Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Prayers for a Piano
It's amazing sometimes how God answers prayer. My family has been looking into buying a grand piano for some time now. My sister is majoring in music, and my mom and other sister play as well. We wanted at least a certain size, something built soundly with a good tone, and affordable. Well, the first two aren't hard to find, but the last one seemed to make it almost impossible. To keep the story short, my mom found a piano that seemed to fit our needs on ebay, but it ended up selling for more than what we wanted to pay. She just happened to checking ebay again and saw the same piano was up for sale again. The winner never ended up paying, and the owner needed to get rid of it, so here was a second chance for us. This time we won the bid for half the price it was sold for the first time! Our quick visit to see and pay for it was kind of unbelievable. Now a beautiful Steinway piano sits in our converted music/photography room. We say it's our miracle from God!
Labels: Life, Music, Prayer Requests
Friday, December 07, 2007
Pearl Harbor Day
December 7th, "a day which will live in infamy." It has been sixty-six year since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. So many things have changed since then. Not many of the men who fought to keep us free then are still alive. Don't wait another year to thank them!
If you've been reading my blog over the years, you may remember a post I did on Jake DeShazer. He was one of the original Doolittle Raiders who was taken captive by the Japanese for over three years. It was His faith in God and obedience to Him that sent him back to Japan, this time to bring them the good news of the Gospel. Since I wrote that post, I found a place that has mp3s of an interview with Jake Deshazer! If you haven't already, be sure to read my past post to learn about the power of forgiveness. Then go on to read Fuchida's testimony and more about Jake DeShazer.
If you've been reading my blog over the years, you may remember a post I did on Jake DeShazer. He was one of the original Doolittle Raiders who was taken captive by the Japanese for over three years. It was His faith in God and obedience to Him that sent him back to Japan, this time to bring them the good news of the Gospel. Since I wrote that post, I found a place that has mp3s of an interview with Jake Deshazer! If you haven't already, be sure to read my past post to learn about the power of forgiveness. Then go on to read Fuchida's testimony and more about Jake DeShazer.
Labels: around the web, Living for God, Missions, Music, Patriotic
Saturday, August 04, 2007
My Summer
To catch up anyone that's interested... God answered my prayers about CYIA. It was one of the best years. Everyone agreed that we had the most competent and dedicated staff ever seen. It was great working with them because they wanted to do well and took on more responsibility to do it. I was so proud of them! My classes and small group also went well. Thank you for praying.
The week before the 4th of July the Ds' mom, Cheri, had a stroke. It was scary as they could not find out right away what was wrong, and she was in a coma. My family took care of five of the children for a week as their mom was with her mom in the hospital. Cheri is now awake, but the stroke was a rare kind with devastating effects. She is aware of what is going on around her, but is unable to take care of or feed herself. She is living with the Ds while her husband makes the house wheelchair accessible. Please keep the Ds and Cheri in your prayers.
Back around January we got an e-mail from some missionary friends in South Africa inviting us camping with them. We thought it was a joke until we realized the place they mentioned was real, and they would be home this summer. My parents went camping with them way back before I was born. This time it included my sisters and me and their children's spouses and children. It was neat to spend time with them up in the redwoods at Prairie Creek. A bizarre thing was that some friends from Burney were camping there too! Just have to tell you about a hard thing we did. One morning we hiked 5-6 miles to Fern Canyon and the beach. But unless you have those extra hours to spare, driving and just hiking the 1/2 mile is a fine option in my opinion. :-)
Last week was an unexpected blessing. A local, professional photographer friend needed an assistant as he took senior portraits. I got to help him and learn tricks of the trade while getting paid!
My newest discovery has to do with my heritage. While visiting a relative, I found out I'm not as German as I thought. I posses English blood, and ancestors that came over from England to America in the 1600's!
Right now I'm attending the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago. I'll just say the experience has been interesting. I'm looking forward to the second music conference and hopefully seeing Abby!
Well, this summer is going by way too fast. I have been accepted to Liberty University and am all signed up for DL classes. It's exciting getting everything together and heading towards the last phase. Now I just need a Liberty nalgene bottle to replace the PHC one that got ruined in the dishwasher. :-)
The week before the 4th of July the Ds' mom, Cheri, had a stroke. It was scary as they could not find out right away what was wrong, and she was in a coma. My family took care of five of the children for a week as their mom was with her mom in the hospital. Cheri is now awake, but the stroke was a rare kind with devastating effects. She is aware of what is going on around her, but is unable to take care of or feed herself. She is living with the Ds while her husband makes the house wheelchair accessible. Please keep the Ds and Cheri in your prayers.
Back around January we got an e-mail from some missionary friends in South Africa inviting us camping with them. We thought it was a joke until we realized the place they mentioned was real, and they would be home this summer. My parents went camping with them way back before I was born. This time it included my sisters and me and their children's spouses and children. It was neat to spend time with them up in the redwoods at Prairie Creek. A bizarre thing was that some friends from Burney were camping there too! Just have to tell you about a hard thing we did. One morning we hiked 5-6 miles to Fern Canyon and the beach. But unless you have those extra hours to spare, driving and just hiking the 1/2 mile is a fine option in my opinion. :-)
Last week was an unexpected blessing. A local, professional photographer friend needed an assistant as he took senior portraits. I got to help him and learn tricks of the trade while getting paid!
My newest discovery has to do with my heritage. While visiting a relative, I found out I'm not as German as I thought. I posses English blood, and ancestors that came over from England to America in the 1600's!
Right now I'm attending the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago. I'll just say the experience has been interesting. I'm looking forward to the second music conference and hopefully seeing Abby!
Well, this summer is going by way too fast. I have been accepted to Liberty University and am all signed up for DL classes. It's exciting getting everything together and heading towards the last phase. Now I just need a Liberty nalgene bottle to replace the PHC one that got ruined in the dishwasher. :-)
Labels: Life, Music, Photography, Prayer Requests, School, Vacations
Saturday, April 08, 2006
The 5 Browns
Can you picture 5 siblings all on Steinway grand pianos playing amazing music together? If so, you've got The 5 Browns: Desirae-27, Deondra-25, Gregory-23, Melody-21, and Ryan-20. I'm not totally sure, but I've heard rumors that they were all homeschooled. Practicing 3 hours a day until they were 11 paid off when each was accepted into Juilliard, setting a new record for the most siblings there at once.
Working to make classical music cool, these brothers and sisters just released their newest cd called No Boundaries. Once I find a store that carries classical music, I'm going to be adding it to my collection. Until then, click here to join me in listening to the clips. I can almost guarantee they're going to make you want to practice more!
