It has been far too long since I've written anything on this page. I am, indeed, in Boston and loving it more than I ever thought was possible. It's hard to know what to say since I already sent out a pretty extensive e-mail to everyone, but I can tell you that I am still just as happy as I was when I last wrote to all of you. Berklee is allowing me to grow as a performer, artist, singer, songwriter, and as an independent woman. Often times, I think back to a year or two ago when I used to go to http://berklee.edu on my Chapman computer, and my heart would sink as I yearned to know what it would be like to be in a school where I'd be encouraged to pursue my heart's greatest desires. Here at Berklee, I’m beginning to truly realize what I've gotten myself into -- a world to which I belong!

I’m able to practice performance skills with the full set-up of equipment twice a week -- once with an accompanist and once with a live band (in addition to my regular class schedule). Up until this last Tuesday, I hadn't really felt like I'd portrayed my abilities or myself well enough. Finally, this past Tuesday changed all of that. After performing a Sarah McLachlan piece, my instructor told me this: "You have a lot of potential as a performer." I sort of smiled and shrugged off her compliment thinking that she was just trying to sound supportive, but she got my attention and said again, "No really. I'm very serious. You have A LOT of potential with what you've got." I couldn't even tell you how excited I was when she told me that (especially since she's a professional singer in the business, record deals and all). I wouldn't have taken her so seriously, but she hasn't said that to anyone else in my class/group yet-- not with so much conviction. My self-esteem seems to be rising and I'm beginning to see and internally feel that I AM worthy of being a Berklee student. That's a big step for me. I’m plowing forward and I don't plan on slowing down! This is my life and I'm the director! Oh – the possibilities!!!