A NEW SEASON

As the leaves are turning on trees and the days are getting shorter, I am reflecting on all the different implications of "new seasons". God speaks of these seasons. In my life, I have entered a new season (or chapter). I've been quiet on here as so much has been going on. I STILL have my pending summer blog that hasn't been finished!! (IT WILL BE ON HERE SOME DAY!!!)

To sum up a few things, here is what my life looks like right now:

I am living in a new apartment in Morgantown, all by myself with wonderful peace and quiet :) The 2nd best part? It only takes a minute to get to school! (other might say that the 2nd best reason would be that I can park at home and walk to the football games but, I've never been a huge football fan....sshh.....don't let the player living above me know I said that!! :) :)

I am in year 2 of the my DMA program. I'm taking 2 heavy courses, one called Music in Transition and another Theory Pedagogy. Part of this 2nd class's requirements is to observe 12 Freshman and Sophomore Aural and Written Theory classes (3 of each) throughout the semester. So far, a kid fell asleep in the back of one class and this morning, a fire-alarm went off at the end of class....no dull moments yet!!! (except maybe for the kid snoozing :) What is most intriguing to me is not necessarily the lessons I observe but the uncanny feeling, watching these kids, fresh out of high school (hence, I supposed why they care called FRESHman! :) and realizing how old I'm getting! Seriously, some of these kids I think "there is NO WAY they don't have parental supervision! It's a different perspective, for sure! When the GA (graduate assistant) TEACHING the course is also YOUNGER than you, you really start feeling old :)

I'm in a state of transition with my church position. Without going into great detail, I am no longer the choir director at my church but just the pianist. Tonight I had my first interview at a church much closer and it went GREAT! They even gave me a gift bag just for moving my schedule to be there. They put me through the ringer, so to speak but, I feel I did well and that there was a good connection, personality-wise between the choir and myself. All I can do is pray and leave it in God's hands. They will let me know VERY Soon what the decision is

I have another interview at another church this Friday. Please keep me in your prayers

I just found out this week that I was elected President of the Student WV-MTNA Chapter (West Virginia Music Teachers National Association). It's a big job and I have soooo much more to do now on top of all my other responsibilities, but, it's a position I've wanted for a long time and am glad to do it.

I'm working on a 4-hand recital, a solo recital, accompanying 2 singers and need to begin learning a Mozart Violin/Piano Sonata for a 1/2 recital for a violinist. I'm also playing mv. III of Chopin's Concerto No. 1 for the Young Artist's competition at WVU---preliminaries in Dec. and competition in January (16th).

For those of you who are able to come, I'm planning on giving my solo recital January 23rd (a Saturday)---TBA time (I still need to get this date confirmed).

So, there is A LOT going on right now. But, I feel God is growing me in my faith and also teaching me that I have more abilities than I thought and challenging me to grow them more, as well.

For the visual pleasure of my readers (cause I KNOW I always talk way too much :) Here are some random pictures, the most recent I have on my pc, as of now. The first is from my mother's birthday, in July. The guy is my brother Dan :) (I don't have a lot of pictures with him so I thought this one was nice :) I think we didn't know we ran out of candles so mom got to be "1" again----you know what they say about growing old...it's your 2nd child-hood!! Haha :) (just kidding mom :) :)

This is from, I think our last day on the beach in Daytona. My mom and I spent the morning together shopping for some pretty ocean-glass jewelery and then, she braved her fear of heights to ride the little gondola (I'm not sure what else to call it) that stretched over the pier and out over the ocean. I like this pic of the two of us :) I was taking it with my hand which is why it's so close up and I think we're both a little "vacationed out" at this point but you know, you know you've had a great time when you come home "tired" from vacation! :)

So, that's enough for now. Thanks for reading and I promise to try and get that summer blog posted before the snow starts to fall :)

God Bless