Rest. It's something that really is missing in our culture. That said, it's not really something we notice is missing, or something we really know how to do. Rest is not equivalent to sleep, although sleep can be restful. Rest is intentionally taking time out of your day to not do anything. For me as a student, that looks like intentionally setting aside time to not do school work: not think about it, not plan for it, and not do it. I've gotta admit, it's hard! Midterms were a couple of weeks ago, so I have been going nonstop for about three weeks now. Resting has, unfortunately, taken a bit of a back-seat to everything school related. I have had so much to do, and I was gone from school for about a week for a funeral, which means on top of preparing for midterms I was also playing catch-up. To make things even more fun, we do not have many holidays during the fall semester. We usually have a Study Day about mid-semester - a day in the middle of the week on which classes are cancelled and students have the opportunity to catch up on homework or rest in some way. Our Study Day this year has been lumped together with Thanksgiving break, which means no breaks from September 3rd to November 26th. I didn't realize how much I needed a break until I didn't get one!
This weekend, I was able to rest. But it was kind of an accident. Last weekend I had so many grand plans to get so much homework done, and almost none of them got accomplished. I had nothing else going on, but for some reason I just couldn't get everything done. Because of this, I was stressed all of last week. This weekend, a couple of friends came to visit me at school for a concert on Friday night. They stayed overnight and we spent Saturday together, hanging out at my apartment, taking a campus tour, and visiting downtown Pasadena to celebrate a birthday. I knew that they were coming, and I also knew that I had a lot of school work to get done as well. I couldn't really do school work while entertaining guests for the weekend, so I didn't worry about it. I did have to meet with some classmates for a group project due this week, but other than that I did absolutely no school work on Friday afternoon and Saturday. I didn't worry about it, I didn't think about all the things I had to get done for school, and for those two days I didn't do any of it (save the group presentation). I took the time to rest from school, even though I was doing other activities. And you know what? I feel so much less stressed this week! My anxiety level is far below where it was last week. I still have the same school responsibilities and things to keep up with, but taking the time to rest and give myself a break from the stress of school was much to my benefit.
Here is my takeaway: we often don't rest because we don't have time. How could we possibly fit in an intentional time of not doing anything related to what needs done when there is SO much that needs done!? The less we rest, the more busy and stressed we become. When we actually take the time to rest, our stress level goes down and we are able to get everything done more efficiently, and maybe even prioritize things. Some things may just go away (none of mine did, but I suppose it's possible). I have noticed the same thing is true in the intentional time I spend seeking God. The busier my life becomes with school and work and relationships, the less time I spend with God. But when I cut that time out, I don't become less busy. Instead, I become more busy and more stressed! I have learned that when I become more stressed and busy, I have to fight even harder to spend time with God, and even increase the amount of time I spend seeking His face.
"Come to me you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
Grace and Peace,
Suz
Monday, November 3, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Highs and Lows
Wow. So much has happened just in the last two weeks.
The UCO choir had the concert with the Angeles Chorale the second weekend of school, which was an amazing concert and time of ministry to the family of Justin Carr. The Angeles Chorale gave their first concert of the season, and UCO joined near the end of the concert, in a flash-mob in the middle of a piece. It was fantastic. After standing up and singing "I believe!" in the middle of the Credo of Robert Ray's Gospel Mass, we made our way down out of the audience onto the stage, where we finished the Gospel Mass with the Angeles Chorale and an ensemble of top-notch, highly sought-after musicians.
This past week was the fourth week of school, and over the weekend, UCO had our debut concert as UCO/34. It was fun to be on the "other side" of being a UCO member; last year I was so nervous about remembering all of the music and singing while standing amidst the audience, but this year I was able to enjoy it more because I knew what to expect.
My dad was able to come to our concert. It was the first actual UCO concert that he was able to attend. My parents were both able to go to Celebrate Christmas last year, which is the APU School of Music's yearly Christmas concert, but UCO usually goes out to churches on Sunday evening and ministers there. The debut concert was much more similar to one of our normal concerts, so I was very glad that my dad got to be part of that.
My mom was supposed to come as well, but my grandfather's health has been quickly failing over the past couple of weeks, so she flew to Missouri the prior weekend. She and my dad we able to come for dinner the night before she flew out, so we celebrated both our birthdays that night. I am glad she did fly out, because yesterday morning my grandfather died peacefully at his home in Missouri with my grandmother by his side. I desperately wish I had been able to visit my grandparents one more time before his passing. I am flying to Missouri tonight at 11 o'clock for the funeral that is taking place tomorrow afternoon. I will have the rest of the week to spend time with my family, which I am grateful for.
So the high, and the reason I couldn't fly to Missouri sooner this week: On Thursday night I got a text message from my choir director, John Sutton, saying that he had been asked to find some singers to accompany the LA Children's Choir at the opening concert for the 2014-2015 Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. The concert is a John Williams celebration, and all of the music being performed is by him. We had a piano rehearsal yesterday with the children's choir and Dudamel, with John Williams himself there giving notes on the performance of the piece we were working on. There are 20 of us, from a few of the choirs Dr. Sutton directs, to give support and added depth to the piece the children's choir is performing. I am truly honored and amazed at this opportunity. Right now I am sitting in Starbucks, working on homework (sort of) in the in-between time of this morning's dress rehearsal and tonight's performance. They have worked in several surprises, which I am not allowed to disclose ;) but I am so excited for tonight's concert. We are sitting in the first two rows directly behind the orchestra, so we get to watch Dudamel conduct. Watching him in the hour-long rehearsal this morning brought me so much joy already, and I cannot wait to see and hear the rest of the program.
After tonight's concert, I am going straight to the airport to catch a red-eye flight to Missouri. The juxtaposition of these two events in my life is astounding. I am going from what is quite possibly the greatest amount of joy someone could experience apart from God, to the deepest sadness that a person could possibly experience. I see this concert as a wonderful opportunity, but also as a gift from God, saying, "My child, I love you so. For just a little while set aside your sorrow and allow me to bless you." And for that, I am truly grateful.
The link to the information about tonight's concert is here.
The UCO choir had the concert with the Angeles Chorale the second weekend of school, which was an amazing concert and time of ministry to the family of Justin Carr. The Angeles Chorale gave their first concert of the season, and UCO joined near the end of the concert, in a flash-mob in the middle of a piece. It was fantastic. After standing up and singing "I believe!" in the middle of the Credo of Robert Ray's Gospel Mass, we made our way down out of the audience onto the stage, where we finished the Gospel Mass with the Angeles Chorale and an ensemble of top-notch, highly sought-after musicians.
This past week was the fourth week of school, and over the weekend, UCO had our debut concert as UCO/34. It was fun to be on the "other side" of being a UCO member; last year I was so nervous about remembering all of the music and singing while standing amidst the audience, but this year I was able to enjoy it more because I knew what to expect.
My dad was able to come to our concert. It was the first actual UCO concert that he was able to attend. My parents were both able to go to Celebrate Christmas last year, which is the APU School of Music's yearly Christmas concert, but UCO usually goes out to churches on Sunday evening and ministers there. The debut concert was much more similar to one of our normal concerts, so I was very glad that my dad got to be part of that.
My mom was supposed to come as well, but my grandfather's health has been quickly failing over the past couple of weeks, so she flew to Missouri the prior weekend. She and my dad we able to come for dinner the night before she flew out, so we celebrated both our birthdays that night. I am glad she did fly out, because yesterday morning my grandfather died peacefully at his home in Missouri with my grandmother by his side. I desperately wish I had been able to visit my grandparents one more time before his passing. I am flying to Missouri tonight at 11 o'clock for the funeral that is taking place tomorrow afternoon. I will have the rest of the week to spend time with my family, which I am grateful for.
So the high, and the reason I couldn't fly to Missouri sooner this week: On Thursday night I got a text message from my choir director, John Sutton, saying that he had been asked to find some singers to accompany the LA Children's Choir at the opening concert for the 2014-2015 Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. The concert is a John Williams celebration, and all of the music being performed is by him. We had a piano rehearsal yesterday with the children's choir and Dudamel, with John Williams himself there giving notes on the performance of the piece we were working on. There are 20 of us, from a few of the choirs Dr. Sutton directs, to give support and added depth to the piece the children's choir is performing. I am truly honored and amazed at this opportunity. Right now I am sitting in Starbucks, working on homework (sort of) in the in-between time of this morning's dress rehearsal and tonight's performance. They have worked in several surprises, which I am not allowed to disclose ;) but I am so excited for tonight's concert. We are sitting in the first two rows directly behind the orchestra, so we get to watch Dudamel conduct. Watching him in the hour-long rehearsal this morning brought me so much joy already, and I cannot wait to see and hear the rest of the program.
After tonight's concert, I am going straight to the airport to catch a red-eye flight to Missouri. The juxtaposition of these two events in my life is astounding. I am going from what is quite possibly the greatest amount of joy someone could experience apart from God, to the deepest sadness that a person could possibly experience. I see this concert as a wonderful opportunity, but also as a gift from God, saying, "My child, I love you so. For just a little while set aside your sorrow and allow me to bless you." And for that, I am truly grateful.
The link to the information about tonight's concert is here.
Members of APU choirs and the Angeles Chorale with Dr. Sutton last night at the rehearsal. Dr. Sutton chose this spot because of the epic photo of Dudamel in the back.
This is my life! How immensely blessed I feel!
Someday I will have a phone with a better camera on it. Until then, this is just going to have to do. This is John Williams, conducting the LA Phil on one of his pieces from Star Wars.
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
First Week
This week is the first full week of classes. It has been quite a long time coming, because I have been at school for three full weeks already.
I moved in early to get music ready for UCO's choir camp. It took me two full days and two half days to sort through unfiled music from last year, file what we aren't using this year, pull all the music for camp this year, count and record it (and renumber it when necessary), and then put together 90 folders. It was actually kind of amazing. Once I got into the organizational zone, I was UNstoppable. It was great. And fun, I'm not gonna lie. Once I finished I had a chance to relax before heading to Dr. Sutton's house for a leadership meeting. It was a wonderful chance to get to know the leadership team for UCO this year. We have a great team! And when camp started, it soon became clear that there is a lot of potential in the choir this year. We had a fantastic choir last year, but there is potential for an even better choir this year. Since camp, we have added four new choir members. Right now we are getting ready for our first performance, which is THIS SATURDAY! With memorized music! We are singing with the Angeles Chorale, and there is a surprise involved. I'm not telling! I'll talk about it after it has happened. It is going to be fantastic.
The other big thing I have done is audition for Chamber Singers. This is an a capella mixed choir made up of the best of the best singers on campus. Michelle Jensen, the director, only takes about 30 people each year. Two summers ago, she took the group to an international competition in Austria where Chamber Singers represented the United States and swept all three competition categories, as well as won an additional award. By that standard, Chamber Singers is not only the best group on campus, but the best choir in the world. Because she wants the best of the best, the audition process is quite intensive.
I auditioned the day before classes started. I found out on Friday that I had made it into callbacks, and then Friday and Saturday had a D-Group Leaders retreat at a local church. The callback process involves learning a packet of music and then singing it in a rehearsal to the best of your ability. It also involves singing in quartets or octets (depending on the piece), switching when she tells you to and not missing a note while doing so. So I got the music for callbacks on Friday afternoon, but I couldn't start working on it until Saturday afternoon, unfortunately. It was a crazy weekend. There were two rehearsals organized by Chamber alums, and they were very helpful for getting an idea of what the piece is supposed to sound like with all of the parts. The assistant conductor also found us all of the recordings for the pieces, which was very helpful. In spite of being unable to practice the music until late Saturday afternoon, I felt very ready for callbacks when they happened Monday (last night). And it was so much fun! Because Michelle makes a point to select the best singers that she can find, most of the pieces already sounded fantastic at what was technically the first rehearsal of them. Not only does she select excellent singers, but she also selects wonderful music that is rich with color and rhythmic variations and picture-painting words. It's amazing. Now that I know those composers, I want to look into more of their works and their contemporaries' works.
The results of callbacks were posted this morning, which means Michelle and the Chamber Singers' leadership must have been in the music building after callbacks last night until they had a final list of this year's Chamber Singers. That or she did it early this morning. I suppose you would want to make decisions while the impressions of different people are still fresh in your mind. Unfortunately, I didn't make it into Chamber Singers this year. Honestly, I am thrilled that I even made it into callbacks. That at least tells me (as she said at the beginning of the rehearsal last night) that I at least have what it takes to get in. But Chamber Singers wouldn't be considered a chamber group if it was big. She can only let in so many people. Sure, I'm disappointed that I didn't make it, but its okay. Callbacks was an amazing experience, and so much fun. I don't regret trying. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me instead, and I can't wait for Chamber Singers' first concert, to hear what I got a chance to learn and what other repertoire has been selected for this year!
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah
I moved in early to get music ready for UCO's choir camp. It took me two full days and two half days to sort through unfiled music from last year, file what we aren't using this year, pull all the music for camp this year, count and record it (and renumber it when necessary), and then put together 90 folders. It was actually kind of amazing. Once I got into the organizational zone, I was UNstoppable. It was great. And fun, I'm not gonna lie. Once I finished I had a chance to relax before heading to Dr. Sutton's house for a leadership meeting. It was a wonderful chance to get to know the leadership team for UCO this year. We have a great team! And when camp started, it soon became clear that there is a lot of potential in the choir this year. We had a fantastic choir last year, but there is potential for an even better choir this year. Since camp, we have added four new choir members. Right now we are getting ready for our first performance, which is THIS SATURDAY! With memorized music! We are singing with the Angeles Chorale, and there is a surprise involved. I'm not telling! I'll talk about it after it has happened. It is going to be fantastic.
The other big thing I have done is audition for Chamber Singers. This is an a capella mixed choir made up of the best of the best singers on campus. Michelle Jensen, the director, only takes about 30 people each year. Two summers ago, she took the group to an international competition in Austria where Chamber Singers represented the United States and swept all three competition categories, as well as won an additional award. By that standard, Chamber Singers is not only the best group on campus, but the best choir in the world. Because she wants the best of the best, the audition process is quite intensive.
I auditioned the day before classes started. I found out on Friday that I had made it into callbacks, and then Friday and Saturday had a D-Group Leaders retreat at a local church. The callback process involves learning a packet of music and then singing it in a rehearsal to the best of your ability. It also involves singing in quartets or octets (depending on the piece), switching when she tells you to and not missing a note while doing so. So I got the music for callbacks on Friday afternoon, but I couldn't start working on it until Saturday afternoon, unfortunately. It was a crazy weekend. There were two rehearsals organized by Chamber alums, and they were very helpful for getting an idea of what the piece is supposed to sound like with all of the parts. The assistant conductor also found us all of the recordings for the pieces, which was very helpful. In spite of being unable to practice the music until late Saturday afternoon, I felt very ready for callbacks when they happened Monday (last night). And it was so much fun! Because Michelle makes a point to select the best singers that she can find, most of the pieces already sounded fantastic at what was technically the first rehearsal of them. Not only does she select excellent singers, but she also selects wonderful music that is rich with color and rhythmic variations and picture-painting words. It's amazing. Now that I know those composers, I want to look into more of their works and their contemporaries' works.
The results of callbacks were posted this morning, which means Michelle and the Chamber Singers' leadership must have been in the music building after callbacks last night until they had a final list of this year's Chamber Singers. That or she did it early this morning. I suppose you would want to make decisions while the impressions of different people are still fresh in your mind. Unfortunately, I didn't make it into Chamber Singers this year. Honestly, I am thrilled that I even made it into callbacks. That at least tells me (as she said at the beginning of the rehearsal last night) that I at least have what it takes to get in. But Chamber Singers wouldn't be considered a chamber group if it was big. She can only let in so many people. Sure, I'm disappointed that I didn't make it, but its okay. Callbacks was an amazing experience, and so much fun. I don't regret trying. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me instead, and I can't wait for Chamber Singers' first concert, to hear what I got a chance to learn and what other repertoire has been selected for this year!
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Updates, Part 2
Updates, Part 1 is important because it gives an overview of my life last semester, which I failed to keep up with. Part 2, however, I think is more important because it brings you more up-to-pace with my life now.
As I mentioned in the other post, I had a hard time with school in the Spring. I just didn't want to be in school. I realize now that last school year was just a bad year overall transition-wise. After coming back from Germany, I had all of that to process and transition out of, while also transitioning back into American culture and dealing with reverse culture-shock. Then starting the fall semester, I went in knowing that after becoming so close with Kristen, I would only be able to see her about once a week when she was on campus for a few classes. There was also the looming, my-roommates-that-I-have-lived-with-for-four-years-are-graduating-without-me feeling. I realized a few weeks ago that one reason the Spring semester was so hard was because I was mourning those friendships I was about to lose. Apparently, I was trying to escape from that (hence the, I-want-to-pick-up-and-move-back-to-Europe feelings I had). I didn't know I was the flight rather than fight type.
So there was that. I was also mourning the imminent death of my grandfather, who is not doing very well health-wise. His health started going downhill quickly in the Spring, and I was unable to visit him this summer because the week my parents went was the week I was in Rhode Island for the wedding. A happy week, but overshadowed by missing out on precious family time. I'm still mourning that, and bracing myself for what's coming.
On top of all that, I absolutely hated Organic Chemistry. If the class was structured differently I think I would have understood more and done better, but it wasn't.
So there you go. I basically said all of that in the other post. So here comes the new stuff:
After four years of preparing myself to go to medical school and much longer of anticipation and mental preparation, this summer I decided that I am no longer going to pursue medicine.
The process to letting go of this calling actually started two years ago, when I wasn't taking a science at all because I was studying abroad in the Spring, and there wasn't really a point in taking the first half of a class and then coming back to finish the second half in the summer. So that whole year I was able to focus a little more on music. In Germany it was more like an intense focus on music, because the culture is so strongly influenced by the arts. Being there and then coming back and preparing to take a science again got me thinking about a life of doing music, instead of medicine. There you go. The wheels started turning, the ball started slowly rolling, and the thought in my mind began to grow and grow. Music became the only thing I wanted to do, but I sort of ignored that thought last Fall. Maybe I thought it would go away.
Then Organic Chemistry happened, and I hated life and didn't see how I could ever get into medical school with a C on my transcript in one of the only 4 classes I needed to get in. I was starting to give up, but I didn't want to give up completely on what I believed to be God's calling for me. That was the end of the Fall semester. I was so burnt out, and didn't get any rest or refreshing over Christmas break. Which leads to my post about last semester. Hop over that to the beginning of the summer.
So this summer, I was still processing. I had been back from Germany for a year, and I was still pretty much as confused as I was when I got back. About mid-semester, I was in Organic Chemistry in the Spring and I suddenly realized while sitting in class, "I am so glad I'm not a science major anymore." I made a decision almost four years ago to pursue music, and I am so happy with that decision. Thinking about that realization this summer, along with the desire to do something music related and the quickly growing absence of desire to do medicine, I started to consider ending my pursuit of a medical career. So when I was driving past the hospital one night with my dad after a movie with him and a couple of friends and I got a sick feeling at the idea of ever working in a place like that, all of the pieces finally fell into place. The thought of working in medicine put a huge, heavy weight around my neck and physically made me sick to my stomach. The thought of giving up medicine completely released the weight from my neck and made me feel lighter and free. I decided to fast and pray about it for a week. If by the end of the week I didn't feel any different about giving up medicine, I would go ahead with my decision. My feelings didn't change, so I did not study for the MCAT this summer and I did not enroll in the last science I would need to apply to medical school. I am so happy with my decision. I feel like now I can do anything I want. I have the whole world at my fingertips, which is terrifying for some, but is so freeing and exciting for me.
So that's where I am now. No longer pursuing medicine, but instead focusing intently on music this final year at APU. I don't know what I am going to do when I graduate. Maybe I will go back to Germany and teach music at a small school there, or maybe I will move to Washington and work in a coffee shop and take yoga and have my own garden and bees. Maybe I will go to culinary school, or maybe I will get a job in the music industry here in LA, or maybe I will get involved in music ministry. Maybe I will do some combination of those things, or maybe I will do none of them. Who knows? I can't wait to see what God brings me this school year, and where he takes me when it is over.
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah
As I mentioned in the other post, I had a hard time with school in the Spring. I just didn't want to be in school. I realize now that last school year was just a bad year overall transition-wise. After coming back from Germany, I had all of that to process and transition out of, while also transitioning back into American culture and dealing with reverse culture-shock. Then starting the fall semester, I went in knowing that after becoming so close with Kristen, I would only be able to see her about once a week when she was on campus for a few classes. There was also the looming, my-roommates-that-I-have-lived-with-for-four-years-are-graduating-without-me feeling. I realized a few weeks ago that one reason the Spring semester was so hard was because I was mourning those friendships I was about to lose. Apparently, I was trying to escape from that (hence the, I-want-to-pick-up-and-move-back-to-Europe feelings I had). I didn't know I was the flight rather than fight type.
So there was that. I was also mourning the imminent death of my grandfather, who is not doing very well health-wise. His health started going downhill quickly in the Spring, and I was unable to visit him this summer because the week my parents went was the week I was in Rhode Island for the wedding. A happy week, but overshadowed by missing out on precious family time. I'm still mourning that, and bracing myself for what's coming.
On top of all that, I absolutely hated Organic Chemistry. If the class was structured differently I think I would have understood more and done better, but it wasn't.
So there you go. I basically said all of that in the other post. So here comes the new stuff:
After four years of preparing myself to go to medical school and much longer of anticipation and mental preparation, this summer I decided that I am no longer going to pursue medicine.
The process to letting go of this calling actually started two years ago, when I wasn't taking a science at all because I was studying abroad in the Spring, and there wasn't really a point in taking the first half of a class and then coming back to finish the second half in the summer. So that whole year I was able to focus a little more on music. In Germany it was more like an intense focus on music, because the culture is so strongly influenced by the arts. Being there and then coming back and preparing to take a science again got me thinking about a life of doing music, instead of medicine. There you go. The wheels started turning, the ball started slowly rolling, and the thought in my mind began to grow and grow. Music became the only thing I wanted to do, but I sort of ignored that thought last Fall. Maybe I thought it would go away.
Then Organic Chemistry happened, and I hated life and didn't see how I could ever get into medical school with a C on my transcript in one of the only 4 classes I needed to get in. I was starting to give up, but I didn't want to give up completely on what I believed to be God's calling for me. That was the end of the Fall semester. I was so burnt out, and didn't get any rest or refreshing over Christmas break. Which leads to my post about last semester. Hop over that to the beginning of the summer.
So this summer, I was still processing. I had been back from Germany for a year, and I was still pretty much as confused as I was when I got back. About mid-semester, I was in Organic Chemistry in the Spring and I suddenly realized while sitting in class, "I am so glad I'm not a science major anymore." I made a decision almost four years ago to pursue music, and I am so happy with that decision. Thinking about that realization this summer, along with the desire to do something music related and the quickly growing absence of desire to do medicine, I started to consider ending my pursuit of a medical career. So when I was driving past the hospital one night with my dad after a movie with him and a couple of friends and I got a sick feeling at the idea of ever working in a place like that, all of the pieces finally fell into place. The thought of working in medicine put a huge, heavy weight around my neck and physically made me sick to my stomach. The thought of giving up medicine completely released the weight from my neck and made me feel lighter and free. I decided to fast and pray about it for a week. If by the end of the week I didn't feel any different about giving up medicine, I would go ahead with my decision. My feelings didn't change, so I did not study for the MCAT this summer and I did not enroll in the last science I would need to apply to medical school. I am so happy with my decision. I feel like now I can do anything I want. I have the whole world at my fingertips, which is terrifying for some, but is so freeing and exciting for me.
So that's where I am now. No longer pursuing medicine, but instead focusing intently on music this final year at APU. I don't know what I am going to do when I graduate. Maybe I will go back to Germany and teach music at a small school there, or maybe I will move to Washington and work in a coffee shop and take yoga and have my own garden and bees. Maybe I will go to culinary school, or maybe I will get a job in the music industry here in LA, or maybe I will get involved in music ministry. Maybe I will do some combination of those things, or maybe I will do none of them. Who knows? I can't wait to see what God brings me this school year, and where he takes me when it is over.
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Hannah's Wedding
School is starting soon, so I'd better get caught up from the summer before I run out of summer...
I lived with Hannah for four years at APU. We got paired randomly, along with Malia, freshman year, and then lived together all four years of their college careers. The summer between freshman and sophomore year, Hannah met Caleb (again), and they started dating. They had a long distance relationship (with Hannah in California and Caleb in Rhode Island) for the next three-ish years, dating and getting engaged the Christmas of junior year. This summer they got married!
(Just a warning, this will be a photo-heavy post. I took about 760, and I obviously can't post all of those.)
Let's begin at the beginning of the wedding celebrations: the bachelorette! We did a wine tasting at Newport Vineyards, and then drove over to a restaurant in Newport, Rhode Island that was quite close to the water front. Here is the group of ladies that was there!
I flew home a couple of days later, on the day of the FIFA World Cup final. I got to watch the Germany v. France game with the Kraines' on the day of the wedding rehearsal. We rooted for Germany, obviously. I was disappointed that my flight home was during the final, because I wanted to watch the game so badly. The game started while I was en route to Washington DC for my connecting flight to Las Vegas, which was several hours later. When I landed, the game was 30 minutes underway, and the score was already Germany 5, Brazil 0. I was amazed. I really thought Brazil would put up more of a flight than that, but watching the recap, it was clear they did not.
My trip to Rhode Island was lovely. I really like the East Coast. Everything is so green! I suppose if I am unable to move back to Europe when I graduate, the East Coast could be an option over Los Angeles.
Grace and Peace,
Suz :)
I lived with Hannah for four years at APU. We got paired randomly, along with Malia, freshman year, and then lived together all four years of their college careers. The summer between freshman and sophomore year, Hannah met Caleb (again), and they started dating. They had a long distance relationship (with Hannah in California and Caleb in Rhode Island) for the next three-ish years, dating and getting engaged the Christmas of junior year. This summer they got married!
(Just a warning, this will be a photo-heavy post. I took about 760, and I obviously can't post all of those.)
Let's begin at the beginning of the wedding celebrations: the bachelorette! We did a wine tasting at Newport Vineyards, and then drove over to a restaurant in Newport, Rhode Island that was quite close to the water front. Here is the group of ladies that was there!
The APU friends group, with the bride-to-be!
A wine tasting includes an explanation of the various processes that the winery uses to grow, make, age, and bottle wine.
So that was two days before the wedding. The next day was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and it poured all day long because of Hurricane Arthur, which was hitting North Carolina and moving up the coast about that time. The best part about that (besides it raining all day, of course)? Because it rained all day the day before the wedding, the humidity was cleared up and the day of the wedding boasted beautiful weather.
Ok. Wedding day: July 5.
Hannah, her bridesmaids, and friends got ready at the church where the wedding was. When the time came, her sisters laced her into her dress:
Almost ready, with her bridesmaids around her.
After this, two of her friends from nursing school and I bowed out and went to find our seats.
Caleb's father, who is the minister of the church where Hannah and Caleb got married, performed the wedding.
Finally a married couple!
Because Caleb has such a huge family, there was a small reception at the church immediately after the wedding for the entire church to attend, and then a separate reception at a different location for family and close friends.
Hannah's dance with her dad, Russ:
They danced to Brown-Eyed Girl, which was lovely.
Caleb and his mom danced to Another One Bites the Dust, because Caleb is the youngest of seven kids, and is the last to get married.
The wedding was beautiful, and the reception was lovely, but the best part was by far seeing a dear friend marry her best friend and the love of her life. Their relationship encourages me, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for them!
There were five other friends of Hannah's from APU that came to the wedding. They left for New York the following morning, and I stayed in Rhode Island for a couple more days. The day after the wedding, I got to spend some time with Gab and Ashley, A couple of Hannah's childhood friends. We went to various places around Wakefield, and I got to see more of the beautiful state of Rhode Island. We went to Point Judith Lighthouse and sat on the rocks for a while, enjoying the waves crashing on the rocks.
It was a beautiful, perfect day. After that we went to an Irish pub and had a late lunch. The pub was right on the water, and we got to sit upstairs on the deck with the sea-breeze cooling us off. So lovely.
After that, they took me to a place called The Umbrella Factory, which has quite a variety of things going on. There are a couple of greenhouses where you can buy various plants, several shops with local art and other fun things. I bought a lovely tree necklace, which I can't wear enough. They also have a goat, emus, chickens, and ducks that you can feed and pet. They also have a café where you can get lunch and other café-type things. We didn't go in there, so I can't speak for that so much.
Obviously, greenhouses mean lots of beautiful flowers to take photos of:
After that, we went to a place called Daddy's Bread, which is is bread shop that operates entirely on the honor system. Ashley's family owns it, and she bakes the bread that is sold. It is a small shop that you walk into, and there is no one there to take your money. The bread is on the shelves, and you leave money in a box for the bread you take. It's pretty cool that it actually works as well as it does; Ashley's grandfather started the shop and it has been in operation since 1975.
There are slips of paper for people to leave notes for the shop - these are just some of them. There are also big binders full of letters and people signing in to say they were there if they want.
Just a few of the favorite notes that have been left.
Ashley's aunt lives behind the bread shop and keeps a horse and chickens, so we went to hang out with the horse for a little while.
I flew home a couple of days later, on the day of the FIFA World Cup final. I got to watch the Germany v. France game with the Kraines' on the day of the wedding rehearsal. We rooted for Germany, obviously. I was disappointed that my flight home was during the final, because I wanted to watch the game so badly. The game started while I was en route to Washington DC for my connecting flight to Las Vegas, which was several hours later. When I landed, the game was 30 minutes underway, and the score was already Germany 5, Brazil 0. I was amazed. I really thought Brazil would put up more of a flight than that, but watching the recap, it was clear they did not.
My trip to Rhode Island was lovely. I really like the East Coast. Everything is so green! I suppose if I am unable to move back to Europe when I graduate, the East Coast could be an option over Los Angeles.
Grace and Peace,
Suz :)
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Updates, Part 1 - Photos
I thought about simply adding photos to the first update post, but I think I would rather do it this way.
The semester started out hopeful. Kristen and I went to a place in Chino Hills called Color Me Mine, and we painted mugs, which was so much fun.
Inside, it says "Just tea for me," which is an allusion to my favorite show, BBC's Sherlock.
I made Kaiserschmarrn for my roommates, along with homemade applesauce, both of which were sooo good. I found vanilla sugar, which is what they use in Germany rather than vanilla extract, at one of the local grocery stores. The recipe I have for Kaiserschmarrn calls for vanilla sugar, so I was thrilled when I found it.
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At the end of February/beginning of March, one of the worship classes I was in went on a trip to Henderson, Nevada to lead worship for the kick-off service of a church there. It was a wonderful opportunity for our class, and provided a beautiful environment for our class to get to know each other better. Most of us have had several other worship-major classes together, but hadn't spent much time together outside of those classes. Five of us from this class were also in another ministry class together the same semester. Getting together for this project led to us meeting on a regular basis to get dinner, creating more chances to get to know each other. I think all of us in this photo will be graduating together next May, so I'm excited to see how our relationships develop in the coming school year!
At the beginning of April, Kristen and I traveled to Westmont College in Santa Barbara to attend the senior recitals of Nattie and Megan, the other two girls we studied abroad with.
Nattie played oboe and English horn, and I was amazed at the progress she has made since last spring! She will be attending Cleveland State University in the fall to pursue her Master's degree in Music Performance. Megan gave a soprano voice recital, and sang as beautifully as I remembered her singing in Germany. She will be attending Oklahoma City University this fall to study Opera Performance. Remember her name: Megan Silberstein. Someday in the not-too-distant future, she is going to be a big deal in the music world.
The Saturday before finals started, my friends Anna and Chris got married. Finally. They were engaged for two (three?) years while Chris was deployed with the US Navy in Japan. He is now stationed closer to Ridgecrest, and he and Anna now have an apartment there. It was a beautiful wedding, and perhaps the most beautiful part was that their long years of waiting are finally over.
The semester started out hopeful. Kristen and I went to a place in Chino Hills called Color Me Mine, and we painted mugs, which was so much fun.
Inside, it says "Just tea for me," which is an allusion to my favorite show, BBC's Sherlock.
I made Kaiserschmarrn for my roommates, along with homemade applesauce, both of which were sooo good. I found vanilla sugar, which is what they use in Germany rather than vanilla extract, at one of the local grocery stores. The recipe I have for Kaiserschmarrn calls for vanilla sugar, so I was thrilled when I found it.
Valentine's Day was on a Saturday this year, but the day before was actually a holiday for us, so a few girls and I got together and had a Valentine's Day tea party.
It was quite lovely! I made scones, someone made cucumber sandwiches, and someone brought her quite large collection of tea. Best Valentine's Day ever!
At the end of February/beginning of March, one of the worship classes I was in went on a trip to Henderson, Nevada to lead worship for the kick-off service of a church there. It was a wonderful opportunity for our class, and provided a beautiful environment for our class to get to know each other better. Most of us have had several other worship-major classes together, but hadn't spent much time together outside of those classes. Five of us from this class were also in another ministry class together the same semester. Getting together for this project led to us meeting on a regular basis to get dinner, creating more chances to get to know each other. I think all of us in this photo will be graduating together next May, so I'm excited to see how our relationships develop in the coming school year!At the beginning of April, Kristen and I traveled to Westmont College in Santa Barbara to attend the senior recitals of Nattie and Megan, the other two girls we studied abroad with.
Nattie played oboe and English horn, and I was amazed at the progress she has made since last spring! She will be attending Cleveland State University in the fall to pursue her Master's degree in Music Performance. Megan gave a soprano voice recital, and sang as beautifully as I remembered her singing in Germany. She will be attending Oklahoma City University this fall to study Opera Performance. Remember her name: Megan Silberstein. Someday in the not-too-distant future, she is going to be a big deal in the music world.
The Saturday before finals started, my friends Anna and Chris got married. Finally. They were engaged for two (three?) years while Chris was deployed with the US Navy in Japan. He is now stationed closer to Ridgecrest, and he and Anna now have an apartment there. It was a beautiful wedding, and perhaps the most beautiful part was that their long years of waiting are finally over.
And then were finals. And graduation (hard week) and then tour. Perhaps tour will get it's own post next, but here are a few of photos from graduation:
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| Hannah and happy Dad! |
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| Hannah and happy Caleb! (they're married now!!) |
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| Hannah and happy roommate (me) |
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| Me and Malia |
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| Malia and her best friend David |
So there you go. Some photographic highlights from the past semester. Up next on the updates: Hannah's wedding!
Grace and Peace,
Suz
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Updates, Part 1
The last time I blogged was in December. The last time before that was October. I'm not very good at this whole keeping-up-with-blogging-on-a-regular-basis thing. Unless I do keep up with the months of silence at a time, which I suppose could be considered a "regular" basis.
My last post was a recap of the rest of fall semester. I was on Christmas break, and enjoying the month of vacation I had. Maybe I enjoyed it too much. Maybe I was burnt out (yes) and didn't recover properly (very likely). When I started classes again in January, I had no desire to do anything. I didn't want to read for classes or go to classes or study for tests. It wasn't just a "I don't really feel like it right now" feeling, but a complete apathy towards school. I have never in my life experienced something like this before. I have always been quite motivated and even excited for school in the past, but spring semester was a completely different story. It was weird. I contemplated that perhaps it was depression. I had a daily battle with the desire to drop everything, drop out of classes, hop on a plane, and move myself back to Europe to find a job in a coffee-shop. That was the only thing I desired. Seriously. To be a barista somewhere in Europe, preferably the in United Kingdom or Germany.
Well I didn't drop out of school. But I did finally go see a campus pastor at the end of January to start talking through what the heck was wrong with me. I met with Pastor Jannet about eight times, and I probably cried through our meeting five of those times. It was humiliating at first, but so necessary. We came to the conclusion that my desire to leave APU and return to Germany was stemming from a sense that when I was in Germany, I felt like it was where I belong - a feeling that has apparently been lacking most of my time at APU. The main reason for that has been that, because I have been dividing my time between science and music for the last four years, I haven't been able to really invest in relationships with people in either department. I didn't really fit in the science department because, well, I wasn't a science major, and was simply taking basic science classes to get into med school. But I also didn't really fit into the music department because, while music is my major, it's not my plan for after I graduate. It's a means to an end, almost like a hobby-major to get me a bachelor's degree so that I can apply for med school. So there you go.
So I basically pushed through the semester as best I could. I was taking the second semester of Organic Chemistry, which I still hated with a fiery passion that burned deep down inside my soul, but I did my best, and even pulled a B on one of the tests, which was a happy surprise, since I was sure I failed that test. I was taking 19 units again, although I was technically registered for 18. I didn't really have a choice. It was either take 19 units, or risk getting in trouble for not taking a class that my entry-year's catalogue says I don't have to take, but later catalogues say I must. Although, an actual 18 units would have still been way too much with Organic Chemistry contributing almost a third of those units.
One of the hardest parts of the semester, perhaps contributing to my desire to leave, was the looming fact that all four of my roommates, two of whom I lived with for all four years of APU, were graduating without me come May. Awesome. Don't mind me crying in the corner over here. Plus, another friend in the area is planning to move to France with YWAM sometime soon (originally it was the fall, but that may have changed now), so there go all my friends. Gosh, I need more friends. Good for me, God thought of that (or course he did!), and while I was letting go of my roommates all semester, I was making new friends, several of whom are in my major and I will be graduating with. Those friendships blossoming in such a hard time have been and will continue to be such a blessing to me.
So graduation came. It was a hard couple of weeks (dead week and finals week). I was a mess. Motivation was difficult. I was exhausted and burnt out. Each day I was hanging on until sleep-time. When finals did come, I had five, almost non-stop, on Monday, beginning at 7:30 in the morning and ending at 10 at night. I had three more after that, spread over the next three days, and I was finally finished at 8 PM on Thursday night. Finals were over, but the emotional roller-coaster of the week was far from over. Friday I had to pack my life up to get ready to move everything home with my parents on Saturday, while simultaneously packing for UCO tour, which began on Sunday afternoon. Friday I went to my roommate's pinning ceremony for nursing. Saturday, UCO sang for both the graduate and undergraduate graduations, which meant standing in the heat for about two and-a-half hours each time. Saturday our apartment was full of family members pretty much all day while my roommates and their families got ready for graduation. I did get to stay for the undergrad graduation after we were done singing, and I'm glad I did. Saturday night I was emotionally and physically exhausted. Sunday I said a very emotional goodbye to my roommates and then dragged my wheel-less suitcase to the trolley stop to leave for tour.
I made it through the semester with my GPA intact, if nothing else. It was sooo difficult. The circumstances of the past year and-a-half have led to where I am now, which I will go into more in the next post (hopefully tomorrow). And hopefully I'll add photos tomorrow as well!
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah
My last post was a recap of the rest of fall semester. I was on Christmas break, and enjoying the month of vacation I had. Maybe I enjoyed it too much. Maybe I was burnt out (yes) and didn't recover properly (very likely). When I started classes again in January, I had no desire to do anything. I didn't want to read for classes or go to classes or study for tests. It wasn't just a "I don't really feel like it right now" feeling, but a complete apathy towards school. I have never in my life experienced something like this before. I have always been quite motivated and even excited for school in the past, but spring semester was a completely different story. It was weird. I contemplated that perhaps it was depression. I had a daily battle with the desire to drop everything, drop out of classes, hop on a plane, and move myself back to Europe to find a job in a coffee-shop. That was the only thing I desired. Seriously. To be a barista somewhere in Europe, preferably the in United Kingdom or Germany.
Well I didn't drop out of school. But I did finally go see a campus pastor at the end of January to start talking through what the heck was wrong with me. I met with Pastor Jannet about eight times, and I probably cried through our meeting five of those times. It was humiliating at first, but so necessary. We came to the conclusion that my desire to leave APU and return to Germany was stemming from a sense that when I was in Germany, I felt like it was where I belong - a feeling that has apparently been lacking most of my time at APU. The main reason for that has been that, because I have been dividing my time between science and music for the last four years, I haven't been able to really invest in relationships with people in either department. I didn't really fit in the science department because, well, I wasn't a science major, and was simply taking basic science classes to get into med school. But I also didn't really fit into the music department because, while music is my major, it's not my plan for after I graduate. It's a means to an end, almost like a hobby-major to get me a bachelor's degree so that I can apply for med school. So there you go.
So I basically pushed through the semester as best I could. I was taking the second semester of Organic Chemistry, which I still hated with a fiery passion that burned deep down inside my soul, but I did my best, and even pulled a B on one of the tests, which was a happy surprise, since I was sure I failed that test. I was taking 19 units again, although I was technically registered for 18. I didn't really have a choice. It was either take 19 units, or risk getting in trouble for not taking a class that my entry-year's catalogue says I don't have to take, but later catalogues say I must. Although, an actual 18 units would have still been way too much with Organic Chemistry contributing almost a third of those units.
One of the hardest parts of the semester, perhaps contributing to my desire to leave, was the looming fact that all four of my roommates, two of whom I lived with for all four years of APU, were graduating without me come May. Awesome. Don't mind me crying in the corner over here. Plus, another friend in the area is planning to move to France with YWAM sometime soon (originally it was the fall, but that may have changed now), so there go all my friends. Gosh, I need more friends. Good for me, God thought of that (or course he did!), and while I was letting go of my roommates all semester, I was making new friends, several of whom are in my major and I will be graduating with. Those friendships blossoming in such a hard time have been and will continue to be such a blessing to me.
So graduation came. It was a hard couple of weeks (dead week and finals week). I was a mess. Motivation was difficult. I was exhausted and burnt out. Each day I was hanging on until sleep-time. When finals did come, I had five, almost non-stop, on Monday, beginning at 7:30 in the morning and ending at 10 at night. I had three more after that, spread over the next three days, and I was finally finished at 8 PM on Thursday night. Finals were over, but the emotional roller-coaster of the week was far from over. Friday I had to pack my life up to get ready to move everything home with my parents on Saturday, while simultaneously packing for UCO tour, which began on Sunday afternoon. Friday I went to my roommate's pinning ceremony for nursing. Saturday, UCO sang for both the graduate and undergraduate graduations, which meant standing in the heat for about two and-a-half hours each time. Saturday our apartment was full of family members pretty much all day while my roommates and their families got ready for graduation. I did get to stay for the undergrad graduation after we were done singing, and I'm glad I did. Saturday night I was emotionally and physically exhausted. Sunday I said a very emotional goodbye to my roommates and then dragged my wheel-less suitcase to the trolley stop to leave for tour.
I made it through the semester with my GPA intact, if nothing else. It was sooo difficult. The circumstances of the past year and-a-half have led to where I am now, which I will go into more in the next post (hopefully tomorrow). And hopefully I'll add photos tomorrow as well!
Grace and Peace,
Suzannah
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