it's been a while...

I decided it is probably time to post since i haven't posted in a couple weeks. Life has been it's normal business.. i guess i'll just mention a couple highlights from the past few weeks:
-Emily and I signed up for our new rooms in Park Hall for next fall! For those of you who don't know, Park Hall is the dorm that is currently under construction and should be finished by August. Emily and I will be living on the fourth floor, sharing a suite with six other friends (mostly music majors..)
-We got 2 snow days last week!!!! Apparently this is a big deal at Ball Sate b/c snow days NEVER happen...
- I'm learning ball room dancing!
- I "learned" the marimba in perc. tech... yeah, we spent a total of two days on marimba which is unfortunate b/c i love it!!!
- I met a friend that i hardly ever see anymore for lunch two times!
- i get to see mis padres on Thursday b/c they're coming up for my sophomore flute recital! woohoo!
- Spring break is in less than two weeks!!!!
*i'm sure there's a ton of stuff i'm forgetting to mention but yeah, you get the idea...

Opera week!

I'm really excited about this week! Madame Butterfly is this weekend and that means that we have rehearsal every night this week from 6-10pm! I still love the music at this point but by the end of the week i might change my mind (i hope not though). The singers are all amazing and have such powerful voices! It's an honor to be working with such skilled musicians. Our guest conductor, Dr. Fiora Contino, is great too! Her past experience and connection with operas is incredible. Despite her age, she is very enthusiastic about her work. I only hope i have that much passion for music when i am that age. I'm looking forward to playing in the orchestra pit in Emen's although it will probably be hard to watch the singers...
Any minute that i'm not at an orchestra rehearsal i'll probably be practicing snare drum rudiments, or flute (my recital's coming up in one month!!!!) gotta love being a music major and having no life... i doubt i'll even see my roommate this week. on a happier note though, my parents are coming to the Saturday night performance of Madame Butterfly! I can hardly wait! ( :

Last night in Cru we sang an amazing song. I don't remember the name of it but one line in particular stuck out to me:

"This world is empty, pale and poor
compared to knowing You my Lord..."

Back at good ol' BSU!

It's great to be back at school! Despite the already looming pile of hw ahead of me, i am so thankful for my friends and the opportunity i have to learn more about MUSIC!!!! What could be better than that? This past week was crazy b/c my schedule was messed up but it's finally all worked out! Probably the class i'm most excited about is percussion tech! Right now we're learning snare drum rudiments! I'm also really excited about orchestra b/c we're getting ready for the opera "Madame Butterfly" in February! It's my first time doing pit orchestra in a real opera!
This weekend is extra long b/c we get off MLK day! Amanda's here to visit for the weekend! It's our last time to see her before she goes to Spain to study abroad. We're throwing a surprise birthday party for her tonight! Actually, it's not a surprise but everyone we invited to come thinks it is...
I hope everyone is having a great start to the new year!
I will leave you with a verse that has greatly encouraged me this past week:
Isaiah 41:10 "Do not fear for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Merry Christmas!

I would have to say that this past Christmas was the most unusual one for my family thus far. On Christmas Eve we went out to eat after the morning service. So Nisha being in town and all, we decided to go to Taco Rico which has the have the best Mexican food...even better than Mexico itself! I was pretty excited to order horchata, tacos al pastor with fresh cilantro and onions! I spent the rest of the afternoon making pies and sweet potatoe cassarole while listening to Christmas music. We went to the candlelight service at 8pm where there was a lot of good music played by the brass ensemble, Hannah and i on the flute, the handbells, and Titus singing/guitar.
Christmas day we slept in until 10am (in past years Nish, Tirz, and i would get up early and surprise my parents by making breakfast). This year my dad made a delectable brunch of blueberry pancakes, sausage, hot chocolate, and orange julius'. We then opened our presents after convincing my parents not to take any pics cuz we were still in our pjs! haha! I got a lot of great gifts as usual but i'd have to say my favorite gift was my lime green ipod nano! it's pretty spiffy! i also got a Nestor Torres cd, Pride and Prejudice dvd (the 6 hour version w/Colin Firth), a music dictionary, the Les Mis vocal/piano/guitar book and other random things.
so the rest of the day was spent cooking, cleaning, and getting ready for our guests. Two families from our church came over, the Rubios (from Guadalajara) and a Puerto Rican single mother and her two daughters. We had so much fun celebrating the birth of our Savior together! First we ate dinner, which was rather interesting since the conversation kept switching back and forth between spanish and english! After dinner we sang christmas carols in spanish next to our navity set which is Colombian and huge (as in it takes up a fourth of our living room!) We then started dancing. The little three year old, Anna, was giving the rest of us ballet lessons....it was so cute/hilarious. Then another girl wanted to show me the song she could play on the piano and then asked me if i could teach her how to play chopsticks. once she got the hang of it, she wanted her mom to come watch her play. Her mom happened to be a really good pianist and asked me if there were any piano accompaniment parts she could play with my flute. So i got out the Bach piece i'm working on for my recital and we played together for a while. it was so much fun! After everyone left, we cleaned up and watched It's a Wonderful Life.
So that pretty much concludes my Christmas! I love this time of year b/c it reminds me of the best gift anyone could ever receive: eternal life! It's so easy to to want more in this life, but God has already equipped us with everything we need to live a victorious life! I don't know about you guys, but i'm looking forward to getting to know my Redeemer better in the new year!

1 Peter 1:17-23

"If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with PRECIOUS BLOOD, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the BLOOD OF CHRIST. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the LIVING and ENDURING word of God."

mixed emotions

i'm totally confused and quite okay with that! why am i confused? here's the short answer in list format b/c i love lists! (1) finals are finally over which is great don't get me wrong but it's hard to say goodbye to friends when i feel like we just got here! (2) the weather...it confuses me. for instance, this morning it was warm and sunny so i decided to wear my bots 2 t-shirt to my noon final. when my final was over at 1pm (should be the hottest part of the day) i stepped outside of the old music building and pretty much shivered the whole way back to Botsford hall. i got a lot of weird looks from the passerbyers who of course were all bundled up. (3) i got a 98% on my theory final, the one i felt the least ready for! Dr. Trawick had posted our grades on her office door so i decided to check mine out this morning and nearly fainted on the spot. (3) i had a not so good week for flute playing b/c i was really stressed and so that negatively affected my flute playing quite a bit. I was feeling really discouraged and at some points in the week considered switching my major. I think God was showing that i need me that i can depend on Him in the midst of my fears and doubts. I'm not alone in my struggles...in fact God has given so much peace!
i hope everyone has a great Christmas break and is able to give not just material gifts but the fruits of the spirit to others!