As of Right Now....

Currently Listening to: Ray Lamontagne
Currently Talking to: Jessica Ray & Samantha Crowder
Currently Texting: Bryant.
Currently Thankful for: Having someone with almost the exact taste in music as myself!
Currently Eating: Nestle Chocolate Lovers Cookies
Currently Wearing: (non-skinny)Jeans/T-shirt (Lifted T) and a Hillsong Hat ( i really dont know the real name of them now! ha)
Current Tabs up on the Compie Screen: Facebook/Pandora/Blogger.
Current Mood: Completely and Utterly Content
Current State of my Room: Messyy!!
Current Plans for the week: School/Theatre.
Current Plans for the Weekend: Depends on if I can convince Whitney to go to Boone with me! ha.
Current Season (as of Last week): AUTUMN!!!
Current Fear: That this compie is going to die before I can get power to it! ha.
Current Finger Nail Color: Yellow ( well I was bored today so now it looks like i have yellow polish with a white french tip haha)
Current Thought that Makes My Heart Leap for Joy: That Samantha Crowder is going to be home next semester! Ahh!!
Current Weather : Was stormy and now is quite chilly!
Current Book of the Bible I am reading: Revelations ( and I dont really care if you think that is weird or anything like that because God tells us to KNOW the Bible...from Cover to Cover! No matter if that book is sad, depressing or uncomfortable by our own judgments...I mean why is Revelation so weird to people? it is talking of the coming of our Savior! Yes their might be sacrifice and struggles that are foretold in our future within but what is a suffering if we have Christ?)
Current Ache from Soccer Last Night: My back!
Current Homework that I have yet to finish: AP Environmental.
Current Number of Hours of Sleep I could get if I went to bed Right Now: 6 1/2 ha.
Current Fear that I am Overcoming: Singing in front of People
Current Project: Harmony (Ughh...some days i find it easy...others not so much! I need a formula... Doing this + this = Harmony)
Current Summer Moment I Miss the Most: Beaufort(all memories that come along with that)
Current Weekend I look forward to the Most: VA Film Festival
Current CD in My CD Player In My Room: Jess Ray and The Rag Tag Army
Current On-Going Research: Techie/Worship Conferences in NC this year
Current Memory Replaying in My Head that Is Making Me Giggle: Jess literally Kicking me off of the bed! ha.
Current Number of Espresso Shots Running Through Me: Three. hehe.

Current need: Sleep.

G'night Bloggy People,
Stephie

Why Georgia Rant.

Today has been a whirlwind of events.

First off...I am THE stage manager for Wakefield Theatre Company's Production of My Fair Lady!!!! Im pretty excited about it.

But that also brings a heavy and rough schedule that combined with my AP load might just kill me by the end. But through the grace, mercy, faithfulness, and the fortress that is God, I will make it through.

Tonight I was sitting here...after a 3:30-6:30pm rehearsal, dinner with the girls, and Goodberrys with the fam...trying to finish up my APUSH homework. Ha. We will see how that goes. But as I was sitting here I had my iTunes going on a shuffle of all of my songs. (always brings out the oldies that I forget about!) Tonight I was typing away at some Historical essay question type thing and a song came on in my ears. This song instantly put a smile on my face. Its a song most people know...Why Georgia by John Mayer. But there is this one memory I have of this song and it just connects my heart with happy moments.

This one memory in particular just sticks out to me. Let me set the scene for you...

North Ridge Youth Senior High Beach Retreat 08... Hanging out before a meeting...Jess Ray has her guitar...I am being kept busy with little Zoe but still listening to Jess's soft strumming.

Alright since the scene is set, let me tell you this story. ( Its pretty uneventful but to me it has always made me so happy...i really dont know why!)

So I hear Jess playing a familiar song. At first I can't pick it out and I am also distracted by Zoe picking up something from the floor and trying to put it in her mouth. Ha. But as she plays it I have the this song playing in my head. In my version the guitar part continues but at that part she just stopped and started playing it the first part over again. So my logical thought progression needed me to ask her if she could play the other part...it was my favorite. But I want yall to know that Jess and I were just getting to be good friends at this point. So I asked her..."Hey can you play the next part of that song?" and she just looked at me for a second and asked "What part?" and so I asked her to play the part she played over again. Then I sang out the next guitar part. She looked at me some more and then answered "Sorry no I cant." So then I went on playing with Zoe. A couple minutes later Jess looked at me and asked me "How did you know to ask that?" and I didnt know how to answer that question. It was just logical for me. It was my favorite part of the song. So thats how i answered. Jess just smiled and nodded her head.

The first time Jess talked to me it was out of an obligation. Not a bad obligation and Im not saying she didnt want to come and talk to me but it is just what she does. She is the Junior High Girls Youth Leader. Whenever there is a new JH Girl she is the first one to go up and talk to them. And thats what I was. But at some point, it changed from that 8th grade girl and her leader to two girls that act like sisters and laugh like friends. Im not sure how to explain how that memory just makes me think of the beginning of our relationship because I mean that was it...we didnt talk about that song ever again but it was so special to me! If you asked Jess if she remembered it, it would probably be some faint memory if any. Thats how little it was. But it just stuck out to me. Thats all, it was special.

And hey girls...do you remember the beginning? Do you remember Spring Break 2008? Haha.

I love when good music distracts me,
Stephie.

Hugh Bryan

This is a little excerpt from the text i had to read tonight for US History,

"DEAR CHILD,

Considering the continual scene of vanities before you in that town where you are, which pass under the names of neatness, and innocent diversions and amusements, I shall not be surprised to hear that my last was a disagreeable letter, enjoining unnecessary restraints, and laying you under an obligation to be singular, and consequently to be pointed at, and perhaps ridiculed; but, my dear, let such thoughts put you upon seeking to God for his directions for that true wisdom by which only you may understand his will. God will give liberally, see James I. ver. 5. if we seek with honest and holy intentions to promote his glory, in devoting our lives to his service, which only is the true end of our being. . . . The soul that seeks happiness must be open, and willing to receive reproof, as well as instruction; remember and bear constantly in mind, that in your baptismal vow, you have absolutely renounced all the vanities of this world, and that every superfluous thing is a vanity which you are to shun. All discourse which has no tendency to your own good, or to the good of others, is idle, unprofitable, and sinful, and your actions are to be governed by the same rule; therefore when you find in you an inclination to any vanities, lift up your prayer to God for strength to enable you, and resolve immediately to turn your heart to some object, or subject that may be agreeable to his will. . . .

. . .

O! rest not, my dear, in the love of worldly goods; get out of this spiritual Sodom, from the vain sensual delights which pollute the soul, lest you be consumed with the wicked; flee to your most gracious redeemer, seek to him with strong and constant prayers to accept and justify you by his free grace, and sanctify your corrupt nature by his Holy Spirit, that your whole soul and body may be prepared for his service, and devoted entirely to do his will.

From your affectionate father,

H.B.

Hugh Bryan and Mary Hutson, Living Christianity (London: J. Buckland, 1760), pp. 21-24."

I loved reading this for school,

Stephie

The Ending of a Life and a beginning of a Servant.

I cant blog anymore.

I have no drive to do it anymore. This post has taken me about an hour just to start.

I mean, I really want to! I want to be able to sit down and write what i feel and what i have learned. But every time i sit in front of this computer screen I get this block that just crushes my ability to form the sentences and the paragraphs.

I want to blog about the sensational Jess Ray and how she means the world to me or her amazingly cool band The Rag Tag Army! I want to blog about how awesome their new cd is but I want to spend time on it and I want to explain and describe. Im not sure why I am getting this mental block towards Blogspot but I just cant write right now. I just can't sit around and write about trivial things anymore and my day/week but that is exactly where I have been at for the past few months. And I am not saying that Jess Ray and The Rag Tag Army are tivial...I mean go listen to their songs and read their lyrics and you will see how significant they really are...but the way I was going to write about them would not do them or the Lord justice at all. I wont do that. I dont want to be worldly. I dont want to talk of things with little value. The words that come out of my mouth or that i type are not mine to do freely with. When Christ died for my redemtion, that is where my freedom of speech ceased to exist. I was bought by Jesus Christ's precious blood.

My heartbeat, my breath, my thoughts, my words are His to do what He pleases.

"My life" ended at birth but the Lord was given a new servant on that day. I will do my best to live a life that pleases Him.
Stephanie.

Live from the Cd Release Dress Rehearsal!

I really dont think that there can be more coolness in one room! 

Tonight is the official Jess Ray and the Rag Tag Army Dress Rehearsal! Soooo exciting! 

Today was "Set-Up Day." Which means we do a lot of work in one day. Hanging lights, setting up various instruments, plugging in cord after cord, getting power to everything, Soundcheck (huge portion of the day!), mic-ing everyone and every instrument, getting the necessities of a band ready, giggling with Jessie at random things that just make us laugh, and hanging out with the band.   

Right now I am watching Jess listen to her band play. She must be so proud of them. You can see it in the way she watches them. The way she giggles when one of them does something insanely radical! I love it.

I love being a part of it all. To be able to work with such a great band with such a great purpose. To preach the gospel through their music abilities! 

But I should probably get back to work! hehe. Come to the CD Release...Tomorrow Night @ 8:00pm @ North Ridge Church Raleigh, NC!

Yay,

Stephie