Winter Performance Championships

Yesterday began at 3 am...

 and ended today, at 3:37 am...

A twenty four hour period packed with energy.

Twenty one teenagers, having practiced and practiced and practiced some more.

Two ensembles, winter guard, who placed 7th

and Indoor Percussion, who placed 4th.

Countless hours, and effort becoming an ensemble.

A young instructor, teaching and learning at the same time

 and who is pretty handy in many respects

and a band director who cares about and for the kids

Two shots that say volumes...
midafternoon, while percussion was warming up... he 'hit the wall' and sat down to rest...

and it lasted less than two minutes...

till he was up and running again...

My boy had a good day...

is growing fast and strong and learning lessons here, like how to persist in the face of hardship and trial,
how practice makes perfect, and how friendships are made.  The list could go on and on.

He's learned to win and to lose gracefully and to hold his head high,  knowing that he's given his best.

* There is no losing here... none at all... 
there's simply some learning  that you're not always going to finish first*

There is music in his head and in his heart...
that comes from a drum
and from being part of something that is larger than himself, but in which he matters.

Thank you to those who gave of themselves to make this happen!

And to some amazing young adults who will go far in life.

(Suspiciously missing are photos of the four parents who worked round the clock in this effort.
We were behind the cameras, the equipment, the wheel and the kids!)

Yeah!

A crisp, cold start to the day... the sound of the shoals, mist rising in the sunbeams.

Birdsong signaling spring. (Pollen count also signaling spring!)

First day back to work!  A happy day!

Concert Festival

After 6, maybe 7 years absence, we made our way today, to concert festival.

With the consideration that no students who are currently in band , nor the band director, who is brand new to our school and to life as a band director in general, have ever been to concert festival,  the students did well in both concert performance and sight reading, to bring home an Excellent rating.

As always, there's a posed photo, where they looked so beautiful and grown up in their concert black.

And a happy ride home, when you feel good about what you've done.

What a superb accomplishment for students and director alike...
what a gift that music is in their lives...
what a privilege to be along for the moment.

Happy day!

Elizabeth Weaver

Pediatric Medicine

Greenville, SC

Yep.... there was a little 'heel clicking' happy dance!

Thank you for the prayers and support!

Join me, please...

This morning I was up early... really,really early.
As I often do, I start my day in prayer and meditation (which I amusingly enough spelled medication, and today that is true, as I'm being treated for bronchitis).

Please keep my daughter, Elizabeth, in your hearts today and those of you who believe in the power of prayer, please join this mother's deepest prayers on her behalf.

Today is match day.  Today, after almost 20 years of education, this 24 year old woman will find out where she will spend her residency as she begins to practice pediatric medicine. Her family, including her fiancee will go with her today and stand alongside in this moment.  I pray that like other moments in her life and education, this one too will be God's will for her journey in life.  She is deeply faithful and has been steadfast on this path since she was a very young girl as part of God's plan for her.

Medical students at this point have interviewed and ranked programs and the programs have likewise ranked the students.  Today's decision is not within the student's control.  They will go where they are placed.
After all of the self control and delayed gratification that it takes to get to this point, this is a monumental act of faith.

I also pray for Clayton, who will be beside her on this journey.  For the dedication of being the spouse of a physician and for his love and devotion to my daughter, I am truly grateful. I pray that this choice today be the best for both of them as they begin their life together as a family.

I am grateful for the spiritual lessons and growth that I have learned from having her be my child.
By the grace of God, may this young physician guard and protect the health and well being of her patients,
may she heal and hold out hope
and may she always give God the glory for the gift of her talents
and be grateful for the strength of mind and body that has allowed her success.

I am grateful for the last 8 years, which by any reasonable human strengths, I might not have had.
For the hands that healed me and for the Grace that is with me every morning that I rise, I am blessed.

Time for mending...

Mending is one of those things that I truly enjoy doing... but I next to never set aside time to do it.
Mending is a necessity of economy, at times and something that growing up having learned to do, I feel compelled to still do.  When I actually sit down to do it, I feel a lot of satisfaction in having gotten the job done. It's just the business of getting around to the task.


Sometimes, someone leaves you a note:

 ... sigh...  Actually, this note was some considerable time ago... the stack by the sewing machine had grown quite high.  So, today, the note writer pointed out that he was nearly out of jeans to wear... because they were ALL on my mending pile.

We conferred as to what type of patch we wanted... the brother had a black and white checked patch some time back that was deemed quite satisfactory.  So, I set to work.

and this....

and several more things.  Not all of them got black and white gingham patches.

These jeans are far, far from passing the school dress code regulations, but repaired this way, they make for good Saturday jeans, or jeans for fishing or simply hanging out in.
And they're always the kids 'favorite' jeans.... which is why they're so worn and soft that they rip and fray under stress.

I needed to get this taken care of, in advance of a flurry of sewing attire for the upcoming nuptials which are just a few short weeks away.  There is a gathering of parts... patterns and fabrics, boning and buttons, ribbons and tulle...  in sweet anticipation of a few fun afternoons of companionship while we fit and sew.

I enjoy sewing, pretty much no matter what the task.  I'm glad that my family views it as a good thing and something that we do, as a matter of course.

Now, to work on their note writing skills...

A picture's worth a thousand words

 Blue Ridge Indoor Percussion Competition
1st Place