You're my constant!

WOW! What a crazy insane week it has been! I was just thinking about everything that I've been through in the past week - moving, unpacking, being in the middle of a hurricane, repacking to relocate for a week, orientation, what feels like a bajillion exams, two auditions, getting my car checked out an hour away, re-moving BACK into my place, and then finally having a day to relax! Whew! I can't believe I survived! 

Due to the lovely Hurricane Irene that wiped out my electricity for almost an entire week, I had to spend most of last week at my friend Tim's house, who I went to IUP with! Thank the Lord, and oh so literally too, that Tim was so close! I don't know what I would've done without that! Due to the electricity being out in Princeton for some time as well, our orientation/exams, which were supposed to begin on Tuesday last week were all pushed back a day to Wednesday. Which translates to us having scheduled nearly a 12 hour day of nothing but exams, hearings, and orientation related things! It was EXHAUSTING. Especially in the midst of being relocated! What a crazy start to this grad school adventure!! Thursday was a little less hectic, with just more orientation things like a tour of the library and a financial aid session and then just my piano proficiency hearing. Friday we registered for classes, and then I hopped in Luigi to take him to a Suzuki place about an hour away to get him checked out - some kind of mode control thing broke so I'll need to travel back there sometime once they get the part in to get that fixed. Thank goodness it broke when it did because my warranty ends TOMORROW! Whew!

As far as auditions, I had an opera audition which wasn't the greatest audition I ever had Saturday afternoon, and then my choral hearing was last night. I was the absolute last person on the whole of the campus to have their choral hearing. Talk about a way to end it! lol! Turns out though that I was chosen to participate in the "Concert Under the Stars" with Andrea Bocelli in Central Park next Saturday night!! Whoo!! I'm so excited, but it's going to be an exhausting week and a half with the ridiculous rehearsal schedule we have! I feel so absolutely blessed to be able to kick off my career here at WCC with this concert! Talk about an opportunity! :) Here is a website I found that talks about the concert and when it will be aired on PBS! Concert Under the Stars

Saturday night was SO much fun - I met 4 other first year grads at what is apparently THE place for Indian in Princeton! It was SOOOOO good! And then a few of us meandered around downtown checking some places out. While we were at Thomas Sweet, one of the many ice cream places downtown, there was a couple that got engaged right outside! It was so stinking cute!!!

I got an opportunity to speak to my voice professor last night, she called me to clarify some scheduling things, and oh my goodness she is AMAZING! I'm studying with Nova Thomas, who from her bio alone seems incredible! (Read her bio if you have a second! It should be linked there on "bio") We spent nearly 10 minutes on the phone just talking about what I auditioned with at my hearings over the weekend, what the studio and campus is like, who she is, who I am, etc. And I quote, she told me verbatim, "Oh sweetie, you have been placed into such a delicious group of people! My studio is a tiny one but such a phenomenal one! You should feel lucky - I feel lucky for you to be in my studio! I have a waiting list 2 blocks long to get into my studio! I am so excited for you!" << She is WONDERFUL! And she has a bit of a southern drawl too, which triggers the deja vu! Bahahahaha! OH I can't wait to get to work with her! 

Other than that, I've just been kind of laying around and relaxing watching a lot of Bones and talking to my Momma! Spent some time tonight actually skyping with Ninny, Karen, and Zay, which was SO much fun! I have got to remember to turn my Skype on regularly! lol. 

It's been such a great start to this whole new world this past week, albeit a wee bit crazy. I was thinking today how great it's been to just completely and totally be able to rely on the Lord for the help that I needed getting through it all. I felt so completely unprepared for all my tests, hearings, and auditions that I just was to the point where I just had to completely take myself out of it and know that He was all I needed to get through it! Turns out I passed my Music History placement exam and my piano proficiency exam! Whoohoo! That's 2 less review classes I need to take! I only have to take the Graduate Musicianship Review class, which is all theory and skills, and then a review for 20th century analysis which is an undergrad class called Contemporary Trends. I'm taking the Grad Musicianship Review this semester and then will take Contemporary Trends in the spring. Talk about feeling blessed!  I went into these exams expecting to take every review class offered, and I only came out having to take 2! Whoohoo! 

As I began to write this blog, I was listening to Francesca Battistelli on my itunes on shuffle, and the song "Constant" came on. These are the first few lyrics:

I'm just a little bit afraid of where I'm going

And it feels like a hurricane is blowing over

Though I can't find the ground below

I've lived enough to know

I've lived enough to know

You're my constant in every moment

Constant You've never failed me

All my life You have never left my side

You are my constant

And first of all, I burst into laughter at the irony of these lyrics - what with you know, NJ literally being blown over by a hurricane upon my arrival last weekend! lol. I love this song, and now it has even more meaning than before! :) But it's so very true - the Lord has always been my constant, and that won't change no matter where I am! Which is so very comforting starting this brand new chapter! I started to get worried looking at the rehearsal schedule for the Bocelli choir next week, WThF we have rehearsal from 2:30 - 11 each day, in New York I believe. Which means I will miss more than 1 class AND my voice lesson! Talk about not a good way to start my second week! And missing that much already made me so very nervous, but then it dawned on me - it's okay. I wouldn't be going or participating in this choir if it wasn't where the Lord wanted me, so the fact that I'm missing classes and my lesson shouldn't bother me. Yes, I'll do the work to make it up, and I may have to seek some extra help from classmates or the teacher to get completely caught up but hey - who am I to argue? He is my constant, my constant who's never left my side and who has never, who will never, fail me. I couldn't think of what a better peace and truth to live in as I start classes and rehearsals this week. Bring it on, world - I've got the Lord on my side! :)

Here are a few pictures from the past week! Enjoy! :)

My birthday cake that Tim bought me! :)

Bahaha! This picture cracks me up! I took this to send to my Mom, it's "our sign!"

The infamous House of Cupcakes in downtown Princeton! They won "Cupcake Wars" on the Food Network!

Mmmmm.... my Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake from the House of Cupcakes! It was chocolate cupcake, chocolate frosting, and peanut butter cups on top! YUMMO! 

So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]. - Isaiah 26:4

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter 

(Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), 

that He may remain with you forever--

The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you. 

I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you.

- John 14:16-18