Almost There!

I'm so excited!

The background and harmony vocals finally got recorded a couple of days ago.

Papers were spread out all over my keyboard.

The music stand just didn't cut it.

The thermometer in my non-air-conditioned room read 82 when I started.

When I finished, it read 83.

Still, it was all done.

I transferred the files and moved on to testing my cover and booklet design.

After some tweaking, everything seemed okay.

I folded all of it and slid it into an empty box.

Unfortunately, I was out of clear trays, so I couldn't see how it looked with a tray in.

Still, I was happy with it.

I moved on to burning LightScribe images on discs.

Then Dad helped me mix the last two tracks.

They were finally all finished!

I started burning the music onto the CDs today.

Soon, a box of clear trays will be here

And I will have booklets and covers printed out

And I will put these copies of my EP together,

The culmination of months of hard work.

I'm so excited!

I enjoy doing this so much,

And it's so much fun to see everything come together.

So, the official release date will be next Tuesday,

August 16th.

I will upload the tracks to NoiseTrade then,

Assuming NoiseTrade cooperates.

In the mean time, I have things to work on . . .

Burning more discs,

Updating my bio

And my discography,

Getting the lyrics document ready for NoiseTrade,

Converting all the files into .mp3s for NoiseTrade,

Breaking out the brochure paper,

Printing booklets and covers . . .

And it's all so wonderful!

Even the things I normally would consider boring are now fun

Because I'm so excited that it's almost there,

That my hard work is finally going to be over,

Just in time to begin again.

I'm excited to be able to present this as done,

Then move on to planning my next project,

Start coming up with a tentative track list,

Start working on accompaniments -

I'm excited to do it all over again!

It feels so good to be at this part of the process again,

Almost able to say that I've accomplished something,

Glad to have come so far,

Anticipating going farther.

Well, now that I've said the same thing three or four times, I'll go back to the bottom line(s):

I'm almost done!

The EP will be released Tuesday, August 16th!

I feel more blessed than ever to be able to do this!

Thank

You

So 

Much!!!!!

"Beautiful Ending"

I saw it still standing there,

Empty,

Half an hour or so after I finished using it.

I'd meant to put it back,

Then forgotten it,

So it was still standing there,

Empty.

It reminded me of all I've been thinking about the past few days,

The books, the videos that have reminded me of how important my music is to me,

How much I enjoy it,

How I can't stop.

It reminded me of the song I've had stuck in my head the past few days,

The one I've been humming and singing everywhere,

The one I'd placed on the music stand to learn how to play,

Because something in it speaks to where I am right now,

In this place of searching for answers,

Trying to figure out where I'm supposed to take this gift,

Though I know it could be years before I find the answers I'm looking for,

Trying to figure out how to still put Him first,

Remember that it's not about me,

Trying to go where He wants me to,

Not where I want to,

Because His plan is the beautiful one,

Mine's anything but.

I don't know where You want me to go, 

But I want to follow the path You've laid out for me.

I want to walk by Your side until I reach the end,

And when I do reach the end,

I want to be in Your arms.

I don't know the ending,

But I want it to be beautiful.

So tell me,What is our ending?
Will it be beautiful,
So beautiful?

Will my life
Find me by Your side?
Your love is beautiful,
So beautiful.

At the end of it all,
I want to be in Your arms. 
At the end of it all,
I want to be in Your arms.
At the end of it all,
I want to be in Your arms.
At the end of it all,
I want to be in Your arms. 

So tell me,
What is our ending?
Will it be beautiful,
So beautiful?

Will my life
Find me by Your side?
Your love is beautiful,
So beautiful.

The bold, italicized words are some of the lyrics to "Beautiful Ending", which is written and performed by BarlowGirl.  Many, many thanks to these incredible artists for their amazing music.

Chasing the Wind

I was up late again last night,

Which finally gave me something interesting to blog about.

(Speaking of which, I'm on my second glass of iced tea!)

I'd spent the day surrounded by music . . .

And written words and videos related to music.

I'd been looking up the lyrics to the song I had stuck in my head,

(Still have stuck in my head, as a matter of fact,)

Watching videos about how the band members had changed and grown over the years,

Then I felt like watching The Ultimate Gift,

As much for the music as for the story.

Then, of course, after watching The Ultimate Gift, I had to watch the music video of one of my favorite songs,

Which I then proceeded to sing continuously as I walked through the house,

Turning off equipment and sliding the movie back into its proper place.

Then, of course, it was late,

And so I went to take my shower,

Thinking about music . . .

And pianos . . .

Specifically, an acoustic grand piano . . .

And it was more like fantasizing . . .

If I happened to see an acoustic grand piano, I would want to play it.

If it was sitting there unused,

Just waiting for someone to come,

I would have to play it.

I would sit down and start to press the keys,

Gently, then growing louder,

A melody of eighth notes . . .

And then there would be words . . .

If this road leads to nowhere,
I'll still be glad I went . . .

'Cause the only way to find real wonder is
By chasing the wind.

Before long, I was sitting on the floor in my room,

Composition book open on my lap,

Turning out phrases,

Writing the words,

Pouring out my emotions about all the difficulties I've been having -

How she doesn't want me to be doing this,

How he's supportive but still thinks I'm not quite good enough at what I'm doing.

Pouring out my feelings about how I can't stop doing this,

How I enjoy doing this,

How I'll never regret doing this.

Never.

Before long, I had a song . . .

Or at least a rough draft of one.

Chasing the Wind

I show her my work
And she just calls it “fine”,
Says the word without
Even meeting my eye.
She pretends to be supportive,
But I can read between the lines.
She doesn't really want
Me to have this in my life.

Maybe she's right,
But I know I can't quit.
Something in me needs
To see this through to the end,

And if this road leads to nowhere,
I'll still be glad I went,
And if it all amounts to nothing,
I'll still call it a gift,
For I have learned that in my failures
I find I am truly blessed,
And that the only way to live the wonder is
By chasing the wind.

He shows me the ropes,
Helps me learn what to do,
Spends hours with me working,
Faithful, loyal, and true,
Tells people all the famous names
That he compares me to,
Yet still says that in some things
I do not have a clue.

I know he's right,
There is so much I don't know,
But I will keep trying
'Cause I cannot let this go,

And if this road leads to nowhere,
I'll still be glad I went,
And if it all amounts to nothing,
I'll still call it a gift,
For I have learned that in my failures
I find I am truly blessed,
And that the only way to live the wonder is
By chasing the wind.

Chasing the wind.

I've been searching for the answers.
There is one I've found so far:
You cannot help but use your gifts
Once you discover what they are.

So if this road leads to nowhere,
I'll still be glad I went,
And if it all amounts to nothing,
I'll still call it a gift,
For I have learned that in my failures
I find I am truly blessed.

If this road leads to nowhere,
I'll still be glad I went;
If it all amounts to nothing,
I'll still call it a gift,
For I have learned that in my failures
I find I am truly blessed,
And that the only way to live the wonder is
By chasing the wind.

Chasing the wind.

The only way to live the wonder is
By chasing the wind.

I put my composition book on my keyboard,

Slightly askew,

And went back to getting ready for bed,

Tired,

Worn out,

After all, it was well after midnight by the time I finished.

Still, I didn't really mind.

I love to do this,

To sit and write,

To put the words together,

Write the phrases.

I love to play

And sing

And just

Make

Music.

If this road leads to nowhere,
I'll still be glad I went;
If it all amounts to nothing,
I'll still call it a gift,
For I have learned that in my failures
I find I am truly blessed,
And that the only way to live the wonder is
By chasing the wind. 


The bold, italicized words are the lyrics to the song "Chasing the Wind" by Mary Schieferstein, ©2011 Mary Schieferstein.