I finally got a picture of the Sans Plushie that Leon and I made!
This isn't it. Just what we were shooting for.
NAILED IT!
AND he LOVES it!!! Maybe because he did most of the work on it, but Sans has a special spot on the shelf next to Leon's bed each night and he will be taking him to share day on Wednesday at school.
He didn't on Friday after all. I just didn't see Sans on the shelf.
THEN I was sewing on Saturday morning and had my 80s rock station on for my sewing soundtrack.
I looked up to confirm what some words were to "I want to know what love is" by Foreigner and got a surprise...
It was still showing the words to "Welcome to the jungle" by Guns and Roses. EVERY song it played showed the words to Guns and Roses over and over.
ELO will never be the same for me...
I guess our internet or Amazon music screwed up...
Anyway - it was a busy weekend and I only had the 3 hours or so on Saturday to sew. I hope to get some more done this week. I've got big plans for some projects, BIG plans.
If it wasn't, you'd be asking me, "Who are you? and what have you done with McVal?"
We got a phone call at 5pm yesterday that the hospital had been expecting my MIL to be admitted that afternoon. ??? ummm, I'm pretty sure she's downstairs playing with her little dog and watching Hallmark movies at the top volume...
Apparently her blood work from the previous day came back abnormal and the clinic called the hospital to get her admitted but failed to call and let US know... until the hospital nurses were wondering where we were and called. Robb wasn't available, so I ran her down and got her settled into her room.
I brought along a shirt I'd made the other day because the sleeves needed the hem hand sewn in. And then I realized that I'd already machine stitched it! Wow, I'd matched that thread really well!! So I spent three hours going through my personal data on my computer. I'm a telecommuter so I am mobile when I work and can look at my computer from anywhere, anytime. Deleted several gig of junk stuff that I should have done years ago. I sorted the files by size and started reviewing the largest first.
Found lots of copies of the ASG (my sewing group) newsletters from when I was editor. DON'T need those anymore! Whew!
Found the prelim copies of when Ryan did his Hamlet puppet show. I kept the final one and got rid of the little pieces. It was already on Youtube also. I also found several chunks of when he and friends made their own version of Lord of the Rings. It was so dark, I couldn't make it out, but it was fun hearing his younger voice.
I found my Poe album! I don't know why the download was in there but yay! Her voice and music is both haunting and fun. and I feel somewhat rebellious listening to her.
Heading back to work from the hospital again this morning for a while. Not sure when they're going to let her leave so we'll see.
Someday when I have more "kill some time" time, I'll clean up some other files. Robb would be so proud of me. :)
On Friday, I called her to see how soon she'd get home because she was Ryan's chauffeur for the afternoon. She said, "In about five minutes, just leaving. But you might as well start calling me Val."
Wha??
"You should start calling me Val!"
Why? Why would I call you Val? I'M Val.
"BELLE Mom! You should start calling me BELLE!"
I guess the fam is right about me needing a hearing aide.
EEEIIIEEEEE!!!!!
She got the PART!!!
She is now the Belle of the ball. The Belle of my heart.
The Belle in the Beauty and the Beast high school musical this spring!!!
Probably not animated...
And I think I'll be making her costumes for it. She's already decided that the ball gown, if I make it for her, will also double as her prom dress so she'll be the Belle of THAT ball too!
On Saturday, we did a road trip where we were in the car for six hours. More on that trip tomorrow. She gave us all the details on how she found out and it was adorable. She also put on the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack on spotify and sang for six hours with Robb and I as backup and Mrs. Potts.
Robb could be her stand in easily, since he now knows all the songs already.
When Ryan was a toddler, he wouldn't eat unless we had the Beauty and the Beast VHS playing. He wouldn't sleep unless he was snuggled up to a Belle toy. So we're quite familiar with B&theB already. But this version is the Broadway version, so a few new songs.
I forgot to tell you about Meri's grand adventure! On Sunday, an hour after she got home from her last day on the job, she washed off her melting makeup and packed up a few things. She had the opportunity to go to a concert in place of a friend's mother, who couldn't go at the last minute. So she and said friend headed 4 hours for a concert that was performing Sunday night...
It never slows down for her... I don't know where she gets it...
Robb set up a tracking program for her cell phone and it worked perfectly. Well, until about a few minutes past when he texted that they might want to watch their speed. We had noticed that the friend was going 74 mph in a 65 area... Um.. there are traffic cams there girls!!!
So she texted him when she got there.
I was talking to Maddy later and told her about the concert. I couldn't remember the name of the band, except that it was 21 something. Jumpstreet?? no, that's not it.
"21 Pilots?? I LOVE them!"
Well, I think I just showed my age.
I had no clue who they are. I do now. Meri showed me all 20 minutes of her cell phone videos that she took. Nice light show people! Although it'll never surpass Van Halen's 1980's awesome-ness.
or ELO's fantastic light shows...
and wow... what colorful outfits!!!
Whoops... my age is showing again...
Anyway, Meri stayed overnight at the friend's uncle's place and they headed back Monday getting here by noonish. I didn't get a chance to even hug her and tell her that I missed her sweet face until after school. Not that I get to see it much anyway... But I do miss it.
So no more super secret permission for concerts for a while. There is a quota for the year and it's been filled. At least I think so.
I want to be young again and enjoy the bands of my youth again!!! And I'm going to sound like my dad for just a sec... "Not this stuff that sounds like strangled cows..."
Ok, it doesn't REALLY! But I don't know the words so I can't sing along...
A few of us went to Meri's school vocal concert last night. It was relatively short compared to the combined, vocal/band concerts. Those can last all night... And Leon was with us.
We kept him busy with a tablet and the goat simulator game with the sound off. Every now and then, he messed with the settings and all of the sudden music and goat sounds came from our row. YIKES! SHUT THAT THING DOWN!
The vocal director looked sharply at us once or twice...
Loved the music!
AND, Meri surprised me last night! I knew her acapella group was going to sing at the end of "A" concert but I didn't realize it would be the first vocal concert of the year! WOOHOO! It wasn't even on the program.
Since they'd JUST formed, they picked a simple song that everyone knew and they could easily harmonize with. Coincidentally, it was also Meri's co-acapella leader's mom's birthday yesterday, so they sang to her from the stage.
After the concert, I was planning on going with Meri and stopping at the store for a few things. Found out she had made plans to go out for ice cream with friends instead.
oh.
So I left her a little money and she was upset that I seemed disappointed. Being disappointed is more harsh than being mad, in her eyes. Robb and the rest of us were out the door before she caught up with us and said, "plans changed, let's go!" So she and I did a smidge of shopping together and got ice cream after all, just us two.
My high school daughter has come up with her own acapella group at the school. For the last few weeks, she and another kid held auditions that would rival any "Pitch Perfect" tryout session. Well, that I know of. I never saw her during those weeks and when I did she was complaining that no one can read music these days... But I guess they found around 10 kids to join them.
NOT their group. This is from the movie...
Meri's group calls themselves, Aca+(school mascot). Acawha???...
They meet pretty often and are trying to get the group ready to sing for the Christmas concert. I'm looking forward to see if they bring beat rapping into the mix!
But I won't sit in the front row. Too much spitting.
It was pretty cool at the football game on Friday as they announced the Senior football players and their parents. The announcer spelled out all the activities that each boy was in, some rattled on for several minutes per kid. Small school and there are opportunities to be in EVERYTHING...
All of the sudden, I heard "Aca+(school mascot)" in the mix and my ears perked up. HEY! That's Meri's group!!! They're an official group!!! Aca-cuse me?!
That was pretty cool. Now they better have something ready for the Christmas concert!
Leon had a blast on his field trip on Friday. He made a point to tell me that he didn't get into ANY trouble! Good for him!!!
I had worked from the car that morning so I was able to take a slightly earlier lunch and come check out the sights towards the end.
A stuffed coyote. He was impressed...
After his lunch and a nap, he buried himself in the sandbox and got sand literally everywhere on him. He piled it on his head so you could feel the sand at the roots. It was pretty gross...
That night, our nephew who still had a six hour drive ahead of him, stayed over at our place before heading home from college. He wouldn't have made it after pulling 3 all nighters preparing for his finals. Also that night Maddy and Matthew arrived for an over night too! We had another houseful! They were here long enough to eat, then all three of them headed out with Meri to watch some new Marvel movie that they all had to see on it's opening night.
We got them up early Saturday to head to the large group competition where Meri was performing.
We had about 1.5 hours before the next performance and since it was too chilly to go to a park, we made our own.
Shoe swapping is always a hit! Sorry Matthew that this photo didn't turn out!
Then I thought to get the camera in the car, so I ran and got that. MUCH better pics now!
But darn. They were back in their own shoes again...
Matthew remembered his lap top in the car as well, so while they went to get that, Leon showed me how to eat Doritos.
And only after 15 minutes of trying to hack into the school's wifi, I remembered my hotspot in my purse!
We're all pretty forgetful these days... But oh well, we had a lot of fun!
And these guys found some fun videos to watch on Youtube.
I learned a few new songs!
And Meri's groups sounded great. I still haven't heard how they did though...
One of these days I'll get them uploaded to Youtube so you can hear them too.
Afterwards we took Meri back to pick up my van, which was getting new tires on it and we hit Chick-Fil-A on the way home. Then these two had to leave. It was a rush visit but we'll see them again next weekend when we move the girl home!!!
I hope you all (who are mothers) had a nice Mother's Day. I sincerely do. Because mine stank.
It wasn't my kids... it was the flu. The day started out with a close up of the toilet and just went downhill from there. I napped, Netflix binge-watched, napped some more. I managed to get dressed and come downstairs late afternoon, for all of 30 minutes before I realized that sitting up was a drain and wore me out, so I went back to bed fully dressed, taking a few rests on the stairs on the way back up.
Enjoyed crackers, 7-UP and Ibuprofen for my meals that day. yum... Oh and a piece of toast at bedtime so I could have more Ibuprofen. Robb thinks my headache was from not having the usual amount of caffeine that I'm used to consuming in a day. I had half a cup of tea at 5.
Oh! I lost 4 pounds!!!
So that was a nice plus!!! I imagine it will come back when I drink back the fluids I lost tho...
But it was nice to see it on the scale this morning.
I'm still not feeling up to total par today. Kind of feeling like a nap later... or sooner.
Have a great week and steer clear of anyone looking even a smidgen ill.
Another eventful weekend but moments that I got a little anxious with "what should I do with my time??!!!" I felt like I was forgetting something important. Probably a meeting somewhere...
A nap was just not practical.
On Friday night, while Leon flew his kite indoors, I made pizza and then worked on my sewing machines trying to find a foot that my sewing friends might find interesting. I found a ruffling foot but it only works if you make the ruffles six stitches apart. If you make it ruffle the whole way, it's a horrible mess behind the scenes and falls apart when you take it off the machine. I may have to disappoint Sheri and not present.
Then spent the rest of the evening hiding out from my family in my room and watching some murders in Midsommer. I'm amazed there's anyone left alive in that country!
Whatever you do, DON'T sign up to ring bells at the church...
Saturday morning, we got up early and went to watch Meri sing a Phantom of the Opera song, in the State competition. She was so nervous before hand but she talked Leon into cuddling with her and that seemed to cheer her up.
He was being a complete and utter booger and only allowed her all of three minutes cuddle time. Then hid behind Grandpa's legs.
On the way home though, he was hilarious and made Meri sing with her nose plugged.
Also on the way home, we told Meri about a song that we saw another girl sing and we thought it would be a great song for her to do next year. She found it on Youtube and played it on the car speakers. It's actually a song by Sara Bareilles. Man... Sara nailed it and as a mother, I cried. a lot... Have some kleenex handy when you watch this...
So Meri was inspired and found another song for me to cry over too. Why do people think it's grand to see their mom a blubbering mess??!!
We made her switch to more cheerful tunes for the rest of the trip.
She might sing this one next year too.
Meri had to go to work as soon as we got back and I spent the rest of the day butchering a yard and a half of fabric, thinking I knew what I was doing. More on that tomorrow.
25 years ago today, I married my best friend. Here's to another 25 years!!! Maybe then I'll get some new towels... That's the 50th traditional gift, yeah?
Last night we attended Maddy's LAST vocal concert at high school.
WAAAA!!!! And yes, I did cry while taping the last song.
All 7th and 8th grade vocal kids stood up with the high school and sang the traditional ending song about good byes, going in peace and some such. Meri stood with Maddy and they held hands and cried while they sang.
Below is the video of the last song. Sorry about the quality!
I have an idea on how to use this commencement speech for the current graduates... My daughter does not agree... So I'm still thinking... More on this idea later on a later date.
I used to LOVE this when it was on the radio!!! Parts of the video make me nostalgic and a little weepy...
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99 . . .
Wear Sunscreen...
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience . . . I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked . . . You're not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind . . . the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life . . . the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary . . . what ever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can . . . don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own . . .
Dance . . . even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time it's 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it"s worth.
Please pick whichever events you think I may have done this weekend.
1) Attended a Sewing meeting.
2) Attended a Jazz Festival
3) Ate at a Panda Express
4) Taught Sunday School
5) Ate at a Little Caesars.
6) Worked with Maddy to pick out a pattern for a prom dress.
7) Rented a Rug Doctor
8) Had Meri make calzones
9) Modify a dress for a play
10) Made Leon giggle rubbing noses
If you guessed 1,4,6,8 & 20, you would be wrong...
If you guessed "all of the above, you would be absolutely correct!
It was, as usual, a busier than that bbq place around here. I am relieved that I am sitting down at my desk and look forward to some busy mundane programming that doesn't involve me chasing Leon up the stairs or lugging the Rug Doctor up the stairs.
The dress for the play, you ask?? I had to move the zipper in two inches to make it fit Mad better, and it's not the best job I could have done. Oh well... I only had one night with a smidgen of time available.
Here is what we're doing for the prom dress. I know it's a wedding gown and we will be leaving off the train... BUT... In the market now for some sequined chiffon! The color is yet to be determined completely.... We've got some ideas...
Leon mostly loved to yell in the atrium at the jazz festival. He was truly a pistol... Our school didn't place high, but they should have we thought! Maddy got an outstanding solo on her vibes.
Looking pretty sharp strutting around in his skinny jeans!
And now back to work! Enjoy your Monday... If you can! I highly recommend it!
The neighbors down the street put up their Christmas lights and garland on their porch over the weekend!
I knew I liked them...
My best friend gave me a soap dispenser on Sunday that when you push on the top, it plays one of four Christmas songs. That should drive Robb nuts!!! But Meri and I sang with it all the way home. Apparently it doesn't have to squirt out the soap to play...
So, being that I was in the mood for Christmas, I could see that our living room carpet was not. How could we put up a tree in a few weeks on THAT ghastly carpet??! So I pulled out the steam cleaner last night, not really with a lot of confidence in it's abilities. But wow. The carpet cleaned up pretty good! Leon watched from the couch in amazement...
Where did his dot to dot game go?
It did leave one pretty large spot however that I couldn't get out. For some reason, one of my children who shall remain nameless but rhymes with Ryan, used bleachy cleanser on some pop that had spilled... We have a nice orangey/pink spot now in the middle of the room... It's cream carpet.
I guess that's where the tree will go. A little awkward, but oh well. Or maybe just the tree skirt...
I'm also wondering about Leon and the tree. He's grabby... And the tree is 12 feet tall so we can't really just put a baby gate around it like we used to with our kids... Well maybe we can...
Or put it up on a table. Or hang it from the ceiling. And yes, we did that one year because I saw it in a magazine.
The picture in the mag looked cool... Ours did not. It kind of looked like we hated Christmas...
Let's hang that dangnabbed thing!!!
Anyway. I'm in the mood for Christmas and will be playing music in it's honor all day today...
I know Sonya Ann and Leann think and plan for it year round! Who else is with me??!!!
I know you've heard this before and are probably thinking it yourself.
Where did the weekend go? How can it be Monday already??!
sigh. Laundry is still being strung up in the living room. Hopefully we'll have the new dryer by next weekend... But then we'll have to get someone who can disconnect the gas on the old and hook up the new.
sigh.
Our evenings were so full from Thursday night on. Let me give you a recap. I told you about Maddy's Honor Choir concert on Thursday night. Then Friday night was Meri's. I do not know how the vocal teachers teach the kids how to do parts like this. They were amazing. I'll try and get one of the videos uploaded by tomorrow.
Saturday morning, we drove to Des Moines and watched Maddy's Jazz band performance and they won first place. They're seriously awesome... Did some shopping before heading back home.
Saturday night, we attended Maddy's Variety Show performance at the high school. She played an ugly step sister again. She and one of her besties have done a skit similar before from Cinderella and I think they're stereotyped now. My camera ran out of space within seconds of the end of their performance. They made me snort. I'll get these uploaded to Youtube hopeful
Sunday was a fairly free day by comparison. I had a full preschool class for Sunday school which is always a hoot! I love those kids! And it is so fun hearing them answer the pastor's rhetorical questions during the sermon. I remember when my kids used to do that too.
That afternoon, Maddy and I did the cell phone shuffle and didn't have to wait at all at the US Cellular store before getting customer service. HA! She upgraded her phone and I found that my plan had space for one more phone, so Tiffany got one too. One of their penny phones. It's so much more high tech than any I've owned, including my current one. We also got Meri's password reset for her voice mail on her phone because she hasn't been able to check it for months.
Mads and I also picked up some more fabric markers to see if we could "for reals" nail down what we're going to do with this prom dress. I think we have it figured out! I know it's hard to visualize... but you can quit your hyperventilating until it's mostly done. I can ALWAYS pick up more fabric or turn the thing inside out if it's awful. But I think it's going to look pretty cool... Visited with some friends and that night I actually had time to get a little reading in while snuggling with my grandson! He just gazes at me. I guess my "grandma" reading glasses make me look very different.
So now it's Monday. A new day. A new week. A new set of chores to do.
I can't wait until Spring break next week already!!!!
HOIAC! No I didn't just cough something up. This is the HOIAC Fine Arts Festival. The local schools let kids audition and they pick the cream of the crop to throw together for one big choir and one big band. There is also artwork displayed but I didn't get a chance to look through that last night.
Meri and I helped out with the ginormous spaghetti feed for about a billion students from the various schools and their teachers, then hustled over to the high school just in time before the combined concert started. Such talented kids!
Maddy was selected as well as a couple of her friends. And those three switched sides for every song. Hey! They're moving again!
Then this morning, the proud parents had to hurry off to a doctors appointment because they over slept. So I got to get Leon ready for the day and he's hanging out with me in my office u. It's kind of like having a Flat Stanley around.
Here's he's learning how to keyboard. Here's Leon's checking out all of my fabric stash. He's a bit intimidated... And see?! He doesn't sleep ALL the time! Reminds me of when I took Meri to one of Ryan's third grade class parties and she slept the whole time. One little girl came up and asked if her eyes were open yet. I think she must have had puppies or kittens at home.
Ok... I'm 45, so a bunch of you young folk will probably only remember him from reruns of The Brady Bunch when Marcia wanted him to go to the dance with her or sing at it... I don't remember. I'm that old.
Oh! And that "I'm A Believer" song was NOT made just for Shrek... I played it for Meri this morning off of Youtube and now she's a Monkees fan too. She's mad at Shrek for not writing their own darn song. But I assured her that they got permission to use it...
But I remember him best for being in the Monkees tv show! Granted their series didn't start until the year I was born, but I grew up at the same time that they were thrust into the lime light. I loved their story about how they were thrown together for a spoof tv show at the same time that the Beatles were hot. None of them knew each other before trying out for it.
Then to become a real band to boot. Awesome. I watched all the reruns of the series and now I want to find them for Meri to watch. I think Netflix has them on dvd only. I loved that the songs were clean & fun. She'll get a kick out of them.
An old boyfriend gave me the following song that he had a taping of. I kept the tape but not him.
Just to warn you, I'm probably going to ramble because my head seems to roll that way...
This morning I had a conversation with Meri before dropping her off for school about next year's 7th grade band. She's been learning the clarinet and we rarely hear her practice at home. From what we've been told and have experienced, 7th graders NEVER bring home their instruments, so this 6th grade thing is a little new...So I asked her if she's any good, how her lessons go and if she enjoys the clarinet, because next years plan was to move her onto the saxophone. Clarinets are a gateway instrument to many others. If you can learn the clarinet, you can learn just about anything!
She told me that she's been thinking about what she wants to do in the future. She wants to go to a music college and learn as many instruments as possible and maybe be a music teacher, band director & vocal teacher, all rolled up into one! wow. and you know what? I can see her doing it!
We come from a musical family, at least on my side. My aunt and uncle and ALL their kids are very musical and 3 of them was/are band teachers/band directors. At all of the Thanksgiving talent shows, the family band plays Christmas carols. Mostly clarinet. In my family, just about everyone played an instrument. I started piano when I was 5 and violin in the 5th grade and took lessons in both, up and through college. I'm not very good... The only thing I remember on the piano is Bobcat Boogie and the only thing on the violin is how to rosin the bow. I suppose if I practiced more...
My sisters and brother played viola, piano, cello, flute, trombone and my mom was the church organist. My dad even played trumpet in the Marine band when he was in the service. So I was pretty impressed with Meri's thoughts about her future!
When I was in high school, I changed my mind VERY frequently about what I wanted to do. When I didn't have a boyfriend for SOOOO long, my sister decided that she and I would become the first Lutheran nuns. In fact, there was a convent only a few miles away from our home where my mom would threaten to leave us when we acted up in the car as young kids. Not sure if they would have taken us as 18 year olds... Ruth Ann was a wee bit too snarky for the nun-hood. And since we were/are staunch Lutherans, they probably wouldn't take us anyway... I'd seen The Sound Of Music so many times tho, I was sure I'd fit in. I loved to sing and I knew ALL the songs from the movie!
I saw a movie with Melissa Sue Gilbert where she was a nun in Africa and got killed at the end. I was very moved and told my mom that I wanted to be a missionary in Africa! She was thrilled and started making phone calls for me. Not sure why she wanted to ship me off so badly... That idea only lasted a week and then it went away. It went away???
One week, when I was reading Silver Wings For Vicki, I wanted to be a stewardess. Did I ever tell you that I could be impressionable?
(That shows my age, they didn't start calling them flight attendants until I was probably 25...)
One week, I wanted to be an architect. Then a teacher, then a seamstress, then a famous clothing designer, then a hair stylist, then an artist, then a nurse, then a doctor, then a gardener, then in advertising!
I never once thought I'd be a computer programmer until well into my Senior year... Ruth Ann and I were constantly competing with each other, because she's a smart Alec and it's fun. She's only a year older than me and when she started college in BioMed engineering, I took a look at her books and thought... I can do computers!!!
We had one of the first Commodore 64s with no hard drive. It was AWESOME!!! until you accidentally kicked the cord at which point it would turn off and you'd lose everything... But I digress.
Back to Meri's future and my past. In looking at all the things I wanted to be at various times, I believe I've achieved my dreams. Being a wife, mother & programmer, every single one of my aspirations were used in at LEAST one point in my life. So except for the millionaire status dream, that I never mentioned, did I? Oh, and I haven't been to Africa, yet... All of my dreams have come true.
I just never got paid for them.
She can do whatever she puts her mind to. I believe in her!
Last Saturday, we attended one of the last Jazz competitions for Maddy's Jazz band. She plays the vibes, which are basically the same as an overgrown xylophone but sounds better and she is awesome at them!
In 5th grade when they were trying out instruments, Maddy picked drums. Since she'd had 5 or 6 years of piano by that time, she was a shoe-in. Unfortunately the drums were pretty popular and she didn't get to play them very much at school concerts because all the drummers took turns. Eventually the band director steered her toward the vibes.
When she prepared to go to high school, the HS band director pretty much scouted her to continue band with the vibes. She hadn't been keen to do that.... But changed her mind to try it out for at least a few weeks of her Freshmen year thinking that she could drop it if she didn't like it. Maddy had a blast being part of the marching, concert & jazz band and hasn't looked back once.
Anyway, at the Jazz concert, I accidentally bumped into a girl in the hall outside the performance. Robb pointed out that she was Maddy's competition from another school and was a wicked vibes player. Her school came in 3rd for this competition... I don't think I hurt the girl! Maddy's school came in 1st!
During a pretty charged performance piece, Maddy's boyfriend was on the drum set and lost a stick. It flew into the trombone section and no one in the band (outside of him) noticed... The whole audience saw... and chuckled. He had to finish the last 5 seconds of the song with one stick and a hand.
Check it out! Look for a stick to fly from the drums right at 7.8 seconds into it.
Oh and a snippet of Mad's solo...
Their band is going to State this year! I can't wait to go see them perform there.
When I was in college, I took a basic English class to get that credit over and done with. It wasn't in my major, so I just took the bare minimum. Apparently I lucked out, because half of the football team took this class too. =)
I learned a lot from this class. One thing being that dryer sheets are important. Once during class I realized there was a bulge on the inside of my leg, right about the knee. I casually pushed it down further until I could see out the hem of my jeans that it was a sock... A man's sock... I guess my dads... I very carefully pulled it out and stuck it in my purse as discreetly as possible.
One of the assignments was to write down the lyrics of your favorite song. Colleen at Cheap Wine & Cookies yesterday did an expose on her favorite song and what it meant to her, so that kind of inspired me today....
I was very boring then... as I am today. I picked "That's What Friends Are For" and listened to it line by line on my record player getting all the lyrics down pat. We didn't have internet back then or I could have just googled it and been done.
Those lyrics are so sugary sweet in comparison to others that I could have doodled hearts and flowers all over the paper along with the words.
*I still like that song... *
In class you had to read the lyrics out loud. Yep... I managed to read them all even with the redness rising up into my neck and face. I used to tend to do that quite a lot when talking in front of people, mostly men...
One of the football players then had the opportunity to read his lyrics. He'd chosen When Doves Cry by Prince (THEN known simply as Prince.) (Did I say I'm over 40?)
I'd never felt so embarrassed for someone before. This 6' 4" very muscular, big man was reading the lyrics of When Doves Cry. Do you remember the song? It starts out ok... but there are a lot of oohs and squeals throughout. He suffered through the entire song and included all the extra noises. His voice shook from nerves. At the end of the song, he read "when doves cry" about 20 times just like the song. He must have sat at his tape player and worked really hard at this... The teacher just let him read it all.
Yes - I'm laughing out loud as I type this... I'm past being embarrassed for him and can laugh about it now!
Maddy was up and out the door by 5am this morning. Her Jazz band is competing with other bands from all over Iowa in Des Moines today. Her band always meets for breakfast before they leave on a competition trip. But wow... at 5:10am? Robb wanted to know why he has to drive her for the early mornings... I guess getting up that early just doesn't agree with me.
I left the house at 7 and got to Des Moines' convention center by 8 or so in time to hear them play. They were wonderful and I got lots of pics. However Maddy wanted batteries for her camera for the rest of the day so I had to give her mine... Otherwise I'd show you them. really.
The band got a standing ovation at the end! I think it was mostly the parents of the kids that started it, but still! She won't find out how they placed until 5pm or so today. If they placed really high, then they'll perform again on stage this evening. So instead of getting home around 10pm, it will be closer to midnight. YAWN!
