Sad News...Happy News

It's been a rather hectic couple of weeks and I finally found time to sit down and just reflect on the past events.


First, on a sad note, we finally came to the decision that it was more humane to have our beloved cat of almost 19 years (Buster) put down than to watch him continuing to suffer with cancer.  He was so thin and arthritic and could barely eat 1 TBS of soft food a day!  His once strong meow was barely a whisper...it was time.  I made the phone call and Mark took him to the vet...I was a mess!  He was a great cat all those years!  It's hard to believe that Sara was in 5th grade and Holly was in 8th grade when we got him at the shelter!  He's on the other side of the rainbow now and in a good place.  I miss him a lot!


On a happy note, we just had Sara and Sophia spend a nice weekend with us while Zach (Sara's husband) spent a leadership/team building weekend with his MBA class down by Colorado Springs.  It's amazing to see the changes in Sophia each time we see her!  She is full of smiles and giggles, especially when she wakes up in the morning!  And, she's trying out her voice a lot more, too with lots of baby chatter.  So cute!


In between these two events, we've had quite a busy social calendar with dinners, music shows, a candle party, and planning for the next wine tasting event for the Fort Collins Newcomers Club (we are co-chairman with another couple for this year).  I'm also working on getting out my first semi-annual newsletter for the New Horizons International Music Association!  Lots to do!   I haven't forgotten my photography business...I need to finish the Web site and get my pricing set!


And finally, our music lessons, concert band rehearsals and daily practices are in full swing!  It looks like this year I may get to be the drummer in our Dixieland Band, too! 


Whew...I'm tired just writing all of this!  :)  Actually, I'm quite happy to be busy...I'm NEVER bored!  


Well, that's about it for now.  I'll try to do better and be a little more frequent on my post updates.

Where Did the Week Go?

Yes, where did this past week go?  Between band rehearsal and music lessons which (gladly) take up a lot of my time, throw in a couple of social events and poof!


It started with Sunday where I went to an Opera and Tea fundraiser at the Fort Collins Country Club.  A friend from our "Washington Group" (Paulette) told me about this event which transformed an opera singer into a Madame Butterfly "diva".  Since I had never been to an opera and the "diva" would perform several arias, I thought I would try it out.  It was very entertaining and makes me want to try a full blown opera (preferably a Puccini opera) at least once!


Thursday night was another fundraiser sponsored by the Foothills Service League.  It was a wine tasting and food event at the Embassy Suites in Loveland.  We went with Karen and Bob, friends we met through the Fort Collins Newcomers Club and had a really enjoyable time!


Tonight Mark's Swing Band has a gig at the Moose Lodge in downtown Fort Collins so we'll be going there later.  And tomorrow, our concert band director, Glenn Shull, is playing in the John Mills Orchestra in Greeley so we'll be meeting some band friends there for that performance and dinner at one of the couple's house afterwards.


With the rehearsals, lessons, and practice sandwiched in between it's no wonder time flew by this week!  


We are really excited about seeing our sister-in-law, Stephanie today as we'll be leaving for the airport in about 30 minutes to pick her up!  We'll drop by Sara and Zach's house on the way back to Fort Collins to visit for a bit.  Stephanie has a business trip in Colorado Springs for a couple of days and it was awesome she was able to come out a day earlier to stay with us!

Music Goals

I've immersed myself in music these past few months and decided to set some goals. In drums, I want to be the best drummer in the New Horizons Band in a year. I also want to be proficient in swing band music in a year, too. In guitar, I want to build a repertoire of songs that I can play with ease within a year.

I would like to work on the publicity committee for our local New Horizons Band; I hope through a publicity campaign, we can attract 4 new members to the organization in 2011.

In 2012, I want to participate in a band camp for the national New Horizons Band organization.

In my next post, I'll provide more information about the New Horizons Band--how it got started, what its goals are, and how you can join.

Music! Music! Music!

What a great day today! Not only did I have my second concert band rehearsal, but I went to the more experienced band rehearsal afterwards and got a good look at all the percussion instruments. I actually played during one piece, too! All the band members were so welcoming to me and so encouraging, too! What a nice bunch of people!

After 3 hours of percussion, I went to my guitar lesson. I'm working on a difficult picking pattern and finally have the first half of the song down. Need to get the other half down now as well as picking up the tempo.

Music sure makes me happy, whether I'm playing it or listening to it. I'm convinced that you are never too old to pick up an instrument...I'm proof of that. I was so worried what others (particularly a drum instructor) would think to start drums at the young age of 57. My drum teacher is probably 30 years my junior and he is so supportive of my new found endeavor.

If boredom is setting in, try something different. Pick up an instrument. Besides being fun, there is an added benefit...the process of learning something new is great for an aging brain!

First Practice

I got up the nerve to go to the beginning concert band practice today. I wasn't sure how much of the music I'd be able to read but I did okay for the first go around. I happened to be the only percussionist there today so there were plenty of pauses during the pieces--lost my place a few times. That's okay. I'll get it sooner or later.

It definitely was fun even if I did have a bit of anxiety at first! I'm looking forward to Thursday's practice!