From Orchestra to Karaoke

Since my last post we've all been very busy and had some nice time together over Thanksgiving week.

The boys performed in their All Region Orchestra Concert and it sounded so professional! They had a string section complete with cellos, basses and even a harp! When the video comes in, I'll post one of the songs. Justin had 3 small solos in one of the pieces and sounded very good. Both boys had a great time and really liked their conductor, a musician from California who also wrote 2 of the pieces they performed. It was a different world from what goes on in the average middle school band hall! I can't wait for the December concert - they are in the Wind Ensemble and are practicing their pieces in anticipation.

I made some progress in my bathroom over the Thanksgiving holiday - pictures to follow soon. I finished painting the toilet area including the baseboard trim, installed the new towel racks, toilet paper holder and cabinet hardware on all of the cabinets. I also sewed a pretty valance for above the little window. I'm almost finished sewing a new shower curtain and I'm repainting the frames on the mirrors to match the new decor. I was going to buy new mirrors because the old ones have 80's flowers painted on them but I decided to use a glass scraper to scrape off the paint and I think the finished product will be worth the extra work.

We spent Thanksgiving at Mary & Les's in Conroe and had a nice time. Mary was feeling pretty good and all 7 kids had a great time playing together. Debi's daughter Hannah had a High School Musical karaoke type game and they sang the songs, danced and acted generally like crazy kids. It was a good day. Oh, and so was the food!

Many pictures to follow in a couple of days ...

Dizzy, Bruised and Blind

I haven't blogged in quite a while - mainly because I've been sick and a little busy as usual. My "cold" lasted almost 2 full weeks and then, of course, I developed an ear/sinus infection. At work this past Sunday my ear infection made me dizzy (vertigo) and I fell in the street in front of the hospital. I was stepping off of the curb and next thing I know, a very pregnant nurse is helping me off of the pavement! I bruised my left knee pretty badly and scraped a good bit of skin from my right knee. I made it through the shift despite limping around with a hole in my pants trying not to walk into walls or fall on top of my patients. My knee is still swollen, but I only have one more day of antibiotics and should be somewhat back to normal! I am thankful that I work with doctors who will examine me on my lunch break and hand me a prescription to begin the healing process.

We made it through the last concession stand of the year and the band played at that last game. They sounded great and it was fun to watch/listen to them. The boys have started rehearsals for the Christmas Flute Choir and also have their All Region Orchestra concert on Saturday. They had a rehearsal on Tuesday night, have another one tomorrow night and then all day Saturday prior to the concert. Justin has a couple of solos since he is first chair. I spent several hours on my day off last week fitting the All Region band kids for their uniforms. They have to wear them for the upcoming concerts this week and then again next month. The boys were easy to fit, but the girls want their pants to fit like some brand of fashion low-rise jeans which just isn't happening! No designer labels on black polyester faux tuxedos!

I've finally decided to admit that I need glasses. I've been nearsighted for years but haven't seen an eye doctor since before the boys were born. I am really blind in the dark and have no depth perception while driving. The real epiphany occurred on Tuesday night when while driving the boys and one of their friends to the Orchestra practice, I drove into the drive marked, "Exit Only" and panicked when I saw a pair of headlights coming directly at me. I drove into what I thought was a parking lot only to hear 3 teenagers yell, "You're driving on the grass!!" Oh - THAT'S why there's a big tree in my path! I had to back up and go out the way I came in without hitting the bicycle rack or trash bin behind me. I had many people looking at me (one woman glaring) as I figured out we weren't even at the right school!! When we finally found our way to the correct place, the band director asked if we had any problems getting there(he had e-mailed me very long, detailed instructions). I said that it wasn't too bad but the boys started to tell the story of Mom driving on the grass and almost hitting a tree - in the middle of their tale, the flute instructor says, "Oh, that was you!!" Great ...