The Gospel Message

Please take the time to watch this clear presentation of the gospel. It is WORTH your time, trust me. Take ten minutes and consider where you are spiritually. Ten minutes is a grain of sand in the sea of eternity!

First Day of Spring

  Today is officially the first day of spring and while here on Whidbey we experienced many seasons in just one day (which is pretty normal) we did get some "normal" spring weather.  Even right now the sun is rather indecisive and trying to peek around the dark clouds.

It's also the first day of my Spring Break and that too makes me very happy! Technically this whole week is finals week but because all my finals were on Monday I have two whole weeks off. *happysigh* Last year on spring break I was down the whole time from having my wisdom teeth removed. (shudder).  I hope to be more productive this time around and actually check things off my "to do" list that hardly gets touched during school.

Here are some pictures of the tulip festival last year. I can't WAIT for the tulips to bloom again. It's just breathtaking.  They usually bloom sometime in April but it's all dependent on the weather.

Winter Recital '12

Another recital has come and gone. I'll post my solos, but I'll wait to post the duet because Hannah and I are playing it at the Emerging Artist concert next month in La Conner so I don't want to give it ALL away! :-)

**The lighting was horrible the first half of the recital. They finally fixed it during intermission but that explains the funny glow. Yes...I do actually have a face. haha

Ending and Beginning

I am nearing the end of this school quarter and let me tell you, it feels good! It's hard to believe I've been in school for over a year now. Time flies when you're having fun! (Or just crazy busy) I had my end-of-quarter recital this past Tuesday and I am relieved to be done with that. I played a solo, played a duet, and sang a solo. Now I can focus on other finals! Just two left to go....

As much as I love Whidbey Island, its weather confuses me! This past week we have had snow, hail, rain, major wind, and now SUNSHINE! I took the opportunity to get out in the garden today and it was so nice. I only had a short time to do it, but it felt good to get my hands dirty again. It made me realize just how much I miss working with plants. It's so fun to watch the tulips popping up their sleepy heads this time of year! To plant something from seed and watch it grow into an amazingly beautiful flower is an incredible feeling. I can't imagine how God must feel looking down at his marvelous creation!  I know the first day of spring is still several days away, but I think I will gladly declare it spring. :-)

New Things

Life would be boring if it always stayed the same, if we were never challenged with changes or introduced to new things, no matter how little.

I'll start small and work into things....

I've discovered this new tea that's just amazing!  It sounds like a weird combination......Peach and Ginger.....but it's a delicious mix of fruit and spice.  I have to admit that I've been a little overloaded on the coffee as of late so in my efforts to diminish that intake I've turned to drinking tea (other than morning.....coffee is still nice then!).   Are there any teas that YOU could recommend??

ADJUDICATIONS!  This was a VERY growing experience for me as a teacher.  I've never participated in Adjudications as a student, let alone as a teacher putting in my students.  Everyone worked SO hard to prepare their pieces and it really paid off! I was encouraged by their efforts and their SUCCESS!

For those who are unfamiliar with Adjudications, let me explain.  I am part of the Washington State Music Teacher Association (which is under the MTNA) and I have the opportunity to put my students into adjudications. Each of the students prepare two pieces from memory to play for the Adjudicator (a professional pianist and teacher). The adjudicator evaluates the good points and the points that need some help. She encourages the students and kindly shows them ways they could improve their pieces.  Because I'm a student teacher, my teacher came to listen as well.  At the end, I played and was evaluated the same way.  Then I was able to have a conference with the Adjudicator to get input based on what she heard from my students. In all it was a lot of work but WORTH it in so many ways.














And last but NOT least......




please scroll down......










Someone kindly donated a beautiful grand piano to our church!!  I have been praying for this for some time (along with many others in our church). I don't know why I was so surprised when God gave it so us so simply!  Worshiping the Lord today with the rich sound of that piano was just incredible. God is SO good!