"oh, this is the start of somethin' good, don't you agree?"

(title comes from gavin degraw's "follow through" off of chariot)

the contemporary music center, semester 22. 

where to begin? this week has been an absolute whirlwind like none other..

I've honestly been dreading posting a blog, because there is no possible way my words could do justice to the myriad of adventures & experiences that have already gone on.. 

God has already made this far outweigh anything I could have dreamed or expected..

(I told you, this is already a disaster.. let's just jump in to what the weekend held.. 

take a deep breath, yall!)

saturday 1/14/2012 (move in day!):

momma, padre, the brohas & I headed out of snow-covered chi-city on friday morning & made our way down through our icy state, into kentucky. we spent the night in paducah before grabbing free breakfast & getting back on the road.. I wrote this in my journal while waiting at a gas station just over 100 miles from Nashvegas: "...I've been so up & down (about everything) these last couple weeks of break..change is always hard, especially at first..& when physically everything about my life will be different for these next few months. New town/state/people/classes/AGE.. it's officially my last day of being twenty..so strange! I've never been so aware of & thankful for the fact that my LORD is the same yesterday, today and forever.. (building 429's "listen to the sound" playing in car stereo) "..hope that's rising up over your horizon..new beginning, this is where the old is ending..listen to the sound wherever you are"

                                               *********************

cmc building--"the hardscuffle"

we got to the cmc building probably around 12:30..(up on those crazy southern hills I'll try to get a real photo up soon) & I went in to check in with Jenny (program administrator) & get my keys! it was all finally happening... little did I know what would be in store for the next few days :)

I can't recall what was going through my head as we walked into my new apartment, but got to meet Kelly (1 of 4 girls I'm living with..she's in the artist track & from SC) & her older sister (who went to school with tenth ave. north..what? awesome start to this whole thing haha). we got my stuff inside before going over to check in at the hotel & on to five guys..yumm. following food-time, I got to finally meet the other roomies-Mel (NY/artist), Rachel (KY/artist) & Susanna (NC/business)! each of the girls is lovely & already special to me (& you'll hear much more about them), yet I have not forgotten my dear ones in p. heights. love yall! so, momma was an old pro as we unpacked my stuff..very thankful for her presence during all of that! there was a parents meeting prior to dinner for us students (famous dave's). we met each of the staff & faculty (all six of 'em :)) before going around & introducing ourselves (28 students, total). warren (program director) asked us to talk about our fears for the semester. in order to cover the spectrum, I talked about making the most of this immense opportunity that God has given. because I've dreamed about this city & everything about this for so long, I don't ever want to take a second of this for granted.. each day, my prayer is that this be more about Him than it is about me. I never want to lose sight of the ultimate reason I am here. in some ways, this definitely feels like a summer camp kind of thing.. every day I've woken up here it's like, "are you sure this is real life?" 

view from cmc building--our apartments across the street!

speaking of which, the opening show! 

saturday night (and my twentieth year) ended on an even higher note than I'd expected it to..2 alumni bands (eric parker-sem 4? & a minor bird-sem 21). both are surely worth a listen. eric has a pop/rock singer-songwriter thing goin' on, while a minor bird is nearly impossible to describe..but you NEED to give 'em a try! they truly blew me away, and they attended the program just a month ago.. crazy good.

my first night's sleep wasn't the best, but it sure started off well (kept my tradition of listening to "always"-switchfoot to ring in my birthday)...more on that fantastic day to come in my next post :)

(ps-congratulations, if you made it down this far..I shouldn't be allowed to write without an editor haha)

peace of Christ - hm

allow me to introduce myself..

1.    God is my everything. my hope & victory are in Him. He is all I need.

2.    I am passionate about serving people & dealing with issues like: homelessness, human trafficking, the water crisis, depression/self-harm/suicide, pro-life.. I support several causes/non-profits who provide hope to people: to write love on her arms (depression, suicide, self-harm, etc). mocha club (africa-water, sustainability, etc). IJM/love 146/free the birds (sex trade/human trafficking). LiNK-liberty in North Korea (aid to N.korean refugees). Stand Up for Kids (homeless teens, etc). Jedidiah clothing (humanitarian).

3.    music is a huge part of who I am. I've been passionate about it for as long as I can remember..

4.    all kinds of new things are coming soon & I'm not sure I've ever been so terrified/excited for this semester to begin. my heart is heavy & light.

5.    I was born 2.5 months early & am technically a twin..he was even smaller than me & passed away after 2 days. I was in the hospital for months after being born.

6.    I've lived in the same little house since I was pretty much born (save for living at school during 5 semesters, so far).

7.    I often tell people I was "meant to be born in the south" because of my near hatred of the midwest's cold weather, among other things.

8.    I am the oldest of 4 (5, if you count my twin) children. it's a blessing & a curse. my family (immediate & extended) mean the world to me.

9.    I hope to adopt my children, someday.

10. I strive to make an impact in this world, and long to see change for the glory of God.

why all this talk about being born? well, it's my birthday on Sunday!

my first day of waking up twenty-one will be as a nashvill-ian (?) for a few months anyway..