45 Years Later – The Best (Belated) Valentine’s Day Ever (a.k.a. “Boy Meets Girl”)

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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Just a couple of kids…..

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It all started in a lecture hall at Texas A&M University in January, 1979. Yours truly was a freshman who started out in Pre-Med, but after one semester – and a tearful call home – I had decided to change my major to one which involved more math – Civil Engineering.

Well, the powers that be in the Engineering department told me that the Calculus class that I had placed out of as a Science major wasn’t really “the same as” the one they wanted Engineering majors to take, so I had to start all over again. I hadn’t changed my major until the spring semester started, so I missed the first “official” day of that class.

The next time that class met, I was sitting in a seat in the lecture hall, feeling quite lost since I didn’t know the professor’s name, office hours, etc. Some guy came in a little late to the class, looking all harried, and sat down in one of the few empty seats – right next to me.

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The Angel Tree (a heartwarming Koch family Christmas tale)

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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Every family has their own “family lore” – stories handed down from generation to generation.  These are generally told around the campfire, on the front porch, or around the dining room table.  The good ones are side-splittingly funny; the really great ones are the ones which manage to embarass one or more family members.

Every year, Paul or I will drag out this old chestnut – it never fails to leave friends and family rolling in the aisles:

When Rebecca was a baby, Paul would oftentimes get Sarah and Michelle ready for school in the mornings.  Since they were ages 9 and 10 at the time, this consisted of waking them up, telling them to get dressed/ready, and driving them 3 blocks to the school.

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Celiac Awareness Day – “One Grain More”

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX
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….We’ll discover foods that even vegans have forsworn…..

In honor of National Celiac Awareness Month, I HAD to share this hilarious video (please note – the Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs shown in this video are NOT gluten-free; they contain barley malt extract).

As anyone with food allergies knows, navigating restaurants and grocery stores can be a real challenge – especially when you are first starting out. When Rebecca was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2008, we got a crash course in gluten-free living and “Alternative Foods” – it’s been a real education!

I have to give credit to all of our friends and family – they’ve been very patient with us on this journey, and they are always sending us stuff that they think might be of interest to us. One of my Cyberfriends*** sent me this a while back – I had to pick myself off the floor when I saw it:
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A Somber Remembrance – Thoughts on the Anniversary of 9/11

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

I suppose every generation has its share of “Where were you when….?” moments – those “somethings” that happen that are so big, so life-altering, and which affect so many people that the vast majority of them have a memory etched into their mind of where they were when they heard the news, how they felt when they heard the news, and how it changed their life forever.

I can still remember that morning – it started off like any other morning. Rachel had gotten up early and was already dressed and on her way to high school with her friends, Michelle and Sarah were getting ready for school, and Paul was getting ready for work. I was resting in bed, waiting for Rebecca – who had turned 2 months old the day before – to wake up for her morning bottle.

Paul came into the bedroom and said he had just heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and it was on fire.

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For Bev – “Again Someday”

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

(l to r) Bev and Me, 1964

(l to r) Me and Bev, 2004

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Today would have been my little sister’s 61st birthday.
Miss you like heck, Sis….
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(“Again Someday” by Blackmore’s Night – available on CD or MP3)

Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Family, Feelin' Sorry for Myself, Growing Old Sucks, Music, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Six Years Later

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

We miss her so much.

Michelle Elise Koch – 1991-2017

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“Over The Rainbow” (Eva Cassidy)

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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This is one of my favorite arrangements of this beloved song –

It’s just a beautiful, soothing song, don’t you think?:
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(“Over The Rainbow” by the incomparable Eva Cassidy – available on CD or MP3)
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Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, I Love America, Inspirational, Just Because, Michelle, Music, Tuesday Tunes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Hallelujah” – k.d. lang

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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There are so many wonderful versions of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” out there – originally covered by John Cale, the version performed by the late Jeff Buckley is perhaps the most well-known of them all (the song has also been covered by Bon Jovi).

I think the first time that I heard this song was on the movie ““>Shrek” (sung by Rufus Wainwright). There is an amazing 4-part arrangement out there by the Norwegian quartet Lind, Nilsen, Fuentes, and Holm.  Heck, it even sounds good in Italian when performed by Il Divo.

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“The Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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In 2004, Eric Whitacre set Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Seal Lullaby” to music:

Oh! Hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us,
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.

Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow,
Oh weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow swinging seas!

Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936

His arrangement is absolutely breathtaking:
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In hectic and chaotic times, music like this truly calms the soul.

(“The Seal Lullaby” is available in CD and MP3 formats)
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“Be Still My Soul”

Posted on September 3, 2023 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Honestly, one of the most beautiful arrangements of this beloved hymn:
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(Performed by the BYU Concert Choir, from their CD “All Creatures of Our God and King” from Tantara Records, directed by Mack Wilberg. This is also available at Amazon, but that link doesn’t have samples available for listening.)
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