Kora's Piano Recital

Last weekend we travelled south again, this time to San Antonio to the other Smith household located in the center of muggy. They still have more humidity down there than we do here in Dallas. I got to leave work early about 1:45 so we could eat the traffic a little. We actually took the new toll road to go around Austin instead of through it. It is a mystery to everyone who's ever been through that town as to why traffic slows to a snail's pace all the way through Austin until you get around the curve south of Lady Bird Johnson's lake. So we tried the new toll road. Nice, really nice. There was little traffic and we didn't slow down once. We didn't even have to pay---then. There are cameras up there at the 1/4 way marks that take your license plate number and send you a bill in the mail. Supposedly it's $6 one way. How they think anyone can afford that is beyond me. But it was worth the time and stress-free drive to not have to drive downtown Austin.

Kora had her first piano recital on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Tami's mom & dad, Marva & Bud Cagle, from Odessa were there for the weekend, too. It was great to get to see them again and visit and have those 6 girls around. We took Sandy, of course, and he was in hog heaven out in their backyard because the 5 older girls gave him lots of company.

Kora has been taking lessons from the Christian Music Conservatory at Castle Hills First Baptist Church for about a year now. Tami taught her the basics (like I did with Tony) and then sought a higher level teacher for her (like we did with Sharon Bishop in Odessa.) Kora has always loved to sit at the piano and make up songs. She can just make up melodies constantly and she has a very nice touch on the piano. Her recital performance was so wonderful. She played Canon in D and just played it so beautifully. That is the song that was played at Kelly & Tami's wedding as the bridesmaids came down the aisle. Her teacher, Ms. Penny Pitamber, put Kora in the Intermediate class for the recital and she played up to the challenge. I was just sitting there bawling on our pew and wasn't too bad off until she was finished and came and sat back down. Then it was like somebody opened a faucet. Marva leaned forward and gave me a package of kleenex so I could quit slobbering all over my hands.

The Austin kids came down for the recital so we had everybody there, which was so nice. But did I think to get a picture of all 8 grandkids now with Miss Ashlynn???? NOOOO! This church has a beautiful atrium outside that would have been the perfect setting for a group picture. And I didn't get a picture of Bud & Marva with the 6 girls either. Just wasn't my day. It was a wonderful weekend though. You did so good, Kora Brianne!

Here is a link to Kora's performance on YouTube: Thanks to Tony for videoing the event! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QD115lvPDU