Playing With Our Eyes Closed…

Yes, you read right. We had to play a little bit with our eyes closed at last Tuesday's violin lesson! She said "muscle memory" should kick in (Ha). I think the second time we played the D Major Scale, my bow ended up in the same place it started, um, almost. I do have to say, though, that we played almost non-stop the entire lesson, and I am not nearly as sore as I used to get. I'm still deciding if this is something I want to continue, or if I want to change to learning the Cello (just like at Justin and Jessica's when I was playing my violin as a cello…hehe), or take voice lessons…or nothing :o) So many options! Unfortunately, I don't have any fun stories about our lesson on Tuesday, other than the fact that we can play a mean version of "Variations on Hot Cross Buns" now. With CD Accompaniment, too! Only one more lesson…where have 8 weeks gone?

TAGGED!

I have been tagged by Maggie and indirectly by Rebecca :o)


Jobs I've had:

1) Accountant
2) Sales Associate in the Mortgage Industry
3) Cashier at Joe's Market (I got a free muffin and coffee everyday!)
4) High School Colorguard Instructor
5) High School Synchronized Swimming Asst. Coach
6) Childcare Aide in the Infant Room (for 3 years in H.S.--my fave job so far, I think!)
7) Retail -- County Seat (remember them?). Great clothes discount, but will probably never work retail again.

Places I've Lived:

1) Moore, Oklahoma
2) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
3) Farmington, Minnesota
4) Irvine, California
5) Bloomington, Minnesota
6) Andover, Minnesota
7) Minneapolis, Minnesota
8) Richfield, Minnesota
9) Eden Prairie, Minnesota (I think?)
10) Ewa Beach, Hawaii

Places I'd Rather Be (in no particular order):

1) Caribou Coffee
2) A Bookstore (i.e. Barnes & Noble, etc)
3) Somewhere very sunny with a beach
4) Hanging with my family/friends in MN and CA (miss you guys!)
5) On stage performing in a great musical

Foods I Love:

1) Dark Chocolate
2) Cereal (any kind…could live on it)
3) Chips and Guacamole (homemade, not the nasty mixes)
4) Buffalo Wings and Celery
5) Vegetables (especially steamed)
6) Anything my honey grills for me (he's so manly that way)

TV Shows I Love:

1) Re-Runs of the old classics (Cosby Show, Full House, Seinfield, etc)
2) Food Network
3) HGTV
4) Jon & Kate Plus 8
5) The Biggest Loser
6) Amazing Race
7) College Football (Especially my MN Gophers and OU Sooners)

Movies I Love:

1) Any Romantic Comedy (LOVE Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson, etc)
2) Drama/Suspense movies (e.g. A Time to Kill, The Interpreter, etc)
3) Pride & Prejiduce (the older version) and other movies from that era
4) Disney Movies
5) Musicals (the classics)

Books I Love (actually, Authors):

1) Lori Wick
2) Jane Austen
3) Susie Larson (not just because she's my Aunt, more because she's fabulous and relevant)
4) Dee Henderson

Ok, I tag Dawn and Jessica! Enjoy...

D Major Scale…and some squeeks

Well, I have been a bit delinquent on my Violin Lesson blogging of late. I apologize to my faithful readers. I can’t believe I only have 2 lessons left in the Beginning Violin class. Hopefully there will be enough interest in an Intermediate Class so we can have one in the spring and don’t have to wait until next fall!

At our 5th lesson, we learned 4 more notes, and we are now able to play an entire scale! This adds a few selections to our song list. The cool thing about this class is that we repeat things often, yet our teacher, B, has such variety in her teaching that we don’t even realize we’re repeating things! That is good for an impatient learner like myself…I need to repeat to get better, but don’t have the patience to get there. So this is a perfect situation for me.

Our class continues to have fun together as banter back and forth with B. I think she enjoys having adults around (since she’s used to teaching 5th grade thru High School). Oh, so there is one story from today. Sometimes our teacher forgets that people don’t know how to read music (I admit, I forget sometimes, too). So there is this one girl who has a STRONG personality (to put it nicely/mildly) and does not know how to read music. So when B forgets and rushes through something assuming people know what she’s talking about, this chick throws attitude. I tried to step in nicely to try to explain to her what the “key signature” and “F sharp” all meant and she totally bit my head off. Wow. She wanted to be sure I knew that she didn’t know what that meant because she doesn’t read music (um, hello! That’s what I was trying to explain to you…but whatever). So I decided I should refrain from that point on. Everyone else in the class is sweet and fun, though. We laugh when B tells us we sound good (because honestly, I don’t think it’s true!). Haha.

Ah well...more excitement next week…

I Now Pronounce You...

I can't believe it's been 2 years since I became Mrs. Steven Irwin. I am so blessed. I am sure I will write more blogs about how wonderful my handsome, Godly, awesome husband is, but for this post on our 2nd anniversary, I want to share a letter that I wrote to e-Harmony (the site that brought us together) back when we had only been married 7 months. Note that this was written to e-Harmony, so it may seem like a walking e-Harmony ad, but it really is amazing to look back upon the circumstances God pieced together to put Steve in my life's path.

As I sit here on the 7-month anniversary of our wedding day, I reflect on the amazing circumstances surrounding my relationship with Steve. Without a doubt, God definitely used E-harmony as the vessel to put the two of us together…I cannot believe I married the best man in the world! God is good!

You see, Steve is a lifelong resident of California, and I am from Minnesota. Not exactly the closest in proximity. At the beginning of 2004, I was young, unattached, and had the perfect opportunity to take on a 15 month project through my employer to live out in Orange County, CA. The crazy thing is that I had applied for another position within the company and been turned down just a month before I accepted “the CA project.” Then, the very day that I accepted the opportunity to go out to California, the manager that had just turned me down called to inform me that they had another opening in their department. Had that call been one day earlier, I would have never ended up in California…and the rest of my story would have been history. I thank God that He went on to create the perfect love story for me.

A few months after I went out to California, my sister and I were both home in MN for Easter and she was showing me around the E-harmony site. “It’s like guy shopping!” she said. The site had immediate appeal for me. I had been on several (12, to be exact) blind dates over the previous year, and saw the basis of E-harmony’s match system as quite interesting, more promising, and definitely worth a try. The personality profile fit me to a “tee” and I knew that any guy that would put in the time to fill out the long questionnaire would not be just any weirdo, as was my fear with other sites. And, if they were, the site is so safe with the various stages of communication, I would have pre-screened pretty extensively before even coming close to meeting them face-to-face. The thing that most attracted me to E-harmony was the Christian principles it was based upon. I hope that E-harmony never backs away from that solid foundation (regardless of any marketing audience you feel you need to reach)…it really sets your site apart from any other.

After I had been involved with the site for a few months, I decided to take a break. I was realizing that I could just enjoy the “single life” God was blessing me with to that point and enjoy who I was, independent for a time. I closed all of my matches except one. I honestly do not know why I kept Steve open. We had just started the stages of communication and he seemed to be a pretty cool guy. I decided to see about this one. Again, an awesome thing to look back on now.

Now, about Steve…he is truly my perfect match. The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes. What a genuine snapshot it was right into his heart! I know now that behind those gorgeous eyes is a heart full of grace and truth…and quite a sense of humor (another huge perk)! We have received so many compliments on our relationship from people that have been married for years! E-harmony’s compatibility matching system proved to be right on for us. We are each other’s perfect complement. Steve reads me so well (and, even better, he is trying everyday to learn how to make me even happier…if that is even possible). I have not only come to love him like crazy, but I have developed such a deep respect for him and who he is. Random people will come up to us in a grocery store and tell us what a cute couple we are. We are not simply settling into the married life, it’s getting better and better with every day, as we learn even more about one another!

Our first date was so relaxed…it felt as if we already knew each other so well. Cliché, I know, but so true…and after being on 12 blind dates with the “he’s great and I don’t know why I’m not attracted to him, but I’m just not”…it was a refreshing change! I honestly did not think I would find someone that I had such deep chemistry with. And, of course, it helped that we ended the date with great conversation while eating ice cream! When we were engaged about 4 months after our first date, it did not feel rushed at all. The thing with E-harmony’s compatibility matching and various stages of communication is that we knew more about one another before we even met than many couples spend 3-6 months learning about through the dating process. We were able to immediately dig deep into values, beliefs, and other tough issues before even meeting (after all, at that point there was nothing to lose, so we could just be ourselves!). I cannot say enough about how thankful I am to God for using E-harmony to guide me to my true love. I enjoy telling the world our story, and recommend your site as THE best one out there for people seriously looking to find their perfect match.

Blessed and in love,
Liesl Irwin

I truly got the best one. I love you honey...Happy 2nd Anniversary.

I AM Smarter than a 5th Grader!

At our violin lesson on Tuesday, the teacher informed us that we were "way ahead" of her 5th graders. We were all pretty pumped about that. They haven't even started using their bows yet...they are still plucking. We are SO past just plucking. Ha.

We learned one new note...however, before you get too excited, it's just another way to play a note we ALREADY KNOW. Really, are you kidding me? How is that going to help me expand my repertoire? Well, I am still unfortunately limited to a few songs: "Merrily We Roll Along" (which also happens to have the same tune as "Mary Had a Little Lamb"--voila! 2 songs in one!), "Hot Cross Buns," and...um...that might be all. I know, I should play at parties.

This last lesson marks the halfway point of my 8 week violin lesson stint. It was by far my favorite lesson so far. We are getting to know each other better, and our class has a great time with our teacher. We all know we are pathetic compared to the child geniuses that play symphonies when they are 3 1/2...and we're ok with that. :o)

I really do need to start playing at home...I will be so sad when I have to turn my violin back in!

Our Little BumbleBee!

Yes, we are THOSE doggie parents...the kind that buy a halloween costume for our Norman :o) But seriously, could YOU have passed this up???

He even has wings!!

It was so comfy, he even started falling asleep :o)