How Time Does Fly

It is hard for me to believe that this cute little guy...



...has grown up and is married



Yes, my baby brother is now a married man. Julie, his wife is a wonderful girl, I had the privilege of meeting her on Skype. She is sweet and kind and very smart. And a good cook.
They got married on September 15th in Odessa, Ukraine.
I am soooo happy for my not so little brother :)

When I sit down for 45 seconds...

it's usually to do homework with one of the boys. When they are done fighting over who sits on which side of me and gets to hold which hand and Rachael is climbing all over me and is chatting happily (expecting me to keep up with the conversation) Jadin/Daniel starts reading while his brother is talking to me about his day at school. Meanwhile, M is reading a profound theological statement at least 7 sentences long and is expecting an intelligent response. And that's when the dog starts howling....
Flute playing may not seem like such a bad way to vent considering options other people resorted to (like drowning their 5 kids in the bathtub, running away assuming a new identity somewhere in Canada, or becoming an alcoholic).
Just sayin'....

P.S. You have to forgive this post, I came down with a cold yesterday and am still miserable.

A Few Years Ago...

...when Jadin and Daniel were babies/toddlers, they wouldn't really take naps in their beds. They would sleep on me for hours while only taking 30 min. naps if I put them in their beds. I remember how difficult it was for me to sit still for a couple of hours. I couldn't wait for them to get a little bit older and take actual naps in places designated for it. I was looking forward to putting them down and tip toeing quietly out of the room to go do something, clean something, cook something, anything that didn't involve sitting in a chair in the same position for two hours looking at the nearest wall.
When Rachael was born I was determined to teach her to sleep in her bed from day one. We struggled for a week and she was good. She learned. In fact, she turned out to be quite independent. I invite her to come cuddle in my bed at night time and she does, for a short time, and then she firmly tells me she wants in her bed. At nap time she just climbs in there (sometimes reluctantly) and goes right to sleep.
Ah, sweet two hours of freedom.
I was practicing today when she came and said 'Mommy, can you hold me just for a little while. I want 'rock baby' (pointing to her favorite rocking chair). So I put the flute down and rocked my baby to sleep. I breathed in her sweet smell, felt the touch of her still baby-like curls on my cheek, her warm body pressed tightly against my chest, her little arms wrapped around me.
As I was rocking in that chair enjoying the fleeting time of togetherness with my daughter I couldn't help but wonder where I was so in a hurry to all those years ago. I was foolish. People kept telling me that this too shall pass and much faster than I think and that I will miss these moments. I nodded politely and smiled and quietly disagreed.
As I am holding my last baby in my arms knowing that she will rest much better and feel more refreshed if she sleeps in her bed, I am reluctant to put her down. I want to hang on to her just a little longer. I will have time to show off my spotless house to my friends when my nest is empty. There will be time for three course gourmet meals and a glass of wine and a book. But it is not now. Not yet.
Shhh! Let me enjoy my sleeping baby. She will be going off to school way too soon.

I Have Decided...

Being on a jury for a trial that is getting a lot if TV and newspaper coverage, I decided to stop blogging until it's over.

We Are Expecting Company Tonight

What Comes To YOUR Mind?

If you asked me as a young woman in Ukraine what came to mind food wise when I thought of America, I would say tacos, Chinese food, and, oddly enough (or, at least I think it's odd now), these:

(not the fancy kind, just a simple white ice cream in chocolate coating one. For some reason I can't find a picture of it, so this one will have to do)
While I attribute Chinese food to movies and tacos to missionaries, don't ask me where the ice cream bar is coming from.
Interestingly enough neither #1 nor #2 is a truly American invention. Of course, if you have ever been to China or Mexico, you will probably disagree with that statement. LOL.
In 7.5 years of living here I never did get to try the only truly American thing on that list, the ice cream bar. So, when we stopped by Sa.feway on the way from evening service yesterday, I decided to go for it, today being the 4th of July and all.
Let me tell ya, I couldn't wait to get home. I was staring at them longingly on the looong (5 min.) drive home and even forgot my flute in the car in anticipation of the treat (M. jokes that I always bring the flute in before I even unbuckle the kids. For your information, that's not always true. LOL)
When I got my very first bar out of the pack I was immediately disappointed. What looked so big and scrumptious in the picture turned out to be this little skinny thing. Not at all why I expected.
It tasted ok. I am not sure I'll buy it again, the chocolate coating wasn't very good.
Isn't funny how things are usually not what we imagine them to be.

Is It Friday AGAIN?

1. I started a veeery bad tradition - donuts Friday. Once kids discovered what thy are they keep asking for them. I am sure it will not hurt THEM if I get a dozen every once in a while.

2. Someone told me once that if you run 6 miles a day it doesn't matter what you eat you will stay in shape. I am pretty sure it doesn't include THREE bavarian cream filled donuts. Sigh.

3. M. found a Yamaha 400 series silver flute with all the bells and whistles (even split E!) on e-bay for only 1400$. CRAZY! Too bad timing is so absolutely horrible, otherwise I would be really tempted to get it, even though I will never be good enough to fully utilize something that fancy.

4. I finally went to the doctor to have my broken pinky looked at just to find out it's a birth defect and even though physical therapy might help gain some more function, there's nothing they can do to fix it. There goes my life long dream to have it fixed (and 50$ co-pay with it.)

5. It's raining AGAIN! I don't know what's going on with weather, but I hate it! We have only been able to go to the lake once this summer. Our back yard is turning into jungle (too wet to mow).

6. Jadin informed me that it's my birthday tomorrow. The kids are SOOO excited! They have been talking about eating my birthday cake (ooops, I guess it means I should start baking it, they will be so disappointed if there's no cake) and blowing out my candles (plenty of those to go 'round, too. I can't believe I am THAT old!) and getting balloons. It's amusing to see their anticipation and joy. It's been sooo long since I have seen anyone getting so excited about my birthday. LOL.

7. Speaking of birthdays, when I was my kids age my parents would buy me ten (!) ice creams on a stick and let me eat as many as I wanted at a time. It was the tastiest fruity kind that was only available in the summer. Of course, there was also cake and presents and a pretty dress, but my favourite memory is still that of ice cream.


Happy Fourth of July weekend, Friends!

We Are Back!

Which is a miracle! (I'll explain later)
We had a wonderful visit, the best we ever had. M. did not work too late on Friday so we were able to leave that night and arrived at the farm about 11ish pm their time. They were not expecting us til Saturday, so every possible sleeping place(except the living room) had been occupied. I would have been fine in the living room, and really wanted the kids to sleep there with us, too, rather then being stuffed in the small office with the rest of the kids. ILs were really nice and decided to switch with us and let us sleep in their bedroom while they slept in the living room. It worked out really well (we sleep later than everyone else, and that way people could use the kitchen and living room early in the morning) though I wasn't comfortable kicking two older people out of their bedroom. It had been decided before we arrived though, and we didn't really have a choice other then to start arguing in the middle of the night. We were asked to let the boys sleep with their cousin in the office the next day which I politely declined. Kids are not an inconvenience to me personally, in fact I prefer to have them close, and M. is too tired to be bothered by them.
The children had so much fun! They pretty much played outside all day Saturday, exploring the farm and getting dirt and ticks all over themselves (the boys ended up getting washed twice). I had a wonderful time visiting with MIL and SIL, and did not feel excluded like before. We even played a little together (BIL brought his guitar and SIL plays piano, though it really needs tuned). SIL told us they were expecting #4 (yay! their youngest was wearing a shirt saying 'I have a secret...I am a BIG sister!' but I decided not to ask unless they say something just to be sure. After all, they had told us before that they were done with kids and I did have an uncomfortable moment at church when I asked a new couple when they were expecting their #2 (she looked about 6 months along) and she told me they were not pregnant.)
So, Sunday morning rolls around and we are all ready to go to church. Except our van. It decided to quit on us. On the only trip when M. forgot his tools at home! He is pretty awesome, can fix ANYTHING with a motor and most anything that doesn't have a motor. Apparently two of the six coils decided they were done (quite unusual, M. says) He decided to go to church anyway on a chance that it will snap out of it (yeh, right, like that ever happens!). By the time we got to church (which was only about 15 min. away) the car was smoking.
M. was really stressed. He had to be back to RC on Sunday night to go to work early Monday morning and it was Sunday afternoon. Even if he was right about the coils (there were other possibilities), where would we find two new ones on a Sunday afternoon and how is M. going to fix the car without the tools?
Well, he is pretty amazing, like I said. A few phone calls, a trip to SF and some fighting with the car without tools later he announced that I better be packed because 'she is purrin' like a kitty'.
So, we were back home very late Sunday night. M. said that it must be my fault that the car broke, electronic things just happen to break around me (my phone quit a few days earlier for no obvious reason). Aren't these things always the wife's fault? LOL
I guess, I am lucky to be married to a guy who can fix them.

7 Quick Takes

1. My flute playing friend came over with her girls last night for a play date. The kids had such a wonderful time! And so did the mommies. We never actually cracked the cases open or played a note but oh, what a joy it was to visit!
2. Since the actual practice never took place I am going through withdrawal. I need to pack for our trip, but can't stop thinking of the flute. I just want to get it out of the case, to hold it, to play just one exercise, or a couple of scales, my hands are shaking (no, you don't have to put me in an institution, I do not mean it literally :). It's more addictive, than coffee :). Which brings me to #...
3. Our McDonalds on Mt.Rushmore has THE BEST coffee in town! It's better then Starbucks (disclaimer: hot raspberry chocolate mocha from Caribou still holds first place in my heart) I go there so often, that the ladies all know me and my large five cream one sugar :) I also got kids donuts in anticipation of the trip. M. and I are not big on donuts, so our kids don't have them...like, ever. They were sooo excited. Daniel picked chocolate (and later discovered bonus - bavarian cream inside!) Rachael picked sprinkles (and is currently eating it veeeery slowly, one sprinkle at a time) and Jadin got long john with chocolate and sprinkles.
4. Speaking of the trip. M's sister is visiting from AL, so we are going to grandparents' place (were they are staying) tonight. I am dreading it. Grandma is all for healthy eating (hence the donuts for the kids, they don't like healthy food so they end up starving the whole time) and when they built their new house they didn't plan on kids or grand kids to ever come visit, because there's only one tiny guest room (that will be occupied by sister). All six of our kids will go into tiny (and I mean TINY, it's only slightly bigger then our TINY bathroom)office and M and I will sleep on the living room floor (they have a huge glass door and a big window there and no shades. The sun comes up at 4:30 am. Oh, joy!)
5. Hmmm, this turned into a complaining session. I really do need at least half an hour with the flute! (I swear, if Daniel says 'Why are we not packing yet' one more time I am going to loose it).
6. Rachael put on her sandals all by herself! They even went on the right feet! I am sure it was a coincidence, but I am still so proud of my little girl! The caregivers at the YMCA do find her independence a little annoying, though. She refuses help in the bathroom, or with her food, and she fends for herself should an older kid decide to take away a toy she is playing with. She is such a cute tiny peanut, everyone wants to help her or hold her or play with her and she will have none of that. Too much mommy in that little girl.
7. Jadin and Daniel are doing pretty well with their summer school. Daniel loves to read and hates to write letters (he is a leftie! I can't believe I am a mom to a leftie, my own left hand is absolutely worthless) and writing is a bit challenging. Jadin doesn't mind math and writing (we have a special program that his school recommended) and absolutely hates reading.

Happy Friday, friends!

It Was Good While It Lasted

I don't like to be yelled at. Especially for no obvious reason.

When we first meet someone who immigrated as an adult the differences really aren't obvious to the eye, especially when that person looks exactly like us (as in being a white Caucasian as opposed to looking Asian or black) and speaks our language quite well. I remember when I was first in a similar situation in Ukraine being around someone who looked like me and was learning the language (and doing very well) and how difficult it was to remember that though that person looks like me, the culture he grew up in made him very different. Now, that difference would have been easier to keep in mind if he was a green person with three hands and tentacles for hair. I would not have viewed some things as offensive if he LOOKED different because that difference in looks would have been an ever present reminder of the cultural differences that were not visible to the eye.
Having moved here from a culture that is much more direct and much less sensitive, I have to always keep in mind these little things that can offend people, like standing too close to people when I talk to them, or trying not to be too direct when expressing my views and ideas as I would have otherwise been. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail but I would say it's getting easier with each year. It's a learning experience.
What happened recently however is probably the first HUGE fail in that department. It resulted in me making a decision of not being a part of the trio any more.
Let me explain.
One of the ladies I played with have been doing it all her life. The other have been taking lessons for about three and a half years. When I joined I was taking lessons for less then five months, though I do have non flute related background in music. So, when we were getting ready for a recital, I did not think twice about asking what we were doing about dynamics. After all, everyone in the group is an experienced player and a question like that shouldn't cause confusuion or touble. Were we paying attention to them? Were we ignoring them? What did everybody think? (and this IS exactly how I worded it - remember, I know not to be too direct to avoid being perceived as critical) So, imagine my surprise when the lady who has been playing all her life (let's call her Amber, I do not want to use her real name) looses her temper and throws the worst screaming temper tantrum I have ever seen an adult throw! She yells at the top of her lungs that I am new to the group and have no reason to call her a bad flutist.
After picking up my jaw from the floor where it had landed when this whole thing started, my brain was frantically going through the evening trying to find the point in time when I said or implied she was a bad player. Yes, she was having a hard time getting lost all evening and when I noticed that she didn't have the full score and was playing from a sheet that only had her part, I said 'Oh, poor Amber! No wonder you are having a hard time! You can't see where we all are. Let me run and make you a copy of my full score, it will make it so much easier!' To which she replied that she couldn't follow the score without getting lost. Huh? Remember, she's been playing for 30 years and this was not new music to her, she had already performed this.
Ok, she doesn't want the score, that's fine. But how is offering to make her a copy of full score in any way offensive? Or, why is asking what we were doing about dynamics calling ANYONE a bad flutist??? I guess, I am really so insensitive it doesn't even register, because I STILL DON"T UNDERSTAND!
I went and cried in the bathroom (mostly out of shock and desperation) and she apologized. After we left, the other flutist (I'll call her Katie) called me and said she was totally shocked and though it did happen to her as well, it was not nearly as bad. It must be the stress. Amber must be feeling a little threatened by my abilities (what abilities???? I have been playing for 4.5 months!) Let's hope it will not happen again.
Ok, I am not resentful, we all have our moments, let's forget this whole thing. Well, last Thursday about an hour after we were done practicing, I had a brilliant (or so I thought) idea. Why don't we ask our flute teacher to come in and give us a few lessons on how to play together as a group. How do we balance the sound? Who is supposed to do what to make three different parts sound like one piece of music instead of playing three solos. So I call both Katie and Amber and leave an identical messages on their machine saying 'Hey, what do you guys think about paying our teacher to come and work with us for the month of July to help as learn to play as a group?' Katie called me back and left a message on my machine telling me how absolutely awesome an idea it is and how she wished she had thought of it before. YAY! Amber never calls me back, so I call her the next day to see if it's a 'yes' or a 'no'. She picks up the phone and begins with 'How can you insult me like that' followed by another 30 min long screaming fit.
Needless to say, it's over for me. Yes, she called and apologized and asked me to please not leave the group. I feel really bad about leaving, but I can not stay. I do not like to be yelled at for what seems like no reason. Amber told me she tried very hard to please me by making copies of the full scores of the new music (which does not make any sense to me, why would I care what SHE is playing from?) She said she didn't like that I came and started changing the way they did things (she was talking about me pointing out the the publisher missed the last note of the previous measure being the pickup note when marking the intros on a few songs to which everyone agreed, it was really really obvious).
We are just really different and should not play together. Katie and I (and our church pianist, she played with the two of us once and really wanted to keep doing it) will continue playing together. Amber told me that she and Katie will keep playing together as well (sounds great! I also told her I will ask my teacher if she can find someone else for them)
Too bad it didn't work out.

Food Stamps and Friday Morning.

I usually try avoiding W.allmart twice a month on Fridays when government issues food stamps. Not only is it that the shelves are bare (it looks a bit like a tornado warning has been issued and the whole town went grocery shopping for food that should last them a month) and the lines are loooong, but also because the concept of food stamps reminds me of that first year after the Soviet Union collapsed. With the state went the money and for the longest time the government would issue these sheets and sheets of 'money' to take to the grocery store. You literally had to have three-four sheets of these to get a loaf of bread. Also, since food was in very short supply, you could only get it in limited quantities per family. Like, two lb. of sugar at a time (an you never knew when the next time the store will have sugar is going to be) Needless to say, these are not my favorite memories.
Well a couple of weeks ago on Friday I had to go to Wa.llmart regardless of how I felt about it. We ran out of dog food (poor Lucy!) and diapers (Rachael went back to sleeping in pull-ups a few months ago, which I prefer to her waking up every two hours to go pee anyway).
So, to Wal.lmart I go, three kids in tow. It wasn't a very productive trip, because of the bare shelves and three hyper kids. I picked up the diapers and was on my way to get dog food (which is on the opposite side of the store) when I noticed this guy turning frequently and just staring at the boys. He freaked me out a bit. I am used to women commenting on the kids all the time (they ARE cute kids, if I say so myself). But it's always a quick comment, no one ever just kept turning around and staring like that before. I decided to just ignore the guy, get my dog food and get out.
I go to check out, pick the shortest (two mile long) line and park everyone there. The kids went to check out the toys by the register and needed my 'help' being nice to each other. And that is why I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. BIG mistake! Because right in front of us was that guy that stared at the boys earlier. By the time I noticed he was trying to start a conversation with me asking all sorts of questions about the boys (he was not at all interested in Rachael, which is weired in and of itself, because she is the youngest and ALWAYS insists on wearing pretty dresses and pigtails when we go out, so she is usually the one getting all the comments). Now, I usually try to be polite with people, smile at them and talk to them (M. just grunts and turns away which discourages conversation). But I had no idea what to do with the guy. He wanted to know everything from age to where they go to school, to what they like to eat. Am I the only one who thinks it's inappropriate? He was also trying to keep his voice down so I had to ask him to repeat the questions over again. I had it with him when he asked where I lived and since I was obviously avoiding answering that question (just like the rest of his questions) he started naming the streets and asking me if I lived there. SERIOUSLY???? At that point Rachael said she needed to go potty, I sighed the sigh of relief and we all went to a different register.

NEVER.GO.TO.WALLMART.ON.FOOD.STAMPS.DAY.

Please, don't think that I put every one who needs food stamps in the 'creepy' category. Many of the families using them are truly in a difficult spot and are trying their very hardest to get off of them. I know that. But then there's creepy individuals, and for some reason I tend to run into that kind of people.

Also, I NEED.TO.LEARN.TO.GRUNT.AND.TURN.AWAY.to discourage that type of conversation.

Why Do These God Moments Never Happen To Me?

I was talking to a friend of mine and a fellow flute player about something that happened to me recently and that's what she said. Let me give you the whole story, though.
I do my own flute research in addition to the lessons because, well, let's face it, I am a bit slow. Sometimes I need more than one person to explain things to me. Someone who can word it differently, and then it clicks.
So I stumbled over a teaching video for a particular piece of music that calls for a lot of articulated middle Es. If you ever played the flute, you know that middle Es tend to be flat. Just a flute thing. So this particular flutist was talking about venting her Es just a a little bit when she practices because that raises the pitch and once your ear is used to hearing that non-flat E, you tend to be more mindful of your pitch when you perform and don't vent it. Obviously, she has an open hole flute, you can't vent your Es if yours is closed holes (like mine)
I have to admit, I was listening to her and really wishing maybe for the first time, to have an open hole flute. So that if I do want to vent, I can.
So, last Tuesday while working my normal shift at the YMCA I mentioned that this new flute exercise hurt my tongue and I was having a hard time talking (you think I was overstating? Try putting a chopstick in your mouth and curling your tongue over it and playing like that. OUCH! It hurts to even think about that. I'll give it a week and try again ;) And one of the ladies I work with says 'Do you play flute?' (and there I thought I go on and on about different aspects of flute playing whenever I get a chance. Is it possible I go to this place every week for four hours and never mention something that preoccupies my thoughts at all times?) She goes, 'I played the flute when I was young and my daughter (who I share a birthday with, by the way) played it in high school. She is in college now and I have this great open hole flute at home that no one plays. It's in great shape! Would you like to borrow it? I would love to let you use it!'
ARE YOU KIDDING? Of course, I want to borrow it! I will treat it well, keep it as my performance instrument and make sure all the pads are changed and the thing is oiled!

I am amazed at how God hears even the prayers we don't pray, and gives us things that we don't really need but would like to have. I would never be able to justify buying something like that for myself. I am just really not that good on the flute.
These God moments happen to me all the time. Actually, it's not just me. I am quite positive God doesn't have favourites. After all, He gave his Son for ALL of His chosen children, and isn't it the greatest gift anyone could receive?
I guess, I am just mindful of these other little gifts that God gives me. After all, this flute can turn out to be a piece of junk with holes in the keys, but I am still happy. I am happy because God loves me so much to even think of such a little thing as an open hole flute. That He chooses to manifest Himself to me like that. It makes my heart sing.
No, it's not just me. I am sure other people have these experiences in their life, too. We just need to see them for what they are. God at work.

Blessings

A new song by Laura Story

It All Started With a Dress.

This one, to be exact:


It's absolutely gorgeous! This dress will make ANYONE look like a model.
So, obviously I couldn't wait to wear it and yesterday was definitely the perfect day for it. It was hot! Our first hot day in SD, and believe me, we all enjoyed it. (except for neighbors, did I ever mention that I practice with my door open to be able to watch the kids? HA-ha, poor people.)
It wasn't two minutes after I put it on that Rachael noticed I was wearing a dress. And she (horror of horrors) was wearing pants! Oh, NO! She demanded a pretty dress for herself which was promised to her after a nap and a bath. I told her she could wear it to the nursery.
Ehhh, not good enough. She went to spare bedroom (where I keep her dresses) and picked the one she could reach. Unfortunately the reason she could reach it was because I put it on the bed as a 'too small for her winter dress that needs to be put up in the attic' one.
Did you know that it's absolutely pointless to talk some sense into a 2yo? No matter how hard I was trying to explain it to her she would not have it.

So, some tears a nap and a bath later she still remembered my promise of a pretty dress and also semi-forgot the one she picked out for herself earlier. I say 'semi-forgot' because she made me iron three different dresses and neither of them worked for her. She could remember that those were NOT the ones she picked but not what the one she did pick looked like. Half an hour later we finally settled on the dress. The fanciest summer bishop dress she has, to be exact.
Of course, the second Daniel walked in the room he noticed Rachael was all dressed up. And he wasn't. Nope, not gonna work. So, back to the ironing board I go. This time I am smart, though. I iron a fancy shirt for Jadin, as well.
Another lesson I learned? Do NOT put nice shirts on two young boys until 2 minutes before you are ready to leave. Jadin and Daniel were killing each other, uh, I mean playing in the living room and one of Jadin's old battle scars started bleeding...all over the carpet, the jeans, and, yes, that fancy shirt I just ironed.
He got changed. He screamed because I refused to turn the iron on for the third time to iron yet another fancy shirt.

I will never buy myself a new dress ever again.

But that's why my family looked like we were going to a wedding when we stopped by music store to drop something off and then went to the gym.

Glad To Be Back To The US of A.

My day started exactly as the one before. They all kind of do. After I made muffins for breakfast I jumped in the shower before opening the door and letting my kids play outside while I get my practice time (I hope our neighbors like the flute, because the only time I get to practice is when the kids are outside and I can't leave them unattended, so I keep the door open.) So, once I am done with the shower I hear the phone buzz and the irritated voice of my husband asks me why I am not picking up the phone (note to self: do NOT put phone on vibrate only while taking a shower if you want to stay married). Apparently, he forgot an important piece of equipment in their work shed and wanted me to bring it to him. In Custer. Yes, you heard that right. Custer. An 1.5 hours drive out of town.
Sigh. There goes my practice time. I guess that solo will not be ready by tomorrow. I hate going to my lesson unprepared.
So I load the kids into the car and go find his place of work. It takes me three tries, I end up going half to Sturgis twice. No sense of direction here. But I do find it, eventually, put the thing in the car and take it to Custer. Without turning off to Mt. Rushmore, mind you. (huge accomplishment! LOL)
I find hubby, give him his thingy, feed the kids lunch and head back home. About twenty or so minutes into our trip back I notice that the road doesn't look familiar. It's kind of woody. And HW 16 is not supposed to go through the woods...as far as I remember. Could be wrong.
After arriving at some lake I have never heard of before I call M. and ask if this lake is on the way home. Silence on the other end for a loooong 10 sec. and then 'Lake WHAT???? Never heard of it before! (M. knows this area inside and out...or so be both thought) Are you in Custer State Park? How did you get in? You don't have a permit. Did you stop at the booth and pay the fee?' Booth? What booth? What fee? Am I going to get arrested? What do you mean, you have never heard of that lake??? I WANNA GO HOME!!!!
Ok, so now I am really freaking out. I am going through the park, calling M every 10 minutes to get my bearings, turning around and going the opposite way a couple of times praying I will not get stopped by a park ranger for being there without a permit and still hoping to get to a place I actually recognize.
I spare you the rest. When we finally got to Rapid, Daniel sighed deeply and said 'I am sooo happy we are back to the United States of America!'

So am I, son, so am I.

PS And after all that I went to the YMCA to volunteer for 4 hours. Both the kids and I are so tired we put our socks in the fridge (me) instead of the wash machine and look for Rachael's sippy that is right there in front of our very noses (first Rachael and then myself) for 15 minutes, end up getting a clean one out, filling it up with milk and THEN finding the other one (still full of milk).

Tomorrow is a new day. The furthest I am planning on going is YMCA 12 blocks away. Do you think I will make it without getting lost?

7 Quick Takes

1. I decided to do 7 quick takes again and it's actually Friday! I really like writing this way, though there's not much going on so I am not sure I will end up actually having 7.
2. Jadin finally brought home one of those dreaded christian character awards. I really wanted to take it back and talk to the teacher about the whole thing. M. wasn't on board with it. I also got to ask our Pastor about it (again!) only because I was at church for a meeting, and he said to just keep it. Sigh. Still think it's not right.
3.The weather is finally improving here. It's hard to believe we made it through another winter. It was in the 70s yesterday! Even wind couldn't spoil it for me. It is going to be cooler the next few days but we are still talking 40s.
4.I overdid it on the flute yesterday and my mouth HURTS! I was told to keep it at about 30 min. every day, but, seriously, it takes me 45 min just to warm up. Anyways, 3.5 hours is probably too much even for me but the kids were playing happily and I am enjoying myself too much, it's hard to put it down.
5. When I was a little girl and refused to practice piano, my mom always told me how grandma used to punish her for being bad by locking her piano and not letting her practice (my piano has a little lock with a key, though I don't remember seing that key). I have to confess I wished more than once that my mom punish ME that way, too. All I got was more time practicing :) Now I feel the same way about the flute. I giuess, piano was simply not the right instrument for me :)
6.I noticed that Rachael is much happier when Daniel is at home. He only goes to school three days a week now and they play so well together. We will be getting a higher water bill this month (they like splashing in the sink together) but it's totally worth it to me.
7. Rachael likes to run around the house naked. I often come to the living room and find that she took all her clothes off (again). She is soooo cute, but though we keep our house warm, it's still not THAT warm. She can put on her panties and pants by herself but I still have to help her with the shirt (on the way on, she seems to have nooooo problem getting rid of it.)

Happy Friday, friends!

God Moments

**Special thanks to Brooke for encouraging me to update this blog. If you need the encouragement, I am sure she will be happy to provide it for a small fee. She has a magic touch)**

Ok, not major ones. If you were not a believer in God you would probably just call them coincidences. Fine by me (I am not the one going to hell).
So, a couple of weeks ago I was looking at my flute warm-ups thinking to myself 'Boy, I wish I had a wider variety of these exercises so that I can spend more time on improving my tone.' Lo and behold, the first words out of my teacher's mouth at the next lesson were 'I want you to buy this book' (yes, it's the one I mentioned in my previous post light years ago). And today it came.
Be careful what you wish for, God does listen. From today on I will be spending about half an hour every day playing the same 12 notes between 1st B and 2nd B over and over again at a paaaaainfully slow tempo. Yes, for about half an hour (or longer if I am more diligent).
On the bright side, the book says I should improve. Eventually...(aren't you glad you are not my neighbor?) LOL.
Another 'God moment' started at church. I played flute during worship service for the first time in a couple of months. This little fifth grader comes running up to me afterwards, her face lit with absolute delight and excitement. I know the little girl quite well, we are a small church and she happens to absolutely adore small children of which I had three in the past few years (Rachael is still in that adorable age of grabbing A's attention whenever they see each other. She loves the attention, A loves giving it to her and I love the free time I get to talk to ADULTS. It's a win-win-win :). So we bonded over that. But I have never seen her THAT exited and though our pastor is a great preacher I doubted she was old enough to get that much from his sermon.
Turns out, since she will be starting 6th grade next year and they are required to take band, she will be learning to play the clarinet (I am not sure what it has to do with the flute, but in her mind it is obviously connected). I am sure that particular instrument was chosen because her dad used to play it in middle school and kept it after he was (allowed to be) done. It does require repair, but they already have it. She told me she can't wait to start to which I said 'great! we can practice together!' She was so, so excited! I even found a couple of teachers for her and gave their names to her mom.
So, like I just said, my flute book came in the mail today. Guess what else I found in that package? Yes, three books for B flat clarinet! The note said 'Thank you! Bonus books inside' The seller mush have decided to clear her/his music and sent these three books to me. Providentially, all three are for the clarinet and now she has some books to start learning. And we can practice together :) (that should make those long tones a little less boring)

Few Words Wednesday

I ordered this book at the recommendation of my teacher (and saved 10$ by ordering vs. buying it at the music store where I have my lessons). Ahhh, tone work. Don't you love it? You do? What is wrong with you???!!!



It should be here in a week. Until then I will go slur my octaves. FUN! (sarcasm, obviously)

Visit.

Remember the drama with a busted ear drum? Well, it didn't end there, though we were fortunate enough to have it happen on Wednesday and Thursday, because Grandpa and Grandma came to visit on Friday and by then Daniel was feeling a little better.
Our Grandparents have really high expectations when it comes to keeping a clean house. Needless to say, when they come to visit I start freaking out (I do have three small children and eating in the living room is not a crime in this house, so, yes, our floors do have an occasional crumb on them, let alone toys) Add to that an early phone call from a friend and spending all morning with her and all three of those children having been sick for the last three weeks and you will get the idea about my mental state (and the state of my house).
Well, at least the kids were really happy. They ADORE grandparents. The first thing Rachael asks when she wakes up is 'Where's Grandma?' Unfortunately I have no pictures, because I was too busy with meals/laundry/cleaning up. Throw in a couple of adults in my tiny kitchen all giving me advice and a work out/flute practice time, and it's amazing I am as sane as I am (ok, I did manage to put pepper shaker in the fridge and do some other things that an adult in a normal healthy state of mind probably wouldn't do, but other than that I am doing pretty well (insert hysterical laughing here).
So, to 'more drama' part. Rachael woke up on Sunday morning kind of crabby. I was hoping Grandparents would help take care of the kids during worship team practice, but they decided to stay home. It's a good thing they did. I could hear her crying the whole time we were practicing. In addition to that practicing wasn't good. Someone told me (quite meanly) that I was playing too close to their ear. Also when the piano and vocals could not keep the same tempo for some reason they decided to 'kick the drummer (me)' so to speak. So, after we played through all the songs once I went to investigate Rachael's continuous crying. (it was obvious that no additional practicing would make us sound any better as a group, for that we would have to grow EARS and start listening to each other instead of being soloists) One look at her miserable face and rubbing of the ear and I was on my way to Rapid Care (they are open on Sundays, a great alternative to the ER) where I ended up spending my morning. M wasn't happy, he thought I should wait till Monday because 'we can't be sure it's an ear infection'. Who's 'we'?
Turned out, I was right.(And that is why God gave children MOTHERS. So that they can survive the childhood). Another child with an ear infection. It's amazing what a dose of antibiotics can do to a child, though! By evening service she was her regular happy self. I keep telling M. that Mother's gut is Always right!
Well, grandparents are on the way home, ear infections are being dealt with, Daniel got a few much needed spankings (which resulted in a MUCH better attitude). Now, a work out and some time with the flute and my sanity might make a come back.

My Most Favorite Picture Of Them All.

Remember that first picture of Daniel I mentioned I really wanted to post on his birthday and couldn't find? My friend and doula who actually took it e-maild it to me. So, here it is:



Awww, my baby! Miracle in the making. What more can I say.