Let there be light!!

Goodbye flourescent lights, hello recessed lighting! Just look up and focus on the lights and try not to notice the rest of the room (phew, we have a ways to go). One victory at a time!

Kyle...enough said!

Kyle's the kind of guy you want to help you...that is if you need something demolished, torn apart, or a heavy object moved. He'll also help you with car maintanance, althoug his solution may just be to get a hacksaw:)

This blondy from The Great Lake State is one dedicated, hardworking, and tough individual. Kyle's been our Johnny-on-the-spot guy, and we thank him for it. From helping us move into our house, knocking down walls, and taking countless trips to the dump, Kyle's been there for us. Kyle, thanks for all your help; we truly appreciate your time.

BTW: Just ask Kyle EXACTLY what kind of car work he needs to do before he comes over and

works in your garage. That is, unless you happen to enjoy the sight of an upper intake manifold and random wires laying around.

Lilly - Strength and Encouragement

Lilly is one of those rare poeple you might have the opportunity of meeting once in your lifetime. She is brilliant in everything she does and has more energy, charm, and personality than imagineable. She is one of the most giving people I know, and if you get a chance to meet her, your life will have truly been touched.

Lilly has been a great friend for over a decade now. We met at Riverside Community College while taking core music classes together...she is a singer and I am an instrumentalist, so thank goodness we had the opportunity to meet at the very beginning of our careers. I was barely 17 when I started taking classes and Lilly was going back to college for a second degree. We studied together many times and always made sure we had our vitamins - m&m's of course:) We went to Hawaii together with the wind ensmeble and chorus. Lilly knew that I was paying my way through college and was fund raising for the trip; I later found out she anonymously donated part of my way.

When I came back from the Fulbright in Romania, Lilly let me stay with her while I finished my thesis for my master's. She helped me study for my comprehensive exams and edit my thesis. She was there telling me not to give up or give in.

Whilst making the video, who do I turn to, but Lilly of course. Through my journey Lilly has been a huge encouragement and source of strength. She always reminds me of my beginnings and how God has helped me through everything, and that is exactly what she did for me during this contest. She reminded me to be honest and be myself, and whether it was God's plan for me to win or not, I was responsible for just doing my best. Of course these are things that I should know, but it is during these life changing moments that we all need someone to encourage us and put things into perspective.

Lilly, there are really no words to describe the influence you have had in my life. If it were not for your encouragement along the way, I would not have had the strength to believe in myself and actually follow through with many of my dreams, including building a music studio. Your friendship is priceless and I am sooo thankful for it. My only regret is that we are on opposite sides of the country!

Bathroom Progress

copper pipe in the middle of the bathroom

new pipe moved in the wall

bathroom is pretty much gutted!

Check out the progress!

Mark helping out!

Looking through the studio

Large studio room

Demolition Dave!

Chris, my solid rock

Chris is my dear husband and partner in this whole journey. His support is unsurmounted. Chris is the one who believed in me from the beginning and kept telling me I had a 'real' job. I would be out applying for jobs and he would say, "I support you, but,you already have a job. If you keep teaching, that would be fine too." Geez, I think we went back and forth on this for over a year, until if finally hit me that I was doing what I loved.

You won't see him in as many pictures because he is not the guy who likes to be in the spotlight. But he was out there with Kizito and I in the final stages of the competition fixing our computers, getting us food and drinks, taking us to the next 'hot spot' for votes, etc. That is the type of guy Chris is, not so worried about getting the credit, but making sure the job gets done. He sees the whole vision, then jumps in and does his part with joy!

Chris is the one who organizes the finances and taxes....things that are super boring for me. He is the one who is dealing with the contractors right now and researching about the best products and getting the best deals. Chris is the one tearing apart the basement and learning about the latest soundproofing technologies. He already has a job, but he comes home and works on this project with energy and ambition! Without him, this vision would not have come to realization.

Chris, thank you for standing by me and making my dream a common goal for both of us. Your love and support throughout this journey are what keep me going.

Fran, she's got a way with words...

Fran has been like a second mother to Chris, and has been such a blessing in our lives since we have been married. She was such a motivator during the competition. She called to check on how the video was coming along and ended up spending a whole day helping me edit the script I had written and working with me to sound more natural when I speak. We did this all via phone, but we made it work. I would read a sentence and she would have me repeat it over and over again until it sounded natural. Yes, she's got a way with words. Fran, thanks for spending the time to help me and believe in Ioana's Music Lessons.

Curtis

Curtis is not only the worship pastor at New Hope Church, but he is also in charge of most of the technology, including videos! Once I found out I had to make a video, I immediately went to him for help and advice. He gave me awesome tips on how to film good shots and make the video flow naturally.

I spent the first two weeks making the footage and designing the video, but Curtis is the one who helped me edit and put it together. In less than 4 hrs. we had the video made and submitted. Curtis, thank you soooo much for your help. You saved me endless hours of stress and helped make the video look so professional. Had you not offered your amazing gifts, I would have been editing until the last minute and there is NO WAY the video would have looked half as good. It is a pleasure to play keys and serve with you on the Worship Arts Ministry. Thank you for your friendship and your time and generosity on this project!

Kizito, my God-sent angel

Kizito and I getting votes at Caribou during a storm!

Kizito was my God-sent angel in this competition and there is NO WAY I could have gotten as many votes as I did in the last round without her help. I have known her for less than 3 months, yet I feel like we have been friends forever. She lives in Belgium, but was our neighbor for a few months. Here I was worried and trying to brainstorm ways to get more votes and wondering how I was going to win, and God puts Kizito in my life. She was lost, and randomly stopped at my house to ask for directions. We started talking and hit it off! At the end of our conversation I asked if she would read my story and consider voting for me. Shortly after, she promised to not only vote for me, but help me win the competition!

During the last voting stage of the competition Kizito campaigned with me over 6 hours a day for two weeks straight. Her family allowed us to use their laptops as voting stations and they made fliers that we passed out all over town to help share the story of Ioana's Music Lessons. Some of the places we went to include the Student Union and The Pit, and libraries at UNC, Open Eye Cafe, The Station, Caribou coffee shop, Weaver St. Market, Time-Out, Food Lion, and New Hope Church. Kizito was relentless, to say the least. When I was tired and wanted to quit, her energy was persistent. She even went campaigning with my husband when I had practice and lessons to teach. She was so compelling and shared my vision with such energy and honesty, you would have thought she was in the competition!

Kizito and I getting pumped at Open Eye!

The competition also allowed Kizito to realize her own strengths. Kizito is excellent at talking to people...she has no fear when she believes in a cause and is a great motivational speaker. Thus, she has started a non-profit organization to support good causes. She also recently started a blog, please check it out: http://kizitogoodcause.wordpress.com/ If you have a good cause and need support, she is the person to go to!

Thank you, Kizito, for you help, and example of selfless giving, and most of all for our new friendship. Not many people would have extended their time and resources for someone they just met, but your generosity and support were sincere and touched my life. Thank you for believing in me! You are truly a kindred spirit! Wishing you safe travels back to Belgium. Chris and I will really miss you and your family.

How it all started...

I decided to start this blog and track the progress of the building of Harmony Music Studio over the next few months, but I realize so much has already happened that I have to update everyone on. So, the first posts in this blog will outline some important events in the last few months.

At the end of February, Chris started thinking about taxes and began filling out information with Turbo Tax like he does every year. I get an email from Intuit, the company that owns Turbo Tax, and many other great resources for small businesses (quick books, quicken, etc.). The email asked: Do you own a small business? Does your small business need $$$? Do you have a small business story you would like to share? My answer was yes, yes, and yes! My spirit filled with excitement as I caught a glimpse of how winning could actually allow me to achieve my dream of opening a music studio! Within a week, I entered my story in their small business grant contest with a chance to win $25,000!! What did I have to loose? Chris and I had just bought our house less than 6 months ago with a vision of renovating the basement into a music studio. We figured we would begin with one room that would allow me to start teaching, and then save up until we could afford to renovate the rest. One way or the other we were determined to build the studio!

With the support of all my friends, family, and students voting, and the judges decision, Ioana's Music Lessons made it through the first part of the competition along with 49 other finalists!

In the final round, each finalist had two weeks to make a 2-4 minute video that captured the initial story they entered. What did I know about making a video?? Not much, but I knew that would change in the next couple of weeks! Intuit gave each finalist a Flip Camera, so at least I did not have to go out and buy all new equipment! I entered my video www.tinyurl.com/ioanavideo and then spent the next two weeks getting as many votes as possible!! On June 4, Intuit announced that Ioana's Music Lessons was the GRAND PRIZE WINNER!!! The rest is history! We have spent the last month and a half tearing apart the basement and transforming it into Harmony Music Studio.

Okay, this is the short version! There are dozens peeps who helped make this dream a reality and to whom I am soooo grateful. Rather than mentioning these folks briefly, I wanted to make a seperate blog posting for them! This is where the real story begins!