Chest Cold + Choir Concert = NO!

Hey gang.  Yep.  I decided to come back.

Sorry I haven't been on in a while.  So much has been going on that I tend to forget about my blog.  I know... absolutely outrageous!

Cold weather... ah, yes.  We meet again, my friend.  Anybody getting the chills lately?  I know I am.  The leaves are finally starting to fall to the ground, coated with bright colors that cause me to have jolts of excitement.  I am a fall girl.  Not that you haven't already noticed...
Last Saturday was the real start of the crisp, autumn feeling for me.  Well, more like... the freezing chill and the dampness that seem to reach my bones.  Leaf-raking.
Every year, my wonderful youth group and I take a grand five-hour (or more) "field trip" to rake peoples' yards.  It's quite exciting, I know.  I really like it.  The friendly folks are so kind--hot cocoa and cookies.  I love seeing the happy faces when we rake the yards for people who probably don't have the time to do so... it's a great feeling to serve!

Now... I don't want to complain or anything, but it was most definitely cold weather.  And when I say cold, I mean the kind of cold when the sky decides to rain on us and bring a chilling breeze to top it off.  And I'm not sure wearing old tennis shoes was the best way to go... one of my "clever" ideas.  Oh dear.

But when we finished, it felt great.  God put us on this earth to serve, and I sure am glad to do it.

Well, this morning was quite a scare.  When you are prepping all quarter long for your high school choir concert and you wake up two days before with crud growing in your chest and you just can't take in a full breath, you know it's going to go downhill from there.  It happened to me this morning.  The chest colds have a thing for me, but... they're just not my type.  I have been waiting all quarter long.  That is a long time for a singer like me.
And when I thought that I was nervous enough, a kid performs a face plant on the risers during rehearsal.  We sing the beautiful song, forming our own story to paint a picture in our minds, causing emotion and effect--it was quite lovely... then BAM.  Two seconds after the song ends, he goes down.  Passes out.  I hope that red mark on his forehead goes away soon... poor guy.  Nobody even caught him.  For future advice, if any of you have never sang in front of an audience before, please don't lock your knees when the time comes.  Just... don't do it.

But don't be surprised, folks.  It happened twice for the middle-schoolers this year.  No biggy.  

But, we'll see what happens.  I'm actually not coughing now, which is a good sign. (I'm pretty sure...) I'll just have to see how it goes down.

Well, that is that.  Have a fabulous week, and bend your knees on a daily basis.  

Peace.

Fall Kick-off

Ah.  Another fall day has come and gone.  The crispy leaves are finally beginning to realize that it is indeed that time of year.  I have a slight urge to shout out with glee.  The undying, damp smell that lurks about in the dry air is unwavering, and I don't want it to ever go away.

The slight sip of a pumpkin spice latte and a great place to write is my kind of fall activity--wouldn't you agree?  I have been so busy since last year, which has also made it quite exciting.  I have encountered many wonderful experiences this past year, and am excited to record all the adventures to come, right here in this blog.  It probably won't be a challenge to force my creative writing club at school to sneak just a quick peek of my adventures that will be written on this website in the future.  One blog entry a week.  Yes, I think that seems fair.

A little bit about me?  I am a fifteen year old writer and have recently published my poem "Paint by Numbers" in the "A Celebration of Poets 2012" book from being one of the winners of a contest.  Writing is one of my favorite activities, and especially if I can share my creations with others.  I am a high schooler at CDA Charter Academy and absolutely love it.  You may have noticed that my blog is strangely titled, "Song Bird"--I love to sing.  And writing strongly connects to my love of songs, and I think the title will speak for itself sooner or later.

I hope I can interest you all with my fun life and things that I have done or things that I have seen or heard, silly or serious, ugly or beautiful.  I will be recording things and ideas and try to paint a picture for you readers.

On that note, I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed week.  This is me signing off. . . until next time!


Grace and majesty, characterized by
Beautiful colors;
Brown, black, white, gold;
Splattered here and there like a
Paint-by-numbers creation.

But the inner beauty counts just as much as the outer;
Depends on the kind that you befriend;
Maybe a perky would match with a trot that laughs;
Or a serene would fit nicely with a free canter,
Matching the rhythm of a summer breeze.

I have my inner horse;
My wild, adventurous side;
I may have my nasty side,
But a wild, free spirit that we both share.
I may not have the strong, rippling muscles,
Or the beautiful image when I move to and fro;
But it's the heart and soul that I carry, 
For that can be compared, though I would
Never win.

~"Paint By Numbers" -by Abby Tenney