Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles

Before I get back to "Things Are Falling Apart, Part 2," which I will tomorrow, let me share some exciting (to us) news about Tom’s 16 year old grandson, Julian Nguyen, who lives in Grand Prairie, Texas.  He was interviewed on TV in Dallas last night and we have the link to the story and video to share with you here:

http://www.the33tv.com/pages/content_landing_page/?Worlds-First-Online-Orchestra=1&blockID=150712&feedID=460

Julian is not only a very mature and personable young man, he is also very gifted and a hard worker in music, beginning with the violin.  At the instigation of his dad, Tuan, who is also a violinist (and founder and orchestra leader for a non-profit children’s orchestra in Grand Prairie, Children of the Strings*), and his mom (Tom’s daughter), Kristine, Julian began taking violin lessons when he was three years old – Suzuki method.

From there, over the years, he moved on to playing piano, drums, saxophone and guitar.  While he concentrates on classical music as a violinist, he also play lead guitar with his heavy metal band called "Igloo SpaceMen," which has several videos on You Tube, and composes music on his computer.  Tom’s favorite music video is Julian’s school project from last year "Prairie Biome Music Video," (you have to see it!) in which he wrote a piece for his band and performed it in a music video story he produced with the cooperation of his teacher and other students, who were in the video.  

Today, he is a sophomore at Booker T. Washington High School for the gifted in Dallas, where he not only takes lots of music classes (and this semester, ballet!), but also lines up professional "gigs," as he calls them, for nights and the weekends performing as a violinist, both solo and with a quartet or other small groups, for weddings and other social events.  

That’s when he’s not playing with Children of the Strings, for school events, with his heavy metal band or practicing non-stop.

His younger sister, Veronica, 13, plays cello and piano, is in Children of the Strings and is in a junior high for gifted students, as well, in Grand Prairie.  She loves to work with crafts, and when she, Julian, and their mom, Kristine, were here last weekend for a couple of day, Veronica was busy making the cutest little sock animals following the instructions in her craft book, "Stray Sock Sewing."  I even "ordered" three of them for Veronica’s three little step-cousins, my granddaughters, Zoe, Hannah & Kayci, here in Picayune for Christmas.

I could go on and on about Julian, Veronica, Kristine & Tuan, as well as the rest of our kids, grandkids and my baby great-granddaughter, Kiley, who is 1 1/2, but time and space won’t allow.  I will share a photo of Julian, Veronica, Hannah & Zoe taken last week when they were all here at the house visiting.  Julian & Veronica are teaching Hannah, 3, and Zoe, 6, to play a piece on the keyboard and we all were having a lot of fun.

Give yourself a treat right now and check out the links in this post for some enjoyable moments for today (except maybe for the heavy metal stuff, but then I’m not exactly a heavy metal grandma – I like the classical, much better).

Much love & Cheers & Blessings to you all today!  Dee

P. S.  My pain from shingles is subsiding and is mostly constant aching in my right side the past couple of days with twinges of pain from time to time.

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*Tom’s son-in-law, Tuan, was written up in May 2008 Southern Living as "Grand Prairie’s Music Man" for his work with Children of the Strings, which has a great reputation in the Dallas area and doeswonderful work with the kids.