Christmas time is so busy. We've had two concerts and my piano recital as well as going to my friend MIriam's voice concert. She had a beautiful solo with the highschool choir, it was an awesome concert. We also had another orchestra concert we went to as well as our annual church play which I got play music in =) I don't have any pictures from that because they all came out blurry.

This is a picture from our Christmas orchestra concert.

My piano teacher and I, afterwards.

That's all for now!

Merry Christmas!

 ~Ness

It snowed!

Rather it's snowing!

I went outside and this little tiny snow flake landed on me and I watched it as each little bit of it melted on my sweater... If you lived anywhere else besides Texas you wouldn't think twice about it. After all it was a snow flake here and a snow flake there... but it's snow!!

We went out back, the kids had left the sand box open and when it rained a couple days ago it had filled up with water. Now it's frozen over with a layer of ice. I'm so excited. Well I have to go but I thought it was worth a blog post.

There I'm happpy!

Now you know.

                 ~Anna

Unless you are trying to finish a 50,000  word novel in that one month. Well if that's all I were doing it would be easy! There's just so many other things! There's so much school, and orchestra rehearsals, and speech and debate, and other things that are just fun.

      It's near the end of Novemeber, almost Thanksgiving. This time last year I was on the point of realizing that I only had 5,000 words in my novel. about four days later I was writing solidly trying to make the 50,000 word mark before the end of November... which even with all my valiant work... I failed :)

    Well, so what's happened since I last posted?  I went to my first practice tournament of the year (and only one unfortunately) It was really fun! I won must of my rounds, whcih I wasn't expecting. My impromptu speech wasn't very scary, and I didn't mess up on my DI, it was completely memorized :) It was a really fun practice tournament, and I had a lot of fun. I don't have any pictures... oh well... Afterwards we went out to eat, that was fun too :-)

   For thanksgiving we are going to visiting my grandparents. The whole ride up I will be writing on my NaNo novel, furiously trying to finish it :) When we get back it will be December... think of that. November will be over... We will have our Orchestra concert and the Messiah concert, my first piano ****** (ever!) and Christmas will be approaching...

I also just finished reading ' 'Till We Have Faces '  by CS Lewis  if you've read it tell me what you thought of it! =)

     ~Ness

"Rain Rain go away come again another day..."

For probably the first time in my life I understand how someone could feel this. Not that I do feel that way but I understand how it could be felt :) It's been raining for.... forever. Not quite. I don't really want it to go away but if it was like this all the rest of this fall and winter I probably would. Rain is great in the summer when you can play in it but now it's SO cold!

What else besides rain? I've been memorizing a speech for an upcoming practice tournament, as well as going over my cases. I'm rather excited =) I need to practice more impromptu and apolegetics speeches.

On Sunday I had a violin recital. Then we had orchestra rehearsal which was fun.

Saturday our Youth group had a big angle ball game, which was fun =)  Angle ball is a sport that is sort of like ultimate frisbee except with a volleyball. Instead a goal there are posts with basketballs on top that you have to knock off.

Friday I had a piano lesson and then speech and debate. I slept over a friend's house (hi a friend!!) and it was so much fun! She helped me with my debate cases which needed help :)

So there is my weekend now that I have fullfilled my duty to my blog I will commence with my week =)

 ~Nessy Wessy

Here are the lyrics for the song that always comes on when you get on my blog I'll post for real sometime... :)

When the last eagle flies
Over the last crumbling mountains.
And the last lion roars
At the last dusty fountain.
In the shadow of the forest,
Though she may be old and worn,
They will stare unbelieving
At the last unicorn.

When the first breath of winter
Through the flowers is icing,
And you look to the north,
And a pale moon is rising.

And it seems like all is dying,
And would leave the world to mourn,
In the distance, hear the laughter
Of the last unicorn.

I'm alive!
I'm alive!

When the last moon is cast
Over the last star of morning.
And the future has past,
Without even a last desperate warning.
Then looking to the sky where
Through the clouds, a path is formed
You can see her
How she sparkles!
It's the last unicorn!

I'm alive!
I'm alive!

I'm alive!
I'm alive!
I'm alive!
I'm alive!

~Loreena Mckeintt

Wow! need I say more?

 This next one makes me want to cry thinking of my own violin skills... *cries* =D

Check out these other pieces played by Benjamin as well:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDLgpskt578   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cvfu-K0loc

~Ness

The Dash
---Linda Ellis


I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came her date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Les

PS I made a quiz about me please go take it! Well if you feel like it... :)

My Quiz

So maybe it's time for a new post...

     Well Wednesday the weather was amazing it was all misty rain and cold. Katy and I went to the nursing home with a bunch of other people and we played music. Katy also brought her awesome, so cool, mandolin and we played fiddle music together, whcich was fun! Then we went back to Katy's house and played. (yeah played not 'hung out' that's like the teen age way of saying played... =)

   Yesterday, Friday, I went to piano lesson and I got a new song, a Chopin Waltz in MINOR wich is cool. And then we had speech and debate afterwards and I got to debate in my first LD round EVER! It was awesome and fun. I find it so annoying when you know exactly what you want to say and you can't get it out!

     One more cool thing! I wrote a song for my harp and it's sort fo medieval sounding. I also figured out how to get finale notepad to print the sheet of music properly so that there isn't any big space in between the systems. Anyways that may have sounded like      "kfhlsfgljkgja;tlkdjalk af;gfdjkg;a " but it wasn't it was awesome! 

    Well there you go and other than that I've been doing school, practicing music and working on debate and apolegetics.

           ~Ness

Okay so here is a new category. For sharing stories that can be used in impromptu speeches. So when you think of a story post a comment. Stories from history, literature, or legends, just as long as they are intresting or attention grabbing.

This category might be deleted if nobody comments (that wans't a threat =)

Okay to start off here's a story....

'When a man died he saw his life spread out before him on the beach. He saw the scenes of his life pass before him and as he saw each scene he would see two sets of footprints across the sand. In all his worst trials, and the hardest moments of his life he saw only one set of footprints.
      He greatly wondered at this and asked, “Lord why in my worst trials did you leave me to walk alone?”
        “When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” Said the Lord.'

Comments please!

           ~Ness

The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair
Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair, you who bring sleep
to eyes long sleepless;
sweet subtle, plangent, glad, cooling grave.
Excellent instrument with smooth gentle curve,
trilling under red fingers,
musician that has charmed us,
red, lion-like of full melody.
You who lure the bird from the flock,
you who refresh the mind,
brown spotted one of sweet words,
ardent, wondrous, passionate.
You who heal every wounded warrior,
joy and allurement to women,
familiar guide over the dark blue water,
mystic sweet sounding music.
You who silence every instrument of music,
yourself a sweet plaintive instrument,
dweller among the Race of Conn,
instrument yellow-brown and firm.
The one darling of sages,
restless, smooth, sweet of tune,
crimson star above the Fairy Hills,
breast jewel of High Kings.
Sweet tender flowers, brown harp of Diarmaid,
shape not unloved by hosts, voice of cuckoos in May!
I have not heard music ever such as your frame makes
since the time of the Fairy People,
fair brown many coloured bough,
gentle, powerful, glorious.
Sound of the calm wave on the beach,
pure shadowing tree of pure music,
carousals are drunk in your company,
voice of the swan over shining streams.
Cry of the Fairy Women from the Fairy Hill of Ler,
no melody can match you,
every house is sweet stringed through your guidance,
you the pinnacle of harp music.

[Gofraidh Fion O Dalaigh. Irish Bard 1385]

                                   ~Ness

Okay so California!

 Well for those of you who didn't know we spent the last week in California.

My Mom's brother lives in California and we were going to my Cousins Bar Mitzvah slash family get togher. He lives outside of LA.

Okay so from the beging of our trip. We stopped at Beth's house and I borrowed the Circle trilogy from her. I've' finished Black and I'm now reading Red.  Anyway then we drove to the airport got on a bus went into the airport  and sat around for an hour (during which I read Black ) Then we went on our plane. We stopped in Denver. THe airport is really weird there it's like a tent. I'd never been to Colorado ( Idk if airports count! ;-)  before so that was cool. We had a twenty minute lay over in the middle of the night and then they pushed the fligh ten minutes earlier! That was scary!

    It was really weird, because as we were taking off from the airport I was reading the part when Tom was taking off from Denver airport in the story! That was cool :-)

So basically we got there at about 2:00 AM our time, 11:00 PM there time we went back to the hotel where our Grandma and Grandpa were staying and we slept.     

I woke up in the hotel Saturday morning and went outside. All around us were mountains. I was amazing. Like... so cool! I guess I've never seen mountains, or not since I was little. I just wasn't expecting them (don't ask why) It was SO cool! LIke a fortress surronding us...

 We went to the Bar Mitzvah ( A Bar Mitzvah is a coming of age ceromony for a Jewish boy when he turns thirteen and there's a service and a celebration, A Bat mitzvah is for a thirteen year old girl) which was in the rabbi's house. I hadn't seen my Aunt and Uncle since I was a little, little, kiddo.

My cousin Brooke I hadn't seen since she was a baby and she's six now. She looked so much like my little brother Andrew they looked like twins. =) Then there's Ross he's thirteen, and then  my aunt and uncle!

So the service was about an hour long.

Then afterwards there was a big meal. Then we went back to my aunt and uncle's house. Then my Aunt and Uncle took everyone out to  a barbecue place that was really, really, good!

The Next day was my Aunt and Uncle's last day before they left (okay the other Aunt and Uncle, the one we visited in Florida :-)   We hung around the house and played soccor outside. They have a really small backyard but it's really high up and you can see all the houses below, its pretty cool.  We were riding scooters around in the street and then Alex and I went down a hill right off there street whcih ended in a big road. IT was amazing! Okay I have to slow down!   So I was coming down the hill and this view just opened up. I was flying down a hill there were mountains all around me, Palm trees were towering high and bright green grass and brightly colored flowers all interlaced with big fancy houses with Spanish tiled rooofs. It was just the image of CALIFORNIA. Just sort of the whole thing put into one second of time (minus the ocean) I don't know if I got that across but I hope so because it was so cool that I just started to laugh because it made me so happy!

So later that day we went hiking along a nature trail that was behind there development through the mountains. We came to this one part where you could see over the whole valley below it was pretty cool.

Brooke said "I can see very, very far from here"

And Andrew said "I can see the whole world because, I have perfect vision"

Katherine sweet, dreamy, little, voice, "I  can see Jesus"

Continuing on  our walk I decided to run down a hill and I did it was awesom, so awesome that I laughed, and I had enough momemntum to go up the next hill! So I ran down the next hill and Uncle David decided to run down too, and then Uncle Dean ran down too but he fell and broke his finger. We had to go back to the house, so he could put ice on it. So we walked all the way back and we caught up wiht my Mom and Aunt who had were wlking back to the house with Katherine and Malina. So we went back to the house. Uncle Dean fixed his finger up. After dinner we had a chocolate cake that they had got for grandma and grandpa's anniversary. uncle Dean wrote happy anniversary with frosting on a chocolate bar and stuck it on the cake. He messed up the first one so he gave it to me and Ross.

So those were the first two days in California and I'll write more later.

                                            ~Ness

So here we go with the Chamber music festival. It was AWESOME!!!

     So you get put in a group with some other people who play music and are somewhere around you level and then you get handed a stack of music and then you walk into the big ballet room and you go and perform the piece of music in front of everyone before you get a chance to practice it together!

Yay!!!!!!!!

Well that was not the yay part the rest of it is the yay part... Am I being confusing?

okay let me be less confusing:

 My group consisted of: Hannah     piano                         Our music was:

                                           Katherine  violin                          The double violin concerto in d minor     by Vivaldi

                                           Laura         violin                           Hungarian suite     by Bela Bartok

                                           Katy            violin                           InChrist Alone/Come thou fount     arranged by us

                                           Me              violin                            Star Spangled banner                    arranged by me

In the morning you go to Harmony and you eat donuts.

At nine you go to master class where you play some pieces and then mrs. Fletcher critiques you and everyone else comments and then the next person goes on stage and plays there song... We were always the first or the last.

Then you go down to Sonic and if your me you order a sonic drink and onion rings because you don't like sonic hamburgers. Either that or you go to Wendys an get a frosty and french fries. Either that or Mom put lunch together and you get to sit and talk to other people.

Then we go into our own rooms and practice until four o clock and people from the The Blue Rose Trio came and helped us. There's Audrey and Rose, and Ira. Last year Lars was here but he couldn't come this year so Ira came instead. There was also another group that came for the begining of the week, Michelle played piano and the Joel played cello. So they help you with your music. Then you go home.

At 7:00 you go to a concert.  Friday the Blue Rose trio played and that was an awesome concert.

Then on Saturday 4th of July, we had our concert.

It was really, really fun!  Hannah sang come thou fount and it was really good. The name of our group was Fortissimo five. We wore black and different color sashes. I had red, Katy had yellow, Laura had green, and Hannah had pink.

Anyway there it is more orderly :-D

After our concert on Saturday there was a pizza party at Harmony. Here are some pictures. We played  a LOT of musical chairs

okay pictures: 

pizza party

 Okay, no more pictures.

                 ~Ness

P.S. sorry I was having trouble uploading pictures so that's why you don't get anymore