this semester; minus a few events)

Christmas break is right around the corner and will be a great boost in life...less then fifty days!!! Until then, I need to keep my head high and my hopes up, being thankful for everything God had done and will do in my life.

~This song has been laying on my heart, please enjoy~

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Governor's School for the Arts

It's been over four years since I went to Governor's School for the Arts, GSA for short.  GSA is similar to Governor's Scholar Program here in Kentucky, except it is solely based on the arts.  It is a three week program that occurs every summer that gives hundreds of students across the state an opportunity to explore their talents, hobbies, and possible future careers.  I originally didn't want to audition for it,...I actually had no desire.  My freshman year of high school I witnessed a few upperclassmen audition for it and get rejected, this put my mind at unease and burnt any desire to audition... What horrible thinking for such a young mind, right?  Sophomore year rolled around and my band director had a talk with me, he recommended I apply and audition for it.  This got me thinking again,...what if he honestly thought I could make it?  Maybe?  Shortly after that discussion, I applied for an audition, just days away from the cut off date.

I quickly began practicing some audition material in hope of doing well.  The audition date arrived quick, and the unfortunate happened; a week prior to the audition date I fell ill with the flu, the worst kind of sick I've ever felt.  Battling the end of that sickness, my mom and I traveled to Louisville for the stressful event.  As a percussionist, I don't have the privilege of owning my own marimba, and not being able to go to school that week was awful because I wasn't able to practice.  Going into the audition room, sniffles and all, I did the best I could for the judges.  I left the room in tears thinking I had botched the entire performance, now all that was left was to wait.

The waiting process was almost as bad as the audition itself.  The months leading up to the announcement of qualifying candidates was daunting.  But that Spring I received an amazing letter in the mail; "You've been accepted into Governor's School for the Arts..."  I remember jumping up and down with joy and running into the house to tell my parents I made it!

(All of the instrumentalist that year)

The next few months passed by quickly and GSA had arrived; it was one of the best musical experiences of my life.  Over the course of three weeks my musicianship improved dramatically and I had made a lot of new friends, most of whom I'm still in contact with.  Making it into GSA was one example of my prayers being answered.  I know that without God, I would have never been able to push through and give it my best.

Early Days of a Percussion Instructor

This is my second year as a percussion instructor, and it has been a great learning experience.  A few years ago I was contacted by one of the local band directors and was asked if I would be able to work with the percussion section the following fall during marching band season.  I had never done anything like he was asking, other then helping out with my alum high school's drum line the summer after graduation.  I said I'd give it a try and eagerly began thinking of how I could lead a section, helping them improve their musicianship skills and character.  It was the end of July before I knew it and band camp had arrived!  There I was, standing in front of a new section, alongside another instructor that taught that year... New faces and names to learn, personalities to understand, and music to teach.

That was the first year of the McCracken County High School's Marching Mustang Band.  McCracken county was in a new stage, building a new high school that would combine three of the local high schools into one united student body.  The new high school was not quite finished, but the marching bands had decided to combine a year early, creating a family before the house was built.  We all met at one of the schools on a consistent basis every week, practicing and preparing for football games, parades, and competitions.  Even though the three schools were so-called "rival" schools, I was very surprised to see how well the students got along with each other.  By November I couldn't even tell what schools the students were from, it was like they were already from McCracken County High School.

The new school building opened up this August and is now filled with students from across the county, united as one.  The marching band is now in it's second year as the Marching Mustangs, and the musicianship continues to improve with every week that passes by.  I'm very blessed to teach alongside some of the finest educators I know, and to lead a group of students who love what they do!

(Aspen and me at the first competition of the year)

(My attempt at a panoramic shot of the battery; there are 6 basses, 5 snares, and 2 tenors)

(The snare line)

This group has a lot of potential and I'm eager to see where their band director leads them; they're going to go far!

September & October Happenings

What a semester it has been!  August and the beginning of September was by far the worse beginning to a semester I've ever had in college.  I'm in my last two music courses for my undergrad degree, and have started the hefty education courses.  Practicum (similar to student teaching) started off okay, got worse, and has finally started to look positive!

The practicum hours have increased dramatically, and the extra hours (tutoring hours, family interaction hours, PLC meeting hours) have also increased.  Overall, I am required to get a total of around eighty-one field hours this semester alone.  Those hours being split up between three different classes, that is.  The increase of hours is what surprised me back in August, causing the semester to start off "on the wrong foot".

The semester is halfway finished and I'm almost done with the field hours, minus the normal Practicum hours that are fulfilled in the classroom.  It has been a huge blessing to have most of these hours complete!  In August I had absolutely no idea how I was going to complete everything, and it all fell into place thanks to the Lord!  I'm looking forward to see what else I can accomplish this semester with Him leading me!

My practicum placement is in a local middle school, and I absolutely LOVE it!  It's kind of ironic though... When I decided to become a teacher I had no intentions of teaching at the middle school level, the only thing that interested me was teaching elementary or high school music programs.  My experience in the classroom this semester has changed my mind; I now want to become a middle school beginning band director!

I'm really enjoying college right now, but I'm looking forward to the day I can be a full time teacher, passing on a passion for music to students of all ages.

Here It Goes!

Hello Blogging world!
I have no idea how this is going to go, but I'm going to try!  I've been contemplating on starting a personal blog for about half a year, and now that fall break has arrived I'm finally starting one.  Blogging became an interest of mine when my friend Bailey told me about her blog, Becoming Bailey, and I quickly began to read the numerous posts.  Her blog posts have always been so detailed and interesting, keeping me reading for what seems like hours.  My goals for this blog is to share my opinions and thoughts,  to inspire and reflect, and overall to share my life story of who I was, who I am, and who I will become.  Even if nobody reads it, this will be a good way for me to look back and improve.