Music is Awesome

Today, one of my students was playing a piece of music. Suddenly, she stopped and exclaimed, "Ohh! This is in thirds!!" 

Sweeter words a music teacher has never heard. 

Hello, Beautiful!

There that proudest and most humbling moment in which you realize that your student is so brilliant and motivated, you are compelled to wonder:

 "Why am I teaching this person?"

It is a good moment. It is an eye opening moment. You feel a sense of achievement. Then, an overwhelming flood of emotions: Pride. Happiness. Concern.

How can I be the teacher each these individuals need?

I pray for grace and strength. And I love my job. :-)

A Post of Few Words

The recital is over and done! It was a success; my kids did amazingly well. I am so proud of them. The past few days have just flown by and tonight, we're on our way up north to prepare for Hannah and Daniel's wedding. The next week is probably going to be very busy so I wanted to post a few pictures of what we've been doing lately. Enjoy!

 One of my students' mothers made these for the snack after the recital... in fact, she made the music notes which decorate the cupcakes. They were sooo good.

If it hadn't been for this wonderful man, the recital would have been much more difficult for me. Before, I would have to haul the keyboard on my own or wrestle a fellow hauler out of someone. Haha! But he always carries my keyboard now... I don't have to ask. He just does it. Between him, Lydia and others, things were set up and taken down in record time. :-)

Another mother gave me this quilt. I have already designated it for wrapping up my keyboard when we have to move it.

 The finished deck. We're really excited and happy about all the added place. As soon as we get back, we'll have to have a deck warming and have everyone over. :-)

The sun finally came out!

Now, if it will only stay that way for Hannah's wedding. Mom says that the spot they wanted to get married at is a bit puddled right now. Lol! 

Bad Cat

To begin, I detest cat vomit. Kid vomit is not nearly as gross as cat vomit. Jesse disagrees. He says he'll clean up after the cat and I can clean up after the kids, if we have them. But Jesse wasn't here today and the fact of the matter is, cat vomit is disgusting.
Our cat, Snow, often throws up when he comes back inside from using the great outdoors. The reason for this is that as soon as he gets in, he heads for his food dish and eats too much way too fast. Unfortunately, he doesn't *always* throw up, otherwise we'd be waiting and ready for him. But he does it just often enough to be completely annoying. As the old adage goes: a watched cat doesn't vomit. Probably the least annoying thing about this habit is that usually, he leaves a nice (?), semi dry pile of cat food vomit that simply has not settled in his stomach.
Today, as I was cleaning up the kitchen and porch, I let Snow inside. It must have been half an hour later when I heard the dreadful sound coming from the livingroom. I rushed from the office so fast that I stubbed all of the toes on my left foot. And guess what? He ran. Snow ran through the living room, vomiting. He vomited all the way from the pink couch to the bottom of the stairs: leaving a 12 foot trail of cat food, grass and stomach acid.
Oh joy. I had students coming in less than an hour. The creature ran upstairs and hid under a bed. He knew he was in trouble and I hadn't even expressed my distaste. Well, to be honest I had stated calmly, "You are a very bad kitty." I didn't want to say or do anything else than clean up cat vomit. I was too mad and I never like to act on anger. It's bad policy.
So, I cleaned up the mess, got un-mad, gently coaxed the cat back outside again (so he wouldn't do a repeat while the students were there), tried to wipe the new stain out of the already stained carpet (the previous owners had dogs and kids) and cat vomit is still the most disgusting thing in the world...

Excuses... excuses

Once upon a time 

there was a girl who decided

 she wasn't busy enough

 and took on more work. 

She works at the Pharmasave, she works at home, she works at the theatre and she also bakes cookies. She has no time for things like writing blog posts or keeping up online or writing letters or scrapbooking or practicing the piano.

To top everything off, her beautiful sister

 decided to get married

at the beginningof June 

and wedding planning was added to the mix. 

So, the authoress doesn't mean to be rude by not updating about her life. It's merely a matter of being really, really, really, really busy. 

(P.S. She still has time for Jesse.)

(And Snow.)

General Awesomeness

Today I am thankful. There is so much in my life that makes my heart glad. To be honest, I had my "complaining" days lately. During the past week... well, let's just leave it at: I am not a good sick person. :-) However, being a fair-weather person is not something I like to be and when Tuesday rolled around with me feeling like a walking skeleton, I decided to begin a "What I am Thankful For" post; because there are so many reasons to be thankful for in any state of being. This is the completion of that post. It took awhile to evolve. :-)  

I am thankful for God. He is magnificent. He never ends. There is always More of him. He forces me to think for myself and to become a stronger, deeper person. As each day passes, I find myself more entwined with his presence and the excellence of his spirit. In some ways, it is the easiest thing in the world; it also can be incredibly difficult to cast away my fears and embrace Love. But I know that nothing is impossible. There is so much to say about God but I think I will leave it at that.

I am thankful for Jesse. When we first began our relationship, I feared that our love for each other was only a passing fancy. It didn't feel like a passing fancy but how can you know? I learned very quickly that a relationship can only move forward if each has complete faith in the other. Jesse has proven himself in every way possible. He is not perfect but he is perfect for me... and guess what? He says the same about me. Our love grows stronger, deeper, fuller each day. When Jesse asked if we could date, he told me that he felt our meeting and getting to know each other was no accident: we were meant to be together. I believe this with all my heart: God hand-picked us for each other.

I am thankful for our house: it's old; it's meandering; it's home. The kitchen is over a century. Someone who has lived in our neighborhood for 40 years came into the store the other day and I asked him when the renovations took place. He thought for awhile, then he said that they took about 20 - 30 years to complete. I can see why. They are extensive. I love everything about our house... well, minus the leaks in the bedroom and office. Lol. I've been awakened by water dripping on my hand.

I am thankful for my jobs: piano/voice teacher and part-time receptionist at the local Pharmasave. My studio is here at home. I teach 15 students, three days a week. They are the light of my life and the balm of my soul. I love their imperfections, their joys and griefs... I love how each week brings a new challenge in teaching them. I help them and they help me. All of us have become better musicians... not just them. :-) Teaching music and voice has definitely been the most difficult task I have ever undertaken. I think about my students constantly. I plan lessons. I send kids to festival. I advise them to attend The Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party. I study instruction books to see which ones I like or dislike. But it isn't the teaching that is the hardest part. The hardest part is getting to know my students: I care and I get involved. They are all my friends. I respect them and they respect me. It's exhausting but it's the most rewarding, beautiful thing I have ever been involved in. :-)

Pharmasave has been a really great experience. Plus: I have the best bosses, managers and co-workers. Plus: I have learned so much. Downside: standing on concrete for 8 hours a day kills my knees, back, neck, etc, etc. Plus: I really hope to be working there for a few years (or until our kids come along).
 Pharmasave has actually become a second home to me and my coworkers have become second family. They are all like sisters. We vary greatly, we have different problems and we handle our different problems in different ways. But we all have the same goals. I suppose I could admit to Pharmasave being a bit of an exclusive club: if you're really lucky, you get in. ;-) (Actually, if you're a pleasant person who isn't afraid of hard work, we'd probably allow you a membership!)

I am thankful for good health: this morning, I woke up feeling... good. I've been sick for two weeks. Not the kind of sick that has you laying in bed (though there were a few days of that) but the kind of sick that you notice. Lack of energy, headaches, diarrhea, dehydration, etc., etc. The great thing about being sick is how much you enjoy being well afterwards. Lol. Today is one of those days. It's like, "YES! I can teach 7 students today. Bring 'em on!" I am eating healthy and taking walks and drinking lots of water and cranberry juice... ahhh. :-)

Between these things and every small circumstance that makes up my life, I am awesome. God is awesome. The cat is awesome. (Some days.) (I shall write more about him later.)

Life. I shall enjoy it while I have it. :-)

March 30th -- your desk/workspace

Upstairs in our house resides my workspace/office/studio. 

I love my job.

Lee-Amber

Lee-Amber Laderoute is a student of mine. She is 13 years old and lives with her family on a farm right outside of town. Lee-Amber has a great love for art and she expresses this through her music, writing and photography. Last year, she came to me for piano lessons, never having any instruction before. I was amazed how quickly she understood music. I was further amazed by how much she composed and what she composed.

Last year, she let me read one of her stories; it was interesting and well written for her age/maturity. This year before Christmas, she asked me if I would read some of her writing. Of course, Christmas and New Years celebrations got in the way so I didn't get to read any of it until this week. However, when I finally got a chance to read, I have seen that not only has her writing improved over the past year, this young lady knows how to weave the words into something beautiful. I look forward to reading her work in a few years because Lee-Amber will always see the world and herself differently than others do.

With her permission, I am sharing some of her thoughts with you.

Dandelions

In their hated yellow form they are a weed. But, in their white fluffy body they are a beauty. So kick, blow, and rip if you please, for, next year, when winter dies, they shall be reborn once again, and the cycle shall re-do itself.

Song of Sadness

In a voice as delicate as sugar glass, she sang a song of sadness, and a million memories rushed up to me, the horror of humanity crushing me in all of its devastating weight. Silently it rushes up, in a form of a violin-like quivers, tying you in with iron shackles which no amount of force will shatter, enticing you like the beauty and scent of a poisonous weed in a garden, dark as the shadows of a moonless midnight, twisting you, until what you once knew and loved is uncertain and irrelevant, and there is fear where once there was only joy. And yet, as the song changes, there comes happiness, and love in both new things and the old, only stronger, and with more reason and will to fight for it. And the song seems to say that, no matter how hard it gets, or how pointless it seems to keep fighting, you must, because something good comes out of everything. And that is an absolute truth; no matter how dark the sky is, or how long it remains that way, eventually the sun will shine, and the sky will be bright with the return of the sun to light up the world. And no matter how dark it is, there is still a trickle of light flowing in from somewhere. And though love may work in mysterious ways, work it does.

Sunset

The sky, alight with fantastic streaks of orange and red, yellow flowing colors mixing in with graceful swirls, setting the horizon on fire with a giant ball of flaming sunlight. It seems unreal that something so close can be so far away, being magnificent and radiant and beautiful yet also unreachable and blisteringly hot, and completely, heartbreakingly unattainable. And soon the warm brightness fades away, and the dark and cold night takes its place. For though the sun has left us, it does not depart forever -- it simply warms the other side of the world. And in it's absence it brings something else -- the promise of a new day. 

The End

The clock booms out its final toll, signaling the end of my life. I smile as the painless arms wrap around me and carry me away. I know not of what is coming, and yet I am not afraid -- I know of a merciful God, one who has given me life and is now calling me back for another, possibly greater purpose. He calls me to his side, where I will find love and my loved ones, where I will find more happiness than I ever did in life. For, while living, I could not look upon the light without being blinded; now I can stare into it for an infinite amount of time, and never even need to blink. Because now I am stronger, and my soul is my body and I am love -- the heavens, for whatever reason, find me good, and I am found to be worthy of the light. For everyone, no matter how big or small, is worthy and good in their own way, and for everyone awaits something beautiful for the beautiful and unique person that they are.

So much to learn...

The show is on Sunday. We're having one last rehearsal today.

It has been interesting to play so much lately. I've noticed a difference in my playing and I have come to the realization that there is so much for me to learn about the piano. I have been forced to take a good look at myself and have seen areas in which I could be better. I am so glad for this time of my life.

There is one thing I am concerned about. Among the tunes we are playing on Sunday is a medley of three. It is called "Home Sweet Home". The songs are amazing and I love them. Michele plays them really well!! But the piano accompanist style is different (and more complicated) than I have played before. I am feeling slightly panicky because I *have* to get this part down. If I don't, the song won't have it's electricity. 

If you think of me and are so inclined, your prayers regarding wisdom and rhythm are greatly appreciated. 

May your day be as glorious as mine. :-) (I get to see Jesse!) (And watch my friend Emily play in Seussical!) (And rehearse with three phenomenal musicians.) (Does life get any better?) :-)