All Mavericks Grow Old

Before we begin our first post in 6 weeks, we'd like to say goodbye to a lovely outfit that Soren has now outgrown: The Maverick Suit. The first pictures are of Soren on Halloween of 2008; the second were taken last night. We had to stuff him with extra shirts to make it fit six months ago-- now, he's like Fred Astaire in his slim-fitting dancing outfit!


Onward ho!

Wow, our first post in 6 weeks! What happens in a six week period of time? Well, good question, faithful reader. Let us fill you in.

~ Lisa finished her course work for her Doctorate in Musical Arts (DMA) in Piano Performance (with a Minor in Pedagogy) and is nearly done! She has to ONLY perform one recital, take 2 written tests, one oral test, and write a 100 page document! Easy as pie!

(How excited is Lisa to be done with classes? Well, let's put it this way:
Q: Of nearly 29 years of Lisa's life, how many have not been spent in school?
A: Seven. Or, about 23% of her life has been spent outside of school.)

~ Leif received his MFA in Printmaking and Drawing! Though it qualifies him for a good slap on the back, it may actually make him LESS employable to some jobs. However, it qualifies him to teach at a university level, which is exactly what he'll be doing in the Fall! Freshman, beware!

~ Soren is pushing on his new Wheelie Bug and balancing with one hand! He is a stone's throw away from walking.

~ Lisa is playing a concert with two wonderful flutists in July. Besides accompaniment, she'll be performing solo for the first time in a year! Last recital, she had a big bun in the oven!

~ Leif managed to put an obsolete trade to use by designing and printing their wedding invitations on a neglected Vandercook press in a neighbor's garage, using handset metal type and hand carved woodblocks!

~ Soren is loving life-- first swimming trip, first Kentucky BBQ, is hard at work at grabbing things off of tabletops (look out!), is mastering his piano skills (he can reach the keys with one hand now, and has mastered the minor second interval), is developing a lovely singing voice (he might be a crooner), and is almost sometimes sleeping through the night! Almost.

It's certainly been a little bit hectic, and we're glad for the change of pace... a nice and almost leisurely summer. The garden is growing, the weather is mild (for Cincinnati), and the Summer days are long and lovely. If we can find a way to transplant an ocean and a small mountain range, we'll be very happy.

Love to all,
Leif and Lisa (and Soren)