Graduation Scrapbooks

Good Monday morning!

If you get a chance today, go to my Blog List and click on tara whitney photography (at the bottom). She is a photographer in California. I love her beach picture. Isn't it beautiful? Also, I like the unique way she photographs families (look directly under her beach photo). I know, I know. I tell you to look at the great cakes on the Sweet Celebrations' website, and now I tell you to look at the wonderful pictures from a photographer who lives in California. It's torture. But, if I ever go to California again, I know who I am going to call! (Did I ever tell you about my trip to California before Mikie and I got engaged? I didn't think so. Maybe next week I'll tell a couple of stories about my travels around the globe. I'll tell a couple of stories because that's pretty much how many there have been... total.)

The Showcase Pic this week comes from my guest photographer, Roxie. She had the best time at Noccalula Falls last week and she took many, many pictures... most of them pictures of the 90' falls. (Thus, the Showcase Picture is of the mighty Noccalula Waterfall.) Because this is such a fun trip, Wednesday's post will have all the information regarding a day trip and picnic to Gadsden to visit the Falls. They have added so many things since my family last went there. I'll have prices, activities, and all the other details you will need for a fun spring day trip, so check in!

The Gallery Pics have more pictures of the Falls, and a glimpse of some of the fun you can have with your family.

There will be no challenges this week. I imagine if you are like me, you will need all your brain matter to focus on the job at hand... getting ready to go back to school!

The weekend plans finally went from "hanging" to "specific," which made me very, very happy. Roxie, Josh and Mike went fishing late Saturday afternoon (Austin had to work). Sunday we went to church, saw our movie (Escape to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who was AMAZING... such a good actor), and made it back to watch Amazing Race. (We didn't have the kids' Bible Studies Sunday night because of Spring Break. I didn't want you to think we had totally skipped church. Nope. Nope. Nope. It was a great weekend.)

Since I didn't offer a challenge for the week, I will supply you with mindless stories of my "Wedding Organist and Pianist" days. As mentioned in a previous post, I have 19 mishap stories out of 32 weddings. For all you "math brains" out there... that's more than half! Some were tiny. A couple were huge. But this week, I will give you just a sampling of some of the more memorable incidents.

Wedding Week - Part 1 - Ebony and Ivory

I grew up in a small church in Alabama. It was my home for 22 years. And now, 25 years later I can walk into that church and I am greeted by so many familiar, sweet faces. It was a wonderful place to grow up. I was organist and pianist at that church from the time I was 15 or 16 until I left at age 22.

I played for most of the 32 weddings on my resume' at my home church, but surprisingly, I also played for weddings at Shades Mountain Baptist and Gardendale First Baptist, among other places. I was a member at Shades Mountain for five years. I met and married Mike at Shades and made lifelong friends and wonderful memories at that church. I've been a member of Gardendale First Baptist for 15 years now. (It doesn't have anything to do with the story. I just thought it was interesting I became a member of two of the churches where I was an instrumentalist at one or more weddings. Don't you think that's odd?)

This story takes place at Shades. I was playing the piano for some friends from the Singles Department. I was to play the prelude music (20 - 25 minutes), the Processional (Here Comes the Bride) and the Recessional (There Goes the Bride). I also had to play The Lord's Prayer for the hired soloist. As was customary, I set up a meeting with him a week or so before the wedding to go over the music. I had played The Lord's Prayer 1,000,000 times before, and he told me he had sang The Lord's Prayer 1,000,000 times before, so I was expecting it to be a ten minute practice... TOPS!

This particular singer turned out to be a very talented vocalist who had sang with a "group." He was now beginning his solo career. (He wasn't famous yet, but I had heard of him, and what I had heard was very impressive.) For the purpose of this story, we'll call him Ted. Ted was a very warm, sweet, funny young man, and he and I hit it off immediately. Any other time, what I'm about to tell you would not matter one bit, but in this story it is key. Ted was African American, and I am a White American (if you haven't met me yet).

Ted was an exceptionally talented singer. His voice was rich and deep, and to top it off, he really loved the Lord and he loved singing songs about the Lord and he especially loved to sing The Lord's Prayer. That should give you an idea of Ted's God-given talent.

I, on the other hand, was a sheet music musician. I had taken piano and organ for NINE years. I knew theory, and I could play pieces of music when I practiced and practiced and practiced some more. As stated earlier, I had played The Lord's Prayer 1,000,000 times. It should not have been a problem.

Ted asked me to give him the beginning note softly. He would begin the song, "Our Father... (I would play a soft chord here), Who art in Heaven (another soft chord here), Hallowed be Thine name..." I would then begin playing the song in full following his lead. It would have (should have) been beautiful.

Ted stopped me after a few seconds and said, "Belinda, just go with the song. Just let the Spirit lead you. Just follow me."

Well, that idea was good in theory. What Ted didn't realize was even when things were going very, very well for me, letting the Spirit lead didn't usually work (musically speaking, of course). We started one more time.

Ted stopped me. "Belinda, would you mind if I showed you what I'm trying tell you?"

Not at all," I replied. Flop sweat had started appearing in the obvious places. Ted sat down at the piano, and not only had the Lord blessed him with an unbelievable voice, but the boy could play the piano, too. "Why am I even here?" I thought to myself as I watched his fingers fly up and down the keyboard, eyes closed. (His... not mine.)

"Ted. I'll try, but I've got to tell you, I play by music alone. I have absolutely no ear for music."

"Oh, I don't believe that!" Ted reassured me. What he didn't realize... I was not being modest. I was being incredibly honest. Big difference.

We started yet again. And after a few seconds, we stopped and looked at each other. Ted's face broke into a wide grin. "Belinda, I think the biggest problem here is I sing like a black man."

Relief flooded over me as I stated the obvious. "And I play the piano like a very uptight white girl."

Problem stated. Now for the solution. He was too kind and didn't want to hurt my feelings, so I helped him out. "I think you should sing this a capella or accompany yourself for this to go well."

"I do NOT want to take your job, Belinda," Ted hurried to say.

"I'll still play everything else. Just not The Lord's Prayer," I reassured him. We were in total agreement. A quick call to the bride to ask her permission for the change, and we were good to go.

The day of the wedding came. I played the prelude music and the Processional (Here Comes the Bride). And then I slid off the piano bench and sat in the chair that had been occupied by Ted in the choir loft behind the piano. A hush fell over the sanctuary as Ted's fingers flew up and down the keyboard, and he lifted that glorious voice to the heavens as he sang The Lord's Prayer. When he finished, there wasn't a sound in that huge sanctuary. How blessed was the marriage couple to be serenaded by such a special man who believed in letting the Spirit lead him... whether he was practicing a song he had performed 1,000,000 times before, or singing it for their special day. (I like that in a person.)

The groom kissed the bride, and the minister introduced them as husband and wife. I played the Recessional (There Goes the Bride), and it was over. I stood up, gathered my music and started to walk down the three steps from the piano to the main floor of the sanctuary... and there stood Ted. A huge grin on his face, he bear hugged me and said, "I hope you'll be my accompanist again someday."

"I'd love to," I replied. "I'll sit in the chair behind the piano for you anytime." And although our paths never crossed again, I would certainly have been honored to do so.

Graduation Scrapbooks

This is a gift idea for a special Senior in your future. If you have elementary or middle school children (and you love scrapbooking), this would be something you could have ready on Graduation Day.

The summer before Austin started high school, I bought three Creative Memories black albums. I later bought the Creative Memories black album with the picture frame on the front. I began collecting anything and everything Austin did that summer and every day of his high school career. Every trip we took (or he took with someone else), every tiny piece of memorabilia, every band competition program, etc., etc., etc. But I also added some special items. I began the first book with a list Austin made his Freshman year of his Top Ten Goals for High School. Some of them are pretty funny now, but I think he has accomplished most, if not all of his goals. He'll be proud to open the book and see that list. Also, on the first page is a letter from me to him which I wrote and gave to him his first day of high school.

Throughout the scrapbooks are letters from other people, too. Family members, friends, teachers... people he has loved and respected during these past four years have all contributed letters. The last page of his fourth scrapbook will be a letter from his Dad written between now and graduation night.

I have made scrapbooks for Austin from the time we knew he was coming until the end of his 8th grade year. Those are all caught up. Every scrapbooker is different. I never included memorabilia, vacations or Christmas in any of their childhood scrapbooks. (I have a Family Scrapbook for vacations with lots of journaling, and a Christmas Scrapbook which records our Christmases as a family.) I think because I have always love children's literature, I didn't want to put the memorabilia in their albums... I wanted them to have a "picture book" look. There is labeling in their albums as well as dates for everything. (Their birthday parties are also in their regular albums.)

When I started the Graduation Scrapbooks, I incorporated all of the above... every vacation, every holiday, every bit of memorabilia... and I journaled.

When Austin comes home Graduation night, on his bed will be four black bound scrapbooks tied together with a huge maroon ribbon (his school colors). I will not give them to him in front of anyone. The albums will be there for him to look back at his memories and read his letters in private.

I got this idea from a wonderful lady named Karen many, many years ago when I was teaching scrapbook classes. She did this for her first daughter who graduated. It was a huge surprise and and an even bigger hit at her graduation party. Austin was in elementary school when she was working on these albums, and I told her then I was going to borrow her idea... and I did. It may be something you would want to do for your graduate one day. And the great thing about scrapbooking is you can do it any way you want. There isn't a wrong way to make this gift!

Have a great Monday. Check in tomorrow for a crock pot chocolate dessert that will literally melt in your mouth. (Or as we like to say in the South, "It's so good, it will make you want to slap your mama." I don't know why we say that. Southerners are usually such a polite bunch.) Anyway, it is a perfect company dish!

Talk to you tomorrow!