Lucky!

After a long day walking the rainy, cold beach looking for sea critters with my first grader's field trip, rushing literally from the field trip to my daughter's rehearsal still dripping wet, I was attempting to warm up in the car eating my Wendy's salad, when I decided to call my parents to check in.

My dad answers. We chat. He tells me that my mom is on a Girls' Night Out. She and her friends are taking in the Sex In The City movie. - Silence -

Not that my mother can't enjoy a movie with the girls, but from what I hear ... Gaw! My mom is watching that movie? My mom?!

After spending all day with kids on a rainy beach, on a noisy, foggy bus, in a lobby with squealing dancers needing buns, and pins here and there, and goop in their hair ... my mom is having a night out with her friends watching Sex In The City.

How cool! Retirement. My mom. Lucky ...

Inspiration

When I'm in a "mood" I like to turn on my favorite channel of Christian music and chill. Some songs speak louder than others depending on the mood I'm in. But this one particular song always gets to me regardless of my thoughts.

When I'm happy, it charges me up. Powerful words of strength.

When I'm a little sad, it charges me up. Powerful words of hope.

When I'm feeling stressed about admittedly mundane thoughts, this charges me up. Nothing is as bad as I make it; for there is always another story to share, a purpose to focus, a chance to reach.

But I get tingles in my arms and legs when it is my daughter in the backseat of our car that will say, "Turn it up, please" and sing effortlessly to hit every high note and sing with power to this song. I call it her theme song.

And it always puts an inspirational smile on my face. Set the World on Fire, Babe!

June!

I can tell you when it is June without even looking at the calendar. And it is not due to the glorious sunny weather either, as that has yet to shine. I know it is June because my daughter is in the throws of preparing for her dance studio's big show recital appearing in two short weeks.

We are now all about dress rehearsals, consisting of the entire show being performed in front of the studio director in one night, three times before show day. My daughter is in two of the three Acts in this year's performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Therefore, the rehearsals have to start by 3:15 in order to be completed by a reasonable hour of 9:30pm.

With this schedule, it means that my sweetie has to be pulled out of school early three times in two weeks in order to be in costume and have her hair pulled into a meticulous bun by rehearsal time.

It also means sack dinners that she can squeeze in for energy while wearing a coat and a towel draped around her lap; imagine the odds of the spill factor in a one of a kind, expensive, no replacement available costume. The mom's remaining at the studio just wince and look away when a dancer chooses to drink a cola and eat a taco dressed with no shield. If only her mother was watching ...

My daughter has mastered the quick change between Acts from one costume to the next, while learning how to put all the stripped off costume parts back into her own garment bag. It is amazing how this studio has complete control over these mob of girls who can change, sort, and pick up after themselves so everyone goes home with the correct clothing . I can't get my chick to pick up the clothes off her bedroom floor and dump them into a basket a few yards away. I guess I need a blue room, energetic music, and Miss Sandy's British accent to carry the threat.

But I also know it is June because the sewing basket is staring me in the face. These beautiful, custom sized costumes always! need something! to be tucked, pinned, altered ... talk about stress. My sweetie flutters her lashes at me, a sweet smile on her face, and says, "Are you ready, Mom?" Such confidence in her sewing illiterate mother. She does great with sewing, however, thanks to both her Grandmothers. Soon she will be able to alter her own costumes (and I know she'll love every second of it and I will too!).

It is June. I know it is June.

Big Wheelin'

My husband and I grew up enjoying the neighborhood Big Wheel. The challenge was to zoom so fast you could skid it across the cement and leave black marks. Then you'd have a block challenge to see which kid could make the biggest skid.

So when our son turned two we decided that it was time for a Big Wheel bike for Christmas. A sign of how anxious we were to speed up life. With the seat pushed as far to the front as possible our son still came up short. Not to be outsmarted by this Big Wheel, my husband installed, with the help of duct tape, wooden blocks to the pedals so that it could be reached. After all the excitement and retrofitting, our son was not impressed.

But we have kept this Big Wheel for five years in hopes that the magic would be sparked. And it has come to pass. With the seat pushed back as far as possible, the knees almost knocking the handlebars, our son is a noisy racket on the side walk, adding his own color of pure joy.

Finale

As the first student appeared in the parking lot my butterflies vanished and it was show time. They all came early, eager to begin their show five minutes early.

A boy in second grade started our program on a jazzy tune of Alexander Ragtime Band, followed up by a fun detective like lurking around song called Caped Capers. He nailed it, as I knew he would, the star student that he is. We continued working through the list of students playing an array of music of classical, jazz, spiritual, modern ... we hit every genre of music except Rock-n-Roll.

The giggles were heard perfectly when my newest student of three months surprised them with the ending to her song; which was running her grouped fingers down the white keys hitting every note starting from upper C to the lowest C.

You could hear a pin drop when my advanced student, only age 9, played Minuet in G by Bach fantastically.

The grand piano sounded rich and inviting and the students took to it gracefully and with confidence. Their Friday Rehearsal jitters were gone and they looked like they were actually having fun.

So proud of my students! And not only did the piano playing go brilliantly, but at the reception following, the Chocolate Chunk Cookies disappeared in a matter of seconds ... a successful Finale!!

Package Via UPS

Thanks to the inspiration of our excellent photographer, Willow, she pointed us in the direction of our latest addition to our three camera household. Our new Canon Rebel XSI arrived last night!

After missing the UPS man, my hubby was not about to wait the three days until the brown truck circled round our street again. So he called dispatch and tracked down the box of gold. He sat at the hub until the driver's shift was over; stalking for the package like a boy waiting for Santa. He went right to play time when he arrived home.

When the sun finally rose, he took many shots (only three showcased here).

We are so excited to learn all the tricks and tips from our friend.

Notice how he perfectly captured Cora's tongue sticking out at the camera. It reminds me of a teen girl being overly photographed by her parents, wishing that they would just leave her alone. She is so photogenic, it is hard not to be camera happy with her.

Loving our package via UPS!!! Thanks, Willow!

Still learning

Learning as I teach. Last year with eight piano students I was able to squeeze an audience of family and friends into my living room for our end of the year recital. With the help of my amazing husband, he agreed and was willing, to move all the furniture out and replace the room with all our table chairs that we had at various places throughout our house. A tight fit, but everyone except my own children got their own chair.

This year my business grew twice as big and there was no option but to host the event at a more accommodating location. The rehearsal was tonight and it was obvious that the grand piano was much more stiff, much older, and in the end, threw the students for a loop.

It threw me for a loop too. While I grew up performing at school, church, weddings, and various types of receptions, playing on various pianos was just something that I must have taken for granted. Because I really did not expect such a drastic difference to be noticed this evening.

Less than 48 hours to go, I can just imagine my student's cute brains going in circles thinking about how this is going to play out. Pressing harder to accommodate a stiff keyboard is something I forgot to enforce and practice during our lessons. Sigh.

And an adorable third grader who started a wee three months ago ran out of bench space ... so she stood up to play the last line of her song that was two octaves into the upper portion of the keyboard. How cute, but not good. Gulp, forgot to mention that too.

It is what it is; still learning.