Mozart and Me

A homework assignment required I attend a Colorado Symphony Orchestra performance. And like a good school girl I did. Mozart’s Symphony No. 38. Here are some of my non-snooty observations from the night.

1. the concert hall was probably 45% filled but my ticket stub had me sit flush up against another couple. i nudged her leg with my shoe a couple of times. she bruises easily.
2. the elderly lady on my left smelled like milk brought to a rolling boil on the stove. or potentially microwaved milk in a mug. the whole night…warm milk in my nose. not a fan of warm-milk-smell.
3. i witnessed about 5 1/2 kids under the age of 10 1/2 sit perfectly still through a 2 hour performance. and sponge bob was nowhere to be seen. some of the kids even had itchy stockings on but managed to be well-mannered. now that’s high class, high society.
4. very few members of the orchestra tapped their feet to the beat. i counted 3. maybe 3 1/2.
5. the CSO is brilliant. go see them. that’s all i have to say about that.

Part 2: He is here for the hurting and broken

After yesterday’s post, I decided to add part 2 for all those hurting and broken in their world right now. We’ve all been there. We’ve all felt the gritty sands blowing around us in the desert times. But we can also learn the peace of the Spirit of God in the middle of our sorrows. We can learn to emerge triumphant in the strength of Jesus.

Here is the documentary for Desert Song, another worshipful addition to Hillsong’s latest album, This is Our God. The song immediately follows the documentary in the following video.

the water pump is working again

I have a very obvious tell when it comes to intimacy with God. I’ve realized over the last couple years that as long as I’m seeking God, searching Him out, desiring more of Him, I’m singing. Not necessarily on stage…just singing here and there without even realizing it. It’s an unstoppable well when I’m spiritually lit, and it’s a sure sign that I’ve neglected my first Love when the songs cease, when the well dries up. It’s as if my spirit is communing with God subconsciously throughout the day. And as I do so, I find my spirit soaring. In these times (whether they are difficult times or not), God gives me new and personal worship songs to sing to Him. They may never be published, copyrighted or recorded. They may never be heard by more than the audience of One. They are solely His and I sing them for Him the moment they come to me.  

However, some of the other songs He gives me I believe He wants me to share. One day. They’ve been accumulating over the last two years and, with the fresh life God has given me, have resurfaced. We’ll see.

 

 

All I know is I am grateful for the life once again coursing through my body.

My spirit is free to sing to You!!!

today’s events

in no particular order…

• got my polio and hepatitis b shots for the missions trip to ethiopia (less than 2 weeks away)
• ate leftover dutch baby pancakes from the pancake house for breakfast
• ate leftover pizza from blackjacks for lunch
• forgot to eat dinner
• took some bc powder for a honkin’ headache. man does that stuff work wonders. 
• mouthed-off to a ref at an indoor soccer game
• got a 2 minute penalty at an indoor soccer game
• played rock band drums at catalyst for an hour after work
• played the literal drums at catalyst for two hours following the rock band hour
• played my guitar for an hour following those three hours. worked on new songs.
• received a total of $200 in sponsorship for ethiopia. yay!!!!!
• found out my car is a bit broken and needs fixin’
• finally finished a big project at work
• felt the presence of God in my car and thanked Him for a rekindled fire
• blogged

You? Eventful day yesterday?

oh happy day

Today I found a long-lost prized possession. I haven’t seen it for years, probably 5-6 years in fact. It represents many childhood memories, many emotional tear-filled moments, many friendships, many hours spent in front of the tube with the VCR while it cranked out my favorite movie of my younger years. What, you ask, is so special to my heart?! My “Beaches” soundtrack!!! I’m typing this blog with Bette serenading me in the background. Pure delight!

I know of at least one other person that shared this childhood passion (even to the point of cops being called out to her house because she was belting out Bette tunes too loudly. Ask her.) Yes, I thrived off of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” and maybe even “Baby Mine” or “The Glory of Love.” And more so, I always felt like I could relate to Bette’s character, CC Bloom. Oh the movie. Oh the memories. Any more Beaches fans out there?!?!

So what was your favorite movie as a child?

my favorite author and his song

If ever you feel unfulfilled or unsatisfied with what life appears to be, if ever you are searching for something past the superficial veils, beneath the surface of our skin, read C.S. Lewis. Even as an adult, every book in the Narnia series moves me to long for my Savior more, to have what Lucy had with Aslan or to know him in the many forms he takes, the many ways he reveals himself. Other books of his you must read: The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity. Yes, there are boatloads of books and short stories by this man, a man who seemed to know God in a unique way and who penned that relationship for us to consume years later. But these fit the point of the song below. Take time to read and mull over the lyrics of Brooke Fraser’s song. Like the Narnia series, and the 2 books mentioned above, it’ll have you craving something more than ourselves and our worlds. Our Maker, our Savior, and our Love.

Brooke Fraser’s ‘C.S. Lewis Song’

If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I’ll feel nude when to where I’m destined I’m compared

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
‘Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He’s coming

voluntary insanity

one and two and three and four…

i get on kicks–random and often spontaneous infatuations with a topic, event, or activity. i throw myself into something wholeheartedly until 1) i lose all interest or 2) i complete the task at hand in a ridiculous amount of time. ridiculous here means “short, compact, obsessively crammed.” my latest craze: rock band.

i had full access to the game over the last two nights. needless to say, full access is dangerous when it comes to my crazes. 1) i already have a desire to learn the drums or at least hits things in a safe environment. your snare doesn’t punch back. the kick pedal might in a freak accident, but the toms and snare are just weaklings asking for you to sock them in the eye. and 2) i’m a rock band fanatic. there you go; i confessed. so what was whitney thinking when she left me alone in her house with the console, the game, drumsticks, and no padded walls??  

two nights ago i began a solo tour with my punked out created character i labeled sdj. should you not know what sdj means 1) actually take some time to get to know me or 2) read this. whichever is easiest and most conducive to your sanity. do i dare say sdj was on magazine covers, had her name in lights on stage, got a birdie tattoo and new do, smashed a blazing gong on stage, and even had a “best of” album out on the market? i, i mean sdj, was living it up.

ok people, here’s the freakish part. i couldn’t stop playing. literally. it was as if my eyes could not peel away from the tube. my hands froze to my drumstick sword. my mind told me i was a failure if i did not conquer the game in the little amount of time i had with it. so i played 58 of 58 songs (on medium level – i’m no ‘hard’ or ‘expert’ leveler yet) in a matter of about 5 to 6 hours. maybe more. who’s counting? one and two and three and four…

1 freak. 2 nights.

1 game. 2 drumsticks.

1 craze subdued. 2 bloodshot eyes. 

1) i need help. 2) i need help.