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

A New Calling

I have a new calling-Ward Music Chairman. So now it's ME who has to plan all musical numbers, music for Sacrament Meeting and organize the ward choir.
So, ofcourse I feel overwhelmed but ofcourse I said yes so........ I have Martin to help with the hymn picking and the Ward choister to help with the Choir. We'll start next week and I've invited everyone from age 12 up. Wish us luck!!!!
Today I taught Relief Society- Strengthening Our Families. It could have turned touchy, but when approached with abit of humor, it was good. Still, alot of Sisters cried and that always makes me feel bad. Lots of sharing and lots of experiences always makes for interesting discussions.
Oh yeah, are we having fun yet???

A New School

Today I opened another Violin Program at the newest school in Gilroy, Las Animas Elementary. I know, I know, I have way too many students as it is, it's just that I believe so passionately that kids should be introduced to Strings when they are young and there are NO strings programs in this school district except what I do! I do feel driven and sometimes I just can't quit. That's why I said I'd start a new school on my only 1/2 day off! Am I crazy?
When I was young, violin "saved" me. By that I mean, I was no academic wizard, but I learned to play violin and I've done so for the last 50 years! It put me through University, helped me support two little kids when I was divorced and helped me support a whole family when Martin had his emergency and consequent chronic illness. Even though I don't have to work so hard now that he is so much better, I still like to teach and inspire children. So, now I'm at 3 schools and my home studio. Atleast I'm doing what I love!! So, am I crazy???

A New Me!!

I've been pretty busy with all my violin goings on, but here's a new start!!
As you maybe know, I'm a wife, mother, grandma and a violin teacher to 105 violin students!! This coming year my Tour Group will be traveling to Hungary to perform for the Kodaly Institute in Kescemet. Then we will perform in Vienna and Saltzburg, Austria and conclude in Munich, Germany.As you can imagine, I'm really swamped with work! But, I 'm really longing and looking forward to reading your blogs and keeping intouch this way!! I love hearing about your lives and all the exciting, wonderful things you do! As I get better at doing this, I'll post pictures!
Thanks to Heidi for helping me get this going! I'm stuck in the 60's I guess, but hopefully I'll enter the 21st century one of these days!!
Have a great day!

Here's a "Luke fix" for you mom...

Thanks for watching the kids, mom. Darin and I really appreciate the time and energy it took to watch 4 rambunctious kids. They had a great time and are still talking about how much fun it was. Hunter even told me today that you were nicer than me...that should make you feel good.

Since you have told me twice already in the 3 days you've been gone how much you miss Luke, here are some pics of him.

Thanks again,

Darin and Heidi

The Grandkids!