It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I had the pleasure of trying a "Harry & David Royal Riviera Pear" over the Christmas break, and they could almost be described as life-changing. Seriously. If you're a pear fan, you need to immediately order some of these for yourself. They're ridiculous. I ordered a box for my parents and grandparents for Christmas because anything else I could have gotten them would pale in comparison.

Christmas was incredible. Great family time. Way too much good food. Fun games. Friends. It's just all around awesome. I thought I was going to have to work for some of the break, but I actually got all the days I asked off, so that was incredible! Though Jonesboro, GA is not too thrilling, my parents are wonderful, and I loved spending time with them. Watching my niece and nephew open gifts and experience Christmas was probably the best part. Everything was so new and exciting to them, which I love. Plus... they're just about the coolest kids you'll ever meet, so that helps (my parents are incredible, too).



I may or may not have spent 50% of my time at home curled up on the floor like a cat in front of the fire.



Also, there was also a fairly glorious sunset one day which I so perfectly present in the picture below.



I got some Sour Patch Watermelon chewy candy, too, so thats always nice. And my brothers-in-law and sisters are incredible (yes... I'm the last single child left. No pressure. And how do I always end up looking like I'm superimposed onto pictures? This is not the first time a picture has looked like this. I promise I really was there! So weird).



Alright. Thats about it.

Happy New Year!
Robby

Mr. Stone

During my time in Huntsville, I've had the opportunity to substitute teach at a couple of high schools around the city. I began doing this because I wanted to see if teaching would be a good career path for me. If the education system wasn't so screwed up and teachers didn't have their hands constantly tied with paperwork, regulations, red tape, and inadequate discipline measures I might actually consider doing it. Sadly, the public education system is a disaster, and teachers can hardly do their jobs much less make it enjoyable. Alright. I'm done with my speech.

I really do love working with students and attempting to make school and learning fun for them. Unfortunately, so many kids don't want to learn and think it's unimportant, but I'm not gonna get on the subject of the current generation either because it's also depressing. Some kids are great. Some kids you want to kill. Thats it for now.

Here's the fun stuff... I filled in at Lee High School earlier this semester for boys P.E., and it was by far the most frustrating but hilarious experience with subbing that I've had. Imagine 12-25 high school guys who range from thug to awkward white kid (mostly semi-thugs) and a substitute teacher who has, over the course of 6 or so days, become lovingly referred to as simply "Coach." What did I coach? Nothing. How awesome is it that they called me "Coach?" Extremely. My main job ended up being to keep the guys who were actually in P.E. to stay in the gym and those who were just skipping class to stay out of the gym. It was pretty much like herding cats all day.

We were supposed to play basketball which usually turned into dodgeball using basketballs. Really safe. I probably should have stopped it, but honestly it was too hilarious to stop. I just prayed for the bell to hurry up and ring when those games began. The main story I'm trying to get to involves the 7th period class I covered with two other teachers (one being an asian) called "Lock Out" where students who are late to class are sent. It's supposed to be a sort of detention where students are forbid to talk and must silently work on school work. Yeah right. Cause thats gonna happen with high schoolers. And why are we sending the troubled kids who need to be in class the most to some room where no learning takes place? I don't get it.

One day a large group of people were sent to Lock Out, and I watched as they all poured into the room. I can't describe everything that went on, but there was this one guy who was continually talking and was called out by the asian teacher I mentioned. They fought back and forth about something and at one point he says "what? What are you saying? I can't understand you! I can't understand you, Sesame Chicken!" Yes. Thats right. He called her "Sesame Chicken." Now, I'm a substitute and am therefore not exactly allowed to burst out laughing with all the other students at this horribly offensive comment. What makes matters worse is that I was sitting in the front of the room facing all the students, and I had to fight back even a smile. It was torture. I'm not nearly far enough removed from the high school days to not think the situation is hilarious.

I have no doubt that there are plenty of stories like this out there from various teachers, but I'm just so glad I got to experience it first-hand. It really is always exciting in the public school system. I just wish it weren't made such a disaster by the government and central office.

Cause I love real sesame chicken, not "Sesame Chicken,"
Robby

BONES

Remember that time I told you I played the part of a heroine addict in a movie called "Bones?" No... alright. Check this out, and then watch the trailer ( http://rightthenleft.blogspot.com/2009/05/heroine-yes-please.html ). It's actually going to be a movie!



Now, I don't know if they'll leave my scene in there or not, cause I'm honestly not sure that it wasn't total crap. However, I watched them film the part in this trailer where the girl falls back onto the bed the same day I filmed my scene, so there's a chance they left it in! I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Hilarious still. Oh, my random life.

Robby

It's SNOWING!!!

Yep. Thats right. It is currently snowing in Huntsville, AL right now, and I am so pumped. I've had a slight obsession with snow my entire life, and this surprise little snowfall is pretty incredible. I realize it's not a big snow, but it's still frozen precipitation falling from the sky, so I'll take it. I just wish I wasn't so tired, and I'd stay up and just watch it. Maybe it'll still be here tomorrow! I hope so... minus the fact that I'm supposed to drive to B'ham for a wedding. Hmmm. Mom will not be excited about that if it does stick. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess!

Alright. I'm gonna go watch it a little more, then it's time for bed.

Robby

Wow

I really did disappear for 3 entire months. Thats bad. I'm sorry.

Things you missed (I literally just pulled up my calender to see if anything worth mentioning happened):
*September:
- Laura Vandal and Caleb Chancey got married, and I had the honor to sing in the wedding. It was honestly the most epic wedding ever if judged on music. I'm serious. Unreal. And not because of me AT ALL. I felt like an amateur.
- My obsession with the show "Glee" began. I really think they had a meeting to decide a show that I would love more than anything and then created "Glee." It's amazing (currently listening to the 22 songs I've downloaded from the show thus far).
- Yeah. Thats about it for September.
*October:
- I went to Nashville one day to audition for some song writers to see if they wanted to use me to do some demo work for them. They were very complimentary and encouraging. I have yet to hear back from them. Thanks.
- I substitute taught boys P.E. at a fairly ghetto high school here in Huntsville (Lee High School) for a week. That experience is probably worthy of its own post. Yeah. It is. I'll do that soon.
- I started singing some at the church I go to up here in Huntsville (Life's Journey), and I love it! It's been such a huge blessing to have an outlet to lead worship with other believers. I still miss Brook Hills, but Life's Journey really is incredible... and I get to sing with my sister which is awesome.
- I got to spend Halloween with my sister, her husband, and my nephew Luke! It was so much fun. Luke was Batman, Rebecca was a pretty witch, Lance was a homeless clown, and I was a makeshift tiger. A picture is necessary...





*November:
- I turned 25! Yep. On November 1st, 2009, I became a quarter of a century old. Weird. My grandmom made me buttermilk pie (pretty much the same thing as chess pie... trust me... it's amazing), so I was happy. Honestly, turning 25 wasn't that big a deal for me. Some people hate it. Actually... as I'm writing this I'm beginning to hate it. I'm stopping now.
- I filmed a little short film about cats (kind of) with some of my roommates. Oh yeah! I haven't mentioned my roommates. That is worthy of a post, too. Wow. Maybe I have had a life these past few months! I've yet to see the previously mentioned movie, but it's apparently hilarious. I'll post a link to it whenever it makes it's online debut.
- I missed the meteor shower due to cloud coverage. Still mad about that one. Lord... why does that always happen? I even prayed that it wouldn't, but I guess You allowed it for some reason.
- I made pineapple cheese casserole for a church function. People thought it was weird. I still love it and ate what they wouldn't. Uncultured taste, I say.
- THANKSGIVING!!! This has sneakily become my favorite holiday. I don't know when it happened, but it did. I love it. I think it's because it's all about realizing how blessed we are and forgetting crap that doesn't really matter. And because it's during fall, which I've realized is my favorite season. And we all met at our lake house for it and had fires and my mom's amazing cooking. It's really not fair for all the other holidays to be compared to it.

Alright. That should give you the highlights. Looking forward to posting about my substitute teaching experience and my roommates. It feels good to be back.

Robby

Apologies

Dear Blog-

I offer my sincerest apologies for my absence. I realize that because of my disappearance you have become boring and not worth checking. I imagine that the lack of hits you've experienced has had devastating effects on your self-confidence, so I hope to be more frequent in my posting in order to draw your followers back to you and raise you up out of your pit of shame and embarrassment. Take comfort in the fact that there was absolutely nothing that you could do to fix the aforementioned problem, and I claim all responsibility (although, Jeremiah should claim some too considering he is co-owner of you). Please accept this apology, and know that the recent lapse of time in posting is not due to you but due to my fairly uninteresting life. Hopefully that will change soon.

Your co-creator (small "c" because we know who the big "C" belongs to... Jesus),
Robby



Dear Followers-

It is with the greatest remorse that I offer my apologies for my lack of posting in the past couple months. I have been informed that some of you have missed my wise words as ridiculous as they often are, so I am making an effort to bring this blog to the prestige and punctuality that it once maintained. I had no idea that anyone read this blog or would actually miss it if it slowly drifted away into the dark corner of the internet never to return again (just kidding... you know I wouldn't let that happen... for too long, at least). With that said, I pray you will accept this apology and support me as I attempt to bring a little life back to the "Right. Then Left." blog. I look forward to bringing you along on the journey ahead. More to come soon.

You're all pretty amazing (especially my Moe's crew... who I will never forget, Amy),
Robby

Reality And The Weird

Life is not as it seems. And life definitely does not always go as planned. Coming face to face with the reality of the world we live in is not easy, and there are times I've felt like I'm drowning in the depravity here.

If you had told me not long ago that I would be living in Huntsville for an indefinite amount of time working at a restaurant, I would have been pissed you had even thought that. Oh, how funny and humbling life can be sometimes. To say that the past couple months have been all that I've dreamed they would be is a hilariously ridiculous statement. However... is it exactly what I need for the Lord to continue to grow me? I'm still deciding, but I have a feeling the Lord knows thats a huge "YES." The situations I've been put in, and the challenges to my faith and ways of living and thinking about this life have forced me to really dig into myself and learn some difficult lessons (many lessons I'm still working through right now).

Lesson One: I'm Weird (Thank the Lord)

If you are a Christian, and you've never worked in the restaurant business, I encourage you to try it. Not because it's fun and an easy way to make money, but because it's extremely difficult physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This job has been one of the most trying, humbling and frustrating experiences of my life, but I'm so thankful that Christ has allowed me to go through it. My initial challenges were the usual fears of inadequacy and inexperience with the job of serving itself, but those were quickly replaced by the struggle of dealing with the reality and pain of this life through stories of the lives of my coworkers and by looking introspectively at my own life.

Most days I feel like some alien from another planet that has no idea how to communicate or form relationships with those around me. Gathering bits and pieces of the life experiences of those I work with, I began to realize how vastly different my story is from nearly everyone there. There is so much pain, deception, betrayal, and sin wrapped up in the lives of these individuals, and they don't even see the bonds that are choking the life out of them. At first I felt as though something was wrong with me that makes my experiences thus far in life so different from there's. However, I've realized that I am EXACTLY like every single one of them, and the only explanation I have for the difference is Christ. It is the saving grace of Jesus that makes my life weird to the world.

I'm sickened by the sin that has so fooled this world, but I think I'm disgusted most by how much of that sin is in me. It has been incredibly difficult to see how sin has taken so much from people, but the hardest thing is seeing that same sin in my own life everyday. I know that if I were to reject Christ and give into my human nature there is no doubt that I would fall into the snares laid out for all of us, and that fact terrifies me. However, I must remind myself that as Christians we cannot allow sin to reign over us. I think the key to conquering this fear of sin is realizing how great our God is and growing in our understanding of Him. It is a daily walk that will keep our heads above the waters of deceit and sin that can so quickly rise and sweep us away.

And there are definitely times when I feel as if the world we live in is a lost cause and sin is too great, but thats when I must remind myself of how much greater Jesus Christ is than sin, death, and anything this world contains. And when Satan tells me I'm sinful and weak, I will fully agree. It is the LORD in me that makes me who I am.

- Robby

Where did July go?

Seriously. Where is it? How is it already the 20th? This is ridiculous. I've been back in the south for a little over a month now, and life has been pretty interesting. Definitely interesting in a different way than the previous 4 months, but interesting none-the-less.

I've really enjoyed my time in Huntsville and think it's been good for me to be a bit removed from friends and Birmingham so I can think without distraction. Of course I would love to move back to Birmingham to work and be close to all the people I love down there, but I'm just not sure it's time to return. I feel like there's more for me to pursue and obviously more for me to learn. That'll never change. Until I figure out where the Lord is leading I'm just gonna wait patiently here in Huntsville. At this point I still don't have enough money to move anywhere anyway, so that makes my decision easier.

I got a job at Bonefish Grill as a server, and I'm pretty excited/terrified about it. My previous "serving experience" includes the short stint I had with "The Kitchen" in Los Angeles (you know... that catering company), but I've always wanted to try out the whole server thing and feel this is the perfect time. I think I'll love the outgoing personality aspect of being a server, but I'm not sure how I'll do with the fast-paced, multi-tasking side of it. Things could get interesting to say the least. I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty one track minded, so the idea of having to multi-task scares me a bit Hopefully I won't be miserable and I'll make a little money to save up! I guess we'll see.

I'll be training all this week, and then I think I'll be on my own after that! Crazy. I'm just glad it's a nice restaurant like Bonefish and the people working there seem pretty cool and helpful so far. Other than that I'm not sure what I'll be doing. Thank goodness I have a few friends left in this town to hang out with, or I might have gone crazy. My sister, nephew and her fiancee have been incredible, too. I've loved getting to spend time with them and pray they're not getting completely tired of me being around all the time. It's such a blessing to have this place to stay, and I'm unbelievably thankful.

I wish I had some funny stories, but I don't. Wait. Yes... yes I do. I was fortunate enough to be picked to dress as Maggie of Maggie Moos Ice Creamery (I love how I call it an "ice creamery" and thats not at all what they call it) this weekend for a charity event raising funds for a little girl with cancer. Great event and cause, but this is what I looked like:



Unfortunately (or fortunately), thats not a picture of me, but it's some other poor soul who had to be "Maggie" for a day. A picture of me in the costume would probably show me doing some heel click, swinging on a swing, or interacting with the petting zoo. Yeah. Apparently all you need these days to start a petting zoo are 3 kittens, some sickly bunnies, a goat, a chicken, and some ducks all packed into a kidnapper van. It was lovely. I was just thanking the Lord that it happened to be one of the coolest days of the summer, so I wasn't dying in that hot costume.

Alright. Time for bed. Glad I could update you on my thrilling life. Come see me at Bonefish Grill or Maggie Moos if you're in Huntsville!

Robby

The Waiting Game

I'm glad to announce that today I completed my 3rd day as a cake decorator/ ice cream server at Maggie Moos Ice Creamery, and it really has been a lot of fun. Sadly, I'm not sure how long I'll continue with this ice cream adventure considering I'm only getting paid $7/hour and working around 16 hours a week. My calculations show that even though I'm not currently paying for rent or utilities that amount of money still wouldn't be enough to cover my other bills. Being an adult is crap.

I really am thankful to my friend Andrea for giving me some sort of job, though, and it's been hilarious to work with her and the other incredible Maggie Moo employees. I'm planning to submit an application at a few restaurants to try and get a server job. Hopefully that will work out, or I'm not sure what I'll do. Trying to find a job is hard enough as it is right now, but it's even more difficult because I have no idea where I want to end up at this point. Nashville is still a very good possibility, but I've also been thinking about Birmingham, too. For right now I'll just wait right here in the middle of the two (in Huntsville) and pray that the Lord will guide me.

This past weekend all of my family met up at our lakehouse on Smith Lake, and it's got to be one of my favorite places on earth. Plus, it was the first time I'd gotten the chance to see my entire family together since I've been back from LA, and I loved being with all of them. Sadly, I was slightly under the weather all weekend long (still am), and I couldn't enjoy all the delicious food! Oh well.

Oh! Hilarious story. The day before I left for the lake I did something extremely random and never expected anything to come of it. Well... something has, and we'll just have to wait and see how far things go because of it! Let me explain...

Some of you may know that I worked for a photography company called A Bryan Photo the 6 months or so prior to me moving to Los Angeles, and I absolutely loved everything about my time there. The guys who work there are incredibly talented (check out their work www.abryanphoto.com), and I always thought a reality show following the guys and their work could be hilariously entertaining. A few days ago I decided to write an email pitching my idea to the production company that does the show "Say Yes To The Dress" on TLC never imagining that anything would come of it. The next day I get a response email saying that they would love to call me with some questions about ABP because they're very interested in the idea. Yeah. I'm serious. I talked to someone from their company yesterday, and in the midst of my 45 minute convo I was told that my email came at a very good time because they were currently in the process of trying to develop a new wedding related reality show. Are you freakin' kidding me?! After talking with me, the lady said she would love to talk with Bryan Johnson (the owner of ABP) to discuss the idea further. They talked today, and I haven't heard how the conversation went yet, but can you believe this?!!! How crazy! All the guys at ABP are just cracking up that they're actually going to have to meet and discuss the idea of having a show based around them. Keep in mind that the typical reality show format would not work at a place like ABP. There is very little drama or disunity in the company and to try and make it appear that way would come across very forced. Plus... those always just turn out depressing and frustrating. The guys would only agree to do something if it had a more "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" feel. You know. Something that's entertaining because it's encouraging and tells a good story. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. The fact that anything is happening is hilarious, though!

So... I have a lot to think about and a lot of trusting to do. God is gonna work something out. Hope to have some more stories soon, and I'll try to keep you all updated on the whole show thing. Haha! So random.

Holding down the fort in H'ville,
Robby

Don't fear...

I'm not dead.

I apologize to all of you who were phoning in to Blogger and Rescue 911 to question them regarding my disappearance from this blog. It really does mean a lot. I want to assure you, however, that I am alive and well. The past few weeks have simply been filled with literally thousands of miles of driving, surprising friends, and trying to figure out where my life is heading, so I've therefore been unable to update as I should.

Some of you might have gathered that I'm no longer in Los Angeles, CA. You are absolutely right. It turns out that the city of dreams is also a city that likes to take all of your savings out of the bank and leave you with just enough to make it back to the security of your home. Yes, LA was a bit pricy for this guy, but no one can say that I didn't enjoy the short time I had in the smog city. Seriously... it was amazing. I hope one day I'll have enough money to actually go back there and continue to enjoy the craziness that LA has to offer. For now I must try to rebuild my savings here in the south and spend time with my incredible friends and family.

At this moment I'm sitting in my room at my sister's house in Huntsville, AL. This is where I'll be living for an indefinite amount of time until I figure out what the heck I'm doing with my life... or at least the next step to take. Best option right now is Nashville. Yes, we'll just pray that the Music City has better things in store professionally for me than good ole' Los Angeles had to offer. While I definitely miss LA and the friends I have there, it's good to be back in the south. It just feels like home... cause it is.

I've been bouncing around between Atlanta, Birmingham, and Huntsville so far, so it'll be interesting to see what the next couple months will hold for me. I applied to a job at Belmont University as an admissions assistant for the School of Occupational Therapy, so I'm excited to see if that goes anywhere (if you have some clout there... put in a good word for me). I've also got a potential job lined up here in Huntsville to be a cake decorator for Maggie Moos ice creamery. This is a pretty hilarious opportunity because...

1) One of my best friends since 2nd grade is the manager, and I can only imagine what it'd be like for us to work together. Here we are back in Huntsville a while ago (Andrea... great shot of you. Not that I have any room to talk):


2) These are some examples of the cakes I've made in the past:



Strange enough, Andrea knows exactly what she's getting herself into by allowing me to be her cake decorator. Should be interesting.

I'll try to do a better job of updating all my faithful blog checkers on my thrilling life, but I have a feeling the exciting stories might be fewer and further between. Something tells me living in Huntsville will be quite different than living in Los Angeles, but I'm sure there's good times to be had! Please do pray that the Lord will continue to guide me on His path and reveal the next step He desires me to take.

Cause I'm back in my hometown and the party is just getting started,
Robby

Celebrity Update

There's been a few more celebrities added to my "Celebrity Sighting" list (many of which were seen at the American Idol finale show or at events that I've helped to cater). And here's the full list:

- Elizabeth Berkley
- Dakota Fanning
- David Moscow
- Billy Bush
- Chevy Chase
- Zack Levi
- Matt Wertz
- Cooper Anderson
- Brittany Snow
- Gwen Stephani (plus all of "No Doubt")
- Neil Patrick Harris
- Cuba Gooding, Jr.
- Andy Sanberg
- Seth Rogen
- Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls mom)
- Shane West
- Eric Balfour
- Pamela Anderson
- Jason Castro (American Idol)
- Justin Guarini (American Idol)
- Kimberly Caldwell (American Idol)
- All Season 8 American Idol contestants
- All American Idol judges
- Queen Latifa
- Rod Stewart
- Black Eyed Peas
- KISS
- Queen
- Drew Lewis (American Idol)
- Jason Mraz
- Carlos Santana
- David Cook (American Idol)
- Keith Urban
- Steve Martin
- Lionel Richie
- Cyndi Lauper
- Stevie Wonder
- Amanda Peet
- Jimmy Kimmell
- Michael J. Fox
- Jason Bateman
- Chace Crawford
- Annette Benning
- Mark Wahlberg
- Amanda Bynes
- Lance Bass
- Faith Evans
- Eve
- Seth Macfarland
- Cast of "Entourage"
- Chelsea Handler
- Jonathan Bennett
- Dean Cain
- Rachel Bilson
- Ryan Phillipe

So, there it is. Famous people. The idea of celebrity is still so odd to me. Oh well.

Robby

Mom makes me think... which is good.

My mom and I talk pretty much everyday. And she talks about EVERYTHING... all at one time... mixing it all up until I'm not really sure how we got on the subject we're on. It's pretty hilarious, and there have been plenty of times that I've just started laughing at how our conversations progress. Somehow, I'm usually able to keep up! Because of this we tend to hit lots of topics and cover a wide range of information, and there's days that I'm up for it and days that I'm not. Usually she can tell when it's not really time for one of these conversations, and she'll end things pretty quickly. However, God has an amazing way of showing her the times when she needs to dig stuff out of me. Today was one of those days.

Maybe she knows when to dig because of the fact that when things aren't quite right in my life or I'm thinking a lot about something I tend to get short with people. And my family gets the worst of it. Why is that? Why do the people we love most see the worst of us? I guess we just know they'll still love us when we're miserable. I usually realize at some point in the conversation that I'm being completely ridiculous and apologize for my behavior, but I wish I would just not do it! Oh well. Life is about learning and growing.

I think I get frustrated with people who try to help me when I'm going through a time of tough decisions or stresses because I've always wanted to handle things on my own. I don't want to talk about things until I've figured them all out. Stupid, I know! I don't know why I do it either because I always benefit from working through things with others and allowing them to help carry any burdens I may have. This is something I've been working through for a while, and I'm so thankful that Christ has revealed this flaw in me. Thank the Lord mom forced me to talk through things today, and though the subjects were all over the place and she definitely has the parental viewpoint on things while I come from a completely different line of thought, it was very helpful.

Main thing we discussed... realistic thinking.

I've never really been one to rush growing up. I feel that I've immensely enjoyed every phase of life and fight against the time when the phase must end. I wasn't that guy who desperately wanted to get out of high school or college to move on to bigger and better things. I savored every single day and tried to stretch it out as long as possible. And while I feel this method of living life is good in some ways, I realize that you must move on. It's very good to move on. Healthy and mature to take the step into the next phase of life. To fight it would be detrimental to future success and growth.

Well... I can see one of those phases of life on the horizon, and I don't love the idea of having to cross into it. It's the phase where you finally have to be realistic. I don't mean realistic in a way that limits your ambitions and goals, but just a place where you have to consider a life that might not be exactly what you imagined it would be. A place where you finally accept that the things you'd always dreamed would somehow happen might not come true or might not even be the best thing for you.

Does this mean you have to quit pursuing those dreams? I really hope not! However, I do think it means that you begin to open your eyes to other paths that the Lord may want you to travel. If He wants you to accomplish the things you've always dreamed you'd accomplish, then you will! But what if the things you've dreamed of aren't what He really wants for you? What if His plan is SO much better than anything you could imagine?

I think the hardest thing is letting go of the dreams you've had for yourself and releasing them to the Lord. Trusting that His way is best even if it's not what you had always imagined. I think I'm at that point where I have to let go of my dreams and chase Christ! Not give up on my dreams, but just release them to Him. Giving up on my dreams would just be irresponsible, but being willing to give them up if He asks me to is a completely different thing.

I've never given my hopes and dreams and future up to Christ. I've wanted to control it and make sure it happens the way I see it. I mean, I've released small portions of my plans and have taken steps of faith that I wasn't sure would line up with my plans, but I really don't think I've ever said "Lord, whatever you want to do with my life is fine, and I will gladly give up my dreams and desires for You if You want me to." I've been holding on to plans for my life that may not be best for me and that I definitely can't accomplish on my own, and I pray that I get to a place where I can finally place them at the feet of Christ and trust Him to do with them what He desires. Am I willing to let go of my dreams so that His will can be accomplished? I want to be so badly! I know only then can he most effectively use me.

So thats my prayer. To let go. Lord, help me.
Robby

Weekend/Week Update!

Updates from the past week...

I catered an event last weekend for the Michael J. Fox Foundation (yes, Mr. Fox was there... and he was such an encouraging and hilarious person). Guess who else was there. Hints: He sings. He plays piano. He's written some of the greatest songs of all time. His skin is quite a bit darker than mine. Any guesses? Well, I'll just let you try to figure it out. But I will say that he was UNBELIEVABLE! So surreal getting to watch him perform at some private party. Another hint, you say? Alright, alright. He's blind... and his last name is a brand of bread. No more hints. Some other names you may recognize were at the party including Jason Bateman, Amanda Peet, and Jimmy Kimmell. They all seemed very nice.

Sunday night we got a group together to go to Grace Community Church and then hung out at a friend's house playing games. I love game nights so much. Seriously. It's probably my favorite thing to do. Sit around with incredible people playing stupid games and laughing way too much. I can't believe how the Lord blesses me with such amazing friends wherever I live! It really is incredible. I do miss my B'ham peeps and family so much, but I'm so thankful for the relationships I've formed here.

Monday I spent the day hanging out at a friend's apartment watching movies and reading on her balcony looking toward the mountains. Yeah... it was amazing. You really can't beat California weather. Well... not easily at least. It's been so nice to have time to enjoy the surroundings since I've been out here, but I don't know how I'm gonna transition back into working everyday! Actually, I think I'll enjoy it. I like keeping busy, and this downtime has been silently stressing me out since I've been here. I'm getting to the point where I need some tasks to complete and some goals set!

Thank the Lord, we did find someone to take over my room in the apartment starting July 1st! It will definitely be bitter sweet moving back to the south, but I just really feel like it's the right thing to do. I've loved my time in LA, and I honestly would love to stay here longer, but I feel the things I want to accomplish and the direction I want to head in life will be best pursued somewhere else. Where will that be? I honestly don't know for sure. Nashville seems like a pretty good option, though. That's all in God's hands, though! I've had a hard enough time trying to figure out whether or not I'm supposed to leave LA. I'm just gonna take the steps of faith I feel I should take and trust that He'll continue to lead me to the next one!

Not sure what the next few weeks hold for me (so far it's not any work! Well, I actually have two more parties to cater this weekend), but I'm just trying to wait patiently. Change is on the horizon, and I'm spending a lot of time in prayer about when and how to take steps toward that change.

Keep the prayers coming!
Robby

Still Here

Haven't found someone to fill my spot in the apartment yet, so I'm thinking I might be here in LA for the rest of June. While it kind of stresses me out because of financial issues, I guess the Lord wants me here for some reason so I'll just trust Him. Maybe its because American Idol auditions are here in LA at the Rose Bowl on June 30th, so I'll definitely be going to that if I'm still here! We'll see what happens!

Cause life is crazy,
Robby

Heroine? Yes, please.

I've made it a habit to check Craigslist every once-in-a-while for random jobs that might be available (even though most are big scams). Last night I was enjoying this process and ran across an add saying "need a thin, 18-24 year old guy for feature film." They should have just said "Robby Stone... we need you." I sent my headshot to the email address provided and ended up hearing back from the director and booking the part! Don't get too excited. It didn't pay anything, but I was just excited about the experience. Plus, I had no idea what the part would be. I'd soon have that question answered. Hilarious.

Before I committed to the part, I wanted to get a few details. The film is called "Bones," and it stars Jimmy Bennett as the title character (IMDB him. He's done quite a bit for a 13 year old). I read over the script, and while I like the story line there is definitely a lot of language in it. Thank goodness I didn't have any cursing or even lines that you'll actually hear (there will be a voice over). I will be playing Bones' father in a flashback scene in the film. Bones' father is a heroine addict who dies before Bones is even born. Yes. The flashback scene was that fateful night when Bones' dad was killed! I got to die in a movie! Not sure if it's a good thing that I'm so excited about that.

Lets start with my costume for the scene. I have on light blue short 70s shorts and one tube sock with blue and red stripes around the top on my right foot... and thats it. Got that mental picture? Pretty incredible.

Now lets move on to makeup. Remember, I'm a heroine addict, so makeup litters my arms with needle track marks, abscessed needle wounds, and bulging blue veins while I'm given dark circles under my eyes, sweat, a huge fever blister in the corner of my mouth and sick brown crap in my teeth.

Now put the costume and the makeup together in your mind. If only I had a picture...

We filmed the scene at this disgusting motel room in North Hills, CA called the Good Knight Inn (Yeah. There was a castle theme to the motel that was very well executed... or not). I won't go into all the details of the scene here, but I will tell you that I am choked to death with my tube sock that I'm not wearing on my left foot for some reason. Pretty awesome. Oh! And during the first take that we did I was actually choking and almost passed out. When they stopped filming I stood up and everything was blurry and I was really shakey! Not too fun.

To tell you the truth, I was terrified of actually having to act. Super excited, but terrified. It was my first time to do any real acting, and I'll just say right now that I need a lot more practice before I'll feel confident doing it! Hopefully I didn't make a complete fool of myself, though. The crew said I did a good job, so I'll just trust them. I'm not sure I could have gotten much further from my true life than this character, but thats what acting is all about, right?

And if you don't think it's right that I played a heroine junkie then I'll just say that I feel fine portraying a character like that. It's a completely honest depiction of how some people live, and the life of an addict is not promoted or glamorized in the film at all. It shows the depravity and hurt that drug abuse can cause, and I hope I did a good job displaying that. Just thought I'd clear that up now.

I guess I can actually say I'm an actor now,
Robby

Maybe you're wondering...

"what drink was Robby talking about from Starbuck's in his previous post that only costs $2?" I mean... you probably weren't wondering that, but you should have been. I used to think that any drink worth getting at Starbuck's was at least $4. Not true.

If you're a white chocolate mocha fan I'm about to change your life. Or just make trips to Starbuck's a little less painful. You need to order a misto with white chocolate sweeter added. It's seriously $2, and it taste almost exactly the same (a little less sweet than the mocha... which I like). And if you'd like that same flavor but iced then you need to order a cafe con leche with white chocolate sweetener (its just half iced coffee and half milk with sweetener just in case the barista doesn't know what you're talking about).

There you go. Hope you enjoy that little fun fact. You can thank the one and only Sarah Sizemore for that gem of information. She is a former Starbuck's barista and recent graduate of Samford University's School of Nursing (also the sister of my MIA "Right. Then Left." co-founder Jeremiah Sizemore. Where the heck are you, Jer?).

Making life a little sweeter (and more affordable),
Robby

American Idol Finale

Yep. I was there. It was amazing! Where else can you see Queen Latifa, Rod Stewart, the Black Eyed Peas, Jason Mraz, Carlos Santana, David Cook, Keith Urban, Steve Martin, Lionel Richie, Cyndi Lauper, KISS, and Queen perform all in one night along with the best group of American Idol contestants ever? It still doesn't feel like I was actually there. And I'm SO glad Kris won! I had a feeling he would, but it was just good to hear it. He seems like such a nice guy. I mean... Adam can definitely sing (I'll give him that even though I'm not a fan of his voice), and he puts on quite a show, but I just love Kris' style and voice. Not really what I would call an "American Idol," but he's freakin' good.

I pray one day I'm up on that stage. I would love it. All I can do is audition and pray... which I'll be doing again this year!

I'm pretty sure I'll be moving back to the south in the next week or so. It all depends on whether or not we find someone to take my place in the apartment. I honestly can't afford to pay rent for June, so I hope we work it out quickly. It'll be sad to leave LA so soon, but I just really feel that I need to pursue music or musical theater in a different city. I have so much more I'd like to see out here, but that requires money (something I no longer have), so I'll just have to come back someday and take some travel time.

In other news... tonight is the premiere of perhaps my favorite show on television (besides AI, of course). SYTYCD. That would be "So You Think You Can Dance." Don't laugh at me yet. Have you seen it? I dare you to watch a few episodes and not get hooked. I'm serious. There's just something about that show that grabs you. I have a couple friends (you can probably guess who you are) that I would never expect to like the show, and they love it. Wish I could watch it with all my friends back in B'ham, but I'll be back soon enough for us to catch a good bit of the season! Don't worry.

I'm gonna go decide if it'd be a bad idea to get a cup of Starbuck's. Nevermind. Just decided. It's bad.

Cause $2 is now too much,
Robby

New Adventure

I've been debating on whether or not my time in Los Angeles should come to an end. I came out here for a few reasons. First, I really felt like the Lord was calling me out here, so thats really all the push I needed. However, I've also always wondered if I should pursue a career in the film and television industry, and I've never really had the opportunity to work in it, so I wanted to try it out. There was also a part of me that knew I needed to separate myself from the comforts of friends, family and familiarity. I needed to grow and be on my own where I only had Christ to depend on, and living in Los Angeles would definitely give me that isolation and challenge.

Though I've only been here 3.5 months now, it's been quite a ride. If you've read my previous posts then you've probably noticed the ups and downs that have occurred in my short time here, and I've learned so much through this experience. I've spent literally hours praying about where God wants me and what He wants me to do, and to tell you the truth I still don't know the full answer to that question! I do feel that the Lord is leading me back to the south for now, though.

The plan is to work for a few months and save up money before heading somewhere to pursue music or musical theater. I'm sure I'll be spending plenty of time in prayer about where the Lord wants me to be and what He wants me to do. One step at a time, though. Thats all I can do at this point.

On a different note...

Here's some pictures of me and Danielle Broome. We were feeling a little crazy one night this weekend, so we decided to head down to Hollywood & Highland... dressed like idiots.



Oh, they get better... or worse. Depends on how you look at it.



Barbara. She so crazy...







I know, I know. I'm an idiot. And guess what... I'm so glad I am.

Robby

Am I in my "best years?"

I hate the phrase "the best years of life." Why does there have to be a time in life thats considered "the best?" I certainly hope I don't ever get to a place where I feel that my time to be relevant and productive has passed me by. I think thats an absurd and lazy mindset, and I refuse to think that way. Every phase of life has something about it that makes it unique and more special than any other phase of life, and I feel that individuals can do extraordinary work in every single phase.

I understand that there are certain phases of life that allow for greater freedom and discovery due to a lesser degree of responsibility, but does that mean that it's the best time in life? I know this thought is coming from someone who has only experienced 24 years of life, so I am very aware that I have much to learn. However, I feel it's possible for God to use anyone at any age in incredible ways! Why limit ourselves by thinking that there's a certain time in our lives to do His greatest work?! Are we supposed to just work really hard for a while and then when we've finally "paid our dues" just call it quits and retire? The work of Christ NEVER ends! He can do so much if we just trust Him to do it. I'm still learning how hard having that kind of trust is, though. It's tough. Really tough. But He is so good to step in and prove that He is worthy of our trust!

So, am I in my "best years?" Yes... and I pray I'll continue to be in my "best years" for the rest of my life.

Robby

We really did have a band...

I promise. Oh. And here's a video of us... before it all came to a screeching halt last week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XEPfjdGzrs

It was fun while it lasted!

Robby

Do I stay or do I go now?

Los Angeles has definitely taken a toll on my bank account. Those savings I had when I came out here... gone. Those jobs I was hoping to book while out here... nowhere in sight.

I have no doubt that I was supposed to come out here to pursue some dreams, and I've learned a TON since I've been here. However, the lessons have left me with more questions. One extremely pressing question involves what to do now. I've been out in LA for close to 4 months now, and I've experienced quite a bit in my short time here. Extra work, auditions, a full-time paid band gig, a complete falling out of a band, and multiple days of unemployment.

As I've said, the lessons I've learned in my time here are priceless, and I don't regret my decision to make this move. I've learned what the film and television industry is like and some of what it takes to succeed in it. I've performed as a professional singer (as short as it may have lasted), and I realized how much I really do love singing. I love it. A lot. I even started getting into song writing, which I also loved. So, here comes the question... where do I go to pursue music?

Nashville or Los Angeles? That is the question. Nashville is definitely the music city, and the fact that it's MUCH closer to family and friends is also appealing. However, the fact that I've already moved to LA and have only been here for less than 4 months makes it difficult for me to decide to leave. Plus, I'd probably have to move to my parent's house in Atlanta for the summer in order to work and save up some money before I made the move to Nashville. That really wouldn't be bad. I mean... not ideal... but ok. I guess there's a chance I could find a job in Nashville while I'm still in LA and make it work.

I don't know. Lots of prayer is needed, and I probably need to just take a few days to think it all over. It's such a scary time in our society economically, and I'm definitely feeling the crunch. I want to make sure the Lord is leading me and not my insecurities or fears. Am I scared? Yes. Am I confused? Absolutely. But God is still in control. I just pray that He shows me what I need to do... and it'd be really nice if it was pretty soon. Please, Lord!

Alright. I need to get some sleep. I'm completely emotionally spent.

Robby

The Mysterious "g"

"g" gave me some insight into pigeons. Apparently they're smart. So, pigeons... I'm sorry.

I'll try to get my facts straight next time I attempt to be humorous.

Robby

Takin' It Back

I used to write a lot of ridiculous things on this blog that were super random but hopefully entertaining (look back about a year ago, and you'll see what I mean. You'll also see that this blog used to have two authors. Myself and my best friend Jeremiah. I know he still knows the password, so he really should write something sometime). I just really want to bring back the stupidity that this blog once possessed. Though informative, the blog is lacking a bit of the humor and lightness of it's previous days. I will now remedy that.

Carrier Pigeons.

Why did that ever go out of style. I mean, seriously. I can't think of anything more fascinating than a carrier pigeon... except dragons. Did people honestly send notes and such via the dumbest birds in the world? Over half of all the messages sent must have ended up under some bridge somewhere while the idiot birds got destroyed by horse drawn carriages and wild foxes. Cause you know how much wild foxes love pigeons. It's crazy how much. I guess I just answered my question as to why this method of communication went out of style.

Perhaps a better questions is how did it ever begin in the first place? I've never seen someone with a pet pigeon, and it's probably because pigeons are extremely unintelligent... and they're just gross. How anyone ever taught a pigeon to fly from one specific place to another with a note tied to its skinny little leg is beyond me. How big were these notes anyway? I mean... how much can a pigeon really handle? And it's not like they had tape back then to make sure the note stayed securely attached to the bird. Maybe they used sap. Yeah. That's it... tree sap. You surely couldn't send any messages of true importance via carrier pigeons. The odds of the bird landing in mud or traipsing through a puddle had to be pretty substantial. Maybe it was just dumb messages like "don't forget to bring some corn home" or "your quilt is finished." Messages that, if undelivered, wouldn't matter too much. I feel sorry for the person who just got a carrier pigeon and hadn't learned how stupid they were yet. They send "don't come to visit. We all have the plague" to their family, and the family shows up. They all die, and it's all because of the dumb pigeon. I bet the pigeon wouldn't even feel sorry. Idiot.

And were there different pigeons for different destinations? As if one pigeon isn't bad enough, you now have to have a pigeon for family members, the doctor, the preacher, the grocer, your best friend, and a magician (people loved magicians way back when). Thats the bare minimum, and thats about seven or so pigeons. Miserable.

I hope this has made you a little more thankful to the postal service men and women out there. That wasn't the initial goal of this posting, but there you go. Thanks postal man. Thanks postal woman. I'm glad you're brain is bigger than a pigeon's.

Cause stamps are cheaper than replacement pigeons,
Robby

Life is a Rollercoaster

Up and down and up and down. This is the theme of my time in LA, and I know the Lord is teaching me incredible things through each peak and valley. One of the constant lessons is in trusting Christ.

The Lord has encouraged me to keep a very level view of this whole band thing. I've been constantly reminding myself to thank Him for each day and realize that it could be gone in a second. I feel like this has allowed me to remember that Christ is all I really need and not to place all my joy or worth in the success of this current job.

No... I didn't get kicked out of the band. We did, however, get news this past week that we won't be going to France for the Cannes Film Festival. Something fell through with the venue, and there were some problems with the booking (overall it was just a huge mess). Kind of disappointing for the band, but honestly I was relieved! There was so much pressure on us since we were taking such a big trip, and I was really apprehensive about all of it. I mean, the band is really good, and I've definitely enjoyed it so far, but it's all VERY new, and I'm just not sure we were totally prepared for something on that scale. I think we all felt a little pressure lift when we got the news.

So, now we're sort of starting at square one (which I think is great!). We're actually working together right now to write our own music. We're figuring out what style fits us best. We're actually doing things that a true band should do! I feel like we can now really invest in the band and make it our own instead of just performing other people's music (even if we did a good job of that).

It'll be interesting to see where things go from here, and I'm gonna keep thanking the Lord for each day knowing that it could be over tomorrow. He's been with me through the ups and downs, and I have no doubt He'll stay with me through whatever is ahead! Just keep praying that I'll be receptive to His leading and a light to those around me.

Robby

Busy, busy, busy

It's incredible how quickly life can change. Two weeks ago I was sitting in my apartment going crazy because I didn't know what to do with myself. Now here I am happy to have even a little free time to write a blog post. Strange.

Since I've joined the band it's been pretty insane. We've had practice pretty much everyday for about 10-12 hours/ day (one day we had a 14 hour rehearsal!). Believe me, I'm not complaining. I absolutely love it! I've always felt like some day I'd be getting paid to do what I love, but now that the time has arrived it's sort of bizarre... in a great way, of course. I'm not gonna say it's all fun and games, though. It's definitely required a lot of hard work and there have already been some difficult spots, but we're learning and growing. There are days I still struggle with the commitment that this pursuit will most likely require, and that scares me, but I really do feel like the Lord has placed me in this position, and I'm not going anywhere unless He tells me to!

To add to the craziness, I had a wedding in Houston, TX on April 19th where I sang 4 songs (keep in mind that the previous week I was beginning to learn the performance set for the band which includes 17 songs + some choreography... intense). The wedding was for my great friend from Samford named Janise. Janise was actually one of my first friends at Samford, and we stayed close all throughout college. She's one of the most talented interior design/ graphic designers that I've ever known, so if you need anything done you should get in touch with her. Plus, she's just an all-around great person. So, anyway, I flew to Houston for the weekend, and then upon my arrival in Los Angeles on Monday I headed straight to rehearsal from the airport.

Our practice schedule has been so intense because we had our first 2 concerts this past Saturday and Sunday night. That means we had 10 days from when I started the group to put together a 17 song show. Granted, some of the other band members had been there a bit longer, but it was still pretty crazy. By the grace of God we got the show together and performed at the Continental Gallery in downtown LA on Saturday night and the E-Road store parking lot on Sunday (E-Road is one of our sponsors, and they were having their grand opening of their store in West Hollywood). Both of the shows were so much fun even though there were a few bumps here and there. We'll iron them out, though! Pamela Anderson actually dropped by to watch the show on Sunday. She came backstage to wish us good luck, and she was really nice. I was pretty impressed. Apparently Barbara Streisand was supposed to come (I know. I couldn't believe it either), but for some reason it didn't work out. Maybe next time.

I was excited to have a few days off this week to sort of regroup before we start to prepare for the Cannes Film Festival. We honestly don't have a ton of time, though. Our flight leaves on May 7th, so we've got a little over a week to get ready! We'll be in France from May 8th - May 27th doing shows pretty much everyday, I think. Still not sure about all the details, but I'm excited/ nervous. Please keep me in your prayers! I hope it's not too crazy, but I imagine it could be. I know it'll be an amazing opportunity, and I really do feel blessed to go! It'll be tough to not talk to my family for that entire time, though. I just can't think about that.

I'll try my best to update the blog about any adventures along the way, but I'm not sure how much free time we'll have. I hope we get a little time to enjoy Cannes and stuff. I guess we'll see!

Miss you all!

Robby

Miss Liss and the Bad Cats

Booya. Here's a video I found on YouTube about us. A little introduction to the band!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srw36fZRzaU

We've got two concerts this weekend, so we've been rehearsing like crazy for those! I'm so excited, and am loving the whole process. I get to sing and dance for 6-7 hours a day and hang out with incredible people! What the heck? Thank you LORD! I cannot explain what an incredible blessing this is. He really has given me more than I could ever ask or imagine!

Still love and miss you all (even though LA is getting better),
Robby

I'll stop holding you in suspense now!

Warning: This is an extremely long post. I apologize in advance, but I just wanted to cover everything to show how unbelievably sovereign Christ is!

I'll just start at the beginning. On Monday morning I was having a really difficult time handling questions and worries about my decision to move out to Los Angeles and whether or not I should move back home. It wasn't that I was frustrated with how things have gone out here thus far, I just wasn't sure what I really wanted to do or if the entertainment industry was even where I would want to have a career if the opportunity presented itself. I spent all of that day and night alone praying hard that the Lord would reveal His plan for me and make me receptive to His will. I prayed that if I was supposed to stay in LA then the Lord would show me in a radical way or that He would lead me to go ahead and move back home.

On Tuesday, since I hadn't been booked for extra work, I looked through Craigslist for different jobs (as I've done a lot lately... with no responses) and submitted myself to a few. I saw one posting for a band that needed a backup vocalist, so I sent an email with my headshot and myspace music site and asked to get more info on the position. About an hour or so later I get a call about my submission and how they'd really like me to come in to audition for the part of backup vocalist... that day. Because I'm a skeptic, and the add came from Craigslist, I asked a ridiculous amount of questions about the band/production company and spent some time praying before I finally agreed to come for an audition. Though they were somewhat guarded about the details, I found out it was a full-time, salary paid position that would involve being available whenever they needed me for practices and performances and involved some sort of contract with the production company that was in charge of everything. I figured I might as well go and see what it was all about considering my prayer requests from the previous day and the fact that I didn't seem to have any other hope for a steady job on the horizon.

Still somewhat leery of everything but feeling like God was doing something, I showed up at the house where the auditions were being held (super cool house with modern decor) and sang a couple songs. When I finished singing, the guys running the auditions told me that they'd love for me to be a part of the band if I'd like and that they would be having a rehearsal the following day (Wednesday) that I could come to so that I could meet the whole band and talk with the guy who started the production company. They also told me that if I decided to join the band then I probably wouldn't be able to sing in my friends' Josh Hausen and Laura Pearson's wedding in May... because we'd be in France. Yeah. That's not a typo. The band is scheduled to perform in France in May. What the heck?!?!

I told the guys when I left that I would think about coming to the practice tomorrow, but just wanted to pray more about everything and talk with my friends about the possibility that I would have to miss their wedding if I committed. Also, as I was leaving, the pianist in the group told me that about half of the band were Christians and he really thought there would be a good feel if I were to join. Only if you live in LA do you understand how amazing that is! It's not easy to find believers in the entertainment industry. In my car, I immediately called Josh Hausen and told him about everything. Of course, he was completely supportive of whatever decision I made while also making sure I knew how much he would miss me being at his wedding (if you know Josh, then you understand how incredible he is. I'm blessed to have a friend like him. His fiancee Laura is freakin' amazing, too. You should meet them). After talking to my parents and a few more friends (of course Jeremiah was one... he'll always be my manager and source of advice), I decided that I should at least go to the rehearsal the next day to really get a feel for the band and what they're doing.

Continuing to pray like crazy, I headed to the band rehearsal at 2:00 pm on Wednesday. I spent that day meeting the band and rehearsing a few songs with them. The band consists of an electric guitarist, bass guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, three background vocalists (including me) and a female lead singer, and they are ALL unbelievably talented! So freakin' good. Plus, the whole band was so friendly and welcoming, which is another thing you can't always expect in LA.

After rehearsal I was informed that we were all invited to attend a promotional party that night to meet various people that our "manager?" (I'm not sure what his title is. He's the guy who created the Rip Cord Production company and formed the band) wanted us to see. So, I went to that with the whole band and afterward we were taken to an incredible sushi place where dish after dish after dish of amazing food was brought out to us, and we got some time to just sit back and talk. At this point I really don't think I could process all that had happened and what was going on. It was like something out of a movie that surely I wasn't a part of. Pretty surreal.

I continued to go to rehearsals on Thursday and today, and I've had some good time to talk with the other band members and learn more about them and the band. Facts I've learned thus far...
1. All the band members are super talented and friendly (but I've already said that).
2. The band and Rip Cord Productions were started in January by the VP of the international division of Universal Music Group (the "manager" I mentioned earlier).
3. The band was actually booked to open for the U2 worldwide tour before their former lead singer cancelled and went back to Costa Rica for personal reasons.
4. One of the band's sponsors is E-Road, so there are about 9 or so of these at the rehearsal location. Go to www.e-road.com, and you'll see what I'm talking about and why that is so exciting. They're so much fun!
5. The band is booked to be one of the house bands at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May. Yes... this May!!!
6. I found out I might actually be able to go to Josh and Laura's wedding after all! Not sure, but it's not totally out of the question!

Needless to say, I'm extremely overwhelmed and excited about this opportunity, and I feel so incredibly blessed and humbled by Christ! I really feel that this opportunity is from Him, and I've decided to accept the job. Now I just pray that He will guard my heart and keep me strong in Him while making me a light for His glory to everyone I come in contact with! I ask you for your prayers now more than ever, and I pray that this makes you so excited about how incredible our God is! His plans are so much greater than we could ever imagine, and He is able to accomplish such incredible things when we fully surrender to Him! This is a wonderful opportunity, and I'm so thankful for it, but I must remember that my joy and worth come from the Lord alone! He has given me a huge opportunity to live for Him, and I trust He'll continue to guide and lead me!

I look forward to providing as many updates as possible (hopefully not as long as this one), and again please keep me in your prayers! Love and miss you all!

Robby

We can't comprehend how sovereign He is...

I don't really have time right now to explain what's going on in my life, but I'll just say that God is so incredible! His timing is SO perfect. Seriously. Unbelievable.

Update soon.

Robby

Set my eyes on You, Lord!

Do you ever have those moments when the reality of who Christ is and what He's done for you hits? Well... I just had one. It's always one of the most humbling yet encouraging moments ever. Then you realize that there's no way we can even conceive how truly incredible Christ is and you're even more humbled! I don't know why or how the Lord picks the times that He impresses my heart with these moments of understanding, but they always seem to be at the most unexpected but most needed times.

I can't say that the past few weeks have been very great, and I've really been wrestling with why the Lord brought me out here. I know He has so much to teach me (and there's so many invaluable lessons I've already learned), but it's just hard when you have NO IDEA what He's leading you to do. I know I'm supposed to bring Him glory in whatever I do, so right now thats my aim. There are many times I miss the mark, but He's so merciful to pick me back up and give me another chance.

Anyway, I've just had a lot on my mind lately, and I've realized a lot of areas in my life that I need to surrender to Him. While I've taken a leap of faith by moving out here, I still often rely on myself and my own strength to accomplish things instead of allowing Christ to fully take over. This desire to make a plan for myself and accomplish that plan my way have made the past couple months very selfish. I realize moving to a new place and trying to get your feet on the ground requires some amount of self preservation, but I have been WAY too focused on me, what I want out of this experience, and how I'm going to go about getting it. That is not the way I want or need to live. My focus should be completely on Christ! He is the only one worthy of my attention. Everything else will fall into place if I just keep my heart focused on Him! Now, this is easy to write down right here, but I pray that He makes it true of my mind and heart. I will not survive out here unless that is my sole desire... to follow and glorify Him.

Fending for myself and depending on my own resources over the past two months has led to frustrations with job stuff, confusion about what I'm supposed to be doing out here, and worries about finances. Christ has every single one of these things under control, and He knows exactly what the future holds for me! With money running out, confusion about my future at an all time high, and job opportunities seemingly nowhere in sight, I've been brought to a place where I have nothing left but Him. Now it's time to see if thats enough... and I have no doubt it is.

My friend Dwight told me to keep the verse below hidden in my heart, and I'm so glad he did. The Word is so alive.

"And this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him. To the soul who seeks Him.'" Lamentations 3:21-25

I know Christ brought me out here, and I know He knows why. I ask you to pray that He'll continue to help me to trust in that fact and follow His leading. We serve a God more powerful than we can imagine, so I rest in that assurance.

Thank you again for loving me and loving Christ. I am so blessed.
Robby

I almost forgot!!!

I've been told throughout the years that there are a few celebrities that I somewhat resemble. I wondered if I'd get any attention from random people due to this fact now that I've moved to LA. Well... I have. And it was hilarious.

At the MTV promo shoot that I mentioned in my previous post I forgot to tell you about the most enjoyable part of the day. We were filming at the Universal Studios, and our stage (large warehouse where filming takes place) just happened to be positioned right adjacent to the Universal Studios theme park. There was just a chain linked fence separating us from the crowd of guests at the park, and our catering station happened to be right beside a fence where a line formed to get on a ride/ show (whatever goes on at Universal. I've never been). Anyway, during our lunch break I immediately noticed that everyone in line was staring at us hoping to spot a celebrity. I was mixed in with the crowd getting my food and then went back inside to eat. A little later I decided I wanted a cookie (shocker), so I walked back outside and headed toward the catering station. Well, I was walking straight toward the line of people, and I noticed a lady quickly cup her hands around her eyes and stare at me excitedly. Of course, I was a little thrown off but quickly realized that she thought I was someone that I most definitely am not. You see, I'm not famous quite yet. I continued to walk toward the tray of cookies, and as I was picking a couple up I began to hear a whole group of girls yelling "JUSTIN! JUSTIN!!!" Thats right. They thought they were looking at Justin Timberlake. No, no, ladies. It's just me. Robby Stone. However, I didn't want to ruin their dream, so I immediately looked up, smiled, gave a little wave, and then turned around and walked back toward the stage. The entire time I was walking back I continued to hear them screaming at me. So bizarre. I really don't think I look much like Justin, but I guess the fact that I was wearing really baggy sweatpants, a wife-beater (I hate that name), and a track jacket made me kind of look like him. Sort of his relaxed, thuggish look. I don't know.

The other one I've gotten a few times since I've been here is Spencer Pratt. I actually got this one a lot back in Birmingham, too. Kind of sucks because this guy is a total jerk. He's a reality star from the show "The Hills." Another really high-quality, thought-provoking reality production.

Here's me:



Here's pictures of my look-a-likes:




You be the judge.

Robby

I've left you for too long. I apologize.

It's been over a week since my last post! Whoa! And I really haven't even been that busy during the days lately. I guess I just didn't really feel like there was much to write, so I've waited a while to gather up some good stuff so I don't seem so useless out here. Just kidding... kind of.

When we left, I had an MTV shoot the next day. It was awesome! Not because I had to wear a gymnastics uniform (complete with extremely short, white shorts and tight tank top), however, who doesn't want to wear that occasionally? It's so attractive. No, it was awesome because the two stars of the shoot were Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Andy Sanberg! Andy is one of my favorite comedians ever (he's from SNL) and Cuba is just cool. It was a shoot for the upcoming MTV Movie Awards which I'm pretty sure will air on May 30th or 31st. I don't know, but it was hilarious! They were filming a gymnastics scene where Andy is apparently competing in the Olympics in the 80s and Cuba is his dad/coach (yes... Andy is white and Cuba is black. Thats part of the joke). Anyway, it should be pretty funny. They both seemed like nice guys, though Andy was more friendly for sure. Cuba didn't really acknowledge us, but Andy came around to say hello to everyone. Guess I know who's not getting an invite to my Christmas party this year. This guy:



Nice ride, Cuba.

After filming wrapped on Friday, I went to meet some friends for dinner and then went to see the movie "Knowing" for $13 at the Grove Theater. No. I didn't mistype that. It was $13. And, no... I will not be going to anymore movies in LA. Especially ones that have horrible acting and endings. Thanks Nicholas Cage. You're a cinematic genius.

Hmmm... I can't remember what I did Saturday. Obviously it was thrilling.

Sunday I went back to Grace Community Church, and while I really enjoy the friendly and solid people there, I'm just not sure I can take their stiff, formal worship. I think Reality LA is the church for me. I'll be going there this Sunday.

On Monday, my friend Phil (who moved to Birmingham from Australia right before I moved out here) came to visit. It was so good to see a Birmingham face, and we had a good time seeing all the hot spots in LA. The coolest thing we did was hike up behind the "HOLLYWOOD" sign. And by hike I mean we walked up a paved road. Granted, the road is really small and winds up the mountain, so it's not as lame as I'm making it sound. It was so beautiful when we reached the top of the hill because you could see both the south and north sides of LA (the city and the valley). All both of us could think about was how incredible the view would have been if there weren't any smog... and how our lungs were being filled with that delicious smog. After the hike, we went back to my apartment where we made spaghetti and watched "Australia." Yes, thats right. I watched "Australia" with a true Australian. Jealous? It was a pretty good movie, but it tried a bit too hard. Entertaining, though.

Tuesday, Phil and I went to Santa Monica and sat on the pier for a while people watching. Always entertaining. He had to head back to Riverside after that, so I spent a good bit of the rest of that day homesick and worrying about the fact that I didn't have any work lined up. That night I went to a concert with my friend Danielle, so that was a good distraction.

Wednesday I spent the first half of the day worrying about life. Then I drove half-way to Disneyland for an audition to work at the park but turned around and went home when I realized I would hate my life if I had to make that 40 mile drive even once a week... much less multiple times. Submitted myself for roles online, and then went to a senior voice recital with my friend Aubrey which was funny (though I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be). The students were actually very good, I was just in one of my moods where I'll make random comments under my breath to break the seriousness of the situation. Oops.

Yesterday I was inspired to prepare mail-outs to send to various agents in the city in hopes that they would want to meet with me to represent me, so I spent the majority of the day doing that. I also had an audition in the afternoon to act out cartoons. Pretty cool concept. The animators watch the recorded actors perform the scenes and then make the illustrations off of the movement of the actors. I didn't get the part, but its always good to gain some audition experience. Still getting used to dealing with rejection, though. Never fun. Last night I went to another indie concert with Danielle at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. The most exciting part of the night was seeing two of the American Idol contestants (Alexis Grace and Matt Giraud). I actually talked to them for a bit. Alexis seemed a bit awkward, and Matt wasn't very warm either. Guess they're still getting used to fame. If I ever get to celebrity status, I hope I'm still nice to random people. I love people. Surely I'll be nice.

So, obviously this week has been... interesting. I feel like the Lord is definitely teaching me to find my joy in Him alone and trust that He'll provide even when it seems like things are going nowhere and I'm not sure what to do. Sitting around and worrying is just stupid, and I hate that I waste time doing it. I really do need to enjoy every single part of this awkward, terrifying, amazing experience and draw closer to Christ! I hate that I so easily forget His goodness and worry about dumb things that He is completely capable of taking care of! Do I have the faith to trust Him fully? I pray He gives me that kind of faith. I need it.

I'm hoping to finish up these mail-outs today and then I'm so excited about tonight because I'm finally gonna get some good time to hang out with a solid, Christian dude... the one and only Brian Willet. I just need some good guy time, you know? We'll be watching Mystery Science Theater tonight, and I'm pumped because I used to love that show but haven't watched it in forever.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers! Homesickness and insecurity have definitely started to show their ugly faces, so pray that the Lord will give me comfort and strength to resist self-defeating thoughts. Alright. I'm out.

Robby

Slow week, but I saw my sister!!!

Last time I left you I was getting ready to be part of a student film entitled "Syrup Attacks." We filmed it overnight last Thursday and Friday in a Bristol Farms grocery (really nice grocery. Really overpriced), and it was so much fun! There was an entire crew for lighting, camera work, etc, and it was so great getting to know all of them. I'll post the video somewhere once it's completed, so you'll get to see that. Should be pretty hilarious.

As I also told you, I worked as Neil Patrick Harris' stand-in this past Monday. It was for a TV Land Awards promo commercial introducing Neil as the host of the awards and showing some of the stars who would be in attendance. I was there to stand-in for Neil while they set up lights and tested the camera, etc. There's lots of tedious things that have to be done, and they don't want the "talent" to have to stand there and wait while they set up. It was super easy, and I kind of felt bad that I wasn't doing more to help out. Guess someone had to do it, though! The crew was really great, and I loved working with them. Once Neil got there and was ready to film, I just sat back and watched everything. It's fascinating to be on a set and see how things unfold. I've learned that editing is HUGE! They can piece together so much stuff that I have no idea what the final commercial will look like. Plus, it was filmed on a giant green screen stage, so I'm even more clueless on what will be going on. Neil was really cool and funny, too. Seems like a nice guy. I didn't get to talk to him much, but I shook his hand and introduced myself. Played it chill. Haha!

Also, my sister came into town (well... came to Costa Mesa. About an hour away from me) on Sunday night for a business meeting, so I drove down to meet her once filming wrapped with Neil. It was SO GOOD to see her and just relax for a bit! I'm pretty crazy and my sister is pretty crazy, so when we get together we're just ridiculous. Monday night I went with her while she tried on wedding dresses, and that was hilarious! I'll just say that at one point she was laying on the ground in a wedding dress with her feet up in the air. Don't believe me? Ok... here you go:



I told you we were crazy. The salesman had no idea what to do with us. Here's a normal picture of us:



Ok, seriously. Here's one:



That night we just ate an extremely overpriced meal in the hotel restaurant (though, it was good) and then hung out in the room. I waited around until Rebecca was done with meetings on Tuesday and then we headed to Newport Beach! We ended up renting a bright yellow, double-seater bicycle and rode along the beach. It was amazing... and we looked like idiots. Haha!




After that, we drove around for a bit and then went to eat in Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach did NOT live up to the hype. It's a kind of sleepy, residential town. Nice enough, but not too exciting. Oh well.

Sadly, Rebecca had to head back home on Wednesday morning, so she didn't get to come to my apartment here in LA. That means she'll have to come back soon, though! I really do hope my family gets to come out here soon. I miss them, and it'd just be fun to show them around. It's such a cool city, and it'd be fun to have them here. Not sure if that'll happen, though, considering how far away it is.

The rest of this week has been spent waiting to get booked for some extra work jobs and not getting booked. Fun, huh? No. I guess the Lord just wanted me to have some time to slow down and remember to trust Him. I actually had a great time last night with a group of college students from Oregon (a friend of mine, Aubrey, has a sister thats with the group doing mission work in Compton, so thats how we connected with them) at this inner city church. There were some special musical artists there, who were... different. All the students had such a great energy and passion for Christ, which was really encouraging to see. I loved talking with them and sort of feeling like I was back on some youth group mission trip. Man, I miss those days of careless living! After we went and got some pretty disgusting shakes at some shady place in Inglewood, Aubrey and I took the Red Dragon (thats what I call her car. It's a bright red firebird) to Santa Monica and jumped in the ocean! It was so random and spontaneous and freezing cold. I loved it!

Today I just went and read a little up at Runyon Canyon up in the Hollywood Hills. It's so awesome! Tons of people go up there to run or take their dogs on walks (there's dogs everywhere), and there's usually a few celebrities. I finally got booked for some work tomorrow, so I'll be shooting some promo for MTV where I'll be a male gymnast. Haven't done any tumbling in quite some time, so this could be interesting. I think I've still got some in me if they need it! We'll see.

Alright. I'm done. Hopefully I'll have some more jobs lined up for this next week, so I'll keep you updated!

Robby