Weekly Review in photos:

Happy 71st Birthday to my Dad...November 2nd (All Soul's Day;)  Celebrated in Sea Pines!


 Had an incredible day yesterday celebrating my dad's 71st birthday and visiting the beach for the first time since before Hurricane Matthew. Stopped in my favorite coastal Rock Shop, Black Market Minerals and chatted with the amazing people who make the magic happen there, picked up a few stones and gave them a sweet salt water bath 💙. It's funny, although I only live a few miles from the coast line, it never fails, every time I visit, I notice as I'm leaving that my breathing is incredibly free and deep...I'm not conscious of holding my breath (sometimes I catch myself)....but Grandmother Atlantic always helps me to breathe like I've never breathed before ... grateful
 
This picture perfect day was very very wonky for awhile...not even sure why...but the energy was just off for the whole clan. Thankfully these wonky moments are few and far between... and a big part of it is because the beach (and some chocolate 😳) makes everything better!

My new banner! (you know, in case I ever decide to do a craft fair again, or maybe a farmer's market or a town festival....I may never do that, but one can never be too prepared :D

da beeeeee

flashback:


the lemons are getting real, folks!

first of two Veteran's Day Performances this week:

I'm thrilled and honored to be collaborating with Brigid's grove to add sparkle and words to their beloved hand-crafted goddesses!  This has been a very exciting venture!
 



and I started making some darn cute, nature-inspired earrings!

wow, and it's been a month since my last post?

it's just been a crazy busy month...but here's a quick recap:

I can't remember if I posted this previously, but Little Angel got her first pair of glasses....for reading:




we headed down to Florida for a few days to camp and visit with family; naturally I snapped a few pictures:):








  
this one of my family walking towards the ocean, is most definitely my favorite!



we came home, and put together our first container garden.   I confess gardening is not really my thing....but we have this small fenced in area that the dear can't reach, so we put a few pots down: tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, basil and some flowers...plus a sweet butterfly house, gifted from my brother and sis in law.  We'll see how it all goes...weeding, watering, none of that is really my thing, to be quite honest.  Hopefully it rains from time to time :D
 
Last week, we had a nice little field trip to Palmetto Bluff, where a naturalist talked about the three owls that are native to our area.  We love owls, and decided to invite Grandma to go with us.  We followed the lecture with a picnic by the May River:

This past weekend, my band had a wonderful performance:


 And, because it's (finally) warming up again, my ride partner drove us to rehearsal, in coastal style....meet Ava (the car, not the driver;)



Here's our new rehearsal space...it is amazing!

and, after 9 months off from my biking routine (because life happens), I started a new routine...again...24 miles logged between Wednesday and Thursday...yeah me!:
 
The nice weather also brings the return of our Thursday night weekly picnic dinner at the pool with Grandma and Grandpa:


just me and my new hat:)

And this brings us to yesterday, and the close of this posting, Friday Fun Day, with the girls:


The End....see you in a month;)

in which the girls try band instruments!

last June, a new and wonderful music shop opened in my town, called Freworks Music.  The really cool thing about this music store, it is owned and operated by a friend from college....and his wife, whom I also knew from college!  They landed in SC first, in a small town on the west side of the state....where he opened his first music store, several years ago.  They opened their second music store in Yuma, AZ a few years later, because his sister lives there...and she manages that store.  And then about a year and a half ago, they bought a house here....and Fretworks is here!  I introduced him to a few of my musician friends, one who very recently started working for him.....(and who will be a tremendous asset to Fretworks and the band community!...he also happens to be a very well-connected retired marine musician).....thus, ALL the elements were finally in place, and I set up an appointment to bring in my girls and one of their homeschooling friends, for a private testing.  I will confess that neither of my girls were overly enthused, did NOT want to go, and were adamant that they would not be playing an instrument.  I made it very clear that I would not force them to play anything, but I couldn't not give them the opportunity to make an informed choice.

And guess what, they had a great time....and it appears they are both (along with their friend) very interested in playing an instrument!  Angel Girl wants to play trombone, and Fairy Girl wants to play percussion!  

Next (before making any rental or purchase investments)...I plan on bringing Fairy Girl to my next band rehearsal, so she can sit with the percussion section and see what they are really about (at least in a community band setting....maybe she was only planning on some homeschool garage band...but if you know anything about my husband, you will know that there's not a single spare square inch in the garage;).  I've already made arrangements for her to sit work with one of our music directors/percussionists (who also happens to be the Officer in Charge of the Parris Island Marine Band, and the percussionist on the Marine All Star Jazz Band....she has NO idea what an amazing opportunity this is for her!)

Then, I will need to make sure they have private lesson instructors....thankfully Fretworks has a percussion instructor on staff already....being new they are working on the wind instruments (which my friend who joined Fretworks last week will be helping with this, I'm sure!).

And finally .... they will need somewhere to play!  There isn't a band option for homeschoolers in my community, and a few people have been after me to start a band!  Well, I did!  Only beginning band students are not qualified for my community band;)....however, I did start a band, and we are now 501(c)3  non profit.....and I have some ideas churning where maybe we could get an educational band for kiddos going, as an extension of LWS (I haven't directly brought it up to the board of directors....of which I'm the treasurer......but soon...it's all timing;)

Lowcountry Wind Symphony presents: Concert Classics

January 31, 2016 performance at St. John's Lutheran on Lady's Island

 

  

me: on the way to my gig:)

 

 

post concert gathering: