A Plate Full of Veggies

No, I didn't eat a plate full of veggies for dinner, although that might have been good for me. :-)

I do have a very full plate. In fact, my plate hasn't been this full in....well....a long time. I could go down the long list, but I won't do that. We all have our lists. We all have the things that cloud our minds and keep us awake at night. We all have things that make us wonder if we'll get through the week. I can truly say, God's grace is sufficient! It's often tempting to fill our plates with things that are useless. You know what I'm talking about.  The chocolate, the cake, the pie. Whatever that may be for you. Things that don't REALLY matter when you sit back and take all things into account.

I'm determined to fill my plate with veggies. Things that may not always be desirable at the start, but things that will increase my faith, grow my learning, and cause me to be stronger in the Lord.  What are you filling your plate with?

2 Corinthians 12:9- And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Upcoming events....

It is April 2nd. The beginning of a very busy month. Spring break has been wonderful! I've enjoyed a good amount of rest balanced with much busyness. My main accomplishment was working in the print shop, which I loved! I really miss working in there with the hum of the machines, the music to sing along with, and the books to pray over concerning who might read them in the future. 

Now that April is here I'm looking ahead to what comes next. First, school starts tomorrow. I have a LOT on my plate and will only be able to handle it with the Lord's strength. My classes are: Intro to Sociology, English Comp.III, Music Theory III, Ear Training III, Choir, Small Vocal Ensemble, Piano lessons, and Voice lessons.  My little elephant eraser buddy in the picture is to remind me that the only way you can eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  The same with this quarter...one day at a time.

 Next up on the agenda is a Wilton Cake Decorating class!! I've been wanting to take this class ever since I started decorating cakes several years ago.  Being self-taught I have had to learn a lot of things the hard way and I'm sure there are many of the basics I still don't know. I don't have a lot of time to get into decorating at the moment because of school but I know that if I don't take this class I might never do it. It's such a good skill to have! I can't wait to learn how to use all those tips I've had forever. :-)  Plus it will be a fun time to spend with my mom as we do it together.

Lastly, on April 14 I have been asked to play at a concert in La Conner! It's the Young Emerging Artist Concert. "La Conner Institute of Performing Arts is proud to showcase the talents of this year's outstanding young artists from Skagit and surrounding counties.  This concert promotes interest in music by offering free admission to everyone under age 18.  Concert participants receive honorariums and certificates recognizing their achievements" A friend and I will be playing a duet and I will also be playing a solo. It's going to be an interesting experience as it will be my first time actually "performing" so to speak other than recitals. But I think it will be fun and I'm looking forward to it!

Well, that's April-to-come in a nutshell! We'll see how this goes....

The Gospel Message

Please take the time to watch this clear presentation of the gospel. It is WORTH your time, trust me. Take ten minutes and consider where you are spiritually. Ten minutes is a grain of sand in the sea of eternity!

First Day of Spring

  Today is officially the first day of spring and while here on Whidbey we experienced many seasons in just one day (which is pretty normal) we did get some "normal" spring weather.  Even right now the sun is rather indecisive and trying to peek around the dark clouds.

It's also the first day of my Spring Break and that too makes me very happy! Technically this whole week is finals week but because all my finals were on Monday I have two whole weeks off. *happysigh* Last year on spring break I was down the whole time from having my wisdom teeth removed. (shudder).  I hope to be more productive this time around and actually check things off my "to do" list that hardly gets touched during school.

Here are some pictures of the tulip festival last year. I can't WAIT for the tulips to bloom again. It's just breathtaking.  They usually bloom sometime in April but it's all dependent on the weather.

Winter Recital '12

Another recital has come and gone. I'll post my solos, but I'll wait to post the duet because Hannah and I are playing it at the Emerging Artist concert next month in La Conner so I don't want to give it ALL away! :-)

**The lighting was horrible the first half of the recital. They finally fixed it during intermission but that explains the funny glow. Yes...I do actually have a face. haha

Ending and Beginning

I am nearing the end of this school quarter and let me tell you, it feels good! It's hard to believe I've been in school for over a year now. Time flies when you're having fun! (Or just crazy busy) I had my end-of-quarter recital this past Tuesday and I am relieved to be done with that. I played a solo, played a duet, and sang a solo. Now I can focus on other finals! Just two left to go....

As much as I love Whidbey Island, its weather confuses me! This past week we have had snow, hail, rain, major wind, and now SUNSHINE! I took the opportunity to get out in the garden today and it was so nice. I only had a short time to do it, but it felt good to get my hands dirty again. It made me realize just how much I miss working with plants. It's so fun to watch the tulips popping up their sleepy heads this time of year! To plant something from seed and watch it grow into an amazingly beautiful flower is an incredible feeling. I can't imagine how God must feel looking down at his marvelous creation!  I know the first day of spring is still several days away, but I think I will gladly declare it spring. :-)

New Things

Life would be boring if it always stayed the same, if we were never challenged with changes or introduced to new things, no matter how little.

I'll start small and work into things....

I've discovered this new tea that's just amazing!  It sounds like a weird combination......Peach and Ginger.....but it's a delicious mix of fruit and spice.  I have to admit that I've been a little overloaded on the coffee as of late so in my efforts to diminish that intake I've turned to drinking tea (other than morning.....coffee is still nice then!).   Are there any teas that YOU could recommend??

ADJUDICATIONS!  This was a VERY growing experience for me as a teacher.  I've never participated in Adjudications as a student, let alone as a teacher putting in my students.  Everyone worked SO hard to prepare their pieces and it really paid off! I was encouraged by their efforts and their SUCCESS!

For those who are unfamiliar with Adjudications, let me explain.  I am part of the Washington State Music Teacher Association (which is under the MTNA) and I have the opportunity to put my students into adjudications. Each of the students prepare two pieces from memory to play for the Adjudicator (a professional pianist and teacher). The adjudicator evaluates the good points and the points that need some help. She encourages the students and kindly shows them ways they could improve their pieces.  Because I'm a student teacher, my teacher came to listen as well.  At the end, I played and was evaluated the same way.  Then I was able to have a conference with the Adjudicator to get input based on what she heard from my students. In all it was a lot of work but WORTH it in so many ways.














And last but NOT least......




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Someone kindly donated a beautiful grand piano to our church!!  I have been praying for this for some time (along with many others in our church). I don't know why I was so surprised when God gave it so us so simply!  Worshiping the Lord today with the rich sound of that piano was just incredible. God is SO good!