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