Church-y vs Non-Church-y...

We work with many different types of people and organizations all the time. I meet a wide variety of people from all walks of life. I enjoy people (most of the time) and I've made many good friends over the years through working concerts and events.

Most of our experiences are positive.

However, if I had the choice to work with church-y types or non-churchy types (sounds judgmental, I know), I would most likely choose non-church-y types. Mostly because church-y types are so darn church-y. There are many, many exceptions to that rule, though, and the church people we are working with this weekend are just like regular people. (Again, that sounds oh so judgmental and I don't mean for it to!)

Today was the set up, sound check and rehearsal and tomorrow morning will be their Easter Service. I enjoyed working with them today and look forward to the service tomorrow!

Ettienne...

Zach has been helping Ettienne with a research paper which has turned into a win-win situation. Ettienne needs some assistance and Zach loves to work on research papers. Plus they have really interesting cultural discussions that I think they both enjoy...

Thursday...

Yesterday was a good day but I didn't take a single picture. I actually took the entire day, in the middle of the week, off. It was weird. But good-weird.

Come to think of it, I did work briefly in the morning but only because we had to fix a speaker in the band room at Gloria's school. But then I spent the rest of my day doing what I wanted. Well... Mostly what Gloria wanted.

My good, good friend, Lisa Flesher, whom I have known since the late 80s- she was in my wedding and I sang at her wedding- has been gone for 10 long years. First to Texas and then to Kentucky. And now they are back in Boise!!! We went to lunch at Carl's Jr. with her sweet twin boys and Gloria. Lisa took care of Gloria when she was about 9 months til she was about 2 while I taught music classes. It was wonderful catching up with her. Thankfully, Facebook has kept us in touch all these years so it was easy to take up where we left off. I look forward to many, many more outings with Lisa and her family. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture at lunch!

After lunch Gloria and I went shopping. Oh how I LOVE shopping. Not. But I love being with my girl so I took her to Gordmans and Savers and the mall. She got a pretty dress for Easter and we had cinnamon rolls. Fun but exhausting.

I spent the rest of the day recovering and reminding myself that it wasn't yet the weekend.

I really should try that more often. Except for the shopping...

Gloria...

No pictures from today, exactly, but I posted a few pics of Gloria yesterday without much explanation. Once again, I've said it before, but my girl just amazes me with her courage, her sense of style and her I-don't-care-what-people-think attitude. She decided to dye her hair. Again. She does the research, lets me know what she needs, asks the right questions at the store and then does most of the processing and dyeing herself. We had help from Megan this time and the tips were done at Adams' house with some help from Kristin and the results are pretty cool. . .

Today...

It was an interesting day.

I came to some conclusions and spewed pessimism.

And then I hung out with good people and felt better....

Maybe I'll have more on that later...

Ruth...

I sang at a memorial service today. Sweet little Ruth Logue is dancing with Jesus tonight...

My Girl...

It's probably no surprise that I write blog posts in my head as the day progresses. I think of all of the interesting things I could say about the events of my life. And then bed time rolls around and I've used up all of my words so I just post a picture of my girl because I have several hundred just like this one on my IPad...

Zach...

My baby is all growed up. I know, he's 20, but still, I'm kind of attached.

We found out yesterday that he was accepted for a summer staff position at Quaker Hill for the summer. We also received his financial aid package from Gorge Fox and it was pretty good. Our out-of-pocket amount almost seems attainable. So all of this means that beginning June 1, I will say good-bye to my boy and all of the time I spend with him and send him out into the world.

Lucky world...

Dead Flowers...

I refuse to take this personally...

Celebration of 150 Years

I really hate when I have profound things to say but I'm too tired to say them. This was a really great event and maybe I'll have the energy to talk about it tomorrow...

First Day Of Spring...

It was a very interesting day but one that can't be shared on the blog (even though most who read this have already seen the very public display...)

However... These beautiful flowers arrived for me with hugs from a friend and I'll choose them to represent this day. Happy spring!

Getting Older...

I know I talk a lot about how getting old is killing me but I'm realizing there is a positive side to aging. For instance, I'm (mostly) ok with how I look. Not because I look great but because I'm ok with who I am. I left the house without putting on mascara this morning and, even though I had some with me, I didn't bother to put it on. All day. It may seem like a lIttle thing to some (and just plain weird if you're a guy) but I remember a time when physical appearance was ridiculously important.

I've also realized that I am perfectly ok with having just a few close friends. Being popular is SO not a big deal at my age. It's nice not to worry so much about what people think. I know there will still be times when I'll inevitably fall into worry and wonder over the opinions of others but those times get fewer and farther between the older I get.

And that's what I call looking on the bright side!!

Today...

Today my sweet mother-in-law had her second knee surgery in two months. I was thankful that my father-in-law asked for my help while he went to the dentist for an emergency root canal. They do so much for me and, very rarely, do I get to return the favor. I have a deep respect and love for both of them.

Today I listened to my kids laughing in the back yard as if they were four and ten instead of fourteen and twenty. It reminded m once again how much I enjoy being their mother.

Today was a day to laugh at Vampire Bunnies except you would have to be there to get the humor. And maybe not even then.

Today was a good day.

The Storm...

I was woken up by a hail storm around 4:30 a.m. this morning. It was loud and brutal outside my window. When I got up this morning I went out to check on my new fragile crocus blooms, figuring they would be crushed under the weight of the storm. To my amazement, they were still upright but had closed their petals to the force of the storm. That's kind of where I've been lately. It's a blessing and a curse to be good at self-protection but I've always had a knack for it. I think I've battered down against the storm but I'm still standing. . .

Hope Springs Eternal?

My yard is pretty barren. Last fall I mercilessly dug up weeds and bulbs alike. I took out three bushes and Rob annihilated the pear tree. It was good through the winter to have the yard so bare but now that Spring is springing, things are starting to come to life. I expect the weeds and dandelions but was happily surprised to see these pretty things pop up before everything else. They look lonely in the barrenness but they did bring me much needed hope that we made it through another winter (barely) and that sometimes miracles DO happen. Here's hoping that this is a sign of better things to come...

Today's Thinking Place...

Gloria's Choir Concert, Last Song. . .

Silverton Friend's Quiz Meet...

The last quiz meet of the season was held at Silverton Friends Church in Oregon over the weekend. I wasn't there and these are not my pictures. I would love to give the photographer credit but all I know is they these were posted to the YM Facebook page and they are wonderful! So, thank-you, whoever you are, for capturing these great moments:

Reminder...

Stuff and Things...

I had a guitar lesson tonight for the first time in a couple of months. It felt good. I finally feel like I'm getting it. I don't have "the gift" like some people do but I think I can eventually get to where I can venture out in public with it. At any rate, playing guitar makes me happy and soothes my soul...

In other news, the Hookah Bar next door is open for business. No issues. Yet. I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic that it won't affect our business but time will tell...

Zach got a big envelope in the mail today with the official announcement of his scholarship awards. Great news: we only need 25k more. : / Ugh.

Gloria has a quiz trip this weekend. It's gonna be kind of quiet around here...

Rob doesn't think I mention him much on the blog so here is some of his art work to prove that I do:


And that's pretty much it. For now...

What if...

I'm beginning to understand a little bit about what the term "mid-life crisis" means. It's about regrets and losing things that were taken for granted until it was too late. Most of the time I can brush it off with a wave of my hand and an "it is what it is" attitude. But sometimes, it's harder to get past what might have happened in the past that might have changed everything. Things that might have made things easier. Chances are very good that if I had the opportunity to do things differently, I would choose the same path with a few different choices.

All that to say, tonight we ran sound for a choir concert at Gloria's school. It wasn't even a concert that Gloria was a part of but we have been working with her choir teacher on several projects and I am happy to help her when we can.

It wasn't the first time that I've had this epiphany but I couldn't help but think this could have / should have been my calling. I could have / should have been a music person of some kind. I could have / should have worked with kids and fostered a love of music in them along with all of the things that go with it. I could have / should have ....

But I didn't.

And there isn't anything I can do about that now.

BUT I can make the best of what I DO have and continue to be thankful for the people in my life and find another way to make music that will make the second half of my life that much better...

Zach Update. . .

We got the news a few days ago that Zach received two of the scholarships he applied for at Fox last month- The Friends Leadership Scholarship and the Communication Arts Scholarship.  I see great things ahead for this Boy. . . I mean, Man. . .

That Place...

I'm in that place again where there is such a huge gap between what I want to post and what I'm willing to post that it just feels too trivial to post at all. I guess I either need to let myself be more vulnerable or live with the trivial. Not sure which direction I'm headed in...