Happy Thanksgiving.

Here is an adaptation of a piece To Write Love On Her Arms wrote on Facebook today, with my personal touches.

TWLOHA

i feel sad more than i feel happy. 

i feel stuck more than i feel free.

i feel defeated more than i feel accomplished. 

i feel i should have found love by now.

i think about it every single day. 

i confuse guys with God. 

Because it seems easier to know a guy than a God. 

Seems easier to hand everything to a guy.

And we see ourselves as whatever we believe the most important person in our life believes about us. 

So of course it hurts you if they walk away. 

i feel stuck in the best and worst moments that i've known. 

The million bucks and the silence that followed. 

But what is true?

What do i know?

i have a lot to be thankful for. 

My family.

They're healthy and they love each other and they love me. 

i have amazing friends. Old friends and new.

Friends who want to know me and want me to know them. 

i go to school and am getting a good education.

i get to do a job that i believe in. Most people don't. 

i have the opportunity to make a difference. 

A lot of people would give anything for that.

i am healthy and i am young and there is air in my lungs and a shining sun outside and a sea as well and a story still going. And i'm allowed to be honest.

So do not despair. 

For there is more than what we feel. 

There are things missing in every single room. 

But there is even more not missing. 

So don't be blinded by the ghosts. 

Don't let them glow brighter than your friends. 

Don't let them glow brighter than your family. 

Be present. 

Fight to be present. 

Don't live only in your head. 

It's lonely and it's dangerous. 

Put your phone down for a few hours every day. 

Talk to people. Look someone in the eyes and be honest and invite them to do the same.

Read a good book and watch a great film and put a song on repeat and remember who you are. Keep dreaming all your dreams. And perhaps as well some new ones. 

Go to counseling if you need to go to counseling. 

Take your own advice. 

Take care of yourself. 

Take care of the people that you love.

Tell them that you love them. 

There is much to be thankful for. 

Happy Thanksgiving. 

aldg.

Riverside to Oceanside

I don't know about you, but listening to the ocean just relaxes me. I'm at Oceanside for a retreat and we had some time to chill before our schedule started. I had been to the beach just this past Sunday with my church, but this time it's different. So we were at the beach, and while everyone was splashing around and getting their feet wet, I just listened to the ocean.

Now, listening to the ocean isn't that easy with laughing girls and screaming guys, seagulls, and the occasional beach police with their motorcars. You really need to tune everything out and concentrate on the acoustic tug and pull of the waves in itself, on the sand, and against the rocks. It takes some time to know what to tune out and figure out exactly what you want to hear and where it comes from. You constantly need to reset your mind and your ears when new sounds come in and sounds you been hearing fade out.

It's like God. You have to tune out everything, all the stresses of school, work, life, what have you, and just listen to Him. New struggles and even blessings may come in and out, distracting us from hearing what He has to say. But you have to take some time, constantly fine tune those ears, and just listen.

peace.
aldg.

pics of crochet creations...as promised!

Crochet creations, in order of when I started them :)


a pink purse bag for my little cousin (and a shot of my crochet hook) :)

a potholder/coaster from thick multi-colored and multi-strand yarn :)

It took me FOREVER to figure out what to make with this delicate soft yellow yarn. I made a coaster pretty much out of my brain...my very first attempt at freestyle crochet, and it was a success! :)

Alpaca Buttonhole Scarf/Cowl Pattern
Finished it in two days; my persona record for a scarf :)

peace.
aldg.

Happy Sabbath everyone!

Update time!

I practiced my new favorite piece, and then torn into a hymn arrangement book by Melody Bober, and just played. It was amazing. Need a tearing session next for my classical vocal songs. Schubert, Fauré anyone?
Yes, I'm a classical musician. An' what?

I finally decided on a crochet pattern for my Babysoft Yellow Yarn.

Alpaca Buttonhole Scarf/Cowl Pattern

Finished it in two days; my personal record for a scarf :)

Crocheted a purse bag for my little cousin, a potholder/coaster from thick multi colored and multi strand yarn, and a potholder/coaster that I wanted to first try the Babysoft yarn on. Pics to come!

One day several weeks ago, I spent a couple of hours researching and measuring myself to make a bolero thing, and actually started knitting it together. I'm about two inches width-wise into it...and now I don't want it. I'm actually kinda scared that I'm going to run out of yarn. That was my initial scare, and I said screw it and went for it....and look at me. Back to square one.
Knitting ideas anyone?

Spent the majority of the week at church baking, making pan de sal (Filipino bread), siopao (Asian white bread with filling) and more bread.

Blessing time! I have a retreat to go to next week for my singing group, and I don't exactly have the entire monetary means. I gave a piano lesson today and my student unknowingly covered the amount that I needed to pay for the rest of my trip. :) PTL Amen :)

Which reminds me to start up my prayer journal. I just write down my prayer requests and answers and blessings down on a notebook, to keep track of the amazingness that He is!

Here is my written commitment to blog at least once a week. Go!

Peace. Feliç dissabte a tots! (Happy Sabbath everyone in Catalán)

aldg.

Labor Day Weekend 2012

Its that time again, a long weekend. It always reminds me of the long weekends we would have in Spain, puentes. This weekend I kept on forgetting that it was a long weekend, because it's summer! and everyday seems like the day before, just trying to live life one day at a time.

Sabbath I went on a retreat on family and relationships in the mountains near Hemet. It was amazing. I'll post a link to my favorite tent meeting sermon, Saturday night, from AudioVerse. Got home pretty late but all in all it was a huge blessing. In the very beginning I was debating on whether to go or not, but God kept on bugging me to go, and so I went. Little did I know that it was all I needed. He is so amazing.

(REMINDER TO POST AUDIOVERSE LINK AND EXPLAIN WHAT SWYC IS. GO.)

Sunday went to a baby shower for my Pathfinder director and his new wife, and went to to two different stores trying to find a Baby Shower card, and we finally got one. It was jungle themed, with Nile River Water labels, Animal Charades, and everything. I'm so happy for them.

Today's goals are to do laundry, practice piano, and narrow down a crochet scarf plan for my Baby Soft Yarn in yellow. Any suggestions? I tried the One Skein Chevron Scarf from Ravelry, but didn't like it for some reason.

Here's my new piece that constantly inspires me to practice, since its still fairly new to me and I love learning new pieces :)



aldg.

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First post!

Thanks to Gaby, I decided to make a new blog. Actually I've had this blog for a while, but haven't written anything in it! haha. I usually post things on fb or instagram, but at times I like to write. and type. So hello world, once again. My rants and other interesting things may pop up in here. We'll see how the spirit moves me.

I debated on whether or not to make a blogger or a tumblr, but I like my things to be original, and on tumblr everyone ends up sharing everything, with or without acknowledging the original creator/owner. That I'm not into.

Another thing I've been wondering about is...Google+. What is the future of that, and is it worth spending a bit more time on that, as well as fb and instagram? Or will I just be wasting my time on something that might just not work out in the end? dang, that sounds like a pessimistic view on relationships, and not just social networking. Ha!

Speaking of social networking and multitasking, I've been super lazy with my twitter, and my PINTEREST! which I love <3. and I'm probably going to get super lazy with Google+, and try my hardest not to with this blog. I'd like to add my yarn creations here, aka knitting and crocheting, and my ideas for teaching my two loves, music and Spanish, in a few years. and also my spiritual journey.

Oh! I'm studying Music and Spanish, hopefully gona get my teaching credentials soon after my two degrees, and teach in our schools, and privately! Hopefully get authorized, or whatever the word is, by the National Association for Teachers of Singing, and the Piano Guild. Or go to grad school at UCR for Iberian Music, which combines my two loves nicely. Whatever God has planned. Peace.

aldg.