Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Fairytales do exist

Well, well, well... I am a happy girl! Dave and I are officially dating as of today!!
I never thought I'd find someone that just understands me and cares about me as much as he does... it's so amazing.
I prayed for a long time that I'd find a good guy that would treat me right and I stayed frustrated for a long time because I hadn't found that guy..... well, I see now that God still does answer prayers. :)
All of this has given me a new hope on life... my faith is stronger, I feel closer to my friends and my family... I just feel like I now have everything that I've ever wanted.
Now I know not to get too caught up because wonderful things don't always last, but I'm also not the type of person who doesn't embrace a great moment. This is a great moment in my life and I want to really enjoy it.
He is a breath of fresh air for me and I'm so blessed to have him.
The title of my blog is "Chase Your Dreams" and I have always chased my dreams and pursued anything I've ever wanted.... but with relationships, you can't really chase that, it just happens by the grace of God I believe.
Well, God has shown his grace on me with Dave and I will thank God for that every day. :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Almost was the one that got away

Well, I usually post about my ambitions and my dreams, but occasionally I do post about my love life... well, here's the update!
.... I think I may have finally got it right this time!!
 I have been through a lot dealing with guys who didn't have my best interests at heart, but now things are different... this guy cares about what I have to say and appreciates my talents and my character.... goshhh, what a concept?!
 We are not officially dating, but things are looking pretty hopeful... but I say that a lot and then it blows up in my face so I don't want to JINX it!
We have hung out several times already and we have been on two pretty official dates.. one date was dinner and a movie and the other was to a swanky restaurant/winery in the mountains!
He has been interested in me and has tried talking to me since January, but I never gave him a chance because I was hung up on losers. I can't believe I almost let him get away,  but like he has told me... everything has happened for a reason and the timing was just not right then. :)
I haven't been this happy in a very long time and I haven't felt this comfortable around a guy in a very long time! AND the main thing is that I finally feel like I'm being my true self around him! It's so great!
Hopefully this one turns out better than my past "endeavors"! :)
God has blessed me in sooo many ways... with musical talent, with the ability and opportunity to write for the newspaper, and now with a great guy!
I'm learning more and more about this thing called life... and so far, I don't think it's such a bad thing. :)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I keep pushing, I keep trying

Well, a lot has happened since my last blog post as far as my dreams are concerned!
I recently got a break on my music "career" and some of my original songs may soon be getting published!
I mailed 11 of my songs to Nashville last week in order for them to run through the court system and be copyrighted... once copyrighted, they will be able to then be sent to record labels who will then decide if they want any of their artists to record them!
I have one record label who may be interested in recording at least one of my songs, which is soooo exciting!
When all of this started coming about a few weeks ago, I couldn't have been happier! I actually have taken a break from performing right now due to other obligations during the week, but music is still my ultimate passion.
I am still working at the newspaper, which I do enjoy, and I'm working on advancing my music career at the same time. It has always been a dream of mine to be a songwriter. I love singing and performing, but the money is in songwriting and I love putting words to paper.
If I could still write for the newspaper and get paid to write songs on the side, that would be awesome!! With all of the compliments I get on my newspaper writing and the response that I get on the lyrical content of my songs, it makes me really realize that God has blessed me with the ability to write and also put emotion into words.
My original songs mean the world to me because I wrote them all at turning points or low points in my life.... when people that know me read my songs, they always remember the situation that I am speaking of in the song which is great because then I know that my message was correctly expressed....
I love writing and I also want to have an impact on people's lives and I feel that some of my songs could very well do that.... so I'm hoping and praying that my songs some day make it to the radio!!
God has blessed me and I am starting to see my direction...  :)

Friday, September 2, 2011

God-given talents

Yesterday, as I was driving down the road, I was reflecting on how far I've come with my music.
Several years ago, I wouldn't sing in front of anybody, then in high school, I finally got to where I would sing in front of my friends in private.
Then two years ago, during my first year at Averett, the Christian Students Union (CSU) was hosting a talent show and everyone kept telling me that I should sign up. I hesitated at first, then I finally signed up.
It was going to be my first public debut so I was a little nervous! I had some of my closest friends come to support me which meant a lot!
Not many people were there in attendance but I still considered it my debut. I sang "American Honey" by Lady Antebellum. I was going to sing the song with my guitar but I wasn't comfortable with my guitar skills at that moment.
I sang the song and I received a good response and won the talent show (granted only 3 people performed.. but I still won lol).
I was so excited that I finally had bit the bullet and performed "live."
Another aspect of this story is my guitar playing. Like I mentioned, I was scared to play my guitar in public because I felt that I wasn't good enough at it because I had only been playing since March 2009.
The night that brought both my singing and guitar playing out of the box was when I first participated in an open mic at Buffalo Wild Wings in Danville in February or March 2011 (I can't remember).
That open mic was a success and my guitar playing was decent and my singing was on point I thought.
Since I gained that confidence that night, I have been playing at open mics ever since!
Lastnight's open mic at Kick Back Jacks in Danville (yes! new venue!), I had one of my best crowd reactions ever!
I sang "Anyway" by Martina McBride acapella and I dedicated it to the victims of Hurricane Irene.
I surprised myself when I hit every note perfectly and the crowd gave me a huge applause afterward.
People were coming up to me afterward and telling me how great I did on that song. It felt great!
I realize from all of this that God truly has blessed me with a musical talent and I want to continue spreading it! Especially when I dedicated that song, I felt that God was working through me to deliver the powerful message of that song. :)

Friday, August 26, 2011

Always Welcome

I went to visit my professors and friends on Monday at Averett and I felt so welcomed!
I miss being at Averett so much but it was great to know that they are supporting me in my new job and are cheering me along.
It showed me that no matter where you go in life, those who care, will always be there for you and will support you!
It also showed me that I truly made life-long friendships and connections during my time at Averett.
The whole day reminded me what my purpose is in life... making others smile. :)

Friday, August 19, 2011

One thing that is hard to obtain

In my life, I have went for everything I have ever wanted and for the most part, I have succeeded.
However, there is one aspect in my life that I have yet to succeed in and that is.... my love life.
Strike after strike, I can't figure out the game... am I trying too hard? are all of the good guys taken?.... who knows?!?!
I try not to be bitter because I know that at this point in my life, I shouldn't be tied down with a relationship because I am looking to further my career to new milestones and new places. But it still would be nice to share my success with someone....
It's not that I can't get a guy to hit on me, but to get a guy to commit is like trying to find a needle in a haystack!
I have great friends and I have a great family, but where is my Prince Charming? where is my David Beckham or my Tim Tebow?
I'm sure he's out there..... but I'm tired of looking.
Life is a huge mystery and puzzle. Each day, I lose another piece and don't know how the puzzle will ever fit together.... I can do almost anything I set my mind to, but finding Mr. Right is something I just can't do. (sorry, Thomas the Tank Engine)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Once again, I went for it....

    On July 22, I auditioned for American Idol because it has always been a dream of mine to be on that show.
    The audition day was a grueling process with 13 hours of waiting until my turn! When it was my turn, I chose to sing Sara Evan's "A Little Bit Stronger." I felt like I nailed it! I didn't choke!
    Buttt, it was not what the judges were looking for and they told my group that we all had good voices, but just not what they wanted for the new season.
    I wasn't bummed at the time because I was just ready to go home, but now I am somewhat bummed because the Idol experience would have been cool, but oh well....
    I tried out not wanting to be the next "American Idol", I just wanted to give it a shot and know that I tried.
    Everything in my life that I've ever wanted, I've always went for... it may not have always turned out the way I wanted, but I look back at it and think "you never let anything stop you." :)