Monday, May 28, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Royal Conservatory Testing...and something else =)
So, I had my big piano test today. I got up at 6:30 am (after a night in which I hardly slept a wink...so much for 'good night's sleep') to drive out, along with Mom (the driver), Galdor, Kara, and my music teacher, Mrs. R, to the testing center. Turns out the testing center was in someone house, and not a public building as I had imagined it. Also turns out that it's a little bit more informal than I had originally thought. Mrs. R was told that the only thing the judges were allowed to say to you was 'Thank you' after you play your piece--they're not allowed to give you any feedback. Of course, that gives you a mental image of these frog-faced officials who don't smile and clear their throat every time you mess up.
Needless to say, my judge (only one judge, thank goodness!) was neither frog-faced nor unsmiling.
I actually think it went pretty well. I must say, though, there were days when I thought it would be a pretty even bet whether or not I could be prepared on time. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday playing the piano, trying to get those darn repertoire pieces memorized! Honestly, just after posting about Joshua 1:9, you think I would remember not to get so stressed out. But I was really frustrated, especially on Tuesday. I hate being frustrated, particularly because it doesn't even help. And I'm happy to say that with each time I get stressed out, I grow a little and find it easier to get un-stressed. It feels really good to tell y'all that by Thursday I had completely committed my test to the Lord and was therefore completely calm. Okay, almost completely calm.
So, yeah. It went well.
I cannot believe I completely forgot to tell you guys this...but my birthday was this Sunday!!!! I am...wait for it, wait for it...SIXTEEN! WOW! CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I had an awesome birthday, thanks to my bff who came over for a sleep over. She's a really awesome friend, so it follows that I had a really awesome birthday. =)
Needless to say, my judge (only one judge, thank goodness!) was neither frog-faced nor unsmiling.
I actually think it went pretty well. I must say, though, there were days when I thought it would be a pretty even bet whether or not I could be prepared on time. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday playing the piano, trying to get those darn repertoire pieces memorized! Honestly, just after posting about Joshua 1:9, you think I would remember not to get so stressed out. But I was really frustrated, especially on Tuesday. I hate being frustrated, particularly because it doesn't even help. And I'm happy to say that with each time I get stressed out, I grow a little and find it easier to get un-stressed. It feels really good to tell y'all that by Thursday I had completely committed my test to the Lord and was therefore completely calm. Okay, almost completely calm.
So, yeah. It went well.
I cannot believe I completely forgot to tell you guys this...but my birthday was this Sunday!!!! I am...wait for it, wait for it...SIXTEEN! WOW! CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I had an awesome birthday, thanks to my bff who came over for a sleep over. She's a really awesome friend, so it follows that I had a really awesome birthday. =)
Saturday, May 19, 2012
freedom is within my grasp!
It is incredibly, unbelievably, awesomely exciting to be almost done with school! Spanish, history, lit, and math (all of which are a huge chunk of my schoolwork) are d-o-n-e, and all I have left are church history/bible survey, government, geography, writing, and a few other subjects that escape my mind right now...which is kinda bad. But those subjects are super fun, except for government.
I think the biggest thing that looms between me and summer is piano. I'm doing Royal Music Conservatory testing (I think that's what it's called), and I am super nervous. This is my first time doing it, and all the requirements--chords, scales, repertoire, etc--are really...um...scary. I'm still trying to memorize my repertoire, and the testing is this Thursday. So, it would be really cool if you guys could pray for that.
But I'll only have five more days, and then I'll be completely free!! Yay!
I think the biggest thing that looms between me and summer is piano. I'm doing Royal Music Conservatory testing (I think that's what it's called), and I am super nervous. This is my first time doing it, and all the requirements--chords, scales, repertoire, etc--are really...um...scary. I'm still trying to memorize my repertoire, and the testing is this Thursday. So, it would be really cool if you guys could pray for that.
But I'll only have five more days, and then I'll be completely free!! Yay!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
encouragement
I am a person who stresses and stresses and stresses and stresses. I was a nervous wreck before my limited prep. speech tournament back in February. I was a nervous wreck before giving my persuasive speech at an event this March. And, of course, (some things don't change) I was a nervous wreck earlier today.
Let me explain. Last Thursday (i.e. one week ago) a person I knew mentioned that the students at the school she works at will be doing a play for their end of the year presentation. She was wondering if myself, along with other students from our public speaking group, would be willing to come in and spend 45 minutes with two different groups (1 1/2 hours in all) to show them some acting skills. I love working with kids and it sounded pretty awesome, so I was like: "Oh, we'd love to! Let me see if people are willing to come, but it sounds awesome! So...when will it be?" And she was like, "Oh...how 'bout next Thursday?" And I was like, "Thursday?...*gulp*...Sure!"
If you have ever put together an agenda for 45 minutes for 1st and 2nd grade students, you know how much time needs to go into that. And so all of the sudden, my weekend/early next week turned into scheduling. It got to the point where on Wednesday I was still having trouble remembering what I was supposed to say. Now, even if you're a relaxed person you would be a little concerned. If you are a stresser, like me, you are going to be so high-strung that you pull a muscle in your back [I am not kidding--I did]
So, fast-forward to this morning, when I'm sitting on the bench outside of the school waiting for it to be one o'clock, the scheduled starting time. And all the while I'm trying to run through my line-up and feeling more and more like I couldn't do it. If you have ever tried to run something through your head when you are stressed out, you know that the only thing that happens is that you get more and more stressed out.
All of a sudden, a Bible verse popped into my head. I had used this Bible verse to calm myself during limited prep. in February and my speech in March, and it's a real whopper of a verse:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.~Joshua 1:9
It is unbelievably amazing how much God uses that verse to minister to me. Just the thought of God being with me wherever I go is an incredible concept. And don't think that God doesn't care about little things like presentations in front of grade-school age kids, because He does. He really does. He knows that every single opportunity is a way that we can glorify God. Honestly, the thought that every moment can make or break an opportunity to witness can be a little intimidating if we don't realize that God will indeed be with us wherever we go. All we have to do is be strong and courageous, and God will take care of bringing glory to His name.
So, it went really well. I had a clarity of mind that I really had not been expecting, and I can genuinely say that it was a lot of fun. Seeing little kids involved and enjoying themselves and being willing to stand up and act something out is such a huge blessing. It's still incredible to me how God uses these moments to teach me how to trust Him more.
The verse Joshua 1:9 has encouraged me so many times, that I thought I should share it. I have committed it to memory (really, it's not that hard to memorize something when you are frantically repeating it over and over again in your head =)
That's my thought for the day.
Let me explain. Last Thursday (i.e. one week ago) a person I knew mentioned that the students at the school she works at will be doing a play for their end of the year presentation. She was wondering if myself, along with other students from our public speaking group, would be willing to come in and spend 45 minutes with two different groups (1 1/2 hours in all) to show them some acting skills. I love working with kids and it sounded pretty awesome, so I was like: "Oh, we'd love to! Let me see if people are willing to come, but it sounds awesome! So...when will it be?" And she was like, "Oh...how 'bout next Thursday?" And I was like, "Thursday?...*gulp*...Sure!"
If you have ever put together an agenda for 45 minutes for 1st and 2nd grade students, you know how much time needs to go into that. And so all of the sudden, my weekend/early next week turned into scheduling. It got to the point where on Wednesday I was still having trouble remembering what I was supposed to say. Now, even if you're a relaxed person you would be a little concerned. If you are a stresser, like me, you are going to be so high-strung that you pull a muscle in your back [I am not kidding--I did]
So, fast-forward to this morning, when I'm sitting on the bench outside of the school waiting for it to be one o'clock, the scheduled starting time. And all the while I'm trying to run through my line-up and feeling more and more like I couldn't do it. If you have ever tried to run something through your head when you are stressed out, you know that the only thing that happens is that you get more and more stressed out.
All of a sudden, a Bible verse popped into my head. I had used this Bible verse to calm myself during limited prep. in February and my speech in March, and it's a real whopper of a verse:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.~Joshua 1:9
It is unbelievably amazing how much God uses that verse to minister to me. Just the thought of God being with me wherever I go is an incredible concept. And don't think that God doesn't care about little things like presentations in front of grade-school age kids, because He does. He really does. He knows that every single opportunity is a way that we can glorify God. Honestly, the thought that every moment can make or break an opportunity to witness can be a little intimidating if we don't realize that God will indeed be with us wherever we go. All we have to do is be strong and courageous, and God will take care of bringing glory to His name.
So, it went really well. I had a clarity of mind that I really had not been expecting, and I can genuinely say that it was a lot of fun. Seeing little kids involved and enjoying themselves and being willing to stand up and act something out is such a huge blessing. It's still incredible to me how God uses these moments to teach me how to trust Him more.
The verse Joshua 1:9 has encouraged me so many times, that I thought I should share it. I have committed it to memory (really, it's not that hard to memorize something when you are frantically repeating it over and over again in your head =)
That's my thought for the day.
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