17 for '17

Seventeen memories that I'll take with me in 2017:

1. Outgrowing my home and teaching piano lessons out of a local church. Almost tripling the number of students I teach in 18 months
2. Dayna qualifying for the State Science Fair
3. My parents surprising the girls with an Easter visit
4. Getting to spend time with some special first graders while doing a long-term substitute job
5. My first broken bone and spending most of the summer in a boot
6. A trip to the Grand Canyon
7. My niece Krista and her husband Cody getting married
8. My parents' 50th Anniversary
9. Getting to make another trip (alone!) to Oregon to see my nephew Noah marry Rachel
10. Annie starting Kindergarten and learning how to read
11. Studying Romans in Bible Study Fellowship
12. Planning birthday parties for the girls - a hotel for Dayna and Pete the Cat for Annie
13. Watching Dayna try something new as she went out for Cross Country
14. Another fun season at Vala's Pumpkin Patch and watching the girls hang out with friends
15. Celebrating 20 years of being together with Dan
16. Loving my jobs - teaching piano lessons and working as a substitute teacher
17. The time spent with my family and friends

Happy New Year!

Cookie Dates

The last day of school and first day of vacation saw our house humming with frosting, sprinkles, crafts, giggles, and all-around fun. I'm not sure if I was crazy or not hosting the mayhem, but memories were made. And these kids are pretty special people!

Clean Bill

October and November were filled with some rather invasive medical tests after some abnormalities were spotted during a routine exam. When all is said and done, I'm relieved to know that the blood work and biopsy produced nothing to cause concern. Nor is major surgery necessary at this point.

I'm still fighting what I consider to be significant fatigue - there are days I'm not comfortable driving for fear of falling asleep. And days I'm not working, it's not uncommon for me to sleep for several hours in the afternoon. I'm hoping to get this figured out soon, as I will be doing another long-term sub job in the spring, on top of three evenings of piano lessons.

So while the big questions have been answered, I'm still knocking on doors to get to the bottom of other issues.

Tosca

20 years ago, Dan and I presented our Clarinet Buddy project on an aria from Tosca. This month, we were able to splurge on the "good seats" and see our fourth performance of this opera. It's hard to believe twenty years have gone by since we drove straight through to Oregon to see our first performance (and incidentally, the trip where he met my parents.)

That Fateful Storm

In October of 1997, a young graduate student spent a Saturday evening with two of her friends, watching movies, eating something that was probably not very healthy, and generally enjoying a break from her studies.

Little did she know that 13 inches of snow was about to dump itself on trees that hadn't changed color, much less lost their leaves.

For 5 days, she was snowed in with her friends. No power. Creative eating. Candlelight Monopoly. Gas station burritos (the only place on the block with power.) This snowstorm marked a deepening friendship with one of them. And twenty years later, we are happily married with two beautiful kids.

Here's to snow!

Memory Lane

I love the Facebook feature that lets you look back in time. This week has been filled with some precious pictures and videos.

Small Town Living

I think somewhere deep inside, Oregon will always be home for me. But if I can't live near my family, I can't think of a better place in the world to live than Ashland, Nebraska. This recent video really captures how much I love this community and the people who live here.


Live and Work in Ashland, Nebraska from Ashland NE on Vimeo.

Multnomah Falls

The month started on a sad note when a group of kids decided it would be fun to thrown some fireworks into a dry forest. In no time at all, the beautiful Columbia River Gorge went up in flames. I have no doubt that it will once again be one of the most beautiful places on earth, but I don't know if I will be able to see the Gorge again the way I know and love it.

We decided this summer to just leave the camera in the car when we stopped by...after all, we see Multnomah Falls every time we drive through. How many pictures do we really need? I'd settle for just one more...

Backyard Campout

We finally have some cooler temperatures, so we let Dayna have some friends over to camp out in the backyard. It's pretty clear several of them have never pitched a tent before. But the tent made its way up, the dogs and s'mores were grilled over the fire pit. And sleep may or may not have happened. This is the stuff memories are made of.

A Dog's Life

Dayna has been working hard pet-sitting for several neighbors this year. She often brings them over to our house (and we even had a guest for a week!) Dan is still hesitant to get a dog, but I think he actually enjoys their company! He was caught snuggling more than once with a dog on the couch.

Stir-Up Days

Ashland has their annual Stir-Up Days in July. There's so much going on, and it's usually super hot. We managed to make it through the parade and a race, as well as taking in a few other events.

Annie loved cheerleading camp and got to march in the parade.

I walked the 5K and came in a solid last place (the other walkers did a 2 mile walk, but I was determined to make it 3.1 after my broken foot.) I had been walking a 25 minute mile, but managed to finish the entire 5K in 50 minutes.

Dan, however, plowed the competition and came in second place for his age division. Way to go, Dan!

Making an Entrance

 So tired of this boring front door. We're trying out a new color before we commit to a new door.

 Apparently, the carpet liked the blue as well. Half a quart's worth. Exterior paint. Sigh.

 Fortunately, we were able to get a LOT of it up.

 We're still a work in progress, but I finally have a house number.

Independence Day

We enjoyed a quiet day celebrating America's birthday. Dayna had a friend and her mom over for dinner. Cherry pie and strawberry shortcake were made. Fireworks were lit. The 4th was also the beginning of a special friendship with a new family on our block who moved here last winter from Germany. It was pretty cool to watch three kids born on three continents celebrating America.

Neighbors

It was four years ago that we fell in love with the Martins, who moved in across the street. It all started with an invitation to come over and do sidewalk chalk.



The Martins moved. We cried. We still miss them every day.

The Capps moved in and brought their twins (and baby Phoebe, who arrived last month.) And the sidewalk chalk happened again...




There's something magical about the girls who grow up in the little brick house across the street.

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

So I broke my foot instead. I could spin some great story about skydiving or jumping a motorcycle over flaming buildings...but really, I'm just clumsy and tripped on a crack in my driveway. The timing was awful - two days of school left and a piano recital. I managed to make it through those two days and a weekend before seeing an orthopedic surgeon. The diagnosis is a fracture of my 5th metatarsal in three places. Good news is I don't need surgery or a cast. I'm already weight bearing in my boot. Bad news is that this particular fracture takes about three months to heal...so no line dancing at my parents' anniversary celebration, and swimming this summer will more likely look like a mom in a beach chair with a good book.

One Hour

One Week

One Week

Two weeks

Kindergarten Round-Up

Annie reached another milestone this month. My last little one to go to Kindergarten Round-Up. She was so excited, she got dressed up and bounced all the way to school. She tells me she liked the puzzles the best! My little girl is not going to be little for much longer.

With her good buddy, Bryton