Hi there. Well, after my writing frenzy last week, I just haven’t been in the mood these last couple of days. I think I have a case of the post-holiday blues. I know, I know, the holidays aren’t over yet, but that’s how I feel.
Ever since sometime around Thanksgiving, we’ve been planning and preparing for our party on the 19th. Well, the 19th came and went and has left me feeling a little empty. I don't feel disappointed exactly; Saturday was a great day and I enjoyed it a lot. But now the excitement is over, and I feel a little blue, that’s all. Maybe if I talk about Saturday, I'll feel a little better.
I already told you about going to church on Saturday morning to pick up the food they gave us. That was a really good feeling, knowing that God was looking out for us in that way. After that, we came home and started getting things ready for our party. We had decided to keep things simple and just have chicken fajitas and let everyone build their own. So, all we really had to do was chop up all the vegetables; onions and tomatoes and black olives and all that stuff. Three days later, my hands still smell like onion, yuck!
Brenna’s violin recital was at two o’clock, so we had to leave at one fifteen. The recital was put on by a violin teacher who was basically showcasing her students. They ranged from beginners, like Brenna, up to more advanced students. Brenna performed with a group of other first years. They played “Jolly Old St Nicholas” and “Good King Wenceslaus” and they sounded great! The rest of the program was various soloists, including a couple of adults who were learning the violin. I really enjoyed hearing Brenna play. I’m so glad she’s learning an instrument, and I hope she can get as much enjoyment from it as I have over the years. The recital was held in a nursing home which I thought was pretty nice.
Then it was back home again to finish our preparations. We still had a little time to kill, so I ran through “O Holy Night” and “Where Are You Christmas?” a few more times. I was still having trouble with those two, but I had done my best.
My family started showing up at 5:30. They’re a very punctual bunch. Joni finished getting the food ready and we all sat down to eat. The food was good, and the company was great. Joni cleaned up a bit and then it was time for me to play.
I was so nervous that I was actually trembling so the first couple of songs didn’t sound that great, but I finally began to calm down a little and the next few songs sounded pretty good. Then it was time for “O Holy Night.”
Well, guess what? I nailed it! I can’t even describe how I felt when I realized that I was hitting all the notes. In fact, I nailed it so well, that I started to laugh and I almost couldn’t finish the song. It's so hard to describe that feeling. It was like the whole room dropped away, and it was just me and the music. I guess that’s what people mean when they talk about being “in the zone.” I suppose it sounds a little silly, but it was kind of an emotional moment for me. After the song ended, the laughter that was bubbling up inside me, turned to tears. Well, luckily the next ong had a long intro and I pulled myself together in time.
The next song was “Where Are You Christmas?” and I messed it up, but I didn’t even care. The last three songs went fine though, and then it was over. Everyone sat around talking for a while after that, and then wenthome. Joni and I were way too wired to go to bed so we stayed up for a while. It had been a really great day.
Sunday, after we got home from church, I realized that I didn’t need to practice any more and I just kind of fell into a funk. On Monday, I decided to play anyway, and that helped a little bit, but it just wasn’t the same. I'm feeling a little better today, though, and there’s still Christmas day to look forward to. My family always gathers at Brad’s house and this will be my first Christmas with them in 8 or 9 years. That will be fun, although I feel bad that Joni can’t be with her family too. They live all the way over in Baltimore and there’s just no way for us to get there. God has his reasons for putting us where we are, and I guess we'll just have to trust in Him.
Well, this might be my last post before Christmas, so I am going to take a moment here to wish you and your family the most joyous Christmas imagineable. As you are opening your gifts, try to take a moment to think about that most wonderful gift of all that was given to us by God.
Merry Christmas, and God bless you!
Luke 2:8-14 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Showing posts with label where are you Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label where are you Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Journal - Party Countdown
Well, here it is, the 19th already! This will be a busy day for us so I hope I have time to post this. Of course, if you're reading it, then obviously I posted it haha! Okay, I'll be honest with you. I'm really writing this on Friday because I know I won’t have time to sit down and write on Saturday. It’ll only take a couple of minutes to copy and paste it into my blog on Saturday so I think I can handle that.
So, let me see, what’s been going on this week. Joni has been cleaning house like crazy since we’re having company tonight. And I’ve been practicing like crazy. The songs are sounding pretty good, but I’m still having trouble with two of them. “O Holy Night" is proving to be extremely challenging, and even after four weeks, I still haven’t had a perfect run on it, although I’m getting close. I’m also having trouble with “Where Are You Christmas.” I've always had trouble with key changes, and that one has two of them at the end. If I can get through those two songs, the show should be pretty good.
On the insurance thing: I had called the BCBS agent last Monday, the 8th I think, just as the blizzard was bearing down. I didn’t hear from him all week, but I chalked it up to the blizzard. So I waited until the following Monday to call him again. Still, I didn’t get a call back, so I called Aetna. Aetna turned me down right away. On Tuesday, the 15th, I call the main office for Blue Cross in Nebraska and complained about the agent that wouldn’t call me back. Lo and behold, he called me about 10 minutes later. He took my basic info over the phone and emailed me an application. Joni and I haven’t had a chance to sit down and fill it out yet, but at least we made a little progress this week.
My asthma and everything is holding up pretty good. I still have the free sample of Advair my doctor gave me. I’m only using it every other day and I'm getting along just fine with that. In the meantime, my doctor found some program where she was able to get me another Advair, completely free. I think that one has 50 doses in it, so I can stretch that one out for a long time. She also sent me an application to see if I would qualify to get them on a regular basis, either free or discounted. Don’t know if I will because they want to see last year’s tax form. I was still working last year, so I’ll be surprised if that works. Anyway, I'm hoping to have insurance before much longer so that's all moot.
Let me see; I did call Ken Thursday night, but he didn’t answer so I left a message. I’ll see if he calls back.
I think that’s about it. Other than my blog. You probably noticed that I’ve been writing a lot this week. I don’t know if that’s because we really have been busier than normal lately, or if I’m just getting a little more comfortable with the whole blog thing. We’ll see what happens after the holidays.
Okay, on to today. A deaconess from our church approached us a couple of weeks ago. She said that every year, the deacons and deaconesses put together Christmas baskets for needy families, and they wanted us to have one. So early this morning we went to the church to pick that up. It is basically everything for a Christmas dinner. There’s a ham, canned fruit and frozen vegetables, as well as fresh carrots, celery, and potatoes, and a cherry pie and whipped cream. What a blessing! It’s hard sometimes to admit that you need help, but if it hadn’t been for all the help we’ve received from lots of different people over the last year, my family and I would be living on the streets right now. If you ever wondered how people end up like that, this is it. They hit one of those stumbling blocks, like I have, but they don’t have any family to fall back on. Or maybe they're just too proud to ask. I hope someday, God will put us in a position where we will be able to help someone out, the way we have been helped.
Okay, I got sidetracked a little. We did that early this morning. This afternoon, we’re going to Brenna's violin recital at 2 o'clock. Stacy said they only play two songs, so that should be a short program. Then we come home and start getting things ready for our company. And somewhere in there, I need a little last minute practice time. Busy day, but I'm looking forward to all of it! I’ll let you know how it turns out. Wish us luck!
Matthew 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
So, let me see, what’s been going on this week. Joni has been cleaning house like crazy since we’re having company tonight. And I’ve been practicing like crazy. The songs are sounding pretty good, but I’m still having trouble with two of them. “O Holy Night" is proving to be extremely challenging, and even after four weeks, I still haven’t had a perfect run on it, although I’m getting close. I’m also having trouble with “Where Are You Christmas.” I've always had trouble with key changes, and that one has two of them at the end. If I can get through those two songs, the show should be pretty good.
On the insurance thing: I had called the BCBS agent last Monday, the 8th I think, just as the blizzard was bearing down. I didn’t hear from him all week, but I chalked it up to the blizzard. So I waited until the following Monday to call him again. Still, I didn’t get a call back, so I called Aetna. Aetna turned me down right away. On Tuesday, the 15th, I call the main office for Blue Cross in Nebraska and complained about the agent that wouldn’t call me back. Lo and behold, he called me about 10 minutes later. He took my basic info over the phone and emailed me an application. Joni and I haven’t had a chance to sit down and fill it out yet, but at least we made a little progress this week.
My asthma and everything is holding up pretty good. I still have the free sample of Advair my doctor gave me. I’m only using it every other day and I'm getting along just fine with that. In the meantime, my doctor found some program where she was able to get me another Advair, completely free. I think that one has 50 doses in it, so I can stretch that one out for a long time. She also sent me an application to see if I would qualify to get them on a regular basis, either free or discounted. Don’t know if I will because they want to see last year’s tax form. I was still working last year, so I’ll be surprised if that works. Anyway, I'm hoping to have insurance before much longer so that's all moot.
Let me see; I did call Ken Thursday night, but he didn’t answer so I left a message. I’ll see if he calls back.
I think that’s about it. Other than my blog. You probably noticed that I’ve been writing a lot this week. I don’t know if that’s because we really have been busier than normal lately, or if I’m just getting a little more comfortable with the whole blog thing. We’ll see what happens after the holidays.
Okay, on to today. A deaconess from our church approached us a couple of weeks ago. She said that every year, the deacons and deaconesses put together Christmas baskets for needy families, and they wanted us to have one. So early this morning we went to the church to pick that up. It is basically everything for a Christmas dinner. There’s a ham, canned fruit and frozen vegetables, as well as fresh carrots, celery, and potatoes, and a cherry pie and whipped cream. What a blessing! It’s hard sometimes to admit that you need help, but if it hadn’t been for all the help we’ve received from lots of different people over the last year, my family and I would be living on the streets right now. If you ever wondered how people end up like that, this is it. They hit one of those stumbling blocks, like I have, but they don’t have any family to fall back on. Or maybe they're just too proud to ask. I hope someday, God will put us in a position where we will be able to help someone out, the way we have been helped.
Okay, I got sidetracked a little. We did that early this morning. This afternoon, we’re going to Brenna's violin recital at 2 o'clock. Stacy said they only play two songs, so that should be a short program. Then we come home and start getting things ready for our company. And somewhere in there, I need a little last minute practice time. Busy day, but I'm looking forward to all of it! I’ll let you know how it turns out. Wish us luck!
Matthew 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
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