A Fairy Tale Evening

 Months in the making.  Careful saving.  Eager anticipation.  Dress purchasing, outfit planning, ticket buying.  All for our first Broadway musical: Beauty and the Beast.

January 15th was the date, and fifteen of us slipped on our finest gowns or outfits, fitted on our most uncomfortable shoes, and carefully curled our hair. 

From l-r: Melanie, Lauren, Susanna, Mikaela

 Sarah was the mastermind, and we all gathered at her house to take photos and carpool to the performance in Portland.  The play didn't start until 7:30, but we arrived at 5:45 for good measure. 

Froml-r: Jo, Hannah, Rachel, Sarah, Grace, Benjamin, Emily

Cameras and smiles flashed, and we could hardly believe that the night we had been waiting for for so long was finally here!

Kaytra and Titus, sweet sister and brother duo!

Two of our group were to meet us in Portland, so unfortunately we didn't get photos of them.  This, however, is the rest of the group.  As soon as the flash died on this photo, everyone dashed to don coats, grab purses, locate GPS's, and load into the two minivans (ahem, limos) we were taking to Portland.  We were driving our van, so half the group piled into it, and then Mikaela turned the key.  The sound of the classical music station cheerfully filled the car, but there was no whirring of the engine.  The car was dead! 

Current time: 6:00

Curtain on the play: 7:30

We decided that one of the guys should try turning the key, since they sometimes have the magic touch, but it was to no avail.  We prayed with all faith, grabbed the keys, and tried the ignition, but still there was no sound!  The hood went up, but we soon realized that even if we succeeded in starting the van, we didn't want the battery to die again in Portland.  So Benjamin heroically stepped in to drive his family's twelve passenger van in downtown Portland, and half of the group piled out of our van into his. 

(Rabbit Trail Alert: Jumping the car did nothing, and we spent the night with Sarah and family as planned, but then Papa drove down Thursday morning to tow the green van home.  From this experience, however, we have learned a moral: when you purchase a van, and the person you are purchasing it from does not know the code for the anti-theft device in order to pass it on to you, be aware that even after 10 years of owning said van, the device may accidentally get bumped and prohibit the car from starting in an endeavor to restrict thieves.  You may then be required to tear apart the dash in order to cut the wires and enable your van to start again.  End of rabbit trail.)

We finally pulled out of the driveway, made it to Portland, and found parking near where the GPS said the auditorium was. 

Current time: 7:05

We met the last two additions to our group and trouped down to the auditorium, only to discover it was the wrong one!  A kind security guard informed us we had eight blocks to go, whereupon we girls glanced ruefully down at our high heels and started power walking regardless! 

Current time: 7:15 

At 7:27, with only three minutes to spare, we arrived panting, flushed, and thrilled at the auditorium.  In the last half hour we had been asked if we were going to prom several times, which only elicited laughter from us.  We were handed our programs, found our seats, and sat back to watch the story unfold. 

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The moment when Belle walked out in her iconic yellow dress was breathtaking!  Although there were a few things that we didn't like about the play, it was as a whole very sweet, amazingly well-done, and an experience of a lifetime!  It followed the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast in general, but offered several new songs and also added several endearing scenes. 

 

When the play was over, and we were done with our standing ovation, we retraced our eight block hike, chattering about the sights we had just seen the entire time, and headed to the Rimsky-Korsakoffee House, a quirky place where all is not as it seems and we had been forewarned not to go the bathroom alone. (!)  Sure enough, when the younger girls headed upstairs to the bathroom, we soon heard shrieks pealing down the stairs, and we soon had our own experience when we went to see for ourselves.  But I'll say no more, for I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise should you end up there someday!

The place was eccentric and charming, with each table having the name and photo of a different composer under the glass.  The menu of delicacies didn't take itself too seriously, either, with several options crossed out, and a few chocolate spots precisely placed to guide you to the most delicious options. 

 On that magical, beautiful evening we made memories together that will last a lifetime.  Mikaela, Sarah, and I finally rolled into bed at 2 in the morning, so we woke up groggy and exhausted the next morning, hardly prepared for our busy schedules ahead.  Nevertheless, we all knew we wouldn't have traded anything for the dream-like night we went to see Beauty and the Beast.  And it just wouldn't have been the same without a dead car and an adventure in finding the auditorium, now would it?

Aha Moments

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Sarah asked during our last blogoversary,* "I would love to see a blog post on "aha" moments while teaching." At first, the question puzzled me. Aha moments? Those are few and far between, let me tell you. There is much flashcard drilling and posture reminding and scale assigning, but I hardly ever get the privilege of seeing a light bulb moment with one of my students where everything I have been teaching suddenly falls into place for them. Then I realized that the aha moment is as much about me, the teacher, as it is about my kids, the students. So, in no particular order--here are some memorable aha moments for me and my violin and piano students from the last five years of teaching. 

• Getting formal training (Suzuki Teacher Training for violin and a Piano Pedagogy class for piano)! I still have lots to learn, but I sure have learned a lot!

• Practice recital. Why not have all my kids come together a few weeks before the recital to play music-related games, eat snacks, talk about performance techniques, and play their songs for each other in order? It eases their nerves, motivates them to have the songs performance-ready sooner than the day before, and gives me another chance to hang out with some of my "favoritest" people.

• Intervalic music reading. It had been years of slow plodding in the music-reading department for one of my students, and then one day, as he struggled yet again with reading a song-in-progress, I called out the interval of the next note. A whole new world opened up for him, and we have never looked back.

• Practice sheets, a practice chart, and a practice contest. Where have you been all my life, you wonderful motivators of practice, you? I implemented the practice sheets last fall, now writing all the week's assignments in a handy graph and specifying exactly how many times per day everything is to be attended to. Throughout the week, my kids mark in their days every time they practice, and now I have an easy way to keep them accountable for practicing, and they have an organized method for referring to assignments! The practice chart/contest, which started in January and continues until June, involves a poster-board sized chart and graphs every student's practice days. The accountability and multiple awards and prizes up for grabs (most days practiced, most consecutive days practiced, most practice by a beginner, and most practice over a weekend) have been a wonderful motivator for the kids as well!

• Double joints were not a pleasant aha moment, but they were one nonetheless. How to keep those pesky joints curved, firm, and strong when they want to be angular, mushy, and weak? At least now that I've identified the problem in my students, I can work on fixing it with all manner of strengthening exercises (play dough, gathering up an entire sheet of newspaper in one hand, and "OK" signs with all five fingers play prominent roles in these exercises).

• Alfred's Premiere Piano Course--my dream piano curriculum, which is very much a reality in my studio!

• Anything can be a game if your attitude is right, and my students and I love our games.

• One of my students was in for a rude awakening when she engaged me in a battle of the will--she underestimated my stubbornness, however, and her aha moment has gained me respect and obedience in every lesson since.

• Watching some of my students take off with their composition project and come back with incredible, beautiful pieces. I am inspired by my students every week.

* This is the very last unanswered question! It has been challenging and inspiring to answer everyone's questions from last year, and we hope that you have more on your mind, because--believe it or not--our blog anniversary is next week, and will be full of special guest posts, giveaways, and an opportunity for your questions.

Photograph Credit: Nathan Russell. Used by permission under the Creative Commons License.

I AM is Enough



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Don’t bow under the fear of future failure;

Bow before your Assurance of sufficient grace.

Don’t dwell upon the guilt of past resolved defeat;

Dwell upon the mountaintop of absolute victory through Christ.

Don’t shiver beneath the onslaught of present temptation;

Shelter beneath the shield of your redemption. 

I AM tomorrow.

I AM yesterday.

I AM today.

To live in fear of tomorrow is to question I AM. 

To live in guilt from yesterday is to question I AM.

To live in cowardice of today is to question I AM.

Don’t do it. 

He is our I AM—ongoing; sufficient for past, present, and future all at once. 

He is our I AM--unshackled by time. 

Failure, sin, and temptations will be, were, and are, but He is I AM.

Exodus 3:14 "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.'"

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Be Faithful

God’s faithfulness is overwhelming in its changeless infinity. “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds (Psalms 36:5).” He is constant perfection, steady love, and unfailing sustenance.

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God’s faithfulness is never more colossal, though, than when compared to my faithfulness. My “faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away (Hosea 6:4b).” Where He is true fidelity, I am but a crumbling façade. Where He is constance and exactness personified, I am but the ill-formed consonants from a childish hand, every line shaky, every shape different. Where He is firm in His allegiance, I am soft. Where He is sincere, honest, and worthy of belief, I am temperamental, disloyal, and faltering.

One of the sermons I remember distinctly from my single-digit years was that of a young man of our church, preaching on faithfulness. One sentence from him was letterpressed into my brain, and has not left over a decade later: “Faithfulness is not faithful if it is broken by even one instance of faithlessness.” As a child, I wondered how I could possibly be faithful, if this was the standard. God’s faithfulness as the standard for faithfulness finds my two month spasms of daily Bible reading and two day spurts of “not sinning” and two minute chances of evangelizing entirely wanting. I Corinthians 13:8 brings things to a head very succinctly: "Love never fails."

Verified: I am unfaithful. God is faithful. I am called to faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-25).

From my weakness, humiliation, and shame emerges good news, for God has said to me,

“'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (II Corinthians 12:9).”

I am called to faithfulness in a faithless world. I am called to loyalty, but I have personal experience in backbiting and gossiping. I am called to constancy today, tomorrow, and until the day I die, for the glory of God. I who cannot toe a straight line, much less draw one. God, I am undone, but You are not. All-sufficient, faithful to the end of the age—You are my great Teacher. You have already said, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Revelation 2:10).”

As a reporter taunted Clarence Jordan for the previous night’s fiery and racist-driven destruction of Jordan’s farm (a safe-haven for the poor of all color), he said, "'Well, Dr. Jordan, you got two of them Ph.D.'s and you've put fourteen years into this farm, and there's nothing left of it at all. Just how successful do you think you've been?'

“Clarence stopped hoeing, turned toward the reporter with his penetrating blue eyes, and said quietly but firmly, ‘About as successful as the cross. Sir, I don’t think you understand us. What we are about is not success but faithfulness. We’re staying. Good day[1].’” 

---

[1] Hansel, Tim. Holy Sweat. Waco: Word, 1987. 188-89. As cited by Keathley, J. Hampton III. "Mark #14: Faithfulness." Bible.org - Worlds Largest Bible Study Site. Bible.org. <http://bible.org/seriespage/mark-14-faithfulness>.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
   Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Photo Credit: Johan J. Ingles-Le Nobel. Used by permission under the Creative Commons License.

Powder Hounds

 I still remember that day when, at age six, Papa took Mikaela and I skiing for the first time.  We got a flat tire on the way up the mountain, but compared to the prospect of skiing, that was but a trifle.  Burned into my memory is that first step I tried to take after strapping these long skis to my feet--I reeled back instead of moving forward, and I suddenly realized that this skiing endeavor might be more difficult than I thought. 

And then that night, back at home where sidewalks were not slippery and no impromptu snowball fights could be had, I demonstrated my skiing prowess to Mama on the garage floor and fell asleep with the gliding sensation of skiing still under my feet.  I loved it!

Since that first time, our family has gone skiing nearly every year, but last year it simply did not work out.  That break in tradition only served to bring our anticipation for this year's ski expedition up to fever pitch!  By Monday evening, we were cozily ensconced in our log cabin, secure against the wintry jungle outside.  By Tuesday morning, we were up early, eating a big breakfast, packing sandwiches, organizing fourteen gloves, seven ski bibs, scarves, goggles, lift tickets, and sundry other items.  We bid Mama good-bye, as she spent the day getting some alone time, and the rest of us crowded into the van for the trek up the mountain.   

Doesn't Jonah look great in his ski gear?  The lift operator asked Melanie, "Is that your little brother?"  "Yes," she replied.  "He's cool," the "dude" then informed her.  We couldn't agree more! 

 The first day of skiing was so beautiful!  The snow was a perfect powder, but the sun shone in a periwinkle sky!  The second day, the wind kicked up and it snowed the whole time, but the powdery perfection on the slopes still meant that we were some happy skiers! 

 Mikaela! (She's always up for doing the black diamonds with me!)

 Me!  (With Susanna awaiting her turn at top!)

 Susanna!  (She's a fabulous skier who does not crash unless another skier on the slope slams into her out of the blue.  Then she tends to lose her balance!)

Melanie! (Who both skiied and snowboarded)!

Micah!  (Who made it his goal to expertly spray all of us with snow whenever he careened to a stop next to us!  I just don't have that talent, even though I tried my best!)

And...Papa!  He took all the photos, so we don't have photographic evidence of him on the slopes.  Just trust me on this...he is one great skier! 

 On the lift ride up one day, a snowboarder asked me, "So are you going to party tonight?"  I chuckled and replied, "Oh, we love to play games and watch movies!"  And indeed, after our nightly soaking of our sore bones in the hot tub, we had family party time!  (It was those same snowboarders who, on discovering that we were skiing two days in a row, informed Susanna and I that, "You are powder hounds, that's what you are!")

 Mikaela is trying to win it for her team with a vigorous demonstration of a sword fight!

 Anna and Micah laugh together. 

Can you tell what we are all so intently focused on watching?  Look closely now...

A friend loaned us the new Emma, and I was the only one in the family who had seen the entire thing!  Besides Mikaela and I, most of our family is not very interested in period dramas, but they actually all watched the whole thing and enjoyed it very much!  (Well, the boys might not put it into so many words, but I'm good at reading between the lines!) 

Saying good-bye to "our" cabin for another year!  Until 2013!