Violin Happenings

The week leading up to Valentine’s Day and the weekend itself was chock full of Bethany & her violin! On Tuesday evening the orchestra held its 2nd annual “Suites & Sweets” fundraiser – an event where music is played and dessert is served…twice!!

Excuse the terrible iPhone pictures…it was awfully dark in there.

The flash didn’t really help much…

Bethany and her orchestra buddies!

Now this next picture has absolutely nothing to do with the violin. It is only included here because it’s a Valentine picture. Sarah found this in her cereal on the morning of Valentine’s Day.

Awwwwwwww!

You see it right? It’s a heart-shaped cornflake or something. Really.

This also has nothing to do with the violin, but…those are the Valentines I gave to my Kindergarteners. I wanted to have the girls give them to their classmates, too, but I didn’t find the little bouncy balls until the day before Valentines Day at the Target about an hour away from us. I had looked all over our county, but hadn’t found them anywhere. So, since I found them, I quick whipped up those little printables (thanks to free ones on Pinterest) and delivered them to my Kindergarteners. I’m not *certain* the kids caught on to the play on my name, but most adults did. LOL! The girls did Ring Pops that said “You’re a GEM” or “For the Son of the King” – they were also cute and I’m a little partial to the “You’re a GEM” one.

On Valentine’s afternoon, Ed, Bethany, & I headed over the mountains to Yakima for her Washington Music Educators Association Junior All-State rehearsal and concert! We had some Starbucks on the way…after all, it was BOGO since it was Valentine’s Day! All-State is a really fun experience…kids from all over the state audition and Bethany was the only orchestra player from our school to attend. We had one kid also go in band and several in both the Junior choir and the High School choir. Once there, you rehearse songs (that you have been given & practiced yourself ahead of time) all together, all day long, and then give a late afternoon concert.

We arrived in Yakima around 6:30, checked into our hotel (which ended up being REALLY nice!) and then decided to have dinner. We kind of forgot it was Valentine’s Day…we found a Mexican restaurant that was REALLY full of Hispanics, so we figured it was good. We waited quite a while for the food but it was GREAT! After watching some Olympics in the hotel, we zonked out for the night. The other girls spent the weekend with my parents.

In the morning we brought Bethany to the high school for her rehearsals. She was pretty nervous, but immediately met her “stand-mate” (whose name was unprouncible – SO many Asians there!) and they both seemed happy to have each other there.

 

Ed & I headed out and spent the day having coffee together, checking out antique stores, having lunch, and learning our way around Yakima. There is NOT that much to do there. Just sayin’.

We didn’t buy much at the antique stores, but we had fun looking and even made a purchase of several items in one place. Just before we walked into this shop, Ed was DARING me to find something – anything – that he would be willing to spend money on. And then he saw those license plates. Old blue & yellow ones from California. With his BIRTHYEAR on them. He sheepishly looks at me and says, “OK, these I would spend money on.” So I made him buy them for his office. I’ll hang them after we paint during spring break. There, now I said it out loud. Maybe it’ll actually happen now…I also bought that Ball jar and the white milk glass vase for really good prices to add to my collections.

I also saw these dreamy minty blue Pyrex dishes. I love them. But I didn’t buy them. They were too much money and I have no place to put them. But I love them.

Anyway, we headed back to the school in time to get good seats in the gym for the concert and WOW! What amazing sound from the orchestra and band! We were so impressed and SO incredibly proud of Bethany for auditioning and being accepted and playing with that awesome group of musicians! Bethany is in the last row of violins on the left, second chair in from the end.

Bethany with her teacher, Mrs. Smit, along with Mrs. Smit’s son, who was in the All-state band, and the band teacher, Mr. G. Everyone was happy & proud!