I got a job! :)

Our neighbor's son is going back to school this week.  He gets home at 3:30 but his mom doesn't get out of work until 5:30, so she asked me if I would be willing to come over from 3:15 until she gets home so he won't be home alone.  I'm so happy!  She's willing to pay me $5 an hour (I guess that's the average rate for babysitting nowadays) and I'll be babysitting every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon from now on!  I'd work for her every day if I could, but I have flute lessons on Tuesday afternoons and Fridays are very unpredictable for me.  But that's still $30 a week that I wouldn't have otherwise.  

Which means that - not including the bread I sell during the month - I'll make $120 a month and it will only take 5 months to earn the remaining $600 I'll need to buy my harp!  And what's even better is that I just discovered that the Harp Connection has a rental plan!  So, I pay a $125 deposit + $50/month for 4 months and at the end of the 4 months, I'll have the option to purchase my Ravenna or keep renting.  

I'm so excited because this means that if all goes well with this babysitting job, I could possibly get my harp NEXT MONTH!!!!!  You can't possibly comprehend how excited I am right now... [waves cheerleading pompoms and jumps up and down]

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
~Shelby 

"The Journey of a Thousand Miles..."

"...begins with a single step!"  Hello everybody!  This is my very first blog entry.  I am so excited to share my harp journey with others who love the harp!  If you'd like to read more about me, click "About the Author" at the top of the page.

My goal is to get my harp this fall (hopefully by the end of November I will be happily harping!) and to get a solid foundation in proper technique before I head off to college and become busy with "grown-up" things.  I just have this sudden need to play the harp-- as though if I don't have some strings under my fingers pretty soon, I'll implode!  Fortunately, I've only got about $550 left to go before my dream can become reality!

I have already picked out my harp, a gorgeous Ravenna 34 by Dusty Strings.  I found a harp teacher almost 2 hours from where I live... and believe it or not, he's the closest harpist!

I've also found lots of information about harps, harp (and finger) care, music, and many friendly people at the Harp Column's forums.  The other people there have been incredibly helpful and have answered lots of questions.

If some of you who are sitting at your computer reading this blog want to learn harp - or any instrument - then I say "go for it!"  Fulfilling dreams helps us lead fulfilling lives.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
~Shelby