the words i would say

this weekend was my piano recital. every year it is a mix of dread and excitment leading up to the saturday where all the parents and friends look down on you listening to the piece you can basically play with your eyes closed. i say that because it can be scary going up in front of so many people and performing, my hands seriously shake the whole time. but afterwards is the best feeling. just knowing that youre done and played it right (hopefully), is a feeling that i cant describe. relief maybe. and i think thats part of what gets me to walk that ten feet up to that center stage baby grand piano. knowing that i will experience that feeling afterwards. of course i have learned that even if you mess up, most people dont even know. unless they have studied the sheet music, in my case rhapsody in blue. and by end, like always, i just want to stay there and play my piece over and over and over. i love it. it makes me realize how big of a part music is in my life. even as a baby, my mom said i always had to be listening to music. and that certainly hasnt changed. im always listening to something. and not only listening, but playing and singing. i love playing the piano. i can always measure how much stress i have by how much i practice. its definetly a vent for me. im a pretty quiet person, so the piano talks for me. its like we share a language, of notes. it shares my feelings, whether i am sad, lonesome, excited, worried, joyous, it speaks for me. i can play loud. or quiet. or in the middle. it listens. i think my absolute favorite thing when i play is that moment when ive memorized a song, and my mind wanders into other thoughts when im playing it, and i forget what im playing, but my hands remember and continue. and then i come back to reality and think that ive skipped a whole part of the piece. its something very hard to explain and i probably did a poor job of it. i wish i could share the gift of music with the whole world. maybe i will. someday.



this guy is my absolute favorite. i spend almost every night listening to him.

declaration of a world changer

Today I will live honorably in my

thoughts, actions, and speech.

I choose to be full of faith;

I will not only be a hearer, but

a doer of the

word of God.

I will serve before I demand,

I will love and not hate,

and I will give before I take.

Today I will make a

difference in this world,

and be part of something

bigger than myself.

I choose to dedicate my life to prayer,

and ask God for his miraculous

power and the courage to do

the impossible.

I will make Godly relationships a

priority in my life as I esteem

others higher than myself.

Today, I will live in such a way that

I will change the world.

romans 5:8

Funny how I write at least one blog post a day.....in my mind. I wish what i thought could just be transferred down, I would say on paper, but that would be imprecise. I figured out I do have many drafts

Last night was the last all area club of the year. I lovee all area. maybe because I love meeting new people and seeing my friends from other schools. But Goodie gave the talk. he summed up all that has been talked about throughout the year. just like all the younglife talks, I got a new perspective on the crucifixion.

Imagine creating a world. a whole, beautiful, complete world. and creating people. who were ment to be in a perfect relationship with you. and then have them turn on you. dramatically, drastically turn away from you.

think about how much it hurts when a friends lies to you, or excludes you, or ignores you. it hurts. it hurts alot. well imagine that times 9823643624. its not even comprehesible. and we did it. you did it. i did it. we all have turned away from God at one point. fallen short of His glory. sinned. sin isnt just lying or cheating or stealing. it's focusing your life on things beside the Lord. but He still loves us. Loves us enough to suffer through all the torture and pain. incredible. 

"I loved you at your darkest" -Romans 5:8

and as you well know, i love pictures. especially with bible verses.

and indeed, I am in engineering right now.

My Name (My english project)

Claudia.

Like a stained glass window, my name and I.

Different pieces, from different places, each with a different story, come together to form something striking. I’m not just from one place, and just one thing does not define me. I’m made up of different customs, backgrounds, traditions. But they fit.

 Italian from my father, English and Irish from my mother. Tan skin, but blonde hair and blue eyes. Big Christmas Eve parties in New York, small Thanksgiving dinners in Roanoke. A love for math and science, with a passion for art and music. Curious, without a care in the world.

Inspiring, influential. You don’t just walk by. You notice. The things that scream different are really there for a purpose. Each angle cut precise, each color hue, was perfectly planned by the great artist. When you are up close, you might not be able to put it together. You might not be able to read it well. But just take a few steps back. Then you will see the big picture. Whether there are sharp cuts or round cuts, big or small, they come together. And fit.  

This colored pane gives hope and a sense of peace. Like the smell of salt mixed with dry sand in the ocean breeze.  Never enraged. But when anger does strike, it comes in a peaceful way. Even when the stained glass is displaying a hurtful, horrific, painful image, it remains composed and intact.

It always looks pleasant, but when the Light shines though, just then, does it look most exquisite. Not only that, but the moment the Light comes in, with bright beams that blind your eyes, that glass is fulfilling its primary purpose.