Coeurimba at the Chewela Chataqua

This past weekend (July 10th) Coeurimba was invited to play for the Chataqua at Chewela, Washington. This was my third time there, and it has always been a fun event, so I was able to convince Steve that it would be ok to play 'chauffeur' to most of the Coeurimba gang and attend the event with us. He liked it! I asked him to be our photographer, too, so I could put some new pictures on the blog - that's why most of them feature 'yours truly' - but I guess they are still interesting! I don't remember which song I was playing in this first picture, but it's a soprano marimba, so that's something!
I do remember what I was doing in this picture! I was introducing "Shariaku" to the audience - it's the African 'Romeo and Juliet' without the tragic ending. I also get to play lead for that song, so I really like it!
That's me on the bass - duh! Duh is right! I well remember which song we were playing here: Chipandani! I had a fine practice and warm-up with the song, but when it came time to perform, I just couldn't do it right until I finally got to segue into the main part of the melody and play a bit easier rhythm! Oh, well, nobody except us players really knew I flubbed it!
And here is a shot of our performance space. It's really cool with lights and all! We felt like such super stars! And they LOVED us! Ah, life is fun!

I'M LEGAL!!!!!

It's official! I passed the Praxis test! I am now accepted as a certified music teacher - thanks to study and prayer. I'm NOT kidding! I was promised that if I did my part and studied to the best of my ability I would not only pass the praxis, but I'd pass it with "flying colors". Well, after taking the test, I wondered if that blessing was for the first time I took the test, or a subsequent time, but I found out that even though I had some 'doubting Thomas' tendencies, I was still blessed beyond my abilities. I needed 148 points to pass, and I scored 165!!!!! Proof positive that miracles have NOT ceased!

Celebrate!

Now all I've got to do is teach!

Teresa's Retirement Party

This picture is for Heather. Teresa heard about the half marathon, and she decided to show you her medals for winning races - she said that since most serious runners run longer races, she usually wins for her age group in the 5k and 3k's because most ladies her age (73) walk!Here we are making last minute preparations for the retirement party at Mary's house. Left to right: Teresa, Mary, Viva, Crystal (traveled to Europe with Ellen when we were in Belgium - remember her?) Ellen and John.
Teresa's graduation from Law School picture!
This one is for Lindsay. These earrings (Kathy took the picture without her glasses on - that's why it looks blurry....)are made from bottle caps taken from a soda that Robert liked on one of his trips to Mexico. They were so cute! Thought you might like the idea. Teresa has a soda bottle cap necklace, too.
Kathy and Judy - sister and niece. Judy is Ellen and Ruffin's mom.
Amanda (Philipp's wife) and Mary, my niece.
Ruffin, Andrea (Rachel's daughter), Viva and Teresa (Rachel's youngest)
Lance - Mary's 'man' and one of my favorite people!
On the right is Philipp, Teresa's son, my nephew - I don't know the other guy.
Viva, Bryce and Cody.
Ruffin and his wife - forgot the name, but she is a really nice girl.
Another earring shot... and I'm holding one of the 400 mini-cupcakes that Viva made for the party. They were pretty spectacular - especially the Persian love cakes with the dried flowers on top!
Teresa, Kathy and little Teresa.
Ellen, party planner extrordinaire!
Mary and Kathy. It was a great time together. We all want to plan to get together around Dallas next Spring. Start making plans!

How the West Was Sung

I'll just describe the pictures in order, since I can't seem to make this post follow my orders...

Thursday evening we had our first grade program "How the West was Sung". We played to a packed house, and the kids were SO CUTE! (they were probably inspired by my own 'cuteness', so they just couldn't help themselves...)

Anyway, here we are singing the Canoe Song and playing xylophones and "boomfloppers" (a creation of mine using sewer pipe, end caps and a few precise measurements - not to mention a GREAT wooden 'holder' made by my son-in-law Lyle.)

Next is my line up of Cowhands singing "Cowboy's Lament" (aka 'Saddle Sore') while riding some of the cutest stick horses ever! Ms. Deyo the art teacher made about 7 of them for the program, and she even gave them names like 'Zeke' and 'Princess'! How cute!!!
Next is the opening scene: a backyard campfire with fake marshmallows on sticks 'roasting' over a flickering campfire. We dimmed the lights and turned on the disco ball for a 'starry' night effect and sang 'Home on the Range' and 'Little Old Cowboy'. Cute is a word I'll keep using to describe this show, I promise!

The next picture is of me and my 5th grade stage crew. They love doing their jobs, and I really give them stuff to do, to! They hand out and collect props, set the stage up, run sound and lights, and help clean up and get the music room put back together after the program. They are a bunch of great kids!

And the last one is a picture I tried and failed to turn right-side up! I am posing with one of the great "Deyo Horses". She really is an artist! We had a cardboard train, sheep, cow, pig, mountain and tunnel, too! What a fun show. I had lots of help from the parents, too, so it was fun working with them and getting to know them better. What a fun evening! OK, on to passing the Praxis in 6 weeks, and I'll only have school to worry about! YEEE-HAAAW!!!

At long last - NEWs!

Well, I am not only the proud owner of a real piano that I am actually learning to play (and I even love to practice!) but this weekend I bought my first ever pair of REAL cowboy boots! And they are cool, too! I've wanted a pair of cowboy boots since I was 6! I even had a horse as a kid, but you know, cowboy boots aren't cheap, and you can ride a horse in tennis shoes, so I never got that pair of boots - until yesterday! And the saleslady (at D&B Farm and Home!!!) was so nice! She found out that I'd waited so long (Steve said 20 years... but that makes me younger than my kids...) and she wanted me to get the PERFECT pair!

So, how do you think I'll look with my jeans, boots, hat, western shirt (when I find one) and bandana around my neck when I lead the first graders in their program "How the West Was Sung" on the 29th??? Lookin' goooooood!

But, it won't let me put the pictures on the post! Help! You need to see my cool cowboy boots!

Read it on my blog or do without!

I have tried to figure out how to 'post' anything on my facebook page, and I simply cannot figure out how to let people know anything at all! So, read it here or go without news from me. I'm old. Deal with it.

Last night we had our "Julie Johnson Jamboree" at Lake City High School. You can see pictures on the Coeur d'Alene press web site. (Dad took some, but I don't know how to get them off his new camera...) Anyway, our kids performed "Mutiwambuya" and it was really fun: rhythm sticks, djembes, marimbas, "Boomfloppers", chanting, singing and a big, loud "GO, GO, GO TEMA!" that shook the rafters and ended perfectly with not a sound happening after! It was the coolest dramatic moment! The audience sat stunned for a couple of seconds before they burst into applause!

The rest of the evening was just as cool with each chorus performing really great and quite varied music. There were other marimbas, an electric guitar (by a 4th grader who is already a virtuoso on the guitar!!!) and a drummer (Garret Knotte who is also a member of Couerimba who is in 7th grade!) Anyway, a really cool night. Lots of fun.

That's my news - now I'm going to plan next week's lessons!

What did you do with your Spring Break?

Well, while I was gone to St. Louis to play with grandkids and just kick back and have a little fun, Steve had to stay behind to get some business done. Good thing. A pine tree from our back yard blew over in a storm and crashed through our roof! Steve said it looked like a war zone. It will be well into 'cleaned up and getting fixed' before I get home on Saturday, so I'm just waiting for pictures to be e-mailed to me.

The good news is - besides the fact that mostly we just have to do clean up and repair - nobody was hurt and it didn't hit anything that we'd have to replace besides perhaps a bit of furniture. Sure, the ceiling, walls and roof are in bad shape, but the trusses were so strong they kept the thousands of pounds of pine tree from actually crashing through more of the house. Not to mention that Steve was not home sitting in the chair watching T.V. RIGHT under where the tree fell. And his car wasn't in the driveway where the top of the tree sent the bricks from the chimney! All-in-all I'd say we were pretty lucky. And, insurance will be paying for most of the bill, so it's all good. A bit inconvenient, sure, but lucky!