Beinvenue au Monde d'Annie!

To Buy or not to buy. Or to buy.

2011-04-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the time of the semester when necessary purchases to benefit the career must be made. I like to pretend that I'm rediculously wealthy when making such purchases.

What? I need something else? No problem. I don't even need to look at the price tag.

Why, yes, you may call me Miss Moneybags.

Which one, which one? I need an mp3 recorder to record my lessons, recitals, etc.... Any words of wisdom from the masses?

The most disgruntled.....

2011-04-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

(Do let me preface this post by saying that I actually am a really nice person... I am...)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I always take the utmost care when parallel parking.

I never hit the bumpers around me.

I don't want to damage my own car or other's cars.

Today, I expertly parked in a small space between a new Corolla, and a new Lexus, and went to class.

I came out to find that some jerk has parked INTO my bumper, leaving me absolutely no way to get out of my space. I've got about 8 inches in front of me.

I'm in a two-hour parking spot.

I could get a ticket if I stay here.

I have class in an hour and 10 minutes.

I would just go and get lunch, but it I leave and then he moves his car and my bumper is dented, I will not be happy...

This guy had better come move his car and better have a good reason for leaving his car so obviously touching my bumper.

My bumper had better not be dented in...

Spirit come.... spirit come.... Annie, be a nice person... be a nice person.... be stuck in your car but be a nice person.....

Inspiration

2011-04-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

Inspiration pour vous aujourd'hui! Appréciez! Ou peut-être juste inspiration pour moi... J'aime Renee...

Beim Schlafengehen

Just for funsies

2011-04-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

Time to compare and contrast.

I shall be a diva now and give my own brutal and biased, yet educated opinion.

Without using my words.

The Song: "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi

The Competitors: Renee Fleming, Sarah Brightman, and America's Got Talent's Jackie Evancho.

By observing the body language, sound, and shapes of the mouth, and facial expressions, you should be able to tell which is the superior singer, and which one Jackie Evancho is trying to be. I hope someone rescues that little girl before it's too late.

Wait, I said I wasn't gonna use my words....

(WHAT is with the arms?!?!?!)

All my Devotion was Emotion

2011-04-07T07:49:00.001-07:00

I really like this poet.

Psalm 139

2011-04-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

Oh, Lord, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You understand my thoughts from afar.

You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

Even before there is a word on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, You know it all.

You have enclosed me behind and before,

and laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there.

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn,

if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

even there Your hand will lead me,

and You right hand will lay hold of me.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,

and the light around me will be night,"

even the darkness is not dark to You,

and the night is as bright as the day.

Darkness and light are alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

and my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

when I was made in secret,

and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

and in Your book were all written the days

that were ordained for me,

when as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

If I should count the, they would outnumber the sand.

When I awake, I am still with You.

O that You would slay the wicked, O God;

depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.

For they speak against You wickedly,

and Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

I hate them with the utmost hatred;

they have become my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

and see if there be any hurtful way in me,

and lead me in the everlasting way.

Amen.

My marbles.....

2011-01-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

... I'm losing them....

It happens most Sunday's that, while in church as the sermon starts, my mind starts going crazy with things that I need to do. So I've started jotting down a quick list of "To Do's" as the sermon starts, and sticking the paper in my purse so I don't have to think about them till after the service is over. And as little things jump in my head to distract me, I just quickly write them down so I can address them later and free my brain of them. I am just so spiritual like that, you know.

Well, something popped into my head yesterday right off the bat, as the sermon started, so I wrote it down. But the thing is: I have no idea what that thing is.

"- E-mail Hannah"

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, I would have to know a Hannah closely enough to have her e-mail, which I don't. Off my head right now, I only know 2 Hannahs, neither of which do I need to e-mail, or even make contact of any kind....

So not only am I losing my mind, but this is going to drive me crazy until I figure out who Hannah is.

Hannah, if you're reading this, and you're thinking, "Annie you dumb girl, it's me, and thanks a lot for remembering me," at least you can know that I had every intention of e-mailing you yesterday at about 11:15 am.

The Big Break

2011-01-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Hello world.

Guess what?

I'm officially logged out of facebook for the remainder of January.

It might kill me.

But, by golly, I'm gonna do it.

So here's to chats with good friends face to face,

being uber productive and purposeful with my time,

and living real life to the fullest today,

and at least for a month.

Who knows,

maybe I'll like living away from the cyber world enough to pick up a new hobby or 8,

make a few new friends,

learn about 4 hours worth of music,

make a dent in that reading list of mine....

the list goes on and on.

Oh yeah,

but to compensate for the dejectedness that I will undoubtedly feel,

I shall keep up my blog a bit more,

and let you know how I'm getting on.

Tout d'Amour!

Annie :)

Long Absence

2010-11-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hello world!

I have been away from you for far too long, it seems. SO much has happened in my life since mid-May; too much to tell right now, but I'll just give a few highlights real quick-like. Here goes:

June-July I went to Peru on a missions/humanitarian aid trip with my Church called The Light here in Baltimore. We went 15 hours boat ride up the Amazon to a small village, where we stayed a few days, dug a well, and got to know the people. We also got stuck in that village because the 28 surrounding villages decided to rope off the river and not let anyone in our out as a way of striking against a larger oil company. Us in our boat + Them in little boats with guns= HIGHLY exciting. I also went on a 5 day mountain hike to Macchu Piccu with my friends Marie and Mark, which was greatly rewarding. Gorgeous views. Altitude Sickness. Pressing on. Wonderful.

On The Amazon At Sunrise:

Strikers With Guns Patrolling the Barrier:

My God-daughter! Sheyla-Estrella

Baptisms In The Amazon:

Neighbors Passing By In Their Boat:

Enjoying The Amazon In The Rain:

Mark enjoying the view before we began our 5 mile afternoon trek of the first day of hiking:

Our View The Morning of Trek Day 2:

Marie and I after reaching our summit of more than 15,200'!!!

Definitely the scariest moment of the trip- crossing over rapids at least 50' in the air, on unstable boards... terrifying. And yet, still invigorating.

Whew! Made it!

Me And Marie :)

A'crossin' a bridge:

Overlooking Macchu Piccu :) Amazing that I got to see one of the Wonders of the World!!!

Caroline came to visit me in my new house with Sawyerand got fancy with the picture taking for the next few pics. At Starbucks enjoying my drug of choice:

Sweet baby nephew:)

Me in a door frame... obviously...:

Sawyer and I in front of my house, a.k.a. "The Manor"

Rachael and I while waiting in the E.R. till 4 am with our friend Mark who was very ill. He's fine and dandy now, but that crazy, scary weekend made me more thankful and grateful for my Baltimore family than ever :)

I went camping with Emily and Rachael (roommates) I think I was singing "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" while collecting firewood...

The Roomies gettin' fancy with the camera while starting the campfire:

I got fancy and made us dinner one night. Yummo. Yes, this is how girls go camping. In style :)

That's all for now! Life is good. Opera rehearsals are many, busy and great, and Baltimore is cold. ha.

Love you all! It's nice to be back :)

Annie

Heat Wave

2010-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

So you know how,

when you've been baking and left something in the oven for a while,

you open the oven door and that burst of heat hits your face?

I usually don't mind it, since it's nice and warm.

But, after almost a year of living here,

and using this oven,

I never remember that because the oven's so low,

and I have to bend over to open it,

the burst of heat is quite hot,

and nearly always scorches my eyebrows off.

Well, tonight I forgot that little tidbit of info again.

So as I leaned in to save my burning bunsies,

still wearing all my tons of make-up

and diamondy earrings from my afternoon singing engagement,

the blast of heat hit me in the face,

I shut my eyes tight and

felt my over-mascara-ed eyelashes curl together,

melting in the heat,

making it hard to open my eyes again....

Seriously the funniest thing that's happened to me in a long while.

My neighbors probably think I'm nutso,

but hey,

when you've gotta laugh loud, you've gotta laugh loud.

Even if you're the only one in the room.

Which I do frequently.

And since I'm on a mature rant:

"I'm an angel..."

"...sent by God."

Oh Roma Downey, how you changed our lives.

Bon nuit, mes amours.

P.S. I'm officially done with my first year of grad school!

Fin, as the frenchies say.

I can't believe this year's flown by so fast.

Done. Almost.

2010-05-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

So I've finally finished up all classes and finals for my first year of grad school! How CRAZY is that?!?!? This year just flew. Now all I have left to do is polish up my ten pieces for my jury next Wednesday. Just one more week......

i'm going home for a visit on Kohen's birthday! I'll finally get to meet little Judah! I can't wait! Check out these pictures of my little boys- they could be twins!

Kohen at 1 mo. old:

Judah at 1 mo. old:

9 days.... 9 days....

The Beauty and The Beast Library

2010-05-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

The perfect place to hide away from distractions.

The dusty smell of old, well-loved books;

the antique desks and chairs with their wooden curlicues;

the extension chords snaking their way across the floors

from ancient outlets sporadically placed years and years ago,

currently connected to my computer so that it won't die

as I sit here for an eternal day of writing.

My eyes burn as I'm sure they slowly begin to turn rectangular shaped.

I tend to be very easily distracted.

Not to the point of having clinical A.D.D.,

but I suppose that I'm a fairly active person,

and sitting on my derrière for hours on end,

looking at the glow of a computer screen,

trying to make mature, educated sentences flow together

in research-paper format

is enough to send me over the edge.

But if I have a nice quiet place,

in a nice atmosphere,

then I can focus well for a longer period of time

without being distracted,

even by the hundreds of books surrounding me.

So I'm taking a 10 minute break from paper-writing

after 2 hours of studying

to do a little blog-writing.

Way more fun.

Way.

And I've told myself that I have 2.5 more hours

before I can give my sore petite derrière a break

from sitting on this rather uncomfortable chair.

And now that I've given myself a small break,

I realize that the section of books behind me

is the entire history of each county in England.

"East Sussex Land Tax 1785"

And the whole row in front of me is

papers and records of American history.

"War of the Rebellion/

Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies/

Series I, Vol. II"

Sheeshaloo.

My paper doesn't seem half so tough anymore.

I guess this was a successful study break.

Now back to the grinding stone.

The Journey in Winter

2010-05-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

So I'm studying right now.

No surprise there, as finals are upon me.

But I thought I'd share with you a fun dance between the early 1800's and the late 1900's

Franz Schubert wrote a

wonderfully tragical cycle of art songs called

"Winterreise"

(vin-ter-rise-uh)

about an old, though not yet grey haired man,

who makes a winter journey

and sings about his old sweetheart,

and the hardships that he meets on his long journey.

Schubert wrote this cycle in 1827,

and it remains an extremely well-known and -performed cycle today.

Here is the first song, called "Gute Nacht," as Schubert wrote it in 1827:

And here is "Gute Nacht" orchestrated by Hans Zender in 1993:

Isn't that so interesting?!?!?!

I thought so! I love the inclusion of accordion

and all the various percussion

and use of wind instruments to bring out the wintery setting of the cycle.

Hope you get a little culture and enjoyment of these songs, as I have!

Cheers friends.

Treading Life

2010-04-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

On my "To-Do" list,

there are 15 things

still to be done

before I can

be finished

Monday

10th.

I think that I

just might

live to see

Texas one

time.

Lenten Love Song

2010-03-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes,

I have plans to write

blogposts

that are wonderfully insightful.

Most of the time,

I have those plans

in the middle of the night.

But now,

it is in the middle of the day,

so this is all I've got ;)

My nephew,

Judah Emerson,

was born yesterday!

He's a sweet little thing,

& he looks a lot like Kohen did;

though, I think he's got

more of Chason (dad) in him

than Kohen, so that will be fun to see!

Look at 'im! :)

What a sweetie :) I miss him already.

In other news,

LENT

is winding down...

only 2 more days to go.

A friend inspired me to

really practice Lent this year,

so I've given up something new

every week of Lent,

and it's been really awesome

to notice how much more

I've noticed God

doing things around me,

and in me,

during these weeks.

I've been as excited for Easter to come

as I always am for Christmas!

Some friends and I have been meeting

everyday

this week at 6a.m.

for morning prayer

to start the day.

Yes.

It's very early.

No.

I most definitely usually

don't get up that early.

But I have a re-awakened love for the

early morning now.

I was such an early bird

when I was younger..

Until college...

But it's funny- I usually

have a very hectic class schedule,

but this week,

one of my classes has been cancelled

for the entire week,

giving me time to study,

or rest between classes!

It's really as if God is rewarding

me decision to get up so early this week...

SO.

I can't WAIT for Sunday.

Easter is completely one of my

new favorite holidays.

And not even because of the

chocolate that I will be consuming...

And finally:

I've tried a few new recipes

that are definite winners

and I thought I'd share them with you!

Red Pepper-Carrot Soup

(I modified the recipe a bit,

since I was only cooking for myself)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Large Red Bell Peppers (plus slices for garnish, opt.)

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1 Bay Leaf

I Large Onion, sliced (2c.)

2 Large Carrots, sliced (1/2lb.)

4 cloves Garlic, peeled and sliced

1 tsp. Salt

2 Tbs. Lemon Juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bell peppers on baking sheet, and roast 1 hour, or until skin is wrinkled and blackened all over, turning peppers occasionally with tongs. Transfer to bowl, and cover with plastic wrap 10 minutes to steam. When peppers are cool enough to handle, rub off blackened peel, and remove seeds.
2. Heat oil in 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add curry powder and bay leaf, and stir 10 seconds. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
3. Add 4 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 25 minutes.
4. Transfer carrot mixture to blender, add bell peppers, and purée until smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Garnish servings with bell pepper slices, if using.

(I used 1.5 peppers, 2 cloves Garlic, and no Lemon Juice.

I also sliced the peppers and baked them spread out on a pan for 10-15 minutes, until soft.

I didn't bother to take off the skins, since they were soft and blended well- saves time and effort ;)

Be warned- while boiling, this mix looks kinda iffy, but it blends really well, and is quite tasty!

A little extra salt helps, since it can be a bit bland for some tastes.

I imagine that it would be quite yummy with an added dollop of sour cream on top, too!

ALSO, I imagine that being liberal with ingredients would be good, if possible.

I think the 6 servings it's supposed to make would be little servings. I'd probably add at least 1 pepper & a few carrots...)

Honey Curry Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

6 chicken Thighs or boneless breasts

1/4 c. melted butter

1/2 c. honey

1/4 c. mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 package froz. Stir Fry Veggies

(or any fresh ones you like- I've used mushrooms, green beans, broccoli, WITH the stir fry ones)

(Rice)

DIRECTIONS:

(Prepare rice, either in pot, or by rice cooker.)

Cook the chicken in water, so it will be cooked but tender. Small pieces are best.

In a pan, combine all sauce ingredients, stir, and then add all remaining ingredients.

Let it simmer until veggies are to desired crunchiness/softness.

Serve over rice (or on it's own- I love it over Jasmine Rice!!!!)

And there you have it!

2 really good recipes to try.

I've been cooking a lot lately,

so I'll keep you updated with more recipes!

Have a wonderful day, my friends :)

Side Note (no pun intended)

2010-03-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

(Ok,

so I feel like I ought to somehow

justify my choices of songs

that play in my little player in the sidebar.

Here's my only justification to the completely

random mix.

These songs make me ridiculously happy.

That's it.

Really.

If you come to this page, and don't smile when

Riders in the Sky

start singing,

PLEASE.

Tell me.

I will try my darndest to talk some sense into you.

okiloveyoubyebye.)

Confession:

2010-03-09T09:44:00.001-08:00

I judge books by their cover.

Ruthlessly.

Hello, my name is Annie, & I am a judger.

But you know you do it, too.

And if you don't, congratulations.

I hope to never attain your level of benevolence towards books.

I tell ya,

if they made a math book that

had the perfect pages that

felt & smelled good,

AND had amazing illustrations that

I'd like to look at,

I'd do math everyday.

And we all know how I dislike math.

*********************************

Adult books.

Children's books.

I love them equally.

Although,

when someone asks me what I'm reading right now,

I'm not sure if I ought to tell them that

I'm enjoying Adventures in Odyssey books.

No, not Homer's Odyssey.

Adventures in Odyssey.

The whole series.

Or that I searched online for them & bought the last three so that

I could finish them all,

because I'm completely entrenched.

I highly recommend them for any teenagers that you know.

Or even for yourself.

You can read all 6 in a week, easy peasy.

Other kid's books I have are:

I haven't read this yet,

but hey,

it's Tolkien,

so it's GOT to be good.

This little jewel I got for free at a local free bookstore

(a good reason for you all to come visit me here-

just bring extra luggage for all the cooks you will pick up :)

It has amazing illustrations,

& is filled with all kinds of stories & rhymes

for young boys & girls.

I'm going to keep this one for myself,

to read whenever my nephews & nieces (someday?)

come to visit me.

(Love it- "Ye done all right fer a gal" )

This group of books I've collected over the past year or two,

& while I haven't yet read them all,

they're perfect little old books.

~Bad Little Hannah

~The Bad Little Boy

~Captain Courageous

~The Night Riders

~Der Buch Gestalten (german poetry book)

Now to bridge into Adult books.

"The Gentleman from Indianapolis"

looks like it's gonna' be a great western drama,

though I can't figure out which age group .

& then "The Melancholy Tale of "Me".

I got this book PURELY for the amazingness that

is that title.

I haven't read past the first page, but I can tell already:

G o l d e n .

Now I have a rather odd mixing of titles.

~ The Hawk & the Dove Trilogy

This is a fantastic book! It's so good &

is a perfect read for this Easter Season.

GO BUY IT.

~Oui, Je parle Francais!

This french instruction book is so wonderfully 60's. Love it.

~Sarah Morgan: The Civil War diary of a Southern Woman.

I haven't read this yet, but there's a possibility that I

am related to her.

Civil War stories + Possible Relative= Win.

& finally.

For Christmas, I was given a bit of money.

Instead of saving it for school, I decided to treat my self to some Goudge.

That's Elizabeth Goudge.

A wonderful authoress,

referred to me by my wonderful friend (and authoress, herself)

Sarah Clarkson.

So I bought 7 of her books, & I'm OH so excited to start reading them.

So there you have it. A little book fun.

Now I'm off to practice the new opera

that is being written for me.

(How many people get to say that?! :)

Avez un bel jour, mes amies!

Toujours amour

Buckaroo # 2

2010-02-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

Introducing:

My newest and equally favoritest nephew:

Robert Sawyer Carmack IV

Feb. 23, 8lbs., 20 3/4'' long

He's just absolutely darling, with his Cary Grant chin and his little cheek dimple (like his dad).

He looks JUST like my little sister, though!!

I mean really....

Look at that nose.

The adorableness is just too much for me.

Since I'm in Baltimore and have only gotten to see him through pictures,

I have stolen all of these from random family members, so that I could share the joy with you.

We're a proud family.

Look at all the handsome little boys.

I'm already planning my cowboy posse ;)

My little sister...

2010-02-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

...is having a baby.

Right now.

As I write this.

I can't tell you how crazy that is.

It's so exciting!

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!

But I also can't tell you just how

sad I am to be missing it.

Growing up is hard.

News and (hopefully) pictures coming soon!

Snow, birds, and babies.

2010-02-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

Mes Chères Amies,

Since quite a lot has transpired in the last several weeks, I shall write you a friendly, newsy letter to fill you all in on my goings-on. Picking up from my last blog post...

After a week of pathetically making it through classes while being deathly ill (just a bit dramatic..), I was so excited to hear that Maryland was expecting snow. And not just any snow, no. A b l i z z a r d.

It was to come on Friday, and even though many schools closed for the day and the governor declared a state-wide emergency, I was still skeptical: by 4:30 pm, the snow was barely sticking to the ground, not at all to the streets, and hey, I'm from Texas where almost no one (my particularly stellar and auto-smart family excepting, of course;) knows how to handle any bad weather. They cancel life when we're expecting bad rain....

Needless to say, I was delighted to find that by 11 pm, the world was wonderfully white, and big, white, fluffy flakes were falling fast. From a friend's house, I walked home in the middle of the thickly covered streets, snowball fights randomly breaking out all around me. I ran into a friend taking snowy photos, and we joined up with a few strangers for a snowball fight and to create my first snowman taller than 18 inches( that didn't have bits of dirt and grass and sticks in him, owing to the fact that to make any snowman in Texas snow, one has to completely scrape an entire yard to make an 18''x 1' snowman). He even had a tie. Handsome. By the time I made it inside, around midnight, the snow was falling horizontally with the wind. I was very excited. And very glad that, after two months, my appy heater was finally fixed.

Saturday morning, I had friends over for a pancake breakfast before we headed out into the white world for a play day. Our initial group consisted of 1 Texan, 1 Irishman, 1 German, and 1 Floridian, and we were eventually met up by 1 Marylander, and another Floridian. I'm sure the Marylander just had to laugh at the rest of us for being ridiculously excited. Baltimore was like a ghost town- like the end of the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" where all the people come out of shelter and walk around the abandoned, snow covered cities. Just like that.And everyone was smiling and happy and chatty. Loving a day off from real life. We walked all the way down to Federal Hill (1-2 miles)to go sledding, but my friends Christian and Rachael and I decided to dig a snow cave in the side of the hill. Christian started at one side and I started at the other, and Rachael helped clear out all the snow from inside that we were shoveling out to her. In the end, the thing was about 10'x 7' across, and 2.5' high. It was actually quite warm in there, too. So we took a little breather inside, and when Christian decided to try and dig out a little higher on the 'ceiling' I began a speech on how me should all agree to use super human strength to make sure and dig each other out, should it collapse. "How do we get that?," Christian says. "We pray for it" I begin, and then:

THWUMP!

It caved in on us. 1 second of complete disorientation, followed by immediate laughter. We were only covered by about 2 feet of snow, so it was easy enough to get out of. Rachael and I, being from the south, however, didn't have good gloves, and our poor little hands were completely frozen. I can tell you that my hands have never been that cold. Ever. The guys tried to give us their gloves, but our hands were too cold to even put them on. Well, I was not about to lose my hands to frostbite in the middle of Baltimore, Maryland of all places, so I did what any self-respecting, classy, southern-belle would have done. Unzipped the coat and stuck 'em in the armpits. In about 5 minutes, they were back to normal, if somewhat pink. I'll leave the frostbite to a future Arctic adventure.

We ended the day by going back to the guy's house, called "The Rusty Saw" for dinner, and the rest of the weekend, and much of the next week was spent over there or at other friends' houses, talking, having church and fellowship and prayer, and just chilling out. School was completely cancelled the whole week, and I honestly didn't quite know what to do with myself! But I will be honest and own up to my nerdiness and tell you that, despite enjoying time off, I was hoping to have classes that week. I know. Geekola. School was also cancelled this past week, due to incoming student's auditions and entrance placement exams. (Can it really be a whole year ago that I did that?!)

So really, almost nothing in the past two weeks has turned out like it ought to have done. I scheduled my trip home around my church's location move. That didn't happen. They delayed the move 2 weeks... School was entirely cancelled, which set me back 2 coaching and 2 lessons, and since school was closed, the music library was also closed, meaning I couldn't check out the materials for the 3 projects and 1 exam I have this coming week, which means I'll be cramming- something I haven't done at all this school year. (It's a habit I've happily broken)I came home to be here for my little sister's first baby delivery. There have been days of contractions, but no baby. I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow at 2. I'm trying to talk myself out of being incredibly disappointed at missing out on it- It seemed too providential that she should be due the one week that I could come home. And my brother and his wife and son were going to try and get here to see me, too, but they won't end up getting in until Sunday. But my big bro's a filmmaker, and he's been shooting a film in Minnesota for 3 weeks, which is totally cool, and I suppose it can be more important than seeing me for a half of a day. :)

I have been learning so much the last few weeks about God and His goodness towards me, though. It's amazing what a little downtime will do. I'm part of a neat church with a great desire for community, and that's something I haven't been a part of in over 6 years. My thirsty soul has been quite refreshed and enlightened. The theme of last week was "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." I think it's a beautiful hymn. God speaks to me a lot through Nature, and last week's theme was birds. They seemed to show themselves all over- in songs, on walks, during prayers. I even painted a picture on my appy wall about it, and it makes my heart happy to look at it and remember why I painted it.

All in all, a crazy, random, very unstructured few weeks.... I think maybe I'm supposed to be learning something... do you?

I wish you all the most wonderful Winter's weekend, filled with happiness and delight. Thanks for reading.

Tout d'Amour,

Annie

(P.S. Pictures of snow adventures coming soon ;)

Pictures of my day...

2010-02-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Snowy Sunday

2010-01-31T16:04:00.001-08:00

He's been looking at me for over 24 hours...

... flirtatious...

...beckoning....

His eyes are taunting, almost winking at me...

...daring me to give in....

His smile is almost too much for me....

But I must resist.

I must.

And I will.

Even if they are pretty valentiney colors.

I had an unproductive weekend,

which is what I planned since I'm sickly.

But I have managed to get a little homework done,

make a delicious soup,

homemade bread,

and venture out into the snow for a jaunt to the library.

Pics:

My bread.

I have no bread pan, so the bundt will do.

Still rather tasty, if somewhat misshapen. :)

The city in snow.

So lovely.

Snow fell all day, several inches!

I title this: "Welcome back"

My sprouting friends, after my month-long holiday.

(Confession:

I've been back two weeks

and I've only just dealt with these today...

I left them because they made me laugh..

does that make me strange?!)

The Infamous Hat.

I'm becoming known in Balmer 'cause of this thing...

not sure if I'm proud of that yet, but I'm getting used to it.

And mom,

if I'm gonna be outrageous,

I'm gonna go all the way and sport the vintage vest too.

Yes, I did walk all the way to the harbor like this.

Yes, it was lunchtime.

And yes,

I sat with half the city's businessmen in Chipotle

looking like this.

I hope you're proud.

I also hope you're not planning

on my being married anytime soon....

Ok. Ok...

I did take off the hat while inside, but still...

And last, but not least.

The love of my life.

At least for the next monthish.

I miss you, sweet boy!

Cheers, mes amies! :)

Snow Day

2010-01-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

It's a grey day.

I awoke after noon,

still ill,

but delighted to see the snow falling, inches on the ground.

Deciding to venture out into the world,

I walked, snow-booted, to the public library

where I planned to rent

BBC television dramas.

The air is cold today

& you walk through the clouds formed by your breathing.

Late lunch of soup.

Surprise package filled with

treats & goodies from sweet grandparents!

My bed calls,

where my cup of tea & little bowl of treats

wait on the bed-side table,

along with my computer-

which will be playing the five movies I rented

as I stay in & get well again.

There's just nothing like being completely cozy warm,

wrapped in shawls & blankets,

watching it snow outside.

Here's to snow days & sick days in, my friends.

Cheers

Makes the heart glad.

2010-01-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

I'm not entirely sure why, but I've had a downish sort of day today, although my lesson went spledidly, and I'm singing in my first masterclass this evening. So I came home and am sitting in the TV room to let my brain rest, and lo and behold! An old Esther Williams movie on TCM! I find her movies hilarious and so perfectly old fashioned. I just love 'em. She parades around in her swimsuit and dives and smiles and then she sings, and then every other 5 minutes, someone else sings, too. Makes my heart glad.

Other things that make my heart glad:

Christmas with the family, where Cassie makes deLIcious breakfast rolls:

Kohen loves to read books:

It snowed on Chrismas, so we took Kohen out to play it! He didn't really know what to think, and when we brought him inside, he wouldn't move until we took him out of his snowsuit. Sweet boy :)

Chason on Christmas morning:

Kohen wouldn't let dad leave for work unless they read a book together:

Clouds from an airplane window. They just never get old to look at.

My dream house in South Carolina. The property is simply gorgeous.

Snow on a road trip:

A Day Jaunt to New York City with my friends, where we got:

Tiffany Cookies from the Tiffany store!

Soldiers @ F.A.O.Schwartz:

Times Square:

These things make me very happy today :)

Les Pensées, II.

2010-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Obviously, today is a thinking day, since it's my second blog in less than 24 hours.

Maybe Thursday will become "Thursday's Pensées" (said: pawn-say) day. I love a good rhyme. Although I do have thoughts on more days than just Thursdays.

So settle into your easy chair, grab a cup of thé au lait, maybe even grab a blanket, and prepare yourself for "Spiritual Matters with Annie." Because I'm so spiritual.

Today's topic is: Forgiveness.

Now, do let me go ahead and tell you that while the first part of this post is rather facetious, the rest of it will be sort of a walk in the dark, since, while I'm still ever so spiritual, I don't really even know what I'm talking about. So let's see what comes next.

Last Sunday, my parent's preacher presented the entirety of I Peter from memory as the message, which was amazing. But the notes I took from that speech confirmed to me that, yes, God is trying to teach me about forgiveness.

sigh.

This is a hard one for me. Oh, not the simple forgiveness, I'm fine with that... mostly... o.k., so it's all hard. But it's much easier to forgive someone for calling you a dorkwad, than it is for forgiving someone who's hurt you. And that's where I am.

And then I watched "Madea goes to Jail," and there it was again. She's in jail, telling all the gals in there to get over what people did to them, because those people are out living their lives, and the gals are giving them power over their lives if they hold on to what's been done to them. And really, how true is that? If you're holding on to what someone's done to you, they have power over your life.

Yes, I've been holding on to what a few people have done to me. It's easy to do. And I'd admit it right off, if you asked me. I'm angry. I'm hurt. And if I saw 'em in the store, I'd either walk away from them fast to avoid any interaction, or be forced to punch them in the kidneys.

But what should I do now?!

Forgive them.

But I don't want to. Forget that 70x7 junk. They weren't nice people then, and they aren't nice people now. Why should I forgive them, when THEY should be asking ME for forgiveness?!

Because, let's face it, people: Life doesn't work like that; and if we believe in Jesus, He doesn't always give us the easy way out. He sure didn't take it. He was murdered in front of thousands of people, falsely accused, hated, beaten, naked. And all that to save me, a person who can't even forgive a few people that I don't see anymore. Isn't it sad how easily I forget that?

So here I am. A Christian girl, showing you my struggle with forgiving other people, just in case you have that struggle, too. We're in this together. It's not easy, and demands much from us, which our prideful hearts don't like.

Oh, deceptive little heart. I think you'll be happier once you're loosed from holding onto pain.

Let's let it all go, friends. Jesus forgets our sins as soon as we ask Him to. That doesn't mean it didn't hurt Him before we asked. And it doesn't mean that people won't hurt us still. But it does mean that we can be free from the heavy anchor that weighs our souls down when we hold on. Who wants to be drowned by a heavy anchor, anyways?!

It's a beautiful world out there. Let's be free and go chase it.

Les Pensées.

2010-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Thoughts.

Sometimes I try and have a few.

And because I know that you're all extraordinarily interested in the inner workings of my little grey cells, I have decided to share a few of my thoughts from les derniers mois, or past few months.

Upon moving to live on my own in a small apartment hundreds of miles away from my family and friends, and because I am sort of a strong personality, I was aware that this living on my own would present the challenge of learning how to not become completely self-absorbed, when the only person I have to worry about is, in fact, myself. I do a decent job of cleaning up after myself, doing my homework on time, keeping myself healthy, and generally living a neat and orderly life.

So now that I'm home for the holiday break, the temptation is strong for me to just deal with my own self, and not want to think about dealing with everyone else's stuff:

"No, I don't want to clean up that person's junk."

"No, I really, really don't want to wash dishes."

"Please don't make me wipe the counters.... again...."

"No, I'd rather not be helpful. I'm the visitor. Do it for me."

Oh self-betterment, how bad I am at capturing you...

But the other day, I came upon these little beaded bracelets that I made y e a r s ago. The elastic bands are almost to their end, I wore them so much. They've got a few words on them to help me remember traits I struggle to have, and remind me of the gal I'd like to be. And it's funny to me that they act as little reprimands if I'm wearing them. I'm a visual person- If I don't write it down, I'll forget, but if I see it, I'm constantly reminded. So I've been wearing these little bracelets and they talk to me:

"Oh Annie. You shouldn't have said that."

"Oh you... can't you see that that person needs help?!"

"Oh you hopeless mess of a girl, just be a nice person."

"Please, for the love of all things good, be kind."

Oh yes. I'm keenly aware of my flaws when I wear them. But they are helping me. Especially with the males in my family, 'cause sheesh-a-loo, someday I'll probably be married to someone like them, and then I'll be forced into liking him while having to pick up after him, and trying to feel sorry for him when he's sick and blowing his nose in front of me like an old man, and standing in front of the medicine cabinet saying "do we have any mediciiiiiiiine?" when he hasn't even opened the cabinet door yet................................ Be kind. Be kind. Remember the bracelets.

And the moral of this story is:

"A good piece of jewelry goes a loooooooooong way."

;)

(P.S. I hope the tounge-in-cheek quality has come out in the writing of this post. Heaven knows that I'm sure smiling while writing it.)

Quote Day.

2010-01-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

~C.S.Lewis

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.

~C.S.Lewis

Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.

~George Eliot

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.

~George Macdonald

It's a sort of bloom on a woman. If you have it, you don't need to have anything else; and if you don't have it, it doesn't much matter what else you have.

~J.M.Barrie

Drama if I sing, drama if I don't sing. What do you do?

~Montserrat Caballe

Everybody, even me, sometimes had to compromise on something, doing things we know to be wrong, and this happens doing whatever job in the world. But a singer must have the courage of saying no.

~Jose Carerras

I don't want to be somebody who stands still and sings pretty. Each song is a world. Each song is a story. I don't achieve nearly what I want.

~Renee Fleming

I have a nervous breakdown in the film and in one scene I get to stand at the top of the stairs waving an empty sherry bottle which is, of course, a typical scene from my daily life, so isn't much of a stretch.

~Emma Thompson

I'm an interpreter of stories. When I perform it's like sitting down at my piano and telling fairy stories.

~Nat King Cole

I shouldn't be saying this - high treason, really - but I sometimes wonder if Americans aren't fooled by our accent into detecting brilliance that may not really be there.

~Stephen Fry

I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up.

~Benjamin Franklin

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

~Aristotle

I'm not funny. What I am is brave.

~Lucille Ball

Sweet Slumber

2009-12-29T07:21:00.000-08:00

I slept in this morning,

(if you can call sleeping until 8:45 sleeping in)

and I woke up in a panic

over having missed all my morning classes...

...oh school, what have you done to me?!

I also woke speaking

french

and german

and english

in the same thought sentences...

I believe that all these things, combined, makes for an

interesting day....

Joyeux Noël!

2009-12-24T12:02:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, my friends!

It has been snowing for the past few hours

and it's just starting to stick!

We might have a White Christmas in Texas after all!

Haven't had one of those for almost 20 years!

I'm off to enjoy time with my family and friends,

and I'll leave you with a Christmas Poem:

Evergreen boughs that fill our homes

With fragrant Christmas scents,

Hearts filled with the loving glow

That Christmas represents;

Christmas cookies, turkeys stuffed,

Festive holly berry,

Little faces bright with joy,

Loved ones being merry;

Parties, songs, beribboned gifts,

Silver bells that tinkle,

Christmas trees and ornaments,

Colorful lights that twinkle;

Relatives waiting with open arms

To smile and hug and kiss us;

These are some of the special joys

That come along with Christmas.

By Joanna Fuchs

Merry Christmas, mes chèresJe vouz-aimez!:)

2009-12-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

Totally worth the 9 minutes spent watching.

Best laugh of my life.

(If it weren't for Grandpa, this would probably be the lamest thing I've ever seen.)

Merry Christmas, mes amies :)

Yes.

2009-12-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, Can I just pop in to say that I am the QUEEN of Multi-tasking.

Why yes, you may call me "Your Highness."

2009-12-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

Mes chères amies,

Because the Christmas/ finals/ travel/ fun season is upon us, I think it likely that I shall have little time for posting in the next little while. SO here's a post with old news, new news, and fun for your brain to chew on in this while.

OLD NEWS:

Last weekend was the most fun, and definitely the BEST way to kick off this wonderful holiday season.

Thursday was the Monument Lighting. Every first Thursday of the month, they set up a stage and have live bands and kiosks with food and drink, and this first Thursday was no different! Lights, hot cocoa, lots of different groups singing Christmas Carols. It was glorious. I having this picture as my front yard:

Here's the monument all lit up with snowflake lights:

And here are a few videos of the lighting ceremony. They had fireworks with the Transiberian Orchestra's Carol of the Bells.

Friday was Barry's Birthday party. It also happened to be quite a hectic day, so when Shelby and I made him a birthday cake to take to the Afghani restaurant with us, it was still a little bit warm... and falling apart.. By far, the most delicious failure of a cake I've ever made. Look at it.. Glorious. And the waiter came up to me and said "I'm so sorry, but the way the foil was on it, we couldn't stop it from falling apart." Yes, sir, it is totally your fault :)

Saturday morning, Shelby woke me up with a call, telling me it was snowing! YAY! So we definitely threw clothes on and went and played in it for a little while. Until we decided to stop freezing and go eat some breakfast. :)

And I also decorated my appy in true Christmas fashion.

My first tree, before and after:

And finally, Michael's Christmas party (where I ended up wearing an elf hat.. I rock that look, I assure you..), followed by my meeting some friends at Mick O'Sheas to see a live Irish band.

With Shelby, and Kate

And now backing it up a bit to Thanksgiving. I went home to Tejas, and mucho much-o fun we did have. We devoured a turkey, decorated the family tree, and compared bellies :) Glorioso.

Here are some videos of my ADORABLE nephew. That baby cracks me up to no end!

NEW NEWS:

1) HOW do the blind cords always manage to get tangled?! Every time I straighten them out, it's like someone comes behind me and musses them up again.. it's a mystery, I tell ya...

2) I have made all of my Christmas presents this year! I always thought it would be fun to do that, and this year, I've actually managed it! They're almost finished and ready to be packed and mailed. Successssssssssss= Glorious.

3) I have two finals (that's all! can I say it again- Glorious..) this week, for which I'm madly studying... except for the time I'm taking on here, of course.... :) And I'll head home Friday for a month of holiday.

4) I am addicted to Christmas music. (Oh vince, vance, and the vailants....) The dial goes between two Christmas-only stations...

5)This Wednesday, Barry, Shelby and I are up and going to NYC just for fun! I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. It's going to be SOO fun. I love NYC at Christmas time!!

Pictures are most definitely to come.

Merry Christmas, my dear ones :)

Midnight Mutters

2009-12-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

In my room, there is a breeze.

It's coming from my window.

It is causing me to freeze,

And makes the curtain blow.

My head is cold always.

Just my luck, my first floor flat

Has no heat to console me.

So a little heater that

Sits on the floor and only

Is the source of warmth.

The warm air battles with the cold,

Both over my face waft.

They cause my eyes and throat to scold

my situation daft.

I cannot seem to win.

Tis late, and time to now retire

and try to get some sleep;

to forget this moment dire

before I start to weep.

Melodramatic me.

The Golden Sloggy Slough

2009-12-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

They say that "these days are the golden days."

This causes one to think that while you're in your 20's, in school, figuring out your life's calling, making new friendships, and generally in a place of instability, it is also the most pleasantly memorable.

My take on this, up to this moment in my life, has not exactly been all that "pleasantly memorable," to be quite honest with you. The past several years have been tough for me. I feel like I lost several of my closest friends once we finished college, either due to moves or marriage. I graduated from a good music program, but was beaten down in my time there, now that I look back, and I suffered from very low self-esteem/confidence in my ability/calling to be a singer. I decided to take a year off before applying to grad school, and began 4 different teaching jobs to make one full-time pay-check. I was very lonely, and perhaps a little on the depressed side, although I don't know that I knew that at the time. Almost all of my friends my age are in serious relationships or married and starting families and I can't relate to that lifestyle yet. So it was 2 years of hard work, and little else. At least my bank account flourished. And on top of that, I recently took the biggest step in my adult life, of moving half-way across the country to a city that is unfamiliar, filled with people I don't know, to attend a prestigious school that was going to either kill me, or push me to live up to it's name.

I'm almost done with my first semester, and living by myself has given me a lot of thinking time to think about the above paragraph. And here's what I've concluded:

I am so blessed.

Beyond anything I am worthy of, and until it hurts my heart to think on it.

Sometimes I don't stop myself from complaining about my little hardships here and there, but my time in Maryland has been greatly rewarding and I have to much to be truly thankful for.

I have a wonderful family. They are so good to me, and I love them so dearly. Our lives of hardship have made us so close- they are my best friends and I can't go more than 3 days without major withdrawal if I haven't spoken to one of them.

I have been given some really wonderful friends here. We're such an unlikely little group, too, and I get pleasure out of thinking about how God has brought us to be in the same place, if only for a small while. My new friends are from Philly, Alabama, Ireland, Florida, California, and Germany, and I'm so grateful for every one of them. I've never really been in the circumstance where I had a "family" outside from my real one, but we're a little family here. At least, they are my family, whether they know it or not. And sure we're different, and perhaps we don't agree on every single little thing, but we're ok with that, and God has used them in my life to daily remind me of how good He is to me.

My school is phenomenal. I'm challenged, and each day I grow more in self-confidence and drive. I still don't know my future, but I'm confident that God is going to be going each step of the way with me, and that encourages me all the time.

I still get lonely. Life-decisions and moves are difficult. But I think that I am, be it ever so slowly, really learning how to see God's hand in the little things, and also learning to trust Him. But I think that, more than anything, I'm really learning and taking the opportunity to be so very, very thankful. I've been more aware of how sweet to my soul is a one-line text from a friend, a shared joke, having someone to dance in the snow with, how lucky I am to have siblings that would give me their Christmas tree so that I could have a happy, Christmas-y apartment, listening to my teachers talk about their relationships with world-reknown artists, feeling outside of my comfort zone which gives the change to trust in Him, the privilege of being inspired and challenged to better myself, and the reminders to hold on to my heart beliefs even when it's hard and annoying.

And so I disagree with the statement that "these are my golden days," and have coined my own phrase:

"These are the days of my Golden Sloggy Slough"

For starters, the words Sloggy Slough are the most fun to say, and they present a picture of a giant muddy mess. And I think that most of my life will probably feel like that, sometimes uncertain and always changing. And that's ok, because the little blessings along the way make it golden and worthwhile. And isn't it so much more fun to picture you dragging yourself through a Sloggly Slough when that Sloggy Slough is Golden and beautiful?! I do think so.

I'm just glad I have a really cute pair of galoshes.

Tongue - in- cheek

2009-12-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

For all of you music lovers out there, and especially those who love contemporary music ;) :

CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

I just love Christmas.

It's my favorite time of year, by far.

I think I just aced a final.

They're lighting the Monument on Thursday.

I'm feeling better today than I was yesterday.

There's Christmas music on my radio.

It's gonna be a good week.

(P.S. I just found a blog called Chocolate Ink. If ink were chocolate, I'd definitely be one of those people that chew on pens.....)

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S ! ! ! ! !

Nap Time.... or not....

2009-11-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

OK.

So I decided to take a nap this afternoon,

to rest my tired and sickly little self.

But I made the mistake of taking my laptop-

you know, just to check my e-mail.

And I remembered that I hadn't played on

Photobooth in a while.

It was only three pictures of myself later

(oh I know it- SO Jr. Highish of me.)

that I was laughing so much,

and I HAD to call my little brother in

to take pictures with me.

So much for that nap.

Just some good, laughy, bro/sis bonding.

It was like we were 6 again, told to take a nap,

and instead played under the covers

in our own world for the nap time duration.

A nice way to begin Thanksgiving holiday.

And here are the pics for you to enjoy.

Man, did we laugh at us.

Aren't families wonderful!?!

Happy Thanksgiving, mes amies!

sickish

2009-11-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

There is just nothing quite so comforting to me

than to watch the steam rise from

a hot beverage when

I'm feeling

poorly.

2009-11-21T17:36:00.000-08:00

Free

+Books

+Music

---------------

I have a problem, friends.

I have acquired this collection within the last 1.5 weeks.

I'm gonna need a new bookshelf....

Happiness

2009-11-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Wednesday is a day of only two classes.

That means some nice free time, filled with :

~~~Knitting while watching an old June Allyson movie

~~~Making myself a homemade pizza for dinner

~~~Making a Nobby Cake for dessert

while listening to Adventures

in Oddessey

All in all, I'd call this a happy day

Caio, mes amies

Work it.

2009-11-13T11:36:00.001-08:00

Ok.

There are moments in life that

make a musician need/want to go and practice.

I'm about to give you many:

Her. My left hand can't even dream of going that fast..

Her. She's 7. 'Nough Said.

Her. I'm singing this aria now. This is a flawless performance... she's just amazing.

Him. I saw him last night live! AMAZING!

Her. I'm also singing this right now.

And so you know where I'm going now?

That's right, I'm going to practice.