Spread Your Wings and Fly...

WAY Back in the month of March... I felt very led to speak with Master's Touch Recording studio engineer, David Perez. At the time, he was in the midst of a big project and told me if I wanted to do a project, it would not be possible till at least May to begin, if not possibly June. I was very discouraged, but felt like I should try to move forward anyway.

I was working very hard to get music ready for the band to rehearse and for us to get tight and really sound good together. Bev and others were writing words and I was having trouble coming up with tunes for all the words. Much to my disbelief, there was more time in the studio available and we could begin the project without much of a delay. I didn't feel 100% prepared, but it was do or die at that point. Go in and do what I could, or not do it at all. This was in very late April. We didn't get a whole lot of time in May, but June began the big race.

We worked very hard 2-3 times/week in the evenings. We spent at least one evening/week rehearsing. It was wild. People in the band were sick. People in the band had to work. Still others didn't like the way some music sounded. It felt like this was a journey we would never finish. I was sure I didn't hear God correctly. I just knew we wouldn't reach the August 2nd deadline of mailing. On July 6th we finished the recording process and began listening. Too much of this...not enough of that. What is that sound? Let's re-do this. Who missed that note?

It was a rigorous mountain of detail that had to be climbed...not only by me, but by David the engineer, Jeff the producer and the band in the long run. There was blood, sweat and prayers shed throughout the whole time. As the editing was going on, the consideration of the cover for the CD had to happen. Too many things for me to think about...right? Oh well...too bad for me...it just needed to be done. I've never been asked so many questions in my life all at one time.

Everything needed to be in the mail by August 2nd in order for us to stay on track. We had it all in hand. Everything was in our possession. The package needed to be mailed by 6:30. At 6:14, Bev and I are getting in the car with her laptop actually burning the cover to the CD that is to be sent to the replication company. I was beside myself. We were praying. We were screaming with excitement and nerves. We were stressed. AAGGHHH. As I walked in, the design was still not finished burning to the CD that had to be sent. I kid you not...at 6:29:30 we placed everything in the envelope and sealed it with a prayer. The FEDEX woman said she needed a valium by the time we were through. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe that it was literally the 11th hour and 59th second.

There are many other details to share, but the point is... PERSERVERANCE . It was all about moving forward. Spreading my wings no matter what the cost. I hope you can get a good understanding of what has gone into this CD thus far. We are 1/4 of the way finished as of today. The next part, replication takes place in New Jersey. I'll keep you informed. I hope you are feeling like a part of this process as I share with you. To your right you will see a breakdown of the cost of each part of the project. Please pray about if the Lord will lead you to give to this ministry. I can certainly talk with you if you have any questions regarding how you can help. MUCH LOVE!

Blessings,
Ashley