Lessons Learned on Saturday...

Saturday was, well, quite a day. I learned the following:

1. when you are tired, you aren't as logicial in your thinking as if you were well rested.
2. if you were more logical, you wouldn't worry about your cell phone falling on the floor of the vehicle you're driving and you'd wait to glance and look for it when you are not in motion
3. the deductable on the car's insurance is alot more than the cost of a new phone. (this bit of insight is really helpful in making future logical decisions)
4. when you glance down for a second (OK, maybe 3), you could easily "bump" into a parked car and leave scratches in the other vehicle's paint
5. the "bump" may cause your vehicle's wheel to be bent, thus requiring a tow truck after many calls to many places
6. when you take the key off the ring of the towed vehicle and put it in your pocket, you might mistakenly in your frazzled mind think you have "all the keys" in your hand and lock the keys, your phone, and purse in the other vehicle, thereby having both of your family's vehicles at the body shop, one with keys locked in it, the other (the one have a key to) rendered undriveable. Following that?
7. some people are very kind and helpful when someone else is in distress: rides were given, cell phones borrowed, special coffee's made, and offers of car borrowing (which is no small offer, considering they were offering to someone who just wrecked her own vehicle).
8. some people are really kind when someone else just hit their car and created a big pain in the rear for them to deal with. "it's just a thing" she said. "Don't worry about it, Anita...it will all be fine". So sweet...now, if only I had remembered to get HER name, etc. (she has mine).
9. spouses that would usually be quite annoyed (read big understatement) responded in only a slightly annoyed fashion. Thanks...
10. I really need to get more sleep!

A

He hates to toot his own horn, but Toot-Toot!

Another great musical opportunity in the Cory Fam occured for Spencer last weekend.

Spencer (on alto sax) was in a brass quartet with Paul (trombone), Mike (tenor sax), and Josh (trumpet) for a regional music festival. The boys decided to be in this quartet late last December, when the festival seemed very far off in the future. The week of, a small sense of urgency set in and they practiced a little more than they had been up until then, and in the end, they did OK. The group received a II (on a scale of I-IIIII, I being the best).

Lessons were learned...

Spencer also had the opportunity to be in a larger, all-saxaphone, all-the-time ensemble. Mr. Price (that's all Spencer knows about him, but I think he's sort-of famous), brought his huge collection of saxaphones. His "job is saxaphoning" (says Spencer) and he has many, many kinds of saxs, and allows students to play them for festivals and such. The largest sax (on the right) is called a Contra-Bass Saxaphone and is, well, huge. Spencer's good friend Henry is the one that was chosen to play it. Spencer played tenor sax for this ensemble. This group practiced MUCH more together, 1-3xs per week, and it paid off! They received a I from the judge!!

Again, lessons were learned!

Again, this is understandably more interesting, cute, fun, etc. if you are the proud parent...or maybe grandparent. All other blog readers get extra friend points for watching the clips to the end!
A

The Piano Girl plays for the Composer Guy

Camryn had a special opportunity last week as part of her "piano school" (WSU has a special Piano Pedagogy Lab School for teaching piano to students). The PPLS invited the year's "featured" composer, Mr. Dennis Alexander to Pullman for a couple of days. He hosted performances and taught basic lessons as a guest teacher at several local schools. He came to Camryn's school, Jefferson Elementary for the 5th grade music class on Friday.

Camryn and another girl were invited to play during his guest lecture. This piece is called, The Lost Troubador and she played it for her Winter Recital (from memory) in December. I missed that recital because I was in Nebraska, but I made sure I went this time!

Cute, huh? (OK, yes, much more so, if you are the proud parent!)

A

PS. Not sure why some of the videos I post are on their side...they aren't this way on my computer...anyone? Help?

Random Musings

Several of my real and blog friends have recently posted "some number" of random facts about themselves. I offer this spin on that...just random musings.

1. When you are really really tired, and should be sleeping, heck yeah, what better time to post a random list of pointless musings on your blog?

2. My life is predictable...at the end of every January, I look back on that month as breath a great sigh of relief that I survived another one. TGIF (Thank goodness its February).

3. I hope that the Cory Family Uncle Sam savings plan will be good this year (i.e. yes, we loaned our money to the government all year so our leaders could do important things with it, only to give it back to us in the form of a tax refund).

4. Wait, I may need to come back later and see if I can come up with a list of important things our government did with our money this year. I may have to take suggestions on that one.

5. I've been asked about my Mom alot lately...I miss her (from here to Nebraska), but I'm really really going to miss her when she is gone. I'm going to St. Louis with students in a couple of weeks and will see my family in Nebraska on the way back...yahoo!

6. My sisters have seemingly not embraced this blog thing (hint, hint...what do my niece and nephew look like? for that matter, what do my sisters look like these days? What are they up to? )

7. I'm so over snow.

8. My attention span is not cut out for more than 20 minutes of most anything...yes, even scrapbooking. So, tomorrow, when I'm sitting in class for 6 HOURS...you can share in my pain.

9. I really wish I had a time turner like Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies. Among the things I would do with double the time are:
hang out with my family more (both my kids and DH, but also brother, sisters, sis-in-law, etc.) . I'd also have my "other self" work out more, while "this self" sleeps.

10. My brother and his wife have also seemingly not embraced this blog thing. Strangely enough, he is the techy one...and I'm the one blogging (yes, DF, that is a challenge...a dual if you will).

11. I have really funny kids. Tonight, #1 described something at school as a "monstrosity"...the kid has a good grasp of the English language and a really dry sense of humor. Trust me...you had to be there.

12. #3 recently told me after a long night at Splash and Dash ( a kids night at the pool/parents night out) that he didn't need to take a shower to get all the bad chemicals off, because " when I was sitting on my towl drying off, all the bad chemicals just crawled onto my towel, Mom".

13. American Girl dolls are just plastic and whatever. Why are they such a big deal and so expensive? REally...it is all the girl will think/talk about. She will be in 10th grade talking about Felicity or Kristen or some other doll. Geez...

14. Grandparents that send cards and notes for Granddaughter's birthdays are really awesome!

15. During January, I really really miss my sanity, my friends, my family and "my life". Did I mention I'm so glad it's February?

16. Why do cows typically have one calf at a time and have multiple udders? This is in my "top ten things I need to ask God" list.

17. I love my ipod...now I just need to get "out there" and get some great music. Oh wait, I have just the thing, my new ABBA, #1 Hits CD. Trust me...you can't help but move to ABBA.

18. Despite the concerns mentioned in #3, this is a great country. I'm so grateful to live here.

19. Micheal Phelps was caught on camera, smoking weed from a bong. Nice. So glad we make a big deal out of athletes. People... they are just people too!

20. I realize more and more it is unfortunately quite easy to lie to me. This is not good given my line of work and the fact that I have kids.

21. Kid #1 turns 13 this week! Are you kidding me? Ugh!

22. Did you know that I think I have adult on-set ADD. That is a real thing you know. OK, maybe it's not adult-onset, but just adult-obvious. Really...I'm going to bed!

A