Cabin Fever

Hi everyone!

I'm writing after being sick for the last five days, and suffering from a bit of cabin fever. So please forgive me if I ramble at times. Not that I don't usually do that anyway. haha. But I'm feeling much better today and ready to get back to school tomorrow. Really ready to be anywhere but in my apartment. I've been cooped up way to long. So, what have I been up to the last several weeks? Well, I'm glad you asked!

I've been busy as usual. School has been going very well. We're about to start recording our CD for this semester, so that will be very exciting! It also means things are about to get even busier. AHH!! But I'm learning so much, it's great. I now know how to record and edit a video, run live sound (well, still learning a bit on that one) and now I'm learning how to record a CD. I think we go back to video for a bit at the end of the semester too. I'm feeling very techie right now. Haha.

Also, I am applying for my credentials through the school. If my application is approved, this means I will receive my minister's license when I graduate. This basically means I will be able to marry and bury people. A few other things as well, but those are the basics. There's a whole ceremony and everything, so I'll keep you posted on that. Please also continue to pray for me as I try to make my decision about the next step after graduation.

I just wanted to thank you all for the birthday wishes as well. I received so many birthday wishes it was overwhelming! I had two surprise parties, a birthday breakfast from my roomies, and just felt really loved & special on that day. I love you all and am grateful for each and everyone of you. I pray God's blessing over your lives each and every day!

~mel

It's Been a Month Already?!

Hi again everyone!

I have officially completed one month of school, and am now one month closer to graduation. What's scary is that as it looms ever closer, the inevitable question of, "what will you do after you graduate?" come up quite often. Haha. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. But just to let you all know, I will set the record straight right here and right now - I HAVE NO IDEA!!! lol. I wish that I was kidding but alas, I am not. I really don't know yet. And this last month has been so busy, it has left me little time to figure it out. But, I am in prayer about where God wants me, and as soon as I know, you'll know.

I can't believe how fast this month has flown by. Praise Band has been going really well. I am glad that I decided to be part of it for one last semester. It is a bit of a struggle, on top of everything else that I have going on, but it is all worth it. We have some awesome new team members (though, I still miss the old ones too) and have been learning so much already. It's been a real time of growing & stretching for me in a lot of ways. But all worth it in the end, I know for sure.

As for school, I am in technical arts right now, and to be honest, it is kicking my butt! No joke. I have always been impressed with people that were great with computers and all that other "techie" stuff, and now I know why. It is hard! There is so much to learn, and so many little things to try and remember. Final Cut Pro was my first class, and we had a huge project to do. We had to shoot a video, then edit it down to 3-5 minutes. It was quite a challenge. But after many, many, many...many hours in the mac lab editing, I think it came out pretty well. Especially for being my first video project. :-) Once they are graded and we have a viewing of everyone's, I will put it up online. Our teacher asked that we wait until he says it's ok. I am now in Live Sound, and am learning a lot. Things are beginning to make sense, which is always a good thing. One more week of Live Sound, then Pro Tools - which is a recording program. Should be lots of fun. More projects are sure to be on their way.

The other thing on my plate is Leadership Team. It has been more work then I ever expected, but I am learning so much. We planned a coffee house this past Thursday night for all of the new students to get to know eachother, and it came out great! Everyone had such a good time that they want us to do one every month. (that is good and bad i suppose) I've learned a lot about myself, my own strengths and weaknesses, and a huge amount about working with others. There's always ups and downs, but I know everyone has something to give.

So, month one of tech arts is done. Whew. In the midst of meetings, practices, events and everything else, I know I haven't been in touch a whole lot, and I do apologize for that. My schedule is extremely busy, but please know that I do miss you all.

Week 1...done!

Hello there everyone!

As most of you know, I just started my sixth and final semester at CFNI. Ahh! Yep, i did say final. So, as of December, I will be done with school and needing a job. Not sure where or doing what yet, but I know God has it all worked out. So, He'll show me in His time where He wants me. Until then, I've got tons on my plate to keep me occupied.

This week was completely insane! Julie & I arrived on Thursday night to Dallas, and had to be up at 6 to lead worship the next morning for a new student retreat. We made a small attempt at unpacking, but then Julie had to go practice for a night of worship & I had to go to meetings. The next day we had a wedding to go to which was an hour an half away, so no unpacking then either. The wedding was beautiful, though. Congrats Whitney & Aaron.


So then came Sunday. We went to the store to get some supplies, then headed to Opening Rally. Afterwards I had a meeting/practice with the SOWTA (School of Worship & Technical Arts) leadership team. It went well, but I was exhausted!!! Went home to eat and unpack a bit (a very small bit), and then headed to bed. After all, I had to be up to sing in chapel the next morning.

The first day of school was mostly orientation, but since I was a part of the leadership team, it was a lot of running around and trying to help keep things running smoothly. I'm sure it's usually hectic, but the fact that we have 130 students and 100 of those are brand new students made it insane! God is growing the School of Worship faster than we could imagine...or keep up with. So the staff and leaders have our work cut out for us this semester. We spent the next two days doing auditions, then Wednesday night had a meeting to form the worship teams and small groups. Thursday we met with our small groups, which was awesome! I have an amazing group of people, and cannot wait to get to know them better over the coming semester. Thursday & Friday we also started classes, which is now tech arts for me. I'm not the most technological person in the world, but I'm excited to see how this semester goes.

Oh, and i almost forgot that in between all of that excitement was auditions for Praise Band (separate from School of Worship stuff...can be confusing, i know). I had already been on Praise band for the last year, but they require each year that you reaudition. And also, a certain roomate of mine (who is drummer) auditioned as well. We found out the results yesterday... and Julie & I both are on Praise Band!!! I am so proud of her. She's worked so hard over this last year and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her.

So, that was my first week of school! LOL. Crazy, I know. But, it is now Saturday and I can attempt to unpack again. haha. I'll let you know how that goes. I love & miss you all very much. Please keep in touch.

Halfway There

I can't believe it's half way through the semester. A little more than half way actually. Time really does go so fast. And only one semester to go after this. Whew, I really can't believe I'm almost done here. December is coming faster than I'd like to think. But, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself. Haha. We'll cross that bridge when it gets a little closer.

Anyway...the last month has been CRAZY! School of Worship is incredible. I've been learning so much. But it's also been a lot of work. It's a heavy workload with extra projects thrown in as well. So my schedule has been ridiculous, which is why I haven't been able to update at all. Right now I'm in the middle of songwriting class, and we're working on our CD project for the semester. I'm producing one track, and am actually singing on another. I'll be going into the studio today to record a scratch track, and then over the next few weeks will be in an out of the studio while we lay down all of the other tracks. And, for the track I'm producing, I got the best drummer ever! :-) Julie's going to be playing drums, and I'm so excited. She's actually playing on three tracks, as there is a sever drummer shortage. So it will be fun to work together on this. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

I was home for spring break, as some of you know since, well you saw me at home. haha. It was really good to see all of you. I'm sorry it wasn't longer, but the good news is I will be home for the summer! So there will be lots of catching up with everyone then. And I will actually be home this coming weekend and the third weekend of April, both times for a wedding. But there won't be much of a chance to visit, since I'll be in town less than 48 hours each time. :-( The bad news is I'm going broke because of so many weddings! The good news is I'm racking up the frequent flyer miles!!!

I'll keep you all posted on the project and how it's coming along. I'll be sure and bring it home in the summer so you can have a listen! :-)

Superbowl Sunday

Happy Superbowl Sunday!

I actually get to watch the game since Tanya now lives in alumni. And while I'm not really a football fan, it's fun to watch anyway. Julie & I are rooting for Pittsburgh (they're the closest to NJ!) and Tanya & Kim are rooting for Arizona. But I must say I am most excited for the one hour Office episode that is going to be on after the game! Haha. That's gonna be the highlight for me.

Also, I cannot fully enjoy the game since I have my first exam for the School of Worship tomorrow morning. We were supposed to have our test Friday, but due to the "ice storm" last week, it got pushed back a day. So I have an exam and paper due for worship theology that I'm working on while the girls are watching the game. (yes, I should be doing that right now but I needed a break) I was also supposed to lead worship in the House of Prayer on campus this last week. Each first semester student has to lead twice during the semester and be evaluated, but due to the unexpected day off, my first one got canceled. So, I will let you know when I'm scheduled to lead again. School of Worship is truly incredible and I am learning so much! I really feel privileged to be here right now.

In some not so good news, the flu made its way around my apartment these last few weeks. It started with me (surprise, surprise), but very quickly moved on to Julie, then Kim. Lauren managed to stay healthy until this past Friday when she started having symptoms. There are actually a lot of people on campus that have been hit with it, and apparently Dallas has been on the news because there's massive flu outbreaks all over. A few campuses around the area even closed for a few days because so many students were sick.

But I'm healthy now and getting ready for the recording that's coming up on the 13th. It's our annual recording, and I will again be a part of the choir for it. The best part is that this is the first recording that will be made up of students and the worship leaders at the school! I'm so excited to be part of this. It's going to be amazing!

God Bless! Love & miss you all!

It's a New Season

Hi everyone!

Yes, I am back in Dallas and back in school. Julie & I made it safely back last week after an interesting trip down. Our flight on saturday was canceled because of the "storm" and so we rescheduled it for Sunday night. We were rushed through the wheelchair woman (Julie sprained her foot) and barely got to say goodbye to our parents. That was a little rough, but probably easier in the end on all of us. When we finally got to our gate, we found out that our plane was already there and it was almost time for us to board, but we were missing one important thing...a pilot. Oops. So, first it was just going to be about a 15 minute delay, but of course, as time went by, our departure time got later & later. Finally, they said they were going to start boarding us so that when the pilots did arrive, we were ready to go. So, I dragged all of the bags on board (I'm sure it was quite a sight!) and we sat there for another hour. Finally, the pilot came on and we were ready to go. And we'd only be about two hours late. Haha. We got back to our apartment around 11:30, and I headed straight to bed. My team was up for chapel the next morning, and I had to be up and 5:30 to get ready!

The next day I was exhausted, but it was still a good day. It was great to see everyone again, to sing with my worship team and to start the School of Worship. The first day was a little rough, as there was a lot of orientation and introductory information. But once we got past that, the rest of the week was amazing! I have already learned so much that has helped me, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester will bring. In addition to still being part of the Praise Band, everyone in the school of worship is put into teams that lead worship in the House of Prayer on campus throughout the semester. And each student is required to lead at least twice! So, I'll be leading in a few weeks, and again at the end of the semester. It's going to be a crazy time! I know that I'm going to go through a lot of stretching and growing, but I'm excited to see what comes out of it.

It was great to be home and to see everyone. I wish that it wasn't so brief, but it's always good to get together and catch up and have fun no matter how short the time. I love and miss all of you and think of you often. I promise to be more diligent in updating my blog. :-)