Drizzle's Weave Poles

The cats have not been forgotten! I've been training our little fluffballs to do some tricks and it's been going fairly well. The cats have their different strengths and while Flurry is content to sit, lay down, and play dead, Drizzle is a bit more active. Last week we purchased some PVC pipe and a hacksaw and Nolan built me a weave poles. Having the weave poles is great! Previous to them I'd been training him with candlesticks and rolled up yoga mats. I know my husband loves me (and the cats) when he indulges me so.

The inaugural run went pretty well! Stay tuned for more.

A Show and Dinner

The day after the wedding Nolan played with the Minnetonka Symphony. He is a very busy boy! This concert, intended for young people, featured a 16-year-old concerto competition winner playing Beethoven and a narrated piece called Tubby the Tuba about a Tuba who longs to play the melody.

Normally I just get to listen to Nolan's concerts but at this one I was given the opportunity to conduct and I took it! I must say, the group followed me pretty well. After the concert we chowed down on homemade sushi. The cats were interested but uninvited to the feast.

Liam and Char Conger Wedding

Nolan and I drove up to Crosslake on the 20th to see the wedding of his longtime friend, Liam Conger. On our way we passed a long line of cars driving off the lake near Garrison at the end of an ice fishing tournament. It has been so warm in Minnesota so I was surprised so many cars could be on the lake without the ice giving way!

We arrived just in time for the bride and groom to walk down the isle to the tune of the bagpipes! Both Nolan and Liam grew up in Cook and then they were roommates for a year in college. Everyone would joke about how their dorm must have been the quietest in history; both boys were pretty silent in those days.

It was fun to meet so many people in Cook that had a large influence on Nolan over the years including the mother of the groom who was his elementary music teacher!

One of the fun personal touches to the wedding were the Norwegian Wedding Cakes made by the mother of the groom. To break the cake the bride and the groom try to grab as many rings as possible from the top down. Tradition says that the number of rings they grab is how many children they'll have.

Finn Fest with the Minnesota Orchestra

We were so lucky to see the Minnesota Orchestra Sibelius concert on Friday February 19th. It was absolutely phenomenal. The musicianship was outstanding and the violinist for the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor was outstanding. I was so moved by the encore she gave. To top the evening off the whole orchestra gave an encore as well! How blessed we are by music.

Linden Hills

Nolan had another concert with the Linden Hills Chamber Orchestra. I had a better view of him before the bass player showed up but this is probably the best I can ask for. The trombones are always in the back! This group plays a very good variety of music from opera to symphony and ballet.

Valentine's Weekend

Always on the lookout for concerts and keen to things I'll like, I was delighted that Nolan found this concert featuring an accordion soloist with the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra! It was a great cap to the Valentines weekend. The night before we attended a Romantic Kenwood Symphony concert preceded by a delicious dinner at a Himalayan restaurant.

Super Sunday

After church and choir on Sunday we went to a friends house to watch the Superbowl. As an added bonus, the Broncos won!

 It was fun to have my parents with us for the weekend in Minnesota and we hope they enjoyed all the cuddles they got from the kitties!

Fire and Ice Castles

My parents arrived on Saturday February 6th and were eager to get out of the car and enjoy some of Minnesota. After a brisk walk around Lake Harriet, a trip to Glam Doll Donuts, and dinner at the Malaysian restaurant, Peninsula, we finished our day at the ice castles in Eden Prairie.

The structures were quite impressive. We kept wondering how they were built! There was a lot of open space but also many tunnels and pathways to keep it interesting.

I read online that the icicles will not fall because they are part of the structure and not attached to a separate structure. That was good information to have because it was sometimes imposing to look up.

Not willing to let the children have all the fun, we also took the ice tunnels that required us to get on hands and knees.

For a bit of extra drama, fire and ice combined with a show.

University Wind Ensemble

The night before my parents came to visit, Nolan and I went to the Wind Ensemble concert at the University of Minnesota. They started with Music from the Threepenny Opera arranged by Weill himself. I was thrilled to see a banjo and an accordion onstage! I was less thrilled that they only played a very small portion. All of the concert selections came from the Roaring Twenties. Nolan took a great picture of the Ted Mann Concert Hall.

British Masterworks with Sonomento

Time for the monthly catch up! Today we start with January 31st. I sang with Sonomento, an adult choir at MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis. The program was called British Masterworks and featured a little bit of Baroque to Modern. The highlight of the concert was Britten's Cantata Misericordium: a retelling of the Good Samaritan.

Originally written for the 50th anniversary of the Red Cross, MacPhail partnered with the Red Cross for the concert doubling as a fundraiser.

Another highlight for me was singing Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music, written for 16 solo voices, and a solo: Fear No More the Heat O' the Sun by Finzi.

Eden Lake/Eagle Heights Concerts

The following week Nolan's 5th graders at Eden Lake Elementary presented their first concert ever! It was a fun concert which aimed to show the parents what kind of progress the kids have made over the past few months.

The last song, Popcorn Prelude, was an entertaining piece where each section stood up occasionally to showcase themselves and their instruments. Everyone ended standing which deserved a hearty applause! Nolan's 5th grade students from Eagle Heights also had a concert this week and for a day or two we had to juggle one car because Nolan's battery died! It was an exceptionally busy week for us.

Honor Band Conductor

January 16th we took a trip to Marshall, MN for the Honor Band Festival sponsored by the Southwest Minnesota Band Directors Association. Nolan was the guest conductor for the 6-8th grade band. It was a very successful production and amazing to see the talent and support that brings so many kids to an event on a Saturday to make music with each other.

Chimborazo with Josie

We were so happy to see our friend, Josie before she went back to St. Scholastica for her last semester! Her past semester was spent abroad in Ecuador and she had a myriad of wonderful stories and interesting experiences. We enjoyed taking her to Chimborazo in Minneapolis to get a taste of her experience. The food was great and the company just as good.

Flurry and Drizzle

After having such an active December it was nice to celebrate my birthday with just Nolan and me. I didn't know it then but he had asked our landlord permission to add a few permanent residents to our home. On January 13th we adopted Flurry (black and white) and Drizzle (gray) from Twin Cities Pet Rescue.

I have so many cat pictures now I could break the internet but Drizzle and Flurry have been a delight. They are very friendly and love to cuddle in laps.

But, seeing as they are 4-5 months old they are still full of kitten energy and have had a ball exploring every nook and cranny of our house. Nolan and I have been devising ways to keep them from places they should not be.

But after they've played they'll eventually settle into a well deserved cat nap.

Sometimes they'll fall asleep while playing with their toys.

Flurry can fall asleep in any position. I'm trying to train them with the help of a book sent to me by Brittany. So far both cats understand "come" and are working on "sit". The bigger accomplishment will be getting them to obey me without a treat in my hand!

Prairie View Concert

On January 14th I played piano for a 3rd grade choir concert at Prairie View Elementary School. They were so adorable with all of their songs including their final number, The Ants Go Marching. I look forward to being the regular pianist for the 4-6th grade choir!

Christmas II in Maryland

After our relaxing Christmas in Cook we caught a plane to Maryland to visit my family. This may be my parents (and our) last Christmas in Maryland seeing as my dad is retiring.

We took the opportunity to see a few things in D.C. After a show at the Kennedy Center we went to see the National Christmas tree which was so bedecked in lights it was hard to tell if there was a real tree under there! The history of National Christmas Trees is wrought with damage from too much weight and heat from the light bulbs. I guess it's safer for the tree to tent it rather than deck it.

As predicted, a good amount of our time was spent making and recording music. The tradition must go on!

We did save time for game playing, however. This year Pit seemed to be the runaway favorite. The trading was fast-paced and ruthless.

We had a lot of fun at Escape This Live. We were locked into a room styled after Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of Blackbeard, and given the objective of finding the key to get out. After a lot of problem solving, searching and teamwork we were able to escape the room well under our hour time limit.

It was a happy time ringing in the New Year with family. We all made it until midnight with ease (except Mabel).

Our last meal together was at Tony's Hibachi. It is always entertaining and delicious. We're so grateful we were able to spend the holidays with my family and with Nolan's.

Accordion Christmas

It was a lovely break I took but now it's time to bring everything up to speed! Christmas was great. We ate our fill and had a wonderful time with family.

By far one of the best things about Christmas was playing accordion music with Nolan's mom, Pat. Nolan even brought out his trombone and joined in the fun!