Sunday, March 13, 2011

March Meanderings

Josh finally got some work this week, thanks to the generosity of our friend Lane.  He has a Jersey cow that he uses as a nurse cow for raising calves, and circumstances were such that he needed to have someone milk her (Natalie is her name) for a few months.  With the milk he gets, he will nurse four calves and sell them in a few months for a handsome profit.  It's a very generous deal from Lane, and we're very grateful that Josh will have some cash flow.  It's like a part-time job to do the milking twice a day on your own, so this is an adjustment, but he's been doing very well!

Today, one of Josh's best friends for the past eleven years, Drew, gave his Farewell talk in our ward, and he'll be leaving on Tuesday for his mission in Iowa.  He has spent countless hours at our house just hanging out over the years, so I feel like our family has a small part in sending him out as well as his own.  Josh also received his Duty to God Award today.  Congratulations Josh!

Joseph and Jesse have been busy with Choir happenings.  They sang in Solo & Ensemble Festival last week.  Joseph sang a duet with Amanda called "When I Close My Eyes" that was beautiful.  Jesse and her best friends Kalli sang "I'm a Wanderer", which is a spiritual.  They got a high enough score that they got to do a repeat performance at the high school choir concert.  Jesse also accompanied for three people, including Joseph and Amanda.


The High School Choir concert was awesome!  The Madrigals sang an extremely technical song called "The Sounding Sea", and it was one of the highlights of the evening.  Mary also had a Middle School concert the week before that, and she had fun doing that.

She had such a busy month of February playing the piano and the organ, that it was a miracle she got through it.  She had Piano Festival (which she got a "Superior" rating on - Yeah!), the Solo & Ensemble Festival, which I just talked about, she accompanied the congregation on the organ, and she played for the choir too.  Good thing she loves to play the piano and sing!

Mary also played in Piano Festival (and got a "Superior" also - Wahoo!), and sang "The Call" in the Middle School Solo & Ensemble Festival.  She sang beautifully - I was so proud of her.  Mary had some time off of soccer and track (yes, I know - two sports is crazy) this week because of a hurt knee.  We have been putting Lemongrass, Marjoram and PanAway essential oils on it, and they have helped it heal much more quickly than it would otherwise. 

Peter has had two outdoor soccer games, with Bruce as his Coach.  He plays goalie for half the game, trading off with other players.  He also played in Piano Festival - one song called "Race Across the Serenghettti" and another called "Un Poco Espanol", and he got an Excellent rating.

Libby played  "A Knight's Tale" and "Bewitching Boogie" for Piano Festival and got a "Superior" rating!  Way to go Libster!  She also had a gymnastics performance last weekend, and she was the only one to do several hard moves.  She is going to start soccer this week, and now soccer and gymnastics are on the same day!

Bruce Josh and Joseph have had a great time playing for an Indoor Soccer League, and I've had a ball being their #1 fan.  They have a really good team, so watching them is a clinic in soccer every week.  Their last game was this week, so now they're thinking of signing up for a new round of play, which I hope they do!

I gave a lesson today in Relief Society about Service, which was really fun.  I enjoy teaching RS!

The Lord has been blessing us in so many ways, and we are so grateful.