Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015 has come and gone.

The pie has been eaten and the leftover mashed potatoes are one day away from their final resting place in the garbage can.

In the aftermath of all the dishes and laundry, I'm left with an unexpected amount of gratitude.

For my husband who cooked the Thankgiving turkey in the rain. And who loves his family completely and without reservation.

For beautiful neices

and cousins who are friends.

For a father-in-law who installed a new dishwasher on the friday after Thanksgiving

and didn't complain when it took all day.

 

For moments that will be forever etched in my memory.

Each year it seems the stakes get higher and life gets more complicated. I am constantly reminded that there is little I control. The struggles of my friends and family weigh on my heart and in my mind. 

And yet, the heartache makes the gratitude possible. It illuminates the ordinary and helps us to appreciate convention.

 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

May this spirit of gratitude carry us into the new year.

An open letter to my students

Dear Students,

We have just less than a month of the semester remaining. I thought it might be a good time to remind you of something that can get lost in the stress and busyness that seems to peak at this time.

I am on your team! I want you to succeed! I want you to be happy!

This semester has been weird. Many of us have been overwhelmed, tired, or burnt out more than we might usually be. It seems we started the semester exhausted, instead of refreshed and eager. But look at us! We pulled through. Here we are at the end, auditions and recitals and juries in sight.

You guys are doing awesome. I have pushed you and expected more from some of you than I have in the past. There has been more tension than usual in lessons. It hasn't been fun for either of us at times. However, you have stuck with it. You have persevered and are growing as singers, musicians, and young adults.

College is a hard. The classes can be challenging and time consuming. Many of you are putting yourselves through college, having to work before, after, and in-between classes to support yourselves. Furthermore, you are in this precarious place of having one foot in lingering childhood and one foot in approaching adulthood. I fully acknowledge that waking up to get to class on time is a huge victory. I also expect you to strive for the discipline that makes you get your butt out of bed on time each day.

Just like many of you, I supported myself through college. I taught piano lessons and had a church job all throughout my undergrad. I didn't have significant financial help from my parents. I didn't take out any loans, but relied on scholarships and work to get me by. I tell you this so that you know I understand what you are going through. I've been there and I'm on the other side in one piece, and happy!

This semester has been hard for me personally and professionally. I have questioned the practicality and worthiness of continuing work at WSU. I have felt alone and completely powerless in the face of your busy schedules. The teaching and learning that happens in my studio must be a collaboration between us and many times this semester I have felt that I was the only one showing up, ready to work. Without cooperation from you, there is only so much I can do. The work load must be split 50/50.

In today's society, we are often too overly concerned with outcomes. How we perform or the finished product is stressed as the most important thing. While I agree that a high quality finished product is essential, as an instructor at a liberal arts college, it is equally important to me that I help you to find a process and technique for your craft. Which is why so often in lessons I ask you "how was that different?" "how can you replicate that sound on your own?" or "what did that feel like?". I want you to know how to get to that finished product on your own. I want to help you to think critically and be curious about the process.

I care about you all so very much. My husband often tells me that he thinks I do not need to be as emotionally invested in my job as I am. However, you guys are the reason I stick around. The pay for an adjunct here at WSU is unconscionable. I tell you this to let you know how important to me you are. It's because of you that I've stuck with it.

I have everything to gain from you succeeding. Each well sung performance, audition, and job acquired is a win for me as well. With that in mind, everything I do and say in lessons is because I think it will help you become a better singer.

I am your biggest fan.

I can't do this alone. Let's push through and work hard, together, for these last few weeks. Show me that you care about the process. Let's strengthen your wings and get you to soar. What do you say? You guys in?

Yours,
Emily

Annual family pictures

Each October, as I run around in a panic to get my kids Halloween costumes and make spooky themed snacks for their school, I remember that Christmas is right around the corner and we need to get new family pictures taken.

For the past three years we've asked our friend Laurie to take the photos for us and each year I'm so so happy with what she is able to capture.

Here are some of the pictures that didn't make our holiday card.

When I asked Ruby how she got to be so good at posing she said, "ballet."

I'd like to point out that up to this point she has taken 5 days of ballet lessons. Can you imagine what proper weekly lessons would do?

Maia is just as adorable, but more reserved now that she's a big first grader. It's crazy to see how much her face is changing with those grownup teeth coming in.

Andover and Wichita are paving an old railway trail that runs east and west for about ten miles or so. It's a great place for pictures, but in my opinion, is also greatly improving the quality of life here. We have desperately needed more outdoor walking paths in this city.

Aleks handles all the women in his life so well.

Shortly after this Ruby started crying because Maia was squeezing her hand too hard. Big sisters are the worst (writes a big sister).

Happy Fall y'all!