The Sweetheart's Banquet- 2011

Ok so I've tried writing this post several times and have given up each time due to photos failing to upload. But SOMEone...I won't mention any names (it just so happens to start with a "K" and end with an "Ali") was pestering me about posting. :-) So.....here you are- K.....Ali.

The theme this year was "Dinner Theatre". It had nothing at all to do with the church's theme (that's what we normally do) but we thought we would step out of the box and try to go different. And we did just that! While there are certainly some things I think we should change for next year, I thought the night was a huge success!! Everyone stayed on their toes and by the time the night arrived, we had more help than we knew what to do with! That's a good problem to have. We had folks plating the food, taking pictures, refilling drinks, and being temporary Baristas (baristos? They were guys.) as they pushed the coffee cart around the room. The entertainment was not only fun but it was spiritually encouraging.

For food we served Swedish Meatballs with rice, salad and rolls. Delicious!! Dessert included individual "table tortes". Tiramisu Toffee Tortes to be exact. Mmmm.......Ok it's too late at night to be this hungry! Moving on....the entertainment. Levi did a recitation from Song of Solomon, Isaiah and I did the skit, Nicki and Anna sang, and Joel and Josh quoted 1 Cor. 13. From what I've heard, the couples all greatly enjoyed themselves. That was the goal! I am SO glad that we could, once again, be used of the Lord to serve the couples in our church. Looking forward to being on the "couple" side of things, but for now I am having a great time spoiling them. :-) As usual, a LOT of work went on ahead of time with the planning, shopping and prep, but in the end it's always worth it. Looking forward to next year's banquet!

(I wanted to add more/better photos, but for some reason the photos from Deborah's camera won't upload and she was the photographer for the evening. That's a shame because they are great!)

Entrance

SPGs giving our hearts to God. :-)

SPGs 2011

Playing around with the props.

Josh and Joel reciting 1 Cor. 13

Fun in Seattle

Yesterday we spent the day in Seattle with the Teales. It was so fun to do some exploring!! It's pretty typical I think to get into routine in the place that you live where you never go out to see the normal sites. That's how Seattle is for us. We had never been to Pike's Place Market or the Space Needle (Well, I had. But not my family). We "Started" the day by going to Benihana's for lunch. That was a blast! Not only is the food delicious, but the chefs are so entertaining as they flip and twirl their knives and spatulas. And I qoute, "Don't try this at home." hahaha Kind of funny...the two times I have gone to Benihana's (a Japanese Restaurant) our chefs were both Mexican. What's with that?! Either way, they were very entertaining. We then proceeded to the space needle. You would think that to find the space needle you would just look up, right? It wasn't that easy. Because of large buildings blocking our view, we only saw the Space Needle as we got within two blocks. Up we went (It takes 41 seconds to get to the top) to the Observation Deck 570' high. Great view of Seattle! Then we went to Pikes Place Market. That was sooo interesting. So many shops that it would take an entire day to see everything. It was fun to browse and I look forward to going back when I have more time. Unfortunately, we didn't witness any fish throwing. Too bad. We visited what we thought was the original Starbucks. Found out tonight that it wasn't. Again, too bad. TONIGHT Christopher and I met up with the Teales to go to the Chieftains Concert. That was a BLAST! It's been a while since I felt so energized. lol. I am a huge fan of traditional Irish music and I love Irish fiddle music! I was satisfied to say the least. :-)

I've just returned home and I hear rumors that school might be canceled tomorrow due to snow. What a shocker! Snow is a rarity around here. The Mainers must've brought it with them. :-p Hoping for a snow day.....

Pike's Place Market

Space Needle from Below

We passed by an awesome piano store. I just had to get a picture of this awesome Steinway!!! I wanted to play it but, imagine that. There was a sign that said I couldn't. What a shame.

Lord, You're All I Need

Brittany and I have been working up a song from opposite sides of the country and this Sunday had the joy of singing together again. So fun! I hope the song's a blessing.

A Visit From Maine!

This week some friends arrived from beloved Maine. It's been years since we've seen them and we were thrilled to share with them what Whidbey is all about! After giving them some time to catch up from jet lag, we jumped right into sight seeing. Yesterday while Brittany and I went to classes (music classes so they were more fun than English) the others went to Friday Harbor to enjoy the sights there. According to the weatherman, we were going to get rain/snow. "Great!" I thought. "These poor Mainers are trying to get away from the snow and they'll come here and get more!" But it turned out to be beeaautiful!!! The sun was shining and the sky was clear. Today was no different. It almost felt like it could be *gasp* spring! Today we took them to Mt. Eerie to the lookout and it was incredible! I forgot how beautiful it is up there. Then we went to Deception Pass (of course) and the beauty was breathtaking. By the time we hiked the bridge we were ready for lunch so we drove down the beach area. After much searching we finally found a nice (non windy) spot to have a picnic. The rest of the day was pretty relaxing, and as I sit here pondering the day I become more grateful for such friends as these.
Beautiful Deception Pass bridge

The Hower Family (minus Josh and Chris)Picnic LunchThe first sign of spring!Brittany and IChris and Angela

Give Your Heart to God

I don't have time to blog about the Sweetheart's Banquet tonight, but here's a little sneak peak. This is Isaiah and I rehearsing our "Silent Skit". I thought it went so much better during the actual performance but we didn't get a recording of that. More to come....

Much to look forward to...

This next week holds a lot for me. Monday is Valentine's Day. Normally I wouldn't be concerned with that day because, well, I don't have a valentine. However, the SPGs at church have been tasked with putting on a banquet for all the couples in our church. This is our fourth (my third) year doing this and each time it has been a blast! We've tried to change the theme every year to keep it from becoming boring. The first year we did it after I moved here, we did a wedding theme based on the church's theme for the year, Continuing the Commitment. The guys wore bowties and we ladies wore "bridesmaids" dresses. There was a wedding cake, dinner music provided by yours truly, and even a runner! It was very fun. Last year the church's theme was Cultivating the Commitment so we did a garden theme banquet. That was quite fun as well. This year....well....I won't tell you what we are doing. It's a surprise! No worries. I WILL do a post about it.....after it's over. Meanwhile, I shall be busily preparing as the day gets closer. There is still quite a bit to do. I always forget how much work it is to simply feed and entertain 50(ish) people. But I am sure it will be a smashing success!

SPGs (Singles Pleasing God) Sweetheart Banquet 2009
SPGs Sweetheart Banquet 2010 (Chris went with white hair so he could be more convincing as Alex Trebek. lol)

Before all this happens, I will be accompanying Christopher at his violin recital tomorrow night. We've been working on this song (Seitz's Student Concert0) for quite some time now so I am excited to finally perform it with him. We will be sure to record it and I will post it.

Let's see after that...Well...the Sweetheart's Banquet on Monday. Then Tuesday is: School in the morning, piano students come in the afternoon, then preparation for something else exciting, then going out to dessert with some friends. So a pretty normal day.

THEN (you know that other thing I was preparing for on Tuesday).........(Tada!!!) Wednesday our friends from Maine are coming to visit!!!! I am SOO excited to have them come out! It will be really nice to catch up with them and also share with them what the West Coast is like. To be sure, it's quite different from New England right now which is getting dumped with snow. Our cold 45 degrees will be a nice relief to them I am sure.

Well, I've finished school for the night and my caffeine supply is diminishing so I suppose I shall close this out. Till tomorrow...

Study Buddy

This is my study buddy. :-) At least, until Dad comes home from work. Then he changes buddies. (Ahem....Traitor) But.....studying is so much nicer when there's someone to snuggle with. :-p