Musician's Lament

Having to learn Christmas music in August is definately one of the downsides of being a musician. Why, you ask? Because whenever December rolls around you're absolutely sick of playing and hearing Christmas music. When you enter a store with sleigh bells tinkling merrily along to "Santa Baby" on the speakers, you want to strangle whoever's controlling the sound system. The thought of even touching an instrument with the intention of playing a seasonal song is unthinkable.

Not that I don't like Christmas music. I love Christmas music. It's awesome. It makes me happy.

But playing it for five months straight isn't awesome and doesn't make me happy.

Why practice it so early?

Good question.

Because whenever December DOES roll around, and you happen to be a musician, people will ask you to play. This helps them get into a jolly, happy-go-lucky mood to match the tinsel and ribbons streamed about everywhere. Of course, being a musician, you never want to be caught off guard, so you must be prepared with at least three peices worked to perfection-ish to satisfy their need to Fa-la-la-la-la.

So yes. I've already started my Christmas music. And honestly, it's quite fun at the moment. I gots a new book and this baby has teeth. Hoo boy.

I'm not complaining now. I just might be in five months.

Owari.

Dear oh dear. It's been a looong time since my last post...that's not good. I'm slacking. Baaaad Haley.

But I don't want to fill up my blog with posts just about how I'm not posting. That would make me the most boring person in the world. (as very wisely stated a few days ago on xkcd) So I think I should probably catch y'all up on my life lately...since I don't really get to see or talk to most of you guys much anymore....which is depressing. And I don't want to be depressing.

So yes. Life. Ahem.

...

Whatever's left of it. (Good gracious. Was that emo?)

Anyways. After Kaley left, life's been really really quiet. Most of my time has been spent either knitting, daydreaming, playing piano, wishing I was in Ponca, reading, facebooking, editing pictures, daydreamed about being in Ponca, gleefully recieving more of my Great Books in the mail, playing piano, twiddling my thumbs, listening to a certain *ahem* audio file on my phone over and over again(if you don't know, don't ask. "Siiiillly girl" :P), laughing about said audio file, missing Ponca people, finishing ALGEBRA, playing piano, and of course scolding myself about not blogging more...riiiight.

So here I am. Currently listening to a Miaskovsky cello concerto with a tummy full of homemade chocolate chip cookie and a phone that's not being a nice little dear and recieving texts like it should be. If it were not for that last fact, I would be perfectly happy. But I think I'm pretty darn happy anyway...since my BROTHER CAME HOME!

I shall now proceed to prance about happily.

*prance*

So since he's come home, we really haven't been doing much...but we're planning a trip to Rice village somewhere in the near future, which is plain awesome. If you don't know what Rice village is, it's this couple of blocks in downtown Houston right next to Rice University(hOOt!).

We DID go to Plato's Closet, wherein I purchased two dresses and two skirts for under $40. Yaaaay. Cheap stuff is awesome.

And now, random stuff that doesn't really fit into anywhere else:

Did I mention my phone's flailness at the moment? It's flailing. Epically.

I saw a sign the other day that said "Warning: Danger". Sure gotta watch out for that danger.

I also saw a bus for sale...in the middle of nowhere. The big yellow kind that takes little kids and their lunches to kindergarten every morning. That's so what's going on for my sweet 16...what a strange place I live in.

Owari.

Very Happy Thing of the Day:

I'm packing.

Why is that happy, you may ask?

Cause I'm going to a happy place.

Can you guess where that happy place is?

Nah. I'll tell you.

I'M GOING TO PONCA TOMORROW! WHOO!!

'Nuff said. I'm happy.

Owari.

"...Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."
Psalm 30:5b

We got this video from a friend of ours who used to go to church with us in Billings...please pray for this little girl's healing. God can do marvelous things! Even cure cancer. Believe me. I know.

Also, here's her caringbridge site.(for those of you who don't know, caringbridge was the site we used to document what was going on when my mom had cancer) Her story is heartbreaking...but God is faithful. I know He is doing a great work through this 5-year old's life, and glory will be brought to Him through her journey.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

Owari.

*snap*

Woah. Is it July already? Correction...it's the middle of July? Summer is flying by too fast...way too fast...This isn't good.

But I suppose July's swift speeding does lead to some benefits. Actually a lot of benefits. Becaaause...*drumroll* I'M GONNA BE IN PONCA IN A WEEK!!! So let's pray for a speedy week as I drudge around the house, suitcase packed, impatiently waiting for next Wednesday.

I miss my Ponca peoples. Yeah, I know it's been less than a week since we tearfully hugged goodbye and said a snuffly "See you soon...", but I'm already counting the days until we can joyfully hug hello and say a cheerful "AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!! HI!!!!!!".

Anyways, enough wishful thinking. On to more pressing matters. I know you're probably on the edge of your seat wondering how camp went....even though most of you who read this went to camp...but you still might find this interesting.

The focus this year was on missions. I went, not knowing exactly what to expect besides the fact that we had a speaker from Asia who I shall refer to as Mr. Z for security reasons. I left with the feeling that this was the best camp in my four years of attending SBFYC.

My picture of a missionary has always been someone who goes to a far away place, leaving friends, family, and home behind. Someone who risks life daily, spreading the gospel in different countries and languages. Someone whose entire life is devoted to the furtherment of God's kingdom.

I had never really thought of myself as a missionary. I don't fit the picture of the foreigner in another country whose native home is thousands of miles away, risking my life so that God's kingdom can grow. But there is one picture that I should fit. Me, as well as every other Christian should devote our entire lives to spreading the Gospel. After our call to salvation, we are called to service. Not necessarily overseas, but wherever we are, we need to be living our lives as a witness to Christ.

I was touched this week by the fact that I have never really cared for the lost...I have always felt so comfortable in my little bubble, never really wanting to reach out and touch someone else's life with the love that was so freely bestowed upon me. One of the most convicting questions this week was "How much do you have to hate someone to NOT share the gospel with them?". If you know me in the slightest, you probably know that I'm a very social person who loves people. But I realized that I don't love them enough. My prayer is that God will give me a love for the lost that is so big that I am crushed by it.

God is so great...He has given me more than I could ever, in a thousand lifetimes, deserve. I am in awe of the fact that Christ covered my sins when I did nothing. His grace and His mercy are so wonderful, and no one on earth deserves "the gift of God" referred to in Ephesians 2:8. And yet He gave it...freely. Christ gave up His perfect, sinless life for ME. Isn't the least we can do for Him is give Him our entire lives?

Something I've been struggling with this past month is bitterness...bitterness for leaving my friends, bitterness for having to live in a place so far away from the home I love. I've missed my home so much, and I've been sore with God for taking me away from it. But now, I feel different. It's true...I'm suffering, but God put me here for a reason, and I will praise Him still. I know that whatever He does in my life is for the advancement of His kingdom...and He's so worth it to give everything up.

I still miss everyone...but differently. I still can't wait to see them again, but until that time, I'm going to follow whatever God has planned for my life here in Houston.

* * *

So that's my big long blag about my experience at camp...or at least what I took back from camp. I didn't even get into the awesomeness of getting to see my Ponca people again...and believe me. That'd be pretty long. Reeeaaally long. Just know that it was awesome. Can't wait until next week.

Oh wait. Did I hear that right? Next week you say?

I GET TO SEE YOU GUYS NEXT WEEK!!!!!

*joy* *joy*

There will be dancing...much dancing...and TRAILERS. Awesomeness will ensue. And the awesomeness will reverberate for months to come...until we get fed up with not being with each other. In which time, we'll hang out. Yeah.

And Kaley's coming the next weeeeeeek. Yaaaaaaaay!!

*more joy* *more joy*

I'm SO excited. The Khaley machine will be put together once more! AAHH!!

Oh. And Harry Potter's coming out tonight at 12. Unfortunately, we're waiting until tomorrow...or Thursday. Don't know how I'm gonna survive.

But enough talk. You're probably hungry. I know I am...

Owari.

It's occurred to me that I haven't posted in a long time. Whoops.

I'm not dead...I just have a serious case of procrastination.

I also have yet to post pictures of my new house. Those are coming soon.

Also coming soon are pictures AND details on my latest adventure at Rice.

Piano camp is awesome.

Missing people isn't.

Bleh.

Owari.

I have realized with a bit of shock that I never properly introduced myself on here. I feel so mysterious. Oooh.

This being the case, I have decided to put up the latest facebook note rage(even though I've seen it pass through about 5 times over the past year) as a sort of...introduction, if you will. I know it's like, 3 months later than when I started the blog...but...yeah.

So here 'tis.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope. I just found out the other day that my name might've been Zoey. Can you picture me as a Zoey?

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last night.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Eh, it's ok.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Pastrami!

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope. Surprising, I know.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Hmm...good question. Maybe...

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Me? Hah, neeever.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep!

No. 9.(this question's so special it's get's a No. in front of it! How sweet.) WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Oh. My. Word. There's a bungee jumping thing in Katy Mills Mall that I saw today. No joke. I would so do that if someone I knew was there to give me moral support and all that, but by myself? No.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Waffles.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Only my converses...but that's because they won't come off unless I untie them.

(number 12 turned emo and decided to hide in his emo corner. I decided to let him be.)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Carmel Pretzel...mmm...

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes, whether or not they smile a lot, their laughs, their hair...

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PART OF YOURSELF? Personally, I wish I was shorter...but I'm not complaining.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? EVERBODY. *huuuuuuuuug*

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? No, they can stop at 15 or so. They don't have to complete it.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue pajama pants with clouds and stars all over them, and nothin' on my feet. Scandalous.

(number 20 decided to join 12 in his emo corner. They wrote some poems together and are making a playlist of all of Fall Out Boy's songs)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Dad rocking the mandolin. You go, Dad!

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Well, to start out, if I was a crayon, that'd be a really sad life. I mean...having your FACE rubbed up against paper all your life? Not fun. But if I were, I'd be either teal, green, or silver.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Rain, rain, not cardboard, Ponca, oranges, rain, vanilla, ozone(baking bread :P), and rain. Ooh, and rain.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Kaley, I believe.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Love her!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Anything, as long as there's friends to watch it with. If I'm alone, I perfer a book.

27. HAIR COLOR? Brownish blondish...more brown...

28. EYE COLOR? You won't get to see the tears I cry behind these hazel eyes.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope.

30 FAVORITE FOOD? Anything unless it's overly fried or has a lot of garlic. Bleh.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings :)

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? X-men Origins. Pretty good movie...

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Lime green!

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Hmm...both. I like winter because of Christmas and my birthday and snow...but if it's not snowy, it's just bitter. I hate bitter cold. Summer's nice and toasty.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both! I hug just about everyone...but it depends who the kiss is from. You'd better be related to me or know me reeeeeaaallllyyy well.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Anything if it's chocolate, carmel, completely covered in whipped cream, and smothered in jelly beans :)

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? You.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? You.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Count of Monte Cristo!

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I'm on a laptop(Vista. Ugh.)...so nothing.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I don't watch tv. I watch internet. It's different.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? Rain, thunder, anybody in Ponca's voice...

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? They're both good.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Washington DC.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Talent is pretty much based on perspective...you tell me.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Billings, MT.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anybody that actually replies!

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER? I don't know if I've met him yet...if I have, wait a little while and I'll tell you.

Yaaay, done. Sweet dreams, everyone! I'm off to bed.

Owari.