A Year in Review -- Part 2

My New Year's Eve was spent with my dear friends from high school at Phil Hoffman's house. For reasons that are beyond putting into words, it was one of the greatest nights of my life. I got to spend it with my friends that I have had for years -- & the night was filled with laughter, dancing, and still feeling like the teenagers we used to be while realizing we are growing up together and heralding in a new year. It was such a joyful night spent with people that I adore.


These pictures are the best representation I can give on how much fun this night was. The second one is my absolute favorite picture of all of us girls on Phil's truck, who all came over for a sleepover at my house after leaving Phil's. Kelly, Michelle, and I stayed up into the morning, talking about 2007 and the spiritual journey we had all been on. We brought in 2008 by ending our conversation with a prayer & dedicating the year to the Lord. I was moved to tears by the beauty in these friendships, and that I began 2008 in such a powerful way.

My Winter Quarter was lost in a flurry of rehearsals, way too many classes, and tons of playing piano. My friend Michael and I had decided to direct an independent production of Godspell together. Although we were very excited about our undertaking, we did not have any idea how much work this was going to take. I found a couple of my To-Do lists from this time in my life, and I don't really know how I did it. I was taking 21 units of classes, musically directing Godspell, running my a cappella group Deceptive Cadence, helping out at St. Thomas More on the CORE team, and sort of trying to have some semblance of a social life. I gave everything I had to my show - all of my heart, all of my mind, all of my time. It was a difficult process, where Michael & I learned a LOT about each other, and even more about ourselves. I realized how much I give to other people - most of the time, until I have nothing left. Two 20-year-olds directing Godspell was beyond difficult, and we tried every day to save a show that could have fallen apart completely. Luckily, we were given a phenomenal cast who dedicated everything to the show as well. The whole thing was a learning experience about directing, putting a band together, working with other people, teaching, and even about spirituality.

Our cast bonded on such a deep level because of the content of this show -- Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Zach played Jesus in our production - and because he is Jewish, he and I stayed up for hours every night talking about Jesus and what He taught. We watched The Passion of the Christ and read Scripture together, and the entire cast had constant questions for me about Jesus Christ. We even prayed together on multiple occasions. I felt the Lord moving through our rehearsal process and our performances, and no matter how challenging it was, it was so incredibly worth it.

Here is a taste of the show for you -- this is Zach singing "Save the People." I am playing piano, & you can hear just a tiny bit of my band in this song. Ricco Fajardo is playing acoustic guitar with me. I wish I could get a video of "Bless the Lord" up on here -- I am so proud of the music for that one, & my drummer (John Scott) and bass player (Zack Hillman) are featured in that. If a video ever gets put up on youtube, I will post it promptly!



This show was the essence of my Winter Quarter. Despite the stress and how much it drained me -- I am proud of my work & happy to have had the opportunity. God worked through a difficult situation and held our cast and our production in His hands.