There’s no knowing where you might be swept off to…
As soon as Jeff and I started feeling better, November started its upswing of busyness. The schools seem to try to squeeze in a little of everything right at the end of the semester just when social lives are packed with extra holiday activity. It starts to feel like Bilbo Baggins says, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” I love this line. It is simultaneously a warning and an optimistic wink at adventure – the foreboding of a Baggins and the glee of a Took. And, on both sides of this, we were carried away in the delight of it all and found ourselves somewhat overwhelmed by a hectic pace.
Each of us, on different occasions, found ourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, despite our thorough scheduling and communication. It became a bit of a joke. None-the-less we were beginning to find ourselves in a holiday mood and preparing for the season.
Sam was wrapping up another phase of baseball with HitTrax ending – next up is batting with friends from Little League at some cages and in our garage, and strength training for pitching. He also started basketball with Jeff as assistant coach.
We were able to see Ben perform in a bass clef choir concert. He is one of the lowest voices in the choir. He found out right before Christmas break he will be in Honor Choir again this year. We are very proud of him, his vocal practice, and discipline to improve and learn. We are also looking forward with much anticipation to the upcoming Show Choir season.
Ben had a band concert as well. This was especially exciting for us, because he started playing a new instrument recently. Ben has been playing clarinet since the 5th grade. This year his band instructor requested he try the bass clarinet. He was getting a bit bored with playing the same thing, and showing an aptitude for instrumental music. The instructor felt he could adjust well. It takes a lot of breath to play the bass clarinet and he felt Ben could handle it. It also takes someone tall and strong – it’s a big instrument, Ben fit the bill. He loves it and took to it right away. He can practice his regular clarinet at home since the fingering is the same, so the bass clarinet stays at school. This was his debut! It was fun for us to watch.
Our weekend ended at my parents’ house, they flew back for my niece’s and nephew’s birthdays in Michigan and to share a holiday with us. We spent Sunday afternoon having a meal, playing games, and exchanging gifts. It was our Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one. Sammy was feeling sick so we made it pretty low-key, but it was a good visit and holiday. We had a nice time and I am super excited to take my new waterproof hiking boots on our adventures.
