My Blog

What a week of parties it has been, and so much fun to reconnect with old friends and family! I guess things started off when my cousins arrived last weekend. I was playing in church on Christmas morning so that was the first time I got to see them all, it was so nice! My family took up a whole row in the sanctuary.

For Christmas we went to my aunt and uncle’s house and had a wonderful dinner and gift exchange game. We then went to the hospital to see Granny. Oh how it made her day to have company. Then we went back over to my Aunt and Uncle’s to hang out with the cousins more. Monday morning we had a family portrait taken, many pictures actually with the entire family, the smaller families and parents. It was really special and we did it as an 80th birthday gift to my grandmother. She didn’t want a big party or anything like that, she wanted to have her family together.

Monday evening Mom and Dad threw a graduation party for me and my brother Jim. We saw so many old friends and family, it was truly a kicking party all night. I think the last person left at 2am!!! Then Tuesday night was my Great Aunt and Uncle’s 50th wedding anniversary! They had a dinner dance at the Country Club, my dad’s 5-piece combo played all the great old standard jazz tunes and what really got me was how many of the little kids were dancing - and really dancing ballroom style. Well, thank you to the Harry Potter Wizards Ball for inspiring kids to learn to dance!!! Maybe we will see a resurgence in their generation!!

Well, it is a gorgeous 65 degree sunny day here, I think I’m going to go enjoy the weather!!!!! I’ll update again when there is news. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday. I’m really enjoying the family time!

I have forgotten how nice it is to have a true break. It feels like summer break, mainly because I am done with school - this is still a new concept to me, maybe it is because even though I’m working in academia, I leave at the end of the day, week, semester, and go home and have a normal life. No homework to do, papers to write or any of that. Of course I do need to start writing research articles, working on a CD and all that jazz…but I’m enjoying the calm right now.

I’m in Oklahoma with my family. I’ve gotten into a routine of going to yoga in the morning (man I’m sore though!) then meeting my mom and brother at home for lunch, practicing early afternoon, then knitting furiously trying to get all the scarfs done for Christmas gifts. I’m getting close. I have about 4 going and I just work on one for a while, go to the next, that way I don’t get super bored. I can’t wait until the holiday is over, then I can knit scarfs and learn to do sweaters for ME!

Yesterday I got my official invite to perform at the International Clarinet Association Conference in Atlanta!!! I’m excited. Its my true 15 minutes of fame, but hey - its something right? I’m just trying to figure out what to play - what are my best 15 minutes? That is tough! If Yin can play - then it will be awesome - we’ll do the Martinu that we both enjoy! Then I will probably do a short unaccompanied piece like Kovacs DeFalla.

I’m also playing at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium and that program is set as Khachaturian, Messiaen and Widor. Then in between that (June 15-17) and ICA (Aug 8-13) I’m teaching at the ARIA music festival in Indiana. Nothing like a full summer!!! Yay!

Ok - time to practice - I’ll try to update more often but there isn’t much new. I am excited about seeing some old friends next week at the graduation party my parents are throwing. Its exciting since some of us haven’t seen each other in 4 years or more!!

All I have left is to turn in my grades! Today we did hearings - basically like a jury but less pressure than a jury. They went well - some of my kids had more problems than others but all in all I think they did alright. The hard thing is giving out the low grades. I don’t have a lot of A’s - and that is hard to swallow - giving B’s, C’s, D’s…F’s? Yes, I have a kid who may fail - can you imagine not being ready for your lessons? Never - not this kid - if they show up at all. I usually end up sending them out of their lesson to practice - I don’t think they do though.

On the brighter side - I’m leaving for OK in just a couple of days. Friday or Saturday weather pending. And its party time. I get to spend a whole 3 weeks with family and friends. I’m really looking forward to it. If any of you are around Tulsa, OK on Dec 26 - you can come to my graduation party!! It will be quite a bash.

Not much more interesting blog info today - going to hang out with a friend - do some shopping, some serious drinking, and start getting organized to leave town!

Where did this semester go? It seems like it went faster than any semester when I was actually in school. I guess the routine of going to work everyday, teaching, performing, etc. just makes the weeks go faster. My students are all coming over tomorrow for a Christmas party. I’m cooking lasagna - I’m making 3…hopefully that is enough for 14 people.

We have juries this week and then I’m driving to Oklahoma to spend a few weeks with my family. My grandmother is not doing well, we had to take the car keys away and currently she is in the hospital because of an infected cut on her leg. She has been in and out over the last month and its been really tough on the family. We have to move her from the Assisted Living to a Nursing facility and are all afraid that she just isn’t going to do very well. She hasn’t been taking the correct amount of medications for her Congestive heart problems or enough insulin for her diabetes…its just sad that when people get older, they don’t take care of themselves.

On a slightly brighter note - My parents are throwing me a graduation party the day after Christmas and I want to invite any of you that are in Tulsa on Dec 26. It will definitely be fun and a good chance to catch up!

I’m going to get back to knitting - working on Christmas presents.