A Week in My Life

I am always amazed at how fast the summer weeks and months pass by. No sooner am I out of school than the first month of vacation is almost over! No worries though. My family and I are looking at a very fun-filled summer ahead of us. Here's just a few things I've been doing this past week or two.

-I bought a new 24" iMac desktop pc last week. Ok, well, I'll be paying it for a while, but I still bought it! This is my new pc/t.v./entertainment system. It works really well with my i-pod, making videos and blogs and recordings is super easy, and the picture is really REALLY nice. Mom and I have watched 2 movies on it already. Now that I'm moving into my own place in two months, I'm looking forward to having a new way to conserve space (instead of having a t.v. and computer, I'll just give the t.v. to my brother or something). I can use my old laptop for taking notes in class or if I go on vacation and want to take a pc with me I can (or not! :) 

- I have been running. Trying to get in shaping. Key word...TRYING. Though the pounds and the inches have not budged, I have been getting faster. I was shooting for 15-16 minute miles. Then on Memorial Day I made 1.5 miles in 24 minutes, and the 1.5 miles back in about 21 minutes and 15 seconds. I pushed a little too hard. I was so out of breath and thirsty when I came in the house I couldn't speak. I spent about 4 hours after that sitting, playing with my mary kay makeup (my mom sells it) and just thinking "WHY did I do that to myself?!" after running I did 100 ab crunch/workouts, about 80 for each arm (using dumb-bells) and stretching. Wednesday I had a pretty good work-out at the YMCA, and for part of the run I was doing 10 minutes and even 9 minute miles! (not for the whole mile, of course). Tonight was my new record breaker. My stomach is feeling a little weird so it's good tomorrow I won't have time to work-out. I can rest my body. Tonight I did 1 mile out in 13 minutes and 1 mile back in just under 13. Then I walked a mile in 20 minutes (just cooling down).........some time soon this is all going to pay off!!! :)

-I went to my friend's house Monday for a memorial day picnic. I also fed the baby canned baby food. This is the first time I've ever done that! I couldn't believe that after all these years of being around kids and babies, I somehow missed that experience!

-I saw Night in the Museum 2 with my mom. Good movie! Better than #1!!

-I started my first week of musical rehearsals in Fairmont. Realized I'm in waaaay over my head!!! Been practicing A LOT!! 

-Been practicing 4-hand Brahms variations on theme by Haydn for friend's recital. Still have several other pieces for same recital, not yet begun.

-Been practicing solo recital music for MY recital

-Spent about 7 hours yesterday at church planning choir and piano music for church and getting all organized and prepared for the summer

-Spent much of today searching the internet for travel packages for our family

-Bought two pairs of sandals for the summer....one pair is really comfy flip-flops...I'm actually wearing them now as slippers :)

-Keeping Lurtle the Turtle alive :) He's been eating well!! (Needs a clean tank though....it's getting skummy  despite the filter)

-Erased all the music on my i-pod and am downloading music again on it through my new pc. I finally learned, after much trial and error and patience, how to categorize the music into albums and collections. Now I can actually find what I'm looking for on it! 

-Got a big scratch on my leg from walking my dog...he conveniently made a line across another scar on my leg that was from my cat from about 9 or 10 years ago...I now have an "x marks the spot" on my leg...just to prove that these animals really do run our lives!! 

-Babysat my friend's baby on Sunday. Had a really good time with that :) He's such a sweetheart and he was so good while they were gone! Made me want to have my own even more :) 

Going to bed soon to get up early tomorrow and drive to Maryland to visit my friend Jaime! Can't wait to see you!!!!! :) 

That wraps this up. I hope to have some good pics from tomorrow to share. 

God Bless!! 

Just a Better Picture

It dawned on me last night. The reason the last picture looks so bad is because I was sick! I was horribly sick that week with a sinus infection so I just looked tired in that picture. Mom took a pic. of me outside our house today. I have my hair down, took my glasses off and, I feel MUCH better! So, just felt like sharing. I'll put up a new picture in a month or two after I've lost some weight and then I'll REALLY be excited! :)

A New Season

Recently, while struggling with some big decisions, my piano teacher said something to me that was really funny, although so true at the same time! I was talking about making decisions (in regards to myself and someone else). He said (speaking in the 3rd person...as he LOVES to do in teasing his students :), "Yeah, why can't you just make your decision like me? Changing your mind isn't so hard! I do it all the time!" Then he made a comparison to my inability to stick with a decision to a smoker who says, "Have you tried to quit smoking? It's not that hard. I do it all the time!"

My teacher has put up with me for 5 years now. So, he knows me well!! That's 1/5 of my life that he's had to put up with my quirks, and I with his!

So, why am I telling you this? Well, because I have reached a point in my life where I'm TIRED of making decisions and changing my mind. I'm tired of looking behind me all the time, worrying if I've made the right decision or not. Today my pastor gave a really good sermon about worrying. He talked about how God doesn't want us to live that way and how we can turn our worrying into opportunities to pray over those things worrying us. Boy did this speak to me! I will make a decision, feel like a new woman, and at a moments notice, because of my worrying, I'll switch back!

Well, welcome to the NEW me! This girl has decided that God IS sovereign and that I need to stop worrying! He's guiding me wherever I go and, if for some reason I AM messing up, well, He loves me enough that He's going to fix it, some how:)

So, what kind of decisions have I made, lately? One, I got a new apartment this week! I'm moving in the 1st of August. I LOVE the place!! It's my first single apartment ever! I love the layout, the kitchen, the appliances, the location, having my own washer and dryer, the fact that I can have my grand piano there.....I LOVE IT..I LOVE IT...I LOVE IT!!!!! This was a very significant step in committing to my DMA program...to envisioning myself as the hard-working doctoral student I know I can be...as opposed to the wavering, tired, constantly driving, person :)

Secondly, I'm really focusing now on my playing! I got a gig this summer playing for a musical called, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". This is my first time doing something like this. It works perfectly around my teaching and church schedule, as well as vacation and moving time. I'm also working on my solo program for the Fall, my Rachmaninov concerto for the chamber recital, a 4-hand piano recital, and continuing learning organ and also my church music and preparing for piano camp coming up. So, I'm focusing on music! And I'm LOVING it!!! It's amazing how much energy one can put into something when they set their mind to accomplish something and stop WORRYING about everything else!!!

Ok, so a visual representation of my new commitment to being a worry-less, more committed individual. I got bangs! I haven't had bangs in over 10 years and I've really been wanting them! I also had partial blond highlights put in. I really like my new look! See, decisiveness can lead to more fun too!!!

So, here's a pic. of my bangs. My hair looked much better when I had it straightened. But, if you have curly hair you know that it's much more time-consuming than what it's worth, unless you're getting dressed up to go somewhere special (and the only place special I'm going this week is to my living room to practice :) Anyways, here's a pic, in case you care :) And yes, I know it's not one of my better pictures :) It was more like one of those, "ok, we're taking a picture of my bangs....smile!" pictures :) I look tired I think. Anyways, whatever! I'll have new pictures soon enough.


I guess that's it for now. I've been up late several nights in a row now and my body is screaming for sleep! Today I finished mowing the lawn (I spent 1 hour, 15 minutes mowing Friday night and took another 45 min. to finish today). Then I walked the dog 1 mile. Came home. Ran 2 miles (walked/jogged/ran). The first mile I did in 15 minutes and the second in 13 minutes. Then I walked another mile. Came home. Stretched and did some floor weights. Then sat and had a snack. Took a shower. Realized I am REALLY REALLY sore! And now I'm going to crash :)