There's Just Something About Christmas Music

So I have a confession to make: I'm listening to the Pandora Radio Station based on Mannheim Steamroller Holiday songs. There is just something about the Christmas season and music that calms me down and reminds me of what is most important in life. 

I turned on the music while I made banana nut muffins. I've enjoyed the ease of muffins for breakfast recently. One batch usually gives James and me a muffin for breakfast through one week. It allows us to take it with us to work as neither of us typically has the time left in the morning to sit down for a bite to eat. I have successfully or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, created another coffee drinker in the house. We now both take a traveling coffee mug with us on the way out of the door in the mornings :-).

To be quite honest work has become overwhelming again (quite possibly the reason Christmas music is now playing), so prayers for my humility and positive energy to stay intact for the kids I teach would be greatly appreciated. We have our AISD Fall String Festival performance this Tuesday at Zilker Park. Our special song this year is Star Wars :-). We play seven songs total, which is quite a bit for students that are in their first year of playing! In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Festival our t-shirts are Tye-dye this year!

James is busy with work and school. He is researching for a paper on John Philip Sousa and how the Sousa Band (an immensely popular concert band) influenced and continues to influence musical taste and the modern American band tradition. The paper is due the day after his birthday, so we will probably celebrate a little late this year. As for work, he recently had a famous TV actor (from Breaking Bad and Revolution) attend his information session. Pretty cool! His events are going well and are almost done for the semester...he's now beginning the part of the year where he reads and scores tons of admission applications. Last year he read over 700 and was reading while we were in Minnesota for Christmas. He is very much hoping to have it done by Christmas this year!

Last weekend we attended the 5th anniversary of a local brewery called 512 Brewery (the main Austin area code is 512). They have a pecan porter that is excellent. For the event they pulled out some of their rare beers including a double pecan porter aged in whiskey barrels, which proved to be worth waiting in a rather long line to try. We also tried a pumpkin pecan porter which was served out of a huge pumpkin! 

Yesterday we attended the UT vs KU football game. It was a beautiful day - mid to high 70s! It has proven to be an interesting football season. We will be getting a new athletic director this year, so we will see if that means we get new head football and basketball coaches as well. The rumor has been that we will.

We will be home for Thanksgiving and cannot wait to see everyone at the reception for Andrew and Katie! The wedding was absolutely perfect and unbelievably beautiful in so many ways. Hope to see you all there!

Love, grace, mercy, and peace,

James and Hannah