My Post of the Year

Well...by now my readers have either gotten an email, a phone call, or a Facebook notification that something important has happened in my life. Back in September when I went to New Hampshire for a convention, I chatted a few times with a guy named Dennis Pass. I've known him for a number of years, but not well. I respected him, and thought he was nice, but frankly, I never really considered him any other way. After all, he's a "bit" older than I am. But the last time he and I talked, I kind of wondered if there was "something" there. Oh, and my cousin Penny (who is related to him) suggested him to me, which made me think a little more about it.

I went home, prayed about it a little bit, and figured that if anything was to happen, it would happen soon. But I didn't really expect anything and after several weeks my mind was engrossed with other stuff going on. On October 21, I came home from a weekend in Spokane. After church my parents sat me down to talk to me. I was immediately suspicious! My dad said he'd received a letter from Dennis asking to write me. He had noticed that I had a "beautiful heart." Once I got beyond the initial shock, I actually felt strangely peaceful that this was indeed the Lord's will. For the next week, I prayed and my dad corresponded with Dennis to make sure he was worthy of his last little lamb. ;-) By the end of the week, we were both satisfied to continue.

So...we wrote for the next three weeks. Every letter revealed how alike our hearts were and how much dearer the other was becoming. Then he came out for Thanksgiving. He flew in the day before. My braces came off just in time. ;-) For five days we had a great time feasting with the family, exploring the area, talking, laughing, and yes, falling in love. By Monday we were permitted to "officially" begin courting. I wasn't sure Dennis was going to make it on his plane okay, he was so deliriously happy!

For those of you who don't know him, I'll tell you a little bit. He lives near Atlanta, Georgia and works as a sheriff deputy in a county jail. He has quite a responsible position and sees his job as more a ministry than anything. He has such a heart for people. He is a very Godly man with great depth of character. He comes from a family of 9 and has an identical twin. Oh, I suppose I could go on, but I'll leave it there. I think he's pretty amazing. :-) And I'm still sort of reeling and trying to assimilate all of these changes that have happened so fast!

We'd appreciate prayers as we continue to seek the Lord about this relationship and get to know each other long distance. I plan to visit Georgia right after Christmas. Works out nice that I have some great relatives in the very same area!

New Smile!

Yes, indeed, my metal mouth is gone! Yesterday I got my brackets and wires off. It's a good thing that I'm getting retainers tomorrow because there's already a tiny space between my two front teeth. ;-/ Amazing how fast teeth move, especially in the wrong direction. Now, in these pictures, my smile may not look greatly different than it used to, but it is indeed very different. My chin is higher because my lower teeth now sit behind my front teeth instead of right under. Everything is way straighter. When I first looked in the mirror my teeth looked huge! They've been half covered for a year and a half, so it takes some getting used to to see them all.

What a nice gift from the Lord to time this right before Thanksgiving. :-) I have much on my thankful list this year. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Of Bears, Competitions, and Thievery

So it's been awhile since I've written on here. This is the first day in several weeks that I don't have anything scheduled. A totally quiet, lazy day -- wonderful. But of course by afternoon I start feeling like I should be doing something useful. :-)

A couple weeks ago I drove up to the house of some students I teach. They live out in the woods. As I walked to the front door, I heard a growl or roar from the direction of the trees. That was odd. It sounded like a bear, though my first-hand experience with bears is very limited. It happened several times, but I never saw anything. I got to the door and their 13 year-old girl answered it. She was smiling, but then seemed a little alarmed at the thought of a bear, so we scurried in. When her 15 year-old brother heard about it, he was determined to rush out with his gun and look for it. His sister wanted him to stay inside, though, so he did. For the next two hours of their lessons, the subject of bears would come up. Bears had been seen in town, and in fact, one guy was recently mauled seriously. So I warned them to protect their younger siblings when they're outside. I was actually kind of wishing I could see the beast, and looked out the window several times. They didn't seem too alarmed, and a few times I wondered if it was a "counterfeit bear," but would brush that idea away as unlikely. As I was about to leave, the boy picked up a round vase on the counter and said, "You know, I've got this jar, which not only looks cool, but makes this interesting sound." Then he proceeded to blow into it and produce the sound of the bear "roar" that I'd heard in the bushes! The little stinker. I managed to not throttle him. Next time I hear a bear roar, I'll probably think it's fake and it will be real! :-/

Last weekend I went to Spokane (in Eastern Washington) for a competition one of my students was in. She's 18 years old and has a lovely voice. We drove over Friday with her mom and sister, stayed at their grandmother's house, and the competition was Saturday. She wasn't nervous, but maybe I was a little more nervous because I was the teacher and the accompanist. I wasn't really sure what to expect. The voice competition was in a college band room, which did not have impressive acoustics. There was a little audience and one judge. My student was the last competitor and we hadn't heard any of the previous ones. Her voice didn't have some of its usual resonance, and she had one little memory slip from which she quickly recovered, but overall she did a good job. A tenor won first place, another guy was chosen as alternate to go to the regional competition, and my student got honorable mention! I was so proud of her being the only girl there to get that honor! Of course she would rather have gotten higher place, but it was still a good experience. And I was glad to have it over with. :-)

The next night at church, someone had the nerve to break into our pastor's Suburban which was parked right next to the building. They tore out the whole stereo system, which actually doesn't work. We only knew something was up because the burglar dropped a glass mug which had been in the car. My dad and another guy took off in pursuit of the thieves while the sermon kept going. But by the end of the service, everyone was pouring outside and excitedly discussing the sensational news! They never got the crooks, but they weren't going to get much out of the non-functioning stereo. They looked like druggies, so weren't overly bright or reverent.

So the past few weeks have been very busy with various performances and teaching. It's nice to have a catch-up day. I'm really looking forward to this week for several reasons. On Monday I'm getting my braces off!!! I'll post some pictures of my new smile, just so people will be able recognize me when they see me. :-) On Wednesday I get a permanent bar put behind my bottom front teeth and will wear a retainer the rest of my life (or I'm supposed to). I will have much on my Thanksgiving list this Thursday. Of course we're having a veritable feast at our house and will most likely gain 10 pounds, heh heh.

Mushrooms and Trees

Thou wilt show me the path of life...