I had an awesome experience today...a little story time, so please indulge me on this one:

Today was my last Sunday as soloist at the Christian Science Church I work for in Wichita KS. It's not my denomination of choice, but the people there have been so kind and supportive of me throughout my college years and I love each and every one of them. I was approached after the service by a new member of the congregation. She wanted to share with me how moved she was by the solo. She kept gushing...not about me thank goodness, but how in those few minutes she felt the presence of God by His gift of music. WOW! It's not everyday that God let's a girl's deepest desire come true :) My greatest hope as a performer is to be a tool of the Master that he can use to bless others and bring them closer to Him. I have always known that God has given me a passion for music and a knack for it, but it becomes so much more obvious everyday that He is in control of the way it touches people. He never ceases to amaze me and He has definitely been showing off this summer by how He has provided every need that I've had.

Life can become so chaotic with schedules, demands, and obligations that we forget what a wonderful gift it is...and that it is a limited time only special! I can't imagine a more fufilling career than to share God's beautiful and intricate design of humanity with people. It takes my breath away. I never would have thought of myself with a perfomance career, but I find that I keep telling God, "alrighty...I'll give this a go" with every new experience and path that comes along. I was fortunate to understand early on that God has something planned for each and everyone of us and it is FAR better than anything we could put together ourselves. If you just trust Him to provide what is best, you will be amazed at the journey He has planned. You just need to be flexible to be spontanious, expect the unexpected, and take time for the little things. He teaches us so much in those small quiet moments and with those sudden changes life throws at us. I can't help but be overwhelmed by God....He is what drives me to do what I do and how I live. Even through the hardships I've had this summer, I find myself thanking Him for the struggle because it has made me grow a great deal and become closer in my walk with Him. Leaving with a Bible verse for the evening that sums up what I hope to be in this life.

"Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10

Yeowzaa! I have exactly one week left here in Wichita and SOOOO much to do before I leave. I still have to pack what is left in my apartment, deep clean the apartment, sort my belongings, donate stuff to good will, try to see as many friends as possible before I leave, all while still working my 5 jobs...ahh!!!

Living situation is all finalized for MD :) I have two roommates and I am looking forward to it; living by yourself can get lonely. I am still trying to find a church job in the area, but have already found a wonderful church that could be my new church home in MD. Once I get settled there, I will also have mini lessons with some of the UMD voice faculty and figure out who I will be studying with. I also plan on getting another hamster once in Maryland. I miss having a little fuzz to come home to :)

I had my last voice lesson (perhaps more in the future) with Dr.Mozzani. She has been an inspiration to me during my time at WSU and continues to be as I move forward. She is one of those people who touch your life in a brilliant way and you are forever changed by the impact. I will definitely miss seeing her on a day to day basis, but I know that we will always be close, which is a blessing. Over the summer we've worked on learning Sophie's arias from Massenet's Werther and Lucy in The Telephone. Both have been quite fun to work on and wiggle into the charaters. At least I will have something fun to show my new teacher where I am on my technique.

This summer has been very trying and a definite test of faith...lots of testing to make sure that I really am trusting God in all aspects of my life. I'm on the up and up from it though and I have a bright outlook on what He has in store for me. Will keep you all posted!

Thus far, this summer has been incredibly trying on my spirit. I am still positive though! So big yay for positive thinking!

I am extremely worn out from working all my jobs this summer....no free time what so ever. I really haven't practiced voice in a solid 2-3 weeks...AHHHH! This is absolutely not like me!!!! The longest I have ever gone without singing/practicing has been 1 week due to getting my wisdom teeth out. Pina is going to kill me on Tuesday...seeing as it will be my first lesson with her since she's been back from Italy. Looking forward to having her break me down and get me back into shape. In other fortunate news, I was excused from my jury duty! Yea! It would have been impossible with my lessons, nanny position, moving to Maryland...you get the idea. Speaking of moving, my apartment is a catastrophe area! Organizing while you pack is a great idea, but it just doesn't look great while you are in the process, haha. I bought a label maker...definitely having WAY to much fun labeling my books, dvd's, boxes, etc....I'm an office supplies geek, what can I say?

My sister is in town this week. It has been SO fantastic getting to spend time with her! We went to the drive-in on Thursday. I haven't been to one in ages, I almost forgot how much I enjoyed them. Yesterday we went to the zoo. A few days ago she managed to pull out a hang nail on her toe and it's severely infected...really gross! Hopefully she will get some antibiotics when she gets back to KCMO.

In the hustle and bustle of all of the above, I'm trying to get together with my friends who are still in town. June has been a fairly lonely month and I'm hoping that July will be much more social. This summer I've been constantly reminded how much my faith and music sustains me through life's hard knocks. It's proof that I know I'm in the right career field :)