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All Moved In

We are probably just as surprised to be moving as many people are hearing about it. Besides planning to be in our last place for 2 years, we also were just so content with our home. However, with my recording and producing work picking up, it was just getting too hectic packing up my gear and recording elsewhere. So we decided to move to a place just a few blocks away to a place that was off the main street and with 1 more bedroom.

So last Sunday (the 10th) we came back from church, put Eva down for her nap, and said “Well, I guess we better start packing for the move.” 24 hours later all the furniture and my entire office had been moved. 48 hour hours later we were completely out of our old place (save the cleaning and a few small tasks). There’s this principle that the complexity of a task is inversely proportionate to the amount of time you have to complete it…so before we knew it the lease was signed and we were in our new place.

I remember moving when I was a kid: when you live somewhere for 5+ years there are so many memories there you can’t really narrow it down. But we were in our last place for just a year. I was there a few days ago taking care of the last few things and was completely debilitated by the memories.

I looked at the dining area and saw Eva’s first (1-month birthday), her crawling by the table to get to mommy in the kitchen, her sitting in her seat taking her first meal at the table. I turned towards the kitchen and remembered coming home and seeing Eva in her Bumbo chair playing with a toy while Rebecca was cooking. I remember watching Eva play with her toys in the hallway, and watching Rebecca have her devotions on the couch. I saw my little workspace and remembered all the ways God has blessed my work. And I remember peeking through the bedroom door to fine Eva sleeping in her crib, or staring out the window.

Our new place is wonderful, but every now and then God brings me to a place where His love seems so incalculably large. And I can only remember that what He’s done for us in that place is just a drop in the bucket compared to what He has done for us through Jesus.

Thank You.

(We wanted to put some pictures up of our old place and one of our new place before it was occupied. Updates on the Eva front and pictures of our new place coming soon).

View from the entry.

Dining area at breakfast.

Dining and kitchen area.

Kitchen.

View from the kitchen.

Where the magic happens…

Office area.

Living area.

A decoration or two…

Hallway to the bedroom.

Bathroom.

The bedroom from the doorway.

The bedroom from my side of the bed.

Bedroom from Rebecca’s side.

Our new place: The kitchen from the living room.

The Tail End of the Holidays

Or, the nether-regions as my wife just prompted me to call it. It’s been a wonderful vacation, but we’re getting back to work. We have a move coming up in a week or so (just up the street to a slightly bigger place).  We’re pretty excited.

We all got to hang out with Matt and Amy a few days ago and send them off before they leave for Ecuador. Eva got to hang out with her cousins a little bit.

Playing on the grassy knoll

She found a weed.

Very excited about the weed.

Eva got to hang out with her little cousin.

Eva and Violet playing together.

Eva’s third Christmas experience this year.

The Kappen kids.

Comerade Eva at the Winkles on New Year’s Day.

Eva’s been so close to walking lately. She wants to walk around with us holding onto her with one hand, and keeps trying to let go and just take off. Our little mobile device is getting an upgrade soon, it seems.

Christmas at the Tseitlins

It’s hard at this time of year not to think of all the gifts God has given me. Not only in bounty but in pricelessness. This year He has entrusted to us a sweet little girl, and to me my fourth year of marriage. Through the practicical ups and downs of life it’s not just the magnitude of these gifts that give me pause, but the fact that He would love someone as unworthy as me. And to an extent I couldn’t even begin to describe here. That doesn’t give me pause at all; that takes my breath away.

Our little Christmas Eve dinner at home.

Lamb shank. *drool*

Eva at our little Christmas morning.

Figuring it all out…

A practical present…

And a fun present.

Breakfast Christmas morning.

Eva arriving at Baba and Deda’s.

Downtown Del Mar.

Eva in her Christmas dress.

Eva and Baba hanging out after dinner.

A little update on the little front…

Turns out I didn’t have very many pictures on my phone this week (so looking forward to upgrading in January when my contract runs out). Here’s just a few little bits of Eva the past few weeks.

It sounds like she’s asleep for her nap, but she’s up watching the cars drive by.

Eva and her favorite book.

And trying to destroy the evidence after she’s done reading it.

Oh, and by the way, she’s “so big!”

Week of December 1st

Well, I’ve been more absent than not lately from my blogs. We just finished up a huge project: the Christmas Concert at Calvary Church. An amazing 20-piece orchestra two choirs, and Travis and Tracey taylor leading us. I’ve posted just a few photos below. Videos and extensive album coming soon.

We realized the day of that the piano is across the stage from the choir, making it difficult to warm up the choir. We had to find some creative solutions.

The orchestra getting some notes.

The vew from the Bass section.

Tracey Taylor

Our amazing choir.

The view from the loft.

And our amazing childrens choir.

Rebecca did an amazing job leading the orchestra and helping make everything run smoothly.

Perhaps the only string section I’ve ever worked with that could read through the Webern flawlessly the first time at the rehearsal.

2 choirs, an orchestra, and 2 soloists. Getting ready for traffic-cop conducting.

Travis Taylor.

87 pages, almost 900 measures of scoring, and a new Bass part written for the Webern.

It was a grand scene.

I’ll get back to posting about the Tseitlin escapades shortly.

Thanksgiving Week

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Between the big push at the end of our work week before Thanksgiving and being gone (4 whole days of vacation!), it’s taken me a bit to get back to our regular routine.

We had a great Thanksgiving over with the Kappens. It’s great to see cousins and uncles and grandparents and catch up with everyone. We had Thanksgiving lunch at Grandma Kappens, and then went over to the fire station where Kenny was working and had Thanksgiving dinner there.

We headed home on Friday night and spent Saturday hanging out, picking out a Christmas tree, and decorating it.

On the work front, I’m all done with my scoring and preparations for the Christmas Concert in december. If anyone’s in town and wants to see one of the best string orchestras I’ve ever had the chance to put together, come check it out!

Eva and Lilly playing around.

Eva and daddy hanging out.

All bundled up and ready for a walk.

All the cousins at Thanksgiving.

We went on our first dinner and a movie since we had the little one. Thank you Grandma!

The girls at the Christmas tree farm.

Someone likes all the green.

Eva at the little zoo…shortly before she got spooked by one of the chickens.

Feeling better despite all the scary chickens.

Playing with the tree.

All decorated.

Playing instead of napping.