Dear Rachel C.

I know I said thank you a few times while I was pregnant, but I probably didn't say it enough. You really helped me out! I was all at once terrified and thrilled and had no idea what to expect. You used your calm assurance to share with me your experience and answered any questions I had. I can't tell you how much that meant to me!

You've also been a wonderful friend, watching Kayla so Jason and I could have a much-needed date night (or two or three!), inviting us over for dinner and Sabbath games, letting us watch your adorable little boy so we could have a taste for what having a son would be like, made sure our dog had food and water while we were gone for a weekend...the list goes on.

And I cannot forget to mention how much I appreciate your musical gift. You've helped me last-minute with a few special musics for church, and you let me sing with you every month, so my life is wonderful! :) God has truly blessed our church with you and your talents and willingness to share them. Thank you for letting me be a part of that. I am so blessed every time I make music with you and Charley, and I always think, "Wow. I must really be special for God to give me this unspeakable gift."

You inspire me. Your knowledge of the Bible, your faith, your disinterest in being anyone but yourself, your ability to be such a great mother - especially now that you're pregnant with number two! - your musicality...all of it makes me want to be a better person.

Thank you, my friend!

Becky

Dear Jim & Louise

I have no idea where you are these days, but judging from your age when I was seven years old, I'm going to guess that you are most likely resting, waiting for our Lord to return to take us home. Regardless, I thought of you this morning and must write you a thank you note.

The first church I remember attending was Claremont. (Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why that city is named that...are there really mountains down there? And, seeing as how it's Southern California, is it really going to be a CLEAR mountain?) There were many people there who left an indelible impression on me - Pastor Ted, Dave and Liz, Chrissy, Michael, Bonnie...and others whose names escape me after so many years. But something was different about you two, and I really don't know what.

I remember your little brown car, and how you always parked at the corner of the wall in the shade of the Eucalyptus trees in the church parking lot. I actually have no memories of you inside the church; only in your car in the large parking lot. And all of my memories include watermelon.

Who brought that melon to potluck every time? Pastor and Margie? I don't know. But whoever did it, it was a known tradition that is probably still maintained to this day. Well, maybe.

Another thing I wonder is this: Why did you two never eat inside with everyone else? Why did you always bring your lunches in little brown paper sacks and sit in your little brown Toyota in the shade with the windows rolled down? Why didn't you at least sit on the grass? Maybe my parents know the reason, but I never did. And as a kid, I never questioned it, either. That's just the way it was.

And "the way it was" included Melanie and I bringing you watermelon every potluck. While you ate your sandwiches in the car all by yourselves, we finished our potluck plates and filled another plate with slices of juicy, dripping watermelon, and ran out to your car to bring it to you. Then we'd sit on the curb and talk to you while you ate.

We felt so special, like important messengers, bringing you that melon. You always smiled so sweet and asked us questions, acting as though our lives were the most important things in the world right then. I'll never forget that.

Thank you for making some little girls feel very loved, special and important.

See you soon,
Becky

My New Favourite Photo

Today at church. Taken with my BlackBerry.

Back Where I Belong

Yesterday Brandon (director of the WW University wind symphony and orchestra) called me up and asked if I was available to play tympani this Sabbath. I said of course I was and when did he want me at rehearsal? So tonight I went to orchestra and not only got to play, but I also got to watch one of the student conductors rehearsing. He did AMAZING. I was very impressed and really feel he's a natural who will accomplish great things with whatever group he ends up working with after graduation. In this picture, Devon, the regular tympanist, is playing tympani with the student conductor directing. The music I did is a Shostakovitch piece that was really fun to play. I'm looking forward to Sabbath!

A Close Call

When I pulled into the church parking lot this morning to run through the music one last time before church, I parked behind a car that hadn't pulled all the way forward into the space in front of me. So I had to pull in extra close to make sure the back of my car was out of the aisle. I pulled in as far as I dared and then hurried inside to practice (I was late, as usual). When I came out after church to get back in the car, I discovered how close I'd actually "dared" to park. YIKES! They're actually touching! But I never felt a thing when parking the car. How's that for awesome?

She's Super Freaky

This is what Kayla did throughout the church service today. She was sleeping. But her eyes were cracked open, as though she wanted to make sure no one played any tricks on her. Kind of creepy, actually...

The Second Star

This is Izzy. He was a huge hit at the nativity. He lives about half an hour away from us, and we were privileged to have him as a part of the scene. I learned a lot about dromedary camels while we sat out there in the cold tonight. For instance:

• They can tolerate temperatures ranging from -40 (F) to 140 (F).
• They have three stomach chambers and chew their cud, as cows do.
• They can live to be 50-60 years old (in this case that probably means Izzy will outlive his owner).
• You train them the same way you train horses.
• Camels are smart; if you let them get away with something once, they will stubbornly refuse to accept that it's not okay the next time.

People really had fun seeing Izzy. I hope to have him back next year. Thanks to Charley Coleman again for the photo.

Our 2009 nativity is officially over, but next year is going to be incredible and I'm already excited about it! I've got three ladies already volunteering to help organize next year, so I'm stoked! It took two years, but finally people are catching on to what it is and what it can be. You won't want to miss it next year!

Playing Dress-Up

Tonight was the first night of our church's living nativity. It went well, but it was pretty cold. We were short quite a few props (my fault for not arranging things earlier), but I think some people are bringing more tomorrow night. Jason and I played Joseph and Mary, and Kayla actually did very well as Baby Jesus. We didn't have enough people to do shifts, so everyone was outside for the full two hours. After 90 minutes Jason took Kayla in to warm her (and him) up a bit and she was asleep, so we left her with a church lady we know and went out to use her stunt double (a doll from Cradle Roll). This picture was taken when Kayla was still outside with us. Thanks to Charley Coleman for the photo. It's my favourite from the event.

High Class Dining

This morning Kayla woke up at 5:30 wanting to eat. So I got up, fed her, and put her (sleeping!) back into the crib. She instantly woke up and talked to herself for 10 minutes before getting fussy. I rocked her back to sleep and again she woke up when I put her in the crib. So I took her out to the living room for an hour and then put her back to bed. This time she stayed out. Until almost 10 a.m. The Wind Symphony was playing for church and Jason had to be there at 10:30. So while I finished getting ready, Jason fed Kayla. In his tux. It was awesome.

Here's the wind symphony at church (the University Church, that is). See the director standing with his back to the camera? Look at about 11:00 from him in the second row and there's Jason. He's playing 3rd clarinet this year. The music was great. I enjoyed it from the balcony in the mother's room.

The Dedication of Miss Kayla Sue

Today we had Kayla dedicated. For anyone reading this blog who isn't an Adventist, this is like our version of a baby christening or baptism. It is simply an event where the pastor of the church gives a short homily about raising a child in the way of Christ (or any variant of this topic he chooses), and a prayer is said. In our church, the pastor also takes the baby and walks up and down the church aisle to show everyone the new addition to their family. I had the good fortune of being able to be a part of the praise team that did music this week. Pictured above is Lara, Cheri, me, and Charley. Rachel was playing piano off to the right of this photo.

Here we are after the homily, having Pastor Ole pray for Kayla.

Pastor Ole showing Kayla to her church family.

Lara played the special music while Pastor Ole walked Kayla up and down the aisle. It was fabulous!

The Little St. Clair Family

Sabbath

Today I took Kayla to Sabbath School for the first time. Because she was a new baby and it was her first time to Sabbath School, they put her in a cradle and all the kids rocked her while we sang a welcome baby song. It was really cute, and Kayla really enjoyed the cradle! One little girl named Elizabeth (not pictured) was especially fascinated with Kayla and kept coming back to stare at her, even when the other kids were eating a snack. I left Kayla in the cradle for a little while because she was actually happy there. The adorable dress she's wearing was made by Nana St. Clair and matches a dress Katrina and she made for me. (It started out as a maternity dress but never got finished in time so they fixed it so I could wear it now.)

This evening I got stir-crazy and bored and decided we should all go to the park. So Ruth packed crackers and sliced apples and Jason loaded up the stroller and diaper bag while I changed Kayla's diaper and grabbed sweaters for all of us. Then we headed to Pioneer Park where we looked at the birds (and a turtle and a little black bunny!) after enjoying a snack on a blanket in the grass. It was nice to get some fresh air, and the temperature this evening was fabulous! We stayed until it was just about sundown - which was much earlier than we expected!

Sabbath With Family

We went to church this morning with Grandma and Jason's parents. Here is Daddy with his little girl, all ready for church. "Power to the people!" says Kayla.

While at church, Kayla found the talking boring. She stayed awake for the music, but fell asleep when it stopped. After my arms got tired, Grandma asked to hold Kayla. This is how she spent the rest of the service.

After church and lunch, we took the "Generations" picture. This is four generations of St. Clairs. From left to right: Jason's dad, Grandma, Kayla, and Jason. Surprisingly, Kayla didn't cry for the pictures!

A Hiscock-St. Clair Sabbath

Tonight we had our friends Damie and Jared over for dinner. Jason had offered to help Jared with his senior outline (the final papers you turn in your senior year to show you'll have completed all the requirements and qualify to march at graduation), and Jared and Damie were going to work on music with me. I had already asked Jared and Damie to do special music with me this Sabbath, and we were planning on it. Then I got a call from this week's chorister asking me to fill in. So I asked the Hiscocks and they were very happy to help. So Damie is playing piano while Jared and I lead song service and do special music. This is the song we've chosen for special music. It's number 606 in the Adventist Hymnal and it's absolutely beautiful. The words are a bit heavy, but it's a lovely song. You should give it a try. Better yet, come hear us sing it on Sabbath at the Milton Church!

A Look Into the Future?

Today at church, a little girl named Emily did the special music. She did Kum Bay Ya, and was accompanied by the song service musicians: a guitar, a mandolin, and the piano. She did a fabulous job, and it was so cute! It makes me look forward to when Little Miss is old enough to do things like this...I just hope she's interested when the time comes!

Yet Again

Today I had to go to St. Mary's hospital...AGAIN. No, it wasn't urgent or life-threatening...I had an appointment with a dietitian. Because I'm having to monitor my blood sugar, I needed to meet with someone who could tell me what foods were high in carbs, low in carbs, and how many grams of carbs I should eat at any given meal, etc. I learned that I can't drink fruit juice anymore (well, I can, but it takes up a LOT of my allotted carbs per meal), that most any breakfast food you think of is chock full of carbs, and that breakfast is the meal where you should have the least number of carbs out of all your meals. I learned a lot. So here's to eating better...which I should have been doing my whole life, really. Now it's just been forced upon me, which somehow makes it easier.

Anyway, the above picture is NOT St. Mary's hospital. It is the Catholic church the next block over. This is the view as you're leaving the hospital parking lot. It's St. Patrick's, and it's my fabvourite church in the valley. Isn't it beautiful? (Just ignore all the power lines...)