My Favorite Summer Things:

Fireflys, or Lightning Bugs as I grew up calling them, were one of the first signs that summer was officially here. I still get excited when I see one! 

I have some of the best memories of being a kid and sitting in my drive way with my brother and sister, eating Popsicles and talking.  I especially like making my own and experimenting with different flavors using fruit juices.  These look like fun to try to:  Grape,  Strawberry Short Cake and Fun Shaped!

If I could have had my way, I would have been barefoot from the time I could walk, but seeing as that is impossible, flip flops are the next best thing! (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE shoes, but we'll save that for another post ;) It wouldn't be long before even these got kicked off, but to this day they still symbolize summer for me! These are some of my favorites. 

 

 

 As a child Summer also meant longer days and more hours to play outside.  I still love the extra hours but I also love the sunsets that I get to watch every night.  Living in a city, sometimes it's hard to really see them,  but every now and then we get one that just blows me away and reminds me how creative our Creator is.

And as any good southern girl does......

 I love my Sweet Tea :) 

 

 

What are some of your favorite summer memories? 

It's Summertime

It's been a month since graduation and I don't think I'm any clearer on what the future holds than I was then....but that's ok.

I still can't believe how fast time flies and how easy it is to not realize it.  Since graduation I've not done much different then I did before.  Summer Conference was incredible and a much needed oasis from the craziness and uncertainty of life.  But fun on the beach had to come to an end and now I'm home trying to find a job and figure out what the next step is.  I HAVE been able to return to somethings I love since school has ended:

1. Sleeping in, this is an art, let no one tell you otherwise ;)
2. Cooking, I really enjoy getting in the kitchen and mixing textures and flavors and really experimenting with what's in the Kitchen 
3. Writing Letters, this is actually what I'm most excited about! There's something special about getting an envelope in the mail with your name on it.  It's a simple something that shows you've been thought about.  I love knowing that I've put a smile on someone's face, and there is something I just love about fun stationary like this!!

I'm also hoping the time off will allow me to use this blog a little differently than I have.  Not only do I want to let you know what's going on in my life, but I also want to try and let you know a little more ABOUT me, so I'm going to try and use this blog that way by showing you more of the music, movies, food, oddities and other blogs that interest me and have been helpful as well.  Here's to Summer!

Endings and Beginnings

I graduate in a month.

A MONTH!

It's so weird to think that I'm to this point in my life. In 4 weeks I enter the real world and have to actually become a responsible adult ;)
I definitely feel much better about this fact then I did a month ago. I think it has something to do with the fact that I finally know what I want to do the rest of my life: PREFORM! Something just clicked after we finished The Light in the Piazza. I realized I love the stage too much, I love getting into character and a chance to explore other personalities and stories. I enjoy musical theater but I think I'm more suited for opera. Opera also seems to touch something in me that most other music can't. There's something about the languages and the beauty of the phrases in the music that speaks to me. The only problem with having finally figured out a plan is I'm anxious to get started. I'm tired of sitting in class learning about what I want to be out DOING. But I only have one more month :)

I am going to miss everyone though. I think after spring break the girls and I realized that is was kinda our last Hurrah and that soon we'll be going our separate ways. We'll always be close, I have absolutely no doubt about that, but not having them with all of the time is not going to be easy to get used to. Not to mention all the other people I've come to love and rely on.

I'm excited though and soooo ready to start looking for a job and auditioning!!

Here are a few snap shots from Spring Break:

At the Olympic Training Center



Watching the Monkeys at the Zoo

Garden of the Gods

Breckenridge

We're ridiculous....and ok with it :)


And here's a shot from The Light in the Piazza
The Nacarelli Family

Sometimes I Just Need to be Put in My Place

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6 & 7

I tend to get caught up in the situations I'm in and the emotions that causes....I'll admit it, I tend to be on the dramatic side....surprise right? ;) Lately I've given myself over to them, allowing them to get out of control and, in a lot of ways, take over my life. In short, I'm letting my emotions become my idol. One of the biggest emotions I've always struggled with is worry. As a child, I would almost make myself sick worrying when bad weather would hit our area or about what other people thought of me. It used to drive my friends crazy when I would ask if everything was ok if they seemed just the teensiest bit off. I was terrified I had done or said something that would make them the lest bit annoyed with me. I've always been afraid of being vulnerable.

Now, worry less about if I've done something, but I do worry about those I care about more than ever. And I tend to let it take over. I worry about what's coming after I graduate. I'm not doing anything I thought I would be at this point in my life and it scares me a little. I thought I'd know by now what I want to do with my life and I still don't have the foggiest idea.

After venting about all of this to a friend the other night, he read me Philippians 4:6 & 7. I was lovingly but promptly put in my place. :) He reminded me that my worry is just a way of not trusting the Lord to have my best interest in mind. We also discussed the fact that we are supposed to be thankful in EVERY situation, no matter what it is. It's ok for me to be concerned about those around me, it means the love of our Heavenly Father is present within me, as it should be as a Christian, but it DOES NOT mean it consumes my life to the point that I can't function. I am to pray for my friends and family and to be concerned for them, but I'm to be thankful even when life gets tough and trust that God has no need for a "Plan B." When I do this, I'm promised a transcending peace of mind and protection.

I'm so unbelievably thankful for my compassionate and gracious Heavenly Father and for those He has put in my life to remind me when I forget :)

Zoom Zoom

Some days, I just want to get in my car, roll the windows down, turn the radio up and DRIVE. Not to anywhere in particular mind you, I just want to feel the freedom that comes with riding down a highway with nowhere to be and time to spare. It's hard to do that in Jackson so I tend to go one of our outdoor shopping centers to walk around in the fresh air, but it's way too cold for that today and besides, I don't have the time.

I think this week has just made me restless. I have plenty to do, but the craziness of life that I was able to avoid during the Christmas break is starting to catch up with me.

Classes can get overwhelming

Work gets tedious

Sleep gets lost

Relationships are hard

Thankfully, I have a Savior who has it all under control. It's just so easy to forget that in the midst of everything. Brian Sorgenfri, the RUF Campus Minister at MSU preached at Pear orchard on Sunday on Jonah. I can be so much like Jonah sometimes, I forget how merciful and compassionate God is towards me, how much he longs to love on us and bless us. Brian reminded us that Heaven is unstoppable: there is no plan B. God doesn't need one because he can't fail. I'm so thankful that's who is holding me up, directing my path and catching me when I fall. His plan for me can't fail and I can't mess it up...........WHAT a relief!!

I still kinda want to go for that drive though........I'm still enjoying having Etta back ;)

Breath...Breath!...BREATH!!!

I'm kind of impressed with myself and how long I've kept this up. Normally it will last for a month or so and then slowly be forgotten or discarded in an attempt to find something to waste my time (something I don't have much of these days :) I have found I enjoy more than I thought I would though and hope to keep it up. I don't really know if anyone reads this or if I really want them to (haha). What I do know is that it allows me to empty my head a bit everynow and then to make room for all the other stuff I have to remember and helps me relax a little.

I don't really even know what I'm rambling on about at this point, nor do I know why I had this urge to get on here and type. BUT I did and so here I am, going on and on aimlessly and here you are reading, probably wondering why you made it this far. :)

ANYWAY, School is back in session after Christmas break and I'm suddenly very thnakful that I did nothing for a month but lay around and do house work. If I sit down for more than 30 minutes, it's probably because it's almost midnight and I need to be getting to sleep.

Despite my busy schedule, there isn't much that'd I'd be willing to give up...even my classes. This is one of the reasons I've loved College: you get to study what you love and you love what you get to study. Most of my music classes are done so this year I got to pick a couple extras to fill in space. My Introduction to Marketing class is actually pretty interesting and I'm sure will be useful if i ever decide to market myself to an audiance through music. My Christian Doctrine class is also pretty entertaining, especially when we start getting into different theological ideas, something I haven't been able to really discuss in awhile. All my other classes, Bio and Bio lab, choir and voice lessons are pretty normal but I'm still finding that I enjoy them, just as long as I have time to prepare....something I'm suprised I've actually been able to do. When you start adding up the hours each one of my activities takes (14 hours of class + 20 hours of BLC and Worksstudy + 18 hours of practice = 52 hours....and I haven't even counted time for homework and friends....and there's only 144 hours in a week...plus sleep...oh gosh I better stop now or I'll start stressing!....."Where is my calander...and my books...and AHHHH!" .....Ok I'm fine...I think) I thought I'd have less time than ever. But the Lord has been good and it seems like I have time to spare at the end of the day.....I just have to somehow get up the next day :)

Despite the fact that most days I go from 8-10 without stopping, I'm really begnning to enjoy this last semester.

I think it's what comes after the next 3 months that I'm worried about...!!!!

Kissing the Old Year Out...Kissing the New Year In

I can't believe it, 2010 is almost over! It feels like it just begun! But much of life feels like it is speeding by too quickly, so I want to take a moment and reflect on the passing year.

January and February brought one of the fastest and best decisions I've made: I decided to run for Student Activities Coordinator. I was interviewed and put on the ballot and though I wouldn't be elected until April, it was a moment in my life where I new without a doubt, I had taken a leap of faith. I no idea what I was really doing and I it scared me to death, but it has turned out to be one of the most growing times in my life. February was also the month of my Junior Recital!! It is an understatement to say that I am blessed, but I found out just how blessed I really am. I never expected the support I received and the encouragement that helped push me and reaffirm what I've been working toward!

In March, I got to take a Spring Break trip that opened my eyes to my own heart and stretched me in numerous ways. The Rising was one of my favorite memories with RUF and taught me a lot about myself and the World around me by forcing me outside my comfort zone and forcing me into not so comfortable situations. It also opened my eyes to 116 Clique and Christian Rap :)

April was a month filled with NATS. It was hard hearing I hadn't made it through, but was another needed push to work harder and come back swinging next time. I was also blessed with friendships beyond my imagination and I was beginning to realize it about this time.

May gave me the moral boast I needed. I made it into Best of Belhaven and was awarded The Most Improved in the Music Department. Suddenly NATS wasn't such a big deal. :) My professors believed in me and that's all I needed at the moment. May also meant saying goodbye or at least "see ya later" to some close friends as I watched them graduate and leave me behind, BUT not before Summer Conference which is always one of my favorites :)

June through August was HUGE growing period for me. I was offered an internship with The Office of Student Leadership and was, again, scared of not being able to handle it, but it was one of the most fun experiences I've been a part of and I'm so thankful to JoBeth for that opportunity. Another part of this summer was the death of my paternal grandparents. Though I wasn't super close to my grandmother and I hardly new my grandfather, it was a rough time in the family's life. It did allow us to see each other which doesn't happen often and has spurred us all to keep in touch and make an extra effort to see each other more. I also learned during these three months that I could exercise self control and accomplish things I had doubted before, namely, weight loss. This is hard subject for me to talk about sometimes, and though I've slipped and need to get back on the wagon, it showed me that it IS possible and gave me a renewed hope in myself and my goals. With the beginning of August came the beginning of my senior year and more lessons. I started my activity job and quickly learned how much I needed others. This was also the time of my last Welcome Week which was a blast, but hard to say goodbye to. So much of my leadership potential and growth as a person came from those weeks and I wasn't ready for that to end.

September meant new friends and along with it, new challenges. I think I prayed and was in the scriptures more that month and the one to follow than I had been in a long time. And I needed it! I realized I had been too long relying on my own strength and wisdom and it wasn't doing me any good. This was the month of hard questions and even harder, unpleasant answers and I had to learn the lesson of obedience no matter what. I dwelt a lot on my selfishness and cravings for unneeded things the world had to offer. But I also learned the beauty of honest, open and vulnerable relationships.

October and November were filled with shows and NATS and more juggling than I had ever attempted, but the Lord was good. The show went great and I got to relive what I love about the business side of music. NATS was also a reaffirmation as I made it to semi-finals when I thought it was impossible to do so. BAT came together and I was able to watch selflessness at its best. I also learned a lesson about responsibility and learning to grow up. It wasn't fun then and even now, as I still deal with the consequences, but from this, I too shall learn. (P.S. Always, always, ALWAYS call the cops when you are in an accident!! I don't care how bad it doesn't seem. Just do it!!!)

December has been a whirl wind of a month. There have been Singing Christmas Trees, BAT Christmas Parties, engagements, weddings and graduations of people I love and am going to miss severely, but it's such a blessing to be a part of such a special part in person's life. It's also bringing to light more of my sin as family and life in general tends to do, but I know its all part of being on the Potter's wheel.

I look forward to this next year and what the Lord has in store for me! I already know it's going to be a mile stone year with graduation, going out into the real world and deciding what path I should take for the rest of my life but I'm learning more and more everyday how able my Savior is, how much He loves me and how much He wants to bless me with each lesson learned, tear cried or rejoicing. Here's to 2011!!!