Christmas 2007

Christmas Concert - 2007

Jessica and I participated in a Christmas Concert this December. It was the first of it's kind that I am aware of. Musicians from the Conservatory and University (choir and orchestra) performed 10 sacred pieces for members of the university faculty and friends of the musicians.

Here is just a wee video (forgive the quality!!!) of one of the songs. Jessica is to the left of the yellow folder and I am on the end of the front row.

The Christ Is Life Church held it's Christmas program on the 23rd. Lots of visitors came out and enjoyed the program put on by the Sunday School department and directed by two of the teachers. Cookies, coffee and tea were served afterwards while people stayed around to visit.

Sunday School kids reciting Luke 2

Jessica, Alicia and Lori playing "Away in a Manger"

Party Time

The ALPHA Staff of 2007 (with spouses and significant others)

December 13th is a local holiday here in Mossoró. For that reason, we end ALPHA's classes on the 12th so we don't have to go back to classes after the holiday. It also makes for a really convenient day to have ALPHA's staff party. No classes, no "other jobs", no distractions and a whole day to get ready for the thing!!!

The ALPHA Staff Christmas Party is our team's opportunity to honor this really hard working bunch of people. This year the party was held at our house (the Stucky team members each take turns...this was our year).

The MENU

Appetizer - Cheese and Meat cubes with crackers, Fruit table, Egg Nog

Main Course - Spaghetti with a choice of red sauce with meat, carbonara sauce (see recipe below!!!) or cheese sauce

Salad with Ranch Dressing

Garlic Bread

And of course, we get to feast on the left-overs for a few meals, which is one well-deserved bonus for knocking ourselves out for such a thing as this. :)

CARBONARA SAUCE

Fry till crisp and set aside:

2 packages of bacon cut up into tiny bits

In large sauce pan melt:

4 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Whisk in:

4 Tbsp. flour

Whisk in:

2 cups milk

Cook till thick. Add:

1/2 cup Parmesean Cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Just before serving add:

bacon

Serve over hot pasta tossed with olive oil.

It's one of our favorites!!!

OOOPS! Spoke Too Soon!

Alicia with birthday cake and rose. Happy 11th!!!

Every year I say that I just can't handle the stress any more. Don't know how on earth I can possibly do another one of these programs. The day before each presentation I wake up with stomach cramps and once even had a migraine. Just too much.

Well, we had our 2nd performance of previously said musical and it went off pretty well. We had a jam packed house. More people than you can possibly count. At the end of the program, Ken thanked each of the teachers who had been a key part of getting the show put together.

After that Ken and I had arranged to call Alicia up on stage to give her a rose and a gift in honor of her birthday, after which I hopped down to where I had been directing the musicians. When, lo and behold, he motioned me to go back up...and look what I got! Yes, I counted and there really are 12. :)

My family...the people who put up with me the most when I didn't deserve to be put up with. They are the ones who deserve most of the credit!

So, am I going to do it again? Probably. I have a really bad memory. :)

Alice in Musicland

Alicia played "Alice" in the first performance of "Alice in Musicland" ALPHA's school musical

We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel at ALPHA. Only a week of school left, but it is the busiest week of the whole year: school musical, enrollment, testing, report cards, staff Christmas party, goodbyes, etc.

Alicia turns 11 today. She played Alice in our school musical "Alice in Musicland". We had a double cast (that way anyone who didn't make it had someone else who could fill in without any problems). The first cast performed for the student body and the second one performed for the closing night of the pre-school program.

Our two music groups, the recorder ensemble and the band, provided live accompaniment for the songs that were sung by the pre-school department.

It's OFFICIAL

Atenildo

The man behind all the reams of paper work (and that is no exaggeration!!)

There was no sweeter news than to find out today that the Secretary of Education has granted the ALPHA Educational Center it's accredidation. And none too soon. After 8 years we are finally an official school that is recognized by the powers that be.

Our first 9th grade class will be "graduating" (in just 3 1/2 weeks!!!) and they will walk away from ALPHA with "the real thing". This is a HUGE step in the school's history for which we are extremely grateful (and relieved!).

Happy Blog Day!

One Year Old

In keeping with my bad sense of timing, I just realized that this blog was a year old last Sunday (November 7th). I am one of those who remembers when everyone's birthday is any other day of the year but on the actual day. How lame!


It usually goes something like this. The following day I wake up with this terrible sense of dread that something is wrong...like I left the oven on all night or I didn't do the laundry for a whole week so no one has any clean underware to go to school in. That's when it hits me like a dirty sock being slapped across my face...I forgot someone's birthday. How can I make ammends? Do I write? Do I call? Do I send a present? Do I plead insanity?


So here I am...one whole week late. But you'll forgive me won't you? Cause I will probably celebrate by making a bunch of cinnamon rolls and giving them all away. Don't you wish you lived closer?!?! :)

On the Road...Again

The Theatro Alberto Maranhão in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte was built in the late 1800's.

Just over a week after our accident Jessica and I were scheduled to travel with our string ensemble to play at a university graduation in Natal. A day or two before the trip I suddenly had a thought: what if I would have an anxiety attack when riding in the van to Natal? What if I just couldn't get in another vehicle like that? Gotta pray about that one...

I guess I was more worried about Jessica holding up the rest of the group (adolescent hair thing) than I was about my potential anxiety. We were about a mile away from home when I remembered. We made it there and back and I even slept 1/2 the way home.

Inside the theater two balconies surround the outer walls. The building was refurbished 3 times since it was built and finally named after a very popular governor (Alberto Maranhão).

Who was awake at 2am when we walked into the yard? Ken wasn't about to sleep with the two of us out on those roads with a strange driver...we weren't the only ones who were tired the next morning!

We didn't drive 4 hours just to play a few songs did we?!?! Supper at 10pm just before hitting the road.