THANKSGIVING

This post is sweet and simple. I am FINALLY on my Thanksgiving break, and so I thought it would be nice to share some things I am thankful for (good practice for Thursday :)

I am thankful for:

A hair cut and a good hair dresser!! :) :)

Ok #2 Friends and family (haha! Just kidding..of course this should be #2)

Oh wait!! #3 GOD!! Ok...I'm not off to the best start here am I?? Let's start OVER!

#1 GOD, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, my Salvation in Christ, my church family, etc. (I think I covered my bases there)

#2 Family and Friends plus co-workers, teachers, mentors, in general..PEOPLE

#3 Good health

#4 A job...well, a few jobs.

#5 A roof over my head (well, 2 roofs over my head :)

#6 Clothes to keep me warm in the winter...and for central air and heat

#7 My grand piano :)

#8 My cat Tommy and dog, Jack (somehow I don't think they would appreciate coming AFTER the thing they hate hearing the most, but oh well...they can't read :)

#9 Surviving my first semester of my doctorate

#10 The beautiful snow-fall we got this past week..and for not wrecking my car in it

#11 For piano students who add joy and meaning to my days

#12 Hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream....CHOCOLATE!

#13 Pumpkin pie, turkey, and all the other great stuff we get to eat this week :)

#14 Internet and phone...the ability to keep in touch with people I other-wise would have no clue how they were doing right now...so, it DOES have it's up sides

#15 Free-will. The ability to choose devotion to God, and to WILLINGLY accept His grace He has to offer us. Also, the opportunity to make life-choices, although not always the right ones, and God's sovereignty which guides us when we get off track

#16 The ability to look at each day as a gift from God, and to live it in gratitude. To leave behind regrets and to anticipate the future and to appreciate the present.

#17 MUSIC(This feels like it belongs higher up). The ability to participate in it, share it with others, and reflect on one's self. My teacher has a wonderful saying. "The piano is not just an instrument with black and white keys. It's really just a big mirror"....think about it (it may make more sense to you if you play an instrument)

#18 CHRISTMAS DAY. The one day of the year that we can all get so excited about. The Christmas trees, ornaments, gifts, decorations, cards, and more. I am thankful that we have symbols such as wreaths and candles to make these days resonate with all of our 5 senses so we can carry the joy with us through-out the year.

#19 Remembering my dreams...it always gives me something fun to talk about the next day :)

#20 My dear bloggers who read my plain, no picture blogs and appreciate them anyways.

And now I must go... What are you thankful for this year?

Long Time...NO BLOG!

Hi there blogging friends!! Are you still with me? Hopefully I haven't lost ALL my interested readers...I know it's been QUITE a while since I checked in! I suppose since it's been such a long time since my last posting that an update is in order. And maybe some pictures soon after :)

1)I am now going into the last week of school before Thanksgiving Break! I only have one more week of classes after that, plus finals/concerto-preliminaries competition week, and then it's time for Christmas!!!

2)I am super glad the elections are over!! Perhaps not entirely excited about the outcome, but still glad they are O-V-E-R!!! Now comes the part where we all dutifully start or continue to pray for our country...

3) My diet has been at a stand-still! I'm finally getting back into woring out again. Mom's helping by cooking healthier meals when I'm home (and when I'm not home). I no longer purchase groceries for my apartment, so I try to eat-out inexpensively, or take a morning trip to Krogers for just that day, on the days I'm there.

4) One of my best friends is down to about 1 month until baby #3 arrives...I'm so excited for them!! :)

5) My Walk to Emmaus....that really needs to be a blog in itself. It was an amazing life-changing experience. I highly recommend you experience it at some point in your life, if you have not yet. They have one for men, and one for women.

6) Jon and I are back together again...and so the saga continues :) I'll be a woman of few words on this topic...just pray for us when you think of it!! Thanks :)

7) Did I mention school is almost over??!!! YIPEE!!!!! Oh yeah, and I got smart this time, after a whole semester of struggling over whether to continue the DMA degree program or not (which by the way, I'm not entirely finished struggling with) I at least wised up and signed up for 10 credits in the spring, instead of the SIXTEEN I took this semester!! No wonder I felt burnt out!!

8) My good friend Malorie visited me a few weeks ago. We hadn't seen each other in over a year! She's in the air force and just got re-located on the east coast...it's about time!! Not only did we have a great time together, but since she visited our friend Beth in Virginia, I also got my silly blue cow-girl hat back that I left at Beth's house in 2007!! AND, even more exciting, I get to be in a wedding next summer....beth and I both..in Malories!! We're very excited. It feels like the reunion of the three muskateers....watch out for those donut groomsmen cakes Mal!!! HAHAHA :)

9) I'm still stuck with my apartment in Morgantown, although I've been advertising around town, on line, word of mouth, etc. Just going to have to keep praying. I'm dealing with it by moving stuff home each time I come home (probably about 1/2 or almost 1/2 of my belongings are home now) and being away whenever possible. It makes the weeks a little more stressful than necessary, but then again, even if I had my own place, I think I'd still be out all hours of the night at the library, practice rooms, etc.

10) I've gotta go eat!!!

Hope that was at least minorly interesting to my bloggers...I'm going to try real REAL hard to get some pics on here soon!! First I've got a 15 min. presentation to get started, a concerto to work on, a movie to go see, a 15 page paper to right, and counterpoint assignment to finish...among other things :)

HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH THE REST OF YOU!! LEAVE ME A MESSAGE :)

Elizabeth (why do I sign my own blogs???Oh I don't know..but it feels right...

AAAAHHHH!!!!

"And He will give you peace which transcends human understanding"...as usual for me, I don't know the location of that scripture...but I know it's in the Bible!! And, it's going to become my quote for the weekend, for the week, for the semester, and for the rest of this year!!

You see, I have spent the past aproximately 13 hours, give or take a few small breaks to teach a student and finish a couple of chores/errands, but most of that time was spent at my desk, at home, studying Beethoven sonatas, and reading reading reading!! My word for today is "axiomatic" You don't know what that means? Well, it's SOOOO axiomatic!!! :) (look it up and you'll get my joke :)

As I mentioned in an e-mail earlier today...I'm beginning to seriously question whether my dollars are paying for an education in music, or the art of sounding snooty when I talk to people :) It's bad enough that musicians use words like exposition, thematic development, modulatory transitional material, recapituations (which I one humurously confused with another word on a vacation...I said "I'm all recapitulated!!" I think I meant to say turned around or something like that...everyone in the car looked at me with the "HUH?!" look :) Or how about this, taken from one of many obserdly over-complicated passages in an article I've been reading for the past several hours.

"All of which is tantamount to the truism that sonatas can no more succeed without significant ideas, however these may be defined and typed, than without convincing rhythmic flow, compelling tonal organization, or euphonious, idiomatic scoring"

I KID YOU NOT!! I literally looked at the page I was reading (Before I got off-track with blogging :) and just randomly selected one sentence from the page...I've been stuck in this world of lofty musical analysis for hours!!! Let me see if I can sum that sentence up into laymen terms! "A sonata won't sound good unless the musical idea or theme is just as convincing as the other elements of the music (such as the rhythmic flow, tonal organization, or idiomatic scoring..meaning the piece fits the demands of the instrument it's written for" ....any better???

Well, I'm back to my idiomatic, axiomatic, altruistic, contemplative, and obscurely dissolutional world of Wm Newman's chapter on "Romantic Sonata Form: Process, Mold, and Unicom"

and would someone please do me a favor, after praying for me, and remind me WHY IN THE WORLD did I want to get my doctorate????

THANKS! :)

Another Day

Some days it is hard to find something really interesting to say. Sometimes you wake up, go through the motions, and go to bed. Today was kind of like that. However, even on ordinary days, there is always something EXTRAordinary, even if you have to search a little for it. Here are some special things about my day today.

First of all, I woke up with a big cold sore, a sore gland, but no stuffy nose! That was a blessing in itself. I felt just fine all day long, except for maybe a little tired.

Secondly, I found time to eat today, and even to relax a little! That's a REAL miracle when you consider I also had 2 classes, 5 piano students, and practicing to do today.

Thirdly, my jeans started to feel a little looser!!! This could also be just because I've worn them 3 days in a row now but HEY! I'm going to look on the bright side..They ARE bigger! :)

Fourth, I got to talk to a good friend on the phone today. Between her busy life as a mom, and my busy life with school, it really was a miracle that we had 5 minutes to talk!! It's always great to have a friend like that.

Fifth, I didn't sleep through my teaching!! You're probably thinking, "And you do on other days?" Well, lets just say Tuesdays are tough for me and I need a power nap between 5 and 6, but I often find myself waking up after 6...which is very bad, cause I teach AT 6!! Part of the reason I didn't sleep through was a combo. of my phone alarm, AND having my mom call me and give me a "wake up" call....which I barely even remember picking up the phone!!

Sixth, I'm sitting here, having some "me" time and everything is quiet. I'm learning to relax a little more around my roomates, be friendly with them, but am still paranoid (and rightly so) about crossing that line between "friend" and compromising my morals for the sake of a good laugh......I can use more prayer in this area.

Seventh, I got a 97% on my first music history exam!! YEY!! :)

Eighth, I have a patient counterpoint teacher, who also has a sense of humor...good thing cause I was about ready to rip my hair out at the end of class today!!!

Ninth (I'm trying to make it to ten :), I had a nice afternoon sit-down at chick-fil-a and still a bunch left-over for tomorrow!

Tenth, no matter how busy my day gets, God gives me an incredible sense of optisim. Sometimes it's the smile on a student's face. Other times it's something like realizing what a blessing it is to be doing something I love with my life.

And I have to add one more thing. Considering the long and hard struggle I had getting over my losses and/or separations of two extremely close friends, I thank God every day for the amazing friends He has put in my life. He has filled that whole in my heart, healed the hurt, and restored in me a heart that's not afraid to love. Somedays are harder than others, but I am continually reminded that life is filled with seasons, and the more I can let go of the past, the more I can be aware of what God is doing RIGHT NOW in my life.

I guess that's it. It's after midnight....time to shower and hit the sack. GOOD NIGHT!!

When Saying "It's Going to Be OK" Isn't Enough

How many times do you run into a person in a day and the following exchange occurs. You can tell the other person looks tired, stressed, worried, upset, etc. You ask them if they are "ok" and they say "yes" or "I'll be fine" or something like that. If they tell you they are tired you respond with something like "I know how you feel" (A phrase many of us LOVE to use more often than we'd like to admit). Or, maybe the wheel is turned. YOU are the one having the bad day, and someone else responds to you in a similar way.

Well, this post isn't really about how we should respond to others when they seem upset or stressed, it's more about a testimony of how I am learning to deal with these day-to-day troubles, without SOLELY depending on the reassurance of others.

Let me first start by saying that God has blessed me with some AMAZING friends and family. I am never really at a loss of someone who will pray for me, listen, give a word of encouragement, etc. But, sometimes hearing "It's going to be ok" from a friend isn't enough.

Tonight I had such a moment. It was one of those moments when you are all alone, and you have time to "let out" all of your feelings. I found myself losing it. Crying for quiet a while, without an exact understanding of why. As some of you who are close to me know, I've been under quite a load of stress lately, on top of classes and teaching and work, with my living situation. Just when I thought I FINALLY found a quiet place of solitude, it turns out to be another case of "bad roomate-itis" :)

On top of all that, there are a lot of questions I'm still searching for answers to. Is school really the best place for me right now? Why am I STILL not in a relationship? Is teaching the best thing for me? Is there another way that is better? All of these questions seem to creep into my mind, demanding my attention, which destracts me from things that need to be done day-to-day.

Well, tonight, I think there was a serious "GOD" moment. As I sat at home, I realized first of all, it's OK to cry. Even when things aren't ok, or when things are ok...either way, human emotion is perfectly normal, and sometimes, we girls just need a "good cry". So, I did. And, with no one around to be embarassed by, I kept crying, until I started to feel the gentle Spirit whispering to me. I heard Him telling me that it's ok. That I don't need all the answers. I don't even need some of the answers. All I need is HIM. As I sat on my bed, with my thoughts and with God, I opened my Bible and read Psalm 118

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever......skip to verse 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

Finally, I felt like I had had a "break-through" Moving wasn't the solution to my problems. Talking to people wasn't either. Neither was trying to avoid them. All these things were my way of trying to solve the problem on my own. Instead, I now realize that the only way we can truly say "It's going to be ok" when our lives are chaotic, is when we know the God who runs the show. He's the one that allows us to be in these difficult situations, and because of them, we draw closer to Him.

Next time you have a hard day, pause for a moment. If you are like me, your first reaction is to find a near-by friend/family member and call them, or talk to them. Before you do that, try something. Find a place that is quiet. Sit in silence for a while, and don't say anything at all. God already knows your thoughts, worries, frustrations, and questions. Ask Him to speak to you in the quiet and to give you peace. Then, when you're done having your alone moment with God, go to that person you were going to go to, or do what you need to do. But remember that God is by your side, and that nothing you face in life EVER has to be on your own.

And that's my novel/sermon/word of encouragment/ whatever you want to call it!! Take it or leave it for whatever it's worth. Just remember,

GOD LOVES YOU and He's always there to let you know "It's going to be ok"

Where Did the Time Go?

Yes friends, I am still alive!!! I feel like such an un-devoted blogger, seeing that is has been almost a month since my last post! I will say, in my defense, that I love reading friend's blogs. I just don't seem to have much time these days for my own stories.

Here is a brief overview of what my life has been like since I started my doctoral program about 4 weeks ago:

1) Going to bed around 1-3 a.m. and waking up loooong after "the roosters crow" (although there are no roosters within ear shot of where I live :)

2) Morning and bedtime prayers for peace and quiet, first of all, for the time to sit and rest or sleep, and secondly, for actual SILENCE when I get to my apartment...there are lots of loud college students near where I live.

3)Student after student after student.......after student!!! Lots of washing my hands too. I've had a few sick students already, and am amazed, especially with the lack of sleep I've had lately, that they haven't shared their diseases with me yet!! (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!)

4) Hours upon hours at the Evansdale Library...some spent studying, just as many or more spent thinking "I should just go to bed and try again tomorrow"

5) Occasional bursts of practice efforts, followed by short vacations from the piano, while I struggle to balance all of my course work and teaching and other work

6) A new appreciation for SUNDAY. Not just for the day of rest, but for the loving, caring Christian family that meets me each week. If only I lived with such a strong group of believers....how different my home away from home-life would be!

7) More frequent devotions..they say that adversity makes one stronger. This must be true because of all the years I've struggled with regular Bible Devotions and prayer time, I seem to be getting it down better than ever with my hectic schedule. I truly CRAVE that morning quiet time. And on the days I trick myself into thinking it can wait until the afternoon or evening...you guessed it, there goes my quiet time until the next morning....isn't it great though to know that God loves us no matter how much we fail?

8) An unfinished bib for a baby who will soon be too big for it.....friend, you know who you are, I promise I'll TRY to get it finished this weekend!!!! :)

9) Another friend who is anxiously awaiting baby #3 around Christmas.....this gives me something to truly look forward to at the end of this semester which has just begun

10) A new understanding of the word "surrender" and the phrase "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD" Practical application #1. I dropped out of my plans to compete in MTNA again this year. I realized I needed to focus on doing well in my classes, and preparing my new program for DMA recital #1, plus my prospectus. On top of all that, one needs time to eat, sleep, worship, exercise, rest, socialize now and then with other two-legged beings :)

I'm not even going to try and make new promises to post pictures, at borders, or links, or anything else cool that I would love to add to my blog. For now, I will be content with this bit of time I took at 1am, to simply write (or rather type) and share my events with others. I ask that you would please keep me in my prayers, that God would grant me success in all that I do, as long as it is pleasing to Him, and in line with His will for my life. I also ask for prayers for my apartment/roomate life, that God would continue to give me a gentle heart, and a mouth that is slow to criticize, and quick to encourage.

God Bless and I hope everyone enjoys the Fall weather which seems to already be upon us!

Random Thoughts

Hello friends! It is late Saturday night, the 16th of August, and tonight is my last "summer night" before school starts. Vacation this past week with my family in PA was wonderful! Relaxing, enjoyable, refreshing to the body and soul. In fact, my cold seemed to clear up quite fast once I got out into the clear and fresh mountain air.

Soon I will be sharing photos from our vacation, which was also during my parents 41st Anniversary...congratulations again mom and dad! For now, just some brief, random thoughts.

The Olympics have been incredible to watch this year. Growing up, I can remember watching them, especially mesmerized by the ice skaters in the winter, and gymnasts in the summer. Those were my two child-hood dreams before music began to be my life. I have several friends at WVU who are natives of Asian countries, some of China. I have taken some time to face book a few of them and their enthusiasm and pride for this year's Olympics bubbles over, and makes me so happy to see someone aside from America experience the pride that comes with hosting the Olympics. I am currently typing with my eyes and watching out with my ears for Michael Phelps, to see if he will break the world record with 8 medals tonight.

Our vacation consisted of canoing, biking, hiking, camp fires, a few rainy moments (the first night my tent got soaked so badly I had to sleep in my parent's tent and wait to dry everything out again the following day), book reading and other leisurely activities, and of course eating out. We were very happy to have my brother Nick come and vacation with us most of the week, which also included playing a couple of board games....he ALWAYS wins Monopoly!!!!!

I think I'm pretty well organized and ready for school to start now. Today was filled with more laundry, a hair appointment, shopping, catching up with several friends, and organization. The only reassurance to me starting my DMA, is that I have several friends starting with me, who are just as apprehensive, and knowing that God will be with me all the way. It will be a great experience, but I don't like this waiting period...it's just making me nervous.

I have to go now..in several ways. Tomorrow a piano student of mine, senior in high school, who is also a talented voice student, will be singing at my church. She and her mother are meeting me in the morning so I have to hit the sack!!!

More (and hopefully more interesting) news soon :)