"...Thus grew the tale of Wonderland: Thus slowly oneby one, it's quaint events were hammered out- and nowthe taleis done...thedream child moving through a landof wonders wild and new, In friendly chat with bird or beast-and half believe it true..." -Lewis Carroll
This is a morning that dreams are made of! Our patio door is open, the balmy breeze is blowing in, the sunshine is filtering softly through the clouds, the birds are singing, and the frogs are just going crazy in the pond next to our building!
Ah. Spring time at last.
I hope.
For all I know we could have a few inches of snow again tomorrow. This weather has been anything but predictable of late. But, whatever the forecast is for tomorrow or even later in the day, I'm determined to enjoy this little interlude of divine spring time.
As it happens, this week was my spring break from school. I did still have to work, but it was quite nice to be able to sleep in a few mornings and to spend my evenings reading for fun instead of poring over the intricacies of Excel and Litigation. I could have worked ahead but I decided that I needed a break. In that vein, I haven't popped open a school book or even logged into BlackBoard to check my grades. I've absolutely refused.
Excitingly, I received my letter from school this week, confirming that my application for graduation has been accepted and that the date for the ceremony will be May 14! I can't remember if I've said this before, but I had not originally planned on walking in the ceremony. However, as the date draws nearer, I've decided that I am going to participate in the ceremony. This is quite possibly one of the biggest and longest time coming accomplishments of my life. I want to savor every single moment of it because I have worked SO hard for it.
In other randomness, my cousin turned me on to a group called 2Cellos. As my faithful readers, ya'll should know by now that I LOVE cello music. Add to that the fact that these guys are playing one of my absolute favorite Michael Jackson songs...and well...Epic-ness has been achieved and I can die a happy woman. Teehee.
Anywho. Enjoy this awesome rendition of this song and then get outside and enjoy this beautiful spring day!
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the inhabitants of the blogosphere!
After the end of the semester, I decided to take a much needed sabbatical from writing. However, with the new semester less than a week away, I figured it was about time to get back into the swing of things. With any luck, this will be my last semester. Of course, as is the usual way of things, financially speaking, this semester has already proven to be difficult since my student aid has decreased and during the last 2 weeks in December I found myself, quite unexpectedly, not working. Needless to say, my careful budgeting was ruined. What can a girl do? God has always provided for my needs, sometimes quite miraculously, and I have faith that He will continue to do so.
Besides my nervousness about money, I'm really excited about this semester and I'm determined to make it the best yet. I will be taking 3 classes and only one of them is a paralegal course. The other two are gen-ed classes that I've put off for the last few years. In short, this semester should be a breeze. I hope.
I have had quite a few questions over the holidays regarding my love life and so I'll just answer this once and for all....I don't have one, neither am I interested in anyone. LoL. I admit that I'm completely ok with this. I think it's funny that whenever anyone asks me if I'm dating anyone and I say no, they always get this pity look on their face and feel the need to pat my shoulder and say something to the effect of, "there there, don't worry, it will happen eventually". Haha. Yes, I'm sure it will. But at the moment, that's probably about the furthest thing from my mind. I never thought I would get to the place where I was actually 100% ok with being single, but whaddya know? By God's mercy and grace, I finally arrived!
Anyhow, I think that sufficiently updates you, Blog Land citizens.
Let the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus commence! The semester is officially over! I got an A on the Civil Procedure final and a B on the Tort Final. Not too shabby!
It's an enormous relief. Looking back, the semester seems to have flown by. But while I was in the midst of it, it seemed like it would never end. The most exciting thing is that when the next semester starts in January, it will be the beginning of the end! My last semester ever! Hallelujah indeed!
It's now exactly one week before Christmas and I feel like I can finally get into the Christmas spirit. In honor of the end of the semester and Christmas, I present for your consideration, one of my my favorite Christmas songs...It always makes me cry every time I hear it.
Here in Clark County, school started on Wednesday.....however, for the private schools in Oldham County, school doesn't start until the 21st. Blah !
On the one hand the summer has gone by crazy fast. On the other side, I'm more than ready to hand off at least 6 hours of care to the teachers of the school system. This coming week will be the last week I will have Little Sis and Big Brother all day. I have to admit that it has been fun for the most part. We've done crafts, baked cookies and brownies, and gone on weekly adventures to the zoo and the pool. While the fun moments have been numerous...the meltdowns have been just as numerous.
Apparently, when Little Sis turned 5 in June, she lost her mind, and has been giving me trouble ever since. She's a strong-willed child who is determined to have her own way...even if it means falling out in the floor screaming or biting, hitting, scratching, or pinching whoever was the unfortunate soul to set her off in the first place.
She's definitely kept me on my toes. I've had to employ many different disciplinary methods, the latest of which has been the "thinking chair" followed by writing something to the effect of, "I will not hit or scratch people"at least 5 times. It may sound a little harsh, but the kid already knows how to read and she knows how to write as well as any 1st grader. For her, this seems to be the best method.
I know that with the school year, comes an increase in the number of meltdowns that Big Brother has. His Asperger's qualities make him a bit awkward in social situations and he already has one boy who has been known to bully him. He is also prone to worry and has a serious problem with anxiety when it comes to new situations. This can make his behavior after school very difficult to deal with. I found a wonderful idea on Pinterest called the The Mind Jar. It basically consists of mixing glitter glue, glitter, and water into a jar. When a child is overly stressed or acting out, you have them sit down, shake up the jar, and watch the glitter until it all settles to the bottom. It's a calming mechanism that I can't wait to try. If this sounds like something you want to try on your little ones, you can check out the recipe on my Pinterest board Good to Know www.pinterest.com/rachelinaleo87
Anywho...So school starts for them on the 21st, which also happens to be my birthday, and honestly I can't think of a better birthday present. Ha. I won't have to go get the kiddos from school until 3 everyday and this will give me plenty of time to do school work, house work, or no work. Teehee. Did I mention that I graduate next semester? Yep! It's finally here!
I shall say adieu until next time!
Here's a song for the road! New favorite worship song!
Well, it was unexpected...despite my daily imbibing of two 1,000 mg vitamin C pills and OCD-esque washing of my hands...I came down with a...dun dun duuuun...stomach bug!
For the first time in almost 6 months I had to tell my employers I could not come to work. It was a phone call that I didn't want to make because I knew that it would put them in a tough spot as they scrambled to find alternate child care before they both had to leave for work. But, as my fever climbed and as I took up residence beside the toilet, it became obvious that the stomach bug had bitten and bitten hard. There would be no leaving the house...They were very nice about it, and the mom, who is a doctor even offered to prescribe me something for nausea.
However, two days later, and I'm glad to say that I feel almost 100% better. My tummy is still a little rumbly but the fever has broken, I feel hungry, and I actually have energy. I tell you what, there is nothing like being sick to make you appreciate good health.
Oh! And one good thing did come from this...I lost 3 pounds! Haha.
Anyway, it's back to the old grind and time to play catch up. Convention starts exactly a week from today and I have lot left to do to get prepared for teaching the little ones.
As you go about your day Blog Land, keep this song in mind...it's been in my head...I love it and is a perfect expression of my own testimony of God's faithfulness in my life.
For those of you who are unaware, I am a hopeless history, useless trivia, and music buff. So for some reading this in Blog Land, this will probably be a little bit boring, but I personally find it fascinating.
As you know, I love just about any kind of music. This week, classical has really been speaking to my soul. I had the urge to listen to the Hallelujah chorus, so I pulled it up on you tube. When I entered in the search, it also pulled up countless other pieces from Handel's Messiah.
I was first exposed to Handel's Messiah when I was 7 years old and the The New Young Messiah Tour came to the Kentucky Fairgrounds. It was a contemporary Christian Christmas Program that featured artists like Larnell Harris, Sandi Patty, Steven Curtis Chapman, Carman, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Steve Green, 4Him, Michael English, as well as many others. It was the first concert I ever went to, and I remember it very vividly.
It was only as I got older that I learned that the reason they called it The Young Messiah was because the songs were modernized versions of the original Messiah composed by Handel in the 1700s.
Everyone is familiar with Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, but what many people may not realize, is that the Chorus is the Grand Finale to an entire Oratorio in two parts. An oratorio is basically an opera, but with a religious theme. Handel was given the idea for the Messiah by a libretto by Charles Jennens. A libretto is the text or the vocal aspect of an opera. The libretto was divided into three parts: the prophecies about the coming Messiah, the birth, life, ministry, and resurrection of Christ, and lastly the End times with Christ's ultimate victory over sin and death.
Handel was greatly touched by the reading of this text, as it was taken directly from the scriptures, and he was empassioned to compose music for the entire thing. He completed the entire score in just 24 days. The piano and vocal score alone is 250 pages and includes 20 vocal numbers and more then 30 solos and instrumentals.
Handel's assistant is recorded as having found him composing the Hallelujah chorus with tears streaming down his face, and as saying, " I did think I saw heaven open, and saw the very Face of God". To be able to compose such beautiful music to the words in the Hallelujah chorus, I have no doubt that Handel had to have had some kind of awesome experience with God.
Did you know that the tradition of standing when the Hallelujah Chorus is played, began back in the 1700s when King George of England attended a program in which Handel's Messiah was the featured performance? Upon hearing the Hallelujah chorus, the king was so moved by the music and the words, that he stood, to recognize that the LORD God Jehovah was the King of all earthly kings. The tradition of the day was that when the king stood, no one else was to remain seated. So, when King George stood to honor the LORD, the entire audience in attendance, stood as well. And thus, the tradition began.
Back in the days when Handel was composing this piece, the majority of the common people could not read and did not have access to the Bible. Handel was inspired to bring the story of Jesus Christ to them through his composition of Messiah. Every single one of the pieces in Messiah are taken directly from scripture, a large portion of them from the book of Isaiah. Some of the titles include the following: Comfort Ye, My People Saith God, Every Valley Shall Be Exalted, For Unto us a Child is Born, Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion, He was Despised and Rejected of Men, The Trumpet Shall Sound, and of course, the Hallelujah Chorus.
After conducting a particular performance, Handel was congratulated for producing such a wonderful piece of entertainment. Handel was noted as replying, "Entertainment?! My purpose was not to entertain, but to teach them something!"
Below, you'll find several links to a few versions of pieces from Handel's Messiah. I've included the original classical pieces, as well as, the modernized versions from The Young Messiah Tour in 1994. I hope you enjoy these wonderful pieces of music and let the words touch your soul.
What a fun month this has been in my little blog world. A full month of celebrating the music I love, and I feel as though we've barely scratched the surface. There are so many genres that we have yet to explore, that I feel certain that in another few months, The Adventures of Rachel (Lost in Wonderland) will revisit music in all it's glorious varieties.
I've been agonizing all day trying to find a song with which to end this month of musical celebration. As I scanned through my rather extensive itunes collection, the song How Great Thou Art caught my eye. It is without a doubt my absolute favorite hymn of all time.
Often, I receive looks of surprise when I tell people about my great love for hymns. I guess they find it strange because I'm so young, and hymns are often associated with times gone by, in the church services our grandparents attended.
Don't misunderstand, I do like the modern day worship songs brought to us by Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, and many others. But there is just something about the ld time hymns that minister to me on a different, deeper level.
Two years ago, after the break up of a relationship that meant everything to me, I encountered my first severe episode of depression. My visits with a counselor, coupled with medication, helped tremendously, but I had still yet to get over that "hump".
One day, after a counseling session, I stopped at a Family Christian Bookstore. I picked out a new book, and made my way up to the counter to pay. As always, the cashier offered me discounted books and CDs, since I was a Perks member. Normally, I refuse, but on this particular visit, a Selah: Greatest Hymns CD caught my eye. At 5 bucks, it was a steal, and I purchased it.
As soon as I got into my car, I put it in the CD player. As I listened to hymn after hymn, I realized something amazing had happened by the time I got home. I felt better. I felt like smiling, and my soul felt a little lighter. From that moment on, that CD, along with a Carman Hymns CD played constantly, whether I was in my car or at home. I believe, that it was those anointed hymns that helped me finally step completely out of the depression that had plagued me for almost a year.
There is such an unbelievable power in those old songs. The writers of those lyrics were not talking about things they had not experienced. It was because of their experiences they were able to pen such awesome words. What an experience Horatio Spafford must have had with God to be able to write It is Well after the drowning deaths of all 3 of his daughters.
And the blood songs! And the songs about the Name of Jesus! The Bible says that "...at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow" and when listening to these awesome songs, my depression had no choice but to surrender to the power of the Name and Blood of Jesus.
Call it old fashioned, tell me I'm behind the times...whatever! Hymns have saved my life.
I hope you all enjoy Selah's rendition of How Great Thou Art, and thank you to all my readers and followers, for sticking with me during this last month of celebration of the music I love!
There is something about the sound of the cello that soothes me. Out of the stringed instruments, I find that the cello has the most resonant, the smoothest, and the richest sound of them all.
If my soul, my mind, and my heart had a sound or was an instrument, it would be the cello. It can plunge to the depths of the musical scale without losing it's beauty and can scale the heights without losing its gravity. It is a serious instrument, and even when the bow is playing on the high A string, you are always aware of the underlying intensity, depth, and mystery, that makes this instrument what it is.
Without further ado, I present to you Bach's Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major BMV, 1007: I. Prelude, played by the renowned Yo-Yo Ma.
Hands down...Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie.
I am not ashamed to admit that, at age 23 , I still watch this movie at least once a week.
Neither am I afraid to admit that I'm not really in the mood for blogging. Ha. That being said, I will now turn it over to the legendary Celine Dion and the timeless Peabo Bryson.
Let me begin this post by saying that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is probably by far, my least favorite Disney movie. First of all, so much is left out from the original story by Victor Hugo, that one would hardly know that it was the same story. Secondly, it's such a sad story that I can't stand to watch it...I have a very hard time watching people being mistreated.
So, the only things that that I can honestly say that I like from the movie, are the songs, my favorite of which being The Bells of Notre Dame. It is actually quite an incredible orchestral piece of music, complete with Gregorian chants, and a choral arrangement. Anyone who is a true lover of music will be able to appreciate the complicated beauty of the following song.
This month's musical celebration would fall painfully short if I did not include my favorite genre...smooth jazz. As a former saxophonist, you can understand why jazz holds a special place in my heart.
However, it also holds this place because, as odd as it may seem, it was the music of my childhood. Seldom did my Dad not have some kind of jazz music playing in the background at our house. My love for this genre has only increased as I've become exposed to a wider variety of artists, each with their own unique sound.
The song that I will feature today is played by Brian Culbertson, a pianist of, in my opinion, the first degree. He has a sound that is completely his own, that you could identify anywhere.
This song, Dreaming of You, is the epitome of mellow...it puts the smooth in smooth jazz!
All right ladies and gentlemen of the world, I'm taking it back with this one.
Anyone who knows even a little bit about gospel music, knows that Mahalia Jackson pretty much started it all. That being said, there's no possible way I can overlook her during this month of celebration of the music that I love.
And I believe that the violin and cello are the most beautiful instruments ever created.
So you can imagine my joy when I found this little video of 4 brothers playing Bolero, on one huge cello...performing all the various parts of the piece....at the same time! AMAZING!
Yes, I do realize that I'm a nerd. I'm ok with it though! =p
Ok, World, I warned you...I have a very eclectic taste in music. I believe you're about to realize just how true that is.
I present to you ladies and gentlemen, the national anthem of Israel...Hatikvah. It is a hauntingly beautiful song....both mournful and full of hope, as is befitting it's name...Hatikvah, which means, The Hope.
The song is sung in Hebrew, but I will provide an English translation below. I hope you enjoy it!
As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart,
With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion,
Then our hope - the two-thousand-year-old hope - will not be lost:
To be a free people in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Ok, World, I'm going to slow it down here, and just let you lay your head back, close your eyes, and relax. Teehee.
Today's post will feature Celine Dion performing, in my opinion, one of the BEST performances of the Ave Maria EVER. Of course, that's just my opinion. It's rare that you hear this song's English interpretation, so that's also a part of what makes this rendition all the more brilliant, and beautiful.
Adele has a sound that is completely, totally, and uniquely her own. It's been a while actually, since I've listened to anything from her, and just the other night, dear Caroline, showed me this song.
