Untitled ;)

First off, to my friends who check my blog every day, sorry for being such a slacker :) There's something about Christmas break that makes all good intentions fly out the window. It's also amazing how much nothingness happens over break. I've been home about 6 full days now, and I could probably list on one hand the things I've done, haha. Anyways, I have been taking in everything about Christmas. I love catching up with friends and family. There's nothing like the holidays to bring people together. And Christmas movies! They're awesome, except the really cheesy ones. Have you ever noticed how many terrible Christmas movies are out there? Oh man, there are some that I just can't get through. If you want to see some great ideas on how to be a bad parent, or how to be stupid in love, just catch a Christmas movie. Ok, I'm probs being too harsh. I do love good Christmas movies. The other great (and sometimes not great) part of Christmas is the baking. My family has several treats that we bake every year and only at Christmastime. No matter what changes over the years, we can always count on our tastebuds being tingled with the same yummy-ness. This could start a whole other post on traditions and how life changes. Oh how I could wax eloquent, or not so eloquent. But for now I'll leave you with one thought. I recently read a blog post entitled "I learned that being a good person doesn't really matter." Do you let God's grace be completely sufficient for you? I know I don't always. I am so good at following the rules, but it's super hard for my heart to be involved. "Hey God, let me work for you, I can do it!" haha, nope, not how it works. So here's a little encouragement to spend some time basking in God's grace, knowing that you are accepted and loved only because Jesus came (yay Christmas!)

Christmastime is here!

Well, merry Christmas!! I know, it's a little early. BUT, I just finished finals and it feels like Christmas is here for real! I get to keep saying merry Christmas to people (as well as goodbye), and have had time to think about Christmas gifts, hooray! It is such a delight to find that perfect gift for someone.

Have you ever noticed how ordinary things join in on the Christmas spirit? Things that seem normal and inconspicuous are just chilling there being themselves, then suddenly you notice how Christmasy they are! Anything red and green becomes highly festive. Whether it's team colors, road signs, or your year round decorations. It all screams CHRISTMAS!!!

Also. Since I started college, I've always been bothered by the fact that I feel like I have two separate lives. Going home for break is always a little funny, because I'm completely leaving this world I've made for myself and entering a new world, or rather my old world. But you know what? It's okay. Yes, I feel like I have two different worlds that just don't connect. But it's normal. At this point in my life, I am supposed to have college life and home life. They are supposed to be separate. That doesn't mean I am someone fake when I'm at school or fake when I'm at home. Anyways, just thought I'd share that little revelation. Sometimes its good to just accept your feelings, accept the facts, and deal with them.

One final note - God is good! Always. Always.

Meditation

So, what first comes to your mind when you hear (or read) this word? To be completely honest, I picture some non-Christian religious practice with someone sitting indian style, thumb and middle fingers touching and chanting "ohmmmmmm". In my mind I don't necessarily think of meditation being a part of my relationship with Christ. However, at Church on Sunday one of our pastors was talking about how it's finals and and it is important that we don't lay our relationship with Christ aside while we are studying. We should keep reading Scripture, spending time in prayer, and meditating. "Wait, you are telling me to meditate?" It was a silly reaction, but what he said surprised me a little. Thinking about it now, it shouldn't have surprised me at all. Meditation should always be present in my life. Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God. Joshua 1:8 - Meditate on it [Scripture] day and night. Psalm 1:2 - His delight is in the Law of the Lord and on it He meditates day and night. Of course, I knew these verses all along and just sitting and being quiet is something that in my mind (not always in practice), I know it to be a good thing. Not only is meditation important for my Christian walk, it is healthy. Healthy emotionally, physically, mentally. And yes, I'm talking all out meditation. I am choosing to make it a part of my life. And my busy personality really fights it. I sit there wanting to watch the time, or plan out the rest of my day, or often I tell myself I can do something else (like clean) while I meditate. No. No no no. Will you take some time to meditate? It does wonders for your heart and soul. Maybe I'll start doing the indian style, finger thing. Who knows....

Lazy Days

Hello world! It's been one of those days with NOTHING going on. My only class was cancelled (yippee) and I only have one easy recital performance. But you know the greatest thing about today? I got to wake up to Christmas music! I got home yesterday from Thanksgiving break so I was able to use my iPod connected alarm clock for this morning. Yes, Michael Buble woke me up with "All I Want for Christmas is You."
Since I had almost no food, I figured I should probably go to the store, so I did. I got just about everything I'll need to get through only 2 more weeks of school! I just have to buy a couple more gifts and I'll really be ready for Christmas.
The hardest part about Christmas is making enough fun plans. I'll be home for 3.5 weeks and while there are lots of things I want to do, I have to be very strategic about it. I often get home and am super lazy and don't do anything. But since I haven't been home for 6 months, I figure I need to make up for lost time. So here's to ice skating, coffee with friends, shopping with family, long walks with the siblings, kick-starting my knitting and jewelry making projects, and lots of baking.
Oh wait. 2 weeks of school!

Thankful

In honor of Thanksgiving, I would like to share some things I'm thankful for. It's important for me to actually take time to sit and think about the good things in my life. Especially when all I want to think about is my Christmas list (yikes). Counting blessings can fo sho change your attitude ;) So here goes. I am thankful for:

Family who sacrifices to be near me
More family who are the most generous people I know
Friends friends friends! Ones who encourage me from afar and ones to have fun with at school
The opportunity to do what I love and get paid for it (yay accompanying!!!!)
The enjoyment from supporting a winning football team
3 nice places I can call home. Family home, school home, and break home
Being able to attend a university that I love
Growing up in a family where I learned about Christ's love
Warm wool socks we randomly got this summer. They keep my feet toasty!
Cute animals
My bike. It is oh so useful
Opportunities that I never expected (Austria!!!!!!)
Consignment stores!

That's just a little taste of my thankful list at the moment. I have some goals for myself over the next several weeks, one of which is being a better blogger. So, talk to you soon!

Thanksgiving!

I have to admit, Thanksgiving is a weird holiday. A friend and I were discussing the state of thanksgiving last night and though I truly love the holiday, I started thinking about it in a new way. The reasons I love thanksgiving are: it's a holiday and a break, usually spent with family. Since I'm away from home now it means I get to see my family (and this year our new dog). I also really do love the food. Stuffing and pies top the list, with cranberry relish and orange wassail up there on the list too. I also love that people still emphasize the importance of pausing to give thanks. Although we should be giving thanks on a daily, or even hourly basis, I appreciate that the holiday is a time to "formally" give thanks and often come together as a group to thank God for all things.

But what is the state of thanksgiving nowadays? Well, I think it's kinda evident when you hear so many people calling it "Turkey Day." Have we really relegated Thanksgiving to a day where we glorify gluttony and killing animals? I know, I know, that's a little harsh. But really? Turkey Day? No offense if you have found those words coming out of your mouth recently. Also, what happened to thanksgiving being the boundary for Christmas? While stores have been decorating before Thanksgiving for years, now actual people are decorating and listening to Christmas music before thanksgiving. Also, I don't get the whole pilgrim part of thanksgiving. Obviously, I understand that we are supposedly continuing the tradition of eating a big meal when the pilgrims landed. But I feel like any connection has been lost. I guess it's fun to dress up as pilgrims?

Well, despite all of it's imperfections, Thanksgiving is a holiday that I love. Thank you for 3 days off of class, and the chance to see my family (including my favorite 2 yr. old)!!!

SO MUCH COOKING

Well, I spent probably half of my day in the kitchen. It was great :) I wanted to share with you some of my creations. If you haven't cooked recently, GET IN THE KITCHEN! :) It's a great stress reliever and a great creative oulet. Plus, yummy things exist afterwards. So I started with bread. I've been wanting to try my hand at a loaf of bread for a while now and finally got a recipe to try. Here's the beautiful dough:


While it rose for AGES, I made inside-out individual apple pie. Yum :) You hollow out an apple:


And then cook the pie crust in a muffin tin with the filling. Then put the finished "pie" back into the apple:


I cooked the bread a little too long, it's kinda brown. I haven't eaten any yet, so we'll see. But I'm sure it will be fine for sandwiches :)



Finally, I made chocolate granola tonight. The recipe called for cheerios, but I used chocolate cheerios (my new addiction), because why not? I ran out of honey, so it might be a little bitter. But hey, it's a snack. And it's chocolate

In the middle of all my baking, my roommates and I made an elaborate lunch. We've been a little homesick lately and decided we would make pot roast and veggies for Sunday dinner. We called our family to figure out exactly what we needed and how to proceed. We inaugurated the crock pot and made GOOOOOOD food :) Here's a glimpse:
Opening up the pot! Smelled amazing!

Cutting the roast...and a glimpse of the veggies

Plates that were waiting to be filled with goodness

Yes, I'm posting to commemorate this date

A few thoughts that have been in my head:

1) I've been avoiding blogging. I was successful for 9 days (yikes). Soon I will explain why...

2) Tomorrow I think I am going to be brave and try to bake homemade whole wheat bread without a bread maker. I shall document this adventure.

3) I have a 2 year old cousin who LOVES me!! This makes me so happy. He's been going around his house saying "I want Joc!" That is amazingly adorable.

4) Is it okay to not know what you want in life? That's a tough question.

When I grow up I want to be a child prodigy

Hey there!

So I've finally come out of another hole. Well, it wasn't too much of a hole, so maybe a ditch. This morning I turned in my 12 page music history research paper. It didn't take up too much time, just the whole beginning of this week. It was quite a fascinating paper to write. I traced the development of the fugue, how Bach changed it, and tried to semi-define what a fugue is. Did you know it's not really a genre? There's no widespread consensus on what exactly a fugue is. Weird. But cool.

Then! In theory this morning we listened to Bach's Goldberg Variations. FANTABULOUS music. That man is such a genius.

Also, halloween happened! I'm not the biggest fan of halloween, but I find it a lovely excuse to do fall things and have celebrations. I ate candy corn and carved pumpkins. And do you know the best part about pumpkin carving?

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (super simple recipe):
1) place seeds and orange gunk into strainer
2) run water over seeds and clean out orange gunk
3) put seeds in plastic bag and add spices of your choice: salt, pepper, paprika, cumin (?)
5) put some oil on a cookie sheet with sides then spread seeds onto pan
4)Place in oven preheated to 375 and roast away! About 15 min. wait until they are golden brown, I didn't wait long enough and they weren't crunchy enough for my taste.

SUPER delicious, a nice snack. Just keep in an airtight container (duh)!

This weekend is homecoming which means: parade w/ hot chocolate, BONFIRE, fair rides, FOOTBALL! And most importantly (here comes the cheesy moment) a wonderful time with awesome friends.

Post in the middle of the day!

Hi friends,

Every MWF I have this awkward lull in my day, it's about 2 hrs. long between classes. In an ideal world, it should be long enough to get stuff done right? But alas, I usually eat a slow lunch, fix my make-up (vanity alert), and twiddle my thumbs. Before my recital I would always practice, but now I can't do that anymore (hmm, sad or happy emotion?). Anyways, I am sitting here in my student building, I just finished listening to a cello concerto that I am accompanying (Saint-Saens no. 1 - BEAUTIFUL) and I have 4o minutes until class. I've discovered that it is so true that once you hit college, boredom doesn't exist. I could seriously sit here, stare at the wall and listen to music until my class. At the current moment I'm listening to Adele, she always puts me in my happy spot. Okay, here are some things i'm looking forward to in the near future:

Getting hot chocolate soon as I'm done with this post :)

fall festival at church tonight!! Best event ever. I get to go throw kids on a giant blown-up slide and give them candy!! Then at the end of the night we all get to play on the inflatables and get our own candy.

We're painting the interior of a house tomorrow!

Haloween party with friends sometime this weekend.

I'm going (hopefully) to see In Time. It comes out tonight, looks super good. What would you do if you had to buy the minutes of your life?

On Monday the elementary piano class that I help teach is having a haloween recital. More cute kids dressed up, this time to play piano!!

research paper is due next week. No, I'm not excited about the research paper, though I do like my topic, I'm excited that it will be over!! Hooray! The invention of the fugue is fascinating, but so is life :)

Okay, hot chocolate time...then arabic!

Wise sayings

"Often there is eloquence [or a death wish] in a silent look" -anonymous

"Dead men don't bite" - Plutarch. Oh, good to know.

"Be gracious in da feet" -unknown

"There's no time like the present." But there's always time for a present

"The early bird gets the worm. The second mouse gets the cheese" -unknown

"Words spoken are like eggs broken" the either leave a mess or make a yummy omelet

"A bird in the hand is safer than one overhead."

Stories of Adulthood

Well, in case you didn't know this, I turned 21 two weeks ago. It was wonderful. Ok, in reality it was rather a normal day. HOWEVER, it means I am really an adult now. I feel like between 18 and 21 you are a half-adult. You know, at 18 you are "legal" in almost every sense and can sign papers etc. But until you are 21, you still have some limitations.

I was explaining this to my uncle last week when I was visiting him, my aunt and the CUTEST 2 year old EVER. The problem was, the moment before I had been asking him to get me something as I was comfortable on the couch. And the next moment I spotted the laundry basket full of bubble wrap that was beckoning me to come jump in it. My uncle argue that these were points against my adulthood, but I just told him that I know what I want and how to get it :)

Also, I was wearing a SUPER cute outfit today. I had on a cardigan that I got for my birthday, nice jeans, and really cute shoes. The shoes were flat, pointy, strappy, gold shimmery shoes. I was leaving the music building after a rehearsal thinking that I was really looking the part of a nice, adult musician. But before I even finished the thought, I slipped down the steps I was walking down. Yeah, the shoes were slippery.

Yep, that's what being an adult is like. I have become so much more mature and graceful these past two weeks.....yeah.

edit: And I also now have a happy duck background on my computer :D

Wow, I'm posting when I said I would

Ok, so I'm thankful for a roommate who yells (or asks politely) at me to post :) haha

I'm super excited about a project I'm working on. I was at my aunt's house this weekend and I raided her shed and found this WONDERFUL old picture frame. I plan to take out the glass, clean it up, and make it a jewelry holder. With the help of my aunt I am going to get some old knobs/drawer pulls and attach them to a sheet of plywood that I'll put in the frame. And voila! A pretty place to hang my jewelry.


So yeah, it's a work in progress, but eventually you will witness my success.


Project 2 was quite a simple thing, but it got me excited. Now that I am living in a real condo, I have a kitchen in which I ideally cook for myself. It actually does happen most of the time, I haven't gone hungry yet. I wanted a cute way to do meal planning because if I don't plan, I end up eating sandwiches all the time. This is what I came up with. I write my meals on a little piece of notepaper and put them in the clothespins. It was super easy to make too!

It's on my fridge and in case you're wondering, the W stands for weekend.

Life

So, I feel like I'm finally re-emerging into life. Last weekend I gave my junior recital and I am just now feeling fully recovered. What a crazy ride!! I did not realize what all goes into preparing and giving a recital. Preparing the music is definitely NOT the worst of it, after all, that's what my life is about. It's all the little details and timing that make one go crazy. And literally, I was quite crazy for the couple weeks beforehand. I had that wild look in my eyes and couldn't finish my sentences. I also randomly broke out in yelling or crying. AND I kept oversleeping my alarm. I never do that. Never. (yes, I just got a new alarm clock)

Suffice it to say, I feel almost giddy about life now. Instead of spending my evening in a practice room, I can cook, do laundry, fold my clothes. Rather than eating lunch on my bike en-route to the music building, I can eat with people and get in some socialization. I will no longer be spending my weekends doing rehearsals and playing for people, but will enjoy the weather, exercise a little, and hopefully BLOG!!! I have some projects and other cool things that I want to share. Now that my mind can think of things other than Beethoven, Muczynski and Bacewicz, I will hopefully no longer bring a cloud of depression everywhere I go. Hooray! And there's the update on my life :) Tomorrow will bring pictures of DIY things...oooh

Blogging Goggles

Hey you! Blog-world, virtual friends, readers, whatever you fancy yourself as. So, I was sitting in my bed with my computer last night trying to force something out of my brain onto this blog. But I just kept staring at my white computer screen so I gave up. Well, maybe it wasn't giving up. It would have been a post that would fit into the category of "reluctant noises" rather than "joyful," so maybe I was sacrificing my desire to post to the quality of my blog (yeah right).

Anyways, I resolved to look at today through new eyes. I would see every little detail of my life as an opportunity to write a great, satirical, comical, enjoyable blog post (I love adjectives). But let me tell you, strange things happen when you look at life as one giant post. First of all, nothing interesting happens. I think life actually gets more bland. But despite this pallidness, I made myself search for meaning in the minutia of life. Here's what I came up with:

A girl came down the hallway out of breath and exclaimed how she almost died because there was "a clear liquid" that she slipped on. I could write on how inanimate objects try to kill us. I later tripped on the ground, it definitely attacked me. Then my locker cut my hand. Ouch.

I could write on the first thing our adrenaline leads us to do. I came home tonight and heard my roommate squeal, yell "what are you doing" then scream bloody murder for a good couple seconds. I ran up the stairs screaming "what the heck is going on," ready to attack her murderer with my backpack. Yes, my backpack. I was scared for our lives. (It didn't help that the gate to our condo had been propped open).

Or I could talk about animals. Those "cute," living things that bark at night or leave scratches on human arms when they get annoyed. Yet we still love them and cuddle them and treat them like they have souls.

Unfortunately, I discovered that it's the negative things that pop out, so tomorrow I will look for blog potential in the positive. We'll see how that goes...

Guest Post from my wonderful friend Maddie Mars

Cockroach. Does that word make you cringe? Because it should.

Cockroaches are one of the most resilient creatures on the face of this earth. Unfortunately, they are also one of the most disgusting creatures on the face of this earth. Cockroaches have been creeping and crawling around since the dawn of time and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They are brilliant little insects who are able to cleverly adapt to new environments. They can live for months without a consistent food and water source. They can even survive without their heads (umm...eww.) They also repopulate at an astronomical rate, meaning only the best survival characteristics get passed on from one bunch of cockroach babies to another. All of these qualities, while impressive for a cockroach, add up to an awful situation for humans who share the same living spaces as these little critters.

I had the lovely opportunity to encounter three cockroaches this weekend. Yes, that’s right. Three. All inside my condo. It was really quite pleasant, I assure you. I just love it when a large, black, ugly bug comes out of nowhere and scares me to the point where I run away crying and screaming my head off. It makes me even happier that this experience happened more than once.

Except...not. Worst. Thing. Ever.

I can think of a million things that I would rather have surprise me than a cockroach. Like what about a puppy? I’d be okay if puppies came out of my wall. Or flowers? What about a nice flower garden springing out of my ceiling? But no. I get surprised by cockroaches. Lucky me.

I suppose I am the one who has enc-“roached” on their property. (...get it?) Because they have been around since the dawn of time, and I have not, they technically have more rights to this land than I do. I am living in a condo that was built on their home, so it serves me right to have surprise visits from them every once in a while. Also, I can’t ignore the fact that they are intelligent creatures. I mean, they are able to outwit me...that’s impressive. I have to give at least some credit for that. With all of these things taken into consideration, I really should be more respectful of the thousands of my little, crawling roommates who hide in my walls...

...except my mom just called pest control and they are coming on Wednesday to terminate EVERY SINGLE COCKROACH in this condo.

Who’s smarter now you little six-legged, disease-ridden pest? That’s right. Me.

Busy Busy Busy شغل شغل شغل

A quick thought on business. How many times a day do you complain about being tired or busy? I know it's easy for me to do a lot. Someone asks how you are, you sigh and say something about being insanely busy or incredibly tired. But if you weren't busy, what would you be doing? Enjoy the active, business of your life, and find pleasure in the occasional times of rest.

So here's the question: do you work to rest, or do you rest to work?

Remember, God created us to work, so we won't be happy doing anything else.

(sorry for the lame post)

A letter

Dear Music History,

I don't understand you. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you greatly. I mean, where would I be without you? (That's a whole other blog post. Scary) But you are just the most boring class. It makes no sense at all. We learned about Bach today, THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXCITING. We read about how he was so amazing at all he did and could predict a fugue or improvise a fugue or tell exactly how the acoustics worked in a hall that he had just walked in to. But yet again, I walked into class and the joy was sucked out of life (possibly an exaggeration?). It doesn't help that your classroom is like a meat locker. The theory room across the hall is full of bright flowers and colors (in my mind) and is warm. Sometimes when I sit in your class writing letters or planning out my day, I forget that it is still summer in Texas.

But enough about the room in which you hold us captive. I ask again. Why are you so boring? Maybe it's the fact that I only get a part of you this semester. We're only working with 200 years, so we have to move slowly I guess. Or maybe it's because there are people other than Bach and Beethoven who you have decided are important. Or even that we have to talk about vocal music. ugh. I might be just kidding about that last part.

Suffice it to say, I am disappointed in you. You act like you are dead. (Is history dead?) Maybe one day a Strange professor will come along and make you as interesting as you should be. Until then, I will only be a partial fan of yours.

J

Music

Recently, my life has begun to revolve around music. Crazy, huh? Who would've thunk :) Anyways, I've been noticing how much everyone else's life revolves around music also. What would life be without music? Think of all the awkward silences in movies, that's scary. How would you explain a the rhythm of a golf swing without the analogy of a metronome? There would be no dancing. Or there would be silent dancing. Awkward. I find it quite interesting to think about. My science friend laughs at me, but I still maintain that life would be pretty desolate without music.

You know, music people from hundreds of years ago were onto something when they believed that music actually affects the soul and changes moods and emotions. The next time you listen to music, words or no-words, think about the life that it is reflecting and the emotion it is expressing. All art is a reflection of life whether it's a good part of life or a bad part of life. It helps us deal with things, and sort stuff out. That's why I love it so much. Just imagine life without music. All I can picture is a stark white, bright room that's empty. So, moral of this post? Be happy, listen to music.

I believe that life is testing my resolve to be a good blogger. I'm not doing a very good job of fighting it. So, while I have a full post that is forming in my mind, I want to leave you with a couple questions. These were sparked by a conversation I recently had with a friend.

What do you really want to do with your life/what do you see yourself doing that you would enjoy and love? (I believe that we will enjoy what God has called us to do)

Would you give up comfort and security to go after that dream? Why not?

I've been thinking a lot lately about how much we give up on because of fear. What is the point of this life if not to do crazy things for a God who is so much bigger than we could ever fathom?

Don't get stuck in a rut. Don't let yourself feel blue because your dream seems out of reach. Don't waste life on mediocrity, safety, comfort, or reputation. Try something new this week. Step out on a limb and don't be afraid to try something that you may not like.

Think: Moses, Joshua, Daniel, Esther, Ruth. (I'm reading through Joshua, and wow! God is awesome)

Tidbits

My Dear Readers,

Yes. You all are now my dears. I am sure that you have had a crazy week, because I sure have. In lieu of writing a creative, coherent post, I am going to share with you the most random thoughts and occurrences from my life this past week. One of my favorite things about life is that it's truly the small things that make it interesting and fun. I also strongly believe that God is abundantly evident in the small things. Therefore, enjoy this peek into my mind :)

"Beethoven."

"To skip or not to skip?"

"Dear pedestrian, I'm sorry I swerved. You must have really wanted to be hit by my bike when you walked in front of me and then stopped"

"Wow, I moved my mouth to say hello but nothing came out" - Have you ever noticed this "silent hey" phenomenon? You're walking past an awkward acquaintance and either you or her decide to say hello, but it's more of an open mouth, close mouth action with no sound. Throw a little smile or half-wave in with the silent hey and you're good to go.

"Beethoven."

"Hmmm. Those people really are having a dance party in the middle of campus. More power to them?"

EXAM

Step in a mud puddle "it hasn't rained in months"

Practice. Gaze out the window. Practice. Check email. Practice. Go home for an ice pop.

pshaw. homework?

MUSIC!!!!!!!!

Exercise? yes. exercise.

My. bike. is. stuck. help?

(a day later) MY BIKE IS UNSTUCK!!!!!!!

I'm sleepy....

LOVE

Here’s a negative view on love from the baroque poet Giulio Strozzi

The insidious enemy, Love, circles

The fortress of my heart.

Hurry up, for he is not far away.

Arm yourselves!

We must not let him approach, so he can scale

Our weak walls,

But let us make a brave sally out to meet him.

Throw on the saddles!

His weapons are no fakes, he draws nearer

With his whole army.

Hurry up, for he is not far from here.

Everyone to his post!

He intends to attack the stronghold of my eyes

With a vigorous assault.

Hurry up, for he is here without any doubt.

Everyone to his horse!

There’s no more time, alas, for all of a sudden he

Has made himself the master of my heart.

Take to your heels, save yourselves if you can.

Run!

My heart, you flee in vain, you are dead.

And I hear the arrogant tyrant,

The victor, who is already inside the fortress,

Crying “Fire, slaughter!”

One of my friends had the privilege of flying delta airlines recently and snagged one of those skymall magazines. You know the ones with the weird products that seem peculiarly essential to life. Well, I would like to share with you a few products that I think receive undue invective (look it up).

First off is a particularly functional item. Have you ever had one of those days where you have to dress up for a long day and can’t go home and change, but you just want to take a quick snooze? Then you need this. It’s the very unique inflatable tie. Yes, inflatable. It inflates like a pool float and provides that extra cushion between your forehead and the desk. Side effects: facial red marks, being the butt of a joke.

I think there’s a major problem in the world. Have you ever noticed the feet of those beautifully tanned people in your life? Yep, they might not be as brown as the rest of their legs. But now, thanks to this foot tanner, all of us can have the perfectly tanned foot.

Sometimes, you just need a pick-me-up. In your attention-starved world, sometimes you just need a little black box to get you feeling good about yourself. But not any little black box, THIS little black box. Choose your style: laughter or applause. Open up the box and you’ll be greeted with a roar of laughter or a standing (standing?) ovation.

Hair is such an important thing, especially that between a man’s nose and lips. Ever wondered what you or your loved one would look like with a mustache? Well step right up to this mirror and align your reflection with one of these three mustache style options. Voila! Save the pain and heartache of growing in that hair just to find out that a mustache makes your head look square.

This last product is my personal favorite. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always dreamed of being a world-renowned rhino hunter. However, I just haven’t been able to quite reach my goal. So instead of devoting my life to this, I’ve decided to just pretend. This real-life-looking rhino head adorns my wall and all my friends are so impressed with my hunting abilities. Want to impress your date? Grab one of these, they’re selling quick.

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did!

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

Look at the cute little cloud! It was the only one in the sky as I was walking home and it just caught my eye. I so love the sky - stars, clouds, moon. Definitely one of my favorite parts of creation!

MUUUUUUSSSSSICCCCC

Yes, I love music :) Here's a funny article that I thoroughly enjoyed and I hope you do too.

http://theclassicalsuite.com/2011/06/top-10-badass-composers-via-deceptive-cadence/

Labor Day Delicacies

Mini chocolate chip scones. A recipe from my dear eldest sister.
Fresh strawberries. Best I've had in a while.
Fresh squeezed orange juice compliments of Jen's juicer. So amazingly delish.

Thrive in College

I think like it is so easy to feel lost in college. The world tells us that college is all about me. What do I want to do with my life. What do I want to be involved in. What kind of job do I want. Am I having as much fun as people expect me to. But even having a good answer to all these questions isn’t fulfilling. I’ve often wondered how I’m supposed to live with purpose in college when I’m confined in this bubble of luxury and entitlement. This article that my college pastor posted answers this question spot-on. Read it, let it change your attitude, then by God’s grace start working diligently.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/learning-to-thrive-at-college?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DGBlog+%28DG+Blog%29

What Getting Our Car Towed Means To Me

- We got to ride the subway! Believe it or not, when they tow your car, they take it somewhere else. Somewhere you probably can’t walk to. So you ride the public transit – CHA CHING – more money to the government. Anyways, we got to ride the big city subway. It was much more sketch than I expected – I remember DC’s being much nicer. Anyways, I now have a subway ticket for my scrapbook

- While I absolutely love driving, I never want to own a car. towing isn’t enough in itself to push me over the edge, but the fact that I got a flat tire the week before is. Hopefully when I grow up I will live somewhere I won’t need to own wheels. Whether that’s a big city with public transit or some African plain where I walk everywhere, doesn’t matter to me.

- Glass. There’s lots of it in alleyways and not-oft-walked streets in big cities. Walk carefully and you won’t get it stuck in your foot.

- Apparently cute people work in the traffic appeals division at city hall (so says my mom).

- One towing can set off a bad chain of events for the rest of the day. BEWARE!

- You will laugh about it one day, but not 2 hours later. Don’t try to joke about it when your sister’s feet are still hurting from the walk to the impound lot :)

I look out my window
I look again
It's changed.
The sky, ever constant,
But never the same.
The black clouds that loom
Soon have come
And soon have gone.
Why is it then,
That when it is so bleak,
I can't seem to remember
The light from before?
The rain falls.
I am drowned.
God, just let one ray
Pierce my shadowed heart.
Or let the storm clouds linger
And let me sink in you;
Guide me through the dark.

~Anonymous

Junior Year Day 1

Well, today I definitely had some adventures. The morning started off with a bus ride. It was my first time on the bus, and I rode it alone – double scary. It ended up being a good experience. Though I majorly missed my stop. I didn’t realize you had to push a button to get the bus to stop when you want to get off. If there’s no one waiting for the bus, they just keep going. So I ended up getting dropped off across campus from my 8am class and had to book it to get there on time, which I did.

Second adventure was dinner (boring day between 8 and dinner). I was eating my leftover chicken tenders and thinking how much less I was enjoying them. Until I realized that they were bland because I had left the honey mustard in the fridge. It’s amazing what a little sauce will do for ya. So next time you are eating something and having to give your tongue a pep talk to get it down, try some dressing.

So I lied (accidentally). My favorite part of the day was my trek home before dinner. I walked into a cactus. Yep, indeed. It’s one of those plants with long, skinny leaves. Well, now I know they have REALLY sharp, pointy ends. Ouch. It hurt quite a bit.

The school year is off and kicking! More adventures later I’m sure…

ABOUT ME – Adventures of a college student studying to be a classical pianist who loves life and loves Jesus Christ

I think my blog title pretty accurately and concisely describes me. “Adventures” - I try to live life adventurously, but it always seems to elude me. So this is my attempt at making life an adventure. I have two mottos that help me when I’m seeking an adventure: Always be trying a new thing, however small; and friendliness will overcome a thousand awkward situations. Ok, “college student” - Well, yeah. I’m in college. I’m just starting my junior year at a medium-size private college. “classical pianist” - I have been playing piano since I was 6, and I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I absolutely love the classical greats, Bach and Beethoven are my two. But I also love exploring 20^th century and even more recent music. “Life” – I want to live life intentionally and not waste it. Sure, life is not always happy go lucky, but put on a little perspective and us Americans have it pretty darn good. I try to enjoy the blessings in life (NO COMPLAINING), but also use these abundant resources to pour out Christ’s love to others। And here’s where “Christ” comes in – I believe in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. The Gospel is changing my life and is powerful enough to be changing yours.

This blog will be my musings, thoughts, and narratives. Some posts will be serious, some a little more quirky. I hope you find it uplifting and fun.