Our First Paxton Family Reunion

It is true. This was our first ever Paxton Reunion and I must say, we had a great time! Where else could you get a bundle of black, white and pink pipe cleaners with the instructions to make a Holstein for a competition? Yes, you read that right, a "Holstein competition". You know me and Jackie when it comes to a competition - we went right to work!

When all of the twisting, bending and laughing was over, the table was covered in cows. But take a close look at the cow on the bottom left of the picture - the one that is laying down because it was made pancake style. Hmmm.... someone (not mentioning any names) thought they would cut some corners and rely on paying off the judges. More to come on the outcome later in this posting.

By that time in the evening, we were already very well fed - thanks Susan for another tremendous meal! Wow. Will was right, nobody goes away from a Paxton gathering hungry or wanting for anything. If you do, it is your own fault! Every base was covered from the pulled pork to the great desserts - fantastic!
We were even granted permission to wear the official "Paxton Gear" (of course we had to sign a formal agreement that we would not air any portion of the afternoon without written permission from the league... hahaha)
The long awaited vote finally came from Bill and John that kept everyone on the edge of their seats! It was really funny to hear all of the areas that the Holstein experts pointed out in each of the entries, but in the end they had to name a winner and two "runner-ups." After much deliberation, they placed all of the Holsteins entered. It was nice to see that our entry, Flow-ie, placed and won a price. Wondering which one we made? She is the real pretty one with a bow on her tail that is standing right above "Pancake Girl". [hahahaha just kidding!] (By the way, thanks for the apples, I had a couple tonight and they are delicious!)

The pancake Holstein? Last place. Lesson? It doesn't pay to try to schmooze the judges!

The girls certainly enjoyed some time to catch up on some chatter. Aren't they cute?

Seriously, thanks to all of the family members that we got to meet today. You have all made us feel like part of the family already!

Yuck!

Home sick today! Blah! I really hate having to stay home when I'm sick, don't you?

It seems that we just don't have the energy to really do anything of substance. Can't really go anywhere cause we don't want to pollute other people. We just feel gross! Personally, I would rather stay at work and at least do something productive, saving my sick days for retirement!

But the people around us deserve a bit of courtesy too. We are called to share with those less fortunate than us, but I don't think they want this!

Dawn was wondering if it is the swine flu. I really don't think so, because when I looked in the mirror my reflection boar no more of a resemblance to a pig than normal! Haha! [cough, cough... don't worry, that was into my elbow!]

Engaged!!!

The question many people are asking us "Really, what do you guys think about this?"

Well really both Greg and I are really excited and extremely happy for both Will and Jackie! Remember we have known Jackie for many years, we know her heart pretty well, her hopes her dreams. Will fits, he adores her, balances her, fits her dreams, LOVES her fully!

We haven't know Will years and years, but what we have gotten to know about him we approve. Did we tell you he LOVES her! We know they will have their challenges in the upcoming years, but haven't we all. They already are on the right track in their communication skills, keep working on that. We feel the most important thing they have going for them is they are trying to keep God as the center, yeah for them that will serve them well in all that they do.

I remember all the people who told Greg and I we were too young to be looking at getting married. As parents of Jackie we thank God that you are both committed enough to each other that you want to get married and not just live together until you are sure this is what you want. True love = commitment.

We love you both and couldn't be happier for you both or more proud of you both!

Notice the jealous dog in the picture? I think he is having the hardest time with this. He doesn't like it that he has been replaced as the love of Jackie's life.

The Big Question

What a great night! Good friends, a great crowd, delicious food, music and ballroom dancing! What more could one ask for?

Saturday night the Hotel Conneaut, located in Conneaut Lake Park, PA, was the scene of this extravaganza - a celebration of the reopening of the Crystal Ballroom. Among the 80+ people were my parents, Carole and Lew! It is really special to watch your parents dance the night away to the music that you are making. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for coming down and sharing in this great evening with us!

You see, I lead the jazz combo that provided the music for the night (truth be told, they are so good that my leadership is basically, "stay out of their way and try to keep up!"). The dance floor at times was packed and there were dancers all evening - very good dancers I might add! Although, don't let that scare you away as it rolls around again (perhaps as early as this spring!), because ballroom dancers are not judgmental or pompous as some might think. Instead, they are generally helpful and quick to show newcomers how to join in the fun. So next time put on your dancing shoes and come swing the night away!

Of course, all of that being said, my highlight of the evening, was not the food, or the dancing. Not the fellowship (all though that was great!) or making music with friends. Spending the evening with Dawn is always incredible, but that wasn't the highlight either. I always love to have Jackie sing with us since she is incredibly talented, but even that wasn't the highlight!

The highlight was definitely when Jackie came up to me after our second set of music and joyously told me that Will had proposed to her. She, of course, said yes!

So, the big plans include wedding bells early next summer. Will is going to start a new job in California in 10 days, therefore, after the wedding Jackie will be moving there as well. Many emotions are swirling through our household right now, but undoubtedly, we are thrilled for them. They care a great deal for each other and are certainly two peas in a pod, for sure!

One of their challenges will be trying to focus on work while being so far apart, Jackie on her studies and Will on his new position. They happen to feel as though they are up to it. We happen to know that they are!

What a sa-weeeeeet night.

Congratulations Jackie and Will - may the Lord richly bless you both as you step out into your very own Great Adventure!

One More Day

Ok. I'm not gonna lie. This week has been exhausting. Yesterday was much like Thursday, PACKED! But the band show was energetic and very entertaining. Way to go band!

The football team pulled out a big win against a very strong opponent. At the end of the first half it was anybodies game, but once again, they made the right adjustments at the half and powered their way to the end. Way to go team!

This morning? Waterfowl Parade in Linesville.

This afternoon? Set up for a ballroom dance at the Conneaut Hotel in Conneaut Lake Park.

This evening? A ballroom gala event celebrating the grand reopening of the Conneaut Hotel. My jazz band, The Baseline Combo (comprised of local professionals), will be providing the entertainment for the dance. Dinner at 6:30pm, dancing begins at 7:30. I do believe the cost for the entire evening is only $50/couple.

Tomorrow? Church, Sunday School, then a little R & R!

A Day In the Life

In walk the normal group of students, asking questions and getting ready for the day. High school students seem to have a lot of questions at times. Then again, there are other times that one simply feels invisible around them.

As the bell rings to start the day, they all head off in their own directions, lumbering off to begin another day. The typical half closed eyes and shuffling of the "night owls" mix with the laughter and optimism of the "morning people".

Then in walks the new student I met yesterday. A very nice young man. Very polite and excited about this new opportunity to learn a band instrument. He is a junior and has just moved into the area but has an interest in music.

"I'm going to have to see what level of aptitude you have for the instruments." I ask, "have you ever played an instrument before?"

After taking a moment to think about the question, he answered, "Well, I have never played a trumpet. But I would like to try. I think I can do it."

"I hear that you have played the drums before. Would you like to show me how you can play those?"

"Yes," he said. "I would like to do that." What a great lesson we had. A very pleasant young man who has some special needs but was able to brighten the room with eyes that smiled and eager enthusiasm!

He definitely showed some aptitude for music and was a joy to work with. At the same time, in the other side of the room was the other extreme. One of my very gifted seniors who was working on a piano piece that she wants to perform at an upcoming show. "Hey, 'P', what do you think of this? It is really frustrating me."

A few other lessons come through the room, then my first class arrives - Music Appreciation. We spend our time working on some rhythmic theory and reading notation, mix in some ear training and a bit of sight reading. We laugh a little at some of the "music" they created - and I must say, the term music is used very loosely!

Next is a group of about 45 students. A mixture of 9th and 10th grade students that I hadn't planned on, but were sent to me to watch while our juniors and seniors were pulled out to discuss graduation projects. Since it is very hard to waste any time that could be used encouraging young minds, I begin a discussion on what they can expect as they move into their junior and senior years in regards to their graduation project requirements. Of course, once again, the class is a mixture of blank stares, looks of fear, fatigue, interest and confusion. In an attempt to motivate, I link the project requirements to interests and hobbies they currently have. "Do something that you enjoy! Try finishing it early - don't procrastinate! In the end, you might actually learn something about yourself that you didn't know before."

As they leave, some stay behind with questions. I tend to get a lot of questions in a day - I mean A LOT!.

In walks my band. They have a very wide spectrum of abilities and interest levels. Through the class, we cover a few theory items then have a short discussion on the level of performance we are at with our marching band. "How can we improve our performance? What is wrong with it? What have you heard from people concerning the show?"

High school students can be very insightful at times. They were able to identify many areas that need attention and improvement. Then we played some music. Unfortunately, our music rehearsal wasn't very productive - once in a while, we have those days where nothing seems to go right, musically speaking. Oh well, we will have another crack at it later in the evening and perhaps it will go a bit more productively.

Next, I work with several students on various things, from piano parts, to broken horns that aren't playing right, to reading music for the guitar, to improvising on a pentatonic scale.

The bell rings and everyone slowly trickles out, on their way to their next class. Ahh. Peace and quiet. Now I can get some work done during my lunch time - there is always a pile of paperwork to be accomplished, especially during marching season. Ahh, who am I kidding, there is always a pile of paperwork to do all year long!

Just as I sit down, it is like I have a button on the chair or something that summons students, because in walks the senior pianist, "Hey, 'P', mind if I work some more on that piece of music during lunch? I won't stay for long."

What's a guy gonna say? Of course it is alright. What's the harm? After all, now I get to do my paperwork to piano music! Although, it isn't long and I have to actually kick her out of the room. Sorry, but you really have to get to lunch!

Then I get the news that one of my seniors will probably be withdrawing from school. A great member of the marching band and one that has so much untapped potential. He has a fantastic personality, is really bright and very talented, yet hasn't found those organizational skills that make him successful academically. What a kick in the gut. I was really pulling for him - and still am! I pray that he will find that motivation soon because he has a great deal to offer!

Several classes, lessons and great moments pass by. Including the boy who handed me the instrument during junior high band and said, "Mr. Peters, this piece just fell off. What do you want me to do?" It was one of the mounting posts for the keys! Basically, the instrument will not play without it! The humor is that this poor boys seems to have a good dose of my dad's luck - you know, things seem to fall apart in his hands!

The day finally comes to a close at 3:05 and the students all head for the door. That is of course, all of them except the handful that will hang out in the room until marching band practice at 6pm. That is okay, tonight I have a pile of work to get caught up on so they are fine in the room while I get some work done. Some of them messing around, you know, playing around with the drums and guitars, some working on homework, and some just playing games while listening to music. A great environment for me to get my work done, wouldn't you say?

More and more students gather until 6pm quickly rolls around and we begin our practice. Once again, we begin with a discussion on what needs addressed followed by an overview of the rehearsal order; we will begin with parade work, focus on basics, then review pre-game, run the show as a review, then clean up the 4th song.

Our parade rehearsal was pathetic. I gave them a swift kick for motivation (figuratively, of course!). Wow! We ended up with a fantastically productive rehearsal through the rest of the night!

I drag myself into the door at 8:30pm to the smell of a wonderful supper that Dawn and prepared. We chat for a while then I grab a shower. And, well, here I am. 11pm.

So, why do I share all this with you? I'm not sure. Perhaps you can get a glimpse of what happens behind those walls of a music room where those strange combinations of sounds seem to continuously stream out. Perhaps you are pondering working with children in some capacity and you find this to be a confirmation to that thought. Or maybe you are simply rejoicing that your days are much more peaceful than mine! Go ahead, rub it in!

Last Ride?

We got out for another motorcycle ride today with Steve and Rita and it turned out to be a great afternoon/evening for us. There were a few moments when we had to wonder about it though, as we watched the sky turn darker and darker the farther north we went. At one point we had a discussion as to whether we were looking at rain clouds or snow clouds! After all, it is that season when football is on every weekend and the leaves are not only changing colors, but are beginning to fall from the trees! Can't believe it is already that time of year.

Don't be fooled by this photo, you are actually looking at Steve and Dawn hanging out at the anchor on the shore of Findley Lake, NY. Rita and I caught them red-handed messing around! We took the picture just for evidence.

So Rita thought she would take a break along the waterfront, but I had another idea! She didn't even know that I was about to get her.
Findley Lake is a great destination for a day's ride. The lake front is beautiful and the town is quaint. You can easily ride around the lake and enjoy all the cottages that line its shore.
As we were in town, we decided to get a bite to eat for supper at the Blue Heron Bed and Breakfast Inn and Restaurant. The food was great and made even better by the atmosphere of the front covered deck overlooking the lake.
On our way out of the restaurant, we came across a couple young fishermen who quickly announced they had caught a 19 inch northern pike. It took little encouragement to get one of the young men to reach into a bucket and pull out his trophy for the day. Nice fish!

As we left Findley Lake, we pointed our bikes south on Route 426 and enjoyed the rolling hills and curves that made their way through farmland and small patches of woods which leads into Corry, Pa. From there, we traveled west on Route 77 toward Meadville, Pa.

It is about time to harvest many of the crops as evidenced by their coming to fruition. The leaves on the trees are beginning to turn and it won't be long now before they are in full color. This is a beautiful time to of year to ride in northwestern Pennsylvania. The sights sounds and smells are quite refreshing. Except of course, the manure spreader that we came up behind! Wow! Was that ripe!

So is this our last ride of the season? I certainly hope not. But if it was, it was great to spend it with such good friends. What did we discover today, you might ask? Well, that we really are becoming geezers after all! Unbelievable!

Movin' up!

Looks like I'm movin' up in the world. Remember that picture of Mel working away on his computer? Well, it must of had a rather profound effect on Dawn, or perhaps it is the fact that every time we go to her parents house, Mel is on the computer (which is located right there in the living room - imagine that!).

You see, for years I have been relegated to the "music" room, which actually translates to tundra zone in the winter and sweat box in the summer. But no longer will I freeze in the winter or roast in the summer - no sirree! Tonight we found a nice little glass top desk that Dawn said she can live with - right here in the living room! It has only been 20 years in the making, but I'm not complaining, that is for sure (cause if I complain too loud it could very well be back to the tundra for me!).

Oh yeah, movin' right on up, baby!

A Little Fresh Air

Took a ride up to Mom and Dad Naylor's tonight just to say,"Hi." Mom had a rough day today trying to get her breathing under control. Keep her in your prayers.

On the other hand, how is it that a couple hours of fresh air on a motorcycle can help to clear your mind and ease the stresses of life? Hmmm... Freud never addressed that one!

In Common?

What does campfire, clean-up, school work, family, raking, a bike ride and computer time all have in common?

They all occupied a slice of my day today.

Last night Jackie and Will had some friends over to enjoy a campfire so Dawn and I joined them for a while (being very careful not to overstay our welcome!).

So this morning, Dawn and I thought it might be nice to kick off the day with a quiet, "camping style" start. You know, coffee, campfire and muffins. By the way, if you haven't sat around a campfire for breakfast recently, you really should - it is such a relaxing way to start the day!

Then we picked up the chairs and stuff from the party and the day began.

I went over to the school and spent a little under an hour getting ready for tomorrow, then came home to find everybody finally awake. Nothing like sleeping most of you life away, eh? Haha! (Couldn't resist that little jab - after all, it's my Dad's fault because he always had a comment if we slept past 9am!)

We talked the morning away and caught up on all that was happening. Throughout the day yesterday and this morning, Will filled us in on his new job opportunity in Chico, CA. As with any big move, there is a lot of excitement mixed with a bit of apprehension and about every other emotion in between!

On a very different note, we talked about his new computer. He was really irritated that PC's have so much stuff running in the background. We pulled up the task manager and looked over the very long list of items (that might as well be written in Greek since you can't figure out what they are for and what they are doing!) and he was going crazy looking at so much of his RAM was being eaten up by stuff he didn't even need. It didn't help at all when he found out how much RAM Vista uses! "A brand new computer and why does it have to come with so much junk on it?! Errr!" (or something like that. haha)

Okay, the Mac is running really well. Jury's still out though! Keep you posted.

After lunch we said goodbye to the kids as they headed back to school and work, and we went over to Steve's house to help him rake up the yard. He had some excavation work done in his back yard so now he has new dirt covering most of his front and side yards too. I must admit, working for PennDot has honed his skills to a superb level of expertise! Man, he can lean on a rake like no body's business!!! Just kiddin' Steve, just kiddin'!

After that we took a ride to the southern part of Pymatuning Lake, Pa., to relax and talk for a while. It was a very good way to work through the likely hood that our daughter will be moving to California next year. (Well, that is their plan!)

On our way back home, we stopped at an ice cream stand and watched a little girl glowing over the fact that her mother said she could keep the change from their ice cream order - two whole dollars! Oh, was she happy! We sat one table away from them to eat our ice cream and watched her finish the Superman cone, smiling and chattering away at her mother.

Dawn and I sat and reminisced about our little three year old girl that loved to wear old dance costumes and her Dutch wooden shoes clip-clopping down the sidewalk in town! She was adorable! Now we get to appreciate the stunning beauty (both inside and out) of this very talented nineteen year old young lady that we have the privilege of calling "our daughter".

Later, the little girl at the ice cream stand finished her cone and half skipped, half bounced away to the car holding her mothers hand.

"I just want to tell her mother, 'enjoy this moment because before you know it she'll be all grown up and moving off to California,' " Dawn said.

Don't forget to enjoy this day, they truly fly by in the blink of an eye.

God bless.

Who Says?!

Well, they said it couldn't be done. That's right, an iMac doesn't freeze up or crash. I talked to countless people who said that. Only two people have ever said otherwise - good honest people - thank you very much!

So last night I took my new iMac for a spin. A half hour into the session, I was telling my kids they should have slapped me long ago and told me to buy one of these babies! After all, it would have saved me a lot of grief. What a smooth ride so far.

Nearly an hour into my "maiden voyage" I asked the kids if they wanted to come in and watch my new mini-production. "It is really cool, you guys have to check this out!"

So they came in to see the first of what we all expect to be many productions. Jackie took a seat on my lap and Adam was anxiously awaiting the preview alongside my chair. I pressed play and the kids were bedazzled by the first two and a half minutes of the five minute production. "Nice Dad, really nice," Jackie said.

Then the first gremlin struck - the screen threw a few flashes of green into one of the transitions and Adam timidly asked, "Was it supposed to do that, Dad?"

With a slight tremor I said, "Noooo..."

The flashes became more prevalent through the next three transitions and my stomach began to tighten. Until the unspeakable happened about four minutes into this little production - the screen went to a total green thatch work kind of look! It just froze!

Wait a minute... THIS IS A BRAND NEW iMAC! THIS IS JUST A SHORT MOVIE! My jaw fell into my lap. This is exactly what my PC did regularly and is why it is next on the list to meet my sledge hammer face to face! Granted, I put about as much into that short little test run as possible, but come on, it's a test run - RIGHT?!! You are supposed to give it a good run to see what it'll do! It's a man rule.

Within seconds, iMovie was sucked to the bottom right corner of the screen and it was all over. We were all silently staring at the star filled desktop of this beautiful new computer in disbelief.

After a few moments Adam said, in a rather stressed tone, "Well, I'm outta here! Kind of looks like you got a good dose of the Peters' blood." And simply left Jackie and me to face the horror by ourselves.

Knowing that I have heart problems, Jackie gravely looked at me and asked with great concern, "Are you alright, Dad?"

All I could do was give a little chuckle! God definitely has a sense of humor!

Okay. So the good news? When I restarted iMovie, it had saved all the changes and opened just fine. It also played through the entire production without a hitch (all of the whopping five minutes. Now what happens when I build one of my jam packed, high power, full feature productions?). It even worked well this morning when I showed it to Dawn. Cool. She liked it. (Of course, she could have been in on the maiden voyage but she was too busy sleeping. Haha)

Sorry Mac lovers, the jury is still out on this one. By the way, is that some kind of record or something? You know, crashing a Mac in less than an hour?!!!!!

The Day Arrives

So it finally got here! My very own iMac. You know the "little one" with the 20" screen. That is the smallest they make - give me a break!

So why a mac? Because I will never try to make a movie on a PC again (unless perhaps it is less then a 5 minute production and someone is holding a gun to my head and a pc is the only choice! More then 5 minutes? Don't ask what my choice would be - please!).

As you can see, I was a bit happy and ready to celebrate!
As soon as Jackie saw it, she said, "Ohh Dad, let me show you something! This is really fun!" It seems that she and her friends were playing with Photo Booth (which comes as part of the basic package of software). It was a stitch!
So it seems the commercials are pretty much right on - pc's were developed for the business world to do very specific data work while mac continued to focus on the creative side of the computer world. At least that is the way it looks after day one (and all of 15 minutes on this thing - it was a crazy day at the end of a CRAZY week!).

Keep you posted... I'm still a bit skeptical, but very hopeful. Of course, I'm not gonna lie, that picture of Jackie is a riot!

Project Complete

Finally, another project complete and ready for tomorrow's practice session with the band. The rolling drum set stand is ready for its maiden voyage and we will see if it holds up to the rigors of a season. We will see.

School has begun. It looks like it will be a good year for us too. Tuesday's practice was really good - which was a great relief because the previous practice was a disaster! This group is a really hard working group and a lot of fun too!

Our show is "Jazz Revolution" and will highlight charts that span 4 decades. We hope the audience enjoys it as much as we are!

Well, I am really tired so I am off to shower and bed. Probably better that way since my thoughts are all over the place and out of focus. Haha! Good night.