Happy New Year! Here are some highlights of our family's 2013 year. Personally, I think it will be a hard year to beat as far as good times go :).
This was the first year all of our kids were in school all day which left me (Jenna) more time to volunteer in the kids' classrooms. More time for lots of things! I've now "finished" my book, and am trying to get it ready to submit it to publishers :). This year I've truly discovered a love for running. I completed my first half-marathon, and put well over 1000 miles on my tennis shoes this year (who knew? I honestly used to hate running!). My favorite runs are with Jeff--we were doing a 10 K together every Saturday for a while, or with my good friend Karen. My other most memorable change in 2013 was becoming an adult Sunday School teacher in our ward. This can be quite overwhelming, but I appreciate the growth I'm experiencing in the challenge. I had some special musical moments at the end of the year, at my own voice and piano students' recital in my home (a first for me as a teacher!), and when I got to solo in my new choir's Bach Christmas Oratorio. It's been an exciting and fulfilling year.
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| It feels so good to be singing again! |
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| I volunteered to be the mascot for Tate's school Bookfair...that was a sweaty great time :). I love spending about an hour each week with his class. |
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I had to include this other favorite experience of my year--getting to spend a couple days with my family at my little brother Ellis' wedding in Idaho. I was sad I had to make the trip on my own, but was so grateful to be present for the celebration!
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Jazz and I reached our 15 year anniversary in February! What a blessed 15 years we've had. I'm so grateful to have this amazing man at my side.
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Jeff wrote his own summary of the year that I'll include at the end of my post (in the comments section). The only thing I'll add to his highlights is that he just completed (and was released from) 2 1/2 years serving as a Primary teacher in church, which was a great challenge and learning experience for him. He's left with his other two callings, as the ward choir accompanist and the 11-year-old scouts leader. Our ward has been blessed by his many talents!
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| We were excited to spend a few days in Ohio with Jeff's brother's family in July. That meant the world to us, since we're so far away from everyone! That trip was definitely one of the highlights of 2013. |
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| Oh—one more thing he surely wouldn't have mentioned, since he's never been one to brag—is that our beloved Superman was elected Educator of the Year by the students at his college! We're all SO proud of him! |
Clark, in 8th grade, just reached the ripe old age of 14. This was a year of trying new things for Clark. He joined the track and field team, specializing in discus, and got his start in running there. In the fall he continued to develop his running skills as he ran with the cross county team, ending the season with a fabulous personal record on his 2-mile run! He is continuing his love for sports playing basketball right now, while he saves the rest of his passion-energy for his trumpet. He's dedicated in his practicing and loves his private lessons. He's dreaming big, planning to be a professional musician when he grows up, and we love to hear him play.
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| Another new thing for Clark: his first fish--caught, prepared, and eaten during our Ohio trip :) |
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| Clark and I did a 5K together in the summer. Be not deceived by this months-old photo...YES, Clark is taller than Mom now! |
Dana, 12, seems to have changed from a young girl to a young woman overnight. (She, too, is only an inch away now from passing Mom up in height!) She spent the year reading tons of great books, keeping her grades up in her honor's classes, proving herself as a talented pianist, and even letting her voice shine...she sang "Popular" from Wicked, which earned her entrance into the Music chapter of the Junior Honor's Society. She has a great group of friends, and she IS a great friend. We're all blessed to have Dana Darlin' in our lives!
Our Audrey is now 10, in 4th grade. She's spunky and sassy and could teach the most professional of actors a thing or two about drama. She does not love playing the piano, but makes up for that disinterest by loving her new instrument, the flute! She practices her flute without being asked regularly and is already shining in her skills there. And her vocal ability can not be stopped--she could out-sing any Frozen character in a sing off from the movie's soundtrack :), hands down! She loves babies and counts the days until she can become an independent babysitter. Not much longer now!
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| Audrey is in heaven when there are babies to be held. |
Tate, 6, is in first grade. He still has more energy than the rest of his family combined, which is a challenge when it's too cold to run around outside. But he has found some positive indoor creative outlets—he creates rubber band bracelets (or rubber band snakes longer than he is tall) faster than you can say "Rainbow Loom," and he can build Lego Chima structures faster than he can open them for Christmas. He doesn't even need help anymore. This week he has insisted on beginning his piano lessons, though we all believe him when he tells us that his primary instrument will be the drums someday. Meanwhile, we'll just continue trying to keep up with him.
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| We are grateful for all of our dear friends, and wish you a wonderful 2014! |
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8 comments:
From Jeff-- "Lovell Happenings: 2012-2013 Bi-annual Edition"
Greetings Friends,
It's been awhile since I sent an update of the comings-and-goings of the Lovells. We've been enjoying (a very different) life in rural central Pennsylvania now for the past 2 1/2 years. Having spent the previous 5 years in Eugene, Oregon, PA Dutch country required a bit of an adjustment and took some getting used to: sharing the road with horse 'n buggies, acquiring a taste for Dutch delicacies like sweet bologna and pork and sauerkraut, and acclimating to the smell of animal fertilizer that covers the farmland for much of the year. We learned that "awhile" means "now" and "yous" is a legitimate plural form of "you." Our assimilation is almost complete.
I am currently in the midst of my third year at Lebanon Valley College, where I teach 3 sections of second year music theory and 4 sections of first-year ear training. That's about a combined total of 100+ music majors that I see every two days. They keep me pretty busy. I have to squeeze most of my research, in addition to practicing and composing, in the cracks during the term (nary a free moment with students in and out of my office every day) but mostly in between school sessions. At the end of Fall term, I met with the tenure and promotion committee, who gave me positive reviews on my portfolio, while at the same time encouraged me to pay more attention to scholarly work. I have a paper proposal submitted to a regional conference and this summer I hope to work on an article related to theory pedagogy and (fingers crossed) resume work on the biography of Joe Henderson that has been on hold for forever. One nice aspect of my tenure portfolio is the flexibility in what constitutes "scholarly work." My committee is allowing me to use performances and compositions to supplement my other scholarly activity. So, I am organizing the LVC jazz faculty for a recital early next term and then I plan to perform a solo recital next Fall. I'm pretty excited about that. I love teaching at LVC. I think they kinda like me, too. An important milestone for me was the completion of my dissertation and subsequent graduation from the U of Oregon in December 2012, with a PhD in music theory. Glad to get that off my back!
Now for a brief glimpse into the rest of the family's doings:
Jenna continues to be uber-productive. She started her own music studio this year and currently teaches a handful of students in voice and beginning piano. She also joined the county choral society and was a featured soloist on Bach's Christmas Oratorio in the group for their holiday concert last month. Did I mention that she's also writing a book, too? Jenna amazes me - she's been doing so for nearly 16 years!
My oldest son, Clark, just had his 14th birthday (that's hard for me to process). He's made major strides as a trumpet player this year. And he loves jazz (I'm beaming as I write this)! His favorite player is Louis Armstrong. I've also nudged him in the direction of Clark Terry, Diz, Clifford Brown, and Roy Eldridge. He has aspirations to be a professional musician when he grows up. We'll see - many discussions lie ahead.
Dana (12) does really well in her classes, nearly all of them AP (they push students a lot here), scoring high marks in each of them. I rarely have to ask her to get her homework done - she comes home from school and jumps in without any prodding. I know, weird. Right?
(cont.)
(from Jeff...cont.)
Audrey (10) is bursting with personality - lots of spunk and sass (which sometimes gets her in trouble). She loves to sing and perform informal recitals for the family, or show off all of her new self-taught gymnastics moves. And when we're not around, no worries, she is quite comfortable performing for herself and her favorite neighbors. She recently discovered the flute and loves it.
Tate (6) loves Rainbow Looms, Ninjago, Chima, and Beywheelz (I didn't know what they were either). He started first grade this year meaning that he is a full-time student. Tate also enjoys being the family teaser, riling up his older siblings - must be an attention thing. Since his school is in our back yard, he's lucky enough to have his mom volunteer in his classroom regularly, which they both enjoy.
So there you have it. A quick run down of what we've been up to. We wish you the very best and hope that you have a wonderful new year!
Warmly,
Jeff Lovell and family
LOVE the blog!!! I've been Waiting for a Long time to see pictures and read about the Family!!! I'm really Impressed!!!
Still Hoping to see some pictures of your winter vacation--Great Wolf. LOVE YOU ALL!!!
I'll quote Cynthia: "LOVE the blog!!!" Enjoyed every minute of reading it. Except for the current running activities (I've done a lot in the past but can't do it any more because of my balance) I relate to all that you do. I've taught in universities and community colleges for almost 30 years and know the joys of teaching. I've also discovered the flute this year and performed with a flute choir at Church for the Christmas concert. I'll start flute lessons in a couple of weeks with our leader. It was a joy to read all that you do and to realize that you are loving both each other and the place you live. We'll just have to come visit again. Love, Dads
Happy New Year to all the Lovells! Please keep in touch!
Like :)
What great a great update! Loved hearing how all your kids are doing. We still need to talk about Ohio 2014...let's definitely plan something. I've said this before, but you've got such a good looking family! I can't believe clark is 14...and that your kids are taller than you. We miss you guys! have an awesome 2014!
Love all the happy smiles! You have a beautiful family! Jenna, that single pic of you in the purple sweater is gorgeous! Way to go hot momma of 4! Sounds like a great year, thanks for sharing!
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