Bathroom closet

Steve on the rocks

I just returned from visiting the family in Joplin, Missouri. It was so good to get out of Los Angeles for a few days. We had a great time...I will post more pictures of the trip at a later date. As of this writing, school (work for me) begins this Tuesday. The Florida move is still on, and the house is very slowly starting to take shape. A very nice gentleman stopped by yesterday to look at the Cadillac--he's currently driving a restored version of the 76 Seville I have and is very interested in obtaining another one!

Here is a picture Mom took of me at a beautiful park near Joplin. Thanks for stopping by...don't forget to say hello before you leave!

A picture, at long last!

Here is an updated pic of my fitness endeavor. I was waiting until I could get a hair cut before posting, but it seems my favorite gal at Supercuts is on vacation until sometime this week. I'm wearing a lose 36" jeans and medium to large shirts--I feel amazing and have tons of energy! (Murphy decided to join me in the photo)


Thanks for stopping in....check back again and don't forget to say hello before you leave!

Steve in June...

Here are a few pictures of my "transformation endeavor." Only just over the past couple of days have people begun to remark on my weight loss. I've increased my daily (yes, 7 days a week) biking to 30 minutes on the stationary bike or 8 miles on the traditional bike. I also spend about 20 minutes weight training after my ride. I've begun to enjoy exercising and look forward to the time each morning. I'm sleeping really well at night as well as having tons of energy during the day.

Thanks for stopping by...don't forget to say hello before you leave.

Busy time for the music teacher...

Year-end is always a busy time for me. I have several performances coming up in the next three to four weeks, but summer break is finally in sight! I wanted to post a couple of new pictures today. As I ease into my late 30s, and with 40 about to pop into the horizon, I resolved to make changes to improve my health including becoming a vegetarian (as of January this year) and daily exercise.

Poster kids for...

My sister and her "crazy kids." We sometimes spontaneously pose for the camera. One never knows how the pictures will turn out.

Happy Birthday to Dad

This past weekend, I flew home to surprise my dad on his 80th birthday. The family had an amazing time together celebrating a landmark year. (Of course, to my dad, this is just a number--not a state of mind).


This is a picture of the original four (and our four-legged sisters)

My beautiful friend...

Over six years ago I was hired to teach elementary music as an itinerant teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. I was assigned to visit five schools--one per day for the entire year. The size of the district (over 700,000 students) combined with all of the typical challenges of a new teaching position were overwhelming at times. One of the schools where I was assigned was Cahuenga Elementary (pronounced Co-Aing-ah). Upon my arrival, I soon become acquainted with someone who would forever change my life. Adeline, the vice principal, would eventually become a close friend, mentor and part of my "adopted" family. Not really knowing anything about me, she invited me to direct her church choir to sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. I happily accepted and six years later, I am still directing the choir.

Through her friendship, I have met many wonderful people who have enriched my life and have made being far from my own family a lot easier to bear. She was a tower of strength for me while I was going through the Master's degree program in Public School Administration, lending support and advice and even standing in for my mom and dad on graduation day. This past Christmas, she invited my best friend Tom and me to join her family for the big Christmas Eve celebration. It was one of the most enjoyable evenings either one of have spent in a very long time and it was such an honor to spend it with such incredibly warm and caring people.

Nearly two years ago, Adeline was diagnosed with cancer and is currently waging an incredible war against the disease. She is an amazing human being with such a determined and beautiful spirit--truly one of the most inspiring people I have known.

This past Saturday, I joined five other musicians to present a fund-raising concert where all proceeds will go for cancer research. It was held in a small church in the Los Angeles area and raised nearly $2,000. The best part was Adeline was able to attend the concert where I debuted the piece I composed in her honor entitled "Adeline's Waltz."

Below is a picture taken at the reception that followed the concert--I think she looks simply beautiful!

Me and my sis....

I have started to rummage through my things in preparation for the move East and ran across these photos. This is my older sister (and my only sibling), Pam. She is about six years older (or should I say I'm six years younger?). The age difference seemed vast when we were kids, especially when I wanted to hang out in her room--her things were much "cooler" than mine. She had a stereo with Larry Gatlin and Barry Manilow records. I had a record player with a record of Kermit the Frog singing "Rainbow Connection." (I can still sing every word, by the way).

We're a little bit older now. Pam has two beautiful daughters and a wonderful husband. She recently was promoted to Nursing Manager for a group of doctors in Joplin. I'm really proud of her!


This pictures was taken at home in Iowa Park, Texas. This was probably around 1973 or 1974. See how innocent I look?


It had been quite a few years since Pam and I had a studio picture taken together. We decided to have this one made for Mother's Day. I believe this was taken around 1995. Check out that snazzy tie!


This picture is the most recent (it was taken in the last four years--since I've lived in California). I recall this photo session very well. We had a really good laugh, as we usually do when we're together.
That's it for today--thanks for stopping by!

My Piano Teachers...

This past Saturday, I was asked to serve as a judge for a piano scholarship competition for a local non-profit organization. This marked my fourth year as a judge, but this year, I was more reflective as I was listening to the kids perform. I have had many wonderful teachers over the years and many stand out as being very influential. This year, two of those teachers passed on and I would like to honor them both here.

I was sort of an initial failure with my piano lessons. Poor Mrs. Sewell did her best, but was never able to successfully wean me off of using the fingering (instead of learning to read the notes). By the time I was in sixth grade, I was becoming more frustrated by not being able to read music. My elementary music teacher in Neosho, Missouri, Mrs. Clanton, suggested that I take piano lessons from this fantastic teacher in Joplin. I had the rare opportunity to study piano with a local legend (although, I had no idea at the time). Mrs. Mary Harutun help unlock the "mystery" of written music and whet my appetite for performance. I remember fondly the Saturday evening recitals and the piano competitions. Mrs. Harutun lived to the ripe old age of 98. What an inspiration she was!


This is Mrs. Harutun sitting as she looked at countless lessons. This is the piano we took our lessons as well as the piano we used for the Saturday evening recitals.

I was a music education major at Missouri Southern State University (it was still Missouri Southern State College when I was attending). I was required to take private piano lessons for my major, so I did some investigating and discovered a gifted teacher who was on staff at Ozark Bible College in Joplin, Missouri. I was a student of Tacille King for only a short while, but in that short amount of time, she had made such an impression on me, I was never the same. She taught me that there was no pleasure in being mediocre. She also taught me that musicians will "rise to the occasion" and do what is needed for the art. She also unlocked the mystery of playing without tension and playing with the mind fully engaged (instead of letting it go on "auto pilot"). I had an opportunity to take a lesson 3 or 4 years ago with her while I was visiting from California--it was so much fun and so helpful.




This picture was taken a few short years ago while I was visiting the family in Joplin. I believe this was after a holiday performance at College Heights Christian Church.
Both ladies are and will continue to be sorely missed, but they will live on in the many, many hearts of those they influenced. The biggest tribute I can make to honor their memories is to pass on what I have learned to my own students. May they both rest in peace.

Shower Corner

Bathroom Saga -- Opus 1

The bathroom remodel/upgrade is going very well. We're officially without a shower (yikes!), but thankfully, neither of us have any place to go! I've posted a few pictures. The plan tomorrow is to finish the demolition and remove all the nails from the studs then to begin the drywall.


This is the shower before the demolition.
Notice how the bathroom door opens into the counter top. The plan is to have it open into the wall where the switch was (see below).


Another shot of the shower...
It looks like there are 3 layers of floor.
We started with the wall that the side where the sink was. The counter top was covered in white tile, but discovered a dark green linoleum was the original counter surface.
Original counter
Two recessed lights will replace the medicine cabinet light.
A light over the shower is a nice addition! Check out the concrete and chicken wire that was behind the sheetrock/plaster layer.
Notice the mesh embedded in the plaster. This was used all over the room in all the corners. I will have to say that this little house was very well built! This stuff doesn't come off the wall very easily.
What a mess!
This is where the old switch was. We had it moved to the other side of the door. The door will open into this wall instead of into the middle of the room.
This ceiling was a challenge to remove. The insulation in the attic was blown and a real mess to remove!

"The Girls"

I have spent some of my winter break going through some of my things trying to determine if I want to move it cross-country. I found a box of pictures and couldn't resist looking through some of them. I ran across these photos of my sister's kids. I can't believe how quickly they have grown up! Lauren, the oldest, is now majoring in education at Missouri Southern State University. Allison is currently in the 7th grade and is a star volley ball player. I'm very proud of both of them--they're both great kids!





This was taken 4 or 5 years ago while I was visiting the family in Joplin.
Miss Lauren playin' a tune for Uncle Steve. This was taken nearly 6 years ago while the White House was visiting Northern California.
Allison is performing at a piano recital in Webster Hall on the campus of Missouri Southern State University. This is also the place where I did my senior recital when I was a student there in '96.