My 100th Post

Really I thought I had done more than that. But I haven't. I need to do better!
I thought about doing 100 things I love or something, but that would take a long time, and really I don't know that I have time or if my brain would work long enough.

So you are going to get a whole bunch at once, all about what September has brought for us, that is if I have a picture and can jog my memory.

Over Labor Day we went to the Science Center! It was a lot of fun. My kids really enjoyed it, but my Little Man was afraid of the butterflies. I am talking really scared of them. And they were so cool, and kept trying to land on him. Poor kid was terrified. Little Miss on the other hand LOVED THEM! She enjoyed every minute of it. Then we went to see the dinosaurs, and both of them were enjoying every minute of it!!

The same weekend she also found a marker that I had foolishly left out. Thank goodness it was washable. And I am thankful that when her daddy found her he had such a good sense of humor and knew to snap a picture! And yes, her nose was stained blue for a few days.

We got Little Miss some new clothes, she was in dire need. She has grown a ton, and she is so cute. I took her picture and realize how grown up she is becoming. Every picture I took of her she wanted to show me she was upside down. She is a hoot! Watch out world. She is a knock out!

Then the kids have went back to school. When did I become old enough to have two kids in preschool? That is right for two hours twice a week I am alone. No kids. So what do I do? Today I am blogging, trying to get a little caught up. Thursday's that is my temple day. A great way to spend the week. Tuesday I do such a variety, from my Visiting Teaching, to Shopping, to just chilling!

And last Tuesday I decided to go drive a minivan. I want to belong to the cool group of Mormon Mommy's that drive van's. So I decided after a nice test drive that we should take the plunge. So here is the Millennium Falcon, as Randy calls. The new van!

And who can forget my Little Man who now can ride a bike all by himself. This past weekend the four of us enjoyed a nice bike ride together. Little Miss in her trailer and the rest of us on our way to getting really sore butts!

So this is post 100, you get to learn all about our September. It was fun, it was eventful. And we were able to have a lot of fun family time!

He is Growing Up!!

Little Man is growing up way too quickly. He is becoming more independent. I am so proud of him, but I wonder where my little boy has went, how did he get so big?

His newest feat is he is now riding his back without training wheels. This summer Grandpa had attempted to help him, and he did great for his first try, (like 20 feet) and then he took an unfortunate crash into the rose bushes and ended up with a thorn in his hand. He was not happy. Thursday night Randy took the training wheels off and we bribed him with a trip to Dairy Queen and he decided he could try it. It took a little work with Randy running and pushing him, and then he got it!

Every minute he gets he is outside on his bike riding. The "big" kids in the neighborhood that he adores have all been congratulating him, and helping him up when he falls. I am proud to report that we have had some crashes, but we haven't had any blood! Every time he crashes he says I am okay, no blood! He is steering a little better and in just a few days he has come a long way! I am so proud!! How did this happen? When did he become so big?

He Hears Us

My Dad had to go to the cardiologist today, out of town. He was told to go prepared to stay a week, they had found a restriction in his heart. My Mom, little sister who is 9, and my Dad went worried he was going to have open heart surgery. He had been having pains and just not feeling well.

We knew he was going up today so all of my family fasted for him today in hopes that things would go well. I am happy to report that our prayers were heard! My Mom the cute woman she is was talking to me while they were doing the Heart Cath and said oh, he is done, they are wheeling him out and he is still alive! Not that she expected him to die, but hey he is still alive! And the even better news is that he has a kinked artery in his heart which we have known about but it isn't causing any problems and things are okay. No need for surgery, no need for angioplasty, none of it. He is okay and was able to come home today.

When my Mom told me that tears came to my eyes. I was overcome with joy knowing my Dad would be okay. There had been some fear among the family of what would happen if he had to have open heart surgery. We know that people have had open heart and come through just fine, my nine year old sister is one of those people. But it is still scary. The thought of losing my Dad was scary, more scary than I thought it would be. It has been an emotional week for all of us, so to know that he is okay, I know that my Heavenly Father heard our prayers. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who answers prayers and pleas of His children. I know He hears us, and He is so aware of us.

A Tribute to Curtis T. Noel

I am participating in the 2,996 Tribute for the victims of 9/11. It is a honor to do so. I hope and pray that I will be able to help people to see a glimpse at who Curtis was. To help to put a face on someone who was a victim to help us never forget.

Tragically Curtis T. Noel was one of those victims. His life ended too short. Curtis was only 22, not nearly old enough when his life was taken too soon. Curtis died five years ago on September 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center, Tower 1.

Curtis was a jokester. He kept everyone laughing. He graduated in 1996 from James Monroe High School in the Bronx, NY. He was voted class clown in his class. A memory his friend Jose had of this is, "He was one of the funniest people I knew. I remember we had a senior party in H.S. and he pulled his jeans down on the stage and showed everyone his "Joe Boxers". Some bright yellow happy face boxers. He had the whole party laughing."

Curtis Noel loved to tease his mother. Once Theresa Noel dropped some chicken on the floor, and her son shouted, "Nasty, nasty!" Then he said that was where he got his clumsy genes.

Curtis was kind, and a friend to all those who knew him. He impacted people's lives, even those who only met whim once, or had just spoken to him on the phone. Kimberly a friend from high school recounts, "I had the pleasure of knowing Curtis since high school. We attended the prom together and spoke frequently on the telephone, since I moved to Georgia. He was the person that I could talk to when I felt that no one else would understand me." Another friend Conrad said. "Curtis was a free spirit who was always there with a smile. Its so sad to know that the world will only see you as part of this immense tragedy and not as our FRIEND. To know you is to Love you my Brother."

His friend Kisha related, "I remember during the summer I would spend the weekend at my cousin Lisa's house, she lived a few blocks away from Curtis and his cousin Garvin. Lisa and I would sit outside on the front porch trying to catch some of the cool night air before going to bed. While we sat there we made sure our hair, makeup and clothing looked great just in case Curtis and Garvin passed by to chill with us. As Lisa and I were talking our conversation would be cut short by the loud music coming from a dark car with dark tinted windows...The only thing that could be seen were these big bright eyes gleaming from a cracked window. After a few seconds the music would be turned down and the power windows would roll down and we would hear "Wassup Yo!"

Lisa and I would laugh because we both thought Curtis was cute and had a resemblance to that of Chris Tucker. Curtis would sit with us and chat for a while until Garvin called to meet up with him, then the 4 of us would just sit and crack jokes and try to mack to each other to see who had the best game. I will always treasure those days and will never forget Curtis for always making me laugh, even when I didn't want to."

Another great memory of Kisha's is, "I will never forget how I use to look forward to the weekends when I would spend time with my cousin at her house in the Bronx, the reason being was because I knew that I would see Curtis aka "Curt Flirt". Curtis was just so funny and he made me laugh constantly, even when he was serious he was funny."

"I never met Curtis face to face, but dealt with him often. The company I worked for partitioned the GenTel switch. Curtis was always friendly and helpful. I always enjoyed speaking to him. I was deeply saddened when I learned that he lost his life on 9/11." This was said by Annette, she knew what a great person he was just from talking to him on the phone.

These are just a few of many great things people have to say about Curtis.

Curtis worked at General Telecom in the World Trade Center, he loved his job as a switch engineer. He was a valuable and hard working employee. The company had sent him to training courses, and was always calling him in on weekends when something went wrong. Curtis took his future seriously. He worked hard and he was studying telecommunications at Manhattan Community College and dreamed of owning his own home.

Curtis could never bulk up. He would go to the gym, or eat a lot, but he was always skinny. So he would tell his husky friend Garvin, "You're my bodyguard." He had got Garvin a job at another office of General Telecom, but they rode most of the way from the Bronx to work together. The last time he told Garvin about bodyguard duty was the morning of Sept. 11, when they arranged to go to the bank at lunchtime. They shook hands when Garvin got off at the Brooklyn Bridge stop on the No. 4 train.

For the two years prior Curtis Noel and Aisha Harris led intertwined lives. With all they had in common, the only surprising thing about their relationship is that it took so long to get off the ground.

Both 22, they lived a little more than a mile and a half apart in the South Bronx and met three years ago through mutual friends. Aisha, who wasn't dating anyone at the time, started going out to parties and clubs with the group while she continued her search for the elusive Mr. Right.

If Aisha wanted her life to go somewhere, so did Curtis. Like Aisha, he lived with his parents, immigrants from Trinidad who instilled the value of family and hard work in their youngest son. "He was brought up to do the right thing," said Curtis' best friend, Garvin.

"What about Curtis?" Arvette Harris asked her daughter when she complained about the shortage of responsible men. "Sounds like you're looking for the same thing."

It took a year for the penny to drop. But when it did, it dropped with a vengeance. "It was obvious to me that they were just crazy about each other," said Aisha's mother. The couple took vacations together in Florida and the Caribbean and were constantly visiting each other's house.
Romance didn't slow their pace. Aisha switched her major to telecommunications after a summer internship at General Telecom turned into a customer service job. Curtis was taking night classes and looking into buying a condo in Brooklyn. The two had discussed marriage and their future, said Aisha's mother, but they both wanted to get financially established before taking such a step. "For people so young, they had everything on the ball," she said.

Curtis had a lot going for him. He was successful, he was funny, he was smart, and kind. Curtis is a son, a brother, a friend. He left behind his parents, Teresa and Michael Curtis Sr., his brother, Michael Curtis Jr., and his sister, Abigail, all of the Bronx. Curtis is the type of guy you would want for a friend.

As I researched to learn more about Curtis, my heart went out to his family and his friends. I am two years younger than him, and I cannot imagine the heartache his family has felt. To his mother, my heartaches for you losing your son. I look at my own son and cannot even begin to imagine that pain you must feel, I am so very sorry. From everything I read I am in awe of Curtis and the great guy that he was and is. What a blessing to have touched so many lives. My heart goes out to you for your loss of your friend, you son, your brother. I feel I only touched the tip of the iceberg on someone so great. I will never forget what I have learned.

September 11, 2001 a day I don't think any of us will ever forget. A day that changed so many lives for so many people. Families were changed as loved ones were ripped away from them on this Earth. Our hearts ached for people we didn't know for those who had lost their loved ones. For those we suffered so much. I did not personally know anyone who died that tragic day. I live on the opposite side of the country, but the day was tragic and devastating to all Americans and to many more people around the world. Here it is five years later, how many of us remember? Do we remember where we were? What we were doing? Do we remember how we were glued to the TV not moving, wondering how could this be happening? The fear, the anger? Too often I think people forget what happened that day. We as a country united to support one another. People risked their lives and sacrificed their lives in effort to save others. I am grateful to have had the chance to learn about someone so great. To put a face and on a victim and to help me to remember what happened that day.

For those of you who know Curtis, I hope I helped to share some of who he is. If you know him please leave a comment.

September 11th, I will never forget.

I Think I Might Get Used to This!

Yesterday both of my kids started Pre-School. Little Miss goes to one from the School District because of her speech delay. And Little Man goes to one that a great lady in our ward does. Lucky him there are 6 boys in it!! Want to know what I forgot though? I am embarrassed to admit it, but their first day of school pictures! How did I do that? So I will take their 2nd day of school pictures and call it good.

I didn't want to send Little Miss this year, she is only three and my baby. But with her speech delay I knew she needed help so I sent her. Little Man has been looking forward to it all summer and since he is going to be 5 soon it was a little easier for me. I almost cried when I dropped her off yesterday. I had tears in my eyes and thought wow, I am really going to leave her? She looked a little confused but excited. Little Man was off and running saying Bye Mom, go home!! So I left all by myself, no kids with me. It was weird and I was a little sad. They are my life!

I contemplated what to do, and finally decided the Mall was calling my name. I mean who doesn't want to go there without kids and get to shop and browse all by themselves!! I wandered around and finally decided since I was alone I could try some stuff on. I needed some jeans, especially after the bleaching accident in April. I have been looking for some for a while but have had a hard time finding some long enough, (36-37 Inseam) And that are the ghetto low butt crack showing jeans. Those happen to show all of the pretty stripes my tummy has thanks to the kiddos. Seriously who wears these jeans with the one inch zipper? Maybe that is why we see all of these girls thongs showing. Yuck! Anyway... I can never find ones that fit my straight boy like hips either. And I hate when you try on jeans and get the pancake butt, you know kinda like the uni-boob from the sports bra. So yesterday being all alone, the Heavens opened and showed me the way to the chosen jeans. They rock, and I feel like I look smokin' in them. Very rarely do I find clothes that I really LOVE. They are the perfect rise, low but not butt crack low. They don't give me the muffin top squish, my butt is not pancaked in them. They are long enough and I am thrilled. But wait it gets better! I found two pair that fit me. Two different styles both with one pair in my size. It was a sign I had to get them. So happily I bought myself two new pair of jeans. I had a little guilt, but after the bleaching incident I only had one pair!! And fall is rapidly approaching.

Then I learned from the mall to my Little Miss' PreSchool was only nine minutes. That is crucial information. I picked her up and she was all smiles and told me preschool was fun. She loved the toys and the snack. She was beaming. So maybe her going isn't such a bad idea. They said she was excited the whole time. Made me a little sad, but I thought I think I might like this two hour break twice a week. Then we got Little Man who was so excited to have spent so much time with all of his friends, and NO GIRLS! He came home with a rocket and is ready to go back again! They are loving it and it is all they talk about. I think I like this. I can't believe they are this old, or that I am that old, hello 26 and my kids are both gone for a few hours a day? I thought I had to be 30+ to have that happen. Life is good.

It doesn't match Mom!

My little princess is 3. A cute cute three year old at that. She is a total crack up. In January she said maybe 4 or 5 words, and now she is saying 5 word sentences easy. I am so proud of her. And the more she learns to talk, the more I see who she really is, and how much like me she truly is.

As we were leaving speech a couple of weeks ago, she was getting a sticker from her speech therapist. She asked for two, and Elsa said, No you get one. She asked for a pink one, and she chose the pink sparkly heart. She promptly placed it on her shirt and then smiled, took it off and said no, I want the blue. Elsa said okay you can have the blue and you can keep the pink one. Smart kid huh? As soon as we are out of the building Little Princess looks at me and says, Mom pink match your shirt! And then she laughs, with the mischievous giggle that she has. And promptly hands me the sticker with this look of see what I did? She then goes on to blue, matches my blue shirt. See you match pink and pink. Quite proud of herself and the manipulation she had of Elsa.

Today we were eating and I had a pink bowl I was eating out of. No big deal right? Well to her is was a HUGE deal. Mom pink bowl doesn't match!! It doesn't match MOOOMMMMM!! I ask doesn't match what? Your shirt! Your shirt green, not pink. NO pink bowl.

She is concerned about matching and wants to match always. Concerned about colors and keeping them in the right order. You have to match. If you don't she will let you know. It is a crack up! In so many ways she is like me. I am not so concerned about what I eat out of matching but colors are something I am quite obsessive over, so she comes by in honestly!!

A new project!

My husband is out of town. When he is gone, I get bored. I come up with projects for myself and get them done. I decided with him being gone four days it was the perfect opportunity to paint. I painted my living room Wild Sage. It really is darker in real, and the walls are beigey, so you get the idea. He doesn't know I have done this, and hopefully he won't read my blog until after he is home!! So here are pictures of my house. I think the living room is really coming together. I love the dark wood and the deep colors and this is turning out to be one of my favorite rooms in my house. This is one of the first times I actually feel like I am really decorating well. So if you think otherwise, don't tell me!! HAHA! Any advice is always appreciated. I love the antiques I have and the solid lines.
My new couch and loveseat below. The frames we just got hung and I fixed the couch so they are centered. The pictures are all black and whites of the four of us. And in the middle I am putting, (don't have it yet) "All because two people fell in love." Also I have the two empty squares, I want to put something in them, but I am not sure what? Suggestions please, or do I just leave them alone?
The living room, going out the door.

Edited to Add. My wonderful friend Allison was kind enough to come over last night to help me get the job done! She rocks, 1000 thank you's Girl!
My Red kitchen. We painted in May, I just hadn't gotten pictures up. I put a quite by President Hinckley above my pantry this weekend. "Life is to be enjoyed, not juste endured." I think it is a good reminder for me! Red is one of my favorite colors, and I really like the white accents I have. I am wanting to get something to go on the top of my cabinets that would coordinate, and ideas? Hopefully I can get my house all together! Also the wall next to the pantry that is all red, any ideas on something for that wall?


Kitchen with my pretty roses!

Pictures of us

Outside of the Portland Temple.
My HOT honey!
Our Celebration in Vegas!

And my new haircut!

Happy Anniversary Randy!

Seven years ago I married the man of my dreams in the Portland, Oregon Temple. It doesn't seem like seven years ago. It still feels like yesterday, but at the same time like we have been married much long than that.

The day before our wedding, my Grandmother went through the temple for the first time, at the age of 73. It was such a great experience to go through with my Grandma. That day couldn't be over fast enough for me though. I was anxious for our wedding. Randy and I stayed up until after midnight chatting and looking forward to our wedding day.

I got pretty much no sleep, between sleeping with my noisy family, and the excitement, and anticipation of the next day. That morning as soon as it was acceptable to get up, I was up and getting ready. And I didn't let Randy see me until it was time to go to the temple. We got to the temple and got ready and then we were married at 12:00PM August 20, 1999. Such an amazing day. One that would change my life forever. I remember the Sealer telling us that we would love each other so much more than we did that day as each year, month, or day passed. I couldn't imagine that. I understand it now. I love you Randy more than ever. You push me to be better. You are my everything. I feel like I am living a Fairy Tale with my Knight in Shining Armor. You make me feel like a Princess, without you, I am not complete. You are my eternal sweetheart, the love of my life.

Okay, enough of being mushy!

We celebrated yesterday, and we also celebrated when we went to Las Vegas the end of June. We called that our Anniversary Trip/Gifts to each other. We went to dinner yesterday, and we got pedicures together, and shopping, and Randy took me to get my haircut, and he gave me two dozen long stem red roses. GORGEOUS! We had a fun time, and then we came home put the kiddos to bed, and we watched movies. It was a great night! Amazing how just having some quiet time together helps to reconnect and feel like you did seven years ago.

The rest of Camp.

Little Man Roasting his Marshmallow. trying to get perfection. Me I like them black!
Daddy helping Little Princess roast a marshmallow, she was having fun!
Finally a picture without the hands going everywhere, and he held still! A miracle!
I thought this was just a cool picture!


The little Princess and me.

More Camping Pictures.

My cute family.
They were having fun!
Watching the barge go by. Don't they look sweet?

She just looked so cute!

Trying to skip rocks!
My son was moving all over so here you go!!

Camping!

Last weekend we had our first camping trip of the year. We went with some great families from our ward including my friend Allison. We got up there before anyone so we got things set up and I decided I would practice my photography. Pretty area, natural lighting, so no need for the flash and the kids LOVE having their pictures taken.

We camped right on the river. It was really cool because we had barges go by and the train was across the river going by and the kids were all so excited to see it! They threw rocks in the river, and tried to learn how to skip them. Something I still can't do. So I just throw multiple rocks and pretend.

The kids roasted marshmallows, and enjoyed the campfire. We had such a great time camping, and spending time with our friend and our little family!

The Gross Stuff

Sometimes being the Mom you get pretty flowers from your children. You get all the nice sweet things, and it just seems like everything is perfect.

And then somedays your kids just tell you gross stuff and do gross stuff and you are like GROSS!! Today was a gross day. Thankfully I didn't have to deal with all of it.

My good friend Tiffany watched my kids today while I went to a meeting. I don't think I have ever mentioned that my daughter has a really bad gag reflex, she throws up easily. She gets car sick, and the sight of blood, poo, or anything nasty makes her gag. Even her own poo!! Tiffany's little boy who is almost two pooped in his undies today, (they are getting the potty training down!) My little girl was walking past and saw the poo and started gagging, and said I throw up, and promptly did so on top of the poo. So Tiffany had a big pile of nastiness to clean up! That just had to suck, and I felt bad but was so glad I wasn't the one having to do it.

Then tonight my son has been eating a lot of watermelon and fruit. So tonight my son was in the bathroom doing his business. Then he starts yelling Mom, Dad my poop there is red coming out of it. There is RED!!!! So I run up there worried there is something wrong. Nope the poo has watermelon pieces in it. Totally nasty, I know.

The things kids do.. They crack me up, even when it is pretty nasty!

2996

In honor of 9/11 I am participating in a tribute to one of the 2996 people that were killed on that horrible day. This September marks the 5th Anniversary of a horrific tragedy.

If you are interested in participating please go to the link and sign up. They have 61% of the people someone to honor them. I hope that they can get all of them signed up with a blogger and that 9/11 will be a truly memorable day.

Too often I think people forget what happened that day and the impact it had on our nation. What a great way for us to remember.

Kiss My Bum!

Little Princess came down the stairs crying with her cute bum showing, she has my lack of butt so it happens! OWWW!! Brother hit me. OWWW Mommy, make it better. (She says it so cute though!!)

I ask Little Princess where the owie is, after I had pulled her pants up. She pulls the back of her pants down and said my Bum. Mommy Kiss my Bum. So I did. She hugged me and said oh, it's all better, and off she went. The things us Mom's do for our kids!

My First Photo Shoot.

I keep thinking my kids need some new pictures, so I thought of going to Sears, but I always spend way too much! So I remembered these pages I bookmarked like two plus years ago thanks to Alissa and TwoPeas. So I decided I could take my kids pictures.

They aren't perfect, but I think for my first try they aren't too bad. For some reason, and if you know why, my camera on some of them focused more on the background,

how do I fix that?

Push Ups, They'll Lift You Up!

About a month ago I decided I should start doing GUY push-ups. And then I got a crazy idea that I should do 100. I am not there yet, had I not had my surgery I would be!! I am between 60-75 depends on the day and what else I have done. But I have found a glorious benefit from doing my push-ups. It will lift your boobs! And it will firm them too!!

After nursing two angels things weren't quite what they used to be. Stretch marks on my chest and after being engorged and everything else that comes with it they seem to have headed a little south. Not what you really want especially when you are 26!!

So since doing my push-ups I have noticed things are slowly lifting up! They seem to be a little perkier and a little more normal. Maybe it is because I have not nursed a child for two years, but I like to think all my hard work is paying off. So if the girls are sagging and you want to help them, do some push-ups, it just might work!

Hug Your Mom!

Hug your Mom, let her know how much you love her! Let her know how much she means to you and that you are grateful to have such a wonderful person in your life.

Yesterday I went with my parents to a funeral of a dear friend of theirs. My Mom was playing her violin and I was accompanying her. The woman who died, Pat was one of my Mom's dearest friends, she introduced my parents. Without her, I might not be! My Mom met her back in 1970, you know like 36 years ago. They both worked at a bank, and became great friends. My Mom has always talked about her friend Pat and all of the fun she has had with her and the great memories. I met her as a little girl, but had not seen her since I was 10, so I knew of her, but didn't really know her.

My heart ached for my Mom when she called and told me her friend lost her battle with cancer on Wednesday. I have lost a few friends and I know how bad it hurts and I wanted to be there for my Mom the way she had been there for me. When she told me she was playing the violin I knew I needed to be there for my Mom. We bought new music and had it ready to perform in less than 48 hours, and I have to say with our Heavenly Father's guidance we did a great job. My Mom did an outstanding job, I was impressed by her strength.

I knew Pat had children, but when I saw them and talked to them, and realized they were my age, I hadn't seen them since I was 10, so your perspective changes. My heart broke for them. They no longer had their Mother here on Earth with them. I still need my Mom and I am 26 years old, married with children. As I looked at her 5 kids with their little families and saw the grandchildren crying for Grandma my heart ached. I wished I could help them, to ease the hurt and the pain. I felt a little guilty being their with my own Mother when they had just lost theirs. I think of all of the times when I look to my Mom for guidance to know what to do with my children, with the dinner I ruined, or just for someone to talk to when I have been around little kids all day and my husband is working. I realized how true in Mosiah 18:9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort..
So for someone I personally did not know well, I felt for the family, for my Mom and my Dad. I wanted to help them to comfort them. But what do you say to someone who has lost their Mother? You hug them, you tell them you are sorry, but I can't change it.

So today Hug your MOM! If you are a long way from her let her know how much she means. You never know how long you will have your Mother. For Pat she was diagnosed with cancer in February and in five months it took her life. Life is short and it can change in an instant. Hug your Mom! You'll never regret it!

Me, a Violinist?

Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting we had a musical number, a violin duet. My Mom played her violin in her ward, but we weren't able to go. So yesterday I sat there listening to these two women play, thinking about my wonderful mother. Realizing what a beautiful talent it is to play such a gorgeous instrument. And wishing I hadn't quit playing so long ago.

I started playing the violin shortly before my 10th birthday, and I played until I was 12 and then I have touched maybe 10 times, tops in the past 14 years. Awful I know. At the time my Mom was concert master and seriously a phenomenal violinist, and I played the piano really well. The piano in my opinion was way easier to master than the violin. So I quit all lessons at that time and worked on sports and other stuff. Besides my Mom was so great and I was just learning and the piano seemed to be easier. I was first chair in my orchestra the little thing it was but I was not my Mom, so I quit.

Earlier in the Spring my Mom was going to symphony practice and was telling me I really should play again and start going with her. I laughed and said Mom I don't think they would let me play in your symphony, remember I haven't really played it in 12 years. And I am not that good. But since she said that to me I keep thinking about it. Could I? How hard would it really be? And then yesterday I thought man, I really wish I could play better. But I don't have my violin anymore, my cousin does. (Technically it wasn't mine it was my Great Grandpa's but whatever!)

We went to my parents for dinner tonight and I sat down playing on the piano and I saw my Mom's violin case sitting there. I LOVE her violin, it has such a rich sound that just radiates when she plays. I looked at it and thought I can play. I read music and I know how to do this so I am going to do it! I slowly got out the violin and wound the bow and got everything situated and thought man this sure seems a lot smaller than I remember. I played on a full size from the time I was 10, so now that I am a foot plus taller it doesn't seem as big or cumbersome. I pulled out one of my old books and thought yep I can read this and I can play this no problem. I didn't try to tune it, she had played yesterday so I figured it wouldn't be too far out of tune and I didn't want anyone to hear me messing around with it before I started to play. I was sure that since I had some simple music out that when I played it would sound beautiful, maybe even like my Mom since it was on her violin. Guess what? I WAS WRONG! It didn't sound beautiful, it didn't sound pretty, it didn't even sound very nice. It was AWFUL! Seriously AWFUL.

My Mom came in and was like ohh.. That is my violin making that noise. I thought you had your sisters little one (it is like a 1/10th size), not mine! But slowly as I practiced it started to sound a little better. Not a lot but a little. But it felt good to play. Even though even Twinkle Twinkle sounded pretty bad, there is a part of me that comes alive with music. Different from the piano and it is something I have missed for a long time. My Mom sees it in me. She thinks with some practice and hard work I can get my butt in gear and start playing with her in about a year. That sounds good to me. I think I can handle that. Once fall hits and things slow down I think I am going to buckle down and do this for me. Start working on playing it and get the sound and the quality back. Wake up that part of me that has been dormant and I will become once again a violinist!

Happy News!

My little man passed swimming lessons this week and is on to level 1! Woo Hoo! The first of July he was still using his floatie to help him swim. Now he is swimming all over, going down the slide and off of the diving board. I am so proud of him. He is quite proud of himself also. He has made a great improvement in the past few weeks.