Originally uploaded by //bwr

I love this picture.
I am taking a couple of minutes out of my day to look at beautiful pictures. I guess I am trying to escape momentarily.
This time of the year is a little nuts. I love it, but I always have to just take a deep breath and jump in. I often am thinking, "Why did I become a Music teacher again?"
Tonight Matt and I are singing for the Senior banquet at church. We stayed home this morning to practice, etc. I am going to go back to school for choir, though. The choir is singing Sunday at a church in Potts Camp. Every time we even begin to go somewhere like this, my heart starts pounding. I can handle my own performing....if I mess up, I can handle it. I can control the way I think about the performance...how excited I get about it. Getting these kids to care about what we are doing is something entirely different. Please pray that all of our work will come together. Pray that I will know how to lead them. (This is only my second year with high school.)
I think a lot of the kids are getting discouraged because I have to stop so often for discipline problems. We have a tough time learning many songs. Getting all the way through songs, etc. I know so much of this is my lack of experience. Matt is really encouraging me, though. He is reminding me of his year at Morton.
He makes me feel a little better.
On a fun note, the Oxford Civic Chorus sang Tuesday night at the Powerhouse in Oxford. I got to sing the solo on Shenandoah. It was a lot of fun.
This time of year is so wonderful. I am going to try to remember what it is all about and love it even in the midst of craziness.
This week my principal is leaving to go be the Superintendent in another school district. Tomorrow we are having a big shindig for him. I am supposed to re-write "Lucille" to sound like "Basil". We are trying to get all teachers to sing with us.
Should be fun. Well, have a great rest of the week. Shoot us an email....we would love to hear what you all are doing?

Thanksgiving Holidays at last.....

Saturday morning. I thought this was going to be a much crazier week than it has actually been.

Last weekend was filled with Oxford Civic Chorus practices, parties and then concert. The concert was great. So much fun to sing with that big group and then the ensemble. What a thrill to be singing under the direction of an awesome conductor. My college professor is our conductor now. I have never seen another like him.

Sunday, at church before the concert, the staff was honored by the church at the end of the service. It was so nice. They gave us a nice gift certificate to Chili's which we enjoyed this week. After the concert, Matt rushed back to church for children's choir. He was still wearing his tux. :) He led worship at church in his tux. I matched him on the first pew by wearing my long black skirt and black top. :) I guess you gotta do what you gotta do when you have no time.

The week became more exciting when one of my students stole the SIM card out of my phone. We attempted to get some info, but in the end I just cut off my phone and went on. I guess I learned my lesson. (I hope.) I don't want to be totally distrusting of all of my students, but I am a little more careful now. I did see where I am eligible for a new phone with a 2 year contract. So, I guess in a way this student has made me upgrade to a nicer phone for myself. I may even get one with a camera. What he/she meant for bad has turned out good for me. Reminds me of a story I know.....mine is to a much lesser degree, though. I mean, how important are cell phones? Not very.

The turkeys were supposed to come on Wednesday, but the truck broke down. They came on Thursday. There was only one mistake with people getting what they ordered. A smoked turkey was missing and a sweet person agreed to take a Cajun turkey instead. I was so happy that they were not upset about it. So, all meat is given and most money is in. Yea! We made about $800 with one student making about $200 of that profit. We only had a few selling this year, so maybe more will sell next year. The meats are great, so maybe it will catch on and people will make us a tradition of where they get their Thanksgiving turkeys/hams. :)

I am so excited about seeing my family. It has been so long since we got to go home to our moms'. I hope I can keep from thinking about Christmas programs, casting speaking parts, etc. off of my mind to enjoy our time together.

After the OCC concert at the Powerhouse in Oxford on the 27th, Matt and I are singing at the Senior Banquet at church the 29th. I am so excited about singing Christmas music again. It always makes it great, too, when you are singing for some of the sweetest people in the world.

I wish that we could have recorded again this year, but other things took priority. We are needing a new computer really before we can do any of that. This one has been very faithful to us. Well....as faithful as any computer. It didn't blow up or anything. It is time, though, to move on to a younger cutie. Matt is recording a friend's church choir soon, and he really needs the computer soon so he can actually give his friend a CD instead of just having the audio on his recorder.

I am listening to Matt's mix of Nora Jones and Allison Krauss and Robert Plant. It is really interesting. I love Nora Jones' voice and style. The Allison and Robert is very eclectic. I think I like it, though.

I am rambling now, so I will end this post. Oh, have I mentioned how incredible beautiful the leaves have been this year? My breath is almost taken away and I almost wreck because I am staring at them as I drive to and home from school. Just FYI. God sure makes some beautiful things.

If I don't post again this week, have a great Thanksgiving.

Curls galore

This week has been wild. Monday, I stayed home from OCC practice (with our concert this weekend) because of a sinus infection. Tuesday, we went to a choral director's workshop. It was really good. I just ate it up, being that I have so much to learn about being a choir director.

Wednesday, things were in gear for Matthew's surprise party at church. Matthew's youth director wanted everyone to have their hair like Matthew's in his honor. I looked on the Internet and found some wigs that were pretty close to his hair. His was not quite so curly, but it was similar.

They were Napoleon Dynamite wigs. While the kids were in youth we decorated downstairs. When youth group was over, the kids came down and put on their wigs. When he came down he was almost surprised. He kind of heard some people say...."He's coming, he's coming!"

It was a good night. I kind of forgot how wild it might get. The younger kids had just come out of their Bible drill classes and came running into the gym. When they saw the wigs, etc., they went nuts. That is one thing I will change the next time we have a 16th surprise birthday party for Matthew. Not to have the younger kids around the whole time. We love them, but some times the youth need their own thing.

Last night, Matt and I had another OCC practice getting ready for Sunday. Matt's choir sings in the morning at the Ole Miss Choral Festival, and then we have another practice then party with the OCC people. I guess I should just not be so surprised when we have a lot going on. Get used to it. Don't complain. Just do it. Sunday afternoon, concert, Sunday night, drama practice with the youth, Wednesday, turkeys coming in.......

Nana and I saw a great movie tonight. It is called "Dan in Real Life". Steve Carell is great in it.
It is also pretty wholesome. There where a couple of tricky places that you may call inappropriate, but I loved it. I told Matt that it was probably a chic movie because I would have felt very guilty about going to see a Steve Carell movie without him unless it was going to maybe be something he wouldn't like. Well, I may have to go see it with him. Not a movie only for chics.

Matthew is on a trip to Shannon tonight. Lafayette played them in the play-offs tonight. Haven't heard how it came out. It probably just ended. May have to call Matthew on his cell phone (this was his present). We added him to our plan. We, however, aren't cool parents who add unlimited texting to our plan. We remind him that every text he makes is $.10. This afternoon he texted me about missing my earlier call. I called him back and asked why he didn't just call me to tell me that he was sorry he missed my call. Help!

I hope we get to spend some good family time together tomorrow. I feel like I haven't seen my kids in so long. Funny thing is, when they are home and I am home, they still play outside for so long, that I have to make them come in for us to have family time. Punishment. You must spend time with your parents. Grrrrr......

Please pray for me Wednesday. The turkeys, etc. are going to be delivered and I need to make sure that right orders go to the right people, etc. I also have to deal with the money aspect of it, which is not my forte.

I have a good friend who left teaching after school started for different reasons. She is a great Christian friend of mine who now prays so much for us teachers because she knows the trenches we are in everyday. Please pray for us that we will be witnesses and not lose our tempers, etc. Please pray that we will make a difference with our students. Being in the public school, I get so concerned for our young people. Things have changed so much since I was in school. My kids didn't know "My Country Tis' Of Thee" and many had no clue about Christmas. It breaks my heart that I can't tell them the truth. Anyway....I know that was a little random. I guess I was on the thought of school.

Have a great weekend.

Numbers 6:24-26
24 The LORD bless you
and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '

Parties galore

I had the fun of going to my friend Leslie's surprise birthday party Saturday afternoon. Her husband, Tommy, had made all of the plans. They boiled shrimp and it was goood!
Leslie's mom had a time getting her there, though. We waited a little longer for her to get home. I know how it is when you get to go shopping with your mom. She even wanted to go to a Sweet Potato Festival. Her mom finally had to act sick to get her home. She was floored that her husband would do that. Our other good friend from Pelahatchie was there with her kids. I couldn't believe how much they have all grown. The kids had fun being around the chiminea with their Uncle Paul. One child got a little too close and has a bit of a new hairdo. It was a good time.

When I got ready to leave around 9:30 to drive back to Oxford, my car didn't want to crank. I knew the car was running great and was wondering what it could have been. Finally it cranked, I got a little down the road and looked at my gas gauge. It was lower than it had ever been, so I drove to the first Grenada exit. When I got to the gas station, I realized that my billfold was by my computer at home and I didn't have a dime on me. I was thankful for cell phones and called Leslie, who sent her brother to give me some money. Humbling.....
Thank you, Paul.

Matt and the kids were in Jackson. Matt went down Saturday morning to see the high school choir sing in Pearl. They did pretty well. The kids went down Friday with my mom. Matthew got to shop with Mamaw for his birthday. He got a cool fender t-shirt like he likes. Cool clothes. He is much cooler than I ever was in high school. :) I will have more to say about his birthday after Wednesday night. (I hope he doesn't read this before then...)
We have many fun things in store. We need them because things are kind of strained between us right now. It burdens my heart, but he is going his own direction. It is just a little difficult for us to handle sometimes. I know they all have to be themselves, but what is that and what is rebellion? I have much praying to do. I know that God is in control of his life. I pray that I will just give him over to God and let the Holy Spirit work in his life.

It is tough for us to not have conflict with him. He brings up topics sometimes that make it seem like he wants conflict. ???????????????? I think we need to show him that he is so much more important to us than those little things about him. He is only almost 16. (His birthday is tomorrow.) Why do we let these little things separate us?

Matt and I have a lot going on in the next few weeks. The Oxford Civic Chorus concert is next weekend. We need to plan for the different musicals coming during Christmas. Please keep us in your prayers that we will glorify God as we plan and lead these, and don't neglect our family. I guess in a way, we are very blessed because people who are in Music get to hear, sing, think about this music and what Christmas means way before the holiday. So, yea.....

Have a great week!!