December 2013 Update!

CLARA DEC. 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Is it really January 9th? I can't believe how quickly the holiday flew by. We hope you all had a wonderful celebration with family and friends. I am going to do two separate blog posts. This one will cover the month of December, leading up to Christmas, and the next one will cover our Christmas and New Year's holiday.

December was extremely busy for us. I think it was one of the most scheduled December months we have had in many years. It seemed there were things going on every weekend, and because Joey had to lead rehearsals on Mondays for the Messiah, it felt as though there was never any down time. That being said, many of the things we kept busy with were very enjoyable.

Joey and I spent the beginning of December preparing for a rather challenging solo piano and violin recital at the La Grua Center in Stonington. The La Grua Center is only a few minutes drive (or walk) from where we live. It is a space used to host concerts, lectures, art shows and classes, among other things. On the day of our concert a fairly decent snow and ice storm hit our area. Fortunately most of the really bad weather came later in the evening after our concert, but we were not sure until about 1pm whether or not the event would be cancelled. We are happy that it was not cancelled because, in spite of the weather, we had a large crowd, and we felt very good about our performance. We enjoyed playing at the La Grua Center and using their newly acquired grand piano. We hope to perform there again sometime in the future.

The day after our recital, the Calvary choir and choristers, under Joey's leadership, gave a service of "Candlelight Christmas Lessons and Carols". It was a beautiful service, and it was wonderful to see and hear how much the young choristers have matured in their singing and leadership skills over the last couple of years. The church was full and looked beautiful, and a wonderful reception was given following the service. It was a great weekend, and I was proud of Joey for being able to pull off a recital one night, followed by a huge choral service the next day.

A week after our recital, Calvary Church presented their third annual "Messiah Sit and Sing" concert. This year Joey decided to add a string quartet to accompany portions of the Messiah, so I was able to participate as first violinist of the group, along with a wonderful violinist and violist from Hartford, both of whom I had known while studying briefly at the Hartt School of Music. The cello part was covered by our talented CMS cello teacher Carly Fleming, also a Hartt alum. We had beautiful vocal soloists, and our good friend Andrea Kotylo played the organ. Joey conducted and played from the harpsichord. The "Messiah Sit and Sing" is always such a festive event, and the audience really loves being able to participate by singing the choruses from the pews. 

Clara enjoyed all the festivities of the season, but there were two events in particular which seemed to really make an impression on her.

"Ballerina Birthday Party!"

Ballet practice!

The day after our recital, Clara and I attended the birthday party of one of her ballet friends. It was a "Nutcracker" themed ballet party, and it was held at the ballet school where Clara takes classes. The first portion of the party was led by one of the dance teachers, and the kids got to do various movements and physical activities to Nutcracker music. After the dancing there were cupcakes and "Nutcracker" themed juice cups and party favors. Needless to say, it was pretty much Clara's idea of heaven. She was so excited about the party that she couldn't take a nap that afternoon. We are attending another "ballerina birthday party" this Sunday, and she is really excited about it. 

"Santa Clause!"

Santa Claus was a big deal for Clara this year, and, for the first time she was not afraid of him. We registered to see Santa at the Stonington Library. When we arrived, the kids were given a craft to do by the elves, and after that Santa and Mrs. Claus read "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids. Clara was so excited to see Santa and had the cutest smile on her face while waiting in line. When she finally got her turn with Santa, she gave him big hugs and such sweet looks. Santa gave her a book and candy cane, and she was thrilled about tasting a candy cane for the first time. 

Joey and I finished our Calvary Music School lessons at the end of December, and our students performed in a solo recital along with other CMS students. They all did very well, and we are proud of the good work they are doing.

Looking out the window on a snowy day.

Although this past December was incredibly busy, it was also a wonderfully rewarding month full of beautiful music, the excitement and energy of a little girl, precious time with friends and family, and the joy of the Christmas season.

Stay tuned for my next post, which will cover our Christmas and New Year's holiday. As you can see, this post is already really long, so I think my decision to split them up is a wise one. We still have yet to send out any Christmas cards. I guess they will have to be Epiphany cards at this point. That was one negative aspect of being so busy last month. Please forgive us!

Enjoy the start of this new year!

Joey, Erin and Clara