My Crazy Friday

March is definitely blowing in and on through as quickly as...a person with a cold goes through a box of tisues.

I was very thankful to make it through the day yesterday (Friday, March 10) due to the Friendship Banquet. I knew I had to do the powerpoint presentation for that, but there were just too many things going on earlier in the week with my normal hectic schedule to get it done before Friday. (Plus details are suject to change at the last minute and I despise having to redo things.) And I knew that normally on Fridays I have more time to work on the computer since I give fewer lessons. So, anyway, Thursday in a few minutes of spare time right after school and in every spare moment Friday I spent going through yearbook pictures, looking for ones I could use to highlight the school, taking more pictures of the preschool, and combining 167 pictures into a powerpoint for during the dinner. Then putting the program presentation together--and trying to make it look good because this is a big fundraising event for the school and public dignitaries were scheduled to attend (although I know that really shouldn't matter because everything done for God should be done in an excellent manner, anyway). So in between my normal schedule of giving lessons and a couple of extra practices for more upcoming events (and taking an extra hour to help a student write out a song on the computer), I spent tracking down information for the program and putting that together. (Of course, to make matters more complicated my office computer can't handle the number of pictures and was acting up, plus I didn't have the right fonts...)

And my other responsibilities included playing dinner music and accompanying three music groups, so I wanted to be well-prepared and really needed to practice some things for that. Thankfully, one of the benefits that comes with older age is experience, so having done these things before really helps in preparing...it's more mental than anything else. (On these kinds of days, eating is on the bottom of the priority list.)

Speaking of practicing, I usually like to spend an hour or so on Fridays practicing the piano, because I usually have some free time, and I really need to do so because of the events coming up THIS week. Today (Saturday) I am on my way with our senior high choir to a non-competitive public school festival. Sunday morning the Faith Ministry Team is ministering at Church Alive downtown in the morning. Monday and Tuesday I really need to be prepared for Fiddler on the Roof rehearsals, because I have some main parts and I haven't practiced them yet. And Thursday and Friday are the FABA competitions for the Christian school association, and I need to find time to get together with people I am responsible for as well as people I am accompanying for that.

Some days I wonder how it will all get done, but in spite of all this busy-ness, isn't it amazing how much God allows us to accomplish. I mean, I was able to sleep in this morning (well, I couldn't sleep past 7:45, but I didn't have anywhere I had to be until 1:00). And I was able to put laundry away, do the dishes, vacuum the house--all things I usually do only when I have free time! I even got out some spring decorations. I didn't feel rushed at all. And since tomorrow morning I will not be at my church's services, I won't have to be here until 8:00 a.m.! So I can "sleep in" again tomorrow. And it's amazing how much we can actually squeeze in to a 24-hour day. God created us marvelously!

So, we are coming in to a very busy time of year for me, but on the other hand, this is the stuff that makes life fun and interesting.

And, oh, BTW, Friday night went very well. I was able to get the winning bids typed in during the program, dinner music went well, and I only saw one glitch in the picture presentation (forgot to delete a picture underneath another picture). And one of the names on the program part of the presentation was wrong, but there was nothing I could do about that. I even got to taste some chocolate covered strawberries and the cheescake!

Now if only I could find a time to get my taxes done...