"Life is...a war against your Heart"

"You won't understand your life, you won't see clearly what has
happened to you or how to live forward from here, unless you see it as battle. A war against your heart."

{John Eldredge, Waking the Dead}


Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 (Day 2.8)

The end of day two was very peaceful. I practiced my solo for about 45 minutes in the Upper Room ; it is the perfect space for that. At about 6-ish, I started making my tacos. They were very yummy! The Chens were eating dinner at about the same time, so I got the opportunity to visit with them and learn more about their background. It was really cool to hear the story of how they migrated here from China.

While we were visiting, I suggested to the  girls (Fannie & Evie) that maybe we could play music together if they didn't have homework to finish up. So we practiced a couple of different songs for their service that is coming up soon. Then, right before they had to head to bed, I played "The Searching Song" for them. It was funny, because I could not remember the chorus or my bridge. But, I think it actually sounds better without those!

They told me that it was really inspiring to hear my song, which in turn encouraged me. I remember watching Nate Fancher play his songs at War Cry a few years back, and thinking how I could never write songs that were any good. Yet, God has given me songs to sing and I am so thankful for all the encouragement from friends and family to keep writing! It kind of makes me want to ask Nate Fancher to listen to my songs, and that I used to be in his Music/ worship workshop at War Cry a few years ago...

I went down to my apartment at about 9:30, then I caught up with family for about half an hour. Annalisa has been missing me, so I chatted with her. She recently was awarded a solo in her choral group. I'll tell you- that child was made to be onstage! She just loves it. And everyone that watches her simply experiences God's joy flowing through her; her middle name isn't Jubilee by accident, not by any means! ;) I promised Annalisa that we will paint our nails and re-paint them as many times as she wants when we are at the beach in about a month...oh yeah, and we'll make "cupkakes" too, & eat them.

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 (Day 3)

I woke up super early-6:30am. I prepared to head to the doctor (urgent care). My throat has been hurting really badly at night, and I thought it might be something left over from a sinus infection...I got ready for the day and left for the Dr's at 10:30; it only took about 15 min to get there (yay!). It was a cutting edge technology urgent care, with electronic sign in clip boards, and pagers to let you know when to go back to the exam room.

Turns out, I have a virus (most likely). So I will have to tough it out. But the Doctor was Israeli, and also a specialist in Sports Medicine. He directs a Sports Medicine practice nearby, but works at the urgent care as well. His residency was at Harvard, and he worked with the Boston Ballet dancers. It was so cool to find out that he specializes in working with dancers specifically, having that experience. I have been having issues with my leg since I injured it while doing a jump a couple of weeks ago. He quickly examined it, and said it's on the mend, but may be vulnerable for 4-6 wks after the injury.

After the appointment, I headed to Barnes & Noble across the street. It was two stories, with escalators to the second floor. I was in heaven, quite literally. I worked on some items that needed attention for a couple hours while I was sitting in the Starbucks area, sipping on a cup o' joe. Then I went upstairs to the second floor and drafted a service contract; it was kind of fun.

I ran by the bank after I left B&N, then I headed to Best Buy to purchase Office 2008 for my mac. It was the same price as wal-mart, in-stock too! Great deal. The only downside was that the Best buy proved to be about half an hour away...so a bit of a drive. I grabbed some Wendy's on the way to the mechanic (my car was smelling like gasoline, or so I thought). They said it wasn't a gas leak (thankfully), but might be exhaust fumes or something else, but it would cost too much to fix (more than worth of car). So I will be getting a second opinion on that one... :/

At about 6, I finally made it back to the B&N shopping center. I ran by Target to pick up some essentials, then to B&N right next door. I sat at the little laptop bar at the shoppe. Then, I attempted to install Office (3 times) to no avail. Quite frustrating...and sad. But did get the chance to call a few people while I was waiting, so that was nice.

On the way back to the Chen's (finally) I stopped to buy gas, but my wallet clasp got stuck (the pin that held it together lodged in a crevice), and it wouldn't open. It had all of my money in it: credit card, debit card, cash...! I tried to fiddle with it for a few minutes, then asked the attendant for assistance. We were both laughing at how ridiculous and bizarre the whole scenario was! After trying unsuccessfully to open it with a paper clip, I asked for scissors. My poor wallet.

It was rather late when I finally returned. I made myself a snack (delicious toast with peanut butter- yes, I do love PB!), and watched a couple minutes of So You Think You Can Dance? with the girls. I went back down to my apartment, then I caught up with Casiphia for about an hour. She prayed that my wallet would open, and the next time I tried, I was able to disassemble the clasp. Thank you Jesus! Finally headed to bed kind of late, but it was with peace that I laid my head on my pillow, as I thanked God for taking care of me once more.

Adios,

Lysandra