Monday, July 28, 2008

Keynote videos

Hey gang!
I just want to say that I'm FINALLY getting all the keynote video footage *all 7 little tapes from my camera* organized completely and put on DVDs! woohoo!!! For those of you who have NO idea what Keynote is, it's the music ministry branch of Campus Crusade for Christ. I was fortunate enough to get to go on a summer project in 2006 with them and I had a blast and grew a TON because of it.
Your band rehearses for 4 weeks, then tours for 3. There were 5 groups, most did secular songs and did a gospel presentation in the middle of their concerts.
Swerve was a pop/rock group
Mangofish was a rock group
Young Isaac was an alternative rock group
Infinite Impact was a gospel group from a different project that merged with our project!
And Proof of Purchase *my band* was the worship group.
There ya go!


I have TONS of video footage of our dress rehearsals before we all left for tour, random goofy stuff along the way, and all kinds of things that I have been working on organizing for quite some time now. My problem is that I had to put the things onto VHS tapes from the little camera tapes, THEN record the VHS to DVD...WELL our DVD recorder is REALLY hard to figure out, but I FINALLY did it *while wasting 2 (so far) disks* and I have 1 DVD finished, and 1 is currently in the process! :D

YAY!






I am in the home stretch here and I can't wait to move!
:D

Friday, July 25, 2008

My "weekend"

The work weekend is in quotes because it was really Monday and Tuesday, but those days are my weekend.

I went to the good old Mo to spend a few days with a GREAT friend of mine, Amanda. We had a ridiculously great time, and I WILL be posting pictures (and perhaps videos!?) to show you how silly we are. We watched movies (One Missed Call, Dan in Real Life, and The Dark Knight), ate TONS of junk food, and eventually took glamour shots! HAHA oh yes, I mean the kind you took at middle school slumber parties. It was hilarious. We even had a huge box fan to blow our hair! THEN, if the pictures weren't enough, we decided to make a movie using my digital camera...the concept of this cinematic genuis is that the mad hatter *or my gold glitter top hat from tap at age 4* was trying to clean up the image of pop stars...so Jocelyn *Amanda* was the first victim (THIS time around, mwahaha) and Bianca *me, an MTV VJ for the BBC* ...did I mention we were British in this film?...His idea of cleaning us up was turning us into opera singers...just like he did with Bianca's parents - Yoko and John...oh yes, he turned them into Renee Flemming and Placido Domingo *famous soprano and tenor* and he was going to turn us into the dueling sopranos...
There you have it. A work of ART was created! haha

Needless to say, we had a BLAST! So much, in fact, that I'm pretty sure I'm taking my real video camera to Gatlinburg when we go with Tabi, so we can make a movie should we decide to do so!

<3
k bye!

LOU IS COMING TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I get to play softball tonight, and I THINK my old friend Clif is coming to watch the game too! woohoo!
I only have 3 days of work left!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Rant

So...I'm pretty livid right now. Why can't the people I work with show up for work? Every single shift I work *4 days a week* at least one person calls off.
Tonight, I had a softball game at 7...I needed to be out the door by 6, 630 at the VERY latest to still make it the 30 minutes to the game. My manager said he would have no problem getting me out, we just had to wait for either person A or person B to show up first so that they could still have 6 servers on the floor...
WELL the carry out person didn't show up, so he had to take one of the servers and put her on carry out, which gave us 6 on the floor including me.
Since person A and B were going to be there at 5/530, he told me I'd be able to leave, so I called a girl on the team and my parents, to tell them that I'd be able to go...
WELL
who didn't show up?
NEITHER OF THEM!
Person A came to pick up her check dressed in street clothes, and then called off...
person B, who was on a leave of absence, was supposed to be back for her first day today ALSO didn't show up...
so guess who got stuck there?
me.
I mean, I wouldn't have been so angry if I wouldn't have already thought I was going to make it to the game. I told the girls the night before that unless something changed, I wasn't going to make it, so I would have been ok with not even thinking I could go in the first place. It wasn't my managers fault, nor anyone elses that I work with, so I tried my very best not to take out my mood on everyone else, though I had to stop for a second because my anger put me on the verge of tears on several occasions.
All I had to do was make one phone call earlier today letting them know I wasn't coming to work, but I've NEVER called off and I told my boss that I wouldn't do that to him because he was nice enough to let me have Fridays off. Everyone I talked to said, "you should have called in," but I really couldn't. I tried to get my shift covered, but every single person who said "yeah, I can do that," or, "let me see," fell through, but not until Thursday, when it was pretty much too late to do anything about it...so there I was, at work.

My first commitment is to work, so I'm going to show up when I'm supposed to. Softball, though I love it WAY more, doesn't take precedence over work.

But I am SO mad that others don't think the same way. I mean, I know why they don't but it still is NOT FUN AT ALL!!!!!!!!!

UGH!

Ok. I'm done!
Time to make use of the time I have instead of sitting around sulking about something that God worked out for my good (whether I see it or not).

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Picture post!

Can you imagine the FUN we will have!?



Zelah!



Zoe is NOT modest.



That's all for today!
SOFTBALL THIS WEEKEND! Momma and Daddy took me down to the ballfield on Monday and we worked on hitting. My mom was always AWESOME in that department and by the end of the 30 minutes we were down there, I was busting the crap out of the ball and it didn't even feel like work! YAYAY! Now, hopefully I can remember what I did for the game TOMORROW!!!!
I'm heading to spend some QT with Amanda on Monday and Tuesday. We're going to do goofy, relaxing, stupid things like...taking glamour shots hahaha I can't wait! She can REALLY use the break. From someone who has had MANY a voice major related mental breakdown...she needs some FUN!
We're getting new carpet Monday in lil' brudder's room, so I can't leave till the carpet guy finishes which will be "sometime after 8" so we all know how THAT goes.
NEXT Friday, LOU IS COMING TO VISIT ME!!!!!!!!! We're softballing and then I THINK maybe hitting up some karaoke! I'm sure there's nothing better than karaoke in the Legion with 2 of the best people in the world *Lou and Bekah* in softball cleats! YaY! I'll let you know how it goes!


Countdown to Louisville:
24 DAYS!!!!!!!!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Random update

See, I knew once I got all my thoughts sorted out, it wouldn't be hard to figure out what to do about auditions. I'm not going to do them. It would pretty much be a waste of time to go stand around in line all day when I really don't want to be an American Idol anyway! There are PLENTY of other reasons, but I'll spare the details.

I have been at home by myself since Friday since my parents are in Idaho visiting Lil' Brudder. *He's there working as a carpenter for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival this summer. He likes it a lot. My parents when out to see "Into the Woods", my mom's new favorite musical, thanks to me.* It's been interesting being by myself. My cats love me now that I'm the only one here to give them attention! haha However, Zelah *my kitty...she's all black half Persian, half Himalayan* has woken me up every night since my parents have been gone to give her luvinz. I'm not a big fan of sleep being interrupted by my squeaking cat, but at least she likes me now! haha Zoe *my momma's cat...she's a Heinz 57 variety* is crazy. This cat has to be where I am, especially if I'm in the kitchen. She'll rub her head on my toes until I pet her a sufficient amount. I love them though! :D I've been very lazy this weekend until today. Well...I have been working and playing ball, so I guess I haven't been THAT lazy, but still. Today, they are coming back *they actually just called saying they were in the car on the way back from the airport and will be here in about an hour!* I decided to surprise them by cleaning everything up. I've been doing that this summer, but they have been BIG cleaning projects, so I decided to just clean the kitchen, etc. It looks pretty nice. I can't do anything about the boxes of my junk sitting in the dining room though until I move away on the 10th. The people are coming to put carpet in my brother's room (aka mom's new sewing room) sometime next week, so we need to begin the process of yanking everything out of the room and things need to be picked up for that. We actually just finished putting the room altogether, so it kind of sucks that we have to drag it all back out. Oh well, such is life! The next step is to get my mom to clean out her closet so we only have to make one trip to the Salvation Army instead of 2394823942387. I just finished up her laundry and everything is hanging nicely in the closet. Too bad I can't be that dedicated to my own room. Eh, I'll get around to it before Lou comes next weekend!

I am playing softball for a women's slow pitch league. You have to be 21 to play and the girls average age 35. My team isn't bad. We're not amazing, but it's still fun. My team would be better if the other 3 teams in the league didn't have 3 or 4 girls that could knock the ball out of the park...you can't play defense against a grand slam, followed by a homerun with 2 on base. Needless to say, we've been KILLED our first 2 games last weekend because of such things. I'm playing 3rd base, and to be honest...I'm really comfortable there. I'd rather be at short stop or 2nd just because there's more to do at those spots, but 3rd is a really hot spot in this league. These ladies CRUSH the ball, so even if it's on the ground, it comes REALLY hard. I was kind of nervous at first, but then I realized that this year will be my 16th year playing, so I think I can handle myself. It's a blast! AND one of my greatest friends, Bekah, is playing too!!! We car pool to the games in Man *about 40 minutes away* and belt show tunes the entire way! *She's also my Musical Mondays partner.* Speaking of which...I need to figure out if we're doing that today...


I had a bunch more stuff written about how I'm going to Gatlinburg with 2 of my best friends, but then the internet stopped working and this part of my post was lost...so I'm done.

:D
BYE!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

AI auditions make me a nut case...

Yes, I do realize it's 20 after 2 in the morning, but a heart is never quiet when it's convenient and I just really need to process some stuff. I figure if I type it all out somewhere, I'll be able to go back and re-read it to help get some clarity. If I do it on this thing, I'll at least be able to get SOME feedback.

**WARNING: This post is highly over dramatic and very stream of consciousness.**

Ok, so American Idol season 8 auditions are in Louisville next week! When I found this out a few hours ago, I got all giddy and excited and my stomach dropped to my toes. (I know lame, right!?) My first instinct was to do it just for fun. After all, I auditioned for season 4 and had a complete blast. Granted, I didn't get past the first round of producers and neither did any of the people I was with, but it was still a lot of fun. So, Louise and I decided why not...let's do it.
Bryan, who is super supportive despite his hatred of the show, just advised me to think a little farther ahead than I want to. Because I'm convinced that I won't get ANYWHERE with it. But he asked me to think about what happens if I actually do make it through the producers to Simon, Randy, and Paula, and they say, "welcome to Hollywood." What next?

You're all probably thinking...you GO stupid, duh, but it's not that simple. 4 years ago when I auditioned, I was in a place where I would have had no reason not to go. I was also in a different, not so good at all, place spiritually. Now I'm not going to get on a rant about how you can't be a Christian in the music industry, or anything even remotely close to that, so don't worry. But I AM going to try to sort out what I'm supposed to do with life, and how easily swayed I can be at times. I really feel like I'm called to Southern for music ministry. I have NO idea what that will actually look like when I'm finished with the program, but I'm supposed to be there. (A thought that actually from time to time, I STILL doubt.) Some round(s) of the competition happen in November. I have no idea when in November, and also no idea if that means I would have to miss school...which will NOT happen by the way. If I DO get through it all...I'd have to take off the 2nd semester to do it...we ALL know how ridiculously long that season is. Am I ready to possibly do that?

Also,how do you go about ministering in that type of environment? I know people do it every day, but how do they do it? I think to myself, "I can be a good role model...a good influence...etc" but look at all those "good role models"...Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, etc. When those girls came out, they were looked up to by younger girls (even though Britney's first video was scandalous, but at any rate, Jessica Simpson!) Her early interviews and videos and all that stuff were wholesome! Look at her *them* now. The Hollywood lifestyle does things to people. It's a dark and depraved place. I mean, it sucks me in from way over here sometimes...here in Southern, WV I get wrapped up in things that go on over there and I have NOTHING to do with it! It's that selfish, human desire to be famous. I have that. I can't lie about it. It's there. I'd love to have people idolizing me and my voice as if it's something I actually did myself...but it's not. None of it is me. It's God. The ONLY reason I have the ability to sing is because God designed me that way. I have to figure out if doing AI would be glorifying to Him. Even if I don't have to think about ANY of this stuff and it turns out to be simply a great trip with my best friend...is THAT glorifying to Him? I already know what the AI audition experience is like. Do I really need to find out again?
Of course part of me *most likely the human part* is excited and is pushing to go through with it, but the other part of me is really unsettled.
Like I said earlier, I go back and forth a lot about what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. Do I really need to put myself in a situation that I KNOW is going to result in yet another long series of doubts?

And taking it from another perspective that has nothing to do with my emotional issues...here are some practical questions I need to ask myself:

Do I want that kind of life?
Do I want that kind of reality TV, possibly have millions watching my dream potentially get crushed?
Is that even my dream anymore?
Is it what GOD has in store for me?
I don't want to be the next American Idol...I really don't. What I would love from it is the chance to do other stuff...Broadway, etc...but are there even roles out there that I would be comfortable doing without compromising my morals?
These are the kinds of questions popping into my head. And I'm sure it's probably good that they are, but I have no idea what the answers are.
Of course I'd love to be famous in that 'I'm a 23 year old, day dreaming, American who only sees the over-glamourized side of fame' kind of way...but I don't know that I'd want the type of attention that caused cameras to be in my face all the time. I mean, I didn't even like getting the attention after Mountaineer Idol was over! The day after I was ok with it, but after that I was like, "ok it's time for it to stop now thank you."
And I realize that this is a lot to think about when it comes to even AUDITIONING *aka, going up against THOUSANDS of others with 30 seconds to try to impress a producer enough to send you through to another round where you do the same thing...and different people like different sounds, so out of the 10+ people you could possibly end up in front of, you have to hope that your sound is what they like.* So really...I mean my chances are VERY slim to none, but I feel like I should think about these things before I put myself in a situation where I can't say, "no."
Does that make sense? Or do I just sound like a neurotic girl babbling about some unrealistic pipedream? (ok I KNOW I sound like the latter, but does the thought process even make sense?)

Maybe by tomorrow I'll read this and realize how ridiculous I actually sound. I also think I'm the only person in the WORLD worrying about this...
It's late and I have church in about 7.5 hours.
Goodnight.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Really Eugene H. Peterson? Really!?

Most of you know me, and you know that I don't normally get into the "this translation of the Bible is better than that translation" kind of stuff, but yesterday's scripture lesson read from The Message FLOORED me! Now The Message is not exactly my first choice, but whatever. Here's what got me...the sermon was from Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30. Here's what it says in the ESV:

16"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17"'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'

18For John came(A) neither eating(B) nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came(C) eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard,(D) a friend of(E) tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."[a]

25(Q) At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father,(R) Lord of heaven and earth, that(S) you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and(T) revealed them to little children; 26yes, Father, for such was your(U) gracious will.[b] 27(V) All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son(W) except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone(X) to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28(Y) Come to(Z) me, all who labor and are(AA) heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and(AB) learn from me, for I am(AC) gentle and lowly in heart, and(AD) you will find rest for your souls. 30For(AE) my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."



BUT in The Message, this is the paraphrase:

16-19"How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, 'We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.' John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a lush, a friend of the riffraff. Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

25-26Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

27Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."



WHAT!?
I don't recall reading ANYTHING in the first version about skipping rope, opinion polls, or eating pudding in 16-19 and he actually thinks "yes Father, that is the way you like to work" is a sufficient substitute for 26"such was your gracious will"...and as far as 25-30...
"I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you"!? That's how he translates 30"My yoke is easy and my burden is light"!? In my opinion the first statement is a lie! As Christians we go through all kinds of things that are 'heavy or ill-fitting', but our hope lies in the fact that we have freedom in Christ. He never says, 'oh follow me and everything will be great and nothing unpleasant will happen'.
In some parts of The Message paraphrase, it's not 100% completely terrible, but I really feel like this one missed the point entirely! I mean most of us have heard "my yoke is easy, my burden is light" before...at least I know I have countless times, but when it was read from The Message, I had NO idea that's what it was talking about. I picked up the NIV translation and read it for myself because I had no clue what was going on.


Seriously, what!?
I could go on, but you get the point.