Day 2 at APU

TIred. Sick. A little overwhelmed. Totally blessed. And my voice... GONE!
I can't sing, whisper, and can hardly speak.
Ever since Free Design ended, I've been losing my voice or it's been superbly hoarse. I probably over sang with those intensely high notes.

Now is no exception.

The sheet music is beautiful, and during worship before communion, all the school ensembles sang the songs in all sorts of harmonies erupting as though from heaven. I couldn't sing, but I could listen.

I started crying. It was THAT beautiful. With accomplished singers from all grades and walks of life filling the auditorium, crying out to God the way they knew best, Basses, Baritones, Tenors, Altos, and Sopranos all used their talents to fill the room with what I can only describe as a piece of heaven.
It made all my frustrations of no-voiceness, situational anxiety, and overwhelming newness dissipate.

It's only Day 2 at APU, but I can feel change on the horizon as surely as the sun rises and sets. Many adventures await, and I've already met some very kind-hearted girls, a couple in particular who match my personality. Coincidentally, none of these girls are from California.
They're from Colorado, Northern Oregon, and Chicago(oh! I think there are a few from California actually. Never mind)! :)
Still, I have hardly any spare time to my own, since we practice morning, noon and night, with small breaks from meal times. Boy, do we feel GROSS by the end of the day.

That's all so far. I can't even fathom going to classes yet. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now, Bel Canto girls are like big sisters I never had (no offense Kevin). :P Everyone's super excited, spontaneous and good-hearted. Although this time is stressful, I've laughed more on a constant basis than I have in a awhile.

Plus, my two roommates rock. 1) Xinyi (Shing-Yee) has been on America only four days with limited English. Major: Psychology. She's always polite and gave me a chinese draws string bag and a red hang thingy. 2) Olga Koran is from West Lynn, OR and is one year older than me, but really REALLY cool. Major: Sports Physical Therapy.

Between the 3 of us, life will be more than bearable. =D

I'm packing.

Well, the time has finally come; no more putting it off for a later date. Packing for college beckons like doing your taxes-- something that has to be done without delay.

I can't believe it's here. Where did the time go? Oh. I know.

I lived.

And I smile as I silently thank each person who told me to live life to the fullest. I haven't been a saint with my time, but I can honestly say I am happy with how I've spent the majority of it. Looking back on who I was and who I am, the time inbetween was spent in ways that taught me important lessons, through both mistakes and accomplishments.

Most of all, it's taught me that love and encouragement must go hand in hand when it comes to building someone up. It's like the old saying: "You catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar."

As a child, "tough love" was something I brought on myself. But everyone around me kept their cool, encouraging attitudes.

Reflecting on the love that's been poured into my soul through the years will take a lifetime to payback. Therefore, loving my neighbor as I have been loved is my testament, and I will continue fueling my thankfulness to the heavens, to Jesus who has saved me from my old, piteous, self.

P.S. I just got a call from Mr. Flaming-- WE GET TO USE HIS HOUSE FOR OUR PRIDE AND PREJUDICE FILM NEXT YEARAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love,

I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love,

I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind, love leaves envy far behind. Never boastful, proud or rude, love rejoices with the truth.

Slow to anger, stores no wrongs, love will never seek it's own.

Love does not delight in sin. It bears all things, believes all things, love hopes all things, endures all things: Love never fails, love never fails, love never fails... you."

-1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, sung by Bel Canto.

Patience, a small prayer.

Learning Bel Canto music is frustrating.

Lord, give me the strength and patience to find peace.

Or more so, give me the grace to be carried by YOU.

Wednesday Morning: A father's little lessons.

Something I should know about myself is how scattered thoughts reside in my head.

It's hard for me to depict what I am good at and should pursue and what I am not. To avoid sounding selfish, I mean saying one thing and being something entirely different.

Example: Telling someone I have an excellent memory. Just tell me your phone number and I'll remember.

Result: They tell me the number, and I stare as dumbfounded as a cow looking at an oncoming train, and ask embarrassingly for a piece of paper to write the phone number down.

I think it's God's little lessons for me to never lean on my own understanding. I asked him to keep me on a tight chain, and so far he's doing a pretty good job.

Even if I do look, a bit, like an idiot.

It's harder still to think on a single subject without getting distracted.

Well I suppose this is normal, but be still my soul! I can't even keep a calendar on my iTouch or cell phone, let alone a real calendar. ON PAPER. *crescendo*

But anywho, that's all the whining I'll do today. Yesterday was Tuesday, and that means Volleyball Night! I can't tell you how much I enjoy every Sunday and Tuesday now. The new friends I've met through Wizard of Oz are so refreshing to be around. It's so exciting to meet people who, upon first impression, aren't soaked in apathy and heated with rebellion.

It's hilarious now that I think about it. Not everyone is like that. I just happened to stumble upon a very large group of folks who have been beaten down by something and cannot enjoy life in it's truest, simplest, purest form. Throwing a ball back in forth, laughing while sitting beneath the shade, opening up and talking about life, swimming, organizing an activity, meeting with an old friend, enjoying the other's company. All while avoiding innuendos, "your mom" and "that's what she said" jokes (only when appropriate), drugs, alcohol, and identity crisis'. Everyone goes through a phase like that. Some call it teenage angst. I call it... high school. I've learned that a variety of people are out there. Never exclude any one personality just because it seems impossible. God made no one alike...and HOW many people have lived on Earth since it began?

That's what I call c-r-e-a-t-i-v-i-t-y!

Hahaha! Add I begin this post questioning why I can't seem to condense my thoughts into ONE topic discussions.

Have a good day! Pip Pip. Cherri-o.