Unordinaryday

Teaching Advice from Ludwig van Beethoven

2012-01-14T22:11:00.001-06:00

Next week I beginanother semester of teaching piano students! My recent preparation hasincluded

reviewing all my student's progress reports
purchasing new books for many of them
planning lessons and group classes
scheduling lessons
corresponding with parents
reading articles about teaching
watching videos about Alexander Technique and efficient piano playing
of course, practicing the piano
and a little reading from Reginald G. Gerig's Famous Pianists and Their Technique

Within Gerig’s book, Iran across a nearly two-hundred year old story about a piano teacher and hisstudent, and it’s the same story my students tell me every week. The story never changes.

Eleven year old Karl wasattending a boarding school. His uncle Ludwig van Beethoven was almost completelydeaf by this time, so Karl was receiving piano instruction from one ofBeethoven’s best students, Carl Czerny. Beethovenreally wanted his nephew to become a fantastic pianist. Toward this end, Beethoven wrote to theschoolmaster requesting that more piano practice time be arranged for Karl, butapparently his request went unfulfilled. Karl didn’t become a famous pianist. Karl was too busy to practice thepiano.

In the letter below sentto Karl’s piano teacher, Czerny, Beethoven advises him about how to deal with Karl’ssituation.

"My Dear Czerny!

Please be as patient as possible with our Karl, even though atpresent he may not be making as much progress as you and I would like. Ifyou are not patient, he will do even less well, because (although he must notknow this) owing to the unsatisfactory timetable for his lessons he is beingunduly strained. Unfortunately nothing can be done about that for thetime being. Treat him therefore so far as possible with affection, but befirm with him." (From FamousPianists and Their Technique p. 95)

Every week I work withstudents just like Karl – students who are way too busy to practice. They have Kumon tutoring, then basketball andsoccer and football and dance practice, homework, and…something else?! …oh. I forgot. Piano.

As I begin working withmy students this semester, who like Beethoven’s nephew probably won’t becomeconcert pianists either, I’ll be taking Beethoven’s advice to heart.

Sharon R. Blair, NCTM

Christmastime was Here

2012-01-11T13:09:00.000-06:00

It was our first time to hang stockings!

Our tree looks about the same as last year.

Toltec Mounds

2011-12-03T22:48:00.002-06:00

Kyle and I love spending time together! A few weekends ago, Kyle had a test on a Friday, which meant that there was little studying to be done on the weekend--only preparation for the next week! So we packed about 10 dates into one day!

We traveled to Toltec Mounds in Scott, Arkansas. Here are a few pictures:

Kyle doesn't fit into the little Native American Canoe

One of the mounds is 49 feet tall!

Bald Cypress knees

Beautiful!

After we spent time at the mounds, we went to Cotham's Mercantile in Scott--it's quite an experience and home of the famous Hubcap Burger. We shared one and it was very good!

Then we went shopping (we didn't get anything), developed film, bought movie tickets, ate ice cream, waited a long time for the movie--since we had already picked out our seats and no one else was in the small theater, we danced to the swing music. Then we saw Puss in Boots and came home! What a great day to be together! Like I said, 10 dates in one day!

New Music!

2011-11-09T14:03:00.000-06:00

Finally it has become absolutely imperative to purchase J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier Book I!

Now I own both books I and II in hard-cover, Henle Editions--and now have no excuse to not learn all of them in all keys....well, maybe over the next several years!

Pray for Katie

2011-11-05T23:25:00.002-05:00

Please join me in praying for my friend Katie. We were in 4-H together years ago. When we were teens, her father passed away. That same year her only sibling, her brother, died in a tractor accident. Her mother passed away this week from breast cancer and the funeral is on Monday at the same place where her father and brother's services were held. Katie's only 25, married and has a 2 year old son.

From Kyle's Old Blog...

2011-10-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

11.29.2009

The Accumulating List of 10,000 Reasons to Love My (almost) Wife Sharon

1. Watergun fights in Gregson
2. Mapquest-like skills in orientation
3. Hundreds of faithful hours speaking on the phone
4. Encouragment everyday
5. Nearly 4 fantastic years of dating
6. Beautiful piano music
7. Driving from Norman, OK to Little Rock, AR many times for just a few days to see each other. That is a 5.5 hour drive.
8. Sharon loves Jesus.
9. Chirp
10. Eskimo Kisses
11. Sharon is beautiful.
12. Sharon has a beautiful liver.
13. Bath robes
14. Chocolate milk messes
15. French horn/piano duets
16. Secret Risk ally
17. Someone has to win Risk
18. No one else could eat my cooking :-)
19. She can count her pairs of shoes on her fingers and toes.
20. Who needs makeup anyways.
21. Or fingernail polish.
22. Or earrings.
23. Ha!
24. Willing hiking and adventure partner
25. A comforter in times of bowling
26. Covenant marriage; this is no quicky marriage.
27. Sharon reminds me hundreds of times each day the she loves me
To be continued. Goodnight.
-KGB

2011-10-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

We probably indulge in this simple pleasure too often. But it's hard to not enjoy homemade cookies. At least we're certain that Santa won't be disappointed by our recipes!

Chewy Peanut Butter from The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen and Chocolate Chip cookies from Nestle.

Fall Flowers!

2011-09-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

Flowers are so beautiful. Last spring I planted some morning glory seeds in hopes to see some pretty flowers. The vines looked very sad this summer during our 100 degree days. Last fall I planted my chrysanthemum in the front yard hoping it would bloom again. For the most part it has looked like brown sticks coming out of the ground for months. Today I looked out my back yard and noticed some beautiful morning glory blooms! How wonderful! I had given up on seeing any of their blooms this year. Here they are peeking out into the cooler fall temperatures.

We've also been noticing these funny little flowers that Kyle calls "Dr. Seuss Flowers." Technically, they're some sort of Lycoris. My Dad calls them "Naked Ladies."

(Please forgive my lack of photographic talent--and our woodsy backyard.)

Finally, the mums. They look a little better in real life. However, if you have an idea of what I can do to make it grow better, let me know!

Hope that puts a smile on your face, if not from seeing pretty flowers, you can at least giggle about our mum!

2011-08-21T19:02:00.000-05:00

Flowers and a card from sweet Kyle!

The End of Summer

2011-08-12T20:20:00.000-05:00

The summer has quickly come to an end. We will miss the care-free days with not much on "to-do lists." But we won't miss the 114 degree temperatures! We were ready for a Florida vacation a couple of weeks ago when the temperatures in Little Rock (and all over Arkansas) soared!

As a last summertime hurrah, we were able to visit family. All our nieces and nephews are growing up way too fast, and we're glad we got to see them and all our extended families! We got to meet the latest addition to our family, Andrick.

Aliyah got her face painted!

Mom and Dad with 4 of their 7 grandkids

Sharon on a bull

Trail, Chasen, and Josiah enjoying Terra Studios

Janelle and baby Andrick

Apple Pie

2011-07-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

Last spring I made my first apple pie. The filling is store-bought from a can. However, the crusts are home-made!

It was also my first time to make a lattice-top crust

It was very yummy!

2011-07-19T00:14:00.001-05:00

The Zoo!!!

Kodak Gold 200, f/4, 1/250 sec

Kodak Gold 200, f/11, 1/250 sec

Kodak Gold 200, f/11, 1/60 sec w/ flash

Kodak Gold 200, f/16, 1/250 sec

Christmas in July

2011-07-15T20:17:00.001-05:00

I purchased the fabric for Christmas stockings last November, but did not have time then to complete them. I made it my goal to finish them this summer! Here are the finished products!

:-)

Arkansas Queen

2011-07-12T23:02:00.002-05:00

We have enjoyed a wonderful 13-month sabbatical from internet at home since last June. Now, in preparation for the upcoming school year, we're again privileged to browse the world wide web from the comfort of our couch. The local library will probably miss seeing us quite so often--but we'll still frequently visit to pick up new-to-us cook books and movies.

I won't attempt to catch up on all the blogging that could-have-been over the last months, but I will highlight some of the moments we've enjoyed!

One of those memorable moments came last April. Kyle brought us on a sight-seeing cruise on the Arkansas Queen!

We boarded the riverboat and went up to the top deck. From there, we had a great view of the USS Razorback Submarine (Which we toured last summer!)

The Arkansas Queen staff fed us a BBQ lunch and we enjoyed going up and down the river for over an hour.

I love 'King' Kyle!

The Trolly is visible on the bridge and behind it, the Peabody Hotel.

Accomplished Piano Students

2011-04-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Accomplished Students!
In Recent Weeks:

Six students have received Superior ratings from National Federation of Music Clubs Festival
One student reveived a Superior rating at the Sonatina/Sonata Festival hosted by Music Teachers Association of Central Arkansas
One student was chosen as the winner for Level B at the Region IV Arkansas State Music Teachers Association Festival and listed on the Arkansas State Music Teachers Association Theory Honor Roll as well as receiving honors for her Musicianship scores!

My students have been working hard and I also have kept busy with teaching piano, performing and volunteering at piano events.

A peek into next week's piano schedule:

Monday-Friday: Teach 21 private lessons and 3 hours of group lessons

Friday: Perform at Arkasnas State Gideon's Convention Banquet

Saturday: Adjudicate for Region III ASMTA in Conway

Already the end of February!

2011-02-26T01:28:00.001-06:00

It's been a few busy months since we've posted to the blog! We are staying busy with teaching and enjoying the few snow days that we've had!
Kyle and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together a little early with roasted turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole. We used our china for the first time and had a friend over to celebrate with us!

We were casual--but the table wasn't!

2010 was technically our second Christmas as a married couple (we were married on 12/20/09) However, last year (2010) was the first time we got to decorate! We had a real beautiful tree! I think this picture was taken before we managed to get many ornaments up. Mr. Potato Head decided that he needed to check out the tree for himself!

:-)

It Still Fits A year later! (No, I don't remember what I was doing to be looking so funny!)

We enjoyed time with family! There was a sweet little one that we met for the first time! Also a few more little ones that had some fun times in Granny's tub:

Kyle's Grandmother and Aunt came from Dallas.

Dad let us ride some of his horses on New Year's Day before we had to head back to Little Rock.

Back at home with our new stove making turkey burgers! (We discovered that our old oven wouldn't pre-heat on a night that I was getting ready to make home-made pizza! We were thankful for our toaster oven that night!)

Quilt for DCH

2010-11-27T12:54:00.000-06:00

Almost finished!

End of Summer; Beginning of Fall

2010-10-04T12:14:00.001-05:00

Birthday Brownies for Sharon's 27th Birthday! The candles wouldn't stay straight becuase the brownies had just come out of the oven and were melting the bottoms of the candles!

We took a trip with Sharon's parents and David and Brittney with their kids to a cousin's wedding. While the reception ensued, Kyle, Brooklynn and I decided it was time to play on the playground nearby. Above, is Kyle coming down the slide backwards, much to the amusement of our cute niece.

Kyle demonstrating the geese pose.

Morning Glories in the back yard. They were beautiful.

Wedding, Visiting Joe and Janelle, Josh and Kara, and our Garden!

2010-06-02T14:30:00.000-05:00

Last week, we had the privilege of traveling to Slidell, Louisiana, Seneca, South Carolina, and Commerce, Georgia with Sharon's parents. We arrived home to some yummy vegetables in the garden.

The wonderful friend who made our wedding cake AND caught the bouquet got married on May 22nd in a lovely ceremony. A few of the girls from OU also came down.

Pictured: Rebecca, Heejin, Jaimie, Sharon

Beautiful Bride, Melissa

Kyle, Sharon, Melissa, Michael

We left Slidell to visit Joe, Janelle, Josiah, Aliyah and our newest nephew, Chasen in Seneca, South Carolina.

Kyle and I took Josiah and Aliyah on some walks at a nearby park.

Apparently, Kyle really made an impression on all the older women in the park as he pushed the double-jogging stroller up and down the hills at the quick pace his long legs allow when he runs. So sorry ladies, he's taken!

Kyle and I greatly enjoyed spending a short time playing games and enjoying a few meals with Josh and Kara. They are so sweet!

The kissy picture was Josh's idea.

Josiah turns 3 years old today, but we celebrated early.

Josiah and Aliyah really enjoy bubbles--so he got a Tiger bubble machine for his birthday.

When we arrived home, thanks to our neighbor who watered the garden for us while we were away, we had some ripe tomatoes, a green pepper and a few onions to pick!

Quick trip to Norman

2010-05-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago, Kyle and I traveled to Norman (incidentally the same weekend of the tornado in Arkansas) to visit friends who are graduating and those who are still working on their degrees. We got to attend two recitals as well as the church that I was a part of while I lived in Norman.

Here are a couple of pictures taken after Dr. Magrath's studio recital.

Kyle, Sharon, Melissa, Tiffany, Derek

Melissa made our wedding cake. Tiffany was my roommate in Norman.

Heejin, Angela, Candace, Rebecca, Melissa, Tiffany, Sharon

Heejin, Rebecca, Tiffany, and Melissa all helped a lot at our wedding!

Candace and Angela are finishing their first year at OU.

Possums

2010-04-20T21:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes late at night when Kyle and I have been brushing our teeth, we've heard something crawling around under our house. Through a series of funny events we have discovered at least three uninvited guests that made their residence under our leaky bathtub!

A few days ago, the bathtub drain got clogged. We plunged with a sink plunger, and that did no good. Then I poured half a bottle of Draino Max slowly down the drain, waited thirty minutes and then ran some hot water. It didn't do any good! The next day, we tried a hanger to try to grab whatever was plugging the drain. (Apparently this is not a great idea, but nobody told us this until afterwards). The hanger started pulling up some yellow fabric pieces... we thought it must have been an old washcloth or carpet or something until we really figured out what it was!

We pulled the little wooden panel from the bedroom-closet wall to check out the pipes for the bathtub. And we discovered what we had been yanking at with our hanger. A big yellow blanket wrapped around the pipe!

We had a clogged pipe and a giant gash in another pipe. Kyle grabbed his toolbelt and went to work fixing our plumbing predicament. But before he had even had the chance to rip apart our pipes, we discovered that we had visitors:

Visitor with a yellow blanket

Above, you can see the leaky bathtub drain pipe.

Three visitors in fact!

Last night, Kyle caught two possums and we released them near the Arkansas River.

Goodbye cute possums!

Piano Studio Website

2010-03-30T20:26:00.000-05:00

Kyle has worked hard on putting together a website advertising my piano teaching.

Please check it out at: blairpiano.com

Mexican Lasagna

2010-03-22T22:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight I tried a Mexican Lasagna recipe from Glenda McMath that I found in the First Assembly of God of Huntsville, Arkansas cookbook. Kyle gave it a 9.5 out of 10, so I thought I'd share the recipe.

1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 pods garlic, pressed or chopped (I used 3/4 tsp. of garlic powder)
2/3 c. water
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. frozen corn--not in original recipe, but we added it, and it was good!
1 (14.5 oz.) can Ro-Tel
6 Flour tortillas (8-inch)
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
3 c. (12 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper, garlic and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir in the black beans, Ro-Tel, and corn. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Place 2 tortillas in a greased (I forgot to grease and it turned out fine) 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Spread with half the refried beans, then half the beef mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Glenda adds that the recipe is great for pot-lucks!

It took about an hour and 15 minutes--but I had to thaw the meat. I served it with fresh lettuce, tomato, corn chips, salsa and queso. Yummy!

Ten For Life

2010-03-15T23:49:00.002-05:00

Kyle and I have been enjoying attending First Assembly of God in North Little Rock for several months now. We've begun cultivating a few budding friendships with some of our fellow 2Gether (Young married) Sunday School attendees and hope the friendships will continue to grow deeper.

Over the past eleven weeks, our church has been memorizing a verse each week. The pastors presented it this way: If you were told that next week you would be persecuted for your Christian faith and put into solitary confinement without a Bible, access to church, family, or other believers, you would probably get busy hiding his word in your heart. (To read about persecution around the world going on today, go to persecution.com) So, the church staff chose ten verses to learn. Each week, the sermon centered on that passage, and churchgoers flocked to "memorization stations" to earn their Hershey's candy bar for quoting verses!

Here are the ten verses they chose:

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight."

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever should believe in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."

II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land."

Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount upon wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go!"

Matthew 22:37-39 "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second commandment is like it, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Matthew 6:33 "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; Give thanks in all circumstances. For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

John 14:6 "Jesus replied, 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.'"

The bonus verse Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced, that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus."

What is/are your life verse(s)?

We Don't Have a Garden Yet. We Don't Have Any Vegetables Yet. But We Can Can Water!

2010-02-24T00:15:00.001-06:00

Since Sharon and I were married a few months ago, we embarked on a quest to become more self-sufficient. When the ground thaws we plan to plant some sort of garden. Historically even my $3 room plant from Wal-Mart survived no longer than a few weeks; I think I drowned them with too much tender loving (or probably too much water, as Sharon recently pointed out that they don't require watering everyday). But this time will be different, we hope.

We have a nice rectangular spot in our yard picked out - away from trees or the stream that courses its way through our yard each time it rains.

Last night, we tested out one of our favorite toys that was given to us as a treat for getting married - a 23 quart pressure canner! For fear of poisoning ourselves or exploding some sort of mutilated goop all over our kitchen, we just canned water for this first attempt at canning.

Mason jar lids have two parts - the part that screws on and the part that just sits on top. After cooking our water, you can even pick up the can by the part that sits on top without the screw-on part. I am quite impressed, and I feel I have been neglected by someone that should have introduced me to canning at some point in my childhood. Awesome. As proof, see below.

Paper or Plastic?

2010-02-19T15:03:00.000-06:00

Recently, Sharon was sick with a vicious cold. In the middle of the night she awoke with a congested nose and her throat and mouth were dry from breathing orally. Her medicine was not kicking in fast enough so Kyle was roused slowly and gently. "Kyle, please pray for me." Sharon pleaded. So Kyle proceeded, "Dear Jesus." A long pause while he tried to think. "Please help Sharon with this job at the grocery store." Sharon stopped groaning and started giggling. Kyle asked, "What's so funny?" "I don't work at a grocery store." Kyle responds, "Well, you did in my dream." "I'm glad I'm in your dream!"

3D IMAX Avatar

2010-02-18T22:52:00.007-06:00

Sharon and I (Kyle) had really been looking forward to going to our church on Valentine's Day to eat dinner with our Sunday school class and then watching a brand new movie called "No Greater Love" in the sanctuary. But my brother Brennan and his wife Jorja happened to be in Little Rock, and we really wanted to spend time with them! We had not spent any time with them since Christmas. So after dinner, we skipped the church movie and we drove to a distant and obscure part of Little Rock to watch a movie with my brother and sister-in-law that they really wanted to watch - Avatar in 3d at the IMAX.

During the movie, another movie-goer snapped a picture of all of us wearing our 3d glasses.
We loved seeing the world in 3d so much, we wore them all the way home too. Here you can see Sharon sporting the Chipboard Classic 3d Glasses, while Kyle bears the rugged and sleek Geek Clip Ons.

02.04.06

2010-02-04T13:33:00.005-06:00

Four years ago today, Kyle and I went on our first date! Since then we've had many great adventures!

Here's a few pictures from some more recent adventures:

Our first Christmas Eve Dinner at a Cabin on Mount Magazine.

We're Happily Married!

2010-01-20T13:17:00.002-06:00

Wedding Photographs

2010-01-11T09:11:00.002-06:00

Here is the link to our wedding pictures! The event key for Pictage is: Blair

Thanks to everyone who helped make our wedding so special! We are so grateful for you!

Wedding Information

2009-12-20T11:02:00.007-06:00

Kyle and Sharon are getting married on Sunday, December 20th at 2pm!

First Assembly of God
Springdale, Arkansas

Hotel Accommodations:

Hampton Inn and Suites
1700 S. 48th Street
Springdale, AR 72762
(479) 756-3500

Engagement Photographs:

http://www.beatyphotography.com/kyle-sharon-e-session/

Use the event key: Blair

The Ring

Registries:

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

Dillard's

Sears

Singing at the OU vs. Texas A & M Game

2009-11-17T20:06:00.005-06:00

Home for the Weekend

2009-11-04T23:14:00.003-06:00

A few pictures from the visit that my parents and I had with Kyle last weekend!

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-26T20:21:00.006-05:00

The finished products:Kyle after filling my Nalgene in preparation of my long drive

Sharon with the pumpkins on the front porch!
Sharon and Kyle showing off their pumpkin heads!

Engagement Photographs

2009-10-19T18:22:00.002-05:00

Jon and Emily Beaty took some photos of Kyle and I about a week ago at Lake Fayetteville.

Here's the link:

http://www.beatyphotography.com/kyle-sharon-e-session/

Use Event Key: Blair

Post Number 62

2009-10-03T14:36:00.005-05:00

Things worth doing on a 26th Birthday:

Eat pancakes
Listen to Christmas music
Clean the bathroom
Finish watching Love's Long Journey
Study Robert Schumann
Read the card your parents sent
Open a package
Take a walk
Practice the piano
Go on an exciting date with the sweet fiance who drove 353 miles to see you on your birthday!

View Larger Map

Post Numero 61

2009-09-28T22:15:00.003-05:00

White Coat Ceremony 2009

Post Numero 60

2009-09-24T23:08:00.007-05:00

87

days until the wedding!

the factorization of 87=3x29

Kyle's birthday is 3.29.87

Easily amused and, mildly stated, very excited!

Post of Silliness Number 59

2009-09-08T22:23:00.005-05:00

A fine family member has "tagged" me for this quiz and I have taken the freedom to omit certain questions and changed others for my own purposes.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:50ish
2. How do you like your steak? Medium well.
3. What instruments do you play? Piano, guitar, violin.
4. What is your favorite TV show? When I am home in Wesley I sometimes watch, "18 Kids and Counting"
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Home
10. Favorite dressing? Ranch
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? A nice Granny-ride. 4-doors, no sunroof, 2002 Buick Century.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Freiburg, Germany; Lima, Peru; New Zealand.
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? The optimist: 1/2 full. The pessimist: 1/2 empty. The engineer: The cup is twice as large as it needs to be. I'm the optimist.
16. Favorite time of day? between 11am and 11pm
17. Where were you born? Springdale
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Basketball
22. Bird watcher? No.
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Doesn't the time I woke up and my favorite times of day give that away?
24. Do you have any pets? Nein
26. What did you want to be when you were little? Cardiovascular Surgeon.
27. What is your best childhood memory? Playing monopoly with my family.
28. Are you a cat or dog person? People person who enjoys cats only minimally more than dogs.
29. Are you married? Will be in 103 days!!!!!!
30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes-it's the law.
31. Been in a car accident? Yes-all minor.
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Canadian Bacon; hamburger.
34. Favorite Flower? Good question.
35. Favorite ice cream? Vanilla
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None.
42. Broccoli? Yes, thank you Kyle!
43. What's your favorite color? Blue
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? If dinner at home counts, Kyle.
45. What are you listening to right now? Tiffany practice De Beriot's Concerto No. 9 in A Minor, Op. 104.
50. Coffee Drinker? I love the smell of coffee, but haven't acquired the taste.
51. Any silly videos you'd like to share? Click the link http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/057101-2009-09-08-a-real-mans-waterslide.htm
scroll down to A Real? Mans Waterslide (Thanks Melissa and Tiffany!)

Post Numero 58

2009-08-27T16:53:00.005-05:00

Today was the first rehearsal of the Singing Sooners--an OU choir devoted partly to singing OU's Spirit Songs (Oklahoma Hail!, Boomer Sooner, Hail to Oklahoma, O. K. Oklahoma!, O. U. Chant) as well as Mozart's Requim, a few jazz charts and some popular selections. Those of you who know me realize how funny this situation might be for a devoted Razorback fan who bemoans even hearing the OU spirit songs, let alone having to sing them! Well, it was the only choir that fit my schedule, and somehow graduating on time (in December) seemed valuable, so I decided to take this silly Sooner Singers business in stride and dress appropriately for the first rehearsal:
At least I'll get a full OU experience! We even have/get to sing at a football game (OU vs. Texas A & M on Nov. 14) halftime show!

GO HOGS GO!!!!

Post Numero 57

2009-08-24T22:44:00.004-05:00

This Rachmaninoff Prelude (Op. 32, No. 2) is causing a lot of practicing!

Post Numero 56

2009-08-14T23:02:00.007-05:00

This wonderful guy is going to be a great doctor in a few short years!

Post Numero 55

2009-08-03T17:36:00.001-05:00

When I get tired of practicing the piano, I just play Hansen's Yoko Ono Piano Drop

(I intend the funny, not sad reaction!)

Post Numero 54

2009-08-02T20:50:00.001-05:00

Yes it's true! 20 Weeks and Counting!

By the way, "The Duggars: 20 and Counting!" is quite enjoyable.

Post Numero 53

2009-07-30T14:32:00.002-05:00

A shot from Brennan and Jorja's wedding, the day before Kyle and I got engaged!

Post Numero 52

2009-07-18T01:28:00.001-05:00

A closer look at the ring!

Thank you David!

Post Numero 51

2009-07-10T10:53:00.004-05:00

A few shots from our adventure at the Oklahoma City Zoo!

An American Bison

A meerkat
A giraffe
Giraffe, in its typical headless shot, Sharon, and Melissa

Post Numero 50

2009-06-27T12:24:00.002-05:00

Today my family and I are attending a family member's wedding at the same church that Kyle and I will get married! Later today, we'll drive to Little Rock and continue getting Kyle settled into his new place of residence!

Yesterday, someone apparently became an ordained minister! My dad got a real kick out of a certain someone 'baptising' our puppy, Spot, and kitten, Doodle! When they threw the dog into the small pond in my parent's back yard, Spot just meandered out slowly. My dad describes the cat as "nearly walking on water" to get our of the pond! Little Doodle was not taking his sweet time to get out of there!

More Pictures

2009-06-16T14:28:00.003-05:00

Kyle and I have been busy planning our wedding! Follow the link to see more pictures from our engagement!

Engaged!

2009-06-03T00:43:00.006-05:00

Two-thousand feet above sea level, on Round Top Mountain, Kyle and I enjoyed a wonderful picnic with his homemade yeast bread, homemade pimento cheese, a couple of apples and an advacado on May 31. A red blanket placed on the large rock overlooking the small town of Jasper and the birds soaring beneath us provided a picture perfect picnic. After we had feasted, Kyle asked me to marry him! I said, "Absolutely!" He then showed me the ring that he designed and my brother made for me! After we hiked down the mountain and began driving to our next hiking destination, we saw a dozen elk! I am very excited about our future together!

Post Numero 47

2009-05-10T23:17:00.004-05:00

Kyle, Brennan, and Jorja all graduated this Mother's Day weekend!

Post Numero 46

2009-05-07T23:19:00.002-05:00

That's why good ideas come to me in the shower!

"Individuals who do a lot of freeway driving often get good ideas during those periods when they are in theta. Individuals who run outdoors often are in the state of mental relaxation that is slower than alpha and when in theta, they are prone to a flow of ideas. This can also occur in the shower or tub or even while shaving or brushing your hair. It is a state where tasks become so automatic that you can mentally disengage from them. The ideation that can take place during the theta state is often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically a very positive mental state. "

By the way...
MRI studies show that musicians who began studying music by age 8 have a larger corpus callosum than their non-musician buddies--up to 15% larger (Schlaug G, Jäncke L, Huang Y, Staiger JF, Steinmetz H. Increased corpus callosum size in musicians. Neuropsychologia 1995;33:1047-1055. )! (Basically, that just means their left and right sides of the brain are more connected).

Post Numero 45

2009-05-02T22:48:00.003-05:00

Bright pink Race for the Cure ankle socks that say "Hanes" on the bottom in gray threads grace my little feet tonight. They're from my mom, who ate at the Survivor Breakfast last week!

Post Numero 44

2009-04-01T22:48:00.012-05:00

Last weekend was fabulous! I got to meet my brand new nephew, Trail David! David and Brittney have some wonderful pictures!

Kyle finished his honors thesis last week and will defend it on Tuesday!

Kyle and I went to the Arkansas Country Doctor Museum in Lincoln on Saturday when the snowflakes were falling. We got to see many neat things, including an Iron Lung. I am thankful that we can get vaccinated for polio. The woman who used this contraption, contracted debilitating polio when she was 16 years old. She lived in this iron lung for 53 years. The only part of her body she could move was her mouth. But she loved painting and painted this picture, she could paint very well!
Here's a picture of a picture of her using her portable iron lung while painting with her mouth surrounded by some of her other works.

On the days when she went to church, an ambulance would load up this contraption, a portable iron lung, so she could attend:
Just before we left, Kyle pointed out the Nurses' Duties from 1887. Click on the picture to enjoy some good humor!

Post Numero 43

2009-03-24T22:08:00.003-05:00

Today I got to fix the damper pedal on my piano! It's more sensitive than before and most importantly, it works! I've spent over 13 hours at school today studying piano, teaching piano and aural skills, listening to lectures on pedagogical theories, and listening to fellow students perform. I am thankful that through Chirst I have his strength to work diligently and earn my master's degree! I hope that soon, this little adventure of earning my degree will be completed. Within the next few weeks, I'll know how soon the adventure will end.

Colossians 1:9-12
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Post Numero 42

2009-02-10T18:47:00.002-06:00

A Glimpse into Sharon's day...

7:30am Wake up thankful for the beautiful day
8:05am Drive to school
8:30-9:20 Teach Group Piano 2
9:30-10:20 Prepare to teach 30 kids Aural Skills IV
10:30-11:20 Teach AS IV
11:20-12:00 Work on book reviews
12:00-12:50 Lunch with Melissa and Jennifer
12:50-2:29 Finish book review assignment--9 books--done!
2:30-4:20pm Piano Pedagogy II Class
4:20-4:45 Prepare for Demo Class, enjoy the campfire smell on my jacket from Sunday night
4:45-5:45 Demo Class--Teach Nick
5:45-6:30 Prepare for Current Trends Class, snack on wheat bread, and a granola bar--be thankful that I didn't see my first tornado today
6:30-8:20 Current Trends Class
8:30-9:00 Decide what level Friday's recital pieces are
9:00-10:45 Practice for tomorrow's Piano lesson
11:00pm Go home, get ready for bed, finally talk to Kyle
12:30~1:30am Go to bed

Next week's goals for teaching Nick:
Have him verbalize something for every piece (ta's, letter names, finger numbers)
Make sure he fully relaxes his shoulders

Notes from my Current Trends in Music Education Class:
(these are quotes form slides)

Metacognition
People learn to learn as they learn

Knowledge is actively constructed, not passively received from the environment. Reflection provides meaning of and for an action.

Post Numero 41

2009-01-26T16:36:00.001-06:00

School's Out! At least for the afternoon. Perhaps for tomorrow as well!

Post Numero 40

2009-01-24T18:47:00.004-06:00

It's cold in Norman! I've had some car wash tokens in my car for the past few months and decided that today was as good of day as any to wash my car. That was a bad idea. Not only were my hands freezing by the time I was done washing, I had to be careful not to slip on the ice that was in the bay! Furthermore, the brush didn't produce any foam because it was frozen! :) But my car is more clean than it was before!

Rebecca and Melissa and I went to see Julius Cesar last night. Here's a picture of the stage. We forgot to get a picture of us!

Post Numero 39

2009-01-19T20:28:00.005-06:00

It was cold last week in Mason City, Iowa.

Tomorrow is an exciting day! I will start my second semester at OU!

I am thankful for the safe travels and the time with family and friends that I was able to enjoy over Christmas break!

Post Numero 38

2009-01-05T19:34:00.002-06:00

Christmastime is a wonderful time of year! It has been a wonderful time to catch up with a few friends, spend time with family and Kyle! Here are a few pictures from the break.

Post Numero 37

2008-12-18T23:11:00.003-06:00

Woohee! The semester is over! I have one more final exam to give tomorrow and then I'll be done with 1/4 of my Master's degree! Yay! Last Friday, we had a piano studio party at Dr. Ham's house. A few of us played Christmas carols on her pianos. Here's what Dr. Ham had to say about it:

As you see in the pictures, Angie, Sharon, Theresa, and Ryan have improvised several Christmas carols on my two pianos and sang with all of us. It was so wonderful... I think it was one of the best Christmas parties I ever had so far!

Post Numero 36

2008-12-09T22:03:00.002-06:00

The semester is almost over! I am so glad that in about ten or eleven short days I will be going home to stay for a while!

David has a new blog and has begun creating a few videos for youtube. Check them out!

Happy early Christmas!

Post Numero 35

2008-11-05T20:28:00.004-06:00

It's nice to have a carport when it's hailing. Even if the hail isn't dime-size. It's stormy in Norman tonight. A perfect time for a storm, since I go to Chi Alpha on Tuesday nights. As I type this, I can hear the wind pushing against the leaves that are still clinging to the trees, the thunder cracking, and see the lightening flash around my little apartment. Tonight has also been my night for practicing and laundry. Perhaps before the evening ends, I'll begin writing the paper that's due on Monday and/or finish the project that's due tomorrow.

In the piano world: I get to play for studio class tomorrow! I'll be playing this piece by F. Schubert.

Kyle came to visit me last weekend here in Norman! On Friday in the late afternoon, I started heading out the door to check the mail, and he had just pulled into my driveway! Hooray for Kyle! It was an expected visit, so I had arranged for him to stay with some guys from Chi Alpha. I enjoyed showing him around campus and cooking for him! Unfortunately, we were having so much fun, I forgot to take any pictures.

Post Numero 34

2008-10-24T18:28:00.003-05:00

Click here to see some pictures of what I see.

Post Numero 33

2008-10-14T22:38:00.010-05:00

I have a wonderful boyfriend and a wonderful family!

I went home this weekend with my awesome roommate, Tiffany. She decorated the apartment last week in honor of my birthday!We picked up a dresser from my parent's house!
Sweet Kyle bought me a new dress for my birthday!

Post Numero 32

2008-09-18T21:53:00.004-05:00

I have a new Niece! Aliyah Elisabeth was born tonight at 8:12pm EST to my brother Joe and his wife Janelle! Hooray!! She weighed 6 pounds and 4 ounces, and is 20 inches long!

Post Numero 31

2008-09-01T23:36:00.003-05:00

The first week of graduate school is history and I've visited home and come back home from my labor day weekend getaway. Sweet awesome Kyle Blair gave me these wonderful flowers today before I left Fayetteville!! He is so thoughtful!

Post Numero 30

2008-08-23T16:13:00.003-05:00

I am almost ready for Monday. I will be teaching two classes this fall at OU (Group Piano I for Music Majors and Aural Skills 3) and taking four classes (Pedagogy of Music Theory, Piano Pedagogy 1, Introduction to Music Education Research, and Piano Lessons). That amounts to about 20 hours in class plus whatever time it takes to practice and prepare for those classes! I'm looking forward to Labor day weekend!

Post Numero 29

2008-08-21T17:55:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone!

I miss you Arkansas and the wonderful people (you know who you are!)

Here are a few pictures of my new apartment!

This is our front door! We have a wonderful carport that keeps our vehicles dry!

We have enough brownie mix for all year! (There was an awesome sale at the grocery store!!)

We have a lot of books!
Tiffany and I have been playing chamber music late at night! She accompanies me on piano while I play the violin!

Post Numero 28

2008-07-11T10:00:00.007-05:00

Today I am praying and want you to pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and his lovely family. He, along with his sons, Will and Caleb, will return to the stage tonight for the first time since Maria's tragic death.

In other endeavors...the Seussical Jr. rehearsals are going well. My brother and sister-in-law are preparing to move this weekend!

I gave the last lesson to my precious students Lenny and Memo last night. They gave me two bouquets of miniature carnations, homemade cards, and two mugs so that after the flowers fade I will remember them. I had taught them for about three years. Goodbye's are not very fun. I played a piano reduction of The Swan from Camille Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals for them and gave them a CD that also had the entire Carnival of the Animals on it.

My mom let me borrow some of her pictures in digital form this week! So I'll share some of the goods with you! Here we are at Mom's last chemotherapy treatment last December. L-R, Valarie, Mom, Kyle, me.

Post Numero 27

2008-07-04T20:54:00.004-05:00

(Never) Alone in the Universe

When people are unable to be with loved ones on special days, what does that feel like? What comfort exists when one is completely alone?

"A man of many companions may come to ruin; but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (The Holy Spirit) Proverbs 18:24

Post Numero 26

2008-06-30T22:31:00.003-05:00

I have a home for the fall! My mom, Tiffany (my roommate for next year) and I looked at many many apartments, made tons of calls and avoided the Triangle Fraternity house--even though it was a steal to live so close to campus! Hooray!

Post Numero 25

2008-06-21T00:14:00.006-05:00

More posts than I am years old! Hooray! I am enjoying my new home and especially enjoying my little niece! She is so sweet and I'm starting to understand her jargon a little better each day! Soon I'll have another niece! Congratulations to Joe and Janelle!

I'm getting excited about learning more music! The Arts Live Theatre is putting on the Seussical Jr. Musical in August and I will be the rehearsal pianist-picking out vocal parts etc! It will be a very fun summer gig!

Here's some Seussness for your Saturday!

Dr. Seuss Explains Why Computers Sometimes Crash:

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port, And the bus is interrupted as a very last resort, And the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort, then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.
If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash, And the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash, And your data is corrupted because the index doesn't hash, Then your situation's hopeless, and your system's gonna crash!
If the label on the cable on the table at your house, Says the network is connected to the button on your mouse, But your packets want to tunnel onto another protocol, That's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall.
And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss, So your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse, Then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang, 'Cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!
When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk, And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk, Then you'll have to flash your memory, and you'll want to RAM your ROM. Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!

This joke is from the collection at www.usaone.net/jokenet

Post Numero 24

2008-06-14T00:10:00.002-05:00

Good morning!
Happy Flag Day!
Happy Anniversary to my brother and sister-in-law!
Happy moving day to me!
Happy day after the MCAT for Kyle! Hooray! He can have a life again and help me move!

Post Numero 23

2008-06-09T22:20:00.006-05:00

Congratulations to my hard-working students on their accomplishments! I had a poor picture of all the participating students; but I'll spare you the fuzzy-dark photo. Instead I'll give you a picture of me holding the two-dozen roses that Kyle gave me when I performed my Senior Recital. Half the number of roses I hold in the picture is the number of students that performed last Saturday!

Post Numero Viente Dos

2008-06-03T11:10:00.003-05:00

The past week and a half have been interesting. I walked around two lakes in two days (Think One Republic's Apologize) last week! Lake Atlanta with Kyle last Thursday, and Lake Fayetteville with Sam on Friday! We celebrated Josiah's first birthday yesterday! He's growing up! Here are cousins Derek and Shari with Josiah.
Brittney and Brooklynn having a good time eating at Josiah's party.
Joe and Janelle watching Josiah eat his birthday cake!
Sam and I made some peanut butter chocolatey goodness! Here's Sam putting on her apron!
I'm packing to move and trying to get all my piano students prepared for the Studio Recital-which is this Saturday at 2pm. I'm also getting ready to go to Russellville on Friday. Throughout all this I am endeavoring to sell my Howard Piano without getting scammed and to practice piano and violin! If you're interested or know someone who would like a piano please contact me at unordinaryday@gmail.com $500 OBO.

Pray for the Chapmans & Official News (Post Numero 21)

2008-05-22T01:39:00.004-05:00

Hi out there!

Please pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. At about 5pm on the 21st, their youngest daughter, Maria Sue age 5, was tragically killed in an accident in their driveway. You can leave comments on this page.

My news is that I plan to attend the University of Oklahoma in the fall and pursue a master's degree in piano pedagogy.

Post Numero Veinte

2008-05-17T12:55:00.006-05:00

Hooray for Fayetteville Farmer's Market! Sam and I walked around and I got a cinnamon roll from Arsaga's. Sam recently started a group called SHuT (Stop Human Trafficking) and had a booth at the market this morning! Check out the website at stopht.com! Human trafficking is a pretty widespread problem that SHuT is working to eradicate.

Hooray for my piano students who played in a recital this morning; and the accomplished violinists that I accompanied yesterday in their Studio Recital! My piano studio will play in about three weeks at Butterfield Trail Village, in Fayetteville, on June 7, at 2pm. I hope that you can come see them play!

Post Numero Diez Y Nueve

2008-05-10T20:07:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to all the graduates! The University of Arkansas held its commencement ceremonies today! Jorja and I both graduated! My parents gave me a beautiful necklace that was made by my brother, David! These pictures were taken after I had walked to the car in the wind and rain, taken off my cap and then replaced it for the picture!!

Post Numero Diez Y Ocho

2008-05-03T19:18:00.004-05:00

After a quick trip to Springfield, I'm back home! I'm thankful for such a wonderful family. They have allowed God to love through them a lot. Even when that means giving up rights to go where they want or sleep when they want, they have given that up to love others. That's very admirable. It's neat to learn how to love from those who have been working on it for 50-something years!

The reason for such an exciting twenty hour round trip excursion was, my cousin, Sarah's graduation from Evangel University. (Congratulations Sarah!) She completed her accounting degree magna cum laude and will begin working full time in August. Also, Sarah will begin the CPA tests this summer!

Thought for the day: "The backslider gets bored with himself; the godly man's life is exciting." Proverbs 14:14 (The Living Bible)

Now it's time for piano, violin, and more exciting music stuff!

Post Numero Diez Y Siete

2008-04-25T14:26:00.008-05:00

It's wet outside! Here are a couple of pictures of the brief downpour that just occured!

Post Numero Diez Y Seis

2008-04-24T18:34:00.005-05:00

Well, today I finally got to write the song that's been mulling around in my heart/head for the last couple of months. Sometimes it takes a little extra something to make a song come out. Anyway, Floyd Collins is still playing--three more shows after tonight!

Lately it's nice to reflect on these passages:

Matthew 6:

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Psalm 91:

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.

Let's see what kind of photograph shall I grace your presence with today...

How about this one. It is Thursday after all, so a throwback is called for!!! This is the newsie crew from long ago (1998). Mandee, Shawnna, Kim, Brittney, Jessica, and me!!

Post Numero Quince

2008-04-18T23:45:00.004-05:00

This week has been quite busy with rehearsals every night (except for tonight, which was opening night) for the Floyd Collins play in addition to trying to practice, teach 25 lessons and receive two. Come see the play if you can! The remaining dates are:

April 19, 23, 24, 25, 26 at 8pm

April 20, 27 at 2pm

My cute bears, Blair (the white one) and Luther, have been enjoying the slightly warmer weather. In this photo, they're studying Beethoven and keeping me company in Las Vegas (taken last November).

Post Numero Catorce

2008-04-12T13:51:00.005-05:00

Spring is here! The trees are starting to put out their little leaves! This is a little oak near my apartment.

Yesterday I made bread from scratch! It's pretty good.

Per Brittney's request, here's a picture of Kyle and me! This was on the boardwalk in Coney Island, NYC from July of 2006.

Here's one of my favorite Kyle pictures! I think this was taken when his family was in Alaska, but I'm not sure.

Post Numero Trece

2008-04-06T20:28:00.004-05:00

What interesting things go on your salad?

Well, Kyle and I put together some pretty interesting salads tonight! The top one is mine. The ingredients: Romaine, spinich, carrots, tomato, turkey, scrambled egg, peanuts, cashews, mozzerella cheese, wheat goldfish, ranch, and some crumbs of chedder sun chips.

Here's Kyle's salad. His ingredients: Romaine, spinich, carrots, tomato, turkey, scrambled egg, peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, mozzerella cheese, wheat gold fish, raisins, and salsa.

They were very good and definately looked better in real life.

Post Numero Doce

2008-04-02T05:20:00.002-05:00

Being awake at this time of day is "Something Crazy"

And it's crazy when love gets a hold of you
And it's crazy things that love will make you do
And it's crazy but it's true
You really don't know love at all
'Til it's making you do
Something crazy

("Something Crazy" by Steven Curtis Chapman)

Have fun Sam!

Post Numero Once

2008-03-31T20:46:00.020-05:00

Today I received the official letter of acceptance from the School of Music at Oklahoma University!! I have already been unofficially accepted and (unofficially)offered nice graduate positions at the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University. I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to find out if I get any financial offers from OU.

Even though my jokes weren't popular last time, here are some sillies that I found:

Why do musicians have to be awake by six o'clock?
Because most shops close by six thirty.

What would a musician do if he won a million dollars?
Continue to play gigs until the money ran out.

Saint Peter is checking ID's at the Pearly Gates, and first comes a Texan. "Tell me, what have you done in life?" says St. Peter.
The Texan says, "Well, I struck oil, so I became rich, but I didn't sit on my laurels--I divided all my money among my entire family in my will, so our descendants are all set for about three generations."
St. Peter says, "That's quite something. Come on in. Next!"
The second guy in line has been listening, so he says, "I struck it big in the stock market, but I didn't selfishly just provide for my own like that Texan guy. I donated five million to Save the Children."
"Wonderful!" says Saint Peter. "Come in. Who's next?"
The third guy has been listening, and says timidly with a downcast look, "Well, I only made five thousand dollars in my entire lifetime."
"Goodness!" says St. Peter. "What instrument did you play?"

Post Numero Diez

2008-03-27T17:42:00.004-05:00

Here's a picture of me and Mom going to her first radiation treatment today! We look a lot alike in this picture I think because of our similar leg-crossing technique (haha!)

I'm learing new repertoire! Schubert Op. 90 Impromptus; Debussy's Children's Corner and then when I get around to them, Gershwin's Three Preludes! Hooray!

Post Numero Nueve

2008-03-24T11:41:00.003-05:00

Kyle is a wonderful guy! Here's a picture of the flowers he gave me yesterday! The lilies are Sam's!

Post Numero Ocho

2008-03-22T22:43:00.008-05:00

Today is a good day to be thankful for how much God loves me. As is everyday! Happy early Easter!! Today I got to go home and eat dinner with my awesome parents! Mom had some homemade stew! Yum!!

Here are a few jokes that I read in the April edition of the Reader's Digest:

How do you get frogs off your windshield?
Turn on the defrogger.

What do frogs use to write notes?
Lily pads.

What happens when a frog illegally parks?
He gets toad.

Hilight the text to find the answers!

Post Numero Siete

2008-03-19T00:08:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen one of these?

This is a melodica! It's my newest instrument of choice. I am playing the harmonica part in the Musical Floyd Collins for the University (of Arkansas) Theater program in April. The dates of the play are: April 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, & 26 at 8pm; and April 20 & 27 at 2pm. Hope you can come!

It's been a very fun rainy day! I think I might learn some Schubert (piano) Sonatas next, they're nice.

Post Numero Seis

2008-03-16T22:16:00.002-05:00

I'm home again from my travels to Chillicothe, Illinois! My sweet cousin, Levi, married his beautiful girlfriend of nearly five years on Saturday!

Post Numero Cinco

2008-03-14T07:29:00.002-05:00

To the tune of the Wizzard of Oz:

I'm off to see the wedding! A wedding in Illinois! Because Because Because Because Because!!! (V7/V-V for all you theorists out there!) Because my cousin's getting hitched! (dum da da dah da da dah dum!)

My favorite sound of the morning is the morning dove! They're wonderful! Thanks God for making doves so that getting up early sometimes is sort of bearable!!

Post Numero Quatro

2008-03-12T21:10:00.003-05:00

Here's some pictures from the Steven Curtis Chapman concert that David, Brittney, Scott and I attended.

This is where they're bowing:
Caleb Chapman leading worship at the beginning...

Post Numero Tres

2008-03-10T10:15:00.004-05:00

What has been happening? The world has not heard from unordinaryday for three whole days now!!! Oh my! My days are still unordinary. Here's what's up:

I am memorizing Matthew 5. I have been traveling, and will travel some more! Also I have intermittently been working on a rubiks cube.

Post Numero Dos

2008-03-07T22:18:00.003-06:00

Fayetteville is a sight for blue eyes! The hills are wonderful! God's beauty and handiwork is absolutely amazing. It's easy for me to see that here in Fayetteville.

Steinways are nice pianos, especially if they're new and well-kept.

After completing a second audition grad school is still on or off the horizion, I'm not sure which.

Post Numero Uno

2008-03-04T21:05:00.000-06:00

Today the weather was just right: enough cold, snow, and ice to scare away all official academic proceedings and then warm and pretty enough that one could brave the elements and enjoy a nice day off!

Today I practiced the piano and studied with Kyle. He and I ate at Brough together and after more practice and study, we ordered pizza and studied more at my apartment! My audition repertoire takes exactly 38 minutes to play. Get ready Norman, Oklahoma, I'm coming in just a couple of days!