On Friday my daughter’s school Wind Ensemble participated in the Dixie Classic Music Festival at Hanover High School in Mechanicsville, VA. I am proud to say that they achieved a Superior Rating. Below are videos of the performance, for your enjoyment (and my bragging!). Thanks for having a look.
Our daughter plays flute and piccolo, and is “first chair” stage right of the conductor.
This last number is my favorite of all. I hear the kids loved playing it, too. It sounded like a real challenge.
Way to go, Wind Ensemble! This mom is proud of you.
This week is Spring Break for my kids. They’ve had fun, and they’ve had their share of squabbles. And come Monday, it’ll all be over, and back to normal routines of school, homework, and more reasonable bedtimes.
Luckily, my son is rarely bored. We’re constantly after him to keep his Legos picked up, and most of the time it’s a losing battle. Our living room carpet is literally a sea of plastic bits that probably came from some Star Wars themed fighting ship, and are always poised to be transformed into something else every day.
Well, today, he surprised us with this. Meet the Day Family!
The Day Family in Legos
Left to right are Steven, Diana, John and Trish. Aren’t we a good looking bunch?
I am especially tickled with the detail and time he took with LegoTrish.
LegoTrish
This is me, in my wheelchair, which he custom made. In my hands I am doing some sort of needlework, which was another touch he thought of by himself. (“Sorry, mommy, I could only find one knitting needle!”)
We’ve always taught our kids that my wheelchair is a part of me, and that it is not something which is a hindrance, but a tool that makes it possible for me to participate in life. I am their mom, and I just happen to be in a wheelchair. It’s not big news at our house, but it is such an integrated part of who I am that with every picture my kids have ever drawn of me, it is obvious that I am in a wheelchair.
So, it would be only right that the Lego Family would have a mom in a wheelchair, too… even if Lego wheelchairs don’t exist and 8-year-old boys have to stick them together with odd bits and pieces. And he did a pretty darn good job, too! Here’s a side view, for you wheelchair geeks.
Diana soaking up the sun on a happy dayAt the risk of sounding mushy, I’m going to tell you that 14 years ago tonight, almost to the very moment of this writing, I became a mother. That moment, at the sound of her first cry, on what was a snowy night in March, was so much more than the realization of a lifelong dream. It was EVERY dream. Practically the only thing I ever wanted in my whole life. And there she was, pink-faced and perturbed that we disturbed her napping with the business of being born. The enormity of the moment thankfully didn’t hit me just then, but eventually it did… that I would be completely and utterly responsible for the well-being of someone other than myself. That not only would I have to keep her fed and warm and clean and dry, but that also I would have to teach her things, and help her find her way through this life that is becoming more and more complicated.
Would I be up to the challenge? To help this little, wriggling girl know the difference between right and wrong, and to help her make good choices? Would I be able to share my knowledge with her without passing on the guilt of my own mistakes?
Would I forget to be so serious all the time, and teach her how to laugh? Would I teach her that the most wonderful places in the world are the ones you conjure up in your imagination? Would I show her how to be curious without being afraid?
Fourteen years ago, as all these things were crossing my mind, I could not imagine being here. Fourteen years on, with a daughter who now towers far above my head, but has the shyness of a child. One who is a giggling schoolgirl and an old soul all at once. We are a work in progress, she and I, and only time will tell me if I have done well. I think so, though, and so far I am very proud that of all the daughters in the world, God gave me this one. I am truly lucky.
Snow hanging off my porch roofThe teen daughter snapped this photo of our back porch roof tonight… It almost looks like a big hunk of snow was about to fall off and then it refroze, right in place. All in all we haven’t had a lot of melting going on. It’s still cold here and many, many of the streets in the area are impassable still.
And, get this. We’re supposed to get anywhere between 5 and 15 inches of additional snow tomorrow. No, really. I’m not pulling your leg. It’s going to snow more tomorrow into Wednesday. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to the new snow as much as I was looking forward to the weekend snow. It’s starting to get a little old. I’m betting that the schools will be out for the rest of the week, and frankly I don’t know if my sanity can stand it.
What’s supposed to be worse than the snow itself is the wind. We’re expecting fairly heavy gusts through the worst part of the storm. We were spared a major power outage the first go round, and I hope we get lucky again.
As for me, the Federal Government is closed again tomorrow. I am glad of this because there is no way we’d be able to get all the way downtown from here. Not only that, but with the kids off it makes it harder to get work done, so I’m glad I won’t be charged with a day of leave. I’m sure that won’t be the case for the rest of the week I’m sure I’m going to have to take off. I’ve been making minor progress on my knitting, and am itching to start something new. Still I am determined to finish my hat first. And John and Diana were able to make it out to the grocery store tonight, so they got fixin’s for homemade pizza. Looks like I’m cooking pizza sauce tomorrow.
It’s all good. I’m dreaming of Spring, but it’s good.
Ok, so more than a few! Yes, that’s a yardstick, showing how many inches of snow we had in our yard this afternoon. The snow started with a quick shower at about 10 a.m. on Friday, and then began in earnest at right about noon. The kids got out of school early and John didn’t bother to go in since we pretty much figured he’d have to turn right around and get them anyway.
The snow blew fast and furious through the night, in a way that I don’t think I have ever seen in my whole life. Blizzards are a rare thing in these parts! The last storm with this much snow all at once happened more than a hundred years ago. 30 to 38 inches was common all over the area. We had just under three feet, I think, and goodness knows when we’ll be able to emerge from the house again. The driveway is slowly getting done but it will be a bit more time before John can dig the vans out.
It’s all good… we’ve got Netflix on Demand, lots of hot chocolate, and no shortage of toilet paper around here. I’m reminding myself often that this is the sort of thing I’ve been wishing for, a few days where I have no choice but to stay home and make myself enjoy it. And enjoying it I am!
The one downer is that my wheelchair charger failed last night and so my batteries are rapidly dying. I do have a spare chair but it hurts my back in an awful way. It’ll probably be the end of the week before I can get to where the wheelchair place is, which is about an hour from here. There always has to be something…
Here’s a gallery of photos of the snowfall around our house. Please do ignore the fact that I did not do my hair or my makeup this morning… I figured no one would be seeing me today. This’ll teach me! (As usual, click on the thumbnail to see a larger photo.)
And here’s our video of the snowfall:
The rest of the weekend (and probably Monday, too) will be for cleaning up and digging out. And more digging, and more digging… but that’s ok. There’s a steamy pot of chili waiting.
It’s the middle of the night here, but since I haven’t been to bed yet, it’s still Saturday to me and so I’m writing as if it is Saturday, even though it really isn’t. But that’s our secret, ok? Please don’t tell my mom that it’s 2:11 a.m. and I haven’t been to bed yet. I’ll never hear the end of it.
We awoke this morning to the promise of snow and a heavy gray sky. The sort of morning where the barometer in my joints was telling me that yes, it is going to snow. Guaranteed. And, we were not disappointed! The surprising thing, though, was that we got as much snow as we did, since they were only saying just a day or so ago that we could expect a scant two inches. It snowed all day and into the night, though, so I was actually surprised that we didn’t get more. In the end, I think we have about 7 inches on the ground here. But I suppose it could have been worse.
Thankfully everyone here was content to stay inside and watch movies or play with new Legos, because it was really too cold to do much playing outside. We were amused watching our cat run from window to window at breakneck speed, we think so she could check and see if it really was snowing outside of every window. She’s nearly 18 years old now and has never really been outside, except for maybe once, about 15 years ago, when she decided she wanted to see what snow was. For the most part, our other cat, Tegan, slept all day at my feet, as usual, which was fine by me. It was a good day for napping.
I spent several hours today finally watching Michael Jackson: This Is It and several of the video “extras” included on the Blu-Ray disc. Man, I was blown away! I had wanted desperately to see this movie in the theater when it came out, but never made it to see the movie. But, I was grateful for my flat screen TV and stereo speakers, which delivered an amazing view of the film. As I watched, I found myself becoming a bit sad, not for Michael Jackson, but for all the young people who were the dancers, and musicians, and the crew for this amazing show. I felt sad for them, for what was not to be. Then on the other hand, I was so grateful that those two cameras were on hand to document the rehearsals. I am betting that perhaps the actual concerts, if they had happened, would have been turned into a movie, and that maybe this stuff that was the movie would have been nothing more than an interesting aside.
Instead, even with the rough footage that was shot, what I saw was a real gem. The true talent of Michael Jackson came out, with his attention to every detail and the amazing technical artistry that was planned. And the dancing! Oh my, that was really something. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, even if you’re someone who doesn’t love Michael Jackson? It’s worth it. It is a truly amazing thing to watch, in bits and pieces that we, the public, rarely ever get to see.
I put on a pot of spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight so that the windows would get all foggy from the steam and it would feel extra warm in here on this cold day. It was good, too… and I have some leftovers for a day or so, but I’m going to cook something else tomorrow so I can steam up the house again. If the weather’s nice enough though, we may get dinner from Olive Garden as a celebration for the teen daughter, who just brought home another straight-A report card this weekend.
Tonight I watched Sleepless in Seattle and intended to get some knitting done, but for whatever reason that didn’t happen. I think I got too wrapped up in the romance! Why is it that I love that sappy, ridiculous movie so much? Ever since seeing that movie I’ve wanted to visit Seattle something awful, which makes NO sense at all, because going there would probably send my SAD into a total meltdown. I really do hate rain, so I imagine that the real Seattle would probably not be good for me except for short visits. But, in that silly little movie, even the rain looks all cuddly. Weird.
Ok so as you can tell by now, today was one of those days that was incredibly full of absolutely nothing. It was the sort of day I often wish for, and I guess the reason why I’ve put off going to bed this long is because I didn’t want it to end. Alas, the sleep is now overtaking my eyes, and I think I’ll sign off.
and several of the video “extras” included on the Blu-Ray disc. Man, I was blown away! I had wanted desperately to see this movie in the theater when it came out, but never made it to see the movie. But, I was grateful for my flat screen TV and stereo speakers, which delivered an amazing view of the film. As I watched, I found myself becoming a bit sad, not for Michael Jackson, but for all the young people who were the dancers, and musicians, and the crew for this amazing show. I felt sad for them, for what was not to be. Then on the other hand, I was so grateful that those two cameras were on hand to document the rehearsals. I am betting that perhaps the actual concerts, if they had happened, would have been turned into a movie, and that maybe this stuff that was the movie would have been nothing more than an interesting aside. 
and intended to get some knitting done, but for whatever reason that didn’t happen. I think I got too wrapped up in the romance! Why is it that I love that sappy, ridiculous movie so much? Ever since seeing that movie I’ve wanted to visit Seattle something awful, which makes NO sense at all, because going there would probably send my SAD into a total meltdown. I really do hate rain, so I imagine that the real Seattle would probably not be good for me except for short visits. But, in that silly little movie, even the rain looks all cuddly. Weird.