Ten Christmas Duets
Twelve Christmas Arrangements by Carol Klose
23 December 2017
14 December 2017
A Volkert Christmas Program Notes
Grandma recorded "Volume I: Hymns" in 2010, shortly before her stroke in January of 2011. Sadly, her second album, "Volume II: Popular Classics," never came to fruition, but she did create a list of the music she had intended to record. Some time last year, Dad asked me if I wanted to see that list. Knowing full well I couldn't replace the recording that never happened, I declined, and he never brought it up again. Months went by, and my family took a trip to visit our relatives in Washington State. It was a snowy January with a roaring fire, wonderful meals, plenty of artisan beer, and great company. Curiously enough, something about my attitude toward that ghost recording changed. Maybe it was visiting Grandma's grave or seeing so many of her children in one place. Maybe it was wanting to be closer to all the people who treated me so well. I don't really know why, but I asked to see the list. It read:
Sympathy was written by Grandma's mother's father, F. W. Friedrich of Gaylord. In addition to being a church organist and choir director at First Lutheran Church, he was the first full time teacher at First Evangelical Lutheran School. Also known as the German Lutheran School, its primary purpose was to promote German culture, the German language, and the Lutheran faith. F. W. Friedrich served as its principal from 1906, the year "Sympathy" was published, until his sudden death in October of 1941. He organized the first choir in 1914 and maintained more than one hundred students on his own until a second teacher was hired in 1918. I don't know why he wrote "Sympathy," but I'm of the strong opinion that it belongs on a piano and not an organ. I wrote "Walk With Me" during my first year of college, probably because distraction is a procrastinator's best friend. I wouldn't write my second piece for another ten years.
Rainbows
I have an early childhood memory of visiting Grandma and Grandpa a quarter of a century ago, and much to my delight, they had a large rainbow painted in the room. This medley, "Rainbows," is an homage to childhood. The first song, "Happy Times," was written by Danny Kaye's wife Sylvia Fine, and performed by Kaye in the 1949 movie, "The Inspector General." As four of these medleys are titled Rainbows, Moon & Stars, Dreams, and Love, "Happy Times" could hardly have been more tailor made for this project.
The second medley, "Moon & Stars," begins with another Sesame Street song I've only recently discovered. Rainbows resurface in "Moon River," featured in the 1961 Audrey Hepburn movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and the medley concludes with two lullabies which take the place of Grandma's original "Goodnight, Ladies" and "Goodnight Irene." "Goodnight Ladies" was sung in the 1962 movie, "The Music Man," and the concluding lullaby, "Goodnight, My Someone," comes from the same score. It is a song about stars, dreams, wishing, and of course, love. If you have never seen Shirley Jones leaning out the window and showing off her soprano range when she's supposed to be teaching a piano lesson, you're missing out.
This one starts with a song from one of my dad's favorite musicals, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" before settling into a little ditty from the 1952 musical movie "Singin' in the Rain." Continuing to weave these medleys together, "Dream a Little Dream of Me" sings of stars and sunbeams, and "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" brings us back to the rainbows. Concluding "Dreams" is a song from Roger and Hammerstein's very first musical, "Oklahoma!" which was written in 1943. Grandma chose another song from "Oklahoma!" to represent the entire "Saluting the Musical" section in her original list, and once upon a time, she must have enjoyed playing the score quite a bit. There's a stolen yellowed copy in my parents' hutch to this day.
We end with a simple medley of Christmas sheet music I played in our home as a teenager. The entire album ends the way Grandma concluded everything, and we all know what that means. "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You," was written by Meredith Willson, the composer of the "The Music Man." Grandma always improvised a trill on the word "bluebird," and I'd like take her musical quips one step further. In bringing this recording full circle, I'd like to suggest that those bluebirds came from over the rainbow. After all, somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly; birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can't I?
Our bonus track is a short Sylvia Fine medley recorded with Liên on one of her ukuleles. Another version of "Happy Times" melds into a lullaby from the 1955 Danny Kaye movie, "Court Jester." Liên and I would never presume to be as smooth as old Danny, and regardless of what you think of our version, I'd recommend hearing his. The lyrics depict such vivid and peaceful imagery that they're worth reading on their own.
POPULAR CLASSICS
Middle Baroque & High Baroque
Ach Bleib Bei Uns - Samuel Scheidt (a chorale used in Grandma's thesis)
Minuet in G - J.S. Bach
Invention in C - J.S. Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - J.S. Bach
Largo - George Frideric Handel
Trumpet Voluntary - Jeremiah Clarke (with Steve Kratzke)
Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel (with Myla Kratzke)
Bridging into the Romantic, Romantic, & Late Romantic
Moonlight Sonata - Ludwig van Beethoven
Träumerei - Robert Schumann
Romance in F# - Robert Schumann
Elsa's Bridal Procession - Richard Wagner
Minuet in G - Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Prelude in C# minor - Sergei Rachmaninoff
Family-iar
Sympathy - F. W. Friedrich
Walk With Me - Lan Kratzke
Memories
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers - Leon Jessel
Saluting the Musical, Sing-Along
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning - Rogers & Hammerstein
Scarlet Ribbons - Danzig & Segal
All the Things You Are - Kern & Hammerstein
La Vie en Rose - Édith Piaf
Camping on the Old Camp Ground
Goodnight, Ladies ending with Goodnight Irene - Edwin Pearce Christy, Huddie Ledbetter
One Meatball - George Martin Lane, later Hy Zaret & Lou Singer
Reuben and Rachel - William Gooch & Harry Birch
Happy Birthday - Patty & Mildred J. Hill
Almost Hymns
Thank You for Giving Me the Morning - Martin G. Schneider
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You - Meredith Willson
Evening Prayer - Engelbert Humperdinck & Adelheid Wette
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands - American spiritual
Patriotic
America the Beautiful - Samuel A. Ward & Katharine Lee Bates
God Bless America - Irving Berlin
It started with a collection of Classical pieces that had edged their way, through necessity or admiration, into Grandma's precious repertoire. There were church songs that hadn't made it into Volume I. A chosen few had undoubtedly created wonderful family memories, but for the generation before me. This was the secular side of Grandma's range, and it was barely secular.
What to do with such a list was a puzzle. The easiest course of action would be to leave well enough alone, and the hardest would be to record it. I met with Dr. Betty Mallard and told her there was a chance I'd be coming in specifically for the third movement of the Moonlight and the overplayed Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# minor. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like all of that effort would be wasted. Nobody, not even my family in Austin, was going to listen to that. I have perfect recordings of both of those pieces in my iTunes right now, and we don't pull them up very often.
Months went by. I would pick up the list every so often, and I would put it down again. These were the pieces she liked to play. These were the camp songs, the sing alongs, the family songs, the requests. The favorites. They represented the culture of her family - sacred because her family was firmly rooted in Christianity, repeated not due to greatness, but simply from being loved. "One Meatball," was written in the 1850's, and it became a pop song nearly a century later. Then Mother or Father or Billy or Mary or Tommy or Steve or Pete must have sung it, and it became a Kratzke treasure.
I did not grow up with "One Meatball." Dad played John Denver in the car with the window rolled down, Liên sang West Side Story wherever she went, the whole family had a crush on Danny Kaye, and that's just the way it was supposed to be. For the most part, my siblings and I grew up with musicals and Disney and Sesame Street.
Like the generation before us, however, we grew up celebrating Christmases together. The idea of Christmas bridges a sacred tradition with a cultural norm, and it also provides a common ground between the generations. And so, with all of this in mind, I decided to create a Christmas album of family favorites inspired by Grandma's original list.
Like the generation before us, however, we grew up celebrating Christmases together. The idea of Christmas bridges a sacred tradition with a cultural norm, and it also provides a common ground between the generations. And so, with all of this in mind, I decided to create a Christmas album of family favorites inspired by Grandma's original list.
Memories
Sing
As a small child, almost every time I would ask my dad to sing a song, he would begin with "Sing." He may not remember this, but it's true. Malinda and I found a clip of Peter Alexander performing this song in German on a 1975 Sesame Street show, and we thought it would be a perfect way to start the program. It closes with a musical quote that foreshadows the first medley, "Rainbows."
Family Pieces
Sympathy - F. W. Friedrich (1906)
Sympathy - F. W. Friedrich (1906)
Walk With Me - Lan Kratzke (2001)
Sympathy was written by Grandma's mother's father, F. W. Friedrich of Gaylord. In addition to being a church organist and choir director at First Lutheran Church, he was the first full time teacher at First Evangelical Lutheran School. Also known as the German Lutheran School, its primary purpose was to promote German culture, the German language, and the Lutheran faith. F. W. Friedrich served as its principal from 1906, the year "Sympathy" was published, until his sudden death in October of 1941. He organized the first choir in 1914 and maintained more than one hundred students on his own until a second teacher was hired in 1918. I don't know why he wrote "Sympathy," but I'm of the strong opinion that it belongs on a piano and not an organ. I wrote "Walk With Me" during my first year of college, probably because distraction is a procrastinator's best friend. I wouldn't write my second piece for another ten years.
Edwin Friedrich, Carlie Friedrich, F.W. Friedrich (Opa), Eugene Friedrich
Paul Volkert, Lizzie Friedrich (Oma), Julia Friedrich Volkert, Willie Friedrich
Betty Volkert, Ruth Volkert
12 Carols Arranged by Carol Klose:
Baroque
Good King Wenceslas - Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
O Little Town of Bethlehem - Prelude in C, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Silent Night - Minuet in G BWV Anh 114 & 116, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
I Saw Three Ships - Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Classical
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5/2, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Gesu Bambino - Für Elise, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Moonlight Sonata, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
O Holy Night - Ave Maria, Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Romantic & Impressionist
Romantic & Impressionist
O Christmas Tree - Mazurka in C Op. 67 No. 3, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Pat-a-Pan - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
What Child is This - Rêverie, Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sussex Carol - Gymnopédie No. 1, Erik Satie (1866-1925)
I chose twelve carols (and twelve total tracks) to honor the twelve days of Christmas, and each of these arrangements by Carol Klose incorporates a famous classical piece. Although these arrangements are simple, I found them to be clever and charming. Four of Grandma's original classical selections appear in this set, and I've tried my very best to include the most recognizable carols and pieces I could find. If you don't recognize a carol (I Saw Three Ships, Gesu Bambino, Pat-a-Pan, Sussex Carol) or a classical piece, (Haydn String Quartet, Chopin Mazurka, Debussy Rêverie, Satie Gymnopédie), I'd be happy to send you links to those you request. As with Grandma's list, these have been organized by musical era.
I chose twelve carols (and twelve total tracks) to honor the twelve days of Christmas, and each of these arrangements by Carol Klose incorporates a famous classical piece. Although these arrangements are simple, I found them to be clever and charming. Four of Grandma's original classical selections appear in this set, and I've tried my very best to include the most recognizable carols and pieces I could find. If you don't recognize a carol (I Saw Three Ships, Gesu Bambino, Pat-a-Pan, Sussex Carol) or a classical piece, (Haydn String Quartet, Chopin Mazurka, Debussy Rêverie, Satie Gymnopédie), I'd be happy to send you links to those you request. As with Grandma's list, these have been organized by musical era.
Rainbows
Happy Times
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
The Rainbow Connection
Look to the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
I have an early childhood memory of visiting Grandma and Grandpa a quarter of a century ago, and much to my delight, they had a large rainbow painted in the room. This medley, "Rainbows," is an homage to childhood. The first song, "Happy Times," was written by Danny Kaye's wife Sylvia Fine, and performed by Kaye in the 1949 movie, "The Inspector General." As four of these medleys are titled Rainbows, Moon & Stars, Dreams, and Love, "Happy Times" could hardly have been more tailor made for this project.
Wish on the moon
And look for the gold in a rainbow
And you'll find happy times
You'll hear a tune
That lives in the heart of a bluebird
And you'll find happy times
Though things may look very dark
Your dream is not in vain
For when do you find a rainbow?
Only after rain
So wish on the moon
And someday it may be tomorrow
You will suddenly hear chimes
And you'll have your happy happy times
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is a melody based on the middle section of Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu, composed in 1834. It became popular after it was introduced in the 1918 Broadway show, "Oh, Look!" and again when Judy Garland sang it in the 1941 movie, "Ziegfeld Girl." Kermit's iconic "Rainbow Connection" bridges into a simple but popular tune from the musical, "Finian's Rainbow." Our concluding song, "Over the Rainbow," has what I believe to be one of the most beautiful melodies ever written.
Moon & Stars
I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon
I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon
Moon River
When You Wish Upon a Star
Goodnight, My Someone
The second medley, "Moon & Stars," begins with another Sesame Street song I've only recently discovered. Rainbows resurface in "Moon River," featured in the 1961 Audrey Hepburn movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and the medley concludes with two lullabies which take the place of Grandma's original "Goodnight, Ladies" and "Goodnight Irene." "Goodnight Ladies" was sung in the 1962 movie, "The Music Man," and the concluding lullaby, "Goodnight, My Someone," comes from the same score. It is a song about stars, dreams, wishing, and of course, love. If you have never seen Shirley Jones leaning out the window and showing off her soprano range when she's supposed to be teaching a piano lesson, you're missing out.
Dreams
Any Dream Will Do
All I Do Is Dream of You
Dream a Little Dream of Me
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Out of My Dreams
Love
La Vie En Rose
All the Things You Are
So In Love
Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man
Till There Was You
This brings us to the fourth medley, "Love." The first two selections come straight from Grandma's original list. "La Vie En Rose" was composed by the French singer Édith Piaf, but due to copyright issues, the melody was said to have been composed by Louis Guglieimi, whose pen name was Louiguy. It was Piaf's signature song, and it became extremely popular by 1950. "All the Things You Are" was written by Kern and Hammerstein for a musical called "Very Warm for May." "So In Love" comes from the 1948 Cole Porter musical, "Kiss Me Kate," and is one of the greatest love songs I know. Although Liên is no floozy and I'm not quite as standoffish as Kate, there are similarities, and I've always imagined the two of us in those roles. The ever gorgeous "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" is from another Kern and Hammerstein musical, "Showboat," which is about miscegenation among other things. (I'd like to take a moment to point out that interracial marriage wasn't legalized in the United States until 1967, and my dear parents got married only a dozen years later.) Concluding this dramatic collection, we settle back into "The Music Man," for the romantic scene in which the piano teacher comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen for a con man. The song is so charming, it became the only Broadway song ever recorded by the Beatles.
Christmas
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
White Christmas
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You
Bonus Track
Happy Times
Loo! Loo! Loo! I'll Take You Dreaming
Our bonus track is a short Sylvia Fine medley recorded with Liên on one of her ukuleles. Another version of "Happy Times" melds into a lullaby from the 1955 Danny Kaye movie, "Court Jester." Liên and I would never presume to be as smooth as old Danny, and regardless of what you think of our version, I'd recommend hearing his. The lyrics depict such vivid and peaceful imagery that they're worth reading on their own.
Loo Loo Loo, I'll take you dreaming
Through the rainy night
To a place behind the raindrops
Where the stars are bright...
Years from now when you go dreaming
When you're very old
Tho your crown be rich with rubies
Diamonds set in gold,
None will shine as bright
As the star we'll find tonight
Bonus Video
Over the Rainbow
Bonus Video
Over the Rainbow
The bonus video features Drakeson Miner, my son and Grandma's great-grandson, performing in his very first piano recital at nearly five years of age. I already suggested that the bluebirds from "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You" are the bluebirds from over the rainbow, and in closing, I'd like to suggest that the land over the rainbow is the place behind the raindrops. I don't think that's too far of a stretch.
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me
Volume II: A Volkert Christmas
Volume II: A Volkert Christmas
Piano 𝄀 The Volkert
1. Memories
Sing 𝄀 Joe Raposo (1971)
2. Family Piece
Piano 𝄀 The Volkert
1. Memories
Sing 𝄀 Joe Raposo (1971)
2. Family Piece
Sympathy 𝄀 F. W. Friedrich (1906)
3. Rainbows
3. Rainbows
Happy Times 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1949)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows 𝄀 Harry Carroll & Joseph McCarthy (1917)
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows 𝄀 Harry Carroll & Joseph McCarthy (1917)
The Rainbow Connection 𝄀 Paul Williams & Kenneth L. Ascher (1979)
Look to the Rainbow 𝄀 Burton Lane & E. Y. Harburg (1947)
Over the Rainbow 𝄀 Harold Arlen & E. Y. Harburg (1939)
4. Baroque: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
4. Baroque: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
Good King Wenceslas 𝄀 Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
O Little Town of Bethlehem 𝄀 Prelude in C BWV 846, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
O Little Town of Bethlehem 𝄀 Prelude in C BWV 846, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Silent Night 𝄀 Minuet in G BWV Anh 114 & 116, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
I Saw Three Ships 𝄀 Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
5. Moon & Stars
5. Moon & Stars
I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon 𝄀 Jeff Moss (1978)
Moon River 𝄀 Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer (1961)
When You Wish Upon a Star 𝄀 Leigh Harline & Ned Washington (1940)
Goodnight, My Someone 𝄀 Meredith Willson (1957)
6. Classical: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
6. Classical: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing 𝄀 String Quartet Op. 3 No. 5/2, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Gesu Bambino 𝄀 Für Elise, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen¹ 𝄀 Moonlight Sonata, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen¹ 𝄀 Moonlight Sonata, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
O Holy Night 𝄀 Ave Maria, Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
7. Dreams
7. Dreams
Any Dream Will Do 𝄀 Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice (1968)
All I Do Is Dream of You 𝄀 Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed (1934)
Dream a Little Dream of Me 𝄀 Wilber Schwandt, Fabian Andre, & Gus Kahn (1931)
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes 𝄀 Mack David, Al Hoffman, & Jerry Livingston (1950)
Out of My Dreams 𝄀 Rogers & Hammerstein (1943)
8. Romantic & Impressionist: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
8. Romantic & Impressionist: Four Carols Arranged by Carol Klose
O Christmas Tree 𝄀 Mazurka in C Op. 67 No. 3, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Pat-a-Pan² 𝄀 Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
What Child is This 𝄀 Rêverie, Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sussex Carol 𝄀 Gymnopédie No. 1, Erik Satie (1866-1925)
9. Love
Sussex Carol 𝄀 Gymnopédie No. 1, Erik Satie (1866-1925)
9. Love
La Vie En Rose 𝄀 Édith Piaf (1945)
All the Things You Are 𝄀 Kern & Hammerstein (1939)
So In Love 𝄀 Cole Porter (1948)
Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man 𝄀 Kern & Hammerstein (1927)
Till There Was You 𝄀 Meredith Willson (1957)
10. Family Piece
10. Family Piece
Walk With Me 𝄀 Lan Kratzke (2001)
11. Christmas
11. Christmas
I’ll Be Home for Christmas 𝄀 Kim Gannon & Walter Kent (1943)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 𝄀 Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane (1944)
White Christmas 𝄀 Irving Berlin (1942)
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You 𝄀 Meredith Willson (1950)
12. Bonus Track
12. Bonus Track
Happy Times 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1949)
Loo! Loo! Loo! I'll Take You Dreaming 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1955)
Loo! Loo! Loo! I'll Take You Dreaming 𝄀 Sylvia Fine (1955)
Drakeson's First Recital
Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
Lan Kratzke Piano
All Tracks
Lan Kratzke Alto
Sing
The Rainbow Connection
I Don't Want to Live on the Moon
Any Dream Will Do
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Bonus Track
Malinda Healy Soprano
Sing
Rainbows
Moon & Stars
Dreams
Love
Christmas
Karl Fagerstrom Drums
Rainbows
Moon & Stars
Dreams
Love
Christmas
Liên Kratzke Ukulele
Look to the Rainbow
Moon River
All I Do Is Dream of You
All the Things You Are
White Christmas
Bonus Track
Liên Kratzke Alto
Rainbow Connection
Any Dream Will Do
Bonus Track
30 November 2017
Volume I: Hymns
Volume I: Hymns
Pianist 𝄀 Ruth Volkert Kratzke
1. Lift High the Cross
W 𝄀 660
2. Beautiful Savior
W 𝄀 838
3. Healer of Our Ev'ry Ill
W 𝄀 612
4. Battle Hymn
NCH 𝄀 577
5. Rock of Ages
W | 623
6. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
W | 836
7. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
W | 257
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
W | 283
9. Silent Night, Holy Night
W | 281
10. Angels We have Heard
W | 289
11. O God, Our Help
W | 632
12. Brightest and Best
W | 303
13. Beneath the Cross of Jesus
W | 338
14. Were You There
W | 353
15. Jesus Christ is Risen Today
W | 365
16. Holy Ghost, with Light Divine
ELH | 8
17. Holy, Holy, Holy
W | 413
18. A Mighty Fortress
W | 503
19. For All the Saints
W | 422
20. We Gather Together
NCH | 566
21. Let All Things Now Living
W | 881
22. Crown Him
W | 855
23. Children of the Heavenly Father
W | 781
24. Here I Am, Lord
W | 574
25. Thine the Amen
W | 826
26. How Great Thou Art
W 𝄀 856
27. Be Still, My Soul
NCH 𝄀 370
28. Go, My Children/Doxology
W 𝄀 543/884
16 November 2017
Girls
Are you having a girl or a boy?
I guess you’ll take whatever you get.
As long as it’s healthy, that’s all that matters, right?
You make such pretty babies; you should keep making them.
She got pregnant again, so I asked her if she knew how that worked.
We had a gender reveal party.
I don’t know how you can wait; I just don’t have that kind of discipline.
As long as it’s healthy, that’s all that matters, right?
You make such pretty babies; you should keep making them.
She got pregnant again, so I asked her if she knew how that worked.
We had a gender reveal party.
I don’t know how you can wait; I just don’t have that kind of discipline.
If you don’t know what you’re having, how can you prepare for the baby?
You say you don’t know what you’re having, but there’s no way you don’t actually know.
I guess you’re just that one annoying friend who has to wait to find out.
I was so happy when I found out she was a girl because then I could start decorating her room.
Because I love girly clothes.
Because now I’ll have someone to watch princess movies with.
Because boys are such a handful.
But then again, girls are harder when they become teenagers.
Girls are so sweet.
Girls are worse at math but better with language.
Girls aren’t as physically coordinated.
Girls can be so bossy.
Girls are catty because they need the drama.
The family had a girl, so this time they were hoping for a boy.
The family had two girls, so we were all hoping for a boy.
The family had three girls already, so they were going to try again.
The family had four girls, so we all felt sorry for their father.
The family had a girl and a boy, so they were done.
You say you don’t know what you’re having, but there’s no way you don’t actually know.
I guess you’re just that one annoying friend who has to wait to find out.
I was so happy when I found out she was a girl because then I could start decorating her room.
Because I love girly clothes.
Because now I’ll have someone to watch princess movies with.
Because boys are such a handful.
But then again, girls are harder when they become teenagers.
Girls are so sweet.
Girls are worse at math but better with language.
Girls aren’t as physically coordinated.
Girls can be so bossy.
Girls are catty because they need the drama.
The family had a girl, so this time they were hoping for a boy.
The family had two girls, so we were all hoping for a boy.
The family had three girls already, so they were going to try again.
The family had four girls, so we all felt sorry for their father.
The family had a girl and a boy, so they were done.
08 November 2017
03 November 2017
Secrets from High School
I wanted to go to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. I took the test and got cut the second round.
There was a girl who lived in my neighborhood. We started off as friends, but she moved on when I got too frumpy for her crowd. One time, we accidentally set her house on fire.
There was a boy in my biology class that I had a huge crush on. He wasn't popular even though he could climb rocks. All of the letters of his last name are in my last name.
There was a girl who lived across the street who drove me to school. She only cared about my gas money and never considered me a real friend. I was jealous of how skinny she was.
My chemistry teacher thought I was too stupid to take the advanced physics class and told me so.
Some kids died in a car crash on January 1st, 2000.
Once when I was in government class, a girl shoved her tongue onto the glass panel of the door and started knocking with her tongue piercing.
Three of the very popular kids were average looking.
My highschool boyfriend dumped me for a middle schooler because I wasn't ready for sex. He also thought I was fat.
One of my friends took him to prom. I guess they liked each other.
My English teacher thought I couldn't write very well, and she commonly used the pronoun "I" as an object.
My physics partner used to shout my name across the hallways in a Chewbacca voice as a way of saying hello. I didn't think it was funny, and I hate Chewbacca, but I laughed every time because I had no idea what else to do.
In my middle school, I never caught up to the kids who had been studying French. In high school, I went through 3 years of classes never having any idea what was going on.
To get through those classes, each day I would draw a grid with 45 squares. Every 30 seconds, I would carefully color in exactly half a square. On the diagonal.
A boy took me on a date to the Kennedy Center and forcefully shoved his hands down my dress to grab my breasts. He's a well adjusted father now.
There was a girl who was the lead in the school musical. She played the flute and piano with poise and ease, and she was accepted into Eastman. She was always kind to me, like a nice celebrity.
One of my friends was a closeted lesbian then, and still is now.
One girl wrote death threats to herself to get attention. Everybody in the school had to submit a handwriting sample during the investigation.
I would have done anything to get the music teachers to notice me, but they didn't.
One of the most beautiful girls in our entire class looked like Meg from Hercules. Her period blood seeped through her tight jeans one tragic afternoon.
There was a boy in my math classes who was very clearly not in the preppy crowd. He got better grades on math tests than I did, and it was not okay.
I really wanted to be on the soccer team, but I didn't make the cut.
There was a girl who lived in my neighborhood who was an outcast. Her little brother and a bunch of his friends started bullying me once, and I told them that his sister was a loser. Although the kids left me alone, I felt terrible, and apologized to his sister. She would come to one of my piano recitals many years later and bring me flowers.f
I had a doppelganger, but she and I didn't look at all alike. There simply weren't as many half-Asian people in the 90's.
There was a boy who had the reputation of being the best artist in the school. I didn't care for any of his work.
There was a cartoon drawer, however, who was fantastic. He was sleeping with an older woman who had a child.
On the first day of school, a girl showed me how to use a combination lock. We would later grow to be best friends with a relationship so dysfunctional that she doesn't want anything to with me.
One of my friends pressured me to call a cute athletic boy on the phone. I didn't know what to say, so I hung up after he answered.
I remember one obvious teenage pregnancy.
I was friends with a boy who had big sideburns. I thought he was wonderful, but he always talked to me about the girl he liked.
I was a girl scout the entire time. I don't know why.
My friend and I stayed up all night to do an entire science fair project that was due the next day. The next day was a snow day.
I was too ashamed to wear shorts.
One of my best friends and I pretended we had telepathic powers, and we practiced them in the middle of the night in her waterbed. We're still close friends.
One time I left the cafeteria during lunch to kiss a boy in a car.
Many times I left my French class to go practice my cello in a storage closet.
My friend and I stayed after school to clean mouse cages for extra credit in biology. The biology teacher later noticed a crack in a cage and blamed it on us.
One time I wrote a book report on a book I made up. I think I got a good grade.
I threw away most of my own artwork because it failed to meet my own standards. When it was time to submit my AP art portfolio, I didn't have enough work to show, and I had to supplement my pieces with drawings from first grade. Those drawings, in a way, were beautiful. I got a 1, which is the lowest possible score.
There was a boy who sat in front of me in French. He had dreamy eyes and kissy lips.
There was a couple who wore matching Adidas winter coats. I wished I was part of a couple like that.
One of my friends was glamorous and smart. Her loser boyfriend snuck into her room in the middle of the night to sleep with her, but he treated her like crap in front of all his friends. She is still wildly glamorous and smart.
Sometimes my little sister slept in my bed.
I always ordered salads with skim milk for lunch, and the skinny girls always ordered 3 Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. It wasn't fair.
I didn't get an A in AP Music Theory the first time, so I took it again. That class taught me all the music theory I would need to know for a Masters in Piano Performance.
The boy I had a crush on from first grade rode my bus in high school. He was mean.
One of my English teachers was so crazy that during one girl's class presentation, the teacher took one of the girl's fingers and stuck it up her own nose. I think she got fired.
My government class gave out easy A's for listening to 5 minutes of news and taking short multiple choice quizzes on the clips. I fell asleep every time and flunked the quizzes.
Sometimes having a nice container of lip gloss was the highlight of my week.
I joined the powder puff team because I wanted to throw spirals. I never got the ball.
There was a girl who lived in my neighborhood. We started off as friends, but she moved on when I got too frumpy for her crowd. One time, we accidentally set her house on fire.
There was a boy in my biology class that I had a huge crush on. He wasn't popular even though he could climb rocks. All of the letters of his last name are in my last name.
There was a girl who lived across the street who drove me to school. She only cared about my gas money and never considered me a real friend. I was jealous of how skinny she was.
My chemistry teacher thought I was too stupid to take the advanced physics class and told me so.
Some kids died in a car crash on January 1st, 2000.
Once when I was in government class, a girl shoved her tongue onto the glass panel of the door and started knocking with her tongue piercing.
Three of the very popular kids were average looking.
My highschool boyfriend dumped me for a middle schooler because I wasn't ready for sex. He also thought I was fat.
One of my friends took him to prom. I guess they liked each other.
My English teacher thought I couldn't write very well, and she commonly used the pronoun "I" as an object.
My physics partner used to shout my name across the hallways in a Chewbacca voice as a way of saying hello. I didn't think it was funny, and I hate Chewbacca, but I laughed every time because I had no idea what else to do.
In my middle school, I never caught up to the kids who had been studying French. In high school, I went through 3 years of classes never having any idea what was going on.
To get through those classes, each day I would draw a grid with 45 squares. Every 30 seconds, I would carefully color in exactly half a square. On the diagonal.
A boy took me on a date to the Kennedy Center and forcefully shoved his hands down my dress to grab my breasts. He's a well adjusted father now.
There was a girl who was the lead in the school musical. She played the flute and piano with poise and ease, and she was accepted into Eastman. She was always kind to me, like a nice celebrity.
One of my friends was a closeted lesbian then, and still is now.
One girl wrote death threats to herself to get attention. Everybody in the school had to submit a handwriting sample during the investigation.
I would have done anything to get the music teachers to notice me, but they didn't.
One of the most beautiful girls in our entire class looked like Meg from Hercules. Her period blood seeped through her tight jeans one tragic afternoon.
There was a boy in my math classes who was very clearly not in the preppy crowd. He got better grades on math tests than I did, and it was not okay.
I really wanted to be on the soccer team, but I didn't make the cut.
There was a girl who lived in my neighborhood who was an outcast. Her little brother and a bunch of his friends started bullying me once, and I told them that his sister was a loser. Although the kids left me alone, I felt terrible, and apologized to his sister. She would come to one of my piano recitals many years later and bring me flowers.f
I had a doppelganger, but she and I didn't look at all alike. There simply weren't as many half-Asian people in the 90's.
There was a boy who had the reputation of being the best artist in the school. I didn't care for any of his work.
There was a cartoon drawer, however, who was fantastic. He was sleeping with an older woman who had a child.
On the first day of school, a girl showed me how to use a combination lock. We would later grow to be best friends with a relationship so dysfunctional that she doesn't want anything to with me.
One of my friends pressured me to call a cute athletic boy on the phone. I didn't know what to say, so I hung up after he answered.
I remember one obvious teenage pregnancy.
I was friends with a boy who had big sideburns. I thought he was wonderful, but he always talked to me about the girl he liked.
I was a girl scout the entire time. I don't know why.
My friend and I stayed up all night to do an entire science fair project that was due the next day. The next day was a snow day.
I was too ashamed to wear shorts.
One of my best friends and I pretended we had telepathic powers, and we practiced them in the middle of the night in her waterbed. We're still close friends.
One time I left the cafeteria during lunch to kiss a boy in a car.
Many times I left my French class to go practice my cello in a storage closet.
My friend and I stayed after school to clean mouse cages for extra credit in biology. The biology teacher later noticed a crack in a cage and blamed it on us.
One time I wrote a book report on a book I made up. I think I got a good grade.
I threw away most of my own artwork because it failed to meet my own standards. When it was time to submit my AP art portfolio, I didn't have enough work to show, and I had to supplement my pieces with drawings from first grade. Those drawings, in a way, were beautiful. I got a 1, which is the lowest possible score.
There was a boy who sat in front of me in French. He had dreamy eyes and kissy lips.
There was a couple who wore matching Adidas winter coats. I wished I was part of a couple like that.
One of my friends was glamorous and smart. Her loser boyfriend snuck into her room in the middle of the night to sleep with her, but he treated her like crap in front of all his friends. She is still wildly glamorous and smart.
Sometimes my little sister slept in my bed.
I always ordered salads with skim milk for lunch, and the skinny girls always ordered 3 Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. It wasn't fair.
I didn't get an A in AP Music Theory the first time, so I took it again. That class taught me all the music theory I would need to know for a Masters in Piano Performance.
The boy I had a crush on from first grade rode my bus in high school. He was mean.
One of my English teachers was so crazy that during one girl's class presentation, the teacher took one of the girl's fingers and stuck it up her own nose. I think she got fired.
My government class gave out easy A's for listening to 5 minutes of news and taking short multiple choice quizzes on the clips. I fell asleep every time and flunked the quizzes.
Sometimes having a nice container of lip gloss was the highlight of my week.
I joined the powder puff team because I wanted to throw spirals. I never got the ball.
27 October 2017
Milli Turns Two
My little baby turned two today, and we threw her a Little Mermaid Bouncy House Party. We had a crock pot full of sea gravel (couscous), ocean water (blue limeade), sparkling pumpkin spiced apple cider, cider from Texas Keeper, double vanilla buttercream cupcakes, hummus, fruits, veggies, and pita chips. Although there were only 4 adult guests and 4 babies who attended, we had a terrific time.
Craft Station
Glow-in-the-Dark Fish Scales & Letters
Stencils & Footprints
Party Time
Bouncy House Socks
Shower Scrubs Party Favors
Ariel Labels
Two Tone
Skellington in the Fridge
Presents from Bà, Mama, Dadas, & Drakeson
Friends
Part of Your World
Unwrapping
21 October 2017
Barton Hill Farms
In 2014 and 2015, we went to Sweet Berry Farm during pumpkin patch season. Sweet Berry is lovely, but last year we happened to be in Sealy, and we visited Blessington Farms, which blew Sweet Berry out of the water. Needless to say, we were left wanting to try something new this year. Enter Barton Hill. Out of the three venues, Barton Hill is the only pumpkin patch to offer a live band. Although it doesn't have as many animals to visit as the other two, it's set in front of a gorgeous backdrop of the Colorado River. There's plenty to do, no cash is required, and once you purchase tickets, all the activities are free. All in all, it ranks second among the three farms. I'd do almost anything for pumpkin patch pictures, like disrupt our nap schedule to spend an entire Saturday pretending Austin has a fall season.
Hay Bale
Slide
"Horse"
Peeking at Piggies
Water Pump Duckie Race
Winning
Lasso
Corn Maze
Farm Baseball
Farm Football
Doubling Chances
Bouncy Horses
So Bouncy
Pumpkin Snuggles
Pretending to Sleep
Barton Hill Farms
Pumpkins in the Pumpkin Patch
Climbing
Kisses
12 September 2017
Dougherty Arts Center II
Drakeson couldn't wait for his first day of school at the DAC like last year and the year before. I trimmed his hair and gave him a brand new pair of light up dragon crocs this morning to wish him well. Here's a snapshot of what's new with him, but for the most part, Drakeson is still very much Drakeson.
He still climbs everything.
His favorite color is still purple, but now he likes pink too.
He still loves He-Man and Darf Laydrr.
He still hangs out with Orange Mouse.
He still loves having long hair.
He still hates hand dryers.
He also hates roller coasters and being in the dark.
He still needs naps.
He still wants all the moinas he can have, but his sister dominates that scene.
He's still a terrific big brother.
In fact, he and Milli hold hands and give hugs and kisses every day.
He still loves listening to stories.
Now he's learning to read with Dadas.
His current favorite book is Calvin & Hobbes.
He says things like, "What? Come on." or "That's crazy!" or a prolonged "O M G."
He also says things like "grampire" and "gollila."
(That's "vampire" and "gorilla" in English.)
A few weeks ago, Drakeson started piano lessons at Clavier-Werke School of Music.
He also recently started the Intro Swim Team at Nitro Swim School.
He's been biking the 3-mile loop around Lake Austin while George and I jog.
His most irritating qualities are ignoring his parents and whining.
He has incredible persistence and determination.
He generally aims to please, and shows great pride when he's accomplished something difficult.
Drakeson is and always has been extremely loving and affectionate.
I'm very, very proud of him, and he knows it.
He still climbs everything.
His favorite color is still purple, but now he likes pink too.
He still loves He-Man and Darf Laydrr.
He still hangs out with Orange Mouse.
He still loves having long hair.
He still hates hand dryers.
He also hates roller coasters and being in the dark.
He still needs naps.
He still wants all the moinas he can have, but his sister dominates that scene.
He's still a terrific big brother.
In fact, he and Milli hold hands and give hugs and kisses every day.
He still loves listening to stories.
Now he's learning to read with Dadas.
His current favorite book is Calvin & Hobbes.
He says things like, "What? Come on." or "That's crazy!" or a prolonged "O M G."
He also says things like "grampire" and "gollila."
(That's "vampire" and "gorilla" in English.)
A few weeks ago, Drakeson started piano lessons at Clavier-Werke School of Music.
He also recently started the Intro Swim Team at Nitro Swim School.
He's been biking the 3-mile loop around Lake Austin while George and I jog.
His most irritating qualities are ignoring his parents and whining.
He has incredible persistence and determination.
He generally aims to please, and shows great pride when he's accomplished something difficult.
Drakeson is and always has been extremely loving and affectionate.
I'm very, very proud of him, and he knows it.
12 Sep 2017
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