One of the pieces that Kurt played was a Sonata that he wrote. Here’s the Spinning toward Euphoria movement of Kurt Knecht’s Sursum Sonata

I also learned something at this recital. I now know that I like the third movement of organ pieces the best. It was a good recital. I would definitely recommend it.

There’s a neat app called Holiday Bells. It has a great set of jingle bells that play when you shake the phone, but that didn’t help me any. It also has hand bells. But although they sound great, they didn’t go quite low enough for what I had in mind.

However, it turns out that out that Lauren absolutely loved the app, and, after about 37 seconds, was doing things with it that I didn’t know could be done. Here’s one of her early arrangements.

She’s taking some cold medicine then makes her hands tremble. She’s really not as nervous as she looks.

For starters, I left work at 4:15!! I opened at 6a.m., so I had no guilt about going home. Then, I took a nap until 6p.m.! Can I hear a woo-hoo? Woo-hoo!! (Sorry, I’m very cheery.)

Then I went into Lincoln. I’m looking for a specific gadget for a future post, but couldn’t find it. I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond, then ShopKo, and finally TJ Maxx. The TJ Maxx is right by a Best Buy, and as I was walking across the parking lot I kept hearing random ukulele notes. I thought I was finally going insane, but as I opened the door to TJ Maxx, I heard it again and peered out into the dusk – looking right at a woman walking toward the store. I didn’t want to seem like I was rudely peering at her, so I hung out in the entryway to ask her if she also heard that music.

As she walked in… she was carrying a ukulele and a Jumpin’ Jim book.

Lauren: “You have a ukulele!” (I’m amazing at stating the obvious.)

Lady: “Yes, I just got it.”

She went to the counter to ask if she could carry it around the store without getting in trouble. Meanwhile, I was hovering behind her with excitement just beaming from my pores. It was hard to stay on the ground.

She turned around, and as calmly and non-psychotically as possible, I said, “I’m not a crazy person, but I’m a huge fan of ukuleles. You are going to love that. Instant success and satisfaction.”

She was wonderful about not calling security on me. It turned out that she had just bought this used uke and was going to learn how to play it. I snatched it from her hands as I said, “Would you like me to tune it for you? Um…. Sorry that I just grabbed that from you.” Again, she refrained from calling for help.

I tuned it and explained all the ins and outs to her, and then strummed a little to show how easy it is. Did you hear that? I was playing ukulele in TJ Maxx and I was awake!

A random stranger came over to say that he thought that ukulele stumming was just such a pleasant sound. I married him instantly.

The lady’s name is Dana, and we exchanged phone numbers after she asked if she could call me with any questions. I left her by saying, “Thanks for being the bright spot in my day.” Then I went to track down my new husband to convince him to buy a uke.

Ahhhhhh……. what a great evening….

Middle School choirs sounded good. This is a relief, because we have a new middle school choir director this year, and she is a Spanish teacher (I know, that’s what I thought too). But not to worry, she’s as good as a normal teacher when it comes to directing a middle school choir (recorded on my phone, so the quality isn’t very good):

• 6th grade choir singing some song
• 7th and 8th grade choir singing some song

Next up was the Middle School band. Mr. Wilhelm is the best middle school band director that I have ever heard. I base my opinion on the fact that I have never winced or cringed while his middle school bands were playing:

• 8th grade band playing some song

Okay, let me be completely honest. I’ve never winced or cringed until they played this:

• 8th grade band playing some Cannon in D

But then I thought of this, and everything was okay again:

• More Cannon in D (I wrote this post just so I could link to this)

The high school choir sang a bit too:

• High School choir singing some song
• High School choir singing another song

Then the high school band played, but I don’t really appreciate high school band, so I mostly tuned them out. Sorry band. I just don’t get you.

A friend and I have been talking about giving compliments, and how they might be taken in an awkward way, but I’m going with  -  just say the nice thing.  You might feel strange, but it’s got to have a good result most of the time.

Case in point:  We had a little get-together at Annette’s house tonight, and being an adventurous soul (sorta), I decided to walk. (It’s not that far.)  It was good, because I had a little wine, and it’s always safer to walk home than to drive.

So, walking back home I passed a house that had its stereo cranked up really loud, and stopped to wonder about that.  Then I realized that is was a trumpet solo, then realized that it was a person really playing a trumpet.  It was beautiful. I stood there on the sidewalk in the snowy cold and listened to two vaguely familiar hymns, then it started with a very soulful version of “How Great Thou Art”.  I decided to say something and walked up to the door to ring the bell.  The music stopped briefly, then continued to the end.  I rang again, and an old man answered the door.  (Whew.  Not a muderer.)

“I was walking by and have been standing out here listening to you for a few minutes and I just wanted to tell you that it sounds beautiful.”  He smiled and said that he plays every so often at the nursing home, and that his wife had passed away about a year ago, so he likes to play.  “Well, this was the highlight of my night,” I told him.

“That’s what keeps me going,” he said as I walked away.   Say the nice thing.  You’ll feel good, too.

There he goes.  Off to sing his little heart out with Brad & Beth’s mom and Stephannie’s brother.  (Yes, his tuxedo is all in the suit bag.) The Lincoln Lutheran Choir had their first concert of the weekend in Council Bluffs, Iowa tonight, and it was wonderful!  They sang Thanksgiving-type songs, and sang all of them well.  They’ll sing again tomorrow in Lincoln, and I’ll tell you which  night was better.

The church they were in was a building straight out of one of my dreams.  It had tiny little rooms, winding maze-like hallways that led to even more tiny rooms, amazing architecture, and several kitchens.  My heart started beating faster when we came across this one off a hallway:

It’s one of those all-in-one deals, with cabinets, a light, a stove, sink and that door on the far right is an under-counter fridge!!  I’ve looked at these before in used furniture stores, and someday I’ll have one in my tiny little dream house.  *sigh* I’ve never been happier.

The last big event of the weekend went off without a hitch. Lloyd (and Curt and Mrs. Royuk, might I add) sang wonderfully and he looked great in all the pieces of his tux.

The only complaint I have with the beautiful church is that there aren’t enough toilets in the women’s restroom to handle all the intermission traffic. Afterwards Lloyd told me that he knew where there was a secret toilet – just off the nursery.

Yeah, we’ll pass. (Lloyd’s mom is there for scale.)

The blurry guy is Matt – Steph’s brother and one of the Bad Movie Night Boys.

Too bad you’re not supposed to make recordings without permission.  (Note to self, remember to put secret ou-Yay ube-Tay link up tomorrow morning.)

Dang it, NPR. I’ve got songs stuck in my head. On Sundays I take Lloyd into choir rehearsal, do my errands, then sit in the church parking lot for a bit while I wait for him to come out. I usually listen to NPR because they have stories (and Grandma loves her stories). Last week there was an interview with Sylvie Lewis, a singer who has a beautiful voice and several different styles of songs. They played two melancholy ones, which are my downfall. I love melancholy songs. I bought them on iTunes when I got home, and have been suffering Tormenting Song Syndrome since. I’m sure you’re familiar with it – the song that plays over and over and over and over and over in your head so you can’t sleep or think straight. I think I’ve come up with the solution, though.  I used to lie awake at night with just one or two lines playing over and over and driving me insane, but now I just load the song on the Shuffle and let it play until I fall asleep. You wouldn’t think that it works, but it does!

Anyway, here are the lyrics of ‘Of course, Isabelle’. She said she read an article that said as men grow older they grow more sentimental about the past, while women can easily let go. This is about a man remembering a past love, or perhaps his mistress. She sings both the man’s and the woman’s part. If I knew how to include a snippet I would. Or, you could click here and click on it over toward the right under the picture (Be warned that there are swear words in the article on the left  Not my fault.)

Isabelle, are you well? Do you miss me at all?
Are you sleeping right through the night in spite of it all?
Isabelle, what the hell? You don’t write, you don’t call.
I miss you, can’t you tell? Isabelle

There have been three women in my life I have loved well, well, well.
My mother, my wife – and of course, Isabelle.

I met an old friend I hadn’t seen for half my life.
We talked and laughed as if no time had gone by.
Now it’s like someone put a spoon in my memory and gave it a stir.
Thoughts are floating around of where you went, where are you now
After how we were….

Isabelle, are you well? Do you miss me at all?
Are you sleeping right through the night in spite of it all?
Isabelle, what the hell? You don’t write, you don’t call.
I miss you, can’t you tell? Isabelle
****
Me and the girls are stories to you.
You read us and tell us when you are through.
How will you tell me? (Lauren here. That’s a GREAT line.)
Will you be honest if you find
You’re having trouble making everything rhyme?
Depending on who’s listening will you lie
And make yourself look more noble than you did at the time?

When I tell my side – you made a plaything of my heart.
You make love ‘entertainment’, but to me – love is art.
I wonder – how will you tell me? How will you tell me?
****
Three women in my life I have loved true, it’s true.
My mother, my wife, and of course, Isabelle – you.