Cello Recital

Catherine had her first recital today. We are so proud of her! When we arrived to rehearse with the pianist, Catherine was only able to get through her piece one time without making a mistake. After several tries we decided she needed to take a break because she was nervous. The pianist had some relaxation techniques and encouraged her to breathe deeply. It worked! Catherine was the first cellist to play, and the only one to have memorized her piece. She played it perfectly! She was thrilled and we were, too!

I've also added the group performances. Sorry for the dark videos but the room was very dark and this is just my digital camera, not a camcorder with a light pack. They are playing Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter. (Try to ignore the lady in front of me who continually took photos on her iPhone!)

Here's the group playing Be Thou My Vision (Slane) which was a piece they learned in a recent workshop.

Here's Dona Nobis Pacem:

Here's Sourwood Mountain:

Pain in the neck

I've not posted in a while as my son managed to wrench his neck picking up clothes from the floor of his room (THAT'LL teach him to clean his room). The poor thing was completely miserable this weekend and could barely move his neck. The doctor instructed me to give him motrin and Ben Gay (so now he smells like an old, arthritic man). Who knew there were ten different kinds of Ben Gay and Icy Hot? Menthol and Capsicum and salycilates...I asked the pharmacist what she recommended. Apparently capscium can burn skin (it's the main ingredient in mace) so we opted for menthol. He's still listing to one side like a drunken sailor....but he smells minty fresh!

On a happier note, I received my confirmation today of our tour of the US Capitol when we visit D.C. in June. I sent a note to our representative the day I booked the flights to get on the waiting lists. I've got my fingers crossed we'll also get a tour of the White House and Bureau of Engraving (the mint). I plan to blog our trip when the time comes.

Brainiac gets an award

Yeah!

Catherine was one of 38 4th grade students to score high enough on the ACT Explore to be recognized at Northwestern University in June. That's one of 38 kids from IL, IN, WI and MN combined!

The ACT Explore is a test given to 8th grade students. Gifted kids have the opportunity to take this test as early as the 3rd grade. This was her first year of taking the test.

She will get a medal with her name on it and a certificate. If she scored the hightest in any of the categories of reading, langugage arts, math or science, she gets a partial scholarship to a NU summer program. We won't know that until the day of the ceremony.

We're so proud of Catherine!