Moving!!

Well, I know it's been... quite a while. I'm sure you all thought we ceased to exist. We didn't!! We've just been very, very busy up until now. Brent applied for doctoral school this year at several places. He was traveling thither and yon to audition/interview, but in the end, the place for us ending up being... (drum roll please) TUCSON!! Okay, not as cold a climate as we would have liked (and we never seem to be near enough to family), but it's still cooler than Yuma! It actually gets cool at night... weird. We're living in a one bedroom apartment, so it's quite a downsize from our three bedroom house, but stuff seems to be fitting. We really like the complex - two pools, a fitness center, and lots of very large shade trees. It's sort of out of the way which we like.

For those of you who don't know, Brent is getting his doctoral degree in Choral Conducting, so he will have a DMA (doctor of musical arts) degree when he's done. I was planning on just teaching school, but then I realized that I could still apply for the graduate program here. It wasn't the first time I considered graduate school, but I had been gradually leaning closer and closer to vocal performance and away from education or conducting. So, I mustered all my courage, put on my big girl panties, and auditioned for a master's degree in vocal performance. I got in!! That means both of us will be going back to school this fall. It will be nice to be the student again and to spend some time caring for myself by doing what I love.

As for kids, well, there's still none. There are two fertility clinics here in Tucson, as well as a branch of LDS family services, but at the moment we're not really sure how to proceed. It will be a matter of prayer and fasting for a while, I imagine. And we are always happy for prayers in our behalf in that arena, that we will be guided to know the right course of action. Or if there's nothing at all we should do but wait and continue living our life. Which I am finally becoming okay with.

I'm sure you're wondering (or at least I am... :) - how will they get by? Two students? No full-time job? Well, I'm going to be teaching an amazing pre-school/early school-age music curriculum called Let's Play Music. If you have a four/five-year-old that you want in music lessons, these are the lessons to put them in. It's based on Kodaly, Orff, and Dalcroze methodologies and is completely play-based, which means it's fun! As I've been reviewing the curriculum, I've been amazed at how well-structured it is, and how easily they teach young children concepts that my high schoolers really struggled to grasp. And at the end of the three-year program, your kids can read music, play the piano, and write their own compositions. Not bad for seven or eight. You can check it out here: http://letsplaymusicsite.com If you know any interested parents/kiddos in the Tucson area, send them my way! Also, if you are musically inclined and looking for a new income source, take a look at becoming a teacher. It really is a fantastic program! And it was founded by a BYU grad - a little alma mater pride never hurt. ;)

Anywho, we have been tremendously blessed. Our moving truck got packed in only 31 minutes, thanks to our wonderful ward family who showed up in droves to send us off. We will really miss the Foothills ward. Yuma was a wonderful (if overwhelmingly hot) place for us, and it will always hold a fond place in our hearts. Tucson is promising to treat us well, also. In spite of the struggles we've had, I know that God is guiding us, and leading us in "the more fertile parts of the wilderness". And the best part of it all is that we get to do it together. We're just lucky, I guess. :)