Christmas time is here...

Has it really been almost a month since my last post?  I must admit it sure has been one heck of a whirlwind.  It still amazes me how much I change in such a short amount of time.

In less than five months I will be done with graduate school round 1.  I will have a Master of Music in trombone performance.  Even with being so sick and exhausted this past semester I still managed to give school one awesome right hook and land a 4.0.  I'm sitting on a 3.9 right now.  Pretty amazing.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  I really have put some major effort into growing and learning over the past year and a half.  The crazy thing is, the closer I get to finishing this degree the more I'm looking forward to the next steps I have to take to get what I want out of life.  In just a few short weeks I've gone from totally planning a trip overseas to Italy to realizing that is just too expensive (unless I can score a buddy pass for a flight) and coming to terms with the fact that I need to keep on my path right now.  I've also been pretty set on finding a job in the Salt Lake City area for the past few months.  I really do want to stay in the Salt Lake City area, but the closer I get to not having insurance or a full-time job, the more I can't stand the thought of it.  I've decided to broaden my horizons a little bit.  I've decided to look for jobs in the SLC, Chicago, and Washington D.C. areas.  SLC would definitely be my first choice, but I'm not gonna put all of my eggs into one basket.  No dumb girl here, this blonde is a smart one.  I've already started the application process for a school 35 miles north of Chi-town.  I'm not gonna lie, I would absolutely love that.  The idea of teaching high school for 3 years kind of makes me sick to my stomach a little bit, but it is something I've got to do.  Maybe I'll get in there and absolutely love it.  I will definitely make the best out of it no matter what.

Winter Break 2011 has been a whirlwind all in itself.  I finished all of my school work (including a 16 page paper) and it all turned in Tuesday a week ago, went out for an end of the semester  celebration, and then woke up at 6am the next day to hop on a flight to Chicago.  Chicago was glorious.  I absolutely love that place.  I haven't been to Chi-town since 2009 (well I was there for about 6 hours the summer of 2010, but I don't really count that), and I remember after going to Midwest that year how obsessed I was with the city and how I set my mind on living there someday.  I had recently forgotten why I ever thought that was a good idea, but after being there again I remembered my love for the place (thus the plan to look for teaching jobs in the area).  The food was amazing, the company was wonderful, the sights were to die for, and the music was, well inspiring.  I heard the Chicago Symphony perform Mahler 6.  The symphony is 80 minutes long, and let me tell you every minute of it was beyond exhilarating.  After my time in Chicago was up I took the train out to Peoria to see my Aunt Janice.  It was so very good to see her and my cousin while I was there.  I hadn't had the opportunity to see them since my last trip to Midwest in 2009.  Well while I was there my dad had some pretty serious health problems.  He had two blood clots in his leg.  He went to the hospital where they admitted him, which was a very good thing because the next day they had found that multiple clots had traveled to his lungs.  He is going to be okay, but he has some serious life changes to make.  Thanks to all who have been praying for my dad.  There really is nothing like the power of prayer.  God has been looking out for my pops.  I got home late Tuesday night and have been hanging out with him at the hospital quite a bit the past few days.  The good news is he is going home today!  He's getting to go home before Christmas, which is pretty amazing.  Up until 2 days ago they thought he would be here for about another week.  I'm happy he is getting better.  He is gonna have to be on blood thinners for about a year which is a little scary, but it is what he needs.

Being home in Alabama has been nice.  I'm thankful to be with my family this time of year.  I am so thankful for my loved ones.  I have been blessed with so many amazing people in my life.  My heart is overflowing.  I've definitely been living on faith and grace this pass year.  My cousin Jen's husband is a pastor in a baptist church.  I made it to my aunt's in time to go to the Sunday morning service.  Zach mentioned the story where Jesus took 5 loaves and 2 fish and fed thousands of people.  He said that in order for him to feed all those people with that little bit of food was that first he had to break it.  Jesus had to break it before he could use it.  Man did I feel broken this year...but God's grace kept me going.  His grace is like the energizer bunny: it keeps going and going and going and going and going and....well you get the picture. = )

Merry Christmas everyone.

Love.