the theme of my life...

okay, so i feel like there is a common theme occurring in my life...like in every aspect, in everything that i try to do this theme comes back to bite me in the.., well you know...so what is it, ill try to explain in without a diagram, it might be hard...imagine this, there is this scale (not to weigh, but to measure) and it goes from 0 - 10, everyone sets there own expectations for themselves and the world has expectations for everyone, so let's say that the world expectation for everyone in a 6, and in my case, my expectations for myself is a 10, i truly feel deep in my being that i am able obtain a 10, but here is the catch...while i am always striving for success in everything i can never get past a 9, it doesn't matter how hard i work, or how bad i want it i can not break my 9 point ceiling...this happens all the time, here are just a few examples: my music (personally, solo i mean), my grades (okay but not great), and now in general, the plans for my life, translation, pharmacy school (i found our this weekend that i am on the waiting list for ole miss)...so here it is, in everything i feel like the world is shouting to me in a slightly mocking way, "ha,ha...you thought you had it, you did the very best you could but ya know what, your best is just a little short of great...enjoy being average, delia charest"....and you know what, it just sucks....

i am taking the first step, admitting i have an addiction...

yes that is right, i am going to admit to you all that i am addicted...some of you are asking "what could delia possibly be addicted to", the other of you are saying "its about time she admit it" so here goes...

"I DELIA CHAREST AM ADDICTED TO NUTELLA"

there i feel better already...i discovered my new love while being in France, everyone was like, "try it, try it" and i am now blaming my addiction on everyone of you, especially Katie Mo and Maggie (but secretly i am thanking God for allowing you to open my eyes)...luckily, the only place near me that my love is sold is Winn Dixie, and honestly the Winn Dixie near my house is scary, and i won't go without anyone else, and there is no way that Charles will contribute to my addiction, he already believes that i am beyond help, so i am probably going to be exploring this "cold turkey" thing, i am not looking forward to it...but oh well, i am not going to think about that now... im going to eat dinner now, hmmm....what to eat, what to eat....

the real world stinks, take me back to Paris

so back in America, what have i been doing...workings, yuck!!! i haven't even unpacked yet, part of this is due to work, but i think the other part deals with the hope that i can just pick up and go back...hmmmm, why do i think that i feel this way, easy, i am in a transition period right now, note about delia, she doesn't like change, especially when she has no idea what the transition holds, yes that is correct, still no word...my friend that i work with at uab has applied also and he called this past week, they told him that the decision will be made this coming week, and students will be notified the next week, two more weeks, aghhhhhhhh....i just want to know so i can decidewhat i am going to do, i hope i get for many reasons, but right now i hope i g et in so that i do not have to make the decision of where to move, do i move home or do i stay here, work and find a roommate, i know what i should do, but i want with all of myself to do the other, i just want to know, but i will pass on knowing if i can catch a flight back to Paris, thats a fair trade right? well i probably should get ready for church...

ps. i am really ready for my body to get used to central time again, not being able to sleep past 730 is really beginning to get annoying, i mean i am out blogging even copeland, thats just wrong

i wanna go back....

more...

so there were many things that i looked forward to on this trip to France, but the most powerful aspect of the entire trip was something that i had not even considered to be a factor in the trip, what was is...GOD...now dont get me wrong, i knew that it was a blessing that i was even getting the opportunity to go on such a wonderful trip, and i was constantly asking for a safe trip...but i saw God in ways that i had never even thought of discoveing Him on this trip...of course through the music i am always thinking of Him and how my voice can be used as His instrument and i often feel His presence when i am singing, but throughout this trip, He revealed Himself in amazing ways, obviously through our music, but it was every concert...the first Notre Dame: there were times when i had to stop singing and fight back the tears b/c of utter awe i was feeling in singing in such a obvious presence of God...

the second the night concert at the little paris church: seeing God's glow in the eyes of our audience, they would not stop clapping until we came back, they said that their parton saint teresa is the saint for desperate people, eveyone told us that usually they would pray to saint teresa for her help with us, but not our choir, they said we were not desperate, and we did not need the saint, it was amazing to see their faith in us after just hearing us for a short period of time...

third saturday night of the compeitition: the concert of my life, selig, lux, and i thank you jesus, all the best we had ever sung, we held the audience in complete awe, and want for more, after lux we could hear the audience breath a sigh when the song was over, and the uproar after we finished i thank you jesus...the response for that audience was amazing, people who could not speak any english came up to us to tell us how we moved them, one precious little french man told us that the spirit was with us, all around us...i truly belive that, yes we sang well, but it was truly God's voice and spirit that these people heard...

other than the music i was also able to expeirence God's amazing creations...looking at the beautiful history that has been around for so long, and so many things have happened in these places, the most obvious were the cathedrals...to think that people had been worshipping in these places for longer than i can fathom is just amazing...and now i can add my name to that long list of people that worshipped in Notre Dame or Chartes...

the scenery was also constantly showing me God...i've always said that when i see the sun peaking through the clouds or around a building, and i can see the individual rays, that i am seeing God...it felt like everytime i turned around i saw this, at Notre Dame, the Eiffel tower it just seemed to be everywhere...

hands down the most amzing nonmusical experience of this trip was when charles and i went back to notre dame to spend some time with God...we lit a candle and said a prayer that He would always bless us and our relationship together, it truly was amazing i really felt His arms around the two of us that day...

there were so many other things that i was able to see glimpses of God and His work through, i could not upload many pictures so here is a link to my yahoo pictures...hopefully you can see some of the glimpses that i so gratefully experienced...

we were so lucky...

WARNNING...this could be considered mushy and girly, read at your on risk...okay so charles and i realized that we were two of the luckiest people on our trip, so many of our friends left their significant others back home in alabama, having to spend countless time and money to communicate, but not charles and i, we got to spend ten amazing days in france, together...we grew closer throughout the entire trip, we got to sing the concerts of our lives together, we got to experience the top of the eiffel tower together, we got to see history together, we learned to navigate the Paris metro system together, we even got to spend 10 hours on a plane together, (that last one was good and bad)...it made me realize even more what a lucky girl i am, and how much i want to continue to experience new things with this, my wonderful boyfriend...here are a few of my favorite pictures of us thoughout the trip...

this is us waiting to board the plane in atlanta...we were so excited and ready to go...

this is us in front of the arc de' triomphe, this was an amazing part of Paris, it was sooo big...

this is us on the boat ride, you can see the eiffel tower behind us, it was so pretty at night when it lit up, absoulutely breath taking

this is us actually on the top of the eiffel tower, that Paris in the backgroud, getting to the top of the tower was scary but once we were up there the view, and my company made it so special...not many people get to expeirence the top of the eiffel tower with the love of their life!!!

this is us right before we left for our banquet on the last night, it was really sad to say goodbye to everyone, but charles was wonderful, he always can help me when i get into my sad moods...

okay, so this is on the bus ride from atlanta to birmingham...we were so sick of traveling, our bodies were exausted b/c at this point with time zone changes we had been up nearly 20 hours at this point, we were sooo tired...
there are so many more pictures...ill post some more later, now i must have a break...

i cant believe that its over

so i am back in america...and to tell you the truth, i was happy, this possibly could be attributed to the 15 hour trip from paris to birmingham, but it was sad to see the trip and my choir expeirence end...so you ask how did we do? well we did very well, we did not win the top award but we came very very close...we tied for the top prize in category one (the tie was with the choir that won the competition) and we won an award for the best interpretation of a french piece...for a more detailed account of read dr copeland's play by play on the Choir blog.....right now i am uploading my pictures to wolf camera so that i can pick them up this afternoon...everything there was so breath taking, yes somethings we not very clean, but it is like that anywhere, especially birmingham...i got so many wonderful pictures, it is going to take me a while to decide the ones that were the most amazing to post on my blog, maybe ill start tonight...as i post them i will tell about their significance and what happened then, i guess that is how i will tell the story of my ten days in france...so check back soon

here we go...

exciting!!! here are some links to our recordings...these are just a few of the many, many things we will be singing....

salmo

mate saule

richte mich gott

he's got the whole world

i thank you jesus

its amazing...

it is amazing what people will do for you...i have recently discovered, this past week, that people will be there for you when you need it...i have been flooded with outpourings of care, good wishes, and love...its wonderful to see God working through people, it just blows my mind...i am forever grateful...

prepared or overpacking?

so i am packing for france (ahh jus tthe sound of it is music), and i have come to a large question...how much should i bring...i mean, i want to bring so much, but i dont know if is should...usually i over pack becuase i never know what i am going to want to wear, or if the weather will suddenly change, i just like being prepared is this too much...help me, let me know

well, thats it....

im done, (thank you Jesus for allowing me to get through it)...yeah i am glad that this semester is over, but no real time to blog now, off to church choir, then tonight to decatur with charles (the poor thing has a doctor appointment t/m)...hmm, and then what...oh yeah EUROPE....thank you all for everything, ill blog soon...(and itll be good!)

i never thought i had become dependent...

on the blog...the choir blog...it has been down for several days now and i am at a loss, i can check to see if anything is happening, i cant remeber rehearsal times this week, and i cant keep up with my friends' blogs (b/c i use the links on the choir blog)...so Copeland, hear my plea..."PLEASE FIX THE BLOG ASAP" if it isnt fixed i have no way to procrastinate studying........