Guess what?

I'm awake again. So- guess what I'm going to do..... leave another blog post. I'm thinking maybe talking about my friends and how much I appreciate them..... why?.... well, because I've just been a tad bit emotional lately and they seem to always be my slice of joy. =) (And the fact that I think about what Christ did for us and how He created a spot just for us.) <---- that gives me the most joy. =) So..... let's start. (These are absolutely in no order.)

Anne (O)- I totally love her because of her name. I guess I'm naturally drawn to Annes in my life. =p No, but seriously, she's been there for me since I was in 1st grade. She lives 13 houses away from my house so I'm able to call her up and we meet half way and just talk. Sometimes we meet in the night (not in the night, but pretty late) and we stand under a lamp post and talk..... I think sometimes we make people nervous. But even though I go through heck and back and come crying and scared and happy (you never know my moods.... =/ ) she's always there to talk to me. She always comes to my shows..... always. (And sometimes by surprise because she talks to my parents without my knowledge.) She's an absolutely great girl and I appreciate her kindness. I always will enjoy our annual Christmas get together (to make gingerbread houses and watch them fall down because we are inept.) haha. And mountain dew..... (her parents even bought the mini mountain dews because they knew that I couldn't drink the big kinds because I was a little girl. =) haha.

Ok.... that was pretty long..... maybe I won't talk that much. haha. ok.....

Ena- This girl is someone who I admire. I completely understand if you think that sounds odd, but it's true. She is a blessing in my life. We met when we were 4. Now, I can't say I remember her, because I don't. But, by the super power knowledge of my dad, I know that VBS 1995 we were constantly with each other and talking and playing. haha. =) When I came to RTCS I was really messed up. In soooooo many ways. Alena and her family opened their arms to me and I started living over Alena's house. We started praying with each other and our families joined as one. I'll always enjoy our krafts macaroni and cheese (because there's no other mac'n'cheese except krafts.) and our orange juice. =)

Jamie- Momma Charles. I seriously think Jamie is one of the ONLY people that can get me out of one of my moods and straighten me out. Haha. She is another blessing in my life. When I came to RTCS I shadowed Jamie for a day and (even though I was odd) she introduced me to people and talked to me. I could see how Christ shone through her. She has a servant's heart and I'm blessed to have her in my life. From shadow and shadowee to bosom friends, Jamie has always been there for me and I will appreciate everyday of my life. Jamie's love for music has also been another thing that I admire about her. She inspired me to go back to piano and through that I have found that I really find God through all my music. (Even though my rhythm.... well, stinks horribly....) Through her music and photography you see God's work being put into well use and helping to make followers of Christ. I love Jamiejamiejme. =) And I appreciate her kind heart and her Christ like attitude and keeping me in line. =)

Miss Heather Peters- =) My mentor. Through 2 car rides back and forth from snow camp and some sarcastic-ness through a week, I had found a teacher and a friend that I could work with very easily. heh. =) I started working with her 5th and 6th grade class January of 2007. I admired the way that she handled her students and started coming more daily to watch and help as much as possible. (Sometimes, I would come in and grade papers and just listen to her different lectures to get some pointers of how you teach 2-different leveled classes.) My junior year I walked into the room after our first gym class and she asked me to tutor her class that year..... I stepped her up and asked if she would be my senior project mentor. I found no other teacher that I could work better with and she was such a Godly person in and out of the classroom that it was apparent that God sent her in my life for a purpose. Later that year, we began to go to basketball games with each other. She would do the score and I would be water-girl. hahahahaha. Now that I think about it, that's kinda really funny. haha. ok, sorry, back to the story..... I bought us like a 6 pound thing of swedish fish which we inhaled during the rides and during lunch breaks. =) She took care of me through out Anne of Green Gables and seriously, she's been like that big sister figure to me that Britt can't always fulfill because she's not home. I appreciate her sooooo much.

Ok, that was really super long, I think I got on a rant. =) It's cool, because it's technically my blog about whatever I want to say. (That wasn't suppose to sound mean, if it did then I am completely sorry.)

Christine- Christine is my friend who can completely understand me. I think that because she went to a public school and is still friends with a lot of people of the public school system, she can see what's really at my core. And if not, I tell her. haha. =) Christine and I are both very talkative and we stand up for each other like nobody's business. She stood right beside me (like my other friend also) when Sean and I were breaking up. She always told me if I needed her to say anything just to ask. I sometimes had to pull her back from biting his head off. Christine has grown so much since I first met her (and I did too). She's a beautiful young lady that I appreciate so much.

Brittany- Now, I know Britt is my sister, but she is my biggest fan and she's my bestest friend. She has always been there for me lately. When I was younger, I was kinda (well, you'll find out in my grad speech how bad......) messed up. I scared my sister away from me because I felt useless and went about and made friends with the wrong people and grabbed onto some of her friends to talk about things. Britt is completely unlike me. That frightened her so much that we really didn't talk for about 4 years. Through the help of my RTCS friends, I was put back together and last year my sister and I became so much closer and we are able to talk about anything now. We have been messing with my mom and dad this vacation and we watched 3 seasons of The Office together. It was definitely an ice breaker to this vacation. My sister is moving out in less than a month. I'm slightly worried that we will fall apart like we did (in a different way.) I will always appreciate my sister for her strength and servant's heart.

Sean- Ok, if you know me you are probably saying..... what?! I know. Sean and I met in 2005 and got together in mid 2005 and stayed together till late 2007. We both had our mistakes and we both had part in the reason why we broke up. But about 3/4 of a year later, we have sat and talked on many of an occasion and tried to figure out what we did wrong and how we can fix it so we can become better friends. He's there for me always. He's been praying with me constantly and together we are holding up a prayer group on facebook. (That no one writes on except for us) haha. See, I have to step up right now and say that everything that I said about Sean in our relationship wasn't everything. I never told the good of our relationship hence putting a bad reputation on him. He took me out of a really bad time in my life and I'm eternally grateful for everything he does. I appreciate him. And his mom.

Ok, well, I'm not really getting tired but I'm really straining to see the bright light of the computer in a pitch dark room. Sorry that this blog in extremely long. God bless everyone reading (and not reading) this blog. <3 Lyss

Senior Year

So, I don't think anyone reads my blog, especially when I don't write for um..... almost a year. *shakes head* Where have I gone wrong? Well, things have definitely changed in the past year.

1- Sean and I broke up. The night before Thanksgiving..... ya. We were fighting constantly and I couldn't stand it anymore.

2- I spent most of my school year working on the musical "Anne of Green Gables". I am so happy about it. We all came together in that show and pulled it off. =) I ended up getting sick from like February to April. I have no clue what I had but I think it was a case of "stress". haha. I wouldn't have changed anything about the process though. It was such a great and growing experience. I learned that I needed to grow that backbone that Mrs. Shaw told me to grow (hehe) and stand strong even when I was weak. My favorite memory from the show was every night I would come out for my entrance through a quarter house. Well, the lights would be off, I would walk on the platform, hold onto the door knob, pray to God that He would be my strength and as the lights would go up I would say Amen. I swear, I felt calm and I had this overwhelming sensation that everything was going to be ok because God was there for me. =)

3- I started dating Mike. =) I've been dating him for 5 months now and I think we've only argued about like 2 little things. It's wonderful. He's a really great guy. In October, I was on my way to choir and I got a text message from my friend Nate that said "I love you."..... So, thinking "well, that's Nate for ya" I wrote back "I love you too Nate". He wrote me back saying that Mike stole his phone and wrote to me. Somehow I got Mike's phone number and I wrote "I love you" to him. He wrote back to me "You're fat". Well..... it went on from there. haha. But I was directing "Once Upon A Parable" later in October and I was having some grief with a kid who wasn't listening to me at all. I started texting Mike saying that I was upset and I couldn't find strength to go through rehearsals because this kid was taking all my energy out. He texted me back and wrote "Do you want to pray about it?" I was completely shocked. I kinda looked at my phone and said to myself "wait, Mike wants to pray with me?!" So of course I said yes. Well, we became prayer partners and prayed while Sean and I broke up and I was struggling near Christmas time. Around New Years I told him that we should make a New Years Resolution to become pretty good friends. Well, on Super Bowl Sunday we were texting each other and he was being funny and I told him "Jeez Mike, you're so funny, I really like you." or something like that. He wrote back "I like you more." Well, there you go. We started hanging out in groups then one night (March 1st) he pulled out his phone and played one of my favorite songs and asked me out. =)

4- I'm a senior!! And I've never been happier. And I've never been more afraid. I know where I want to go. I really want to go to Grove City College and I want to double major in Elementary Education and Early Childhood. But, it's a college that I don't get half off for being a PK (preacher's kid).... so I need to do some searching for scholarships. I'm struggling with the fact that my friends are going to Geneva and I'll be on the opposite side of Pittsburgh. Though God has been watching over me because Katie is going to GCC and so is my friend from drama camp Nathan. I just think that RTCS kinda has been my rock, it got me past a very scary time in my life, but am I ready to let it go?

5- I've been worried about death lately. I have no idea why. But I've just been thinking about it. I'm afraid that God is not going to accept me. Which is odd because I know I believe in Him and He is my Savior. I also know that He will judge me based on Christ's merits because Christ died for us. I've been struggling since I was 9 or 10 with this feeling like something was trying to confuse me about God. But there is no doubt in my heart that I believe in God. I haven't been able to sleep through a night for probably about 2-3 weeks. Actually right now it's 4:34am mountain time (where I am) and I've been awake since 2:30am mountain time. It's so hard because I wake up and I'm afraid but I know there is absolutely no reason to be afraid. I'm out in the west (Yellowstone) on vacation and I'm seeing God's work and it's absolutely beautiful. I don't know. If anyone reads my blog, please pray for me and for clarity. I'm looking forward to school and working on another show. I feel so close to God when I'm at school and with my friends.

6- I think I'm done. I'm getting tired again, thankfully. I promise to keep up to date. Or try my best.

Love,
Lyss

I finally figured it out.

For everyone (I don't know if anyone does) but for everyone who has been reading my blog and have been praying for me (I know I've been praying a lot with my friends lately) but I want to say that it has worked, I have finally come to an understading that it's not God at all that is letting Mary Lynn die. He is right beside her.
Well. To let everyone know, she is coming to the Lord tonight. I have just recieved information from my father that the nurse said only a few hours till she passes. So, I ask once again that everyone prays for an easy passing and pray for her friends and family.
I have never seen a more faithful woman, in her days of dying rejoicing and singing. She was a soprano 1 and every time she opened her voice it would boom around the sanctuary. Once she got older her voice was softer and a little broken but she is still singing still trying to get up to the piano and sing. I can't wait for her voice to be restored and singing praises to God once she gets up to Heaven.
Well, I promised Mrs. Doyle that I would call her and pray with her if it was coming to an end. So, thank you everyone for listening to me.

Off to the Amish Country

I haven't updated for almost a month so I figure I should start again.
I am about to leave to go to Lancaster for the next 2 days. We (my church and I) are off to see "In the Beginning" a musical about Adam and Eve. I'm pretty excited. It's just really early right now. Anyways, I have a question and if anyone reads this thing maybe you can answer this question. I have a lady in my church dying from Pancreatic Cancer and her days are now numbered. About a month ago we were told she had a month to live. She's getting worse everyday. She is having pain and sleeping more and more. I'm just really sad right now. It's really affecting me. I want to know if anyone would know why God takes a servant of Him and gives her a horrible last few days. I'm just really confused. So, any information would be great at the moment. Thank you.

Once Upon A Promise....

There's a definite promise. I feel it in my soul. The Lord is bringing the cast together. It's looking so wonderful now. Sure there are some that just don't want to do it anymore and people that aren't sure of their steps, but I'm sure the Lord will bring it all together at the end. We were blessed by God to add another member to our cast. She is so adorable and sweet and she is willing to do everything. The feelings of being uncomfortable of telling them their blocking is really going away quickly. We figure that the show is actually going to be put back (which means forward.... I think) in the early weeks on November. The 10th at 2pm and 7:30pm and on the 11th at 10:30am for church. Having John (who has worked with us before in shows) and my father being the two male leads really helps me a lot. They give me wonderful suggestions that really put me on the right direction when I'm going down hill. I've started the last two rehearsals reading some Psalms to put a little devotion on each, because most of these kids aren't Christians and they live in a horrible neighborhood. So, I read yesterday Psalm 1. Today, I read Psalm 16. I thought todays selection was much better to go with what has happened in all our lives. One of our cast member's mother is dying and she has about a month to live, and this lady is a huge part of our church. It hurts all of us. Ya, so if everyone will keep praying, I'm sure this will turn out just fine and we will be able to get these kids into Church after the show is over.
=)

Well.... that went...

pretty well. It was an hour voice lesson and the first 30 minutes she warmed me up and insulted my voice and how I was a young singer and she usually doesn't teach people so young. Which I think I understand. All and all. She was a nice person. The next 30 minutes consisted of her looking at my audition songs saying, how can you sing this, it's a grown woman's song. You're a little girl. But then I kept on singing and by the end she said "Alyssa, you have a beautiful voice, still undeveloped, but beautiful." So, I take the compliment and tell her that I was very glad I got to meet her and I met her next voice student, a kid from Point Park. I'm so scared of the auditions but she said because Aries (we are both Aries) are quick learners, and that I'll learn these well. I just hope she is correct. Well, thank you to all that took my nerves today and tried to calm them.
=)

Rutabega Sausages....

Are you serious?!
Blueberry and Pheasant. Yum.

=(
Ucky.