Reflection.

I know it sounds corny, but sometimes even the most un-corny people can get caught up in thoughts of the past... Lately I've been feeling a bit antsy about the progression of events on my 'accomplishments timeline' as I always do when I'm forced to rest (aka recovery from wisdom teeth pulling), and in order to counteract those feelings, I've been rewinding through my time here to justify said rest. It's always been hard for me to pull away from the moment and see things clearly when the subject is myself (and have always been one to support the 'I am my own harshest critic" theory), but comments from those around me have eased my worries during the past few months...

It's been:

-1 year and 2 months since I arrived in Atlanta.
-9 months and 6 days since my first musical performance in Atlanta (thank you Aurora/Atlanta Songwriters series)

Since then I've:

-Played 22 shows at 14 different venues
-Played at 3 festivals (Johns Creek, Moonshine Fest, and Echo Project w/ the Spencer Durham Band)
-Participated in 2 charity events (500 Songs for Kids, Winter Soulstice)
-Advanced to the semifinal night during Open Mic Madness
-Booked my 1st show in Athens (January 25th at Flicker Theatre!)

I guess it all came clear when I was on stage at Variety Playhouse last night as part of the Winter Soulstice event...the sound was crystal clear, I was standing where so many amazing musicians had stood (and will stand in the future), and I all I could think was wow, I can't believe I'm here.

Now I don't want to reduce it all to numbers, but after reviewing the figures I'd have to genuinely say that I'm happy where I'm at. Atlanta has been very kind to this girl, and I can only imagine that more is just around the bend...

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On a side note, I travelled to Savannah this Thursday for a 2 day stint back in my old stomping grounds and had such a great time! Sometimes I forget how much fun I had there during my college years, but it's all brought back after a bike adventure across town, the drive out to Tybee, silly antics on the beach, and basically just bumping into old friends everywhere-even after 2 years of being away! It's just such a beautiful town, and I daresay that I do miss living in a smaller place. If only Atlanta had spanish moss and an ocean.

I plan on posting some of the photos soon, but for now I'm off to nurse a sore throat which is progressing into a lost voice (and I still have some damn Christmas shopping to do!). Seriously, can the human body handle a 40 degree shift of temperature within a few hours? Good thing I made it through my first Variety experience last night!