We Made it Through!!

The past couple of months have been full of stress and distress for others in my house.  With the birthing of a new show at Sight and Sound, wedding preparations and an annual commitment to run sound at our county wide homeschool graduation banquet I've watched my husband, sons, daughter and mom bear burdens that, while normal and very happy, are still heavy.  There have been church projects on the back burner for lack of time...but a big one was resolved yesterday.  It was made much easier to get to due to the use of much of the equipment for that banquet.  All of a sudden it made sense to rearrange the instruments and sound equipment then rather than put it all back as it was and then take it all apart again on another day.  I wish I had taken photos of the before and after....It is very exciting to see the changes.

We aren't yet through the wedding but we have made much progress toward it.  I have a pile of candles to make for the table decor.  That will be fun.  We will do that next week.  Chelsea's Bridal Shower will be held on Sunday evening.  It is not a surprise, which is great for her because the anticipation has brought her so much joy. We are thankful that the initial forecasts of 4-6 inches of snow have been backed off considerably! The Matron of Honor, our daughter in law, Emily, is doing such a wonderful job at making this time special for Chels.  We enjoyed time together last evening...planning.   Honestly, as I reread the beginning of this paragraph I have to say that I don't see the wedding as something to "get through".  It is an honor and a joy that will only happen once for this family since Chelsea is our only daughter.  At this point the date is approaching with alarming speed after such a long time of waiting and waiting.

We are within two weeks of the concert involving my two little choirs.

I say "little choirs" because there will be approximately 22 in each of the two 

choirs this year.  It used to be that I had around 40 in just one of the choirs 

but those kids moved on up to high school and these class sizes are much smaller.

Even so, the quality of the voices didn't suffer.

These kiddos are pretty good.

I love working with them!!

It will be nice to have that weekly commitment done, though, as we get closer

to the wedding and those final details.

The Grad Banquet on Thursday evening came after a very full and long day

for both Warren and I.  We arrived there feeling as if we could just take a nap but

were quickly lifted up as the talents of the students became apparent in their 

sound check.  At that point you just get pulled in and excited for them to get to 

share with their parents and invited guests.

It is also an opportunity to share a very nice meal with friends

that we don't get to see often enough......

This photo was taken during set up and sound check.

The guy on the right is named Caleb. 

He.can.sing!

The girl on the left is Natalie.

She played violin beautifully in a string trio.

Because of the timing of this banquet each year we always think

Warren shouldn't do it the following year... but then we don't want to miss it 

and figure it won't be quite as stressful the next time.

Ha!  We are crazy.  But there is a good chance if they ask again next year

Warren would say yes. 

We will see!

Early morning yesterday found Jonathan and I at the Emergency Room.  He has been having extreme abdominal pain.  We still don't have all the answers but we are getting closer.  There are more doctors to see and more tests to have run.  Poor guy!  I hate seeing him in such pain.  The doctor came in the room and saw his feet hanging over the edge of the bed and had to make the usual statements about how tall he is. Another nurse, having been sent to start an IV in the "kid in room 13" thought she had the wrong room.  Well, really!  Kid?  He's almost 25 and looks at least 30!  Turns out she was the same age as Jonathan and couldn't believe he'd been called a kid either.  We got a good laugh out of it though.  Those are welcome at times such as these.

At his approximately 6'7" height he is quite used to it.

I am thankful to his boss who came in to cover for him as we rushed to the 

emergency room.  Jonathan was in a bad way.  

Feel free to pray with us that healing will come.

My gentle giant, with a very caring heart, needs relief.

And now I must go prepare to attend the wedding of one of "my" 

shop owners.  I was surprised when she invited me to come...

happily so!

But as she said, we've become friends.

It is true.

And I'm thankful for it!!

See you in the Spring!!

Yes!  

So happy to welcome it this year.

When in the Course of Common Events.....

You Are Faced With A Delay.

Go Ahead.....

Drink Frozen Hot Chocolate with Peanut Butter!

Samson Review....

This review is not unbiased.  It is unabashedly influenced by the fact that six of our family circle work there and many of our friends do so as well.  We have a vested interest in the success of each and every show.  Even so, we have opinions and like some shows better than others.  That is perfectly normal.  That said, Samson is a very captivating show!  I will enjoy it much more next time as I was so tense this first time, knowing there were scenes coming up which had potential to be frightening.  There was even a disclaimer at the front of the show about the safety of the effects having been tested repeatedly.... as the walls DO come down in the end.  Crazy cool and not so scary!

But that is the end....let me back up to the overall themes of the show.  A relationship between a father and son.  The heartbreak of a prodigal.  The depths of the pit that we can sometimes have to go through for our own good.  And how God will keep His word and accomplish His purposes.

I had hoped that perhaps this would be the first Sight and Sound production that I might make it through without tears.  Alas, I will have to try for that the next time.  However, the tears came at an unexpected point in the show.  I'm not going to give that moment away. It was powerful and beautifully written.

There are many laughs! Which is good because Samson is indeed a rather dark story.  The writers managed to add humor without distracting from the story.  A tricky feat well accomplished.

I loved seeing one of my little music students acting last evening, although I have to say that it is a bit sad that then I had to miss her in class yesterday due to the final run through yesterday afternoon.  Her father is also an actor in the show.  How sweet that they get to act in the same production.  She has done some shows at another local theater without him.  She's awesome, I tell ya!

There are two sets of music that stand out for me as just amazing.  At one point the family sings a song together and the harmonies are melt your heart beautiful.  Definitely my favorite.  Coming in second had to be the duets that Samson and Delilah sing.  They are modern sounding and their voices blend well in harmonies.  Yep!  I'd go back just to hear those two sets of music.....if for no other reason.

Finally, another reason I would watch this show again?  The "foxes".  For what seems like years...and may well be two years....there have been some special dogs in training to play the foxes that are lit on fire and therefore light the fields ablaze.  Everyone has wondered how these high spirited dogs would perform.  Well, they did it perfectly!  When choosing dogs for performing this breed is not one that one would have chosen first.  But they went for the look of them and it worked.

                                                      Warren's Mom, Georgia on the left

and my Mom, Ruth, on the Right.

I can't imagine that they planned to match so perfectly....

but then again I call them "Mom's in Stereo" because when one calls or shows 

up at our house the other does the opposite. 

Almost without fail. 

It is too funny.

Here they are on the Red Carpet.

We didn't get our photos taken on it but am glad they did.  

Then you get to see that fun!

It was such a beautiful March evening.

A new workspace for those who make the almonds.

Chelsea is one of those....she will spend a lot of time in this pretty new space.

How fun!

We are all breathing a sigh of relief to have the show through that first performance

with an audience.  Tonight is VIP night and they will do it all again.

Today is also our anniversary.

Warren and I are celebrating 27 years of marriage.

It hasn't always been easy....

but we are still best friends and wouldn't have it 

any other way!!

It is also my mother's birthday!

Each year she just loves to celebrate 

that best birthday gift I've ever

given her.

An amazing son-in-law.

Wink

No Flower Spoilers BUT Something Amused Me

As I told you yesterday we went to choose flowers and to discuss how many arrangements and bouquets would be needed.  The wholesaler is in York and Divine Florals is in Lancaster.

That is not a problem.  We just met at the warehouse in York and had our discussions.

I'm using this photo because in it you can see the seriousness and intensity

that was involved in these discussions.

Smile.

Aren't they adorable?

Susan is near genius when it comes to knowing how to put flowers together

and figure out what the bride wants. 

Chelsea is pretty quiet but Susan was easily able to get to the heart of the 

options and hear from Chelsea what she liked and didn't like.

She was also very agreeable to use just the things that Chelsea loves

without fussing about her own personal preferences.

I know that the end result would be perfect either way but by approaching it 

this way Susan has no doubts about Chelsea and Chadd's loving it!

Chadd may look a bit disconnected in this photo but he was not.

He had a thought that led to one of the best ideas of the day....

I took no photos of flowers so I'm not tempted to post any spoilers.

That is driving me crazy at the moment.

But, we are just weeks away from being able to show the finished results so....

Now, there is something else to notice about this photo.

I cropped it in tighter so you will easily be able to see what was so amusing.

In this world of technology and computers I found this floral warehouse's order system

completely amusing and charming.

Between Chelsea and Susan is a clip on a rope.

As I stood and listened to the conversation something behind them caught my eye.

It was a bunch of papers being lowered on this clip.

Immediately following the lowering of the papers a cowbell was rung and a person

above who had not been noticed disappeared into a room behind glass.

Then the papers just hung there swinging hypnotically until an elderly gentleman

approached and unclipped them.

He brought them to the table where we were working and we were pointed to another nearby 

table just before women descended with bunches and bunches of flowers

to prepare the order for which those papers were meant.

Everything moved like clockwork.

You could tell that each worker knew exactly what their job was and there

was very little conversation as they got to it.

But it was that order drop system that completely made me giggle.

I'll bet it works even better than if there was a computer station at every table.

Super charming and heartwarming in this world of digital everything!

Looking At Flowers and The Dress Hunt is Over!

We are looking forward to our afternoon.

Part of it, at least, will be spent in a large flower warehouse

choosing the flowers for the wedding.

Chelsea gave me pause last evening when she reminded me

that the wedding is just 7 weeks from now.

It sounds farther when you say the number of days.

But I am very aware of how quickly weeks FLY by.

Seven will be here and gone before we know it!

She will then be Mrs. Pham.

Mrs.

Wow.

She is going to be a very good wife, I think.

Each day brings new fun wedding stuff to think about and plan.

And so today as we go off to choose flowers it will be a 

beautiful and special kind of a day.

Our friend, Susan, has begun her formal business

called Divine Florals.

I'm so glad to see it!

She is just so talented and great at what she does.

Let me share some of her work.....

 Photo courtesy Olivia Rae Craft Photography.

 Photo Source: Divine Florals

 Our friend, Emma and her groom, Vinnie.

My daughter in love, Emily's bouquet.  She chose some very unique flowers

that had to be shipped in from Central America.  

Chelsea is going for a simple but elegant look.

However, flowers are key to the decor and so 

we are most excited to see if what we envision in our heads 

can be as beautiful in person.

My guess?

It will be even better.

I finally have the dress I will wear to the wedding.

Actually, I have two....but I do think I've decided on the one.

It is navy blue and a very classic knee length.

Not the fancy dress I thought I wanted but I've tried enough of them on 

to know that they aren't me.

Much better to just be myself and focus on my girl on that day

than be all out of sorts and miserable.

I know you will be so happy that I've come to my senses. 

Oh, the drama!

Want a Good Laugh at My Expense?

A few weeks ago our shower head broke inside the wall and I heard 

water pouring down into the basement.

It was one of those incredulous moments because we had 

maintained a dry basement during the incredible storms

and were so happy about that.

But then......

Well, it wasn't a big deal.  Buckets caught the water and it turns out

I had heard it right after it started so damage was minimal.

Warren turned off the water to the shower and so our biggest

inconvenience was borrowing the Grandma's showers.

They are nice like that!

Here's where it gets amusing.

As we stood in the laundry room looking up into the ceiling

Warren told me that if I could get the shelves clear during the day

he would be able to get to the problem and fix it.

I felt that was a fair deal so I got to work removing the 

kids homeschool portfolio's from the shelves in the laundry room.

I sorted through photos, papers and even dishes that were on 

those shelves.

I found some treasures...like this:

I was just pregnant with Jonathan in this photo.

As I did so I wondered why these shelves had to be empty for him 

to work on the shower plumbing.  I decided that apparently that stuff 

was at risk of getting dripped on as he worked.  Or maybe he needed 

to reach up past those shelves to get to the pipe.

Later as we sat enjoying dinner he mentioned that as soon as the two middle

shelves were empty he could get to work.

Two middle shelves?

That didn't compute.

Then it hit me!

He meant the two shelves in the bathroom closet!!

There is an opening to the shower plumbing UP THERE.

Good grief!!

I'm such a goober.

My heart is in the right place.

He got such a laugh about that even as he wondered how

he married someone who could be so very clueless.

I would contend that I didn't start out this clueless....

I've just gotten used to his taking care of these kinds of things

and have lost my common sense about them.

My story.

I'm sticking to it!!

We will celebrate our 27th Wedding Anniversary 

on March 11th.

I've been well taken care of.....and I know it!

From Frustration to A Great Day!

It was a beautiful Sunday morning and so I decided to write a cheerful post on the Sonrise Christian Fellowship Facebook Page.  You know, something like, "It's a great day to rise and shine.  To worship together.....".  I meant it.  It was a sweet kind of a morning.  AND THEN......I had conflict with a family member, I pinched my finger in the refrigerator in the weirdest happening ever and my happy, oh so spiritual morning went in a very different direction.  I huffed and puffed around here, then grumbled on the way to church.  As we pulled into the parking lot it hit me.  This was an attack. The enemy was answering my cheerful and "inspirational" post with a test.  Well, that changed everything. That really made me mad.  I called him out right then and there in the name of Jesus.

My poor friend, Kelly, got an earful when she got there as I told her how I would rip that enemy to pieces if he happened to be right in front of me.  lol  I may have realized why things had taken a sour turn but it took me longer to get out of that grumpy state of mind.  It was while we practiced the music I had so cheerfully posted about earlier that my spirit calmed and I got over the anger and into His peace. I love the mornings I am not playing the piano but singing instead.  I can better focus on the words of the songs instead of being tense about missing the notes on the keys.

From that moment on yesterday became one of my favorite days ever.

After church we came back to Mom's house where we carried the stuff in to make burgers on the grill.  Mikey is working long hours as the new show, Samson, prepares to open so he couldn't make it but Emily had the idea of a family dinner and it was a great day for it.  Chelsea and Chadd, Mom, Emily, Warren and I all ate together.  After a while Georgia and Jonathan showed up.  Georgia had been out of town and Jonathan got up early from his sleep before work because he is tired of missing all the family stuff since he works overnights all weekends.  It was great to spend time with everyone!  And the grilled burgers were a taste of hope.  Hope that we will soon be grilling all kinds of things.  Yum.

This drummer is fantastic and had the cutest little cymbals she pulled out for just one spot in one song.  I mentioned them to her afterward and she said she found them at a second hand store for a couple of dollars and grabbed them.
The tone was pure and sweet.

Next up on the agenda was a concert.  The National Christian Choir was planning to sing at a nearby church.  We know one of the singers and had enjoyed watching the concert with his wife in 2013.  However, Annie, passed away just over a week ago and so this year would be different.  Paul still came and sang.  He needed that "normal" and the support of friends he has been singing with for years.  We were happy to be there to "support" him as well.  Not that he really needed us and we got way more benefit from our experience.  This choir is made up of regular people from all over the Washington D.C./Maryland/Pennsylvania area who come together each Monday evening to practice. They then tour on the East Coast and beyond.  It was announced that you have to have at least the following two things in order to be accepted into the choir:  A love for the Lord and the ability to SING.  Now, I was curious about the audition process.  Have been since I saw them the last time.  But I know that this is not a commitment I could make at this point in my life.  I mean, it would be 2 hours each way, minimum, every Monday night.  But still I wanted to know how the auditions work and if I ever did find myself in other circumstances if I thought I would have a chance.  As it happened I was standing in the right place at the right time as a woman came up to ask to audition.  We got to talking and I asked if I could stay and watch her try out.  I still don't know her name but we bonded as I stayed with her until it was time.  We tested out a couple of songs.  It was so much fun to see her audition.  I'm pretty sure she is "in" if she wants to be.  They will send her a letter to tell her for sure....but I think they were pleased.  I have photos of her audition but since I didn't ask her if I could post them I'm not going to.

During the concert, itself, I was so torn as to what to watch.  As you may know, I teach two choirs at our former home school co-op.  It is such small scale in comparison... but it is still a rush to direct and get a group of people (kids in my case) to do what you want them to do, when you want them to do it. There is nothing that compares for me.  In the beginning of each year they are individuals who all think their own way, come in to the song when they feel like it, sing loud or soft as the whim hits.  By the end of the semester they have become a choir.  A group of people who start and stop at the same time, get louder and softer together and who understand the story of a song and tell it as a whole.  That in itself is amazing but then when you take all of that and put it in front of parents, family and friends it is the cherry on the sundae.  I can only imagine what it would be like to direct a group of people who were ALL their by their own choice and not as a part of a required class.  WOW!  However, I totally enjoy the challenge that comes with having "non-singers" as part of my classes.

Kathy Bowman, the director of the National Christian Choir, held me spellbound as her hands and face were so expressive in communicating to the choir.  By the time the choir reaches the performance stage they know that music so well that her direction is almost supplemental.  Almost.

There is never a time that a choir will stay completely together without that same direction. Individuality will begin to take over again.  Chaos will begin to ensue.  And so, I sat there and just watched the beauty of her work and the hearing the resulting responsiveness of approximately 150 singers.  Exceptional.  Truly!!

If you ever get a chance to see this choir?  Go!!  Don't miss it.