so wow. it's been two months and my life has taken many a turn. first off, the good news....I MADE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOR VOICE!!!!!!! woot! i'm so utterly excited...i just can't even believe how much God has blessed me in the whole music thing lately...He's been so good to me, even when i'm so not good to Him.

school is...well, school. but that's ok. i do love it. and things aren't nearly as stressful this second semester. Music Man is this coming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00 and Sunday at 2:00, and yes, we are behind, but i'm sure it will turn out fine in the end. i just love getting to be a part of it all...

i'm a little upset because i have to miss One Weekend (because of the play), the Gulfport Mission Trip (because i have to get my wisdom teeth out on Spring break..oh, the fun to come!...), and i'll be @ G-school during the charleston trip and Big Stuf.....poo. but that's ok. i guess God wants me to take a break and work for Him here in the Boro...i can't wait for G-school too, because i think that it will be a fantastic opportunity to be a light for Christ in a very dark place! i know that He can do it... i just hope that i'm up to the challenge.

i definitely hit a mailbox on the way to school about a month ago, and busted the side mirror off of my passenger side door, and i haven't driven since...my parents won't let me until i raise the money to pay for it.

DBS Formal is March 10th, and i'm sure Michael and I will have tons of fun!

but one of the not-so-good things i've had to deal with lately is a certain relationship. so...there's this guy. and he is definitely my best friend. and to be completely honest, i have loved him for a long time. and things were going just great. and then december came. and things kinda went nuts. to all the guys out there, don't ever tell a girl that you like her (even if you do...) if you have no intention of dating her. it will only screw things up. so yeah...we both confessed that we liked each other. and things didn't get weird, as i had expected. but we did get closer. unreasonably so. and i realized that i was beginning to put him in the spot that Christ was supposed to be occupying in my life. what's more is, i know this could offend some, but, yeah, he's Catholic. that's the only reason that nothing could ever happen between us. the differences between what i believe and what he believes are just too big of a deal to just pass by. so anyways, this week i had to call him and tell him that we needed to tone down our closeness, because i was much too attached emotionally, and i think he probably was too, though he might not admit it. a wise man said to me that night, "Cari, you have to follow Christ, not your heart...", and i immediately knew what i had to do. and it really sucked. i felt awful for making him so upset. but what i felt more awful for was the neglect i had shown to my relationship with God as the result of this relationship. i was so ready to compromise and just throw out all the growth God had allowed in me, just to make this guy and myself happy...but...when all is said and done, i knew that, even if i never marry, even if i never even date, that's ok, because i would rather have Jesus say to me "Well done, good and faithful servant," than to have this guy like me for a little while and then move on. in the words of Sara Groves, "trying to please the world, it was breakin' me down..." so now, me and this guy are friends, but not nearly as close as it was, at least for me.

anyways, yeah. life is quite good right now. i am so blessed, even when i want to see the crappy elements of life...i just love the way that God continues to pursue me, even when i kick and scream and try to ignore. why do we as humans do that so often? who knows. all i know is that i love Jesus and i know that He loves me back, and truly, that really is all i need. i know it sounds so very sunday-school, but it's true. well, i gotta go read APUSH, so i'll be back later. much love to all of you! ----Cari