Liz's MichiBlog

Restless

2010-08-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

I got back on Saturday. Back to sunny (somewhat) Southern California, where I have spent almost all of my life. My husband greeted me with candles, rose petals, balloons, a red carpet, bouquets, steak, wine, ice cream, cake, crab and lots of hugs and kisses. I am so happy to be home, happy to be with him. We will NEVER do something like that again, as long as we have control of it!

He went off to work though. I'm on vacation.

Now, I am an independent person. I hear some of you out there saying, "He's not your whole life!" And he's not. The reason I feel restless is that I don't have anyone here at the house to distract me.

See, I haven't really had time to rest for about...maybe a year and a half, maybe 2 years. I haven't had a normal, long summer (teacher summer, yeah!) since 2007. I've had 3 weeks, 4 weeks to recover from school, and then back to the grind. Last summer, I came back engaged, and literally, two days after returning, I was running wedding errands with my mom. I think we found the location Monday, got my dress Wednesday, and just went from there. It was hectic.

Now, for the first time in a LONG time, I don't have anything in particular to do. And it's making me feel weird.

"I know! I can organize the bathroom cabinet and drawers!"

No, you should rest.

"I know! I can take up that cross-stitching hobby I did in college!"

Maybe, but mostly you should rest.

"I know! I'll go to the gym everyday for 10 hours!"

Or not.

"I know! I need to call EVERYONE and set up times to get together so that I see EVERYONE, ALL AT ONCE!"

Is that really the best?

God is telling me to slow down, but I am feeling uncomfortable and weird about it. I'm sure I'll get used to it in a few days. I won't feel so awkward. But right now, I really do need to rest.

If only my body and brain could believe what my heart knows deeply.

Done

2010-08-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah.

Haven't written in a while.

Big news is that I am finished with my masters. How crazy is that, right? I started on this journey two years ago, heavily involved with my amazing church group. Two years later, that group is no longer around (at least in the incarnation it was then), I am married, and who knows what other exciting life developments lay around the corner. I am not the person I was two years ago. Life changes so much, so quickly. It always amazes me when people say things like, "I've been doing this job for twenty years," as if twenty years just flew by. Maybe it did for them, but the events of every day in this world are so numerous - I can't imagine twenty years just flying by like that.

Anyway.

One of my problems with blogging is that I have all these thoughts, and I can't really express them. I constantly feel like I have big ideas in my head, but when I explain them, very few people understand me. Those people who do are very very very very important to me. (You know who you are, my kindred spirit.)

Anyway.

I finished my masters degree. This summer was difficult in a few different ways. Studying for my comprehensive exams was weird, because I didn't have a direct plan or guidance from others. It was just, "Study. Write an essay. Write an outline for the essay. Memorize the outline. Then practice writing the exam. Then go and regurgitate the essays in a three-hour time period. Then, a week later, defend it in front of a panel." Kind of intense, right? Yeah. It was. I passed it, so that's good. I did not particularly like being on the hot seat for an hour being questioned about why Chuck Berry is more important than Little Richard, but that's what I had to do. (I know, my classes are cooler than yours.)

My classes in general were different this year too. I took Score Analysis, which analyzed musical works with groups of people. Interesting, but also intimidating, as the professor is probably the smartest man I know. Took conducting, which was helpful, but also a little frustrating. I don't think about conducting a lot at my job. But that's okay. Voice lessons were kind of back and forth, as I found my musicianship challenged. Plus I took a jazz workshop that was very frustrating. ("You just have to listen to jazz. You know, listen to it.") Right...

Being away from Kevin is/was very difficult. My friend Ali pointed out to me that we had been married for about 9 weeks when I left for 6 weeks. Literally, I spent 2/3 of the time we had been married away from my husband - isn't that crazy? Yeah, it is. I get to see him tomorrow. I am really excited. This day could not go fast enough.

I know I am really rambly here. I'm feeling bored and I want the day to pass quickly so I can get home. Will I miss it here? Of course. I will miss being challenged and thinking about my teaching. I will miss the people - such amazing people, such sincere people. People who understand me and what I do, more than most people in California. I will miss Jimmy Johns. I have no idea where there isn't a franchise in CA. :) I will miss the beautiful green trees and the rain.

But I will be happy to return to my husband, and to my friends who have known me for so long. Considering that I joined Fuel in 2005, I have friends there who have known me and done life with me for five years...not to mention friends I have known longer. I will be happy to not be in a humid environment. I will be happy to rest.

My apologies if this was too rambly for you. My head is full, my heart is sad - yet happy. Makes for a rather confused blog.

Oh well.

I am a master of music.

That certainly counts for something, right? :)

The mystery that is Tyler

2010-07-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

So my friend Cat and I live in the dorms. East Owen, sixth floor. Literally, we are the only two occupants of this floor as far as we can tell. Except...Tyler.

We have never seen Tyler.

We only know his name because there is a summer school nametag on his door. It's pink and colorful - probably put up there by a bubbly girl. (not that there's anything wrong with bubbly girls...uh...)

The only reason we know Tyler is even there is that we hear the TV on. All the time. All the time. Every time we walk by. Since his room is on the way to our room, we walk by quite frequently. And the TV is always on.

Last weekend, there was NO SOUND coming from his room. We were worried. Had he left for the summer? Had he moved? Did he just go home? Was he...dead????

But no. Yesterday Cat announced, "Tyler is alive and well." TV back on, life is normal.

Maybe one day we'll see what Tyler looks like.

If we do, I'll try to take a picture. It'll be on the level of Loch Ness Monster or Abominable Snowman sightings. Internet craze. Insanity.

Stay tuned.

Life without a car

2010-07-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

An overarching theme of my experience here at Michigan is walking. I did not have a car my first year, and I do not have a car this year either. (Last year my roommates had cars, so I could steal theirs for a few hours - awesome!) Coming from lovely SoCal, where cars rule the universe, it is an adjustment to the non-car life.

Don't get me wrong - I love walking. It is gorgeous here with all the green trees, the river running through campus, the old buildings. And when I get my bike from Abby, it is even more awesome to bike through the town, too! (My bud Abby has been kind enough to let me borrow a bike from her the last two summers. So amazing.)

Walking does have its drawbacks when you are running errands. For example, two years ago I bought a printer and carried it back to my dorm. As I lugged a huge box, a car drove by me and honked, the occupants laughing. "Don't laugh at me!" I thought. "Give me a ride!"

Or today. It's really hot right now, and it's hard for me to work when it's so hot. So I decided to buy a fan. Of course, Rite Aid didn't have cute little fans - they only had the 20 inch box fan. So, I bought it, and lugged it back to the dorm. Some random guy on a bike said, "So, you had to buy a fan, huh? It's hot today!" Right, buddy. Thanks.

I am all for green environment stuff and not polluting the earth. But man, I miss my car.

It's hot and I'm unmotivated.

2010-07-04T14:12:00.001-07:00

That's it really. Happy 4th. At some point, I may get to see some fireworks. Not really sure how it's all going to turn out.

It's hot. 90, and 50% humidity.

Woo.

Pretty exciting, huh?

Guess I should go back to working now.

By the way, the movie "No Reservations" with Catherine Zeta-Jones was originally a German movie called "Mostly Martha." So far, it seems to be EXACTLY the same, but in German. Interesting...

Okay. Work.

Yes, I know I said that...

2010-07-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

...okay, I'm sorry, I haven't written since Monday even though I promised I would. I do have an excuse, I promise!

This week I started taking classes at MSU. I am taking Analysis of Musical Scores, which meets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1-3. This week I also took (am taking?) a Jazz Pedagogy Class. It meets (met?) from 9am to 6pm, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. (interestingly, at UCLA they abbreviated Thursday on class schedules with an R - so Tuesday/Thursday classes were TR on the schedule. I like this. But I digress...)

Thinking that I would have to miss my analysis class, I told the professor Tuesday. But I went to jazz on Wednesday, and discovered that they had scheduled a lunch break for jazz from 12:30-3:30, so myself and another student could go to our analysis class! Oh...

So Wednesday and Thursday I had to RUN to the student union, inhale a piece of pizza, run back (on Wednesday I had to make copies of the pieces we were analyzing), run up 4 flights of stairs, and have analysis class for 2 hours. Then I get out of class, sit for half an hour, and take jazz for another 2.5 hours.

I am exhausted.

Thankfully, it's just this week that it's like this. During week 4, I have a conducting class that meets MTWR (see what I did there?), but it's only from 3:40-6:20. So that shouldn't be too bad.

In other news, studying for my comprehensive exam (henceforth referred to as "comps") is hard.

Okay.

I will try to write more this weekend.

Forgive my school-induced flakiness.

And...I'm back

2010-06-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

In Michigan.

Two summers ago, I began this blog with the full intention of "writing something every day now that I am living in a new state and it's just so exciting!"

Then, when I got back to SoCal, I kind of kept it up.

Then all sorts of life happened.

I went back last summer, fully planning on blogging, and instead killed myself reading and writing papers.

Then, I got married. Planning a wedding is time consuming.

Now, I'm back. Last summer. In 6 weeks, I will have a masters degree. It's really quite awesome. Not to toot my own horn, but I have been working very hard, and I am exhausted.

Three new things this summer (2 neg, 1 pos):

I have a husband - who (whom?) I left home. He is not here. Although this is only my second day back, it is very difficult to be apart from each other. We are struggling. Being newlyweds, I get this. Many of my friends say, "Wow, I can't even imagine doing that." Others say, "It's only 6 weeks! No big deal!" Yeah. We'll see.

I am really burnt out. Very difficult year - possible loss of job, planning above wedding (which is joyful but stressful), various ailments (food poisoning at school - fantastic), etc, combined with a hellish grad program last summer makes for tired Liz. I love it here, but man, working? Not so excited.

One good thing - I have a suitemate! Her name is Cat, and we went to UCLA together for our undergrad. She is awesome. :) It's nice, because when I lived in this same dorm 2 years ago, I didn't know anybody. I spent a lot of time on Netflix, Hulu, and Facebook. Now, I have someone to eat meals with. Yay! :)

Okay, peeps. I know, it's a lot of complaining. I need to work on my bitterness. That's one of my summer goals. Check up on me - see how I'm doing.

I'll try to write a little every day. Bear with me.

Love to you all.

Married life

2010-05-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

So, as of today, I've been married for one month. Wow. It actually seems longer than that. Since I am so wise in the ways of marriage, I thought I'd share some of my insights:

-I can TOTALLY understand why married couples become hermits. It's just so nice to see your husband all the time - you want to see your husband ALL THE TIME. Is this a good thing? Yes...and no. I want to see my friends too, as does Kevin. We're working on it.

-Having shows you can watch together is so fun. Too bad our favorite ones are either ending (LOST, sigh...) or probably being yanked (Flash Forward, anyone?)

-It is way fun to host dinner parties using your fine china! Hopefully we'll keep doing this for a while.

-Organizing a house can be quite stressful. Multiple fights over random things.

-Garage sales are the best! We sold all our old pots and pans, cups, dishes, etc, and made $150 - plus we got rid of everything else by taking it to the Salvation Army. AWESOME! More space, cash, and helping others, sweet!

-Kevin puts me first. All the time. I hope I can do the same for him.

-There is a lot you have to do to change your name! I haven't even changed my email address yet...

I'm sure there are more insights. But it's only been a month. :)

Random tidbits for those who can't stand it anymore

2010-05-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

I need to post about my wedding. And about my honeymoon. And married life. I know. Somehow, everything's got away from me - even though I am WAY less stressed than before the wedding. I do not miss deciding on linen colors and paper thickness at ALL.

Some random things:

-Wedding day was great! The only problems we had were quite small, no biggies at all (example: the site coordinator saying, "Oh, honey, you look tired!" right before we did the Grand Entrance. Who says that to the bride??) We had a great time, it was a blast. It went so quickly! Sometimes I can't totally remember who was there. But yeah, it was a great time.

-Our honeymoon was perfect - completely relaxing, lots of good food. We ate lots of cheese and did lots of wine tasting. Beautiful place. Check out my facebook page for pictures.

-Being married is a lot of fun! It's also difficult. Most of the time, I just want to spend time with Kevin - all the time! But yes, there are difficulties. That doesn't mean I would go back - no way, no how. I love being married. :)

Okay, that's it for now. I'll try to write more, sometime. Concert season is coming - that means Liz goes crazy. :)

Love you all!

2 more days...

2010-04-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

...until Saturday, the big day!

Lots of interesting thoughts running through my brain. I had a dream that some random personal trainer insisted I work out with him instead of my normal trainer, EVERY DAY. It was punishment for something.

Everyone ELSE is having the wedding dreams. No fair!

Seriously though, random thoughts in my head. "Wow, this is the last time I'll work out as a single woman!" "Wow, this is my last Lost episode as a single woman!" "Wow, I'm getting MARRIED!"

Things are coming together. Running around and yet coming together, quite well.

I had a GREAT bachelorette this weekend. Spent the evening at Sgt. Pepper's Dueling Piano Cafe in Long Beach. Becky requested they play "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" (one of my favorite songs), and I had to go on stage and do the Hokey Pokey with a bunch of strangers. I felt so loved and cherished. It was great! Also had a sleepover and ate lots of ice cream, and pancakes in the morning. Still managed to lose 3 pounds. Go figure. :)

I can't wait for my vacation. So tired!

I feel like I had more interesting things to say here, as I pondered what I would write in my latest post. Instead, you all get random thoughts. Sorry.

Hope to see you Saturday! :)

19 days and counting...

2010-03-29T06:53:00.001-07:00

Got a lot done this weekend.

Lots of random errands that required spending money for school, how fantastic.

But also organized the rehearsal dinner (K Pasta! Yum! Thanks to my students for having parents that own restaurants!)

Took a lot of time to relax as well. Watched 2012 (entertaining) and lots of Buffy episodes (fantastic!).

Church - Palm Sunday. Easter is almost here. Wow.

Amazing. 19 days to go, and then I am a married woman for life.

I am so EXCITED! :)

Plus, spring break is next week. That's awesome too - but not as awesome as April 17th! :)

Pride...or something I'm thinking about

2010-03-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

So, in case you didn't know, I'm planning a wedding. It's coming up pretty quick now. Like 25 days or something like that. Insane!

As I've been planning it, people have offered to help. "No, it's fine. I got it." "Kevin's helping out a lot." "We're fine, thanks though."

Someone offered to help this weekend, and I said, all right, go ahead. I later found out that she had some problems with the helping, and it didn't go as planned. "I should have just done it myself," I thought.

See, growing up, I was the go-to person in group projects. I'll do it, it's fine, don't worry that you didn't do anything and I wrote a 40 page description of Thomas Jefferson. I was the overachiever (still am, who I am kidding?), and I just picked up the slack because I didn't want to have to suffer. I even had a friend in college say, "You know, none of us in music history do the reading, because we know you'll answer all the questions." I always felt like I HAD to do everything, because no one else could do it as well as I could.

Humble, right?

Yeah.

No.

God convicted me yesterday a lot. He said I need to surrender the table numbers, and just let someone else do it. Are people really going to obsess about the table numbers? No. (If you do, please don't tell me. I don't want to know.)

So, I need to work on surrendering, and letting other people do things, and being okay with how they turn out. I need to DELEGATE.

Okay, God.

I'm working on it. But it's hard, so I need Your help, okay?

Love you all out there.

P.S. Christina, do you appreciate the wedding planning update? :)

Phew!

2010-03-12T06:57:00.001-08:00

Hey all you people who read this blog,

So, yeah, it's been almost a month, I'm sorry, okay? :)

We are at about 36 days till our wedding. Lots accomplished! Lots to do:

Accomplished:

-tasting (going with chicken piccata with a raspberry wedge salad, wild rice, and veggies)
-ordering of parent presents
-ordering all bridal party gifts
-limo booked
-guestbook ordered
-table numbers figured out (but not made yet)
-invitations out (and OH! that was a story. That was horrible. I don't think I wrote about it on here. But maybe I will, as a "haha, wasn't that hilarious?" post. It was NOT hilarious at the time though.)
-website done
-booked flight
-bridal shower thank you notes (took me forever, I am so bad at those)
-and many other random things that I am forgetting

Still to do:
-bridal hair consultation (tomorrow!)
-makeup consultation (april!)
-make the table numbers
-write thank yous as presents come in (so fun to get boxes in the mail!)
-finish paying for honeymoon
-book rental car
-finish counseling
-get organist to agree to the music I want (she plays well, but she's a musician, like me, and "I'm not sure I can cut that piece shorter - it's just so beautiful!" Well, lady, it's my wedding. Deal with it.)
-decide on Father Daughter dance music (what the heck should I do? My dad is NOT nostalgic or cute like that, so "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman would just make him barf. Thoughts, anyone? To show you what I'm dealing with - he suggested "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music. Yeah.
-and I'm sure, tons of other stuff we need to get finished.

In other news, I am good for my job next year! Thanks, God. We didn't really know what was going to happen with that. People told me I would be okay, that I was back far enough (hired, I mean), but I tend to worry unnecessarily. Need to work on that.

Okay, I'll try to blog more, as we get closer. I will. I'll try. No guarantees.

Miss you all!

Congrats Scott and Amy!

And WOO Christina! Have a great time this weekend! :)

6 months and counting...

2010-02-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

...and I'm going slightly crazy.

Case in point: invitations and the fiasco that was this weekend.

Probably wouldn't have been that big a deal if I hadn't had this big plan in my head. "Here's what we'll do: we'll watch the Super Bowl (since we can't make it to a party this year), and put together the invitations, and at the end of the game, we'll have them all done, sealed, stamped, and ready to go! Productivity!"

Yeah. Not really what happened.

Some highlights:

-Getting to the post office at 3:07 on Saturday to discover that they close at 3:00.

-Attempting to print the addresses on clear labels and discover that they a) didn't line up right, b) smeared ink all over the place, and c) wouldn't feed correctly into the printer.

-forgetting the charger cable for the laptop that had all the addresses on it, and frantically trying to change all the names from "Bob and Sherry Jones" to "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jones" as fast as I could.

-Eventually figuring out the labels, but having to remove them, one sheet at a time, and lay them on the couch so they could dry and not smear.

-Giving up on the idea of inside clear labels with the names and just handwriting it - with my out-of-shape cursive. (As in, I don't write in cursive. Ever. So it's out-of-shape.)

-Staying up until 11:30 p.m., and only finishing 30 invitations.

Holy crap.

It was awful. Probably doesn't sound as bad here, but trust me, it was bad. Why else would I burst into tears over ink smudges?

It'll all be over soon, and maybe then I'll return back to my normal, somewhat stress-free self. That's my hope anyway. 2 months seems like a long time...

RAIN!

2010-01-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

So, yes, here in SoCal we are experiencing intense heavy rainfall. And yes, my car did get flooded yesterday - nothing too bad, but hopefully not expensive to fix. And yes, I did have to keep students longer in classes because of the tornado warning.

Still - I love it!

Rain is perhaps my favorite weather. Of course, I have never lived in snow, so maybe that will change when I live someplace with snow. (East Lansing, anyone?)

We're in for another storm today. We'll have to see how it goes - woohoo! :)

Stay dry, everyone!

Feeling better...

2009-12-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone out there.

No, I haven't died.

Yes, I have been a hermit.

The word "hermit" always reminds me of the Babysitters' Club books. I think, in one of them, there is a reference to some random neighbor who was a hermit, and apparently, would subsist on nothing but dandelions.

Random, I know, but that's how my brain works sometimes.

Anyway, I have been a hermit lately. I have been canceling plans, I have been holed up in my house. It's fantastic, absolutely fantastic.

This past week, I got lots more rest than I thought I would. And I actually started feeling like myself again. Being away from the pressure of my job (or that I won't have a job...ha), not to mention not dealing with kids, not worrying about the wedding, getting more sleep, etc....it's been really nice.

And I still have about a week left!

Of course, I woke up today feeling yuck. And this week is much busier than last week.

But, I'm going to keep resting.

Please forgive me if I haven't called you. I need to rest. At some point, I'll come out of this funk. I predict next August, after I'm finished with grad school and I KNOW that I have a job.

Thank you for your patience. I love you all - even if I have disappeared.

Rest...finally

2009-11-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not really great at resting. Things have to literally STOP for me to rest. That's why my best rest comes during vacation time - spring break, winter break, summer break. All well and good...normally.

Except that the past two summers have been mostly full of school. (I love school! But it's not resting.) And this August, when I got back, I dove into wedding planning. (I love planning my wedding! But it's also not resting.)

Sometimes, God needs to whack me on the head to get me to stop. Sometimes, I won't stop until He REALLY whacks me on the head - or the whole body, if need be.

So, He did that.

Came home after a relatively normal day at work Monday, sat on the couch, and developed a 101 degree fever in a few hours. I haven't had a fever since I had my appendix out - which, last I remembered, required a trip to the hospital. Apparently, this was serious.

Went to the doctor on Tuesday, and he told me I had a sinus infection. No big - I get them every year, usually 2 or 3 times. But this doctor said, "Don't go back to work until Monday."

Monday???

"But I have concerts...But I have this string teacher in-service thing...But I'm meeting with some other teachers to do thus-and-so...but I have to work out...but...but...but..."

Nope.

Time for me to relax, chill, watch television, movies, and whatever. Time to get pampered by my oh-so-amazing fiancee, who has cooked for me, ran errands, cleaned up, washed dishes, done laundry, and in general stayed by my side so that I didn't have to do anything.

And I am sick. I'm really sick. Sickest I've been in a long time.

But I needed this rest. So I am okay with missing four days of work. Even though I have NEVER missed that much work in a row.

I needed this.

So...

thanks, God.

Pumpkins!

2009-10-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

How about a happy post for a change?

(not that my life has miraculously solved itself and gotten totally stress-free. Actually, I may not have a job next year. Yeah. Add THAT to the wedding stress and general sense of "I'm so tired I can't see straight, whose idea was it to go to Michigan for 2 months and write three 20 page papers?" But, that is for a later post. Prayers are always appreciated, though!

So, Kevin and I decided to carve pumpkins last Friday. I insisted that we could not use normal knives for this task - we needed special pumpkin carving knives! When we found those knives at Stater Bros, they also came with those books, with the patterns in them. I have never tried that, and given that my general pumpkin-carving skills are subpar at best, decided, "Why not?"

After Kevin broke the knives, and had to go get NEW knives - 4 sets, to be exact, because hey, we don't want any more breaking! - we ended up with some pretty rad pumpkins. The best I have ever carved, to be exact!

This one is mine.

Hmm, guess I can't put pictures of Kevin's. Well, mine was more awesome, anyway. :) Just kidding, his was sort of a "flaming pumpkin face" thing. Pretty sweet.

They rotted 3 days later. But that is okay - it was still a blast!

Nice to go back and do random childhood stuff.

I miss you all.

Some randomness

2009-10-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

...cause that's what my life is like, right now.

This whole "becoming one" thing is a lot more difficult than I thought.

As is wedding planning. All those crazy brides make more sense now.

However, we do have all our major vendors. Next up is invitations. Whoo. At least making the guest list with the parents wasn't a big deal - no stress there.

I love my ring - especially since the stone is from his family. Legacy, heritage, so neat!

It surprises me to hear that I am the subject of much gossip. Makes me regret all the gossip I have spread in my life - and also makes me hope I will resist the next time. Gossip, however, is a particularly "tasty sin," to use the words of a pastor-on-tape. Still...it's odd to be the subject of gossip.

I miss Michigan, and my Michigander friends.

I feel bad because people call me, and I never call them back. :(

I love my fiance!

In 6 months and 5 days, this insanity will be over, and I'll be in Napa, in a cottage, enjoying in-house massages, breakfast pastries delivered to our door, and bike rides to numerous vineyards. Ahhhhh...can I be there now?

So many life changes, all at once. It makes the reasoning behind getting married quickly even more understood - even if you all don't understand it.

I love you all, and I know you don't get me all the time. But that's not my problem.

Kids are crazy.

Kevin is great.

Sleep is amazing. :)

I just have to brag

2009-09-17T20:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm not even sure that anyone reads this anymore, but hey, I can shout out stuff into cyberspace, right? That's my perogative as a blogger. :)

So, this morning, I had a little freak out about the wedding planning stuff. Nothing major - just feeling like I'm not getting my stuff done. We haven't settled on a photographer yet, and yeah, it is the big thing for this month. And we have to do guest lists and invitations and all this stuff...

Anyway, I snapped at my fiance, who was coming over later today. I didn't mean to, but yeah.

After apologizing, I then asked him to do a couple of errands for me. Random stuff - dry cleaning, picking up some random stuff at Home Depot for me, library...blah blah blah. Kevin agreed to do all of these things.

But then during the day, I got some random text messages. They said things like, "I finished the errands. Do you want me to vacuum?" "I cleaned the windows and vacuumed. Anything else you need me to do?"

I got home to a clean, beautiful house, where dinner was waiting for me by candlelight in the dining room. We had a full meal of yummy chicken, rice, broccoli, rolls, and dessert. Then, after dinner, he washed the dishes too!

I don't exactly know how to take all of this - except to be very very grateful.

Thanks, my love.

And the wedding planning screeches to a halt

2009-09-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

So much success! It seems obvious that something would get hung up. After all, we've booked a church, a reception place, a DJ, I have a dress...that's a lot. But we went to interview with a photographer, and yeah, not so awesome. Now I have to figure out some other person to use.

Let me say that I do not like bargain or comparison shopping - I'm not good at it at all. :( I get frustrated and say, "That's fine, just give it to me, whatever!" Which is not the best way to go about planning a wedding.

Looks like I'll have to work on that trait.

Ha.

Of course, school starts tomorrow. And I, unlike people who have functional computers and sit at a desk all day, do not have time to do any planning at work. Nope, it's completely me on other hours. I think I'll ditch for a few weeks. :)

We'll see.

Recommendations are always appreciated! :)

Blogging...right...

2009-08-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

So life is crazy right now. Obviously. I got engaged, I'm planning a wedding, and I go back to work in less than 2 weeks. Lots to do! But I did promise to keep blogging, so here's a few highlights.

I got a dress! It's beautiful, and lovely, and I feel like a princess in it. It makes me really happy. I want to go back to the store every day and try it on - or at least take a picture in it.

I am really proud of myself for getting back into eating healthy and not snacking as much. I've lost 2 pounds and 2 inches off my waist so far. Thanks to my trainer, I am super inspired! :)

I have great friends who help me. Thanks ladies.

There are so many people who I want to see, and not enough time to see them.

I miss Michigan - and my friends there. :(

It is incredible how much random tiffs you have while planning for a wedding.

Kevin is still looking for a job, but he's gone to a couple of interviews this week, which is good.

School? A little freaked about trying that Music Learning Theory stuff. But if I don't try things, I won't grow as a teacher.

Despite all my complaining, I have a great life - and I love my fiance!

Yes, it's true!

2009-08-05T20:37:00.001-07:00

I am engaged! :)

I will have the story up tomorrow or Friday...finishing up grad school is intense. Almost done - 1 more essay, and revisions on a 26-page paper and 2 other essays. Phew!

I am happy, and I DEFINITELY don't want to work. :)

Liz

I'm almost done...

2009-08-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Phew. This has been an incredible summer. Lots of exciting things happening, lots of exciting still to happen...but the big news (as of right now) is that I have one more week left!

Insanity.

I do NOT want to leave. I love being surrounded by my musician friends who are just as intense as I am. I love talking about teaching music - a music educator is an even more specialized niche than a musician! I love walking around campus, or riding my bike - it is so green and beautiful. I can't wait to come back here. And yes, I am seriously considering moving here - someday.

But, I must return back to California. Thankfully, I will have four weeks to recuperate from the hecticness that was my life. I can relax, hang with friends, sunbathe...oh, and get ready for school. Yeah. Not so excited about that. But that's okay. I will make it.

This week, I still have a presentation, a curriculum, three essays...and of course, revising that really large paper (it's at 25 pages right now...crap!). But really, that's not too bad. Which is why I'm having some trouble getting motivated right now, to do anything.

But, Kevin's coming tomorrow! YES!

So, I should work. Guess I'll work. I'll work now. Right.

Enjoy CA, my friends - I'll be back very soon. Michiganders - I will miss you.

Yes, we did...

2009-07-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

...talk about country music today. In class. I know, you're totally jealous, right?

I gotta admit, I like the older stuff. Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette (sp?), Johnny Cash. But man, the stuff out now...not a fan. Give me Sufjan Stevens any day.

In other news - finished another assignment for my curriculum class, which is great. Still working on the psych paper. But I did finish the OTHER curriculum paper, which is due tomorrow. Phew! That felt good. The psych paper is taking longer than I would like - but probably about as long as the research paper did last summer.

Only a week and a half left! I can't believe it. I am sad - California is not as pretty as Michigan. But I'll be back, and I'll get to see all my friends. So that will be nice. :)

Okay, working now...maybe...

The bicycle adventure

2009-07-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

(Note: Over the next two weeks, I have three 10-15 page papers, three essays for a final, and a poster to make...not to mention the readings. I'm a little stressed out.)

I tend to react like most people to stress, I think. Or maybe I'm bizarre. Whatever. Basically, I can keep going under a lot of stress - I can keep things going fine, like something boiling on the stove. But at a certain point, if something adds on, I simply freak out, and everything explodes. Usually that "something" is small. I guess it speaks to the level of suppression I use in my life. Whatever. Anyway.

So I had noticed that my bike lock was acting a little funny. Sometimes it would take longer than normal to open it - wiggling the key back and forth, etc. But whatever, no biggie. Yesterday afternoon, after I had done a couple hours of work (and talked to Kevin on Skype - where I freaked out because I was sad to leave my friends here in Michigan...anyway...) I decided to go to the gym. "This will be great! It's 4:30 now, I can get there in 10 minutes, do 30 minutes of cardio, a couple of free weight things, cool-down, come back by 6, eat and shower, start working at 7. Maybe I can punch out that paper tonight! Awesome!"

But no.

I spent 15 minutes playing with my bike lock outside, trying to get it to open. Eventually, obviously, I did - although I locked it with hesitation outside of the gym. Worked out, fine, no problem. Came back out, and spent another 15 minutes working on this lock. Would not budge. At all. Tried someone else's key, wiggled my key forever. I even had one of the employees at the gym bring out some bolt cutters. The bolt cutters starting BENDING with my bike lock. (Bonus - my bike will not get stolen.) Eventually, I had to leave.

I got home at 6:30. Didn't get done eating and showering until 7:30. Called the police department, who said they wouldn't cut my bike lock until I registered my bike online. Fine. Tried to register it online. The site doesn't work - it keeps erasing my answers to the questions. (Remember that it did this last year too, when I decided to forget it.) Sat down, tried to start working, and called Kevin, bawling "I can't do this! I can't! Now I have to go register my stupid bike in order to get the stupid lock cut off! I wasted an hour dealing with this stupid thing and I wanted to get work done and I CAN'T DO THIS!"

Yeah, it was bad. Poor Kevin. He is being very kind, especially considering he got his tonsils out on Tuesday. :( Eventually I calmed down, and got reading done...but not what I wanted to do.

After class today, I called the bike place. I couldn't register it over the phone - I had to come in. I needed the bike serial number. So I walked to my bike. Couldn't find it. Called them again - "It's on the underneath part of the bike - if you turn it over, you can find it." Of course, I can't turn my bike over - it's locked to a bike rack. So I lie on the ground and look for it. I find it, but it's upside and kind of worn off, so I have to go to the other side of the bike and lie down again to write it down. Then I walked to the Student Store to buy a new bike lock. (I bought a cheaper one, because I do NOT want to deal with this again. No u-lock for me, no way.) Then I walked to the parking center to register my bike. Then I walked BACK to my bike and called the police. "Okay, we'll send a parking enforcer right now - they'll be there soon." (Parking enforcer. I wanna be a parking enforcer!) Wait by my bike, and about 15 minutes later, they showed up with these huge cutters that were pneumatic or something. Probably not, but they were very large and intense. He cuts the lock, and I go on my way. That took 1.5 hours today of walking and waiting.

Man.

Hopefully I can be productive this weekend. It's been a frustrating couple of days.

Please admire my picture of the remnants of my lock. This is after walking around in 80 degree weather for 90 minutes. Sweet.

Where is the time going?

2009-07-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

How is it already almost Wednesday of my fifth week here? Things are FLYING by. Not a good thing, because I have way too much to do, and I love it here. Don't particularly want to go home. No offense to you guys - you are welcome to join me out here. It's just way more awesome here, in my humble opinion.

Got to spend the weekend at my friend Ali's house in Grand Rapids (western part of the state). Very relaxing, very productive weekend. They are both chill people, so it was like, "Whatever you want to do..." I love that! I got a ton of work done, and ate a lot of really good food. The highlight was definitely Harry Potter on Saturday. Although there are little things we can pick apart that we didn't like, overall - great movie. I particularly liked the teen romance aspect. "She has really nice skin." Classic!

I have 3 papers due in the next 2 weeks. Yep. Busy busy busy. Still rather incommunicado. Sorry. I'll be better when I'm back - August 8th! Less than 3 weeks, insane!

Okay, work now.

I'm sure you've all figured this out...

2009-07-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

...but the Beatles' lyrics had a fair amount of innuendo in them. Actually, all of the oldies songs did. How many of those '60s adults recognized them, do you think?

"Please please me, oh yeah, like I please you..."

Right...thanks John and Paul.

Eek!

2009-07-16T14:01:00.001-07:00

Wow, I have a lot of stuff to do.

Obviously, since I'm doing a horrible job writing on this lately.

Had a freak-out last night at 12:30. Kevin calmed me down, but yeah. Here is why I am freaked out:

July 24th:
Research Article Review

July 30th:
Methodology Project (8-10 pages)
Another part of the Curriculum Project

July 31st:
Psych Paper (10-15 pages)
Bibliography project (busy work, but still)

August 6th
Final curriculum project

August 7th
Final 3 essays for American history

Not to mention various quizzes, writing assignments, and readings. Yeah. A little freaked out.

Gonna go work now. Write later - hopefully??

(Btw, seriously excited about HP this weekend - with my friend Ali! Awesome!)

The importance of conversation...and good friends

2009-07-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have a tendency in school to work myself to death. I didn't figure out until my "super senior" year in college that a final on Friday need not be studied for until Wednesday. There is no need for overkill.

After a fantastic weekend with Kevin in Indiana (fireworks! Barbeque! Rain! Small Baptist Churches! Family! Ice Cream! and most of all...KEVIN!), I returned to East Lansing and jumped back into grad school. Even though I got ahead in my readings, I started to feel more and more stressed out. I even started getting a headache this morning - which is rare for me.

But after class was done, I decided to ditch my plan of eating by myself while reading some Curriculum text, and went to lunch with my amazing friend Angela. We hung out and talked for about two hours. I emerged refreshed and happy - and feeling cleansed.

Justin (yay my pastor!) often said that men only say 9,000 words a day, while women in general say 14,000. I had been talking, of course, but I hadn't had one of those heart-to-heart talks with another girl, that is so crucial for my sanity. Angela and I discussed family life, relationships, faith...laughed a lot and learned a lot. She let me rave about Kevin, and also gave me good advice. It was fantastic.

I also went to the gym and did cardio for about 40 minutes. Yay for cardiovascular workouts. :)

Girl talks are essential. Thanks, God, that I have such great friends.

I'm off to Indiana!

2009-07-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to see Kevin again. We talk A LOT on the phone, but it's different when you see a person in real life, isn't it? Today I get to pick him up from the airport, and then we are driving down to Indiana. There I will meet a TON of his family. Should be very interesting.

I hope to have some good stories (and pictures!) when I get back. Maybe I'll have blown off an appendage or two playing with fireworks. (Hopefully not - I need all my appendages to play those instruments!)

Happy 4th, everyone! Hope you have a great time with friends and family! Eat lots of good food!

As inspired by Dani...

2009-06-30T19:42:00.001-07:00

...I haven't told you what I'm doing this weekend either! Yikes!

Kevin's coming to Detroit, and I am going to pick him up. Yay, I get to see my boyfriend! We are going to drive to Indiana (which is south of Michigan, for all of you who are geographically dumb like me) and I get to meet his family. Intense! We're going to do a family style 4th of July barbeque, and go to his old church on Sunday.

Gotta be honest, I'm most excited (and nervous) about playing with actual fireworks. Like, not in the sky. Like, I get to set them on fire and play with them. Haven't done that since I was 3!

Okay, so I'm a little nervous about meeting the rest of his family too.

I have SO MUCH WORK! It's not even funny. I am caught up for tomorrow, but yeah, haven't started Thursday yet - or Friday's reading. Even though I'm not supposed to have class Friday, cause it's a university holiday. My professor has decided to bless us all with 8am class. Sweet.

Bedtime! It is LATE - at least for me!

WAY TOO MUCH WORK!

2009-06-30T03:58:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I got a lot of reading assigned yesterday! Yikes!

I know I haven't been as good at calling people at home this year as last year. I have been much busier than last year, for one thing. The time difference is hard. And, to be honest, I'm enjoying talking to Kevin. :)

I will try to call you - I will try! You can always call me too! :)

Love you all back in CA!

Nice to know I'm consistent across the country

2009-06-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, to tell this story (stories, actually), you need some background info. Otherwise you're going to think I'm nuts. (If you don't already...) These past 2 weeks I've been in a workshop called Music Learning Theory (MLT). MLT was developed in the 1960s, and it's basically a theory on how children learn music. They emphasize singing, chanting (rhythms and stuff - not Gregorian), and moving. One of the aspects of moving is called "flow," which means moving your entire body with no focus on the beat. Sort of like seaweed. Imagine 60 adults doing this, all at the same time. Yeah.

So I was in a group with my girlfriends, and one girl (Marguerite) said we were pretending to be in a garden in her activity. "What kind of things could we move like in a garden?" she asked. Without thinking, I blurted out, "A radish!"

"Um...okay. Radishes are kind of half in and half out of the ground, so we would need to kneel..."

At this point, I lost it completely. I was on the ground laughing and crying so hard. Right about then, my professor walked up. "We don't know what's so funny," they said. "She's being a radish."

(Marguerite said she thought we would suggest things like flowers, or trees, or maybe the wind. Not vegetables.)

Story #2 (It's shorter, I promise...)

The whole entire class (well, half of the class) was participating in the peer teaching activities. One girl was leading us, and she said, "What do birds do in the winter?" Once again, I just blurted out, "Hibernate!" My Michigander friends turned to me in shock (and some disgust), and said, "No...they fly south!" One person said, "What state are you from?"

The reason for this blog post:

Later that evening, we were at a picnic. After discussing my ability to say random things and laugh out loud (I think I was trying not to spit food all over as tears ran down my cheeks), Ali said,

"Man, we should write down everything Liz says. Liz-isms."

I swallowed my food, and exclaimed, "That's what my friends in California do too!"

Nice to know that I have the same effect everywhere.

My presentation

2009-06-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Yay! I finished my two-week long workshop of Music Learning Theory! This is a huge accomplishment for me, so I'm going to relish it.

Yesterday, I had to do a 15-minute presentation. I had to teach 4 different classroom activities that emphasized different tonalities and rhythms. I chose to do a song in Lydian (that focused on rhythm), a song in harmonic minor (which emphasized the resting tone, or tonic), a song in Mixolydian (again, the rhythm), and a major song in 7/8. Sweet!

I was so nervous about it, because this whole form of teaching was completely new to me. I've never worked in depth with MLT - I got only a passing glance at it during college - but this was complete immersion in the theory and practice.

I chose to go first, because that way, I get it done and over with. Only problem - I was going before lunch, which meant that Ed Gordon, the CREATOR of this whole theory, was watching! (Well, he would say that he wasn't the creator - he's just the guy who did the research on how children learn music and published it. But it's his baby, it's his thing. We wouldn't have it without him. How many people have done research on 10,000 kids???)

So I had to do my whole presentation with Ed Gordon watching. Oh man, that made it worse! But I got through it all, even though I sang one of the songs wrong (Angela helped me out, thanks!, and completely lost the Mixolydian tonality. And at the end of it, Ed Gordon - the CREATOR - walked over to me, gave me a hug, cradled my face in his hands, and told me that it was wonderful teaching, that I had done a great job. It brought tears to my eyes!

Later on, my professor told me that he really loved it and was surprised that I had never done anything like this before. Yay!

It feels good to be doing what God wants me to be doing. And because it's what God wants me to do, I can do it well. I know I sound like I'm bragging in here, but I'm really proud of my accomplishments these two weeks. As my friends Ali and Angela said, I stretched myself, and it went well.

Yay!!!

(By the way, for this picture, Ed "charged" me two kisses on the cheek. I gave it to him, because it was either that, or $10. Whatever!)

I know, I know...

2009-06-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't written much this week. I'm suffering from overload/too much to do, with a case of "But I just finished teaching a whole year!" itis.

Tomorrow I have a 15 minute presentation in front of the professor and 25 of my peers. It involves singing songs in mixolydian, minor, major, and Lydian tonalities, with all sorts of activities. We're going to rake things, we're going to act like chimps, we're going to "catch" our resting tone. Should be very very interesting.

Wish me luck - and pray for me!

I can't think of a cute title for this, but...

2009-06-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was watching The Jane Austen Book Club on my laptop (go Netflix!). In the middle of the movie, my amazing boyfriend Kevin called. We had talked for a while earlier that day, but he wanted to say goodnight, because he's sweet like that.

Halfway through our phone call, his phone died. No big deal, right? I called him back, left a message on his phone, and went back to my movie.

An hour later, I got a call from another number. It was Kevin, calling on his friend's phone. He said,

"Liz, I'm so sorry, my phone died! Emily offered to let me use her phone, but I didn't know your number. So then I emailed you from her Blackberry, but you didn't respond. So then I called my friend Dave to see if he could look up your number from my T-Mobile account, but he couldn't access it. Then Emily thought that we could text Ricki, and get your number from her. So we did, and she sent it back, and I called you. I've been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour - I didn't want you to worry or be upset or think I had hung up on you."

Honestly, this whole statement (paragraph? monologue?) brought tears to my eyes. I have NEVER, I repeat, NEVER, had a guy go to that much trouble to contact me. The book "He's Just Not That Into You" (which I LOVE - it's harsh advice, but so true!) says that if a guy is "into you," he'll move heaven and earth to contact you. None of this "I lost your phone number" stuff.

I got to witness that last night. And it felt amazing to be the receiver of such attentions.

Thanks, Kevin. You're fantastic.

Ah, the wonders of technology

2009-06-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

I am not a technology buff. At all. I am old-fashioned and very very VERY slow to try new gadgets. I just don't care. Sorry people, but I don't.

I remember when Prodigy came out - do you remember that? It was the first email system. I thought, "This is stupid. It'll never catch on."

I remember when AIM became popular. I lost patience with it. All my conversations seemed to consist of "hehehe. :)" Yeah, again. Not interested.

I remember when the iPod came out. I thought - why do I need that? I am totally fine with my CD Walkman. Who needs more than one CD at a time, anyway?

I have slowly but surely converted on all of these gadgets. (well, not AIM. I still prefer Google Chat with gmail - but I'm not at my computer often enough to really use it frequently.)

Yesterday, my amazing boyfriend Kevin introduced me to Skype, and webcams. Yes, okay, I know, they've been around for a while. And yes, I did know what they both were. But to actually SEE my boyfriend, who's 2000 miles away or so - wow! It felt like the future! I immediately went out and bought my own webcam this morning. And we proceeded to talk on the phone...for most of the afternoon. :)

This world comes up with all sorts of newfangled gizmos all the time. I don't think I'll change my ways - at least in terms of adopting things right when they immerge. But, if you can convince me...I'll change.

At least I'm not permanently stubborn, right?

In other news, I'm enjoying re-reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series. More so than doing my homework. Check them out if you get a chance - quality works of fiction, and they're not scary. I promise.

Phew! First week done!

2009-06-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, my first week is done done done. Woohoo! I have one more week of certification in Music Learning Theory to do. Next Monday, the FOUNDER of MLT, Edwin Gordon, is going to be giving the lectures. Pretty amazing - he's like a celebrity in the music ed world! Reminds me of how I felt when I met the clarinetist in the Chicago Symphony. (Despite being from California, I can count my celebrity encounters on one hand.)

So far this week, I have been stretched and challenged in all sorts of ways. I have wrote songs in Lydian, Mixolydian, Phrygian, Aeolian, Dorian, Major, and Minor, and written chants in duple, triple, usual combined and unusual paired meters! Awesome! If you understood that, you are truly a musician!

I have also done a whole bunch of very interesting elementary music things. Elementary music teachers are rather insane - they move a lot. It's called "flow," and it means moving your arms and legs around to the music - but not to the beat. It's supposed to get you to feel the music better and internalize it (also known as "audiation"). I felt rather stupid doing it, but by the end of the week I was moving around like a dinosaur with everybody else! Yes, that is what I said - dinosaurs. Not to mention bubbles, leaves, building snowmen, pretending to be bugs...the list goes on. I wish I could tape the class and post videos, but you might not ever want to talk to me again. :)

I have also gotten to see my friends from last summer. I missed them so much! It's great that we can pick up right where we left off. I am blessed because I have classes with all of them this year. Next year, things will be sadder, because one of them (at least) will be gone. Sigh...I'll have to figure something out...

Thankfully, I have nothing planned for this weekend, besides finishing my 12 different assignments (songs in Locrian! yeah!), going to Meijer (it's like a super Walmart), and doing a Bible study with my awesome boyfriend Kevin. Maybe I'll make it to the gym...maybe. Mostly though, I'm going to relax - my first chance since school got out! Yeah!!!

By the way - yay to my brother Dan, who finished his first year of teaching! Proud of you Dan Face!

So, I will continue to post. Can't guarantee excitement all the time -but that's okay. It's my blog. :) Read it if you want to - especially if you want to laugh at me. :)

??

2009-06-19T04:29:00.001-07:00

How do I decide what to wear if it's supposed to be 83 degrees out - and raining? Jeans? So my shoes don't get soaked? Or shorts, so my legs dry? Tank top? I don't know...this is out of my experience...

I may go jeans and a tank top. Because - well, wet shoes are the worst. Hmm....must decide.

I'll write more later, but now I must stare at my (very diminished since all my clothes are in CA) closet.

At it again

2009-06-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time (approximately, keeping in mind that I came here a week later last year), I was taking a class in improvisation. It really freaked me out, honestly. Satan used the fact that I was being stretched and uncomfortable to pelt me with lies. But I overcame them, and actually did teach some improvisation with my students this year. Woohoo!

So this week, he started doing it again. I am taking a class in general music (elementary) teaching methods which are (that are? Dani, where's your red pen?) very different than anything I've ever done before. Yesterday, I heard these things:

-You can't do this.
-This is too hard for you.
-You're not a good enough teacher to do this.
-Why should you bother changing? It's too much.

After talking to myself, praying, and talking to my great boyfriend Kevin, I felt a lot better about the whole thing. I told myself these truths:

-I CAN do this.
-It's hard for me now - that doesn't mean it'll be hard for me forever.
-I AM a good teacher, and I CAN do this.
-Change is good, especialy for teachers. How do we expect our kids to learn better than we did?

Today, I felt much calmer and more prepared. But then he started in again! Today I heard:

-This doesn't apply to you - why are you bothering?
-This class is a waste of time.
-You'll never use this stuff.

False false false! Truths:

-ALL music knowledge applies to me - I am a MUSIC teacher.
-This class is not a waste of time.
-I am a creative teacher - I can find ways to use EVERYTHING in my class. I just need to try.

So, yeah. He's still at it. But I can see it now - much more than I could last year at this time. I call that growth.

If you'll excuse me, I need to write songs in Aeolian and Dorian, learn songs in Aeolian and Dorian, write a chant in triple meter, and prepare to teach Learning Sequences activities for about 10 different lessons. I'll write more tomorrow.

Love you all!

My apartment

2009-06-15T18:56:00.001-07:00

So, I know you were all wondering about what my new place looks like. Admit it, you were. Well, you're in luck! Here are some pictures for you!!!!

Well, one picture. Honestly, my room isn't that exciting. Maybe I'll put more pictures of it on my Facebook account.

But as you can see, it's pretty sweet digs. Look how huge it is! It has 4 bedrooms for 4 people. My apartment at UCLA had 2 bedrooms, but we still had 4 people in it - thank you, Los Angeles rent prices. It's pretty awesome, I think. So far, none of my other roommates are here yet, but I'm sure they'll show up relatively soon. :)

Back in Michigan!

2009-06-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hello hello! I am back in Michigan, back in East Lansing, back in...well, not back in my old pad, because I'm living in a new place this year. Rather than live in the dorms (Owen), some of the music teachers and I decided to get an on-campus apartment. (I know, insane, right? 4 music teachers - in one place...crazy. Insert band camp jokes here.)

I'll tell more about my apartment in a later blog, probably - most likely. Very likely. Yeah. Anyway.

It was so great getting here. I had this hilarious cab driver who played me an old R&B song (from the 50s) and tried to get me to guess who it was. I did guess, it was Sam Cook - very cool guy. Check out "You Send Me" if you get a chance. He then played a whole bunch of old R&B and Motown stuff. The most entertaining part was when he put on some mix CD that started out with "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye, and proceeded to include songs about "making love," etc. This was made even more hilarious because he was a rather large guy wearing a huge silver cross, who told me that he didn't follow religion - he just follows Star Wars. No joke. "People are either for the Dark Side or for the Force," he said. He did get me to my new apartment really fast though, so I gave him a big tip.

It's funny being back here. I walked over to CVS to purchase a bunch of random stuff that you need if you are basically furnishing an apartment. I feel so comfortable on this campus. Honestly, it feels like I'm coming home. I don't belong in California, I think. Where do I belong? Especially since most of my friends are in California? I don't know. But coming here feels great - so freeing.

Of course, being in a new apartment, by myself, with no roommates for a week...that's a little lonely.

But I get to go to a wedding tomorrow, and then on Monday, I begin the whirlwind 2 week course in Music Learning Theory. After that, whoosh! It'll fly by.

Keep on coming back! I will try to update daily!

I leave tomorrow!

2009-06-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow, I head back to Michigan. What??? Crazy...where has the year gone?

I am very very excited to go back. I am super excited to see my friends again, particularly Abby, Angela, and Ali! :) Yay! I am also excited to be IN school, not teaching, but learning. I love to learn!

I am also a little...anxious? Something? Who knows? I am sick, which makes life not as much fun. I spent the afternoon cleaning, and I suppose I should get to packing. I don't really want to though, to be honest. Packing is so final - especially since I'll be gone for 2 months. 2 months! Wow.

I'm also sad about leaving my friends and my super amazing boyfriend, Kevin. Kevin will be visiting Indiana during 4th of July weekend though, so that's cool. I'm planning on driving (or taking a train, or a bus, or something) down there to meet the rest of his family. Hopefully that will go well!

I began this blog last summer, as I started on the adventure that is my masters. I will be much more diligent in keeping it while I am gone - for that is the reason I started it! Hopefully my life will be full of lots of excitement and wonder as I return to the beautiful state of Michigan. I can't wait!

Keep on reading - I'll write more soon!

Ah, May...

2009-05-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

May has not been my friend.

I mean, May usually isn't my friend. May is concert month. May is "I gotta get through this so June can come!" month. But this May, my personal life decided to invade and get crazy as well.

First off, Kevin's mom came to visit. Always a stressful time, meeting the parents of the guy you're dating. It was fine, but you know.

Then, roommate drama. And Kevin got sick.

Then, Knott's Berry Farm with 117 kids. Some of whom thought it was a great idea to put their instruments at the front of the park, and leave them there, because, you know, people will take care of it. Right? Right...

Then, Concert on the Green usual insanity. Outside concert (blech), 250 kids (elementary and middle school), sound system setting up, stands, chairs, moving furniture, 8 different ensembles. Ended up being 2 hours long. Long! Some people I wanted to be there couldn't make it, and our videographer's camera died, so we didn't even get it recorded. (Much apologies were had from the videographer, but still...)

Then, Friday. Took Kevin to ER. Spent the weekend at the hospital with him. He has tonsilitis, mono, and some other bacteria thing. But the mono and the tonsilities is viral, so it can't really be treated with antibiotics. It is stressful watching your boyfriend act differently because he's on morphine. I was there most of the weekend. I wouldn't be any place else - of course. But it wasn't exactly what I planned for the weekend. (A month ago, Kevin and I had talked about going to Catalina. Good thing we didn't book that!)

Anyway. May is almost over. Thank goodness! Hopefully, June will be better.

Now I have to prepare to go back to Michigan...packing. Eek! But I'm excited to go back.

And, of course...to be done with teaching for a while. :)

Yes, I have a boyfriend

2009-04-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hello all you people out there. Yes, it is true - I do have a boyfriend.

I kept it quiet, because, hey, I am a rather reserved person. Ha! I hear some of you laughing right now. But with stuff like relationships, I don't like to wave them around much - at least not at first. At least not until it becomes official. Which this did, last Friday. So, let the waving around begin! :)

His name is Kevin Brinker. I met him on eharmony, after a person close to me recommended I jump back on. (I had previously been on in May, before my last relationship began basically in June.) She said I wasn't grieving or anything about the end of the last relationship (which stopped in January), and said that it would be a good way to put myself out there without feeling too much pressure, whatever. Anyway.

Kevin contacted me during the first couple of days I was on there. We chatted, we talked on the phone, we went on our first date (to El Torito and Dave and Busters at the Block), we talked on the phone. A lot. Like every day for at least an hour. :) I met some of his friends (all of whom I like - a nice change, by the way), we kept talking on the phone. While I was in New York, I STILL talked to him every night - 2 a.m. in NYC, 11 p.m. here in SoCal. And when I got back, we hung out, and on Friday, he asked me to be his girlfriend (in a roundabout, bashful kind of way that was very adorable).

He is very devoted to Christ. He serves at his church in Brea with the high school ministry there, as well as doing a one-on-one Bible study with the missions pastor. He is from Indiana, and came out in June after graduating. (Yes, he's 2 years younger than me...let the jokes begin. But he's mature, I swear!) He is a great communicator, he loves to talk on the phone (and hates texting). He is super super romantic. He is comfortable talking about all sorts of things. He is also very cute. :)

I'm REALLY enjoying this.

So yes, I want you all to meet him. Whether I want to do a big "meet my boyfriend" party or just do some dinner date things, I haven't decided yet. Probably will start with the small group meeting things at first - and depending on how it's going by the time I leave for Michigan (June 13 - wow!), maybe a party will happen too. (By the way, there is talk that he'll visit me, while I'm there...sigh...)

So, please don't feel left out. I want you to meet him! I'm really enjoying this. Feel free to ask any questions...and I will do my best to answer. :)

Side note - starting a relationship on Facebook is hilarious, by the way, just because of who notices what's going on and who doesn't. I was a little surprised more people did NOT comment when I changed my status. But hey, I know we're all busy, and nobody can keep up with everyone's life.

Mine is going well. :)

I've got a crush...

2009-04-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

...on a guy. And he likes me too!

Heeheehee!

More to follow...just felt like being tantalizing today. :)

Most of Ever

2009-03-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I got to see my old friends from Fuel. We had a reunion of people who went to New Orleans last March (my idea, oh yeah!). A lot of these people I just don't see very much anymore, for various reasons. It's been hard for me, because I am so community-oriented. I miss Fuel.

But tonight, I got a taste of that again. I got to laugh - so much that tears were streaming down my face and all my eye makeup washed off. I got to get teased by Justin, one of my favorite things - seriously! (Most of ever=greatest, in case you were wondering. At least when you're me, and you're playing Catch Phrase, Music Edition.) I got to catch up and chat with so many people who mean so much to me.

It was fantastic.

And instead of feeling nostalgic and bitter and sad, I felt joyful. I felt peaceful. These people are still my friends. Just because we don't see each other does not mean that we are not still close. I am so thankful that God used these people in big ways in my own life. I am so thankful to still be close to them. I miss them. But I always remember that one day, we will be together forever, in heaven.

In the meantime, I can enjoy our get-togethers and look forward to them with excitement. I can leave with a song in my heart (to be totally cliche). I can thank God for so much.

Truly I am blessed.

(By the way, according to Jeanna we are going to hell when we die. Bummer.)

Phone marathons...

2009-03-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

...are fun.

In other news, UCLA lost. Again. At least U$C lost too. And they were beaten by my grad school, awesome!

There are things happening in my life, but nothing that I want to put on here (yet...).

Can't wait to see all my friends from NOLA tomorrow!

I love RENT!

That's it, I think. :)

And God does it again

2009-03-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Several seemingly unrelated events:

Scene: San Bernandino Mountains, Summer 2004. Liz Thomson counsels campers at Arrowbear Music Camp. There she meets an amazing girl named Celeste, who reminds her so much of herself. Celeste is a clarinetist like Liz. They get along fabulously.

Scene: Huntington Beach, 2008. Liz and Celeste get together to play duets. Nerdy, but lots of fun. Liz adds Celeste's number to her new phone.

Scene: Huntington Beach, March 3, 2009. Liz's phone breaks.

Scene: Huntington Beach, March 4, 2009. Liz gets a text message from an unknown number about a UCI concert happening the following week. She saves the message, assuming it's from Celeste.

Scene: 405 Freeway, March 6, 2009. Liz calls her brother, who is super super stressed out about all his first-year teacher duties. He needs, among other things, a clarinet player to help out his high schoolers with their production of Fiddler on the Roof. Liz offers to help, but can't make the big rehearsals. She is concerned, and at a loss as to what to do to help Dan.

Scene: 22 Freeway, March 6, 2009. Liz realizes that she could ask Celeste to do it. After multiple texts to Dan and a phone call to Celeste, Liz secures a clarinet player for Dan's musical. The rehearsals and performances "just happen" to fit in with Celeste's finals schedule. Dan is elated. Liz feels good for helping.

All these things? Knowing Celeste, the phone dying, me receiving a text from Celeste with her number, Dan needing a clarinetist, Celeste being willing to do it and it working around her finals schedule? That's God.

Thanks, God.

A new church in the summer

2009-03-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today I went with my friend Angela and her brother Ed to Rock Harbor, a daughter church of my main place of worship, Mariners. I have been going to Mariners for a little over 3 years now. It is the first church of which I have been a member. It is the first church where I actually knew the pastor (my awesome mentor, Justin). Needless to say, I was a little nervous about going to Rock Harbor. I had been before with my friend Becky (on a very hard day for me), and I liked it. But I felt this was a big step. This was me saying, perhaps, that it is time for a new place of worship. It is time to try out somewhere else.
But when I got there, everything was fine. Worship was good, Mike Erre gave a great message on 1 Corinthians 5. I was convicted, I was moved, I learned a lot. And while I was there, I heard God say, "There is healing here."
Now we all need healing. But healing for me is crucial right now - it is what I am focusing on in my life. So, it looks like I've found a new place to go to church. Not that I won't go back to Mariners - I still want to take their Intro to Theology class in April. And who knows where I'll end up in 5 years, right? It seems that right now, though, God wants me at Rock Harbor.

In other news...my brain feels less full.

See, during the summer, I always relish the fact that my brain is less full. I am not working (unless I'm doing my masters, like last summer), so I have lots more time (and brain space) to think about other things. Deeper things. Two summers ago I pondered and discovered my lie. My basic belief about my brain and work is that I don't have enough time to do really deep thinking while I'm working. It's just too much.

Lately, however, I have had more time. I have more time to see friends, I have more time to be by myself. It is the first time in a while that I am actually resting. And today, it felt like summer. (Maybe it was the beautiful weather, but I don't think that's just it.) I had time and space to think deep thoughts, and still get my work for school done. It is a glorious feeling.

Is that how I'm supposed to feel all the time? Man, I was WAY too busy.

Who do You say that I am?

2009-02-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

A famous quote, said by Jesus to the disciples. Peter, in one of his greatest moments recorded in the Bible, responds "You are the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus praises him for this, and tells him that this fact was revealed to Peter divinely - not just through his own wisdom.

But how many of us ask this question of God? How many of us ask God, "Lord, who am I? Who do You say that I am?"

In light of many recent events in my life, I am once again pondering who I am. I am doing a lot of introspection (not that I don't do this a lot normally, haha), and really trying to let God speak into my life. I am tired of other people telling me who I am, what I should be doing, what I shouldn't be doing, whatever. I am tired of not having my own opinions - and of not valuing the opinions I do have.

Some encourage me to jump right into some activity or some other thing to keep myself busy. I understand that. But part of me feels that I should use this time to sit, and let myself breathe. To really focus, and let God talk to me. I don't need to rush out and meet new people right away. I think it would be better for me to be comfortable with myself. Even if that means allowing myself to feel pain - pain that should have been processed months, years ago.

It is a difficult journey that I have been on for several years. I know God is with me every step of the way. That, I think, is my favorite aspect of God. I praise Him for that. And I hold to Him tightly - every moment.

Waiting, and feeling more cheerful about it

2009-01-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

(so I couldn't come up with a more creative title. Sue me.) :)

I was reading John Eldredge's latest book, Walking with God, which focuses on how to hear God's voice more daily. One of his "tips" is to ask God simple questions - questions that are not all tied up in emotions, like, "Should I take this job?" That way, we are not filtering God out or preventing him from speaking because we have strong feelings about the subject.
Eldredge recommends asking God what to read in His Word every day. He said it gives your quiet time more resonance, because the chapters you read very often speak to what you're going through or what you will be going through. (I'm not explaining this very well, but hopefully you're getting the gist.)

So I decided to try it out. And it works! Pretty much every day, I have heard God tell me what to read. Sometimes, it doesn't apply. But more often than not (like 7 out of 10 times), it totally does.

Here are some of the verses that have jumped out at me recently. God has been directing me to the Psalms.

"Be still, and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10

"I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry." -Psalm 40:1 (that one was cool - I heard God say "Psalms" but not which one. But when I opened my Bible, it went right to this passage, and my eyes jumped to it.)

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!" -Psalm 27:14

Noticing a pattern? Yeah, me too. And today, I really felt peace with the waiting. If you read my last post, you know I was struggling with this. I'd be lying if I said I was totally okay right now. But, I do have a sense of peace that feels divine - it is DEFINITELY not from me. Especially not from me, considering how insane my mind has been lately! I have not felt peace like this since I made the major decision to break up with my ex-boyfriend, 4 years ago.

It should be very interesting to see what I am waiting for. God knows. I will wait for Him - and keep listening to His voice.

Be Still?

2009-01-25T14:23:00.001-08:00

Lately, God has been telling me to stop worrying so much. "Be still, and know that I am God." This has been reinforced by Kenton's messages the last two weeks (watch them online at www.marinerschurch.org), not to mention my own discussions with friends.

The problem? I don't really know how to be still. A few years ago, a good friend of mine called me a "Cannonball." Basically, I jump into things wholeheartedly, I fully commit, I don't do things halfway. I have NEVER done things halfway. Church, job, relationships, exercise, eating healthy (or not eating healthy...I down plates of brownies pretty easily) - they all receive the full commitment from Liz.

But what if I'm not supposed to do that? What if the other elements of what I'm diving into are not responding in a like manner? How do I respond to that? Lower my expectations for said thing? Give only what I'm getting? It sounds good, but also not so good. Especially for this cannonball. How do I cannonball halfway? Do I wade into the water? That's lame.

Plus the whole be still thing. I am a champion worrier. I love (hate) to explore all the options of what might happen in my head, running around and around until I am almost paralyzed with anxiety. How do I stop this? I'm not really sure.

God tells me not to worry. "Does this mean, don't worry about it because You're going to fix it, or because it won't matter soon 'cause it's going to end anyway?"

Sigh...

An addiction?

2009-01-19T21:16:00.001-08:00

Wow, two posts in one day! I must have had the day off...

I have noticed recently that I love self-help books. Not the really crazy kinds, you know, "Eat your way to losing weight" or...I don't know, I can't come up with any more titles. Anyway, I love them. I read them voraciously. I have a lot of them.

Most of them are by Christian authors, and I do believe that they are meant to help us. But when we turn to them for answers, rather than the Bible or to God, are they really helping us? Just this evening, my friend was going to loan me a book that had some advice I wanted to get. But I left it at her house, accidentally. I was really upset about this - more upset than I should have been. I mean, it's just a person, right? Do they really know that much more than I do about this particular topic? (They probably do, but whatever...)

It's just something I'm noticing in my life lately. I need to remember that it is God, and His Word, that should guide my life. Not a random book that may or may not help me.

And, thus ends...

2009-01-19T14:28:00.001-08:00

...my latest cycle of weddings.

My first cycle of weddings was right after college. Gene and Collette, Elizabeth and Barek, Alan and Monica, Tiffany and Ben, Jen and Stephen, Katie and Kolton. Bam bam bam! So many weddings all at once!

Then, a lull...for a couple of years.

Then, Ty and Jessica's (November 07).

Then, the next round, this year: Holli and Huy (May), Nate and Lindsay (August), Michael and Julianne (October), Phil and Kirsten (November) Jacky and Jon (also November, and I didn't go, I am a bad friend... :( ), Doreen and Roland (November), and yesterday, Adam and Dani.

Phew! It's been rather intense.

I love weddings, actually. The romance, the excitement. All the showers and the gifts and the laughter with girls (and guys) you love. Lots of dancing, lots of great food. Lots of meaningful reminders of why God created marriage and what marriage means today. It is a powerful thing.

I also got to bring a date to a wedding this year - twice! For the first time! That was a new experience. I liked it, actually. :) Heeheehee...

So. Done. For a bit. Although I heard a rumor that a friend may be asking soon...plus I have several friends in serious relationships. I'm sure it'll start up again in a bit - and I will love every minute of it!

Big changes

2008-12-28T22:37:00.001-08:00

It's bizarre, isn't it, when you can watch your life change dramatically in a short period of time.

And it is fantastic when you have people around you who can both encourage you in that, and keep you sane and grounded.

Thank you, friends. I love you.

Liz waxes poetic

2008-12-18T21:31:00.000-08:00

Nostalgia. I know I am hardly the first (nor will I be the last) to write about that great, not-so-great feeling we all get when we ache for something gone. But, hey, this is my blog, so I can do what I want. :)

So often, I feel like God moves me on before I am ready. Leaving high school, leaving college (and the wonderful small group of girls that I saw tonight), leaving Fuel, whatever. I get comfortable, and God pushes me out. Just like that eagle's nest in my previous post, I am pushed to continue on, to keep going.

A huge part of me resists it. I have never been an advocate of change. In my perfect world, I would just stay where I am, and add to my friend collection - I would never lose friends or have to leave friends behind. Change is scary, uncertain, and not my thing. Will I ever outgrow this fear? I hope so, but I have a feeling that will be a long time coming.

What's really funny about nostalgia is how it makes you more sad than happy. You go back and visit with old friends, or you return to an old hang-out, or you see an old movie. You instantly remember the great times, and then are struck with the pain of all you have lost. It's never just, "Oh, that was so great to see my old friends - I feel so upbeat." (at least for me.) Nostalgia, by its very definition, is not a happy feeling. It's bittersweet and yearning.

When I feel nostalgia, like I felt tonight, I am struck by two things. The first is how much I would like to return to that place for which I am nostalgic - a time period, an actual location, whatever. The second is the realization that I simply don't fit there anymore. I've moved on, they've moved on, the "it" we used to have is no longer there. It is the second that makes me sad. Inevitable? Of course. We all have to move on. But what I want? Definitely not.

I do know that nostalgia makes us yearn for something more, something better. Something that we can only get in heaven. So I am grateful for nostalgia, for making me desire heaven more and more each day. Some day, nostalgia will be a thing of the past, for every moment will be perfect, exactly where I want to be. The journey to get there, however, is the hard part.

Another quote from my devotional

2008-12-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

This one is super long, but apropos to my life right now. Enjoy!

"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." - Revelation 12:14

After choosing a site on a rocky cliff sometimes thousands of feet above the ground, a mother eagle constructs her nest. For protection, she arranges sharp sticks along the perimeters, but inside, the nest is soft and comfortable for the eggs. So, when Ernie Eaglet pops out of his shell, he finds his accomodations quite to his liking. "Wow! What a view!"

And with Mama Eagle dropping breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an after-dinner mint into his beak every day, he's a happy eaglet indeed - until his girth increases and he begins to bump into the sharp sticks Mama purposefully placed around the nest. Suddenly, the once cozy abode becomes a little uncomfortable.

The same goes for us. When what was once so cozy - that group you were in, those people you were linked to, the job you had - gets a little irritating, you may have a tendency to grumble. But you must realize God does this intentionally because He will not allow you to perpetually nest in a place of fatness and flightlessness.

Then, just when Ernie thinks he can't stand one more poke, Mama Eagle comes, and with her powerful wings, bumps the nest - sending Ernie tumbling out. Flapping his little wings frantically yet futilely, he falls hundreds of feet and is about to crash when Mama Eagle scoops him up on her wings and takes him back to the nest.

"Whew! What was that about?" Ernie wonders.

And for a couple of days, he's happy again, being served breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. But then those pesky sticks begin to bother him again, and after a couple of days, bump goes the nest, and out he falls. Once more, right when he thinks his life is over, there's Mom bearing him on her wings, returning him to the nest. Now Ernie's really wondering. "Every time I get comfortable, every time I settle back in, Mama comes and turns my nest over. What kind of parent is she, anyway?" Yet the process is repeated five or six times, until one day, Ernie soars. And as he does, he understands the pokes, the overturned nest, the perilous plummeting were all about spurring him to do what he never would have done on his own. They were all about teaching him to fly.

Precious saint, if you've been flapping or squawking or crying, this word is for you: God says, "I found you in a wasteland. You are the apple of my eye. I've got nothing but the best in My heart for you. You're not going to crash. I'll always be there to catch you. But I'm going to continue working with you that you might fly."

As a result, I am slowly learning not to be quite as squawky, quite as angry, quite as fearful - but to remember the plan of the Father to bear me on eagle's wings. The pokey sticks are preparatory for the overturning of the nest. And the overturned nest is absolutely essential to teach me to fly."

-A Day's Journey, Jon Courson, December 16

My first time in a wedding!

2008-11-27T09:59:00.001-08:00

On November 22nd, I got to be in my close friend Doreen's wedding. It was my first time as a bridesmaid, so it was quite an experience! From getting our nails done the night before...

To waking up at 6am to get our hair and make up done...

...to hanging out before the wedding...

...to the amazing banquet at the reception...

...to just simply being part of Doreen's special day...

It was so much fun! A long day, true, but really really fun. I loved sitting at the head table. One of the neat things about it was that I got to hang out with the bride and groom ALL DAY LONG! (Typically, at weddings, you don't really see the bride and groom, because they're busy talking to everyone.) So that was awesome.

I am so blessed to have Doreen in my life. Love ya! Congratulations! Roland is getting a special girl!

Clouds

2008-11-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

A random fact about Liz - I love clouds. Clouds, and sunsets. I will very often whip out my camera at random places and take pictures of the clouds. I will take pictures out my car window -and just a couple of weeks ago, I pulled over so I could take a picture of the sunrise. I have actually regretted not having my camera on multiple occasions (hence, why I carry it around all the time now.)

Why? To me, clouds speak of God's beauty. Someone (can't remember who) described sunsets as "extravagant wastefulness" - God is willing to give us so much beauty and power, and then have it drift away a few minutes later. That's one of the reasons why I like to capture it on camera - it reminds me of Him. I remember one time when I was young (13, before I was a Christian), when I saw these clouds. The sun was shining through an opening, and to me, it looked like I could walk through that opening straight into heaven. I believe that God was speaking to me at that moment - showing me Himself, through His creation.

So, here are a few of my favorite pictures of clouds, sunsets, and the like. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

My new latest obsession

2008-10-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, okay, I got up early this morning, and I'm now at home watching my team lose. I should technically be planning for my week of school. But, I don't really feel like it. So, I thought I would share my latest YouTube obsession.

I heard about this in my Entertainment Weekly magazine (which came to me free at first, and which I now subscribe to. It's way better than my free Rolling Stone subscription - but the jury is still out on Glamour. I do feel my brain cells leaving my head when I read Glamour. Anyway.)

Take on Me - one of the greatest (and cheesiest) songs and videos of the 80s - has been spoofed. In the spoof, someone sings what is LITERALLY happening in the video - but to the melody of the original song. Huh? Trust me. You need to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HE9OQ4FnkQ

Magic frame!

If you like that, watch this one, which is a spoof of Tears for Fears, Head Over Heels. I would love to hear which one you like better. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0TYun-Nq1Q&feature=related

"I'm acting really bashful while I'm singing to you." :)

Praise update!

2008-10-22T19:29:00.001-07:00

Yay! Some stuff is going well. Thought I'd fill you in.

-Because gas prices are going down, I've saved an extra $20 this month!
-My personal trainer agreed to do 1/2 hour sessions instead of an hour, so we can still meet twice a week and be consistent - AND it saves me money!
-I get to teach music. Although I complain about my job, I love what I do.
-my band kids are a lot of fun.
-I finally click with the 8th graders. They are quirky and bizarre, but I love 'em.
-I love going to weddings, and there are lots of them right now!
-I have a great coworker who is one of my closest friends.
-I'm actually having some time to myself.
-I DON'T live at home - something I am thankful for everyday...
-I am working on my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
-I have great friends who support me and all my decisions.
-I'm having fun - for other reasons... :)

Yay for life! Things are good.

A very fun weekend!

2008-10-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yay! Fun weekends!

On Friday, I got to hang out with my good good friend Becky, who I adore. (You may have seen her in previous posts on here, haha). We went out to dinner at this great Mexican place called Miguel's (yum, enchiladas...). We also went shoe shopping at Payless, and went to a fruit market, where we got super super cheap fruit! NICE! What's awesome about our friendship is how we're both trying hard to make time for each other. It's hard with life and everything, but we are making the other a priority. I love Becky!!!!

(this picture is from our road trip - over a year ago - to the Gorge to see Dave. AMAZING!)

On Saturday, I got to go to a UCLA football game with my boyfriend Rich. We left the house around 10 and made it to the Rose Bowl in 45 minutes! We got to meet up with some of my friends from band and also have lunch with my parents, and we sat with my brother and his girlfriend in the stands. The game was horrible, until the last 2 minutes, when all of a sudden, we decided to actually PLAY - and won the game! Very exciting stuff!

On Sunday, my close friends Julianne and Michael got married! That was really great, because I've known them through their whole relationship. The wedding was really beautiful, Julianne looked gorgeous, Michael looked handsome. :) Phil and Jeanna gave amazing toasts - some of the most sincere and nice I'd ever heard! There was great food, dancing...it was really fun. Lots of good conversation and good times had by all.

Now it's Monday, and I'm sick. Woohoo. Oh well - I'd do that weekend again anytime! :)

From my devotional

2008-10-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

I thought this was nice, so I'm sharing it with you. It's from "A Day's Journey" by Jon Courson.

(October 19)

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; was me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. - Psalm 51:7-8

As a shepherd, David understood the meaning of broken bones. You see, when a lamb would stubbornly and rebelliously continue to wander away from the flock, the shepherd would break its legs and place the lamb on his shoulder where it would remain until its bones were healed. When the lamb could walk again, so bonded was he with the shepherd, he would never stray again.

Like sheep, we all go astray (Isaiah 53:6). Therefore, in His love, the Good Shepherd breaks a bone or two and carries me while I whine and cry and wonder what He's doing. But as the days and weeks and months go by, I find myself closer to Him than I had ever been previously, and all I can say is, "Thank you, Lord."

Chick flicks are amazing

2008-10-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

They make you sigh, and make you want to hang out with a significant other. They give you a glimpse of what God intended romance to be. They are so inspiring.

I love them!

And, for your enjoyment, here is another picture from Palm Springs. :)

All I have to say is....

2008-10-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

My life is not made easier when my lie pops up. In a big way.

And I don't like it when people contribute to me believing my lie. Even though they don't mean to. I don't like it.

Sigh...

Palm Springs Girls Weekend!!!!

2008-10-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Liz has been very stressed out lately. Lots of stuff going on with work, Fuel, life in general...so this weekend was the perfect timing. Krystal, Becky, and I went to Palm Springs for a girls weekend!!!

I have actually been to Palm Springs for a girls trip before -back in 2005, with my college Bible study (and my current roommate). I have also been there a couple of times for amazing Core Retreats with my friends - so awesome, such life changing times. Needless to say, I associate P.S. with really great memories.

We left Friday after eating a delicious dinner that Krystal made. Yum! Krytal's family has a time share, which had 1 bedroom, a kitchen, 2 baths, and a living room - not to mention the hugest changing area ever. Literally, you could do a catwalk in that thing. :) It was really nice!

Side note - going on vacations with friends is AWESOME. I must do that more often. :)

We hung out and relaxed a lot. There was a ton of great conversations about various stuff in our lives. On the way out, each of us kind of spilled all the recent events, so we could have a clean slate going it. It was so good to talk about the things that have been weighing on me! Then during the weekend, we talked about other things, and gave advice, and listened, and just were girls. So crucial to have girlfriends!

We watched about a million episodes of the Office, because Krystal is like 3 seasons behind and we needed to help her. We sunbathed (and got hit on by a guy who looked like Tony Soprano, only older). We went out to eat a delicious Mexican dinner, and went clubbing too! (I felt so lame - after awhile, the lights, smoke, and people started making me dizzy, so we had to leave. I must be getting old....) It was great to get dressed up and go out on the town. So much fun!

I am so much more relaxed now, after getting away. It was exactly the right timing as things in my life continue to ramp up and get busier all the time. Girls are so crucial! Boys don't know what they're missing. :)

(btw, that picture was taken by this random old lady who walked up to us, said, "So pretty!" and snapped a picture. She then offered to take pictures of us with our own camera. She actually took 3 pictures, that came out really well! Hilarious!)

Long times of big changes

2008-09-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that for the past 2 years, I have been on a constant journey of major change, self-reflection, and growth.

It all began with joining the Core team for Fuel in January 2007. (2 years ago!!! Wow!) That was intense, as I felt sort of like I had been thrown into this huge machine where there were all these moving parts. I spent the first 6 months just trying to figure out how everything worked. It was crazy, but I slowly began to get the hang of it.

Then we did the Lies and Truths series in Fuel. This involved each Core leader getting up in front of the group (of about 100) and talking about the main lie that the devil tells him or her. This may sound rather out-there, but it's true - the devil does tell us lies all the time. Everything from "you're fat" to "you're bad at your job" to "you're worthless" - I'm sure we've all heard those voices in our heads. They sound like our own voice. But they're not. Check your mind sometime - I bet you'll be surprised at how much Satan tries to get you to believe.

Anyway, I had to confront what my big lie was. Actually, first I had to FIND the lie. That involved about 2 months of soul-searching. When I did find it, it was a HUGE relief, and a huge spiritual high. I felt good for about 4 months straight! :)

(oh, by the way, I also completed the book Spiritual Growth, which introduced the concept of truth and lies to me, during these past 2.5 years. That was a 9 month study with a group of women. Again, huge big steps for me.)

Then, New Orleans. That was a big turning point for me as well, as I realized that I did not have it all together and that I couldn't fix everything. I've had lots of serious talks with various people, who have really been helping me work through those issues.

Now something else has popped up. It's interesting to me, because I am a "helps" person. That is my spiritual gift - "helps." It means that I will do whatever needs to get done in order to help the greater cause. I'm not necessarily an idea person, or a dynamic leader (although I have grown in that capacity since being on Core). But I love serving others.

The reason this is interesting to me is because God has had me on this 2, 2.5 year journey of SELF-discovery. Who would I rather be serving and working on? That's right, others. I do NOT want to be working on myself. To be honest, I feel like I'm hindering others by focusing on myself and my own needs. I've had to say no to things that seemed like they could really use me. (That sounds egotistical, but I don't mean it to be. I just mean I would love to help others with whatever they're doing, be it small groups, junior high ministry, whatever.) But no, God wants me to focus on myself. To be honest, I can't wait to be done with this time of self-growth, so I can go back to focusing on others and ignoring me.

But somehow, I have a feeling that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Liz gets sick

2008-09-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I haven't posted for a while, but whatever...life has been busy. Most recently, I got sick (Tuesday evening). Getting sick is a great experience for me. I have allergies, so most of the time, I get a cold, which turns into a sinus infection. This invariably results in a doctor's appointment where I have to twist their arm to give me antibiotics. Good times. I know all the right things to say. And I know myself best, right? I don't care that it's viral and antibiotics won't work (or whatever they say, I never remember) - just give me the drugs, and I won't die from an inability to breathe.

An interesting side effect of Liz getting sick is that Liz loses her voice. It happens to my dad too - he sounds like Barry White. I personally sound like a phone sex operator. Sweet. It makes teaching a joy. Friday I got to whisper all day long. It is really hard to get kids to hear you when they are playing band instruments! :)

Whatever. It's early in the year to get sick, but I'll get over it. I can still function. It does make hanging out with certain people more difficult however...

Hope YOU'RE all doing well, and aren't sick from me...

More Girl Meets God

2008-09-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Another quote from this book - if you haven't read it, go and do so right now!

(on her friend's conversion to Christianity) "Her husband was worried and upset, scared that she would turn into some person he couldn't know or understand, scared that she would become a caricature, a small-minded, fire-breathing, Scripture-spouting crazy person. A few years after her conversion, he looked up at her and said, 'You know, hon, you really haven't changed all that much.' It was true in some ways...but her husband's comment also spoke volumes about their marriage...Lil's husband could not see that...what was most basic to her - why she got up in the morning, how she saw the world, what she did with her sadness - was all different, utterly.
"Sometimes I imagine that my father sees conversoin the way Lil's husband does. I imagine he looks at me, several years into Christianity, and sees that I have not really changed that much. I am still a pointy-headed academic. I still work hard. I'm still boy-crazy and I still spend too much money on long-distance phone calls. I still would rather read than watch TV, go to the theather, or travel...I imagine he must see all those similarities, and be comforted that he has not, really, lost his daughter to Christ. And I feel sad, because that very comfort is the proof of just how much has been lost." (pg. 109-110)

Yes. Not having had a dramatic conversion (I was not a coke-addict, or a prostitute, or anything like that), I feel like my witness is somewhat weaker, at least in terms of my family. They don't see a huge difference because I'm still just as goofy, still school-oriented, still liking to read and listen to music. But they don't see the true difference, and I can't explain it to them. They don't get it.

Someday, God and I are going to have a long conversation about this in heaven. I trust His plan, but yeah. Long conversation.

Politics

2008-09-13T10:21:00.001-07:00

From Girl Meets God, by Lauren F. Winner (thanks Angela!)

(about people asking her whether she is a an evangelical) "...Theogically, I am right in line with the evangelical mainstream, but what people want to know when they ask me whether or not I'm an evangelical is rarely theology. What they want to know if whether I vote for Pat Robertson, listen to Amy Grant, and believe the Earth is only five thousand years old. In fact, I've never voted for Pat Robertson, I prefer Mary Chapin Carpenter, and I think Darwin might have been on to something." (pg. 105)

Interesting, isn't it, how people (Christian or not) assume that you are a conservative if you are a Christian. This is a seriously touchy issue for me. I don't believe abortion is okay. I am all for family values. But I also am pro-education (duh, teacher), and I'm against war. Where the heck do I sit in the political craziness? I don't really like to talk about politics for this reason. What's even funnier is that I don't like to talk about it at all - even with Christians, who supposedly would share my views. But most of the time I get annoyed by lectures about terrorism. Do I know what's going on with Iraq, or what's best for it? No, of course not.

I guess I'm just saying that I don't like how we as Christians feel the need to identify with one political party, blanketly, with no question about the direct issues involved.

You may or may not agree with me. That's okay - I'm not working and living to please everyone on this planet.

School's Starting!

2008-09-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

So, this is my fourth year of teaching. And for the first time, I am actually excited about starting to teach.

Is that weird? Does it concern you that I was teaching the past three years while NOT wanting to be there? Are you worried that I corrupted America's youth.

Well, I probably did corrupt them.

But!

It is simply how teaching works. We don't have a nice apprenticeship program. Student teaching is a joke - you're not really the teacher, and the students know that. It's stupid, really. Your real experience starts when you have your own class, and then it's panic mode. For a while.

But now, 4 years in, I'm excited! I'm ready to try new things that I learned while in Michigan, I'm ready to see all those adorable students again. Of course, it probably helps that some of the more annoying ones (aka the 8th graders) are gone. Now this year's class of 8th graders has a chance to get really annoying! Yay!

Anyway, I'm sure I'll keep posting about all my adventures. Maybe I'll share stories about cockroaches, or crying students, or really awesome gifts I get or something. Sound fun? Maybe? Who knows.

Here we go - 4th year!!!

The Amazing Dave Matthews Band

2008-08-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to see Dave Matthews Band with my brother Dan and my friend Becky. So fun! I already wrote about how their saxophone player died yesterday. To be honest, I can't believe it. It is still shocking to me. But I said I would write about the concert, so here I go.

Becky and I drove to the Staples Center. We were rather anti for a while, because Dave is someone that should be seen outdoors. I have never seen him indoors - ever. Twice at Verizon Wireless, twice at Home Depot Center, and once at the Gorge in Washington State - ROAD TRIP! AMAZING!! :)

But it actually turned out really well. Since LeRoi had died that day, the entire concert was dedicated to him. They played a lot of his favorite songs to honor his memory. Now, if you haven't seen Dave before, you must know that they don't just play their "hits" at their performances. They don't really have "hits" - at least not with their fans. Everything is good. (I like to say that bad DMB songs are better than many groups' "good" songs!) So everything is fair game - they will play everything and anything. Sometimes you'll get a good set list, and sometimes not. It all depends. Last year at the Gorge it was very mellow, very chill. Fine, but not amazing.

Last night, they played all this stuff that they don't usually play - at least not together. For those of you who know their stuff, they played: Ants Marching, Two Step, The Dreaming Tree, Crash Into Me, Everyday, Grey Street, Bartender, Proudest Monkey, and my personal favorite DMB song ever, Dancing Nancies. (Dan and Becky said I totally flipped when they started playing it. True. I did.)

They also played "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel and "Burning Down the House" by the Talking Heads. Random! That was really fun. The concert was really enhanced by Tim Reynolds, an amazing guitarist who used to play with DMB during the earlier years. (He stopped at Everyday, which is a big turning point album for the band.) So much fun! They of course played some stuff we didn't recognize as well - new songs, stuff from Dave's solo album, etc.

It was a very touching and moving performance. I think it was honestly the best Dave concert I have ever seen - and I have seen him 5 times! Amazing. We will definitely miss LeRoi. No idea whether they will continue to tour, or what. We Dave fans pray that is not the case.

(BTW, that's me and Becky in our "oversmile" pose.) :)

R.I.P. LeRoi Moore

2008-08-20T00:25:00.000-07:00

Dave Matthews Band's saxophone player, LeRoi Moore, died today. The band still played a concert (which I will write about in a later post). This is a (pretty bad quality) video from the concert I saw last year at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington. You can hear LeRoi on it. I thought it was a fitting (if bad quality picture-wise) tribute. You will be missed, LeRoi.

Girlfriends

2008-08-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know that girlfriends are the new thing - or the old thing - or the current thing - or something. I mean that everyone has already commented on how great they are, and how we all love them. Thanks Carrie Bradshaw. Way to take our thunder. :) People have all weighed in on what they think of having girlfriends. But what's the point of a blog if not posting your own thoughts on topics - fresh and worn out?

In college, I dated a guy for quite a while (3.5 years). When we broke up, all of a sudden, I rediscovered what it meant to have girlfriends again. (I had done the lame thing of ignoring my friends for the guy I was dating - something I hope to not repeat, at least to that extent!). I was in this amazing Bible study where we bonded, watched goofy movies, ate (A LOT), laughed, cried, and did all sorts of stuff. 4 of these girls got married right after college - it was a crazy year! :) But we stay in touch, and it is so amazing.

Tonight, I got to go out with 10 girls to dinner and a movie. (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - not as good as the first, but cute, nonetheless.) It was so much fun! Lots of laughter and conversation ranging from how cute we thought the actors were, to synchronized swimming, to shootings apparently happening outside of a girl's house, to (of course) wedding talk, as one of the girls is getting hitched Friday. To top it off, I met up with one the girls. We went into Old Navy, and found this pair of shoes for $8.50. No joke! Such cute shoes - and they were slightly damaged, so I got them for $6! But I wouldnt' have bought them if not for the awesome encouragement from my friend. Thanks Dani - I love the new shoes!

Guys don't have the same relationships we do. Gotta be honest- I think they're missing out. I mean, I'm sure hanging out and watching sports all the time is great. But I would rather hang with my girlfriends and discuss real life anyday.

Girls rule. :)

Back in Southern California!

2008-08-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hello hello!

I can't believe I am back in Southern California for 10 months. I keep feeling like tomorrow I will go back to that freezing classroom at 8am and sit and listen to research methods, or watch a bizarre skit about teaching music that we all come with (that are all hilarious, btw), or perhaps listen to a Mozart concerto and try to identify where the Second Tonal Area begins. But alas! I am not! I am back in the real world, where not everyone is obsessed with music and not everyone understands what I do, exactly.

Not that that's a bad thing. This week I have gotten to catch up with old and new friends, and have a great time at an Angels game, at Fuel, and even at a party at my house. I've gotten lots of great hugs (which I was deprived of in Michigan - not on purpose, mind you - it's just people may not have been comfortable hugging me yet.) :) I love hugs! :)

Of course, it's beautiful weather here. The same everyday - standard sunny, kind of hot, but not too bad. I went to the beach yesterday and worked on my non-existant tan, while my perpetually tan friend Becky worked on maintaining hers. It is GLORIOUS to sleep in my own bed. And have my own bathroom. And eat normal(ish) food. And see my trainer again. And (gasp! yikes!) go back to playing the violin, which I really haven't practiced since June.

I do miss Michigan though. Maybe I'll have to visit in the dead of winter, so I can see just what I'm NOT missing by living in CA. I miss my friends! You should all come visit me! :)

Nothing much else going on in the life of Liz - at least nothing that's fit to print. ;) I will continue to write on this. No guarantees that it will be interesting. :)

Gladness and Sadness

2008-08-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

So! Today I had my last class of my first summer of grad school. It was fine - nothing too exciting, just listened to presentions. Not like yesterday, when my philosophy class went to Starbucks to talk about how our views about teaching have changed! :)(Becky said, "I should be a teacher!" Or maybe a grad student...)

So I'm done! Woohoo! So exciting! The other day I talked to a professor that I had at the beginning of the summer. She asked me, "So have you enjoyed your summer here?" I thought for a split second, and then said, "I LOVED IT."

It's true - I have loved my time here. It's beautiful, the people are nice, and I have learned so much. True, there were some hard times. The workload was rather intense, and there were several times (especially at the beginning, on the weekends) when I was really lonely and homesick. But I grew, and made some great friends, and feel great about the experience! I am really looking forward to coming back next summer!

About those great friends...I have to leave them! :( That really bums me out. I've met some incredible people while I've been here. I don't want to say goodbye to them! Thankfully, the ones I really love will be back with me next summer. And we're going to stay in touch with Facebook, not to mention blogging and that old antique, the phone. :) But it's a bummer - I want to bring them back to CA with me! Maybe I'll move...haha, j/k...

I come home on Sunday! So excited! I arrive at 2 or so, so your prayers for a safe flight are very much appreciated. :) Looking forward to seeing all of you again!
Love you!

Some thoughts about teaching

2008-08-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is partly for me, and partly for you all out there in cyberspace. If you are not a teacher, or a musician, it may not make sense. But I want to write it down, and this seems as good a place as any.

Improvisation - teach it in my classroom! Allowing students to make up their own melodies and experiment with their instrument is rather scary to think about. But at the same time, it is so freeing to realize that I don't have to teach in the traditional way. I don't have to go to festival all the time, and worry about having a huge ensemble. What a freeing idea!!!

What if we ask the students what they want to learn? GASP! In music, we are free to do that - we are not getting tested like all the other subjects. (yet - cross your fingers, America, that that doesn't happen.) What if instead of preparing for festival the middle three months of the year, I ask them what they want to learn about, and then teach it to them? What if I teach a composition unit? Do I know how to compose? Not really, no. But I could research it, and figure out some strategies, and see what happens. What would the students think about that?

Is it really that important that my band is big? No, I don't think so. I think it's more important that I show them music - in as many ways as possible. I mean, I adore music - shouldn't I be helping them to do that, in whatever way it takes?

Big thoughts for a big subject. This school year should be interesting. :)

People are nice!

2008-08-05T17:56:00.001-07:00

I gotta say, I have been very impressed with the people here in Michigan. (Go Michiganders!) I thought I'd write out some of the stuff people have done for me while I'm here.

-taken me on a tour of Lansing and its suburbs
-taken me to UPS
-taken me to class
-taken me to the grocery store
-offered to take me to the airport (saving me $150 on a cab)
(notice the "taken me" theme? yeah. that's what happens when you don't have a car.)
-bought me food (multiple times, multiple people)
-let me stay at their house
-given me a tour of the dorm
-introduced me to the finer things in life...haha
-let me use their air conditioning
-let me rant and rave when things are crazy (either actually crazy, or just in my head crazy - thanks Angela!)

God has been using so many people to bless me while I'm here! It is awesome!

Thanks Michiganders - I love you all!

Liz

I love books!

2008-08-03T07:23:00.001-07:00

I love books and reading! I stole this from Wrangler Dani, and I think it's amazing. Currently I'm reading Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle - it's about being a Christian artist. So great!

Key
1) Bold the books you have already read
2) Italicize the books you intend to read
3) Yeah, I agree with Dani - I should read all of these.
***********************

1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
3) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
5) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6) The Bible
7) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8 ) Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
9) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
10) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
11) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
12) Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
13) Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
14) Complete Works of Shakespeare (some of them - so, I guess not?)
15) Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
16) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
17) Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
18 ) Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
19) The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
20) Middlemarch by George Eliot
21) Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
22) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
23) Bleak House by Charles Dickens
24) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
25) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
26) Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
27) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 ) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
29) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
30) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
31) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
32) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
33) Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
34) Emma by Jane Austen
35) Persuasion by Jane Austen
36) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
37) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
38 ) Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
39) Memories of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
40) Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
41) Animal Farm by George Orwell
42) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
43) One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44) A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
45) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
46) Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
47) Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
48 ) The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
49) Lord of the Flies by William Golding
50) Atonement by Ian McEwan
51) Life of Pi by Yann Martel
52) Dune by Frank Herbert
53) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
54) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
55) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
56) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57) A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
58 ) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
59) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
60) Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
62) Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
63) The Secret History by Donna Tartt
64) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
65) Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
66) On The Road by Jack Kerouac
67) Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
68 ) Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
69) Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
70) Moby Dick by Herman Melville
71) Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
72) Dracula by Bram Stoker
73) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
74) Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
75) Ulysses by James Joyce
76) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
77) Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
78 ) Germinal by Emile Zola
79) Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
80) Possession by AS Byatt
81) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
82) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
83) The Color Purple by Alice Walker
84) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
85) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
86) A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
87) Charlotte’s Web by EB White
88 ) The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
89) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90) The Faraway Tree Collection by Enid Blyton
91) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
92) The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93) The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
94) Watership Down by Richard Adams
95) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
96) A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
97) The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 ) Hamlet by William Shakespeare
99) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
100) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Total: 40

Yeah, Mitch Albom? Not so much. What about Da Vinci code? Surely that's on there only because it is/was controversial. We'll see if people are still reading that in 100 years.

Okay, I should work on my paper now.

Some thoughts about Owen

2008-07-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

First of all - wow! 10 more days and then I'm done! Technically, I have a ton of work to do. True. But I am sort of taking the night off to relax some. I think it'll help me sleep more. :) And tomorrow I'm going to go get a pedicure and watch Dark Knight, cause I still haven't seen it yet. I'll finish my work, I promise!

In the meantime, I thought I'd tell you about my dorm.

I don't know how many of you have stayed in a dorm before. In my undergrad, I actually had a triple my first year, with bathrooms down the hall. Yeah. Not so great, to be sure. Owen (my dorm) is better. I have a single, and I share a bathroom with my suitemate, Nicole, who's really nice. The room is sizable, and I even have a chest of drawers, which is FANTASTIC. I love not having things in boxes all the time.

One of the first things I noticed about Owen was that they had these signs everywhere that said, "Reverse Osmosis Machine." I thought, "What? You're joking." Seriously - doesn't it sound like a joke? Yeah, I thought so too. But apparently it's this amazing water filter system that makes the tap water taste like bottled water. I use it everyday. It's weird, but hey, awesome, whatever.

The cafeteria serves okay food. Their Mexican is not so hot - for some reason, everything always tastes a little sweet. But what is hilarious is that there is constantly music playing. Music from the late 90s. Seriously. I have heard Hanson, Mariah Carey, Savage Garden, Spice Girls, Jewel, Hootie...all multiple times. They've also played more random bands like Primite Radio Gods and...some other stuff. It's fun, it's nostalgic - it's very random. :)

Okay, I think that's all. This next week I have 2 big papers and a final. Nothing really exciting this weekend - mostly work. Should be amazing. Keep me in your prayers!

10 days! See you soon!!!

My weekend

2008-07-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, I had a super super time at my friend Angela's house this weekend! She blogged about it!

http://angsblogattempt.blogspot.com/2008/07/im-lizzing-my-bed.html

I got to experience what it's like to have kids. And may I say, wow, I had no idea it was so much work. A 2 year old being potty trained and a 4 month old? That is intense! :) But at the same time, while we (mostly Angela, I did a lot of sitting on the couch) were running around, I was having a blast. What adorable cute kids! They are so fun! (I definitely want kids. Just not right now.) :)

Angela and his husband were such great hosts too - I had amazing meals with Greek and Indian food, and I got to relax and laugh. We talked about politics too, which was fun - actually more fun than it usually is! :) They took me to church on Sunday. It was so nice to get out of my dorm and relax in a real house with couches and normal food. Thanks so much Angela - I'm so blessed to have made a friend like you here in Michigan!

In other news, things are insane. I will try to keep posting - I really haven't told you all about my dorm life here. But it's insane. So bear with me if I don't post for 7 days, like I did this past weekend. I'm trying!

Miss you all!

Country Music

2008-07-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

In my research for my 15-20 page paper (on improvisation in middle school band and orchestra), I came across this paragraph:

"Disguised as a study on video dating, Zillmann and Bhatia (1989) exposed students of the opposite gender to tapes that showed male or female models who introduced themselves and then, among other things, confessed to love either classical, country, soft rock, or heavy metal music. In a control condition, no mention was made of a musical preference. Preference confession was found to exert considerable influence on the perception of the models. In the eyes of men, women who confessed to love classical music became more sophisticated, those who confessed to love heavy metal less so. In the eyes of women, men confessing to love classical music or heavy metal neither gained nor lost sophistication. They became less sophisticated, however, when confessing to love country music. Romantic attraction to the models was also influenced by the exhibition of musical taste. Allegiance with country music proved detrimental to the appeal of both men and women." (173-174, The Social Psychology of Music)

I rest my case.

Liz does not equal smooth

2008-07-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

I am not smooth. I have never CLAIMED to be smooth. What do you mean, you ask? Well.

I'm the girl who runs into tables and knocks things over. I'm the girl who spills stuff on her shirt. I'm the girl who, when trying to be "smooth" around a guy who had just dumped her, managed to spill coffee all over someone ELSE. Yeah. I know. Impressive, huh?

Why bring this up, you ask?

Well, today a new chapter in the smoothness of Liz came into being.

Today, I went to class with two different shoes on.

Granted, the shoes do look remarkably similar:

http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/saucony_training_shoe.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/somebear/2340708720/

But the best part is that I had a presentation today, so I dressed extra carefully with a new shirt, earrings, the whole works. I did my presentation (for an hour and a half) with my friend Angela, walking around, la dee da. Then I took a break, and looked down, and gasp! Two different shoes. Seriously. It's a little sad. Gotta be honest. Although I am very grateful I did not do that at school - I would never hear the end of it from my students. I got teased enough after I ran into a tree branch last year and ended up with a big scab on my forehead.

On the plus side, I got a 52 out of 50 on my theory midterm. I sang songs in German AND Latin today. Does that make me smooth?

No? Just nerdy.

I can live with that.

4 down, 3 to go!!!!

2008-07-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, can you believe it? I have officially been here for a month. A MONTH!!! That's insane. I have spent a month of my life living in a different state. No, it's not a huge thing. But yet it is. And I think I should celebrate it. Don't you? Maybe I'll buy myself some ice cream later. (that's a problem - so often my rewards involve food!) :)

But I would like to recognize my month o'Michigan with a list of stuff that I've done since I've been here. Some are insignificant. Some are bigger. (I'm also trying to avoid working on my research paper, because hey, who wants to do that?) They are not ranked - or even in chronological order. They're just as things come into my head. So, hopefully you enjoy. If not, hey, not really my problem. :)

1. did all the stuff to get here by myself - getting my 70 lb. suitcase, finding a taxi, paying the taxi, checking into my room, setting up my room, etc.
2. carried a printer from the computer store to my dorm (and got honked at in the process)
3. saw fireworks in the capital of Michigan - off a river!
4. listened to a pretty good community college band (and I have experience with bad ones, let me tell you)
5. went to a minor league baseball game
6. ate vegetables with almost every meal
7. got taken out to eat a lot, by very nice Michiganders
8. learned how to show where East Lansing is on my hand
9. REALLY appreciated driving
10. had an adventure getting to a church that I never found...walking past sketchy trailers with people staring at me...
11. stayed constant with my quiet time
12. gotten a phone call EVERY DAY from people back at home - you guys are amazing!!!
13. started actually calling people from here too (thanks Becky ;) )
14. used a laptop for the first time
15. discovered Heroes on Netflix
16. improvised on an instrument that wasn't my main instrument
17. practiced clarinet - for fun.
18. played a carillon (and heard a great concert!)
19. walked in the rain in short sleeves
20. visited 2 different churches and a Bible study by myself
21. got a new passion and excitement to teach improvisation
22. encouraged people who were thousands of miles away
23. bought clothes in another state!!!!!!
24. saw the moon through a telescope
25. gone to the gym 3 times a week for 3 of the 4 weeks (ha!)
26. saw 3 new movies
27. made some new friends!!!
28. went to a barbeque by myself
29. seriously racked up the phone minutes

and...
30. missed all of you - a lot.

There are probably things I have missed in here. Many of you know might know what they are. I am currently fried in the brain, so I'm having trouble remembering. I was sort of hoping for a "wow! I didn't know Liz did that!" list. But most of these I think I already talked about. Oh well. It's good for me, anyway!

Now for laundry and research. Should be an exciting afternoon. Miss you all!!!

Lots of work!

2008-07-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, still have lots to do. Many pages of papers to write. I have found some sources for that 15-18 source paper, so that's good, right? :)

I also went shopping today, and bought stuff. Some new shirts and a bathing suit, woohoo!

And I saw Mammia Mia. It's really cute! However, I don't like what they did with the Colin Firth character. He will always be Mr. Darcy to me.

That's really it. Nothing too exciting. Sorry, Southern California. I miss you a lot!!!

Too much work!

2008-07-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

So, apparently I'm in grad school. The first 2 (3) weeks were pretty low key - not much work, which made for some boring times. :( But now, all of a sudden, I have a ton of work to do. Research paper with 15-18 sources, philosophy of music ed paper (10-12 pages), presentation for 3 hours next week...plus all the little reading and writing stuff on top.

Woohoo! Liz is busy!!

On the plus side, it's raining again. I love the rain!

Miss you all back at home. Hope things are awesome.

Breaking News

2008-07-15T18:52:00.001-07:00

There is a Pita Pit in East Lansing.

Plan your trip now.

Thanks for the prayers!

2008-07-14T19:07:00.001-07:00

So, things, as of right now, are looking up. :) Yay! Sort of a rough morning - I do find it hard to make friends sometimes. But! But! This weekend I got to go to a barbeque at a friend's house from my music theory class (uh, what an ugly sentence). That was really fun - met some more people, laughed a lot...and they even offered to give me a bike! Sweet! The hikes will no longer be so long!

And this evening, I went to a post-graduate Bible study! YAY! Everyone there (all girls) was really nice. We just kind of hung out, ate brownies (yum!), talked. But they were really friendly. It felt so good to be with people who share my beliefs. So I think I'm going to go to that - and I begged them to invite me places, so that should bode well for my social calendar while in Michigan. :)

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement and prayers while I am away! I miss you so much - you are making a difference in my life!

Superior?

2008-07-13T11:29:00.001-07:00

So which is better, California or Michigan? Here are some reasons for both (at least based on my own limited experiences):

In Michigan:

Gas price - $4.04 a gallon. No joke.
Weather - they have it.
Less people.
A great public transportation system (as long as you know where you're going - and you know
there's a story there!)

In California:

Weather - we don't have it, but at least it's the same all the time. Good? Not sure.
Lots of fun things to do all the time.
Liz has her car.
The people!

Huh. I must be tired. Can't think of anything else for either right now. I must go read. Have a great day!

Midwest Slang, Part II

2008-07-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, this isn't slang, but it is unique to Michigan.

For those of you who don't know your geography (like me), the state of Michigan is shaped like a hand. (Go check out a map and see for yourself!)

People here, when asked where they're from, will hold up their left hand and point to it. No joke - I've seen people do it. They even joke about it, like "Then there's this person from the thumb who showed up..."

I don't know how we would do this with California. Our whole bodies would have to be the state! "I'm from the knees..."

Bizarre.

What is practicing?

2008-07-11T11:41:00.001-07:00

So, I kind of view this blog as "thoughts from the mind of Liz." Much of my mind is taken up with music stuff. Since most of the people I hang out with now are not musicians, I sort of see this as a place where I can explain the inner workings of a musician. Interesting? I think so. You may not. That's cool - go read someone else's blog. :)

Practicing. If you have not played an instrument, you may not be familiar with this very unique task of musicians. Practicing involves locking yourself in a room and staying there, for an extended period of time. While in that room, you work on things on your instrument (or voice, I'm not being exclusive here) that need to be fixed. You may play two or three measures (aka short bits) of music over and over with this awesome tool called a metronome, which taps out a speed for you. Slowly you speed up the passage until you can execute it with ease and confidence. You may work on scales or patterns to familiarize yourself with a particular key, like C# major. You may aurally (using your ears) transcribe a solo from a famous jazz piece to your own instrument. You may pound the piano and test yourself on intervals (see earlier post in June). But the point is, you're locked in a room, by yourself. For a long time.

During college, I ranged in practice time from 1 hour to 4 hours. (Yes, I really did have a term when I practiced for four hours a day. I was AMAZING!) The practice rooms were located in the basement of Schoenberg Music Building, all really close to each other. This allowed for some social interaction to happen. People were always going into each other's practice rooms bothering each other. Many a good conversation was had over a piano, while your instrument gathered dust in the corner. So, we made it social, even though it wasn't, really.

One of my favorite things about practicing at UCLA (and at any music school in general, really) is walking around the halls of the rooms. You can hear all sorts of music going on all around you. For example, this morning after I practiced my violin, I heard a VERY loud baritone singer practicing intervals with fairly good accuracy. I also heard someone playing one of my favorite Bach Inventions on a piano. At UCLA there was a period where EVERY piano player was learning "Rhapsody in Blue." That was neat - it's a great piece anyways, so to be surrounded by it was really fun. Other people had practice routines that never varied. One guy named Axel Schmidt (from Europe) had this same routine he did every day. For some reason we were always next to each other in rooms. So I was very used to him - and he probably got used to my long tones with crescendos and decrescendos.

Okay, I'm done! Thought I would write about it. It may be useful to you, or not. Whatever. I am going to the gym now. Have a great day!

Love you all!

Liz

Bats in the Belfry

2008-07-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

So today was an adventure. I mean besides classes, reading, the gym, dinner, lunch, etc. I got to go to a carillon concert!

I know, what's a carillon? Basically, it's an instrument in bell towers that plays songs. It's set up like a piano (with keys set above the "white" keys like the black keys on a keyboard, but they're all made of wood), with foot pedals like an organ. MSU has one, and every day at noon someone plays a solo on it. And for the entire summer, they have guest carilloners come and play recitals. So I went!

I sat out on the lawn on a towel (cause I don't have a blanket, ha). There were actually a lot of people there, scattered about on lawn chairs, blankets, and some just on the grass. The performer played a lot of great stuff. He started with Handel's Royal Fireworks Suite (which I played in an orchestra in high school) - so fun! My students even played a movement of that this year! He also played some Irish and English folk songs like "Morning Has Broken" and even the Habanera from Carmen! Wow!

Afterwards, we got to climb up inside Beaumont tower, where the carillon is located.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont_Tower

There another guy demonstrated the carillon for us. It was so cool! You hit the wooden keys with your closed fists, really bizarre. Then he let people play it! I got to play it! He had sheet music, so I picked "Simple Gifts" in Bb and went off. It was fun! Afterwards this lady complimented me on my playing. She thought I had done it before. (guess my 9 years of piano lessons paid off, huh?) I also got to look at the bells that make up the instrument. Some of them weigh 2.5 TONS! Really cool. I also talked to the guy who performed. He was nice - asked me about the fires in CA after I told him where I was from. He also said he had callouses on the sides of his hands. Is that weirder than my thumb callous? You tell me.

Hopefully, when I get back, I will post videos and pictures and all sorts of stuff. That way you can get an idea of what's been going on.

Love you all!

BTW, Beaumont Tower is "the" main building on campus - like Royce Hall at UCLA. It's pretty cool. And it's right next to the music building, which makes it especially awesome!

P.S.

2008-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

My hair here is a lot bigger than at home, because of the humidity. That's impressive, because I have a lot of hair at home too - but here it's much more expanded. Good thing? Not sure...

Michigan Weather (Part I?)

2008-07-08T10:30:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

What's up? I thought I would discuss the weather in Michigan. Not sure I should be writing this now, after only 2+ weeks here, but hey, I'm going to do it anyway.

So far in Michigan, I have experienced 2 big rainstorms, 1 day of just raining in the morning, some rather cold weather, some really hot weather, and some beautiful weather. What a variety! In California, the forecast for the past two weeks has been hot. (I am guessing a little here. But I don't think I have too much chance of being wrong.) Instead of the exciting variations I have gone through, I could have experienced 2 weeks of sunny weather. Blah.

Having been raised in SoCal, I am used to sunny weather. We get it for what, 40 weeks of the year? To be honest, I'm a little tired of it. I like the variety I'm getting here! Of course, having only lived in SoCal, I am not exactly experienced in the ways of crazy, true Michigan weather. I have had numerous people tell me that if/when I experienced true craziness, I would repent and gladly come back to CA, rejoicing in the 70 degree sunshine. But to be honest - at this point...I like it here! Variety is the spice of life, right? And even if I fear change in my own life, I can handle different weather. I LOVED scraping (sp? scrapping? that's not right...) the windshield when I was here in February! I know, Liz is insane.

Don't worry, I miss CA. Mostly for the people. Not the weather.

BTW, if I change my mind about the weather here, you'll hear about it. :)

Cell phones

2008-07-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I was going to go over my minutes in my plan. Obviously, I've been talking on the phone a LOT more these past two weeks - at least an hour a day or so. With my wimpy 450 minutes a month plan, I was concerned - only 75 minutes left for 5 more days? Lame!

But, I called Verizon. And I have 1500 bonus minutes for resigning. They last for 2years. Sweet! :)

God is good - all the time.

Fourth of July in Michigan!

2008-07-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Hopefully, you've all had a safe and enjoyable 4th wherever you may be. Thought I would tell you what happened here, in the Midwest.

Woke up early, did some quiet time and then organized my finances. God is good, I still have money left over from last month despite all the spending I had to do to prepare for this trip! Hallelujah! Hung out, and watched episodes of Heroes on my computer. Decided I should check out the show a couple of days ago. It's kind of scary, but good - I like it so far. :)

Then I went to a free bbq that my dorm (Owen) was putting on. I had made a resolution to myself that I would go up and introduce myself to people - "put myself out there," so to speak. So I did. I ended up meeting a bunch of physics undergrads who are here for a research summer program. (Can you imagine doing a summer program where you do research in physics the whole time? Blech!) But they were really nice, and a group of girls was going to the pool. So I went along.

And got my first really bad sunburn of the season. It will not be the last.

I like these girls - they're really nice, funny. They're young (21 or so), but I can handle it. One of them, Shawna, is my age, even though she's an undergrad too. So that's nice.

In the evening the 5 girls (Shawna, Amy, Anna, Holly, and me) took a taxi (called Big Daddy Taxi - no joke) to Lansing. It's the capitol of Michigan. MSU is located in a suburb of Lansing, called East Lansing. Wow. We sat in a park and played cards while listening to the community band play patriotic songs. It was so Americana it was funny. Saw the fireworks. Pretty good stuff. Lots of pretty lights and loud noises.

What is funny about Michigan is that after the big show was done, people are still shooting things off. All over the place. So you could look in pretty much any direction and see sparklers, or even big fireworks going off. We saw one guy put a pretty big firework in a coke can. Not sure that was the safest thing, but hey. We walked a while, and took a cab back.

I decided to call it a night after that - I'm tired! Plus I have homework to do. Not right now, but hey. Tomorrow.

So that you for your prayers! I have a group of people to hang out with! Tomorrow night we're going to a Lugnuts game - it's the farm team for the Toronto Bluejays. Should be entertaining!

Love you all! Talk to you soon!

Spiritual Warfare

2008-07-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

(in the life for Liz...for Dani) :)

So we all know that spiritual warfare is a huge part of our Christian walk. Satan is constantly trying to get us down, take us out, make us ineffective as Christians. What does he like to do? What is his modus operandi (or M.O., for you military people)?

First, he gets us alone.

Then, he takes us out.

So...right now, I'm basically alone, people wise. Not really, because I am slowly making acquaintances (sp?) and friends here in the music building. But in terms of having people around me who REALLY KNOW ME, who know my struggles, my lies, whatever, and who support me in my life - I'm basically alone here. How the heck did you do this, Becky?

Today, I was practicing my violin. Nothing too special, just the stuff from my violin lessons at home. And I started hearing in my head (disguised as my own voice, of course), "What are you thinking? You can't teach jazz! You're a classical musician! It'll be too hard - best to just stick to what you know."

I recognized this for what it was, and said, "Well, yes, it's going to be hard, and yes, it's going to stretch me, but it will help me grow as a teacher and a musician. I think the kids are really going to enjoy it. I'm going to do it."

Seeing that THAT route didn't work, Satan tried something else. "Man, it's hard, huh? This is basically a commuter school for masters students. You're not going to make any friends here. Even the people you walked to class with aren't really interested in hanging out with you. They didn't even want to go to that concert with you tonight. What are you going to do for 4th of July? Hang out by yourself and watch fireworks? You're lame."

At which point I said, "Yes, it's difficult to make friends here. Yes, it's going to take some time. No, I don't know what I'm going to do for 4th of July. But that doesn't mean I am not valuable, worthwhile, or interesting! I am a great awesome person, and I can make friends. I just need to find the right venue."

And I also said, "God, help!"

So, if you can, please pray for me. Satan has got me alone, and he wants to take me out. Little does he know that I have been able to encourage people in SoCal even though I'm in a different state! (actually he does know this. Probably why he's stepping up.)

I'm off to read, eat lunch, and read some more. Maybe go to the gym. We'll see. :)

Love you all!

awww....

2008-07-01T18:29:00.001-07:00

Liz misses her friends! Today was the first day that I wanted to go back to California. I don't really miss the place - actually, the weather today was basically SoCal weather. Hot, dry, blech. But I really miss my friends! (not that I didn't miss you before, of course!) So - wanted you to know - you're in my thoughts.

Community here is a bit hard to come by. Coming off of Fuel, it seems very odd not to have a ton of people around me, ready to have all sorts of adventures. So, if you would, please pray for me, that I can get connected to community. A church would be awesome. Or the music major community. (that one is hard - lots of people driving from other parts of Michigan to take these classes - not a lot of people staying on campus, actually.) I really appreciate your prayers.

And of course, you can let me know how I can pray for you! My email is lizthomson82@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you.

I miss you all!