Two Weeks Too Long

It seems like it's been forever since I posted last, and quite a bit has happened.  I wont drag this post out too long but I do want to have a post for today!

Shortly after posting my last entry I visited my hometown to see my family and two best friends.  It was a great visit with some fun happenings and good laughs.  My grandpa had no idea that I was coming home, so I decided to surprise him; I picked him up from work on Saturday morning after staying the night with my friend Ashley.  I'd parked my car in front of the main entrance to his work and had the sun visor down to cover my face when he'd walk out.  This normally wouldn't have tricked him, but the best part was that me and my mom have the same make and model of cars, just slightly different colors.  He walked out of work and looked at my car questionably, not recognizing who it was behind the wheel.  I slowly raised the visor up and he got the biggest smile I haven't seen since my wedding.  He then walked took off in a brisk walk to the passenger side and got in, saying "I didn't know you were coming home, I thought you were you mom!!!".  What a great surprise!  I love visiting family and friends, I always come back refreshed and relaxed.

Next to vising home, I've transitioned into my new practicum placement very well.  It's a great school with great teachers and students, and I'm glad to spend this semester there.  One of the best things about it is it's only a few miles down the road from where we live, so me and Michael are saving on fuel money.

Last but least, a few days ago one of my best set of mallets, A. Putnams, broke.  I wasn't expecting one of them to snap so soon seeing as I just bought them at PASIC, but it did.  I tried to get just one replacement mallet through the company I bought them from, but unfortunately they only sell them in a set of four.  After a few phone calls and emails I was finally able to get the situation settled.  The best part is, Amy Putnam herself replied to all of my emails and is setting me up with a replacement mallet for the broken one, and the other three to be re-wrapped for a cheaper price the a brand new set. (Amy Putnam is the creator of these mallets by the way).

Hopefully it won't be this long between posts next time...but it's hard to tell with a ridiculously busy schedule.  Here's to a great weekend and even more productivity!

When Schedules Fail

Happy Friday everyone!  This week was officially the last first week of college I spent on campus.  Being a new year and new goals, I attempted to make a rigorous schedule and follow it; but life decided to throw a few wrenches into the gears.  It wasn't a bad week at all, just one that had a few surprises.

With my senior recital just a few months away I decided to crack down on practicing more than usual.  This was successful on Monday, but then surprises started happening.  I found out my Practicum placement on Monday, but by Wednesday morning it had been changed.  The new placement was 30 minutes away from where we live, and another 30 minutes from campus (which is 30 minutes from home as well).  I liked the placement, but the commute wasn't ideal.

I just want to say that God is good!  I was worried about fuel expenses because of all of the extra driving I was going to have to do this semester...and fuel isn't cheap.  Yesterday morning I received yet another email with a new placement; this newest placement is wonderful!  It is at a school which is right down the road from where we live, which won't be a problem at all when it comes to driving and fuel expenses!

When schedules fail, don't fret!  That rigorous schedule I had created at the beginning of the week may not have worked out the way I had planned, but God had different plans in place.  Instead of practicing, I had enough time to run all of the errands that are required in getting a background check for Practicum, and had enough time to layout a new and improved schedule for next week :).

To top off the week, I'll be traveling to my parents this weekend to spend some quality time with family and my two best friends back home!

Last Week of Break

The last week of Christmas break has finally arrived, and it is the last for my college undergrad years.  Yesterday started off kind of crappy, which is no way for the week to begin.  If you turned on the Weather Channel or radio recently, you've probably heard of the arctic cold that hit the north and north east part of the country.  Kentucky was in the path of that arctic cold, and we were hit with a rain/wintery mix that fell throughout Sunday night.  With temperatures falling near zero and the wind chill below zero, everything froze at a quick pace.

Monday morning came around and I was woken up by Michael, who had both of the front door handles from his car in his hands.  It was literally so cold and icy outside that the door handles completely broke off.  After calling up a dealership, I discovered that it is ridiculously expensive to get these replaced.  Luckily we are penny pinchers and found out later that day that we can open up the doors with a wire coat hanger!  It isn't ideal, but it works and currently saves us some money, haha.

Anyway, with classes starting next week it means that my senior recital is just a few short months away.  The cold didn't hold me back from getting into Fine Arts to practice some, which was much needed.  I'm really looking forward to this semester because it seems less stressful than last; it probably won't be, but it doesn't hurt to hope!

Here's to a great week, and even better semester!

"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water."

Psalm 63:1

The Beatitudes...What to do?

The fire for Christ has certainly started to burn in my life again!  As stated in the previous post, I didn't do so well in my walk of faith last semester due to numerous situations; and I'm making it a top priority to put God first and foremost this year and years to come.  I've started a new devotional called Coffee With God by Sarah Arthur, and have also started a one year plan of reading the whole Bible, which is in the back of my Bible.

During my quiet time earlier, I was reading about the Beatitudes.  The Beatitudes, what exactly are they?  They are the principles and standards by which God expects all Christians to live by.  I've read and heard about the beatitudes quite a bit throughout the years I've attended church, but never took the time to break each one down and study a little of each.

One of them really stuck out to me, and that was Matthew 5:6;

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

Many Christians typically go through their day-to-day lives without giving a second thought to what it means to be "filled with Christ".  The Holy Spirit fills you when you except Jesus as your Lord, but then what?  We sometimes, more than often find ourselves feeling empty.  It's during these empty situations that most people try to find happiness in earthly things such as entertainment, money, relationships, and more.  It's up to us to continue filling that empty gap in our lives...the gap that can only be filled by Jesus.

That's where this beatitude comes into effect.  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..."  We should continuously be hungry and thirsty for Christ; in other words, we need to have a longing for righteousness, and chase that longing with perseverance.  Jesus clearly states in this verse that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled!  Simple as day, we can fill that "emptiness" with so much more than "earthly happiness" if we earnestly seek out Christ in our daily lives; by doing this we will be filled with God's love, peace, mercy, and all things Holy.

I hope this verse brings as much joy to you as it does me!  I pray that this year also brings each and everyone of you blessings and happiness!

New Year, New Goals!

Confession time!  Over the past few months it seems as if my faith has been gradually fading.  I've become selfish in a way, and have put it on the bottom of my to-do list.  At first I didn't really notice a difference in how my days were going, other than minor situations would turn into major problems quicker than normal.  This was very evident throughout this past semester of college; everything seemed twice as difficult as normal (not including it was one of my last semesters).  I continued to tell myself that things would be alright if I just say a little prayer here and there, and in a sense it was somewhat true; but it was no where near what I should have been doing to grow my faith.  Reflecting on this past year I know I made some mistakes and hurt some people, my sinful side definitely showed itself quite a bit.  Thankfully it's a new year, and God is merciful!

I intentionally didn't make any New Year's Resolutions, especially the typical cliche' kind.  Every time I try and do them, they always fail a few months into the year.  Instead, I've come up with a few goals that I'm going to continuously remind myself to do, in hopes to become a better person, a better friend, and a better follower of Jesus.

1. Put God at the top of my priority list. This seems to be a goal for me every year, but this year it is going to be different.  God isn't going to be a "thing" on my to-do list any more.  He is going to be the person I meet with on a daily basis, to talk with, pray with, and live with.  It's three days into the new year and so far I've been doing well with this goal, now it's time to continue what God has started in my life....for good!
2. Let go and don't hold grudges.  I was much to blame on doing the opposite of this last year.  Being hurt emotionally left my mind to wonder, accuse, and hold grudges that I should have never let happen.  I heard a quote a while back that went something like this, "Holding a grudge against someone is essentially allowing them to live rent free in your mind."  Who wants to let someone live rent free?  I don't, and I'm sure tired of letting things like grudges tear my mind apart.  Holding on to grudges is only going to haunt and bother me.  For this year, I'm setting a goal of letting go and not holding grudges.
3. Forgive,...Always.  Many people think that forgiveness is a one-time deal and then things go back to the way they were.  I know first hand that this is not true.  I failed this goal last year, and even though I'd tell myself I had forgiven, deep in my heart I still held anger and pain.  This year will be different, and very full of forgiveness, even when it's hard to do.  My church did a sermon on forgiveness back in July of 2012, and I'm glad I took notes.  Here are some of the points that I wrote down from the sermon:
• Ephesians 4:25-31
• When you forgive you don't get even, you get ahead.
• It is foolish to hold a grudge, it'll hurt you more than you know.
• Forgiveness isn't a one time shot.  It's a repeated act of not getting even.
• Forgiveness is what you have to do, restoring trust is what the other person has to do.

This year is going to be full of changes and happiness, I can tell already.  I'm not going to hold onto my old self any long.  It's time to truly shine and not let anyone or anything tell me otherwise, because God has a plan and I'm going to let Him take control!  Here's to a a new year, a better self, and better choices!

2013 Highlights

2013 has come and gone, and it was one of the most busiest years to date.  Looking back, I think I've grown as a person in many ways, and am looking forward to growing more this year.  Friendships have been made, musicianship has grown, and relationships with people have been strengthened.  There were many highs and lows throughout the year, but overall it was a huge growing experience for me!  I'll skip the lows and get straight to the great things that happened :).

Planned a wedding.  As stressful as it seems, it wasn't that stressful at all...not until the week before.  Shortly after Michael popped the question (7/3/12) we started planning.  We knew roughly when we wanted to have the wedding and began planning accordingly.  With the help of great friends and family, everything fell into place and the stress disappeared.

Moved to a new place.  This seemed stressful at first, but God blessed us with the perfect place that sits smack dab between the two towns we commute to on a daily basis.  With me finishing up my degree, we couldn't move too far away from campus.  And with Michael's job being an hour away from campus, that left very few places in which we could live that wouldn't be a terrible commute for either of us.  We now have an equal commute in opposite directions and it couldn't have worked out any better!

Married the man of my dreams.  The best highlight of 2013!  May 4th was one of the happiest days of my life to date!  (There will be a post about the wedding coming soon.)  God blessed me well when He put Michael in my life, and I'm glad I get to spend the rest of my days with him!

Taught band camp with a great band program.

Started my last year of college.  Commencement is right around the corner!  A year from now I will have my Bachelors degree in Music Education, and be on my way to becoming a full time educator.

Had a great practicum experience.

Started a blog.  This was something I never thought I would get around to doing.  After following my friend Bailey's blog  for a while I started to get the urge to create my own.  Right now I don't have a specific "goal" for this blog, other than to record events in my life and to reflect on them.  I'm hoping to keep this blog running for quite some time and hope it becomes more than what it is.

Went to PASIC.  This has been on my bucket list for a few years now, and I not only had the opportunity to go, but to also perform/compete with a group of amazing percussionist. (There will also be a post about this coming soon!) 

Celebrated the holidays as a married couple.  We've celebrated many holidays in the past, but this was by far the best year to celebrate them!  Both Michael and I agree that it had to have been one of the best Christmases we've had in a long time.  What a great way to send off a year than with family and friends!

With 2013 in the past, I'm looking forward to 2014 and all of the blessings and surprises that await!  May God bless you all and have a Happy New Year!!!