Two Churches, Two Seasons

Thanksgiving - a season for remembering God's blessings in our lives

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

Colossians 2:6-7

Christmas - A season of Joy, celebrating Jesus, the light of the world, coming to earth to save us from our sins

Come hear our Christmas program for this year - "Eternal Light"!

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

Merry Christmas!

We were privileged to play at the Veteran's Day Republican function in Grundy County.

Lance Horbach, an Iowa House Representative, gave a tribute to the veterans.
Some of the other speakers included Annette Sweeney from the Iowa House, Bill Dix from the Iowa Senate, Steve King from the U.S House of Representatives, Pat Grassley - an Iowa State Representative, and Charles Grassley - a United States Senator.

After we played our instruments, we got pictures with Pat Grassley, Charles Grassley,
and Lance Horbach. Thanks guys!

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

– 2 Chronicles 7:14

Marion County State Bank put together an evening for their senior patrons and we were the entertainment. Held at the new Christian High School in Pella, we enjoyed playing in their beautiful auditorium. After the concert, everybody ate Dutch Letter ice cream – made locally! It was absolutely delicious. I had no idea there even was such a thing!

Party time!

We played at a small John Deere work party for engineers. The party was unlike any we’d ever been to. Think of the typical engineer and then picture this: a group of engineers all singing “Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes” and doing the actions!!! Wow. Anyway, we had fun. J

New and Exciting!

Guess what? We are currently working on producing our fourth CD and are very excited! For the first time, we recorded at Catamount Studios, an ‘acoustically brilliant’ 4,000-square-foot, world-class recording studio in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Catamount has 16-foot ceilings with bass traps. Each room is on a different slab of concrete to keep vibrations from traveling between rooms. There are absolutely no parallel surfaces or 90-degree angles, leaving the room with a beautiful, warm sound. We were even able to record during a thunder/rain storm without knowing it! We loved having the room to spread out and not be squished together. The grand piano was a wonderful addition to the CD in place of the electric piano we regularly use.

After many long hours, we finished recording our fourth CD and are now working on the graphic design (me) paying royalties (Mommy) and mixing and mastering the tracks (our recording engineer, Jake). Look for our new CD in a few weeks!

Rain, Pizza, and Concerts in Kansas

We gave a concert near Gypsum, Kansas for Temple Church’s 125^th anniversary celebration. There are some wonderful people in that country church.

Visiting our grandparents is a huge highlight for us each time we are asked to perform in Kansas! We have a blast with them and enjoy learning from their experiences.

It rained… and rained… and rained while we were there, but I’m not complaining! The people were very excited and thankful to God for finally getting rain for their dried up ground. In the area we visited, the total rain for the last 10 months was a pitiful amount.

Buttermilk, Kansas - This was the first time we have given a concert at a church some of our cousins and an aunt and uncle go to – spending time with them was a treat! Speaking of treats, before the concert, our uncle cooked up some Cajun food – hot, spicy, and full of flavor.

If you ever long for some truly delicious pizza, you should definitely drive over to Dave’s pizza. Without a doubt, it’s some of the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. Never mind that it could take you a long while to get there, the wait is worth it. Yup. Coldwater, Kansas is a bit of a drive from here. Piping hot with the perfect golden crust and toppings piled on, Dave’s pizza is famous across the state.

A big thank you to Dave from Dave’s pizza for taking the pictures of us playing that evening! (The only reason I could be in the pictures!)

Live Horses… At Church?!!!

Horses played an important role in this church where we gave a program on the 16^th. Horses as greeters - I wonder if anyone told them not to horse around while they were at church. J

After the western-themed service, guess what. A potluck and pie auction. Fun, don’t you think? (Especially since we got to eat some!) With over 30 mouth-watering choices including a banana cream pie made by the pastor (!) we enjoyed watching the bidding go up … and up. Would you pay $50 for a chocolate pie from Bishop’s café? Or $51 for an apple caramel crumb pie? How about trying for the sour cream raisin pie with brown sugar meringue or the Turtle Pumpkin pie – Mmmm!

P.S.

Are you hungry yet?

A Flying Cow.

Did you know that some cows can fly? I didn’t have any idea they could until one came sailing through the air toward us at this concert.

It went this way. We were playing away on our instruments one Saturday evening to a nice audience. The beautiful strains filled the air. Then, DUCK! (except it wasn’t a duck, it was a cow) a cute two-year-old with a mighty throwing arm hefted a cow in one hand, gave a big heave, and sent the cow toward the stage for a close-range visit with our family.

Well, it was an interesting program. ; )

I’ve never seen a purple cow,

I never hope to see one.

But I can tell you anyhow,

I’d rather see than be one.

On the more serious side, the church had several good reminders on their walls. Did you know that the message of the gospel is illegal in 52 countries? We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ! “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” – Romans 1:16a While we are safe and comfortable here in the United States, millions of Christians around the globe are being persecuted and martyred for their saving belief in our all-knowing, all-powerful, Creator – our Lord Jesus Christ.

More from South Dakota!

On a field trip to National Music Museum in Vermillion, SD, we were given an amazing personalized tour by an extremely knowledgeable guide. He showed and told us all kinds of interesting facts, explained intricate details, answered tons of questions, filled us in on part of the progression of musical history, and demonstrated various instruments for us, one of which was a Nickelodeon!

Have you ever seen a viola like this one?

Not your normal scroll!

The lion is a good idea, but I believe the name of that part of the bow is supposed to be the frog.

Are there any harmonica players out there that dream of being able to play the violin? Here's your chance! (The violin is actually a harmonica.)
Notice the quills used to pluck the strings of this harpsichord...

Have you ever heard of percussion in a piano?

I can't even remember what all these pedals can do on this piano!

Such a beautiful organ - we got to go around to the back and see how it works!

Lunch was a special treat at Café Brulle, a French restaurant. If you are ever in the area, it's a fabulous place.

We gave a concert at the Boys and Girls Club in Avon, South Dakota:

Setting up...

After games and a ping pong tournament, we ate supper.

Root beer floats were served after the concert... I think I'm getting hungry.

See you later, I hope!