A Blessing and a Lesson

Recently I wrote about my scholarship audition.  I found out about it kind of last minute and felt rather rushed to put the whole package together.  Especially since I had never done anything like this before!  It involved an audition, an essay, and much more.  My thoughts were, "There is NO way that I am going to receive this scholarship.  After all, I am not all that great at the piano (Comparitively) and part of my college is paid for."   I knew that even though I most likely wouldn't get the scholarship that it would be a good experience for me to perform in front of judges.  Let me tell you, it's WAY different than playing for a recital!!

The Lord proved He can do anything when I received a letter last week telling me that I was to receive an honor or scholarship and wouldn't find out what it was until the Honor's Reception on April 28 (today).  I assumed that it was the scholarship but I wasn't sure.  Tonight's reception confirmed that I DID receive the Lillian McDearmid Music Scholarship!! Praise the Lord!!  It was for the amount of $600.  While that may seem like an insignificant amount, it truly helps in the long run.  For different reason I now have to readjust my plans for fall quarter but this is SUCH a blessing! The Lord has certainly taught me through this that I should not say "never"...He obviously knows what's best even when I THINK I know what will happen. :-)

Each Step I Take

It's amazing how the Lord will use little things in our lives to encourage us just when we need it!  Flowers to show you're appreciated, a small gift from a piano student, a conversation with a new friend, the list goes on!  I am so grateful to the Lord for how much He blesses me.  There are times I feel so overwhelmed with my life but He constantly reminds me that He is with me with every single step I take.  What a comfort!

Each Step I Take   by W. Elmo Mercer

Each step I take my Saviour goes before me,

And with His loving hand He leads the way.

And with each breath I whisper "I adore thee;"

Oh, what joy to walk with Him each day.

At times I feel my faith begin to waver

When up ahead I see a chasm wide.

It's then I turn and look up to my Saviour,

I am strong when He is by my side.

I trust in God, no matter come what may,

For life eternal is in His hand.

He holds the key that opens up the way,

That will lead me to the promised land.

Each step I take I know that He will guide me;

To higher ground He ever leads me on.

Until some day the last step will be taken.

Each step I take just leads me closer home.

"Just A Note"

Now introducing my new blog, Just A Note. This is designed for my piano students and also for fellow musicians.  My goal is to do research about various musical topics to present on my blog in addition to sharing videos or giving updates and announcements.  I welcome any comments or questions, in fact, please do! 

At This Time of My Life

At this time of my life I am single.
At this time of my life I am a full time college student.
At this time of my life I should be training to do my "dream job", that of a wife and a mother.
At this time...how can I do that?!

There are times I feel so overwhelmed with my current occupation of college that I wonder how I can ever accomplish those other tasks, those other things in my life that are JUST as important!  My mind tells me, "Those things don't have due dates.  They can wait."  But can they? This is the time of my life when I should be taking advantage of my time at home to learn all that I can, yet I find time slipping away as I bury my nose in my books.  This can't be good!  The Lord has been making me aware of my situation.  Obviously, college is not my complete future.  This is only temporary.  Juggling my time can be a challenge, but I am reminded of Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Psalm 61:1-4  "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.  From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.  Selah."

Looking around I see nothing but a long list of things that need to be done:  things to clean, things to study, things to practice.  The list goes on!  But I've come to realize that without my consistent relationship with the Lord, everything WILL crumble around me.  There is no doubt about that.

At this time of my life I am focusing on the Lord, trusting Him to guide me where I need to go, trusting Him to give me the strength to go there.

Music and Tulips

Today was an amazing Monday!  It started out a bit early. I had piano lessons at 9 but needed to practice beforehand so I went down to the church at 7:30 to practice before I left.  I knew that I had a LOT going on today so I had to make sure I had everything I needed.  I probably came back into the house 4-5 times because I kept forgetting things!!  So I drove about 45 minutes to lessons and it was a great lesson!  Seriously, she is one amazing teacher! 

Next stop, Public Speaking class here in Oak Harbor.  Whew!  It was a great class....I always have fun there.  So at about 12:30 Anna picked me up at the college and we headed to Mt. Vernon to go to the Tulip Festival!! (That's a HUGE thing around here!)  First we headed to the college in Mt. Vernon so I could drop off an application (more on that later) then went to lunch at Calico Cupboard, a super nice cafe and bakery!  After a nice meal of soup, sandwiches and.....gigantic cinnamon rolls (teehee) we went in search of some tulips!  We ended up going to Tulip Town, a beautiful farm!  We had such a good time and the tulips were absolutely stunning.  I forgot to mention the weather was gorgeous!  When I was there this morning for lessons it was so rainy and the Lord answered my prayers by providing afternoon sunshine! woohoo!

THEN we went to my Music Scholarship Audition at the college.  I had to fill out an application, write an essay, put together a "performance resume" and perform a piece from memory (while the judges were following along with the music!!)  I actually had SO much fun!  I was really nervous right before I went in but as soon as I began to play I felt at ease and enjoyed myself.  The interview afterwards was a lot of fun. :-)  Two of the judges know me pretty well so I think that helped. (One was my piano teacher. lol).  After the audition I was able to relax and Anna and I did some shopping at the mall before we headed back.  It was a REALLY fun day!  But aren't times that involve food, friends, and flowers always fun?!

*Click on photos for better quality.

 There's a reason these were called "World's Favorite"! They were my favorite too!

 More of my favorite....:-)

Wednesday in Pictures

Here was my day:

Started out with my devotions then studying before class...

 Then I went to my Public Speaking class....

 Then I piano practiced for approximately an hour...

 Then I worked in the print shop.  Finished printing a book today.  Tomorrow I will be collating.  I don't know what the dealio is with my stacks. They always seems to lean! haha

Studied again....

 Went to church (don't have a picture for that)...
Then celebrated Christopher's birthday with gifts and an icecream cake!

 Now I'm off to study again and work on scholarship application stuff.....fun!

Happy Birthday, Christopher!

Who has us laughing even when we don't want to be just because we can't help it?  Who gets wire, batteries and other gadgets in his Christmas stocking because he loves to make little contraptions??  Who built me a cookbook stand with his Knex?  Who complains about violin practicing but ends up practicing for an hour just because he loves it?  Who specializes in making pound cakes and wanted to even make his own birthday cake?

Yup....Christopher. He's turning 15!!! Very hard to believe especially when I think back to when I was 15.  That truly seems like just yesterday.  Chris is an awesome brother.  He has us in stitches so many times with his witty humor.  (Oh he thinks he's so smart. haha)  He's my partner in crime when it comes to music.  It's been so fun to share songs, him on the violin and me on the piano.  I love having a brother that enjoys classical music and the like!  Looking forward to what the Lord has for him this next year.  Driving?? oh no!  Maybe he'll learn while I'm gone for three months. hehe.  Love you, Christopher!

Working Outside

Today was our "spring cleaning" outside.  Everything looks SO much better.  We did tons of weeding and working in the garden.  It was really nice to get my hands in the dirt again.  Usually by this time of year I've done tons of gardening but since I don't work at the Holly Farm anymore I've barely worked outside!  That's what happens when the books are waiting I guess.  It really got me in the mood to garden and I can't wait to go pick out annuals for this year!  And of course it's always fun to watch the perennials come back fuller and bigger each year.  Even though I'll be gone for almost the whole summer I am hoping to get my hands dirty as much as possible between now and then. :-) Welcome Spring!!

 The dogs enjoyed the time playing outside! At one point Chester decided to chase an earthworm down a hole and began to dig furiously.  Of course, we can't have that in the garden so we stopped him. But it was funny to watch.  I also thought it was funny that in the pictures I took of BOTH of them they had their tongues out. Buck's takes the cake though. :-D

The Revealing

Ok all you blog readers.  Blogger has this wonderful feature called "Stats".  Through this little gadget I've noticed a lot of people reading my blog!  Now, for all you that clicked the little button that says "follow", I know YOU read my blog.  Right now I am giving the opportunity for alllllll you other readers to reveal yourselves.  I'm so curious!  Don't be shy now....:-)

100th Post!

So I debated doing some special thing about it being my 100th post. I don't have time to write 100 things about myself and I can't think of anything better. So you just get to hear about my day. :-) Hope that suits.

 Well..ok...so I'll start with yesterday. It was SUCH a great day in the Lord's house! It was busy....oy...VERY busy. But totally worth it. The preaching was phenomenal. Pastor preached that "Vision determines your Venture". Basically, if you don't view the world as a mission field and only as a place to buy food, do business, etc. then you will never win people to the Lord. It has to be an intentional thing. The Lord really opened up my eyes to some areas in my life that I could definitely be more bold and not keep my eyes closed to those I am around every day. The day ended with a great time at Jack in the Box with friends! This morning came early. I had to be at piano lessons at 9:00 and it takes about 45 minutes to get there. Plus other various things before I left. Then I went directly from piano lessons to school back here in Oak Harbor. Then piano practiced for a few hours, worked in the print shop for a few hours, and here in a few minutes we have Bible Training Institute. I am really looking forward to learning more about the Life of Paul! So I am a little indecisive at the moment. I need to choose which song to play for my next recital and I canNOT decide!! I am working on both of these songs (Mendelssohn's Scherzo Op. 16, No.2 and Debussy's Arabesque No.1). So I'm taking votes!! Listen to the songs and let me know which you think I should play.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7lKERM4ULU
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWpV7L4YHuU

Oh and other news....I now have my plane ticket for Thailand! Very exciting! Well...until next time.