Indy 500!

This past weekend, Kyle and I traveled back to Indianapolis to visit my family and attend the Indy 500. We had a GREAT time! We were seated at the first turn and our seats were amazing! We witnessed all of the accidents that took place and all in all, it was a very exciting race. If you have never seen Indy cars, the speed at which they race literally shakes you. All of us wore ear plugs because they are so loud. I sat by Sarah, Megan and Emily at the race and I loved how Sarah knew all of the women drivers (only 3 to be exact)and followed the race with such enthusiasm. I love them so much.

Before the race started, all of us checked out the displays and vendors in the middle of the track. I made Sarah and Megan get the classic picture in one of the race cars. I think Sarah looked a bit scared in the picture.



It was so much fun to visit with my parents and cousins. I remember it was only 3 summers ago that I lived with the Maars and when Kyle and I were driving into Indianapolis, it felt like home. Dean and Deb made us feel so welcome and we couldn't have asked for a better time.

Look how big the kids are getting!

We will miss you, Abbie!

Kyle and I have been so blessed to have our college friend Abbie here in Cleveland for the past two years. She has earned her master's degree in organ performance at Cleveland Institute of Music and will now be moving to Buffalo, NY for a position as organist and music director at a cathedral there.

Two weeks ago, Kyle and I went to the city to see her play her final recital. She plays that intimidating instrument with an incredible amount of skill and finesse and simply makes it look easy. She is such an incredible musician but more importantly, a true friend. We love her a lot and will miss her dearly.

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you, Mom for believing in both of us and for pushing us to be the best possible people we can be. We love you and wish both our moms a VERY happy Mother's Day!

Craziness!

The children have been a little nuts this week. One of the 7th grade choir girls BIT another one this week! I NEVER would have thought I'd be dealing with biters at the middle school. In fact, this was the second biting THIS WEEK. We also had another huge fight in the hall where one kid accused this other of harboring terrorists and ran up to him and literally decked him in the hallway. The teachers around had to tackle the kids to get them off of one anther and even then they were still trying to kick and punch each other. Those are my school fight stories. Does this seem as bizarre to you as it does to me?

Our cousin was in Sunday's paper!

On Sunday, I often buy a local newspaper (The Plain Dealer) to read for fun. This past Sunday while Kyle and I were leafing through the paper, I came across a picture of a student from Hudson High School asking another student to prom. I remembered that the Wilkes went there so I looked closer. Sarah Wilke was the one in the picture! This picture and article was on the front page of the Metro section and this paper circulates throughout the greater Cleveland area. We were so excited! I called Sarah to tell her we found her prom invitation in the paper and she was embarrassed. However, there is no need to be embarrassed because both the article and picture are so cute that I HAD to share them with you. Here is the story.

Seniors outdo each other in creative ways to ask someone to prom
Posted by Laura Johnston May 05, 2008 11:14AM
Categories: Education

LYNN ISCHAY/THE PLAIN DEALER

Sarah Wilke jumps the fence during track practice to accept Kevin Potts' proposal to the Hudson High School prom. Kevin, a senior who works for the school's maintenance department, taped a sign to his John Deere Gator to surprise Sarah, a junior. At Hudson and other schools across Northeast Ohio, popping the prom question has become a public ritual.


It's gotta be big.

Public, maybe, proffering a keepsake. A gooey story for the girl to gush over, crazy enough for the boy to brag about.

The question: Will you go to prom with me?

In some teenage realms, it's not enough anymore to simply ask. In Bay Village, Rocky River, Hudson and Chagrin Falls -- and at high schools across the country -- teens write PROM in marker on balloons and in sausage on pizza. They create YouTube videos, plan scavenger hunts, make announcements on the P.A. system and hide notes in fortune cookies.

"It's senior year. . . . It's prom," said Billy Rillero, 17, of Hudson. "It's kind of like a social thing, comparing ways to ask with whatever everyone else does. You want to come up with something that's your own."

Billy surprised his friend Lauren Graf by sneaking a sign onto her seat at an Indians game.

"It was special," said Lauren, 18, who returned from the concession stand to find the sign, say yes and give Billy a hug. "Every girl just dreams of being asked to prom in a cute way."


Hudson students said they've been staging creative prom proposals forever, it seems.

But pop-culture experts say the trend spread nationally in 2005, when an episode of the MTV reality show "Laguna Beach" featured boys dressing up in gorilla costumes, fake-towing a car and carpeting a garage with rose petals to ask dates to the prom.

Inspired, teenagers began imitating their grand gestures. Because, see, prom is a Big Deal, costing an average of $1,200 per couple.

"It's just becoming more and more over the top," said Brianne DiSylvestro, of promspot.com, a Web site owned by wedding know-it-all The Knot Inc.

Here, the dance, often limited to seniors, takes place this month at venues like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Browns Stadium. And increasingly, the proposal is an integral aspect of the package.

"The asking, which used to be kind of private, is now part of the public," said Montana Miller, a Bowling Green State University pop-culture professor who researched the trend from "Laguna Beach" through Internet posts. "Everyone's going to see it, comment on it."

The teens who ask in the school hallway or over the phone, well, they may get teased for being boring.

That's why Hudson senior Alex Dawes used a wood-burning kit to write "Caleigh, Prom?" on a weighted wooden fish his girlfriend reeled in while they fished together.

Why Chagrin junior Billy Caster surprised Kate Yang after a lacrosse game by writing "Prom" on her sister's car. Why Bay senior Dan Flanagan stuck a note to a menu during an anniversary dinner with his girlfriend, Cory Sheehan. And why Bay senior class President Jon Rieke wrote "Prom?" on his stomach and flashed a friend in choir class.

"There has to be some kind of spectacle," said Rieke's mom, Joan. "Guys struggle. . . . You just can't call up somebody and ask them. That's too ordinary. You have to think up some special way to ask."

And, yes, it's usually the guys who do the asking, at least for prom. The girls get creative for Sadie Hawkins or Snowball dances.

"It's a lot different than 1985, I'll tell you that," said Rocky River's senior class adviser, Mark Wagner, a student in the '80s. "I've just been amazed at how in-depth these kids go."

Patrick Kilbane of Rocky River even got his friend's mom in on the surprise.

He gave her a hand-written note to hide in an egg in Paige Ferber's Easter basket during spring break in Florida. Paige opened the note Easter morning, cried, took pictures and called Patrick to say yes.

"I just wanted to have fun with it," Patrick said. "I can only ask someone to prom once."

Post its

Today I decided it was finally time to clean off the computer area at home and throw out some of the papers I had been saving including things like Christmas card envelopes, voters registration forms, old bills meant to be filed long ago, etc. In the midst of this, I realized one of the reasons why I'd been saving these things was to put addresses from friends and family in our address book on the computer. When we made our wedding guest list, my dad encouraged me to keep organized with an Excel spread sheet. This has been great for times like Christmas cards, birthdays and holidays. However, in the past 2 years many family members and friends have moved somewhere else so I write on post its.

My desk at school is a smattering of these sticky pieces of paper. This is how I live my life. I have been known to chart out lists (sometimes of things I already did so I could cross them out), calendars, lesson plans, directions, cooking ingredients, countless amounts of phone numbers and important dates on these notes. But, when you have so many, sometimes you think you have the information on file and throw them away. Today I had to ask Amber for their MI address AGAIN...this was probably the fifth time I have asked/written it down. Now all the addresses I can find are in the computer. If it crashes, well...I'm done for. Don't let post its take over your life (like that guy above) but really, they are so fun!

I almost have 6 credits towards the master's...

I just have to edit my paper and then I have 6 credits under my belt. I will spare you from the details of my paper entitled, "Truths and Inconsistencies: Nazi Recpetion of the Music of Schoenberg and Mendelssohn." I had to give a 30 minute presentation on my paper to my class this past week and I practiced for my dog Riley and he fell asleep belly up and started snoring. I hope it wasn't that bad. Today I am editting the final draft and away it goes! Hooray!

All my kids got Ones!

Today was my second official Solo and Ensemble Competition in my teaching career. I remember my mom and I driving all over the Chicagoland area to attend these nerve racking events and it was so neat to be on the other side as a choir director. I had 10 singers participate at Contest and every single one received a first place rating. I think we are doing things right at Madison.

Happy birthday, Riley!

OUr little buddy is a year old today! We love him a lot and we are glad he is a part of our family.

Our trip out West

We left on Good Friday for Las Vegas to visit Kyle's Grandma and returned this past Wednesday. It was truly one of the best vacations we have ever taken! Grandma's house is beautiful and it was so fun to wake up each morning to sunshine and 75 degree days. We spent our time with Grandma eating delicious food, going to a cool church for Easter, learning how to play video poker, doing a little gambling at some casinos, seeing Cirque de Soleil, visiting the Hoover Dam, visitng Lake Mead, and visiting the Grand Canyon. We even got to see Grandma win a Royal Flush at a huge casino on the strip called Treasure Island! She definitely has luck on her side. Here are some pictures that depict what a great time we had with Grandma.

Here's Kyle at the Hoover Dam.

This is the typical post card picture of the Dam. It's huge!

This is an engineering feat if you ask me. They are building a TALL bridge over Lake Mead (above the Dam) so cars need not drive through the dam to get from Nevada to Arizona.

Kyle and I decided to go hiking on a trail around Lake Mead. Isn't it gorgeous?

This is the view from Grandma's back yard. The fountain is so fun and I think its so great that you can see both Las Vegas AND the mountains!

This one is of Grandma in the back yard. I think it was a candid shot.

Kyle and Grandma on our first night at the casino.

Happy Easter!


The flower garden at the Bellagio.

Walking around on the Strip.


We left Grandma at Treasure Island for 40 minutes and she won the Royal Flush!


We've arrived at the Grand Canyon!

Kyle's working on his photography skills. What a beautiful place!


Look how close you can get to the edge. Yikes!

Hiking down one of the trails. See the snow and ice? I was pretty freaked about this.

These crazy people are about a foot away from falling to their death over the edge. It made me nervous to look at them.


Breathtakingly gorgeous! Sunset at the Grand Canyon.

Kyle and I had the BEST time and it was all possible because of Grandma. Thank you so much for being so kind and generous to us and for helping us plan this trip. We love you and can't wait to come and visit again!

And the week of craziness begins...

The snow is starting to melt outside and thoughts of spring are starting to be in the air. Tomorrow night, I have my class at CSU until 8:00. On Tuesday morning, I will be back at school at 4:15 a.m. to leave for the 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. I went last year and it was a fun but not restful time. I am lucky to have many good students on my bus so I think it will be a good trip. We are returning on Thursday evening and then on Friday morning, Kyle and I will be leaving for Las Vegas to visit Grandma Cox. We are looking forward to that so much and we're hoping that its much warmer there than it is here. Let the traveling begin...

The HUGE snow storm

On Friday afternoon, the snow started. This continued through the night and all day on Saturday. We now have about 20 inches of snow on the ground. Its hard to believe that it was 68 degrees just a week ago. Kyle shoveled the driveway 4 times yesterday and it still wasn't enough to keep up with the snow. Riley has enjoyed jumping over Kyle's snow piles. Today it was sunny and it gave us time to dig out. Here are some pictures of our house.

The idea of Nation

In my class last week, we got into a huge discussion about the concept and importance of nation. I have thought about the idea of nationalism quite a bit since I studied music history in college. When I think about how I define myself in terms of culture, I have always thought "I'm an American." What does that really mean? Why is the idea of nationalism so important to us? Why is music so centered around the idea of nation?

The first thing that we must consider is the definition of nationalism and the definition of nation. The best definition that I could find for nation is "a politically organized body of people under a single government." I found 4 different definitions for the term nationalism: 1. patriotism (love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it), 2. the doctrine that your national culture and interests are superior to any other, 3.the aspiration for national independence felt by people under foreign domination) 4. the doctrine that nations should act independently (rather than collectively) to attain their goals.

These definitions left me a little more disturbed than satisfied. I could agree with the above definition of nation. However, if I went into a particular country and tried to characterize certain traits of that nation, I believe we would be at a loss with this definition. For example, I could tell you the different nationalities of Americans and describe our democratic government, but each region of the nation has different qualities and traits that do not necessarily match up. I find the definitions for nationalism particularly unnerving. As a music teacher, I follow the standards set by the national organization MENC which states that all students should know the words to the "Star Spangled Banner." I teach this song and "God Bless America" each year and make sure my students know every word in order to be contributing musical members of our American culture.

However, the more I read into the concept of nationalism, the more weary I become. If a country emphasizes the importance of nationalism too much, this creates moral problems. This belief in nationalism implies that certain characteristics are essential and that each cultural background is already uniquely different. Some call this essentialism. In essence, ethnicity predetermines (speaking musically) what you compose. The concept of nation seems to make no sense logically now. Should we be concerned about the amount of nationalistic values we instill in our children? How far is too far?

No School Again - Day 3

Yes, its true. Now we have to make up 3 days more in June because we have missed 8 days of school so far this year. As far as my update from yesterday with the car, I am actually quite happy with Volkswagen. I took my car in to the dealer on a moment's notice this morning and they repaired my radio, washed my car and had it back to me in 10 minutes. All for FREE! I take back what I said about the car yesterday. I am still happy with it.

I have been doing more reading for my class and I have some interesting questions to share. You can look forward to that later on today. I have all of our tax information gathered and ready to go so I will take care of that today and I am going to the beauty school to get my hair done this afternoon before another wave of snow hits us this evening. I miss my students and if we have to use music on the concert next week, so be it.

Stupid car

Two days ago, my radio/CD player system in my car just decided to stop working. This is the second time this has happened THIS YEAR. Needless to say, I am a bit peeved at my Volkswagen. Whose radio really just quits? So, now I will drive to the sound of my own thoughts until I can take it to the dealer again. Grrr...

No school again

I am home again today because all of Madison lost power in yesterday's snow/ice storm. I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning our house, taking down snowman-themed items (yes there is still snow outside...I'm just trying to think about spring) and once again procrastinating my research for my paper. I am actually a little sad that we don't have school today because my spring concert is just one week away. I always get a little leery of their memorization of the music before each concert so I like to spend the last few days really working the nitty gritty aspects of the repertoire. But, the good part is that I can do some more research today and meet Kyle for lunch at Quizno's. Mmmmm...

Ice day

No school for me again today. Last night, we had a LOT of wind and freezing rain that coated every surface with a thick layer of ice. This then changed over to snow and made for a big commuting mess. Riley and I are home together again today and I think he is either getting extremely lazy or just plain bored. He is such a cuddly friend. Only 15 more days until we go to visit Grandma Cox in Las Vegas. We can't wait!

My cousin is on ESPN today!

Congratulations to Lindsay on winning 2nd place in the National Varsity Cheerleading Competition in Orland, Florida! She will be on ESPN2 today at 3:00. Here are 2 pictures from the competition. In the group photo, Lindsay is in the front row on the far left and she is the highest "E" on the other photo. We are proud of you!

New template

I was starting to get tired of looking at my pink background and thought my blog needed a face lift. Hence, spring-like green. Also, I am procrastinating my paper research. Can you tell?

The joy of Citation Machine

If you ever have to write a research paper, this website is the way to go! It has all different formatting (MLA, APA and Chicago style) and will basically do the formatting for you as long as you have the correct information. This has saved me SO much time typing papers and I wanted to share the joy of this website with you. Use the link in my Favorites to get there. Happy writing!

SNOW DAY...of research

I am so thankful that we have a snow day today. At my grad. school class on Monday night, I was reminded that we have an annotated bibliogrpahy and an abstract for my research paper due this COMING Monday. Needless to say, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed because I hadn't even begun to do any research for the paper and felt a bit crazy. After flying through the Mc Donald's at 8:30 that night on my way home from class, I flew upstairs to the computer hoping to find articles for my paper. So far, I am hoping to write about Nazi reception of the music of Schoenberg and Mendelssohn but the articles are leading me down a path of frustration. I spent all evening last night reading and scouring for articles and have now spent all of today until now doing the same. Have you ever gotten a headache from reading on the computer? If not, don't do it. Its no good. Thank you God for giving me this day at home because if I had to do all this work without a snow day, I think I might lose my mind.

Wicked

On Tuesday night, Kyle and I went to see the musical Wicked at Playhouse Square downtown. You might think that this sounds like a date and I guess it was, since we also had over 250 6th-12th graders along on the trip. This was the first time that Kyle and I have ridden a school bus together. Now how many married couples can say they've done that?

Anyway, the musical was FANTASTIC! It is the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West before Dorothy dropped in. I had seen it 3 years ago in Chicago and I love this show not only for the music but also for the witty characters and creative lighting and scenery. This show is touring the country now for its third year in a row and if it comes to your city, go and see it! Maybe not with 250 kids though.

Hope's Chapel CD

If you have not heard Hope's Chapel CD from this past year (2007), you really should! It has such a different sound than what they did when I was there but still quite reminiscent of the dreams I had for that program my senior year of college. The new CD is called "Awake My Soul" and can be bought at the bookstore or online. I think that the new worship director Josh Banner is doing great things for the campus ministry program.

My trip back to Hope

This past weekend, my college room mate Amy and I went back to Hope to give a short presentation to the current music education majors. We had such a great time! I woke up early on Saturday and drove to Amy's house in Detroit where I left my car and she and I drove to Holland. We walked around downtown on Saturday afternoon and then headed to Dr. Sharp's house where we stayed for the evening. The Sharps treated Amy and I better than family! They made us delicious food including chicken marsala, risotto, stir fried veggies as well as a home made pear tart. We each had our home room to stay for the night and our own bathroom. It was great! We stayed up eating and talking to them until after midnight. They taught us this great game with dice called Farkle. I can't wait to teach you!

On Sunday, Amy and I woke to the sound of choirs and organ music and the smell of frsh crepes. It was so wonderful to stay with the Sharps and they were so generous to extend the gift of hospitality to us. That afternoon, Amy and I talked for an hour and a half to the music ed. majors and shared some of the things we learned in our first two years teaching that no one shared with us before we started. My professor and coopoerating teacher, Mr. De Boer is now in charge of the Hope chapter of MENC so I got to see him too! I love mentoring students and I hope that this made them feel not only empowered but that they can call me if they need to vent about teaching. It was great to be back. Amy and I left Holland that afternoon and drove back to her house in Detroit. I drove back to Cleveland Monday morning and I am happy to say that my friend Amy is only 3 hours away. It was a really easy drive. Coming back to Hope couldn't have been better!