Friday Nights

On the rare occasion that we are actually home WITH our girls on a Friday night, we just enjoy relaxing and doing what WE want to do. Last night was one of my all-time favorites. Emily has been playing and playing and playing the piano these days. She's been preparing for an ISSMA Solo and Ensemble (piano solo), and in between practicing that, she's pulling out all these oldies books to play from. MMMMMM, I LOVE it! "In The Mood", "While Cliffs of Dover" and bunches and bunches of other stuff. So, last night, I tried my hand at recording some of her session with my work laptop which I'd brought home to finish up my Sunday Powerpoints on. It took me a little while to figure out how to record with the thing, and it's not great quality, but I'm going to try to post some of what I got to hear.

Katie was reading and 'talking' with friends on facebook. Katie doesn't just cut everyone out when she's doing these things --- she makes you a part of it, whether you want to be or not. (BIG SMILE). I often get to hear excerpts (looooong excerpts) of the books she reads, and although sometimes it drives me nuts (which.... REALLY doesn't take MUCH at all!) I get giddy listening to her because I'm so happy that she loves books (like her mama, her grammie, her great grandma, and so on) AND that she shares things with me (Again, sometimes whether I want her to or not....). And she's trying to teach herself guitar. Last night she played me a song, and I thought, "this kid is getting pretty good!"

It reminded me of when I got my first guitar when I was 13. We pulled in our driveway that day, and I could see from the van as we pulled in that there was a large box inside the storm door, and I KNEW it was the $13 guitar that mama had ordered for me from Sears! My fingers were soooo sore at the end of that day, because I determined NOT to stop until I could play at least one song. (Understand here, I'd never been taught anything about how to play one, so I was teaching myself also.) I remember going downstairs that evening, sitting on top of the kitchen table, and making mama listen to me as I 'played' "Swanee River" for her, complete with loooooong pauses in between key changes. I can still hear myself: "Way.... (key change) down upon the (key change) Swanee (key change) River..... In between each key change was probably five seconds of adjustment while I got my fingers just right for the next chord. Mama and daddy encouraged me even though there were probably many times they just really didn't have the time, energy or patience to listen.

And then there's my wonderful hubby, Steve. He has just the right knack for picking out movies for us to watch. When we moved to Pennsylvania years ago, my sister, Jenny travelled there with us to help us unpack and get settled in. One night after a day of unpacking, we rented a movie. (I mean, STEVE rented the movie.) It was UNFORGETTABLE. To this day, we still fondly remember "Matewan" -- to us, the dud of all duds in movies. We watched it, and at the end of it looked at each other with this puzzled look on ALL of our faces, then bursted out laughing! He picked one out at the library yesterday. It looked so good.... to Him. I looked at it and said, "probably a 'Matewan', to which we both laughed --- and checked it out. After he got in from attending a viewing, he pops the movie in and the girls join him in watching it. I showered and got ready to go to bed and read, and they were telling me the location of the movie, to which we were all familiar with. and so I went in to watch it. The locations we knew.... the plot........."Matewan" all over again! they had it on about 45 minutes and turned it off! That's my guy! (Except HE'S NOT a "Matewan". He's a CLASSIC!

I Can't Dance!

Let's face it. I just can't dance! Because of the fact that my family falls on the floor laughing when I even ATTEMPT to dance, I have resorted to dancing only behind closed doors. (Don't get the wrong idea -- NO ONE is given the opportunity to peek in those doors, or windows, etc. etc.) I just can't stand the humiliation... or the laughter. But, I'm human, just like everyone else, and there's times I just gotta dance! Take for instance, this morning. I've got this jazzy Selah song playing, and it's got me moving....all over the place, all over the room, hair shakin', body swingin', all parts jigglin' kinda dance. It was fun! It was energizing exercise....and I couldnt stop even when I tried to. I kept falling over this way and that, even AFTER I stopped! And I'm laughing so hard at myself, that I just fall on the bed and bust a gut! (You're enjoying this, aren't you?!) I'm just SO glad NOBODY saw me! (Except God..... and He was falling on the floor, laughing).