The Christmas Frenzy

Today we have our last Concert of the season and then we CELEBRATE! Lots to celebrate. Mainly that Martin is doing well and his Crohns Disease is in remission. He  is working hard and enjoying it and that is really worth celebrating! I signed a contract with the School District and in these hard economic times that is worth celebrating as well! While many Music teachers have lost their jobs, the GUSD saw fit to keep the Violin Program and I am happy about that!

But the biggest thing to celebrate is that we are able to be with FAMILY this Christmas! There is NOTHING more important than family and I'm excited to be with mine during the Holidays. First with Heidi, Franz and all theirs!! It has been too long since we have all been together and I'm looking forward to every moment. Then off to Arizona for a Heywood Reunion. I haven't seen my Aunts and Uncles for years and it will be wonderful to see everyone. When we get back to California, we plan to go see my Dad. So all in all, it will be fun. Not that I enjoy sitting in a car for long hours, but the end result will be worth the ride!

Love to all and Happy Holidays!

What Not To Wear

...oh and another thing. I'm really not sure who of my family reads this, but if you do read this I would like to enlist your help. Please consider yourself invited over to my house to go through my clothes with me. I look at my wardrobe every morning and just agonize! I HATE shopping and at this time of my life, my body going in different directions than it used to, I can't see something and say," Oh, that will look good on me!" Because it doesn't anymore!!!! So, anyone out there who would be willing to help???

Still Alive and Kicking

I just have to write and say that this morning I got up and stepped on a Goldfish that was still alive and kicking !!!!! I yelled a good one!! Fish is okay, I'm okay, and we are both alive and kicking! Last night we had our Ensemble Concert and it was quite nice! That group of kids are my favorites: all serious about what they are doing with their music and it shows!! The parents were pleased and so was I! Well, I'm late this morning ( due to the fish thing! ) I better put it behind me and get going! Love to all!

This Time of Year!

...makes me crazy!!!! I love it, although I am running around practically with my head cut off!! This week I started back on the job at Antonio Del Buono, had 3 concerts with my Tour Group , taught my regular private lessons and tried to be a good wife and mother!!! I think it is crazy, BUT, like Martin reminds me, I DID choose to do all this! The bright side is that now we have benefits: medical insurance and retirement. I am also  on salary so that means paid sick days. Halleluia! Later in life I hope that I'll have enough to visit my family - my children and grandchildren without having to worry about how we will make the money stretch. Soooooo, Here's to a long month! A bright spot to look forward to is Christmas with Franz, Heidi, their kids and Christie, Mike and Cassie! I love my family so much and don't see them as often as I wish! I'm looking forward to Dec. 22 - the start of  our Holidays! I'll be musiced ( hmmm, that's probably not a word!) out but ready to Celebrate!! LOL! ( Lots of Love!)

Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and a restful day. We sure did. Christie is home from the University of Utah and we enjoyed a hike at Mt. Madonna before dinner and then a movie later. I always have a hard time on Thanksgiving when all my kids are scattered around the state and country! I missed Michael but knew he was having a good time with Heidi, Darin, and the kids. Franz and Serena are in Utah with her folks and they are having a good time from all reports! We went to see Australia last night and enjoyed it very much! Of course Hugh Jackman was outstanding and beautiful as usual, Nicole Kidman is another outstanding and beautiful person, but I was totally captivated by the little boy who starred and narrated the movie. Unfortunately I can't remember his name but I hear that this was his first time acting. I thought he was the most beautiful child actor I have ever seen and recommend this movie highly. I don't think I will be able to see Twilight after this! ( I better not get started on that one!)

Today we are off to Trader Joe's in Monterey then to sit on the beach and have a picnic! Hope your day is great!

a new look

hey mom,

I decided to update your blog. If you want any changes let me know!

Heidi

Teacher of the Year!

Today I received a phone call from the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce announcing that I have been selected as Teacher of the Year for 2008! I am speechless! She said a lot of nice things and that on Feb. 7, 2009 there will be a dinner in honor of the recipients. I am very honored!!

This has been a very hard Fall for me - getting squared away with the District and all, but tomorrow I'm going to sign a new Contract that is much better than I anticipated. SOOOOO, things are certainly looking up! Sometimes I question if what I do matters, but today I feel as if it really does!

Family

 There is nothing better than being with family! This morning the Potters went home after spending the week end and Monday with us. It was a lot of fun! First of all, just to be together is worth more than money can buy, but doing fun things is more fun with them! We went to San Jose where we went to the Leonardo De Vince exhibit at the Tech Museum. It was awesome, mind boggling and unbelievable. We all enjoyed it. For dinner we had the Missionaries over and then all of us played Apples to Apples together. It was a crack-up! All in all it was a wonderful weekend. MaCall, Eloise, Cassie and I played some music. I sent home Christmas music and hope we can play together at Christmas. Mike even showed up with Corinne, his girlfriend, and that was wonderful as well. I LOVE my family soooooo much!!! It will be wonderful when all 5 of our children and all 6 grandchildren are together!!! I love you all!

Saying Goodbye

I have just returned from So. Cal. where I played violin at a funeral. I must say that I usually don't like to do so, but this funeral was for the father of my oldest and dearest friend Bevan and it was wonderful to be with her and her entire family. It was a great day, one inwhich we remembered Merrill Swenson and reviewed his life according to his children and grandchildren. Excellent talks were given, beautiful music rendered and a real sense of love and closure touched all of those present. It was just beautiful and I'm glad I was part of the day. One thing about Mormon funerals is that there is a sense of happiness and the knowledge that we will all be together in the eternities. That hope helps us to endure our life here while looking forward to seeing our loved ones again. I remember when my Mom died and I missed her so bad it physically hurt. Now, years later, I can say I miss her still but know that we will be together someday.

I'm happy to be home!!! I love teaching Violin, it's what I do best!! I'll be soooooooooo happy when this election is over! It has been very draining!!

Sunday Allergies

Today was Stake Conference for the Morgan Hill Stake. Since there was going to be a change in the Stake Presidency EVERY ONE was in attendance! Our visiting authorities were Elders Cordova and Gonzales from the Seventy. They are wonderful! What marvelous talks they gave, both last night and today. The Conference was very uplifting and spiritual. There was only one problem: my eyes!! I don't know what the heck I'm allergic to, but when the weather is hot and dry my eyes just burn and water like the dickens!! People who were sitting near me probably thought I cried through the whole meeting but not so, I only got choked up once in a while not the whole meeting. I'm really not used to this and I hope the weather changes soon! But Conference was wonderful! Our Home Teacher, Kort Jensen was called as one of the Counselors  and we support him with all our hearts! We have gotten very close to the Spanish Branch since  the young women meet with our ward and Cassie is best friends with several of the girls. On Friday night we took them to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and they had such fun.We know this because, since we weren't allowed to sit with them, from our table near by we heard  their happy voices. We feel blessed that she has such good friends. So, today has been good! Keep a prayer for me that I will get my job back in the  School District at my regular pay. I've been living through a nightmare of gigantic proportions!!

Here are some new pictures from our Tour. Only they were taken the day after we got home! They show my granddaughter MaCall, Cassie and myself in clothes we bought in Europe, namely Dirndl's from Austria and Cassie's dress from Hungary. We had such a wonderful time! When I can figure out how to put some pictures of concerts up I'll do that!

It's October!

Well, I'm sure not very good at this, but I just read all my children and Grandchildren's blogs and decided to get going again!!
It's past midnight and I can't sleep! Today is Cassie's 15th birthday!!!! It sure doesn't seem like she is that old but all I have to do is look at that beautiful little girl to know that she is growing up. I feel so blessed to have Cassie. I was 44 when she was born. The pregnancy was dreadful and I was so sick after she was born but we are so lucky to have her! At this time in her life she is the only child at home, everyone else has moved on! She misses her brothers and sisters a lot. She misses her neices and nephews and would love to have everyone home for her birthday. But we will do our best to have a great day for her.
So much has happened since I last wrote but instead of recapping it all I'm just going to go from here!
Love to one and all!

Omgsh

IT IS A HUNDRED AND TEN IN GILROY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's About Time

For the past several months my blog has just sat here being very lonely. However, with school over for the year I have a few more moments to tell about my interesting life.
You probably know by now that this July I'm taking a group of Tour Students to Hungary, Austria and Germany. We have six concerts scheduled and we are all primed and ready to go. It has been a long, hard year dealing with all the travel arrangements, getting students prepared, dealing with..... well, you know how it is when 75 people plan a trip together! My hair is a bit grayer and I have a dozen more wrinkles, but, HEY, I love this! Now with 7 more weeks to go, I'm hoping that I can slow down some and mentally, physically and spiritually get ready.
As always, I keep a good book handy and presently I'm reading an old, 1936 Newbery award winner by Ruth Sawyer called Roller Skates. I spied this book in the school library while I was teaching and had to check it out. While at BYU and majoring in Education, I tried to keep up on all the Newbery books, but here was one I never read! Well, it's a far cry from anything my children and grandchildren read now-a-days, but you might be as captivated in it as I am. Old fashioned fun, that's what it is!
Well, back to my Tour. This is my 4th Tour and this time something really wonderful will be happening. This will be the first time that my family will be performing with me! My youngest daughter Cassie, who is 14, and my oldest granddaughter MaCall,13, will be joining me as performers. I am so proud of them! It has made a world of difference to me and for this reason I'll love this tour more than ever. Since I've been suffering with tendonitis my personal practice time has suffered, but hopefully with more rest and the Physical Therapy I'll recover someday!
Summer Camp is my next big project BEFORE the Tour. This year I'll try to add photos.(Cassie, will you help me?)
I'll keep you posted on the progress of the music we make over here!!

New digs and time for a new post

Here you go mom--please make a new post now! We'll be waiting.

Love,
Heidi