Houghton bound

I'm getting ready to head down to Houghton until tomorrow. It's the 7-year anniversary of nightly prayer. 7 years have gone by since we committed ourselves to spend every night in that basement crying out and singing to the Lord. Some people think it's been longer, and really there was much more before then, but it was 7 years ago that we began the nightly meetings. Before that, we met only on Fridays or a few times a week.

There are so many memories and if I began to write them all, I'd be here for hours! Those years were some of the most important of my life. That room, that atmosphere, that group of people-our family then was more influential to me than almost anyone or anything else in my life (excepting my biological family and possibly a few others in some ways of course).


So hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to Ho-town I go! :-p It will be nice to reunite w/many of m old comrades and friends (Ben & Laura, Lindsay, Richad, Brent, Chris, Joe & Heba, Nickie, and others), some who I haven't seen in a year or two because we all live around the country. I know that we will dearly miss those who aren't in attendance: Matt & Laurel, Aimee, Becky, Justin & Amy to name a few.




So here we go for a throw-back to the old days and a look ahead at what's to come.

Houghton College. What a place.

It is finished.

It's been a long time since I've actually scrapbooked. I did a tiny bit over the summer and even before that, I think the last time I really sat down and worked on something was about a year ago. Horrors! My life has just been so busy in the last year and when I've had time I've decided to do other things. Well, one of my goals for this break was to get some scrapbooking done, so I spent all Saturday sorting and organizing my desk and supplies and then yesterday afternoon and today were spent finishing this folder book that I have been working on/neglecting for the past year & a half. Technically the pictures are from February of 2004, so I guess this thing is really 4 years in the making. :-p

Anyway, I made this book by sewing two file folders together (spine to spine), creating 8 pages, and then scrapbooked each page.

Sorry that these pics didn't come out super clear. My scanner isn't that big and I don't feel like doing the whole scan & stitch thing, Plus, there's a little bit of bulk on some of the pages, which lifts them off the glass, leading to light & blurriness.

ANYWAY, here is my choir tour book for the 2004 Houghton College Choir!


Cover: Epcot. I should have cleaned this up in photoshop, as there are spots on the scan, but oh well! :-p


P. 2, a few of us walking through a mall in Tampa (Justin & Amy had just met and are already nice and chummy w/each other! :-p).



p. 3, Amy, Miriam & I peacefully resting at the foodcourt of the same mall.



p. 4, We were on the beach and it poured. The dear boys went and grabbed all of our belongings in the rain and got drenched while we waited in a restaurant. We then bought them lunch for being so sweet. :-p I don't think you can tell, but I used epoxy to make rain drops on the page.



p. 5, I really like this page, but it didn't scan well! Anyway, this night it was raining, so we got dressed up and went out to eat.




p. 6, Disney World...we had a blast this day!



p. 7, Coca Cola! On our tour, we went to the coke around the world thing at Epcot, as well as the Coke factory/museum in Atlanta. I do love me some Coke! :-p



p. 8, Back cover: The choir tour program. I have some hidden journaling in there, but it just tells a little bit about the choir tour.




Thanks for looking! Again, sorry for the picture quality! I promise they're much better in real life! ;o)

I love technology, but not as much as you you see...

Yes I love technology, always and forever. Always and forever.

Haha.


Anyway, I have had dear Charlie the Lappie, my beloved MacBook for a year now and I've only recently begun to discover the amazing things that I can do with him. For example, Photoshop is pretty rad, and most recently I've made friends with Garage Band.

The teacher that I'm working with right now inspired me on Friday to use Garage Band. We have been trying to get kids ready for All County, and she had me record the solo to one of the pieces for one of the students to practice with. I never took any technology courses in college. Most music students take technology in music courses where they are able to learn programs like Finale, Sibelius, Garage Band, Smart Music, and many others. I've had to learn these things on a very basic level on my own. Until Friday I'd never even touched Garage Band.

I never realized that with one simple cable, I could hook my keyboard (even my ancient 500-lb beast of a keyboard) up to my computer and record myself playing. I couldn't stop thinking about this all weekend, so yesterday afternoon my brother and I braved the bitter cold and wind to head to make the hour trek to Guitar Center. I didn't feel well, was exhausted, and had already canceled all of my commitments for that day, but I was obsessed with this idea so I went for it anyway.

I found and purchased the cable I needed once I'd finished drooling over a number of instruments and all kinds of equipment that I desperately need (or just want a lot). After a quick necessary stop at Starbucks, we headed home, I cleaned my room (because you can't make music in a messy room!), unearthed my dear keyboard form the depths of my closet and hooked it all up.

My first recording wasn't a long one, but I recorded a 2 piano parts, me humming, and a little bit of shaker for texture sake. The recording is only about 40 seconds long, but I'm happy with the way it turned out, especially for my first time. I was actually so excited about it that I went ahead and put it on a cd already. :-p I wonder if there's a way that I could post it on here.


Anyway, that's all. :-p Now maybe I'll go play some more and make another "song." :-p




I should probably thank you all for reading. This was a long and not very exciting post. Sorry! :-p

40 days of new

As Lent begins this week, I'm coincidentally making a number of changes/beginning new things in the next couple of days. I won't mention all of them, but I will say that I'm looking forward to a time of simplification and consecration.
I find it interesting as well that tomorrow is nine months until the presidential elections. Many (charismatics in particular) feel that there are strong prophetic ties to numbers. Interesting that over these next nine months, our nation will be preparing to bring forth a new president. Will it be a boy or a girl and will we call them Barrack, Hillary, Mitt, John, or Mike?
And with that little segue, let me please admonish anyone who may read this before 9pm tomorrow night: VOTE (if you are registered in a state that is holding a Super Tuesday primary). This is the one election where you will have more say than any other: your party and your state alone.

Personally, I LOVE to vote. I feel that it's one of my greatest privileges as an American citizen is voting. In fact, I've hardly missed an election since I turned 18...I even vote for the county and school board elections. All that said, though I love voting, I'm not completely optimistic and unrealistic. I know that our democratic society says that every vote counts. However, I am a conservative living in NY, and I know that no matter what, when it comes to a presidential election (as well as most other elections), my state will go to the blue. Without fail, NY votes democrat. Tomorrow though, is a primary election. Republicans only voting for republicans, democrats only voting for democrats.
Tomorrow I will do my part in helping to decide if McCain, Romney, or Huckabee take the field in the White House SuperBowl nine months from tomorrow.


As I've said, it's no secret that I'm a conservative. Pretty staunchly so. I'm still not positive who's little lever I'll be pressing tomorrow night (I assure you it will NOT be Romney's, but my mind isn't made up as to whether I should give my vote to McCain, or vote for Huckabee who I truly want). Because this is my blog though, and I'm able to freely express my opinion, Let me yank on your shirt sleeve and beg at you for a little bit. Please vote AGAINST Romney if you are a republican, and against Hillary if you are a democrat. Especially against Hillary. I strongly believe (and I could go into the hundreds of reasons why in a later post) that if she takes office, this country-and this world will be in more trouble than we've ever seen. Vote against Hillary. Just because she's the senator for NY, doesn't mean she has to win here. Ann Coulter's a bit off her rocker at the moment for saying she'd vote for Hillary over McCain.



Ok, political rant is over. Now I must go to bed. First though, does anyone know of any great Christian music I should check out, particularly new worship music? Even though I am the music director for a church, I am not up on who's the best and what's good in Christian music anymore. I have my favorites that I follow and purchase (Shane & Shane, Casting Crowns, Passion, United), but what's good out there that I don't know about? Share with me PLEASE! :-D

Thanks! Goodnight & happy voting! :-p