Snow Day in Houston?

I'm grateful to have time during the middle of the day to write in my comfort space :) Houston has a "snow day" currently (which really just means there is too much ice on the roads to drive on).

Today I've sipped coffee and read the words of other bloggers; I've met my new suitemate (who shares a name with my kitty!); I have bundled up under all my fuzzy blankets.

I want to praise God for life, even when life is hard. I've suffered a loss recently, and I will hopefully open up about that here eventually, but I will still be grateful.

Life is beautiful. Life is hard. Life is not easily explained. Life requires a big cup of coffee some days, and a calming cup of tea others. We don't walk through life alone. God puts people in our lives just when we need them. Sometimes, they've been there all along!

Today I registered to be part of the blog community with (in)courage; I'm going to be part of a 30 member group and we will possibly never meet. But that's the beauty. God's women will come together and heal together and I am so excited for this step in my journey.

I'm grateful for my friends and sisters here. I'm also grateful for the sisters I'm going to meet with this group.


God is good. Always.

xoxo,
Alexandra Anne

One Month Later...

Ciao amici! (Hello friends!)

I sincerely apologize for the complete lack of posts this past month; life is too crazy! But Christmas break is close, therefore, I can write more :)

Some quick updates:

*This girl is finishing up her first semester fulltime college living away from home! This means I have 15 credit hours under my belt! (Next semester it appears I will take 13 hours: Music Theory 2, Aural Skills 2, Vocal Diction [French], Piano 4, Voice Lessons, Choir, and American History; super excited!!)

*Next week I head back home to Alabama!!! WAHOO!
*This week I move into my newest place in Houston! WAHOO! (Gonna rent a room in a house! No more dorm life, super duper excited for this change).

*Lindsey Stirling is coming to Houston in February; definitely NEED to go to this concert. She's just amazing. Seriously.

*I love granny smith apples. This isn't new, so it shouldn't fall under my "update" list, but this is  my personal writing space where I make the rules and I can break them! ;)

*Thanksgiving was crazy, busy, but loads of fun! Michael (the boyfriend) came with my family to Edenton, North Carolina to visit the grandparents. My family is a crazy bunch, and I miss them terribly. Our roadtrips are always fun fun fun. :)

*I'm QUITE excited for Christmas; I'm singing at the Christmas eve service at my church (such an honor!) AND I am pretty darn excited to give my people's presents. Seriously. I am just giddy about this :) :) :) (you're gonna love your presents, ya'll, truth!).

*Being healthy is hard. I don't mean to sound whiny, but when you live in a dorm and eat cafeteria food all the time, it is difficult to be healthy. This chick definitely gained a wee bit between orientation to Thanksgiving. I'm trying, ya'll. Trying to get fit and healthy again! Gotta be strong opera gal ;)

*Lately I haven't been a great long-distance communicator, so I feel like a terrible friend. But hopefully ya'll understand, and I promise to write over the break!

*My break is only a little bit over 2 weeks honestly...but I'm okay with this fact. My break ends earlier BECAUSE I come back to Houston a week earlier for opera rehearsal week :) :) :) My first opera with Moores School of Music! (And my 8th opera overall, in a 3 1/2 year period......crazy!)

*God is amazing. Again, not an update, just a fact. :)

*I should probably do my laundry this weekend, I'm running out of socks and undies. (TMI? Apologies. It's all real-talk here).

*I'm a gamer girl. Not an update per se, but I am definitely spending my free time catching up on gamecube and pc games. Just found out that all the original Tomb Raider games are now available on Steam for only $10 each!! Also, I desire more gaming consoles....all I have is my boyfriend's gamecube, which is wonderful, but now I want more ;) Thanks to a music friend here, I also have my own tv! (This is good for study breaks, fyi). So yeah. Gamer girl. This chick. <3

*Music is the hugest blessing in my life lately. On Thursday I woke up very very sick, threw up four times, and had horrid violent dizzy spells. I eventually made it out of my room, and to the music building, because I absolutely had to meet with my pianist. (Friday was my voice lesson final, Thursday was my last chance to practice). Singing was actually what made me feel better! It was the best part of that day, and I am convinced that music is God's personal gift to me. Music is full of healing, and that is a wonderful fact.

So yeah! That's my crazy life in a quick (ish) glimpse :)

Picture time! I'll write more later, promise ;)

xoxo, alexandra anne

The aforementioned Gamecube (well, controllers haha) I'm in a phase. Gamer phase. mhmmm...

Josh's recital; music majors go to a lot of recitals. Since we're random friends, I went to his :)

the man and I on the drive to North Carolina for Thanksgiving <3 

yep, we were color coordinated for Thanksgiving dinner. I love this guy and his handsome face :)

hanging with my little sister (whom I miss a lot a lot!)

right before I visited Huntsville; was SO excited! 

that's my man. no, you can't have him. I'm too darn happy with him <3 

The Shire

Tonight is a freeing night for me; any homework/studying I do is "ahead" because all of my work due tomorrow is already completed and turned in. So, I am relaxing in some studying.

As I read and study, some beautiful Howard Shore is joining me with his orchestrations for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I had forgotten how wonderful this music is, and it takes me back. (As a nerdy girl, I am very very very excited to see The Hobbit!!) I remember seeing "The Fellowship of the Ring" in theaters TWICE when it came out. And every time a new movie came out, I got the soundtrack. The orchestrations are just marvelous and wonderful!!

It is music like this that reminds me how much I love music. I had a conversation yesterday with a friend about my future and my career path; she said it would be so sad if I lost my voice and couldn't sing, my career would be over. Well, this is true and untrue. Yes, I couldn't do opera if that were the case. But guess what? Opera is merely my focus right now! I'm passionate about MUSIC. If I am involved with music in any way, I am a happy duckling. Truly, I could be so happy in so many different vocations.

So, tonight? I'm going to let an orchestra surround me and overwhelm my senses. I have a date with music tonight, that is. And I couldn't be happier.

I thank God for the blessings of music and joy and happiness! Music is His gift, I believe, to me, my only true physical constant. Life is full of changes, especially for a college student. But God and music are always there. Always.

I'm in love. With music.

xoxo, alexandra anne

ps. have a lovely week!

I Really Really Love You

God is good; God is SO good! Can I please learn every language in the world and shout this out? Il mio Dio e' benissimo! (Ok, my grammar might be awful there, but the thought still counts I say!)

This week has taught me a lot

And I am so grateful for the people in my life

And the music.

Let's start with that shall we?

I'm currently studying Vocal Performance at the University of Houston Moores School of Music; I couldn't be happier. My music classes are challenging but in the best way; I am constantly learning new things! I am surrounded by people JUST LIKE ME who have the same passion about music (even opera!!) and who just GET me. I can't describe it. But I love my music friends for the mere fact that they "get it." Plus they are just really kind and lovely.
My private lesson teacher is AMAZING. (If he ever reads this, hehe, I promise I'm not kissing up! I honest to goodness love working with him!) He DEFINITELY challenges me in every lesson. But he is full of encouragement and wisdom, and never puts me down. I also appreciate that he can SEE how hard I'm working in a lesson. It's different to be with a new teacher after having the same one for 4+ years, but I love love love it.

The great thing about Moores? I get to sing sing sing ALL the time! And? I get to listen and watch other performers ALL the time! I watch the graduate students and think to myself "Holy cow...can I please be you when I grow up?" ;)

Music has treated me well this week!


I also thank God for my relationships.

*There were tears in my eyes when an old friend did indeed return an email.
*My heart jumped when I read a blog friend's post that mentioned me (if you're a blogger, I'd love to be your friend!) I seriously LOVE my blogger friends. I can open up to these ladies so easily, and I 100% believe these friendships are because God knew I needed them. He's awesome like that, you know ;)
*12 days until my wonderful man arrives in Texas to visit me for a whole weekend starting on our one year anniversary (relationships ARE work, but if they are God honoring, they can be so very wonderful. I thank God all the time for my relationship, especially since I didn't want it at first! Ha! ;) So glad I didn't just wimp out and ignore God. Don't do that ya'll =P)
*The girls in my dorm are so wonderful; I've been blessed with good friends that hug me when I need it, who seek ME out for conversation (I'm always so grateful when someone else wants to hang out with me, I love to feel wanted)

I miss this guy a bunch. 12 days left <3 

One of my dear friends here (I don't have pics with the girls on my floor yet, need to fix that!)

God is so good!

So, the point of this post is merely this: I love you. If you are reading this, I love you. And if we're not friends yet, please, let's be!

God is wonderful. Music is wonderful. Life is wonderful. No matter what!

Yeah, I had some crappy days this week. But despite that, I love my Lord and can't wait to see what each day brings me. Every day has something wonderful to offer.

I hope you have a great day!

xoxo, alexandra anne

ps. Thanks to Emily for nominating me for a versatile blogger award! I'll repost that soon! :)

Puddles

*Drip. Drop.* The rain has left remnants of its visit. Deep lakes are disturbing my regular path. Our group tiptoes around the puddles, so as not to get wet.

But the child in me wants to JUMP right in and SPLASH a rainfall of my own.

Society says no...


The crowd is quiet in a hall, not daring to speak up against a wrong. I long to scream at the top of my lungs.

The crowd says no...


This *isn't* what God calls us to be! We are supposed to be loud for Him! He doesn't call us to be a bunch of indifferent lemmings.... why do we follow society's standards? Why do we not speak our hearts, and only say what the crowd has taught us?

"Shout, and sing for joy!" -Isaiah 12:6

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." -Deuteronomy 31:6

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men..." -Colossians 3:23

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."- Romans 12:2


Let's live these words this week, and SHOUT for our Lord! :)

in Him,
alexandra anne