For those of you who don't know, I play bass clarinet in a community band ensemble. We rehearse Tuesday nights & give periodic concerts for the community. It has been alot of fun & a great way to keep my "sophisticated music-ears" active. It has also been a great way to socialize with other music teachers in the area. Last night we gave a concert in partnership with the Skyline High School's Wind Ensemble. Our group performed one of my favorite songs that I played in high school, "Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew". It was our big competition piece & it sometimes made me & my family cry. When my mom found out we were performing it, she wanted to come hear it, even though she already had commitments that night. I later remember that she also graduated from Skyline High & it was fun to see her walk the halls of the school after the concert, reminiscing.
While I didn't know the American Fork High School band teacher who was killed in the recent bus accident, the band director at Skyline High School did. When the Skyline High students found out about the connection, they respectfully wore red ribbons at the concert. They also dedicated their performance to her memory, even though most of these students didn't know her personally. I thought they showed a great example of sympathy & maturity beyond their years. It made for a very emotional night!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Another fun weekend
Any day away from work is a great day. This last weekend I spent some good vacation time with family in Moab. For a full report, see Megan's blog. Unfortunately, my camera is really old & doesn't take good pictures anymore. So, I don't have any pictures to share. But I wanted to keep up on my blogging anyway. Moab was great fun, and it was nice to spend some time away from my work life. It makes me sad that summer is coming to an end, as the weather today reminded me. I actually saw snow flakes falling outside my window for about 5 min this afternoon! I have been singing christmas songs all day. "Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful!" Anyway, I'm excited for the changing seasons & more fun experiences with family & friends. I also had today off, so I was able to get some cleaning done. I think I did 7 loads of laundry today, most of them consisting of stuff with red sand in it. I also had to go to the laundromat & clean my sleeping bags. Another sign the summer season is over. But, I'm excited to wear sweaters & sweatshirts! AND...my friend called me and said we can "definately" move into the condo on the 17th of Oct. Yippee! So, while I have to go back to the work-grind tomorrow, there are still great things coming up. :)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Weekend in Logan
This weekend was Homecoming at USU. Even though I graduated from USU 4 years ago, I've never really participated in the Homecoming events. This weekend was a little different. Because of parent teacher conferences this week, I had Friday off. Add that to a couple of other circumstances & it made for a perfect weekend to go to Logan!
Friday, I drove up to Logan for a rehearsal with the USU Wind Orchestra & Alumni Band. We did a combined concert Friday night. My parents were able to come up for the concert & we all stayed at a hotel that night. Saturday morning, we caught a little bit of the Homecoming parade down main street & then hit the mall. Mom had some coupons she wanted to use. Technically, I didn't have money for clothes, but I managed to find some really cute stuff anyway. JC Penny was having a huge "door-buster" sale. Everything was 50% off! $150 later, I was walking out to the car with a huge bag full of clothes. Luckily I get paid this week! After the mall, we grabbed some sandwiches at Old Grist Mill & headed up the canyon. It was such a gorgeous fall day & the leaves were the brightest I have seen them in years. We ate at "1st damn", watching the fishermen NOT catch fish. With our stomachs full, we drove up towards Tony Grove & took a walk around the lake. My mom & dad got their faces burned, but I didn't get anything! I'm still white as a ghost. Once we got back to town, we joined up with Megan & ate dinner at the Bluebird. Yum! Then we burned off our dinner by walking 6 blocks to the stadium to watch the football game against SUU. It was an awesome game, particurally because USU won! Yippee! Final score: USU 53 SUU 34. After the game, we drove back to Salt Lake & I slept like a baby.
This morning, I woke up early, refreshed & ready to get some personal things done before church today. As I sat up in bed & reached for my eye glasses, I discovered they weren't in their case! I frantically searched my bag from our trip to Logan, coming up empty-handed. After a quick mental check, I realized I left them on the nightstand in the hotel room in Logan. ARGH! I called the hotel, who thankfully said they found them & they were at the front desk. Because my family & I are leaving in 3 days for Moab, I new I couldn't have them mailed to me before we left town again. The only option I had was to drive back up to Logan this morning to retrieve them. Blessed with an extra 3 hrs in the car today, I decided to download the General Relief Society Broadcast from last night & listen to it on the way. It was a great broadcast & having had those extra 3 hrs turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Now I'm even more excited to listen to Conference!
Here are some pictures from the football game:
Oh! What a cute family!
Mmmm! Aggie Icecream!
Friday, I drove up to Logan for a rehearsal with the USU Wind Orchestra & Alumni Band. We did a combined concert Friday night. My parents were able to come up for the concert & we all stayed at a hotel that night. Saturday morning, we caught a little bit of the Homecoming parade down main street & then hit the mall. Mom had some coupons she wanted to use. Technically, I didn't have money for clothes, but I managed to find some really cute stuff anyway. JC Penny was having a huge "door-buster" sale. Everything was 50% off! $150 later, I was walking out to the car with a huge bag full of clothes. Luckily I get paid this week! After the mall, we grabbed some sandwiches at Old Grist Mill & headed up the canyon. It was such a gorgeous fall day & the leaves were the brightest I have seen them in years. We ate at "1st damn", watching the fishermen NOT catch fish. With our stomachs full, we drove up towards Tony Grove & took a walk around the lake. My mom & dad got their faces burned, but I didn't get anything! I'm still white as a ghost. Once we got back to town, we joined up with Megan & ate dinner at the Bluebird. Yum! Then we burned off our dinner by walking 6 blocks to the stadium to watch the football game against SUU. It was an awesome game, particurally because USU won! Yippee! Final score: USU 53 SUU 34. After the game, we drove back to Salt Lake & I slept like a baby.
This morning, I woke up early, refreshed & ready to get some personal things done before church today. As I sat up in bed & reached for my eye glasses, I discovered they weren't in their case! I frantically searched my bag from our trip to Logan, coming up empty-handed. After a quick mental check, I realized I left them on the nightstand in the hotel room in Logan. ARGH! I called the hotel, who thankfully said they found them & they were at the front desk. Because my family & I are leaving in 3 days for Moab, I new I couldn't have them mailed to me before we left town again. The only option I had was to drive back up to Logan this morning to retrieve them. Blessed with an extra 3 hrs in the car today, I decided to download the General Relief Society Broadcast from last night & listen to it on the way. It was a great broadcast & having had those extra 3 hrs turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Now I'm even more excited to listen to Conference!
Here are some pictures from the football game:
Oh! What a cute family!
Mmmm! Aggie Icecream!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Making a Difference
Let me share with you a couple of conversations I've had with a few of my students:
My bass player stayed after school on Wednesday to practice. When he was ready to go home, he asked me for a note. He wanted me to write a note to his mother, verifying he was at the school practicing. I asked, "What's the matter? She doesn't trust you?" And he said "Nope. My cousin just started coming to this school & she thinks when I'm late coming home from school, it's because I'm hanging out with him." I ask, "Does he like to get into trouble?" And he replies, "Oh yeah! My mom blames my uncle because he's the real troublemaker..." I wanted to ask what kind of troublemaker & thought better of it. Instead I asked, "Do you hang out with your cousin alot?" He replied, "Just when I'm bored." So, then I finished with, "I guess you won't be bored too much with all of that practicing you have to do, right?" :)
I had a kid from one of my classes hang out in my room after school today because he didn't want to go to the dance. He's a 9th grader & he said the dances were "lame." He talked with me while I planned my classes for the next day. He had a lot of really good ideas for his class & "encouraged" me to accomplish some of them. I said I would try, but with my schedule, its hard to get things done quickly. I feel like I'm planning all the time & I'd like to have a social life once in a while. He agreed with me & said having a social life was important. Jokingly, I said, "So, why are you hanging out here? You have friends, right?" Of coarse he had friends. He went on to explain that his best friend was struggling right now. He caught her with vein marks up her arm & told me about all of the different drugs she said she had been shooting up. I was shocked that a 14 year old kid could possess such a diverse pharmacy. All I could do was listen to his story & offer words of encouragment to him, hoping he would find a way to help his friend get clean. It's amazing what kids deal with these days.
Meanwhile, I received a call from my friend today. She said they ran into some problems with the bathroom renovations at the condo & it won't be ready to move into by the 19th. I was disappointed, obviously, cause that means I won't be able to move in until the 10th of Oct. On the positive side, I guess it will give me more time to pack my crap, and she just freed up my weekend. I guess I'll have to take a student's advice & have a social life!
My bass player stayed after school on Wednesday to practice. When he was ready to go home, he asked me for a note. He wanted me to write a note to his mother, verifying he was at the school practicing. I asked, "What's the matter? She doesn't trust you?" And he said "Nope. My cousin just started coming to this school & she thinks when I'm late coming home from school, it's because I'm hanging out with him." I ask, "Does he like to get into trouble?" And he replies, "Oh yeah! My mom blames my uncle because he's the real troublemaker..." I wanted to ask what kind of troublemaker & thought better of it. Instead I asked, "Do you hang out with your cousin alot?" He replied, "Just when I'm bored." So, then I finished with, "I guess you won't be bored too much with all of that practicing you have to do, right?" :)
I had a kid from one of my classes hang out in my room after school today because he didn't want to go to the dance. He's a 9th grader & he said the dances were "lame." He talked with me while I planned my classes for the next day. He had a lot of really good ideas for his class & "encouraged" me to accomplish some of them. I said I would try, but with my schedule, its hard to get things done quickly. I feel like I'm planning all the time & I'd like to have a social life once in a while. He agreed with me & said having a social life was important. Jokingly, I said, "So, why are you hanging out here? You have friends, right?" Of coarse he had friends. He went on to explain that his best friend was struggling right now. He caught her with vein marks up her arm & told me about all of the different drugs she said she had been shooting up. I was shocked that a 14 year old kid could possess such a diverse pharmacy. All I could do was listen to his story & offer words of encouragment to him, hoping he would find a way to help his friend get clean. It's amazing what kids deal with these days.
Meanwhile, I received a call from my friend today. She said they ran into some problems with the bathroom renovations at the condo & it won't be ready to move into by the 19th. I was disappointed, obviously, cause that means I won't be able to move in until the 10th of Oct. On the positive side, I guess it will give me more time to pack my crap, and she just freed up my weekend. I guess I'll have to take a student's advice & have a social life!
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