Announcement!!!!!!

I would like everyone to know that one of my best friends, Josh Hummel, was accepted into the Hartt School of Music to Study Composition with a scholarship! God truly does grant us the desires of our hearts!

The Beginning of Busyness!!

I walked out to yet another glorious day here in Schaumburg, IL! The sun is shining, it is near 50 degrees, the wind was not blowing, and the sky was blue and laden with fluffy white clouds. My walk over to work was simply delightful. The air was so refreshing. How I have come to appreciate these rare days during this still wintry season. (Can you believe that it is supposed to drop to 32 degrees tomorrow, from mid 50s today?)

Of course, I got to my office, was about to sweeten my tea that I was very much looking forward to, had just sat down, and someone knocked on my office door. Immediate bad mood! It was a friend, but I still cannot handle people/work/things before my first drink of something caffeinated in the morning. I had to apologize for not being happy to see her! LOL! We chatted for 10 minutes, and I am finally being able to sit down, breath, and drink my tea----Peach Oolong. Very light tasting. I would say that it is not heavy with Peach, but there is an undertone of it.

Well, today starts my very busy schedule til the end of March. Today, I have a student singing 2 performances. I will warm her up this morning, listen to her performance, work all day, teach 3 lessons after work, and be back at 7 to hear my student sing again. Thursday holds working, judging for some competitions during the day, teaching a late lesson, and a tad bit of practice. Friday holds a full day at work, judging, and a late night trip downtown. Saturday holds some appointments, errands, and cleaning before next week. Sunday, I teach a makeup lesson after church, have a meeting at 4, and evening church. Next week holds appointments, teaching, another student performing, and a trip home Thursday night for the weekend. I have to be back to work on Monday morning to see our group off to Israel which I have coordinated. The rest of the month is busy with appointments and such. So coasting through to April is my next goal. How sad it makes me to be "eventing" March away. Time is passing so quickly. I guess that is why I am so thankful for the small blessings that God sends our way---the sunshine, for instance!

Well, I really must go. I will tell you all about it when things get back to somewhat normal---whatever that is!

Tis the End of a Busy Week

Well, as I look back over my week, I can definitely say I worked! :) And it ended so busy---with still some to go. I put out a lot of work at my full time job this week. I am coordinating a group trip to Israel, and it consumes much of my time. It has been such a stressful project that you couldn't pay me to go to Israel right now----even to tour!

My part time job was of course enjoyable this week. All my students did well at their lessons following their recital. They all seem encouraged in some way having done it. I am so proud of them all. I have such goals for them. Right now, I am preparing a student for competition next week, and two for church solos. Much to do! Tonight I have to warm the competition student up for a pre-competition performance. But I can't even stay and listen to her sing because of the areas I am judging in the competition next week! What disappointment. But I know she will do well.

Practice went well last night. Worked on my Sunday morning solo! Have some new thoughts I want to experiment with tonight. So I am actually looking forward to practicing tonight. Much to do! Oh, and I ordered my music for my October Concert! I just can't wait. Mozart Exsultate with string accompaniment! I absolutely love that work, and it has been my dream to perform it!

The weekend is up in the air. My family is supposed to come over tomorrow to hear me sing Sunday. But they may get snowed into Indiana. So in short, planning for the weekend is non-existent. My big plans for the weekend--especially with the time change----is rest!!!! I am so tired, but it is a good tired. I have accomplished much this week and am ready to power down!

So, in a few minutes, I am off to practice, then I will go home to a cup of Scarlet Cloud White Tea, Dinner, be back at 7:15 to warm up my student, then finally home to crash!

Personal Reminders

Hello!!! :) I am currently sitting in my office, obviously not working, drinking my cup of coffee and getting warmth from my heater under me. :) I really have to go to the bathroom, but am waiting on a phone call here in a couple minutes. So the bathroom must wait. So I thought I would write you.

This journey of growth we call sanctification is becoming a fascination for me. Sometimes a frustration. In my worst moments, I fail miserably. In my better moments, I become so ashamed and humbled at what I have missed. In my best moments, I learn to turn my thoughts around and choose to think positively about what God is doing in my life! :)

Like this morning. Do you know it literally hit me this morning how much God really is blessing me right now---with friends, finances, opportunities, music, etc. For instance. People in my SS school class taking an interest in me: One family having me over, another lady and I are going to do Tea some weekend. (And they are all married---and my singleness doesn't bother them, and their marriages don't bother me!!! Like the one lady would bring her little girl, and asked me if I minded. Why would I mind. All my sisters are married, and one of them has 3 kids. That is what I know and have grown up with!). People like Marina inviting me over. My voice families fighting over who would pay for my tea when we went out. My studio recital. The new student I started. I get to judge for a competition and get paid for it!!! One of my students is going to give my name to her church, because they want a voice instructor to come give some master classes and would pay them! I got a cheap ticket to go see Lang Lang---a 23 year old pianist---at CSO. Marissa had a good lesson yesterday, and has a good shot at competition!

I mean, you know, I can't believe myself sometimes. God really does give us the desires of our hearts!!! Sometimes they just don't come fast enough, or sometimes we are looking for the ultimate, big thing that we want---for me that big break in a career. How many times do I neglect the daily blessings! Wow! When all these things hit me this morning, I was so overwhelmed. And a smile actually came to my face! :) How much God loves me. And yet, when I fail and He has to spank me, does He not love me then too? Part of my devotions this morning focused on being created for eternity, not time (the here and now). And what things last for eternity? My relationship with God. His work around me. The work He involves me in to work out His plan in His world.

And I lost my thought!

Anyway! God is doing so much around me. And sometimes I miss it because I am choosing to not see it, or am so bogged down in selfish thoughts that I can't see it. How much I miss during these times.

What a God! To love me as He does. To put up with me as He does! It brings tears to my eyes.
I wish that I could be the perfect mature christian right now. That each day weren't so inconsistent. But that is why God gave us time here on earth. To establish a relationship with Him in order to grow in Him.

No Complaints---yet! :)

I walked out my door this morning and found it to be an absolutely beautiful day here in Schaumburg! Although it is still very nippy outside, with no wind and the sun shining high in the sky, I couldn't help but wonder if we were getting a small glimpse of a bright and beautiful spring.

Now I am at work, sipping my tea (a Yerba Mate blend) and trying to acclimate to my day! I don't always feel human until I have had my morning tea or coffee. My tea this morning is a new one. It has a very strong earthy taste. Not my favorite of the Mate line, but still good. I like trying new teas everytime I go! Helps me figure out what I do and do not like.

Both of my students did well in their lessons last night. Talk about a huge strata of teaching. One was a 9 year old, the other an adult. Yet both are unique in their own way and have improved so much. Last night with both of them, I worked on head voice techniques. They seemed to understand. We'll see after a weeks worth of practice. But I was able to get the tones light, airy, and spinning. With my adult, I now need to pull the voice back into a frontal position.

I know that each week with my students won't present the perfect scenario of learning and improvement. But you sure to feel like you need to make the most of it when they do improve!

My practice went ok. I will say that I do feel a little better these days. Still tired, and my energy lacks a lot. But in general, I feel better since my surgery. Still miles to go, but time has a natural way of healing if we let it.

Last night I went over my Sunday morning piece, the Mozart Exsultate, and Purcell's "Your Awful Voice." I always get a kick out of singing that last one! It's like the one set by, is it Bernstein, "I hate music, but I love to sing!" Oxymoron! The coloratura on the Purcell went much better than Monday, but that middle section, that first word, I just can't get it to set right! It'll come! Just needs to settle in my voice. I absolutely cannot wait to perform the Mozart. Supposed to be doing a concert in October with strings and piano! We'll see!

Sunday morning's piece has come to mean so much in my life. I feel very urgent about this text! Pray hard that I will get the communication across! The name of the piece is "Ashamed of Jesus?" Of course the answer is that we shouldn't be. But how many of us, if we examined our lives truly are deep down ashamed to call Him our Lord and Savior and Friend. What a thought! What audacity----after He saved us and died for us, showing the ultimate sacrifice of love, how dare we slap Him in the face. And yet we do everyday. Oh, that this piece would continue to grow in my heart!

Well, today is going to be busy. Full day of work, then teaching, then practicing. I am preparing a student for a competition next week. Much to be done! Much to think on til 5:00.