Red Carpet Night

No, I was not at the Golden Globes recently. But I did get to walk on a red carpet and get all glammed up...for our piano recital! Oh yes, we had a red carpet, which was very fitting for our theme this year: Movies and Broadway. Joleen went all out with stars the students could sign on the ground, trophies, VIP passes to get in,...she plans amazing and unique recitals! Some kids even dressed the part for their song-- we had Darth Vader, Snow White, Cinderella,... I had two students dress exactly alike as Mary Poppins which was priceless. It was so rewarding and moving to see my students play with skill, confidence, and grace. I must say I am very attached to my students and families at this point; it really is such a privilege to teach these children to play the piano and instill a love for music in them.

The students are not the only ones who must worry about playing in front of a large audience. I, too, played a piece and was very nervous! I decided to challenge myself this year and sing with my piece, "On My Own" from Les Miserables, since it seemed so fitting with the theme. I had never done this in front of a crowd (I have always been self-conscious about singing alone in front of others) and thought the morning of the recital that I must have been out of my mind to say I would do such a thing! But I am so glad I did it. It was a big hurdle I thought I could never jump. And it was actually kind of fun! It made it even more special that my mom and in-laws were able to be there to see me perform (feel I should note that my dad would have been there too but he had to work). I feel very blessed to have two supportive and encouraging families in my life!

You Should See the Other Guy...

Wordless Wednesday

Rockin' the New Year

We had a full house at my parents on New Years eve, welcoming the new year with many of our extended family members. Dave brought his entire Rock Band set up which instantly became the entertainment for the evening. I'm not sure who had the best singing performance- Tim with "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" by Boy George, Dave with "Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional, or Mom with "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar. All were quite impressive. And boy did Aunt Sharon impress us with her guitar moves! I was pretty terrible at everything but I didn't let it keep me from rockin' out.  

New Years morning was Christmas #2 with my parents and siblings. My parents got the grandsons pop-up tents, a Thomas engine and caboose for Aidan and Liam and a school bus for Micah. They were a huge hit, especially with Aidan who immediately hopped inside and started shouting "All aboard!" My parents also continued the tradition of giving each of us an ornament from the Christmas Barn, an amazing shop with the most unique ornaments, decorations, and train sets. This year I received my favorite ornament so far-- a piano! It was a lot of fun spending time with everyone and seeing the boys play together again. I can't believe we will have a little girl in the mix in just a little over two months!

cousin Mike being silly with Micah

cousins

jammin' with my bro

Dave and Tim rockin' out

rockers

All Aboard!

Micah's pop-up tent

piano ornament!

Christmas donut. Mmmmm.

Norman Rockwell Exhibit

If you are a fan of Norman Rockwell, you will certainly enjoy the exhibit "Rockwell's America" at the King of Prussia Mall. I believe it is open until March. Rockwell's illustrations are brought to life in 3-dimensional depictions along with video and writings about his work. It is more than just enjoyable art; it is a reminder of the many changes that have taken place in America as well as the many things that have not changed a bit.

self portrait

"after the prom"

sick dolly

Micah in his own exhibit

A White Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with family and close friends. It was sad not having Tim home the week leading into Christmas, but we were thankful that his long hours earned him some quality time at home when he got back. We had lots of down time which was greatly enjoyed. Micah had fun playing in the snow with his daddy and grandparents, and he certainly enjoyed playing with all his new toys. Grandma and Grandpa gave Micah the rocking horse that Tim grew up playing with- what a special gift! And we received a very special gift from Tim's brother, Jeremy- a beautiful oil painting of Valley Forge, painted by Jeremy himself. I am excited to get it up on the wall! 

On Sunday, we had a visit from Mimi and Greg, our dear friends that live too far away in Ohio. Mimi and I have been the best of friends since we were 8 years old; I cherish each opportunity I have to spend with her! It was so much fun to have Mimi and Greg in our home, to catch up in person and share a lot of laughs. It was also exciting to see them because they are 16 weeks pregnant with their first child! If it's a girl, I think we are going to have an arranged marriage... Each Christmas since we've been married (same year), we exchange ornaments with a different theme each year. Most years we have picked two adjectives from the "Apples to Apples" game and the ornament must then fit both adjectives. This year's  adjectives were "ancient" and "sappy." The search turned out much harder than we had planned! I went with "sappy" as in "overly sentimental" and found an angel (ancient) holding a banner that read "My Favorite Angel" (sappy). We received an ornament from them that read "Joy" with a pine cone and needles attached to it. I love seeing how we each interpret the theme. It has been a fun tradition. 

hugs for Daddy

playing with Grandma

snow cave

Micah loves his rocking horse!

not sure why he he needs to sit on the garage to play? boys...

i love you, Mimi!

ornament exchange

Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off to Work He Goes...