Hello to all three (maybe four) of my faithful blog readers...  Yes, that means YOU...in case you're still wondering, that's my mom, <a href="http://neelyfloyd.blogspot.com/">my sis</a>, my friend <a href="http://mothertucker74.blogspot.com/">Kym</a> who reminded me that I haven't posted all week, and my boss, <a href="http://costillacommunity.blogspot.com/">John</a>, who would win a blogging emmy (if there was such a thing) for  "the most blogs any one person could possibly post in a single week."   Seriously, he's kicking my butt.  And, yes, we've turned this into a competition.  Anyway, love you guys and so sorry I've been M.I.A. in blogworld...but it has been a very busy (and very eventful) week.  <div>
</div><div>By now you've surely caught on to my fondness for lists, so here is a highlight from each day this past week that I missed blogging:<div>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.coalvines.com/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oBje0bKGnhw/SMCgrSJeqLI/AAAAAAAAAGM/yR9X3FcSyiw/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242366631725672626" /></a>
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Friday, August 29th</span> - If you've known Ben and I for long (or even if you've known us only a short time), you've come to realize that a weekend isn't truly a weekend for us until we make it to Coal Vines (our fav!).  Is it a sign that you go somewhere too much when the waiters/waitresses/managers are on a first name basis with you and all of your friends?  We didn't think so, either.  When it comes to Coal Vines there's no such thing as too much.  And Friday evening we were joined by two of our great friends, Michael &amp; Tiffany McDaniel...we always have so much fun with you two (and can't wait until you two become three)!</div><div>
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, August 30th</span> - My Father-in-Law's Birthday (we're celebrating this coming Friday)...and Candace's Birthday Celebration!!!  And, boy, did we celebrate...well, as much as her preggo self could, anyway!  Jill, Shaun, Grant, Jayme, and I all took her out to a great dinner at Mi Concina...then we headed out to <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/places/club-dada/">Club Dada</a> to hear her husband, Josiah, play with Tim Miller.  Wow...they're great...check them out if you ever get the chance!  Fun night filled with great memories... (And by the way, Candace and I have YET to take a decent picture together...our faces really aren't that wide...)</div><div>
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday, August 31st - </span><a href="http://www.keystonechurch.com/">Keystone Church</a> (always)...a great cheeseburger with our Sunday lunch crew...and hanging with my Mom.  She truly is one of my best friends and I love spending time and talking with her.</div><div>
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Monday, September 1st - </span>LABOR DAY!!!  Isn't the day off a highlight for everyone???  ...and, Ben finally came home after a weekend at the lake with the boys.  I missed him =)</div><div>
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, September 2nd (A)</span> - We had the great pleasure of spending the evening with our dear friends Steve &amp; Tracy Preskenis.  As Ben describes them..."they're just good people."  We love you guys and always treasure our fun times together (especially now that we're neighbors)!</div><div>
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday, September 2nd (B) - </span>Ahem...wait for it...  It was the night I have been unashamedly looking forward to for, I don't know...maybe the last 15 years or so...  That's right...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.cwtv.com/shows/90210/about">90210</a></span> is back, baby!  And I felt like I was 13 years old again throughout the entire 2-hour season premier.  Not that it was outstanding television by any stretch of the imagination...but it was more of a flashback to those junior high slumber party nights when you and all of your friends wanted to date Dylan McKay.  It was greatness.  I was thoroughly entertained although a bit disturbed that Nat was STILL working at the Peach Pitt.  Hmmm...</div><div>
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Wednesday, September 3rd</span> - Ben and I had the honor of hosting our Keystone worship team for dinner and vision casting at our house.  What an incredibly refreshing time filled with fellowship and worship!  I so admire Brian (our worship leader) and the rest of the Keystone staff who remind us about our purpose, that we're singing and playing for an audience of only One, and to "hold loosely"...  It was a great night and we were privileged to have you all in our home.</div><div>
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday, September 4th</span> - (Pictured: Karel, Donnine, Malcolm, and the side of my head as I'm texting on my iphone.) Last, but definitely not least... Today our <a href="http://www.weareteachers.com/">WeAreTeachers</a> team had the opportunity to FINALLY meet face-to-face with <a href="http://green.i2we.com/">Karel Baloun</a>.  For the past several months, our team has been working with Karel via video chat, skype, you name it...on a new Facebook application called "<a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=7241599332&amp;ref=s">I Am Teacher</a>."  It's VERY exciting for us and we had a great day that generated some even greater ideas...I can't wait!  If you have a Facebook account, definitely check it out and send us your feedback...</div><div>
</div><div>Well...that's it for my week-o'-highlights...  This weekend is sure to bring more fun as we're celebrating a birthday with Ben's dad tomorrow night...I'm sure I'll take plenty of pictures and fill in my faithful blogworld readers soon...goodnight!</div><div>
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This post is a shout-out to all our old O-town friends...

Had a couple of cool sites/web tools I wanted to share to help you waste a little bit of time today...

1. Saw Swing Vote on Friday night... surprisingly, it was one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in a very long time. Great political satire...I appreciated the fact that it didn't favor one political party over another...and it just had a really great message. I know, I know...Kevin Costner was so 10 years ago...but I still highly recommend this movie...you've got to go see it! Red Cards from Keystone Church on Vimeo.

Seems like every other week you're signing up for another social networking site and filling out another user profile with the same old information; webapp AtomKeep is out to save you the the time and hassle. AtomKeep manages and syncs your user information across 23 social media applications (including Facebook, Digg, Flickr, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, YouTube, Yelp, and Ning, just to name a few). AtomKeep sets your user profile information to default settings you specify. This means you you don't have to navigate to your old Digg profile to see what to put in your Twitter biography. AtomKeep doesn't store your password on-site—they say they only use it to synchronize your data. If you want to keep your social networking profiles consistent across sites, AtomKeep makes that process simple.

I know I mentioned this in my last post, but here is the official press release going out on Monday...wanted to let you preview it early! WeAreTeachers Launches Facebook Application WeAreTeachers Launches Facebook Application Allowing Teachers to Share and Sell Teaching Materials and Services inside their own Knowledge Marketplace. Austin, TX — WeAreTeachers, the “Knowledge Marketplace” community for teachers to share and sell their instructional materials and services or earn when they recommend commercial products, today revealed a new application that offers teachers access to this knowledge marketplace inside their Facebook profile. The I Am Teacher Facebook application brings teacher-generated content and services and commercial products to teachers and learners inside the Facebook community. Visit http://tinyurl.com/6gqgsx to download the I Am Teacher application now. For teachers who have Facebook profiles and wish to find other teachers in the network, the I Am Teacher application fosters connection and collaboration inside this large community. “While many teachers have joined the WeAreTeachers community (WeAreTeachers.com), we also want to offer teachers of all types, wherever they gather, an aggregated knowledge marketplace within the Facebook I Am Teacher application,” says Sandy Fivecoat, CEO and Founder of WeAreTeachers. Teachers who have content to share or sell or instructional services that they provide will be able to add and price their products into the Knowledge Marketplace on I AmTeacher in Facebook. The Knowledge Marketplace will give teachers a way to reach teachers and learners on Facebook worldwide. Additionally, companies that wish to partner with WeAreTeachers can add their product catalogs into the WeAreTeachers Knowledge Marketplace and have teachers review, recommend or buy their products. This gives business affiliates an immediate online distribution channel to the growing 40,000 current WeAreTeachers members and also gives them a viral strategy to the more than 50 million Facebook community members. “Businesses are looking for ways to reach the growing number of members inside of Facebook and other social networks,” says Sandy Fivecoat. “Our business model is designed to help them do that. Through the I Am Teacher Facebook application, our business partners have a low-risk, low development entry into the social network community and the ability to reach a target audience specific to their consumer types.” WeAreTeachers has over eighty current business partners and that list is growing rapidly. WeAreTeachers has created a way for businesses, learners and teachers to connect in a way that leverages and supports how online communities interact. WeAreTeachers realizes that banner advertisement and search engine optimization strategies are common tactics of many businesses trying to reach teachers. The philosophy of WeAreTeachers is to create real monetary value for its members and partners by using an interception strategy that places contextual content where teachers are gathering online. WeAreTeachers plans to distribute its Knowledge Marketplace to more existing social networks to reach teachers where they are connecting, collaborating and can now--buy, sell, and recommend instructional resources online. About WeAreTeachers WeAreTeachers is the first ‘Knowledge Marketplace’ designed to empower teachers of all types by enabling tangible rewards to all who deliver skill and knowledge to others. The WeAreTeachers community will help teachers gain financial benefit through the publishing and selling of their own content, by promoting and delivering their time or tutoring services, and through recommending commercially available products to others. For more information, visit www.WeAreTeachers.com.

Several random things from today...completely unrelated, but most of them excited me nonetheless: 1. WeAreTeachers launched our marketplace in Facebook!!! You can check it out here: I Am Teacher Marketplace. This is HUGE...many, many hours of work (still many more to come), but a very important milestone for our little company. It's so exciting to watch it take off and grow! (If you have a Fb account, search for 'I Am Teacher' in the applications and add it to your profile...pretty cool.) 2. On a more personal note...our family received some VERY EXCITING news today as well... My brother-in-law, Joe, found out this morning that he has been accepted to Columbia for their MBA program. We are so proud of you, Joe! (And very excited to come visit New York City...) He and his wife, Candice, will be moving to NY in January...in the mean time we love that they are here in the metroplex after four long years in the San Diego area. We all went out for a celebratory dinner tonight and had a wonderful time... here they are... 3. Have I mentioned that I freakin' love our church (Keystone Church)??? After dinner with the fam, I headed over to Simply You (owned by our good friend, Melody) to meet up with some of the women for a ministry event. What an incredibly refreshing night to catch up with old friends and meet new ones as well. I've been so busy with every day life that I really haven't taken time out to just stop, breathe, and take it all in. Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to do that - you ladies minister to me every day and I am so thankful you are in my life. And a HUGE shout out to Tracy for all of her hard work and organization...thank you! (A side plug... if you live in the area and haven't been by Simply You... ya need to try it... yummm!) 4. This next item does not excite me due to obvious reasons... I was saddened today to see that the little town Ben and I lived in outside of Minneapolis made the news because of a plane crash. My heart goes out to that community...we miss our friends from Owatonna every day! 5. And finally... My sister got she and I tickets to the John Mayer/ Colbie Caillat concert tomorrow night. I know, I know...I said I was a music snob...go ahead and throw stones at me for going to this concert. But, I am excited...very excited! Not so much because of the music, but because it will be a fun night with my little sister (and one of our "surrogate" sisters, Blaire Bender). And, because I am secretly hoping to see/meet Jennifer Aniston. This may sound weird, but I know that she and I would be BFFs if we ever had the chance to meet... So that's all for tonight...heading to bed to catch up on sleep. But before I do, I just have to point out the obvious...I'm a list maker. My apologies go out to all those that are annoyed by this, but it will continue.

Hello to both readers that might actually see this post...it is my first, so please hang in there with me. I am starting this because I was challenged to blog at least three times per week by a friend and co-worker of mine, John Costilla. Clearly, he under-estimated the depth of my competitive nature... I told him not to worry...that I would not disappoint... I'm up for the challenge, right? ... So, here we go... Since this is my first post, I thought I would start out by telling you a couple of random things about myself. Some are serious, some are not...just want to give you a better idea about who I am and what I do. In no particular order...here they are: 1. I have been married to my wonderful husband, Ben, for almost 7 years. He truly amazes me every day. We consider ourselves very lucky to have found each other because there's no one else in the world who could put up with either one of us... On more than one occasion we have definitely been described as an "overwhelming two-man show"... don't know if that's a good thing...but in any case, he is my best friend and I treasure our time together. Here he is...actually smiling for the camera... 2. My faith is the most important thing to me - it is what keeps me going on the worst of days. Even on my good days I know that my life looks nothing like the life of Jesus. Thankfully, I have a wonderful church family who lift each other up and support each other - Keystone Church. If you live in the area, you should check it out. I am blessed every day by these friends. 3. I am an organizational / clean freak. (I'm taking a moment right here for those friends and family that know me to gasp in utter disbelief.) I hang all of the clothes in my closet according to color and sleeve length. It drives me to mop every time I see little animal footprints all over our wood floors. I can walk into almost any room and immediately know if something has been moved...even if it's just the slightest turn of a picture frame. A little OCD? Maybe... But I'm not weird about it, if that's possible. I don't impose this OCD-ness on others (I don't think)... I'm working on it. 4. I love my job (and I really mean that...I'm not just saying it). I'm the Marketing Coordinator for WeAreTeachers where I have the opportunity to work with an amazing team of people who are paving a new road in the educational technology world. (I'm also paid to play on social networks like facebook, myspace, ning, twitter, and so forth - all from the comfort of my own home... Does it get any better than that???) 5. I would argue that McDonalds has better coffee than Starbucks. We've all just been suckered in by the marketing geniuses that Starbucks hired. Props. 6. I am "one of those" animal people. I have two boys...Johnny and Fat Jack (aka "The Boys"). Fat Jack is a 4 year old cat who already weighs 23 pounds...and growing. He's well on his way to full-blown diabetes. We've tried every animal diet the vet has to offer...even did the "South Beach Kitty Diet"...whatever that is. Sadly, nothing has worked..but Fat Jack is happy and doesn't seem to mind. (Side note here... Ben is NOT an animal person and definitely put a price tag on Fat Jack's life...we had to agree on a dollar amount that we would not go over for emergency vet visits after one of his diabetic attacks.) Fat Jack showin' off that belly... 7. My friend, Trey, once said that he judges people by their favorite movies... After hearing that, I realized that I also judge people on a criteria almost as ridiculous...I judge people based on what music they listen to. I am a self-confessed music snob. Music is one of my passions and it will take a whole other post (or two or three) to talk about that... BTW, if you're a music snob like me and you haven't been totally hooked on Pandora...you are missing out! 8. And, finally, my last random fact for today... I hold the record for the highest number of parking tickets ever issued to a single student at Baylor University. (Again, for those that know me...SHOCKER!!!) This is a true fact and, last time I heard, still mentioned in the freshman orientations. Not necessarily proud of that, but it is what it is... Do you think my car would still get the boot if I were to drive it on to campus today??? A big THANK YOU if you actually read all the way through this post to here...just realized it got pretty long. Sorry about that, friends...I'll work on keeping it shorter. In the mean time, let me know what some of your quirky/funny habits are...I like knowing that I'm not alone!

Some of you may have already read this...But for those who haven't, and for those who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives... Read on... At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon." In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics: 1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash... Twice a day. 2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car. 3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this. 4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine. 5. (Being an avid Mac user...I love this one!) Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads. 6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light. 7. The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying. 8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio antenna. 9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car. 10. You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off.

I have friends and parents ask me all of the time how they can begin their search for the right piano teacher. Chances are, if you are a beginning student, then you will most likely find a local teacher who is able and willing to help. But, what about finding a teacher for an intermediate to advanced pianist? Where do you begin the search to ensure that you receive a quality music performance education?

There are several obstacles that arise when you begin your teacher search. First of all, it can be very difficult for an advanced student to find a local teacher who has the experience and training necessary to provide a quality education. As you begin interviewing different teachers, ask them the following questions to better understand their qualifications:

Question #1) Where did you study music? This seems very basic, but there are a surprising number of teachers out there who do not have any formal training beyond their own piano lessons from childhood and adolescent years. As a standard, qualified teachers for intermediate to advanced students should have a degree from an accredited university in either Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy, or Music Education.

Question #2) How do you structure your lesson time? This question will give you a good understanding into the depth of music education that will take place during each lesson. It is important that a teacher carve out time in their lesson structure for technique, sight-reading, performance, and theory. Ask other colleagues and students about a teacher’s methods and how effective they are. It is important to find a teacher whose methods will work for you.

Question #3) What music associations are you involved in? This question will again reiterate their legitimacy as a teacher. Most music associations set requirements for their members including education standards, years of experience, references, etc. If you are searching for a teacher in the state of Texas, a great website to check out is www.tmta.org. A teacher who is affiliated with an association provides many more opportunities for the student as well. These include different performance opportunities, competitions, statewide theory tests, etc.

Next, you should know that good piano teachers should first and foremost be professional players. Why? Because their experience performing and working in the music industry is paramount to getting the best instruction. To be successful as a pianist, you need to find a teacher that is also a successful professional artist to guide you in the right direction. However, be advised that not all professional pianists know how to teach. Teaching is all about providing the right information in the right order as well as providing motivational inspiration to help you stick with it. This relates back to Question #2 when interviewing teachers…finding out how a teacher structures their lesson time will give you a good understanding of their teaching capabilities.

Finally, of course, you’ll have to consider the cost associated with advanced musical training. Qualified teachers will generally charge upwards of $85-$100 per hour. It is a substantial financial commitment that needs to be taken seriously. However, don’t let that deter you. When you find the right piano teacher it doesn’t matter how much it costs. Finding someone who will provide a quality education, musical network, and instill a love and enthusiasm for music is well worth it. Just make sure to do your research and get as much information on a teacher as possible before committing. Good luck and good hunting!