SoNA Saturday, Music, and Love



Brian likes to make Kayla breakfast on Saturday mornings. I normally won't eat his pancakes and real bacon, eggs, and sausage because it's so unhealthy. So, this Saturday I suggested we go to McDonald's. That way, I could eat my parfait and egg mcmuffin, and Brian and Kayla could eat their pancakes and sausage. After breakfast, I had to head down to rehearsal in Fayetteville for a performance I had Saturday night. I took this picture from my car in the McDonald's parking lot. All of the flags have been flying at half mast since the school shooting tragedy.

 

 

Our rehearsal began at 11:00 a.m. at the Walton Arts Center. The timpani, brass, and bass were directly to my left. It was loud, but cool to watch them play.

 



 

Here was my view of the SoNA (Symphony of Northwest Arkansas) singers and orchestra. Paul Haas, our conductor from NYC, is in the blue shirt on center left. He's pretty intense, funny, to the point, and VERY good at what he does!

 

Jessica and I brought our reading material so we weren't bored during the parts of the rehearsal where the symphony played and we just sat there. It was pretty cool that Terry sat us next to one another. Not only do we get to work together, but we also get to sing together in SoNA in the alto section. Jessica has a special place in my heart. She's a beautiful person, inside and out, and I never would have guessed when we hired her 1 1/2 years ago that she would become one of my good friends!

We had our performance Saturday night at 7:30. It was a sold out show. I had a moment during our performance. We were singing, "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and tears just started streaming down my face. Yes, it might have something to do with the pregnancy hormones. However, every musician has those moments when the music is so powerful and moving, and you realize the sounds you are a part of can only come from God and His Presence. When that happens, I have this moment of perfect peace. Those music moments serve as a reminder  for me that even though bad things happen, and we don't always understand why, God is in control. There is a special place in heaven for those babies and the adults who died trying to protect them. No one understands why God allowed this to happen, but who are we to question Him and His plan? My grandma always said, "Everything happens for a reason." That stands true for the good, as well as the bad. Sometimes, I lose sight of what is truly important. Life isn't about how great of a teacher or leader I am; it's not about how good I can sing or play piano; it doesn't really matter how high my degree is or whether or not I'm a National Board Certified teacher. Life is about letting my family and friends know day in and day out that they are loved. (I think I've given Kayla more love and attention the past two days, than I've given her in a long time.) It's that I let my students know I care for them even though they drive me crazy sometimes. It's that I lend a helping hand to someone, even it's something small. It's that I take time out of each day to spend time in prayer and let God know that He is important to me and that I'm truly grateful for all He's blessed me with. Life for all of us should be about spreading LOVE, for the Bible states "God is love" and therefore love is MUCH stronger than hate. Love will endure for eternity. As our encore song we sang on Saturday states, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."

 

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

A day to remember

Last Friday, December 14 began like any other day. Friday is my choir day at school, it was our last rehearsal in class before our concert which is this Thursday. My assistant director, Jessica had to be at OHMS for a performance there so I was a little stressed that morning. On my way to work, my mind was consumed with all that I had to do that day, and everything that goes into teaching 300 kids by myself. On my way to work, I saw this sunrise and it gave me a reminder that God is with me through everything...every moment of every day. 

 

 

The fact that I took this picture on that particular morning is now very ironic to me. At about 10:30 that morning, I called Brian to see how his day was going. He said it was going well except for the school shooting in Connecticut. I asked him "What shooting?" because I had been teaching all morning. He told me some armed men went into an elementary school. He didn't know any more information. I went to msnbc.com to see what was going on. They had a live video feed and were focused on the school and parking lot, but weren't reporting any loss of life. By the time I got out of school that afternoon at 2:40, it was reported that 26 adults and children had lost their lives. I was on my way to watch Kayla's Christmas play at her school. I cried the entire way there. Once I arrived, I just wanted to give her a huge hug and tell her how much I love her. It was fresh on my mind there are 20 sets of parents in Connecticut who will never get to hug their child again.

 

 

The performance was in the chapel of Central United Methodist Church. Here's a full view of all the kids. There's something wrong with my camera lens though, because it was blurry every time I tried to focus. Kayla's class were the sheep and shepherds.

 

 

She was one of the cutest sheep I've ever seen.

 

And of course, she got to see Santa, and told him "I want a purple pony puzzle."

 

Once we got back in her classroom, she got to open her present from Miss Lisa.

 

It was a chocolate penguin and she was so happy about it!

 

It was a tough day, but I felt fortunate that I got to end it with my baby girl in my arms.

 

 

Big News...

So...

 

It's odd to me that exactly four years ago on December 29th, Brian and I found out we were pregnant with Kayla. This past weekend, we found out we were pregnant with number two!! We are so excited and happy!!! However, I'm a natural worrier so please start praying now for me and our baby.

Pixar Party

This past Saturday, December 8, I took Kayla to a really cool party. It was Izzy Mendoza's fourth birthday party. The party began with this mission from a "man in black" on her parents iPad: "You must rescue the toy soldiers from "Evil Dr. Pork Chop" before you receive your reward of cake and ice cream." He gave the kids seven or eight tasks, and once they achieved each task, they received a badge to put on their sash. It was such a cute idea, and Kayla had a blast!

 

 

Toddler Toy Soldiers

 

 

Brave prepping her arrow so she can shoot at the target...

 

 

 Kayla in "Ratatouille's Kitchen" helping him make rainbow spagetti. She chose red for her food coloring which is currently her favorite color.

 

Rainbow spagetti and celtic knots...

 



 

The kids rescued the toy soldiers from the pinata version of Nemo, and after they completed their mission, they got their cake and ice cream. :)

Wicker Hair Salon

I've tried to document all of Kayla's firsts....her first smile, laugh, tooth, her first crawl and steps, her first word, her first birthday, her first time to sing a song, etc. This is another first I don't want to forget...the first time she brushed my hair. Almost every night after her bath, I brush her hair and then put it in a pony tail. Unless she says, "Mommy, I want to leave it down so it will blow in the wind." Now, I'm still trying to figure out what colossal winds are inside our house, but Brian and I just go with it. The other night, we took a bath together, and afterwards, she asked me if she could brush my hair. Of course I said, "Yes." It hurt a WHOLE lot, but it was definitely worth the memory!

Lake Windsor

When I first moved to Bella Vista, I had a condominium that had a view of Lake Windsor in Bella Vista. I kind of like to think of it as "my lake" even though we no longer have a house on it. I would lay out on "my" dock (even though it was my neighbors, he would let me use it); my friends Joe and Lindsey would take me out on it in their old fishing boat; I went water skiing on it for the first time; I watched countless sunsets over it from my old deck and my bedroom window; mine and Brian's first official date was dinner on my deck that overlooked Lake Windsor; one day I was on my dock, it was very quiet and I was in a VERY rough place in my life! I heard church bells and followed the sound to a white steeple I could see off in the distance over the lake...that's how I found my church (and no, I didn't just make up that story). Suffice it to say, Lake Windsor holds a special place in my heart. I'd like to think that maybe some day, we'll be able to buy a house overlooking this lake. Anyway...I take Kayla out to the ramp there sometimes to throw rocks. Here are a few pictures I took one sunny day in October.

 

I'm so happy my girl isn't all princess and enjoys some "boy activities" like playing in the mud and throwing rocks.



Pumpkin Patch

This past October we decided to take Kayla to a pumpkin patch that's only about 30 minutes from where we live. Our good couple friends Dave and Andrea Hanson, and their three kids, met us there. The weather was perfect that day, and the kids were all great. It was one of those days I don't want to forget. (Here's the back story on the Hanson's.) I actually met them at our new teacher orientation my very first day of meetings in the Bentonville schools. We instantly clicked and they helped me through some tough times my first year of teaching! They are GREAT folks. Since then, they've had three children, Hannah who is four, and twins Brynne and Sawyer who will be three at the end of December.

Sawyer, Brynne, Hannah, & Kayla

 

You can tell she's used to posing for pictures...

 

We filled up half the train with our kids!

 

We have to find the perfect one!

 

Now that's a BIG pumpkin!

Kayla's Third Birthday

It's hard to believe our baby girl is three!! Just as I was typing the title for this blog, I had to stop and ask myself, "Is she two or three?" The time seems to go by faster the older she gets. One of her favorite things to do is jump. So, this year we decided to fork out the money to have her party at Jump Zone and it was WELL worth it! She and her friends had so much fun!! The date of her party was Saturday, September 8th.

 

She was fearless! I wasn't sure if she would get on the bigger slides by herself, but she did it without any problem.

 

 

 

Two of my good friends Mel - on the left - and Kate - on the right - were pregnant with L.J. and Elliette. Since then, they've had their sweet babies. L.J. was born in October, and Elliette was born in November. Their first two boys, Brett and Will, were born within a month of one another as well. So cute!!!

 

Since it's nearly impossible to get 15 toddlers to be still for a picture, this was as good as it got. I don't even think Kayla is in this picture.

 

Brynn, Kayla, and Payton

 



 

Michael, Isabelle, Makayla, and Casen

 

Emily, Avery, Ryan, and Andrea's hind quarters

Abby, Sarah, Will, and Owen

 



 

Hannah, Andrea, Isabelle, Zachary, Jon, and Brett

 

The Hanson twins Sawyer and Brynne

 

 

We included this picture in the "thank you" notes from Kayla's party. She was supposed to be the "Y" in this picture, but she was grouchy from her long day of partying.

 

Clubhouse Central

During the summers the past seven years, I've worked at a daycare in Rogers called Central Child Care Center. It's actually the same place where Kayla attends daycare. The summer program is called Clubhouse and this past summer I worked with the kindergarten and first graders. I love working with the younger kids. We get to go on field trips to places like the bowling alley, putt-putt golf, and movies. This summer, I met two dear friends through this job, Sarah and Heather. I was so happy to find the pictures from our fiesta that our class had my last week there!

 

Sarah is on the left in the black shirt and Heather is wearing the sombrero.

 

Yes, I'm planning on working there again this year. The money isn't bad, the work is fairly easy, and the company is fantastic!!!

Washington D.C.

I was uploading some pictures from my camera to my computer, and found some old memories I wanted to share. In July, Kayla Grace and I took a trip to Washington D.C. to visit my best friend, Lara.

 

Lara and I met our first day of ninth grade at White Hall High School. It was the first day of school in the White Hall school district for both of us. Lara's family had moved from D.C. because her dad got the Colonel's job at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. We had moved from Altus, Oklahoma because my dad had gotten the Vice President's position at SEARK College. Because we were both the newbies in town, we didn't know we had to catch the bus back to the junior high after our AP math class at the end of the day. We were stuck there on the sidewalk like lost puppies, but at least we were lost together. We started talking and became best friends instantly! She's always been more of a sister than a friend and our families are extremely close. Here are a few pictures from that trip...

Lara's nephew, Michael took a liking to Kayla. They played together the whole time we were there. He's trying to kiss her in this picture. Actually, he made several attempts to kiss her the entire time we were there. Brian wasn't too happy about that!

 



 

Kayla and Michael with Grandpa Gary (Lara's Dad)

 

 

Sisters for life...July 4, 2012

 

 

 July 5, we decided to go see some of the sights in D.C. This is Kayla's pose on the train from Pentagon City. I guess she was practicing for the next time she saw Michael.

 

The temperature that day was about 110 degrees, so we decided to opt out of walking right next to the White House. I took this shot from about 3 miles away.

 



 

Kayla loves her aunt Lara!

 

  The World War II memorial was one of my favorite monuments. The fountains were such a tease though, because we couldn't get in the water!!!

 

 

From the WWII monument, we walked the half mile to the Lincoln Memorial. On our way, we found this guy riding a segue. Christina and I always crack up when we see someone on one, so I took this picture for her.

 

If you've never been to the Lincoln Memorial, there are about 50 or 60 steps to walk up before you get inside. We had Kayla's stroller, so that was a lot of fun carrying her up all of those stairs in 100 degree heat!!!

 

It was well worth it though. I couldn't get a good shot of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, but I did at least get a good picture of him.

The architecture in the monument was beautiful!!!

 



 

Their glow isn't just from the camera lens, but the gallons of sweat pouring off of them!

 

 

You can tell my sweet girl is getting grumpy and is burning up!!

  

 From the Lincoln Memorial, we walked to the Smithsonian. It was super crowded, but well worth the walk!

 



 

This is the interior of one of the museums. This is the one where the Hope Diamond is located. We got to see it, but from a distance. There were too many people to get a good picture.

There was a lot of construction going on while we were there, but I still wanted to get a shot of the Capitol.

 

This was our last night at Aunt Lara's house. Kayla wanted her to give her a bath. They had so much fun playing together!