Experiences

This week has been very busy. I have had the privilege of singing in 3 concerts and I have another one this afternoon. I sing as an alto in the Nashville Symphony Chorus and we had rehearsals and performances for Handel's Messiah this week under the direction of British conductor Matthew Halls. It is actually the first time I have ever sung Messiah in its fullness. We used to do the Hallelujah Chorus every year when I was in high school but that's it. It was such an incredible experience. The music wasn't even the best part. The best part was getting to work with such an amazingly talented conductor and musicians. The symphony was smaller than normal. More a chamber orchestra. But we did our full chorus which is somewhere around 200 singers. Sitting on the stage at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and participating in such an event is truly a highlight of my holiday season this year and of my life. I love singing in this chorus. It has made me stretch my musical muscles which has been somewhat dormant for a few years what with moving to Nashville and having 2 kids. I have an excuse to get out of the house at least once a week, (we rehearse on Monday evenings), and interact with other adults. It really is a great outlet for me. I can forget my stress and really just enjoy and challenge myself. What a blessing! 

This is outside the Schermerhorn the other night after our concert. 

Another group that I participate in is the Nashville Belles. We are an all-female a Capella group. We perform classic and jazzy a Capella pieces around Nashville. We sing at assisted loving homes and the library and anywhere else we possibly can. Including the Sounds baseball game National Anthem. I randomly met a fabulously talented mom named Christina Watson at the park one day and we got to chatting. Found out she was a singer and teacher and we talked about music. I told her I sang in the symphony chorus.  We found each other on Facebook and a few weeks later she posted about openings in her group that she conducts, the Belles. I told her I was very interested as a Capella has always been one of my favorite things to sing. That was back in March and I have been singing with them ever since. It is so fun! The ladies are all so welcoming and happy to have more people. We meet once a week on Sunday afternoons to rehearse. It's really great. 

Well, last night I skipped out on the Messiah performance so I could participate in the Belles Christmas concert. Christina's husband is Swedish. And she had the idea to put on a traditional Sankta Lucia Christmas concert for the Swedish-American families in Nashville. There are a large amount of them. So we partnered with the First Lutheran Church downtown and did a lot of traditional Swedish Christmas music. It was so amazing to see the Christmas traditions of a completely different culture. We invited anyone who wanted to come sing with is to do so as they all know the music from singing it while growing up. Quite a few people participated and the church had a great turnout. We were all standing there with lit candles and singing Stille Nat or Silent Night in Swedish. I got emotional just really realizing how the spirit of love and of Christ really transcends language and speech. What a blessing to have the knowledge of Jesus Christ and to have an extra reason to celebrate Him and His life each year. I was also touched by how grateful all of the Swedish families were. They all said that they usually have to do the Santka Lucia at home. They were emotional while expressing gratitude that we were able to bring these traditions to life for them here. I was so blessed to see the appreciation in their eyes. Their children were dressed up as Angels all in white and we all wore crowns of tinsel. It was so great. 

I love the opportunity I have to have moments like this. Music has the ability to connect us to each other and to heaven in the quietest and simplest ways. As soon as the beautiful notes of an aria or hymn begin I love the complete silence that descends on the room. The most powerful manifestations of the Spirit have happened to me while singing or listening to inspiring music. I am so blessed to appreciate good music. I hope my kids see how hard I seek out those moments and how I love to participate in any music that I possibly can. What a great week of music! 

This is inside the First Lutheran church. 

Also, let me just say, I was having a rough day yesterday. I am missing family and Matt is out of town this weekend. Miki and Lucy are tired from mommy being gone so much this week. It wears on me emotionally. It was one of those days where everything was going wrong. I was feeling left out of a lot of things. But then I went to the church, put on a halo and added my voice to a beautiful concert and tradition. I left on such a high and came home to put my sweet girls to bed. I counted my blessings. My cup runneth over. 

Little Lucy

I want to give a little update on how awesome our Lucy girl is and what all she is up to these days. 

Lucy is about to turn 15 months old. Miki likes to tell everyone, "Lucy is 1!" It's so cute. She is a happy, bright and hilarious bundle of energy. She loves to climb on things like couches, chairs, boxes and toys. It's crazy to think that if she were like miki she STILL wouldn't be walking! Haha. I don't know how I did that. I couldn't imagine her not walking at this point. She is so adorable it should be illegal. Here are some words that she says: mama, dada, more, thank you, puppy, baby, doggy, ball, yeah and many more that I can't think of right now. She also signs eat, please, all done, more and milk. She can point to almost all body parts on command and she knows who everyone is. She follows directions amazingly. She will put toys away, put her milk cup on the table, bring me a diaper or wipes and all sorts of other things when asked. She absolutely loves to read. By the end of the day our house is covered in books. She will bring me one after the other all day long. I love it. She also adores animals. She knows all the sounds they make and will point to correct ones in pictures when asked. Her favorite toy right now is a baby doll. Any baby doll. She gives them hugs and loves and kisses. She says "baby!" While she carries them around the house. She can sit at the table and feed herself just about any food. She never has been a baby food fan so she has been eating table food since she was about 6 months old. She loves to eat but also still enjoys nursing with mommy. (We are planning on finishing up with that in the next month or so. She doesn't know that yet though, haha.) She is a snuggle bug and loves to sit on our laps and just sigh. She will just chill with you while we read or watch a movie. She likes Dora the explorer and even says Dora's name. She has about 18 teeth. She actually likes to brush them. She also likes to wash hands and clean up. She certainly just loves anything she sees Miki do at this point. She also loves baths and hates when they are over. She has started saying "No!" When I do something she doesn't like or tell her to do something she doesn't want to do. Ah the sassiness. She is also a little aggressive with miki sometimes. She will pull Miki's hair or pound her on the back and Miki will just sit there and say, "stop Lucy!" Over and over again. I am trying to teach miki to just walk away or say no and then remove herself but she usually just sits there. Lucy thinks it's funny. So she is starting to get in more trouble and have to be disciplined. *sigh* Why can't they stay sweet and innocent forever? Nah, that wouldn't make life as interesting as it can be. Lucy just adores Michaela. They love to play together. They color and draw and run around and dance. They giggle and jump and give each other hugs and kisses. I am so happy they both have a sister. They will always have someone besides us to be there for them. I am so grateful. Lucy is so sweet natured. Other kids are drawn to her. Even in public at the play place kids will come up and give her hugs and play with her hair. I think it's her big beautiful eyes. They make her look so sweet and innocent. She also gets upset when she gets in trouble. Her feelings get hurt easier than Miki's. She is more emotional like mommy is. 

She is a perfect addition to our family. I am so happy that she is still a bit of a mommy's girl. She is the best and we are so blessed to have her.