Monday Thanks

No time to write a book.

But time enough to remind my own heart of some of the blessings I've received.

1. I am His and He is mine!

2. My favorite young man came to visit this past weekend. It was pretty much the best thing ever. Yep, it was. I love surprises!

3. A 15-point curve on an exam - I needed every point.

4. Also for that one professor. Maybe things are looking up? I'm hopeful.

5. Tsukasa is coming home TONIGHT! I simply cannot wait to see her!

6. Getting to see some of my favorite kids this weekend and getting to see some other favorites tonight!

7. My ears are beginning to hear how a Fugue is supposed to sound. My fingers are following pretty well.

8. My mom made morning glory muffins! Mmmm! A wonderful treat to find upon returning home.

9. Fingers. It'd be awful hard to get by without them.

10. Produce. Today Jessica and I talked almost the whole way home about favorite fruits and veggies. So pretty and so delicious. (Jessica, I ate a bowl of frozen fruit when I got home. I LOVED the papaya!)

11. That this too shall pass. That my God is bigger than exams and performances and dictations, and that He is perfectly weaving His redemptive tapestry.

12. Curiosity of toddlers.

13. Chick-fil-A day tomorrow!

14. My Christian friends at school. So increasingly thankful!

15. A new duet assignment today! I was so tired of the old one. (You would be, too. It was a dreadful arrangement of Claire de Lune! Ack!)

16. My piano students. They make me love music more.

17. It wasn't too hard to get up this morning! That's saying a lot for a Monday!

18. Kelly's awesome cooking this weekend. Really, that girl is amazing. She takes her responsibilities very seriously in her mom's absence!

19. Time to sit last night and start this book. I'll let you know what I think. Fascinating so far!

20. I survived my run yesterday morning. It's been way too long.

21. New music to listen to. (Trying my hardest not to run out right now to pick up the new Thrice CD!)

22. Speaking of Thrice...upcoming shows! Woohoo! It's also been way too long.
23. Grace.

It always comes back to that, doesn't it? This list wouldn't even exist without the Grace to live each moment.

You'll Never Guess...

...who was sitting on the hood of my car when I got out of class today!
:D :D :D :D :D
(I screamed and hung up on my mom so fast that she thought I'd been kidnapped or something crazy.)

Unfortunately, he isn't feeling too well. Please pray he feels better ASAP? It's a short weekend, and I know he doesn't want to spend it being sick. :(
Off to pick up some sickie essentials! I've got to get this boy well!

It's All Training

Thursday is here.

It's a beautiful day!

(And there was much applause!)

Today I took a theory mid-term and sang my way through a sight-singing exam.

As I nervously shifted feet, waiting for my singing time slot, I noticed an open door off to my left. Inside, the walls were covered with photographs, scribbly pictures of princesses, and heart-shaped creations. In an office chair sat Mr. Favorite-ever Freshman Theory Prof. (Great name, huh?) I often wish I were still back in his class! Though I must say that I'm beginning to adjust to and like Mrs. Sophomore Theory. At least she genuinely desires my success, unlike another professor who shall remain nameless. But I digress...

Mr. Favorite-ever Freshman Theory Prof is an awesome jazz pianist who always told us to leave behind the "theory" and to just make music with the knowledge. I have great memories of sitting in his class identifying chords as he played along. I feel like his class opened my ears so much! He also helped me not hate dictations as much. (I hate them again, by the way.) Anyway, one of my best memories was during a practice dictation last semester. Suddenly, his phone started to buzz. He immediately stopped playing, picked up his phone, and said, "Sorry, guys, my wife is more than nine months pregnant - I've got to take this!" And with that he dashed out of the room. My class just sat, spellbound, pencils in hand, melodies far from our minds, anxiously awaiting the news (well, at least I was!). It was a big disappointment when he walked back in, only to announce it was a false alarm.

Back to today. I seized the opportunity of an open door and waltzed right in.

"I want to see pictures of your babies!" (Last semester I gave him heck for not bringing in pictures of his new baby!) Of course he gladly bragged about and showcased his kiddos. Another student was also in Mr. Theory's office and commented on how difficult it must be to be a parent and teacher. Yes, Mr. Theory agreed. It was difficult.
"You think you have no free time now," he commented, "but just wait until you have a family."
He also told us to get used to the no sleep thing, because we'd be up all hours of the night when we had six month olds.
So this waking up at 4:45 thing is only training.
All of it, really.
The hard work. The overwhelmed feelings. The long days. The hours on the road. The dedication. The resolve. The love. The rewards.

Mr. Theory went on to say that all of it was worth it. After all, who wants to go home to an empty house at night?

See why I love this guy? Proves you can be involved in the arts and still have a normal family life! Ha ha! But seriously, it helps to know that this is all character building that will come in handy one day. (Thanks to the same nameless professor for doing more than her share of character development!)

It's about more than just now, more than just doing my time. I needed that reminder today.