A Glimpse Inside My Heart

(courtesy of pinterest.com)

I'd like to be quite open with you.
Just once.
For just a moment.

Today, my heart is full.
Full of love.
Full of hope.
Full of fear.

It's funny how, at least in my life,
those things all go together
hand in hand
time and time again.

It seems that joy and sorrow
are often related.

Do you ever find in life that those things which are most important
are the things you must work the hardest for?
And sometimes, since you can't exactly see into the future,
those are the things that scare you the most?
They are the things that are
most unpredictable.
They are the things which oftentimes will first bring heartache
before there is peace.
(courtesy pinterest.com)

This is my place today.
I am undertaking, once again, the possibility of rejection.
My prayer is for courage.
I pray that I will be able to swallow the pain and the fear and the upsets I've had
in order to wake up again and say, as was in the previous quote,
"I will try again tomorrow."

It's not an easy thing.
It's a very hard, hard thing
to face rejection and disappointment.
It's even more difficult
time and time again.
Intimidating, perhaps.
Overwhelming, for sure.

So today, I face the day with courage.
Praying with all my might
that I will not fail.
And that if I do,
if I must fail,
I will find the strength to try again
and again
and again.
And when all my tries are gone
I will find strength and courage
to try once more.

For, it is what my heart tell me I must do.

10 Things You May (or may not) Know About Me-part one

Because it's Spring Break and I'm sitting in my house with nothing to do (the kitchen is completely TORN apart because of our recent flood and it prevents me from cooking and cleaning {NO sigh})...I am now giving you a glimpse of me. I'm calling it:

Here are 10 things you may (or may not) know about me:

10. Upon talking to others, the words "I have never..." generally come up because I have NEVER done anything: I have never been skiing. I have never been to the Grand Canyon. I have never been outside the US. I have never said a swear word. I have never eaten sushi. (You get the hint. I have never done anything.)

9. When I was younger-ish (not really gonna tell you an ACTUAL age or anything), when other girls were running and listening to music, I was in the back yard pretending to make music videos with Debbie Gibson and NKOTB. Funniest part: I never had a camera. Just pretend ones.

8. I got kicked out of junior high orchestra because I wanted to PLAY the violin and not just sit around and LISTEN to music with violins in it. (I'm sure there was more to it than that, like the fact that I was LOUSY at violin, but that's all I remember.)

7. My very favorite color in all the world is "shades of white with a little splash of red".

6. I've tried for YEARS to learn to like tomatoes, but no matter how much I psyche myself out, I still gag and spit them out.

5. I still watch Disney Channel every chance I get. The shows now don't compare to the awesomeness of Kids Inc. and the Mickey Mouse Club from the good old days, though...

4. I believe that flip-flops and galoshes should be categorized as "business attire".

3. I believe that EVERYONE is much more beautiful without make-up.

2. The very, very first song I ever wrote was one I wrote about a boy I had a not-so-secret crush on who, for obvious reasons, did NOT return the feelings and I was crushed about how he could POSSIBLY be nice to me but like someone else. It was called "Womanizer". Not really hit material...hopefully it never surfaces...

1. Once, when I was six, my brother and I ate an ENTIRE case of beef jerky, which was actually supposed to be used as a promo for the radio station my dad worked for. He didn't work for that company very long....

Now, I want to get to know YOU. Leave me a comment with ONE random thing about you.

And now...I'm INTERNATIONAL!!!

I just got off the phone with Russ Dixon, producer of the 2011 EFY album. He informed me that my song, "The One", has been getting great reviews and, along with all the other songs on the album, is now being translated and recorded in several different languages and will be distributed into several different countries. This means I get to be a PART of EFY history: this is the first time EVER that EFY has gone international! Wahoo-ooo-ooo!!!


(I don't exactly know which languages and which countries. I was too caught up in the moment to ask...silly me...)

Ready. Set. Book Me, Now!

I am ready and SUPER EXCITED to begin booking events.
I'm still working hard to get my RS fireside "The Sacred Splendor of You" finished. It will be ready to perform March 1st.

BUT........

I NOW have a youth fireside ready to present which encompasses the 13th Article of Faith, which happens to be the theme for this year! It's fun and entertaining and heart-wrenching and thought-provoking and comical and silly and extremely serious all in one package. I've had so much fun performing this for the youth and I cannot WAIT to perform it all over the map! Did I mention this was WAY fun!?!

Here are some answers to a few FAQs:

YES...I am willing to travel.
YES...I am willing to travel out-of-state.
NO...there is no "fee" or "set cost" to have me present these programs.
YES...I would be grateful for any donation to help with gas expenses, though it isn't required.
YES...I will travel for groups of more than 30...so combine with another ward, if needed.
NO...I do not require it on a Stake level, though that would be AWESOME.
YES...I have a bishop's referral/references as well as several YW/YM Pres. references, if needed.
YES...I perform either in the chapel (for larger groups) or in the RS room (for smaller, more casual audiences.)
NO...I will not present the program in the Cultural Hall. (It lessens the reverence.)
YES...I need a piano-not an electronic keyboard.
YES...I will have my own mic/cord/stand for the piano, but I WILL need a second microphone either at the pulpit or somewhere in that vicinity.
NO...I do NOT promote or try to sell my music at the firesides. That's WAY too awkward for everyone involved.
YES...I will respond to your email ASAP, but it may take a day or two.
YES... I'd LOVE to come to your area.

For booking info: choose the "News/Events" page on the website www.audreybandley.com.
I CANNOT WAIT to hear from ya'll!