Exciting News!

Every May, Bel Canto goes on a music tour.  This year we will be going to Northern California (the day after I graduate!) and we will be there for almost two weeks.

HOWEVER...

I am so excited to say that we have officially announced that Bel Canto will be going to Poland on a Music Missions Trip!  Myself and some AWESOME ladies will be leading the choir on this international adventure.  I am so excited to see what God has planned for us as we begin making plans and get all of the logistics together.

So, here's a few basic facts about Poland to give you an idea about the missions trip I will be going on.

• 97.8% speak Polish
• 89.8% Roman Catholic (75% Practicing)
• 38,383,809 people in Poland (38,041,430 people in California)
• Members of the European Union: signifies political and economic stability

Bel Canto will be partnering with Next Generation Missions.  This group takes choirs to Poland, Jamaica, Scotland, and across the USA.  Their desire is to help students see the mission field and to allow students to deepen their understanding of God's calling for their lives as musicians.

Vera Bradley

It's no secret to my friends and family that I have a love for Vera Bradley products.  I just love the bright colorful patterns, and flowers are my favorite! Some of my favorite VB products are the large duffle and the Grand Traveler weekender bag.

This summer I went to Boston, and they had a VB store there! Let me tell you... I was in heaven!! (We have a VB store in my home town, but now that I'm out here in LA, the closest one is about an hour away, and then you have to factor in the LA traffic.)

Vera Bradley store in Boston
Via Instagram

Now that the holiday season is approaching, I'm beginning to get a lot of emails about their sales and new winter patterns coming out! Definitely need to make sure I only look at the website instead of spending all my money!

**What are some of your favorite brands??**

Hello Fall!

Here in LA, our fall starts a little bit later than most places.  This weekend, it was in the 80's and I was wearing shorts. However, fall has finally arrived and it is raining and everyone has taken out their boots and scarves.

For me, this means breaking out the crock pot and enjoying a delicious (and healthy!) home-made meal.  (For what I'm making tonight for dinner, check out this earlier post with the recipe!)

At times, I wish fall would look something like the east coast, or my house... the leaves changing colors and falling, the cold brisk air starting at the beginning of October, and everything decorated for fall.  But I do love living in LA.  Where else can you go to the beach at the end of October, and we do have Disneyland and many other things.  But in all honesty... I just can't wait for Thanksgiving week to arrive. Then all of the holiday festivities will have officially started.

**What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?**

Top 5 of October

This month has just flown by! I honestly can't believe that November begins this week.  This month was full of lots of papers for school, multiple choir concerts, and me finishing my senior thesis paper! Well... almost.  Although, throughout the midst of school and choir, there were a lot of fun times.

Since I am not able to update my blog as much as I would like to, I'm going to start doing "Top 5's" (in no particular order) for various things going on in my life and it's also just an easy way to do a quick, but informative update.

Via Instagram

1. By the end of this month, I will have all the parts of my "Intent to Graduate" form filled out and turned into the school! It's hard to believe that these 4 years at APU have flown by so quickly.

2. Bel Canto performance have begun for the school year, and I am so blessed to have these ladies in my life.  It's so great to be able to worship and minister alongside them, as well as the other 40 ladies 3-4 times a week.

Via APU Bel Canto Facebook

3.  Like mentioned already, Bel Canto performance have begun! Be sure to check out our Facebook to see photos, upcoming concerts, and much more exciting information about our plans coming soon!  

4.  Meet Jen! We've had the opportunity to take at least one class a semester together, however this semester we have 3 classes.  It's been great getting to know her even better and I'm so excited to live with her after we graduate!  

Studying at Starbucks on a Sunday afternoon
Via Instagram

5. In the program that I am in at APU, I have been given the opportunity to overlap a little bit of graduate school with my undergraduate work.  I am so excited to be starting this next step in my journey and get started on doing what I want to do... which is teach little children!