For You, i sing, i dance. I rejoice in this Divine Romance.

Phil Wickham is a genius. i could end right then and there. 

but, lets be real.

also, in knowing that this entry is titled with a Phil song, you should know how the rest of this is going...........

my first weekend here has been completely and totally incredible. so much music. so much diversity. so much talent. so much knowledge. so much learning. so much laughing. so much fun.

so much of my Father continually revealing Himself. so much of His sweet whispers in my ear. so much encouragement. so many opportunities. it is so mind boggling how much He has been working. do you realize that i have been here just one week, and yet there has not been one day, not one day, where He hasn't given me an opportunity to blatantly share His story, His opportunity, His life and love. every single day since my family left, i have had a conversation (short or long) with one, or multiple people about who He is, and what He is about. how incredible. completely, and totally mind blowing-i just can't believe it. and the beauty of all of it is that people are genuinely interested. they are seeking. they are very willing to talk, and usually bring it up. now, that is probably the good work of my Jesus, making things easier on me to start, but at any rate, there are opportunities for people to discover the character of my Jesus! how exiting=]

as i write this, i wonder how often those opportunities really are there every day, and we pass them by. (sidenote, i totally just had a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean flash through my mind, where Jack Sparrow talks about seeing the moments of being a good man...seeing the and liking to wave to them as they pass by... how true=]) is this because we are too busy, unwilling, or worse in my opinion, using only our own eyes to see the world, and are therefore blinded by what it is that He is really trying to show us? i feel as though the last one is  the most probable. so if you remember, pray that they hearts of the people here would be yearning-and that they would find it in Him, and if He choses to use me, how blessed am i!! (dude, that was so King James of me right there....)

i am very quickly realizing that there are probably veeeery few people here that share the same vision as i do for music. the sort of"motto" i guess you could say that i have taken with this whole journey "Ministry First"--i felt like it encompassed everything all in one, to remember that my Father always comes first, and from that His people, and their lives, stories, hearts, and relationships, and then music. music is the outlet that i've chosen, or rather been called to, in order to see all of this come to fruition. but in this Ministry First philosophy, i am noticing that not many people here share the specific vision of seeing all this come through contemporary Christian music. i have been fortunate enough to have met some pretty cool Christian kids already, and very musically talented, but no one yet who pictures themselves going in the same place that i do--CCM. they all want to live lives worthy of His name, and use music to that, but not directly into the industry like i do. (another sidenote- i may or may not be the only lover of pop music here, which could be an elhugo reason why no one wants to go to contemporary Christian. i mean, who doesnt like a little mmmbop???) hmmm. but then again, God is God and i am not, and however He wants to use me and music together to call to His people, i will do so gladly=] (easy to say now, huh?)

and even still, its early. only a few weeks in. something  i learned over the summer is that His timing is perfect. it wasnt an easy lesson, but suuuuuuch and important one. so right now im taking it one step at a time, loving people, listening to His voice and His gentle nudges, focusing on what i can do in the here and now, and what i can learn and how i can improve musically. starting classes on tuesday, which are insanely sick by the way. ear training 1, harmony 1, pop/rock/country vocal lab, rhythm ensemble, intro to music tech....and some others. ha-be so jealous. what are you taking? oh, econ? id rather give myself a swirly, thanks.

thanks for putting up with this slightly bipolar entry.

and sorry that they're always so long.

but thanks for following and caring.

loveyoubunchesbye!

Dude. That is so legit.

we had Convocation today.

usually extremely boring.

but wait.... we had a rock concert. yea thats whats up. actually, it was a pretty eccentric meeting.... we had the usual, "Welcome to our school" speeches, but then afterwards, they invited the new entering class by showing off some of the school's talent, which was, if i may say-legit. straight legit. no going around it. a vocal student, graduating in '11, gave a short speech, and then she did short set during the show afterwards. myspace.com/emilyelbert  she has incredible talent. probably the best female guitarist i've seen, and apparently voted one of '08's best new artists? sick.

from listening to the speakers, and watching everyone's talent, i was reminded yet again of how completely incredible it is to be here. and i keep asking myself why i am here. and when i do, i know, deep within all that i am, that this is where i am supposed to be. i feel so unworthy do be here, in all honesty. but that's where God so gently whispers in my ear and reminds me that that is why He's God, and im not. =] 

apparently, there were only three hundred fifty students granted admission this semester.... so unreal. Berklee is this incredible melting pot, full of immense creativity and stylistic differences. i've noticed that in my general makeup, i tend to take little bits of things i enjoy and somehow apply them to myself, whether thats in fashion, music, or people i honor and respect. i think that this is extremely applicable within Berklee.... everyone brings a little something, and it is so exiting! taking bits of everything, and puting them together, to make one, united, completely original and unique sound. how is that not awesome? 

it's going to be a very interesting semester=]

loveyoubunchesbye!

Free Fallin.

she's a good girl, loves her mama

loves Jesus.

and America too.

shes a good girl,

crazy bout elvis.

loves horses,

and her boyfriend too.

John Mayer's version of this is rediculous. before you keep reading. stop- and go listen to it. now. hes sick. oh, and yea, did i mention he went to Berklee?? (for a little ;] ) hmmpf. im finished with that plug for today. =]

"We should jam sometime" has been officially added to my vocabulary and daily conversation. tara and i sat with tara and mariah at a meeting this morning with the heads of the 4 departments, and sat next to a kid, Dan, who is here for guitar. nice guy. from Nashville. we talked for only a short while before those four words came from his mouth....how inevitable.

inevitability.... it really follows me. which, i suppose is completely reasonable, right? i've discovered that i have been completely submersed into a world which i was, in a way, running away from all my life until now. i am surrounded by music nerds. i'll try to explain...i'm not unthankful, it is an incredible thing to have people playing and singing, constantly, all around you, and you know they understand when you just start singing, loudly!, and then they join in with harmonies.... its a cool fit. a cool niche, to have this entire part of me finally feel a little more accepted, understood i suppose. music kids can be a different breed. but where the running away and inevitability comes in is with looking at the music itself.... one, theory is rediculous, which i found out today because i answered maaaaaybe 20 questions on my harmony/arranging exam? pfft. but there was a point in the day today where i was to the right of the piano, trying to nail down an alto 2 part with my friends, and realized that i was with the chorus kids. the band kids. and to be completely serious?- i hated it.i dont mean that in a stereotypical type of dislike....its just that i dont really find it fun to talk about augmented intervals and perfect 4ths, 5ths, ten billions, i dont even know.  i was never the girl to goof around with the choral director, or get in random clicks in class and start singing out pieces from the spring concert on thursday night, or debate which part was which, when it split from the other ones, or what beat went to what lyric.....i wasnt that kid. i'm the kid thats going to go back to high school and everyone's pants will fall to their ankles when they hear whatever it is that comes out of my mouth. im the kid that breezed through high school by talking a whole heck of a lot, and laughing... not the kid that did a whole lot of music, at least, not in school. but God wanted it that way, and He wants it this way now.

it's interesting to look back at the way my life has panned out. i didnt like chorus then, and honestly, i still i dont really like it now. i suppose it's more the idea that comes along with it. but let me tell you, Berklee is very quickly changing perspectives on anythign music. it's really an insanely awesome place for anyone who likes music. i realized that deciding to be with only the worship team really allowed me to expand, to explore, to sort of, come into my own. but i love to sing. i love music. i love when people learn and live through music. and that is all that matters. i will be stretched, and i am willing, i am exited. 

as for boston today, stinkin cold. biting cold. stings. like a million tiny little dust mites that magically grew pinchers, and they're all pinching your face at the same time. gooooooood times. also, im finally keeping my guitar in my hands as long as possible, and my left hand fingers are feelin it, so typing is a strange feeling. i mean, just FYI. 

i thought of the ACFers tonight.   7:46   8:16    9:27    ---the times i looked at the clock and pictured worship with the lights out... small group with the creepy old man and women staring at us from their frames on the walls, meghan and phils rediculously sarcastic banter, an empty noise which i realized was A-the lack of Phil's sarcasm to something stupid that i would have said, B-the lack of my noise/space filling banter that slips all to frequently from my mouth like word vomit, or C-on the way up to small group, Phil fell down the stairs, where he then knocked robbie down 3 flights, flew off the rail, into the drinking fountain, and caused a flood, and therefore no small groups.

ehh-havent decided yet. but i like the name carter, so maybe its c. 

loveyoubunchesbye!

cockney accents, music nerds, and mourning the loss of tivo.

very superstitious..... writings on the walllll.... very superstitious, letters bout to fallll.....

steeeeeeeeevvvviiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee. yupyup. great.

um, rocking the stevie wonder right now.  yup. so went there. 

so, uh, boston. kinda sweet. tara, my roomate, is seriously awesome. we laugh all the time, and both of us are pretty easily excitable so its a pretty positive environment all around. yayness for being happy. oh wait-school hasnt actually started.... but on that note. i had my orientation today, at least the first day. which was a ridiculous whirlwind. it made me appriciate going to a big university where everyone is real legit. pahh-not that Berklee kids arent... but the staff organization is terrrrible. as of last week i still wasnt an official student, and as of this morning, berklee hadnt recieved any money, and so i wasnt going to take any classes tuesday.... but, horray for persistance and sparkly eyes and smiling. taha-i kid i kid. i really jsut asked a lot of questions. it literally took one click of a button to fix all of my problems. i have my new computer, and am ready to go for classes on tuesday.

i have my placement examinations tomorrow, and placement auditions. the examinations are simple. ill take them, they'll tell me i am musically retarded, i'll say "i know", and be oh so quickly put into every level one class that ever existed. which, i am extremely not worried about. i hung out with a bunch of other girl vocalists tonight at my new friend tara's apartment (not my roomate, different tara.) and they were all speaking some foriegn language to me... it was pretty insane. one of the girls, mariah, looked right at me when i told her i had never taken any theory, and didnt really do any chorus or music classes in high school, and her eyes got huuuge, and said, rather loud and surprised, "how did you get in??!?!?!"

this, my friends, is the question that i have been asking since september. God's hand is so involved, and He is so deliberate about His will coming to fruition, and His love and Name being discovered. ---How mysterious, and good He is.

we had meetings tonight with our peer advisors and a then there were other students in my group, most of them transfers like me. we had so much fun! i realized that i was surrounded, not only my music nerds, but some of the most eclectic people. ever. eathan, from rhode island, didnt say much at all. sat quietly in the corner of our sortofsemi horseshoe, hands folded, fingers intertwined, resting on his legs, ankles crossed. he wore the classic black skinny denim jean, with a bright yellow shirt and black hoodie, and thick, square, black rimmed glasses that matched the same color of his wavy hair that had been in a hat way too long.  if you cant tell, he was one of my favorites of the group. he was one of those kids that didn't say a whole lot, but when he did, it was epic. hilarious. sort of reminded me of emily, my sister. he had a dry humor, and just a goofy look and laugh, but man oh man was he awesome. 

speaking of awesome-my second person of which i was particularly fond of was a boy, sammuel (um, just for reference, there were only two girls in my group. myself and moriah that i wrote of earlier. im not boycrazed, just religiously outnumbered here.) sammuel is from london. so of courses, i was immediately captivated by anything he said. he said to words and i flew my hands in the air, in front of the entire group, and shouted very happily, "i looooove your accent!!" he smiled, laughed, and said, well i guess i'll just talk more then." baaaaah. so loverly. anyway, he had a very obvious cockney accent, which in turn led to an entire conversation on accents in the united states and his recent taking to the American saying "awesome" and "rad". apparently we sound cool when we say awesome. he made our peer advisor say it a few times. good times all around. they're a really cool, eccentric group. we're having some group activities this semester, so we'll see eachother more=]

afterwards, i met up with tara, tara, and moriah was in my group (coincidentally, the other tara and moriah are roomates) and we went back to tara and moriah's place to watch idol and look over sight reading....... this is where my love and lack of tivo kicked in. i've been mourning the loss of tivo for a few days now. what a wonderful thing. really, truly. tivo is boss. 

we were interrupted a few times, and traveled to other rooms a few times to look over some things for tomorrow, but theres really no reason for me to look at things. like i said earlier---in all reality, im musically retarded. God gave me a gift, but it's certainly not showing on paper quite yet. but thats why im here. 

as of tomorrow, for my placement audition, i think ive decided on "walkin in memphis" and "how deep the Father's love for us". it'll be a good time. in every step i take, even as small as a placement piece, i want to be continually reminded who i am living for, who is my life, who is the love of my life. that's why i chose the second one. It's all about Jesus, if not, it's all for nothing.

as for my Jesus...my goodness-He never, ever, ceases to be faithful. and He is speaking, in pretty unreal ways right now. its been exiting. but in all of what He is doing, and in all of the prayers He has answered, doors He has opened, and promises He has made, i know that right now, i will live in the here and now. i have 4 months here, to dedicate my time to become a much better vocalist and musician. along that journey i know that my Father will mold me, shape me, prepare me for the ministry which He is calling me to. so i suppose, pray for that-that i would become to see the world through the eyes of our Jesus, but more importantly, pray for the people who will hear whatever it is the Lord is preparing musically in my life. pray for the lost. we need to love them. really love them. pray for a discovery in their hearts, and a return of prodigal sons and daughters all over the world to hear their Father's voice call to them. 

Live. Pray. Love.

Loveyoubunches

Anna=]

Boston.

at my church, we have these services called "Unplugged" services-and they are by far one of my favorite things about my church. i love the people, the community, the family and the learning it brings, but the Unplugged services are really special to me. stripping everything away, keeping only an acoustic guitar and a couple of voices- it's so refreshing. one of the things that my Jesus really desires is that i come to Him with a genuine heart. i feel like sometimes unplugged services get me back to that. to take everything but our hearts, and His heart, out of things. there is so much beauty in simplicity. i recently made a playlist on my itunes and titled it unplugged---naturally it's filled with supremely chill songs about my favorite topic of all time, Jesus. =] im listening to it right now, and it seriously awesome. playing right now is Nichole Nordeman's version of We Fall Down--incredible. check it out. 

so, that first paragraph pretty much describes my mood right now. just very ready to let my pen and pages of my journal get together and just be.

as for life? i am in boston. and it isnt much colder than home. when the sun goes down in the evening however, and the wind is still going, it's bitter, bitter cold. the kind of wind that stings. fun times. we are starting to get some snow too. which is exiting. i want to go take some pictures in the park across the street tomorrow. snow and photography are like peanut butter and jelly. they were just made for each other. speaking of the park, the area that im living in is pretty sweet. i really like it a lot. there are a couple movie theaters right down the street, along with the Ritz-Carlton, chinatown is a few block behind me, a dunkin donuts on either side of my block, a starbucks right in my building, with a fitness club in the very next building. i am so spoiled! i have pretty much anything i need right here. besides Berklee of course. which is probably about a 20 minute walk... but i havent ridden the train yet to see how long it is on there. but its ok. i like to walk. more time to think and people watch. people watching is a seriously enjoyable activity. speaking of people! theres a homeless shelter or some kind of help for the needy down the street which i am stoked about helping with. God has really put it on my heart to really help the needy lately. i am so completely blessed, people need love, and need to see the love He has, and i want to help=] 

my apartment itself is completely adorable. and phil, if you're reading this, there's a fireplace=] there are crazy high ceilings, (i just spelled that with an "s" and spell check came in and told me i was stupid and changed it. just FYI.) which is fantastic. im actually writing this from my extra high loft bed, with the lights turned off, using my little mini-clip light. emilys asleep on the floor, and she gets crabby when shes sleepy. who doesn't. really? also- fun fact. emily has officially slept with Joe Jonas for the past two nights. how scandalous! (no offense Joseph.)  i received an incredibly sparkly, beyond tacky Camp Rock pillow with Joe's face on it for Christmas....it's a bit of a running joke in our familia. long story......

we were all really tired today. we looked at some properties, and then ate some foodage around 2 or 3, and then shopped and walked all down boylston until we were home! then, we were actually so lame as to literally sit around from 6o'clock until 8 or 830, where we all proceded to fall asleep on the air mattress in the middle of the living room! what fuddy duddies. my goodness. mom stayed awake and followed the meet. gooooo PSU! but at any rate. i am here. i am safe. its cute, entirely overstocked with food, couchandchairless, but home. at least, for 4 months.  

hmmmm. my pages are calling. and my Bible. thanks for praying. 

loveyoubunchesbye!

v-neck tees and mix CDs.

so i have only a few days left. im off to boston on friday. as of right now its only my mom and myself, so, the trip up and the actual move in will be a challenging task in itself. but nevertheless we'll get up there and somehow try to make the apartment cute. as of the here and now, break has been loverly. for the past few days my brain has been working on overdrive. which is great. for a writer, or just someone who really enjoys writing, a few things always work to your advantage. if youre c.s. lewis its being a brainiack. if youre j.k. rowling its having an overimaginative mind. or, if youre me, or King David, it's emotion. its probably a musician thing too. writing, especially in lyrics, is really like a vent for me. a vent, or a healer. in reality, Jesus is my healer. but there are some htings that i need to write out to discover about the state of my own heart. thats where music comes in. 

this past semester was a tough one. but the beauty of it is that God is so good, and so incredibly faithful, and dispute our own views,  His timing is perfect. so i know that He has a plan for me in Berklee, taking me just the way i am. pretty sweet huh. what did we do to deserve Him??

but anways, back to the music. i realized that this whole semseters collection of music that i had written was completely emo. and in a seriously bad way. so i decided that the i needed to convey teh same message that i was trying to get across, and trying to vent out, but in a happy way. so i came up with the most fun, summertime song, but it still sends out the same message. i've had the this lyrical phrase stuck in my head that ive been dying to use in a song "v-neck tees and mix CD's" because they are some of my favorite things- they make me happy. along with those summer nights that shine like a million little diamonds-you know the ones that look like a bazillion engagement rings resting in deep blue velvet? or in the summer when i always drive with teh windows down. and wear one of the ten girly white tank tops i have...... its a really fun song. and im exited to get it all finished=] 

in the big scope of things, such a small change can be applied in a seriously big way to our lives. pastor aaron said soemthing a few weeks ago that really made me look at my life in a new way. what if we continually asked for our perspectives of our lives and situations to be replaced with God's perspective? everything does a 180. brandon heath's song "give me your eyes" is so perfect. check it out if you can. i feel like this is a never ending lesson. dont you? but thats whats so great about our Jesus-He is relentless. and kind of my favorite.=]