My Rambling Thoughts

From the womb, both my daughters Kaitlin and Julie have loved music.  As toddlers they would both sit at the piano and pick out songs.  As soon as they could read we enrolled them in piano lessons.  The first time they played together - I was in seventh heaven.  As 5th grade came around and band was an opportunity they both jumped at the chance to play. We've been through painful 5th grade first concerts through state final competitions that held your breath with the ending notes.  I've loved every moment of it.  Even when Julie switched in 7th grade to the oboe, I enjoyed hearing the duck quacks for the first couple of weeks. I admire them both for taking the extra effort and time to play a musical instrument.  They still both play the piano also and along the lines we have inherited an organ that they have self taught themselves.  Between those, the French horn, flute and oboe, there is usually music in this house. When Kaitlin began 9th gra...

Respect  denotes both a positive feeling of  esteem  for a  person  or other  entity   and also specific actions and  conduct  representative of that esteem. Those of you at the Basha vs Chandler football game last night saw a perfect example of what respect is NOT. Basha Band and Band Boosters - you were super last night.  The meal was a wonderful welcome and the homemade cookies, well, let's just say, my diet suffered a bit.  The band kids - super nice and polite and our Chandler band kids were made to feel welcome. However, the student section in the stands exhibited the worse case of respect, maturity and politeness that I have ever seen.  When our band took the field they student section stood and yelled "Chandler Sucks".  What a nice thing that was to do to a fellow Chandler school.  It was so great of you to make the band feel good about performing for you.  When the Chandler band played the ...

Like many Americans, I once again find myself attached to the television watching news and documentaries about the attack on America 10 years ago.  There are few things in my life that have happened that I can remember exactly what I was doing and this is one of those times.  Living in Arizona and 3 hours earlier than the east coast, I was still sleeping until the phone rang.  I woke, looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was our daughter Suzanne.  Suzanne has a bit of a challenge with time zones so I was ready to remind her what time it was here but when I hit the talk button - I heard crying.  I immediately turned on the television and sat in my bed in unbelief at what I was watching.  I am sitting here watching a documentary right now on Flight 93 - still in unbelief at what I am watching. So much in life changed that day.  The terrorists may not have carried out their plans the way they wanted but they have changed life the way we all knew it. ...