cabell st collective...

I'll be honest, I struggle with the ordinary. 

I love having a little excitement in life, and I've learned that I function best when I have something to look forward to or something I'm currently working on.  I'm made in the image of a masterful Creator, and I've discovered how much I, too, love to create.

I thrive off of having something "extra" going-- a project, a performance, a service opportunity, an outlet of some kind.  Sometimes it's pouring myself into this blog, sometimes it's renovating old houses or putting together a special song for our church's worship team.  

But thought I'd share my latest one with you guys...  Cabell St Collective!

I've pulled together some willing musicians from around our church to form a band and perform a gig at the coffee house in our downtown!

Our band is Cabell St Collective and we'll be performing lots of fun, popular cover songs...  songs from Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, the Head and the Heart, and even Uptown Funk.  It's going to be SO fun!

I can't tell you how excited I am for this!  Not just to show off how well our little group sounds, (they sound great!) but I'm just as excited to bring this to our downtown. I'm committed to helping our little downtown thrive, and I want more people to see the beauty of the CITY.

Cabell St (pronounced "CAA-bull") is a street in my neighborhood next to downtown, and many locals have false mental associations of the street that would include crime and poverty and brown bodies, but what they don't see is the BEAUTY of God's image on full display here-- rich relationships and long-term community between neighbors, diversity in race and class, generosity and friendliness.  Cabell Street, and our neighborhood, IS beautiful, and while the locals might be wondering, "What good could possibly come from Cabell Street?", I'm so proud we put it in our name to declare that there's LOTS of good coming from Cabell Street!

So if you're in town or near by, I invite you to come out Saturday, November 14th!  Grab a nice dinner downtown and then walk over to the White Hart for drinks and the show at 8pm.  We'll be performing two sets of songs with a break in between, about an hour or so worth of music.  Sing your heart out with us or get to know someone new.

See you downtown!

new talent...

Just recently, we found out about a free group ukelele class in town for ages 7 and up.  Not being one to pass up an opportunity for free music lessons, we showed up and Caroline has really enjoyed it!

Three weeks later, she's made a video for you guys of her first song.

(I'm going to dedicate this one to all the grandparents and great grandparents in our life whom we love and who probably remember this song very well.)

Not bad for a beginner, eh?  Enjoy the show...

the cold never bothered me anyway...

Like all the little girls across America, my daughter is completely obsessed with the soundtrack to Disney's new movie, Frozen.  The song "Let it Go" won an Oscar last night!

So after hearing "Let it Go" a hundred times today, I honestly think I might die if I hear it again.  Surely it is permanently burned somewhere onto my brain.

But that doesn't mean that YOU can't listen to it!  This is what we did for fun with our snow day.  :)

You've heard Idina Menzel sing it.  (or ahem, "Adele Dazeem" as John Travolta called her...)

But may I present to you my Caroline...  he he!


 (Go Caroline!)

stradivarius...

Christmas came a little early around here the other day...

Before Jameson entered our family, Caroline and I had started piano lessons together.  (there's a GREAT music series for  teaching piano to preschoolers that my mom found and sent us!)  We had made it into book 3 when we got "the call" and our lives turned upside down with a new baby!  It probably goes without saying that, at that point, we dropped our daily piano time together as Mommy now had her hands plenty full.

Six months ago, though, Caroline began asking for violin lessons.  "I want to play up on stage at church with you, Mom," she'd tell me.

I told her she needed to finish Book 4 of our piano lessons before I'd let her switch to violin.  (Just a little two cents from a music teacher here-- piano is by far the BEST foundational instrument to start your child on musically.  All the concepts learned on piano will then transfer to any instrument of your choosing after that.)

That was all the motivation she needed.

Around the time school began this Fall, we began "lessons" again.

Now, that may sound all glorious and heart-warming, but reality was often much, much different... many lessons ended in drama and screaming, especially if there was something challenging that she couldn't master on the first attempt.  (umm, hello?  Welcome to life, baby.)

But we persevered.  And last week, she was thrilled to reach the end of her Book 4.

"Mom, can I get a violin today?"
"Mom, when can I get my violin?"
"Mom, I want to learn violin SO bad."
"Mom, can we get the violin right now?"

Relentless.  She was filled with SO much anticipation.

Initially, I was thinking the big reveal would be Christmas morning.


But she wasn't the only one who couldn't wait any longer!  I was giddy signing up to rent a violin.  She's going to LOVE it!


And this was the moment she realized what was under the tree.  :)


Open up the case and try it OUT!  (she's not been allowed to touch mine at all.  I know, I'm mean.)


Like mommy, like daughter!  Now there's two violin gals in the family.

I don't know which one of us were happier.


It was time to start teaching my eager learner...






We spent hours together that day.  It was truly a BLAST.

"Mommy, I'm going to listen to everything you tell me to do."

Yeah.  We'll see about that.  :)


But for a day, at least, she did.


And since then, it's been get-it-out, put-it-away, get-it-out, put-it-away.

Over and over again.

Who knows what this will be the start to.

But I'm beaming with pride.


What a joy, my sweet Caroline.  What a joy.

a musician's life...

Just in case you've been wondering why there have been no recent blog posts, it's because...


my big concert is less than 2 weeks away!!!

Next Friday evening, my string quartet will be performing in downtown Lynchburg, VA, at the James River Conference Center @ 7:30pm in an entire concert, "Date Night! with Strings Attached" by ourselves!  (you can get ticket information HERE.)

The first half of the concert, we'll be performing Dvorak's American Quartet.  And the second half of the program-- oh, the second half-- will be lots of fun, contemporary songs perfect for a lounge-y feeling concert... "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," "Sweet Dreams are Made of These" by the Eurythmics, "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen (and many more) and we're saving the best for last-- Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody!"

Needless to say, I'm SUPER excited.  And our quartet is working super hard.  (another day I'll explain why this concert is going to be miraculous when it finally happens...it's been quite the journey with the four of us!...)

But right now?  Everything in my LIFE is revolving around this concert!  In addition to being a wife, stay-at-home mommy, worship director, and RUF wife, adding the "rock star musician" role is getting to be a little insane for me.  he he....

From three long rehearsals a week to transcribing violin parts and changing out strings to practicing on my own to shopping for my 2 (!!) concert outfits, this is taking over my life!  (in a good way, right?)  It's very exciting, and I hope all of you in town will come out and cheer us on (student tickets are only $5!), but I must say I'll be somewhat relieved when it's all over, too.  :)

And I think how, in God's providence, the birthmommy picked the other family last month.  My heart is SO much better than it was, and I am not feeling the weight of grief like I did initially.  (perhaps because I'm way too busy to...)  The baby was born two weeks ago, and he will probably be placed with his new adoptive parents this week or next.  I can't begin to imagine what life would have looked like for us with a newborn this week, (though I obviously would've dropped everything and anything if it had worked out) so perhaps even the timing is God's grace to us.  Who knows.

I'm trusting my Father ultimately knows what is for my best.  And when the time comes and we're supposed to adopt a baby, nothing is going to thwart His plan, right?

So in the meantime, it's time to throw myself into MUSIC!  Get ready for a fun evening next weekend!

like mama, like daughter...

I can't believe I haven't shared this little gal's piano talents with you before now!  She and I have enjoyed doing our piano "lessons" almost each day for the past several months.  Caroline loves, loves, LOVES music, and as you can imagine, her mommy doesn't mind it so much either.  :)

What an absolute JOY to watch your daughter fall in love with what you love, too.

She's doing great, too!  She raced through Book 3 of our series and is onto Book 4 now.

Here's a few songs for you.



She continues to amaze me.

just like mommy...

This is my "pretend violin." (that's what I started calling it today!) Mommy says that when I can take care of this violin I can get a REAL violin and play like her! I'm so excited!


So every time we touch it, we practice treating the pretend violin and bow ever-so-carefully!


I already know all the parts to a violin. Here's the chin rest.


And here's the true test of my violin skills. Yes, yes. All violin teachers (including my mommy) will be so proud. My pinkie is curved on TOP! :)


(okay, enough pictures, Mom.)


It's time to play.