Ah! I have a day off today. It was a little unexpected. I kind of scheduled Fridays to be my day off, though I wound up at Xander's school last Friday because I switched commitment times with another parent.
I have a few things to do, make some phone calls, get the brakes on the car looked at, etc. But otherwise, I don't have a whole lot on the schedule. Plus I can't find the cell phone, so it's kind of hard to make the phone calls I need to make. So I'm finally catching up on my blogging.
I'll attend my first USF departmental this afternoon, though I'll have to take the kids. I don't have any students singing on this one, so it will be a good chance for me to just observe and learn the proper protocol. A departmental is a department-wide recital for students taking any kind of private lessons. They usually are treated formally, the students have to dress up, have an accompanist, perform from memory (piano and voice only, I don't know why instrumentalists rarely have to memorize, but they don't) take a bow, etc. The students have to do one per semester, so the departmentals in the first few weeks are usually pretty slim in numbers, because nobody's ready to perform yet.
I only have 2 lessons today, but they're not until this evening.
Matt's out for a bike ride, he's worried about getting more than 75 miles in this month, and the weather last week was so rainy and cold, he didn't get out at all. Today is beautiful, however, and we're supposed to get into the 60's, so he'll take that opportunity to get out.
Maia's already watched 2 movies, and I'm still not completely done with getting myself ready for the day (haven't dried my hair or put on any makeup), so I suppose I need to get moving.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Preacher Matt
Matt got another chance to preach at the Church of the Brethren in Sheldon yesterday. He did a great job, and it's always fun to go back there and see several people that were a part of my formative years (this is the church that my family and I attended while I was in middle school through high school).
Matt spoke on the Yoke of Jesus, and relied heavily on Rob Bell's book Velvet Elvis. It was well done, and he even stirred up some conversation afterward. I did the music, of course, and because it's a very traditional church, and due to the topic being discussed, I decided to sing, "He Shall Feed His Flock" from Handel's Messiah (later text includes, "Take His yoke upon you and learn of Him..."). Then, because I was on a classical vein anyway, I decided to do a Chopin piece for a prelude. Got to flex a few muscles that I don't usually use.
In other ministry news, Matt emailed the pastor of the church here in Sioux Falls that we're still in contact with about a possible worship leader job. The process is going very slowly (he applied in June). They've been very busy the last 2 months with their one-year anniversary, and will try to get us in to lead worship sometime soon (kind of an interview). I'd like to know what kind of timeline we're looking at here, because New Hope Family, where we currently attend would like me to do a children's Christmas program again, (and if I don't do it, no one else will), but I don't want to commit myself to something I'm not going to be able to follow through with.
I've also been asked by one of my new USF students about possibly putting together a worship set for her home church in Lester, IA (I'd guess the population of Lester to be around 200). I stressed how important it is to me to be committed to my home church (always an important thing for me with college students), and that I'm going to have to be gone at least 2 times in the next 2 months (last week, and the weekend of the ART) already, so it might have to be after Christmas...
The weekend of the ART (see previous post), we are going to have a chance to lead worship with my best friend from high school, Amy Lu (I was Amy Sue... we did everything together). She lives in Sheldon, and she and her husband, Abe are heavily involved in a new Evangelical Free church there. It's as fraught with difficulties as any church, and we're excited to be able to jump in and add to the complexity! At least for one weekend. More than anything, I'm excited to sing with Amy Lu again. We haven't had a chance to do that since high school --- quite a few years ago. I'm so glad we're still friends!
Raspberry Haven
We got to spend the weekend at Gramma Georgie's and Grandpa Bruce's in Iowa. Maia discovered her love of raspberries. Bruce & George have (estimation here) probably 3 rows, 2-sided, about 20 feet long of prolific raspberry bushes. They have been eating raspberries breakfast, lunch and dinner (and desserts, don't forget those!) for several weeks now. George sent us home with 18 cups of frozen berries, 2 jars of jam, a bottle of raspberry syrup and a bottle of raspberry vinegar (plus a jar of dill pickles and a bucket of tomatoes). So I guess it's my chance to get creative with raspberry food preparation. Just this morning, I added a little raspberry syrup to my cup of coffee... not bad!
Maia loved to follow grandma and eat the berries right off the bush as fast as she could pick them. George said that Maia should just stay and follow her around while she picks berries, then she wouldn't have to try and figure out what to do with them all!
Bruce & George are preparing for the Artisan's Road Trip coming up in 3 weeks. Their corn crib becomes an art gallery, showcasing Bruce's photographs, drawings, painting and silkscreens, as well as George's beautiful decorations, most of which have been grown on their farm: dried flowers, gourds, pumpkins, pinecones, etc. Fall is a beautiful time for this event, and if you live anywhere near NW Iowa, you should check it out.
Maja & Morpheus, our cats who live on the Morrison farm, will get a front row seat to all the activity. They reside in the chicken coop and spend most of their days looking out the window at anything that happens. We got to visit our kitties, which was very exciting to Maia. "Oh kitties!!! Hi kitties!!!" They have a pretty comfortable set-up there, though Morpheus has made several escape attempts over the last few weeks... I suppose I'd be a little stir crazy after having to stay inside the barn for a year and a half too...
Xander got to play baseball, his favorite activity at Grandma Georgie's. He also got to demonstrate his fierce temper, which is starting to assert itself. That's so fun. He says things like, "this is the worst day of my LIFE!!!!!" when you won't let him run in church. Or, "I'm going to pretend you're not my mom for 1 hour." Whatever. You can pretend, but I got news for ya'...
We've discovered a direct correlation between the amount of sleep he gets and how crabby he is. Other contributing factors may include: feeling gross from having a cold this week, more aggressive friends rubbing off on his behavior, and the ever-dreaded... Hormones! Xander has already started getting zits on his face! NO!!! It's too soon for that! He's got a big bump in the middle of his forehead, but we determined it's probably a bug bite from all the time outside in the yard yesterday (we don't do that very often...). Unfortunately, Thursday is picture day at school, so I hope it's gone down by then.
Maia loved to follow grandma and eat the berries right off the bush as fast as she could pick them. George said that Maia should just stay and follow her around while she picks berries, then she wouldn't have to try and figure out what to do with them all!
Bruce & George are preparing for the Artisan's Road Trip coming up in 3 weeks. Their corn crib becomes an art gallery, showcasing Bruce's photographs, drawings, painting and silkscreens, as well as George's beautiful decorations, most of which have been grown on their farm: dried flowers, gourds, pumpkins, pinecones, etc. Fall is a beautiful time for this event, and if you live anywhere near NW Iowa, you should check it out.
Maja & Morpheus, our cats who live on the Morrison farm, will get a front row seat to all the activity. They reside in the chicken coop and spend most of their days looking out the window at anything that happens. We got to visit our kitties, which was very exciting to Maia. "Oh kitties!!! Hi kitties!!!" They have a pretty comfortable set-up there, though Morpheus has made several escape attempts over the last few weeks... I suppose I'd be a little stir crazy after having to stay inside the barn for a year and a half too...
Xander got to play baseball, his favorite activity at Grandma Georgie's. He also got to demonstrate his fierce temper, which is starting to assert itself. That's so fun. He says things like, "this is the worst day of my LIFE!!!!!" when you won't let him run in church. Or, "I'm going to pretend you're not my mom for 1 hour." Whatever. You can pretend, but I got news for ya'...
We've discovered a direct correlation between the amount of sleep he gets and how crabby he is. Other contributing factors may include: feeling gross from having a cold this week, more aggressive friends rubbing off on his behavior, and the ever-dreaded... Hormones! Xander has already started getting zits on his face! NO!!! It's too soon for that! He's got a big bump in the middle of his forehead, but we determined it's probably a bug bite from all the time outside in the yard yesterday (we don't do that very often...). Unfortunately, Thursday is picture day at school, so I hope it's gone down by then.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Beth Moore in Sioux Falls
OK. so how cool is this? Beth Moore! Only the best Bible teacher in women's ministry of our time and she was right here in Sioux Falls!
My mom and I went together, along with a group of about 8 women from my church (though others went who did not sit with our group). Several women from Mom's church in Yankton were there too. We saw a surprising number of women from Sheldon, including Katie Shelp, which was a fun -very brief- reunion. (Katie is the mom of my brother's best friend, John. And she was my high school Spanish teacher). The venue was sold out at 6,500 seats.
This was really fun. Of course, there was phenomenal teaching, but I also love the element that is added to corporate worship when everyone there really WANTS to be there. Travis Cottrell and his worship team did a great job of ushering us into the presence of the Lord and opening our hearts to His word.
Beth's topic this weekend was "Come to the Table" and there was a beautiful table set on the stage, which was used as a visual. One of the local stories that she told was that whenever she arrives at a location for one of these things, she's always starving when she gets off the plane. She asked her staff where they were going to go eat when she got to Sioux Falls, and they informed her that one restaurant had an invitation to her in their front window. Apparently a manager or owner of Casa del Rey put up a huge sign in their front window that said, "WELCOME BETH MOORE" so she went there. She's a huge fan of Mexican food anyway, and she said she had the best enchiladas ever, right here in South Dakota of all places! But the cool tie-in was that she was talking about "Come to the Table" of the Lord. She was invited (that's never happened to her before, by the way) to dine at a table in the Casa del Rey which translates to "House of the King." Pretty cool.
We had so much fun, and got some great solid Biblical teaching, and I understand that Living Proof Live is never the same twice. I highly recommend the weekend if it comes anywhere near you. The ticket price is totally worth it. Guys, it's not an exclusive club, but she really does talk to women, so it's really girly. 2 or 3 men were among the 6,500 this weekend.
Double Gap
Xander lost his other front tooth today. It's a good thing, because Matt was threatening all kinds of creative ways to pull it out. It had migrated to the center of his top row of teeth, where it hung kind of crooked. Very hillbilly. We all agreed that it was disgusting.Hopefully, the tooth fairy will have an easier time finding his tooth pillow in his bunk bed this time. Maybe we'll leave it on his dresser for her.
The rest of the family is good. Here's Maia, not to be outdone by her brother... (although he tried, as you can see)
I colored my hair on Friday, and fried it! I double-processed it, highlighting light colored streaks in it, then dying the whole thing "Hibiscus." I was going for the streaky purply look (which you can't see here), but the texture of my hair is going to take some serious TLC. I've got it really smooth today with lots of conditioning agents in it, so it looks healthier than it is.
Matt is thrilled that the NFL season opened today, and he's making disparaging remarks at the TV like, "I hope Brett Favre goes 0-16!" He was highly disappointed in the Broncos this afternoon, but we got to hang out at church after services and watch the game on the big screen with carry-in food. So there were some bright spots in his day. Here's his position:
(he's talking to his folks here)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Aunt Rene'
Our Labor Day weekend took an unexpected turn on when my Aunt Rene' was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night and passed away on Friday evening.
Rene' was my mom's youngest sister and had Down's Syndrome. She was 47 years old. Today was her funeral and it was an honor to be able to play and sing for it. We had a nice celebration of her personality and Jesus was very much the center of the activities. I was so proud of my mom, she gave a beautiful eulogy, outlining things we learned from Rene'. She talked about how we often saw how different Rene' was from the rest of us, but that she really was no different from us, she just didn't hide her feelings. She was always very exuberant, was never afraid to show her love for anyone. She loved music and loved to sing really loud and out of tune, and she loved to dance. When she was angry, everyone knew it. Her temper actually got her kicked out of more than one care facility! But she was not that much different from you and me.
Rene's death was actually a very peaceful event, and I was privileged to be there along with my mom, step-dad, my grandma, another aunt and uncle, two cousins, and my kids. She went into the hospital on Wednesday evening after an night of Keno at her care facility in Yankton, she got agitated, and started having trouble breathing, so they took her to the hospital (the same hospital where my mom works). She had congestive heart failure, double pneumonia, and sepsis, and after 24 hours of antibiotics and no change, it became evident that it was time to call the family in.
She communicated with mom early on Friday morning ("I can't breathe with this thing on!"), then spent the rest of the day asleep. Her oxygen levels were extremely low, even after putting her on 100% oxygen, though we discovered that once we started playing music, her levels got markedly better. Leigh Anne (grandma- Rene's step-mother) got there mid-morning, I got there with Xander & Maia by about 2:30, Aunt Jeanne (another of my mom's sisters) and Uncle John arrived around 5:30, followed shortly after by their daughters, Laurie & Leslie. They'd all been planning to spend the weekend together in the Twin Cities, where the girls live, but changed their plans and headed back to SD.
Once everyone was there, we had Mom's pastoral care pastor come in and read a Psalm with us, we prayed together, then mom took the oxygen off. She said later that she's never had such a strong sense of someone flying right into the arms of Jesus. It was like releasing a bird from a cage. The nurses came in and shut off all the monitors, while Leigh Anne climbed into bed with Rene' and held her tight and whispered in her ear, and Mom and Jeanne held her hand and stroked her hair and she was gone within a couple of minutes. I held Xander and explained what was going on to him and he was curious about what it would be like. After she died, we sang "Jesus Loves Me" and left.
My Aunt Sandi & Uncle Dick drove in from Virginia. They couldn't get a flight out because of the mess that Hurricane Whatever was leaving on the East coast. Ironically, my Uncle Tom, Aunt Shirley and cousin, Jocelyn were able to fly out of Florida just fine. So we've got family here for a few days, I guess Sandi & Dick are going to stick around until next weekend, but Tom & gang are flying home tomorrow morning.
I was so blessed to watch my mom in action and hear others' comments about her. She was really the reason that Jesus was at the center of not only the funeral, but Rene's actual death too. As an added benefit to her spiritual growth, my dad and step-mom were able to attend the funeral and Dad was even a pall-bearer, which Rene' would have liked (no, EXPECTED! As Leigh Anne put it).
I played the prelude, hymns and special music for the service. I made my brother, Casey sing Chris Rice's "Untitled Hymn" because it just fit the situation so perfectly. And also it's one of those songs that I can't sing without sobbing through. He did a great job. I sang "I Can Only Imagine." My mom requested that one, and it was also fitting. Rene's preference would have probably been country music, but I draw the line there, so she got what we preferred instead! We did finish the service with "I'll Fly Away" and "Do Lord" as they were favorites of hers.
In all, it was an emotionally exhausting weekend. I didn't expect this death to hit me as hard as it did, but I kept crying because I was so blessed by it. I really believe that Jesus takes care of his little ones. Even if they weigh over 300 lbs!
Rene' was my mom's youngest sister and had Down's Syndrome. She was 47 years old. Today was her funeral and it was an honor to be able to play and sing for it. We had a nice celebration of her personality and Jesus was very much the center of the activities. I was so proud of my mom, she gave a beautiful eulogy, outlining things we learned from Rene'. She talked about how we often saw how different Rene' was from the rest of us, but that she really was no different from us, she just didn't hide her feelings. She was always very exuberant, was never afraid to show her love for anyone. She loved music and loved to sing really loud and out of tune, and she loved to dance. When she was angry, everyone knew it. Her temper actually got her kicked out of more than one care facility! But she was not that much different from you and me.
Rene's death was actually a very peaceful event, and I was privileged to be there along with my mom, step-dad, my grandma, another aunt and uncle, two cousins, and my kids. She went into the hospital on Wednesday evening after an night of Keno at her care facility in Yankton, she got agitated, and started having trouble breathing, so they took her to the hospital (the same hospital where my mom works). She had congestive heart failure, double pneumonia, and sepsis, and after 24 hours of antibiotics and no change, it became evident that it was time to call the family in.
She communicated with mom early on Friday morning ("I can't breathe with this thing on!"), then spent the rest of the day asleep. Her oxygen levels were extremely low, even after putting her on 100% oxygen, though we discovered that once we started playing music, her levels got markedly better. Leigh Anne (grandma- Rene's step-mother) got there mid-morning, I got there with Xander & Maia by about 2:30, Aunt Jeanne (another of my mom's sisters) and Uncle John arrived around 5:30, followed shortly after by their daughters, Laurie & Leslie. They'd all been planning to spend the weekend together in the Twin Cities, where the girls live, but changed their plans and headed back to SD.
Once everyone was there, we had Mom's pastoral care pastor come in and read a Psalm with us, we prayed together, then mom took the oxygen off. She said later that she's never had such a strong sense of someone flying right into the arms of Jesus. It was like releasing a bird from a cage. The nurses came in and shut off all the monitors, while Leigh Anne climbed into bed with Rene' and held her tight and whispered in her ear, and Mom and Jeanne held her hand and stroked her hair and she was gone within a couple of minutes. I held Xander and explained what was going on to him and he was curious about what it would be like. After she died, we sang "Jesus Loves Me" and left.
My Aunt Sandi & Uncle Dick drove in from Virginia. They couldn't get a flight out because of the mess that Hurricane Whatever was leaving on the East coast. Ironically, my Uncle Tom, Aunt Shirley and cousin, Jocelyn were able to fly out of Florida just fine. So we've got family here for a few days, I guess Sandi & Dick are going to stick around until next weekend, but Tom & gang are flying home tomorrow morning.
I was so blessed to watch my mom in action and hear others' comments about her. She was really the reason that Jesus was at the center of not only the funeral, but Rene's actual death too. As an added benefit to her spiritual growth, my dad and step-mom were able to attend the funeral and Dad was even a pall-bearer, which Rene' would have liked (no, EXPECTED! As Leigh Anne put it).
I played the prelude, hymns and special music for the service. I made my brother, Casey sing Chris Rice's "Untitled Hymn" because it just fit the situation so perfectly. And also it's one of those songs that I can't sing without sobbing through. He did a great job. I sang "I Can Only Imagine." My mom requested that one, and it was also fitting. Rene's preference would have probably been country music, but I draw the line there, so she got what we preferred instead! We did finish the service with "I'll Fly Away" and "Do Lord" as they were favorites of hers.
In all, it was an emotionally exhausting weekend. I didn't expect this death to hit me as hard as it did, but I kept crying because I was so blessed by it. I really believe that Jesus takes care of his little ones. Even if they weigh over 300 lbs!
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