bells of bethel

today was the kick-off to bemidji's summer musician series in which various church musicians show off their talents.

bethel lutheran was first in line. and the half-hour concert over the lunch hour was the final performance of the bells of bethel (as the bell choir is known) until after labor day.

so we performed some songs today. it was fun to be able to perform several in a row as opposed to when we play one for a church service.

that was noon.

tonight we had a potluck to celebrate the end of a year. and it was so much fun to be able to sit around, talk and eat. we laughed and had a good time.

then we watched the video of our performance. which was both embarrassing and amusing.

embarrassing because we all looked grumpy or mean or bored as we were all focused and unsmiling. cause we were so intent on watching our music and not as much of looking happy.

amusing because we all looked that way. and because we were able to laugh at ourselves. like laurie who was sitting next to me as we were both cringing over how we hate watching ourselves without having some alcohol first (in a town hall where no alcohol is permitted). or how we teased some because they spent most of a song just turning pages. or being able to recognize when someone was totally off and missing notes (which we all did at one point or another).

such a fun group to be a part of. and now i don't know how i'm going to figure out the way to start my weekends. cause all year my thursday night ended with bell choir. and since friday and saturday are my days off, that means that bell choir was the official end to my week. and now without that habit, i'll be lost for a couple weeks...

tubing and music

today was the first sunday in lent. which meant that right before one of our services, i get called upon to quickly switch our powerpoint and worship order to replace the "alleluia" with the lenten verse.

then after church, for which i looked awesome, i ran back home. ate food and got dressed all in black for my band concert.

concert went well.

then went shopping briefly. herbergers where i bought a new pair of glove/mittens. you know, the ones that are gloves with fingertips cut off and the option of folding over the rest for it to be transformed into a mitten.

of course, i picked the print fits most with the hat i purchased a while back.

and while there, i picked out (but am waiting until saturday to purchase) some really neat wall hangings/pictures.

then i went back home to change and back some apple crisp for the highlight of the day: potluck followed by tubing at the local ski area, buena vista.

and had an amazing time.

when i got there, britta said that we were going to be tubing buddies and that she was going to show me the ropes since i had never gone tubing before.

and i was in a great mood. everyone was so jovial and having fun.

tubing was basically like going down a waterslide on an innertube, which i have done several times.

only colder. at night. outdoors. in february.

but i wore my new boots that kept my feet warm as my face froze. i swear i got windburn from sliding so fast and having ice spray coming at me.

some of the trips down were solo. some of the routes were smooth. others ridiculously bumpy.

other trips were as a group of two, three, four, 12, or 18...in other words, it varied.

some highlights:
- duo with bri. way fast and dizzying. the guy helping to steady the tubes decided to push us and help us spin. so we screamed and got a bit dizzy.
- a solo on the track meant for groups. of course, i was told to tuck my legs in, which meant i could spin faster. and had to wait a few seconds at the bottom to let the world straighten out.
- duo with britta. her last ride of the night and we flew down the slope.
- racing the boys. and i always won. even if they took a running start and i barely got pushed off.
- joking with the workers. the guys were nice and seemed to enjoy bantering with people.
- finding out that my crisp was all eaten up when i went to retrieve my pan

but now that the fun is over, i'm sore and going to be in pain tomorrow.

but it was so worth it