Finally Decorating the Tree...

Hey!

Hope you are staying warm. Don’t know about you, but this week we got a lot of snow here in Missouri. Schools and workplaces were cancelled and it was the biggest snow day we’ve had so far this year! Our Siberian Husky was very happy to finally be in her natural environment. 

Well, on December 15th we finally pulled out the Christmas decorations and put up the tree. Took a while due to the holiday craziness with work parties and Christmas concerts filling up our weekends. But, we made it and it feels good!

Growing up, my grandmother would have the Christmas tree up all year round and one time we celebrated “Christmas in July” since summer was the most convenient time of year everyone could travel and gather together. We opened presents in the humid heat on the farmhouse. My grandmother loved Christmas and all the family traditions. We grew up in church, singing “Silent Night” by candlelight at the late evening service on Christmas Eve. Even today, that continues to be my favorite tradition.

I know that holidays can be cheerful and yet, full of grief for some. I hope you are able to witness the blessings in your life during this overwhelming time of year! I continue to be reminded of the hope, peace, joy, and love the season brings.

Till next time,

Trina

Family Traditions

Hey!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. We hosted in St. Louis and had a blast with family! We love playing games, going out to eat, and watching good movies together. There always seems to be a shopping trip that slips in there somewhere…

For Christmas with both our families this year, we are doing a Secret Santa exchange and we are all excited about it! There’s something magical about waiting in anticipation for the holiday. Waiting with hope for the joy and goodness to come. I love the Advent season for this very reason! 

While we don’t yet have our Christmas tree or decorations out yet, I look forward to opening and digging out all the boxes this weekend. I’m already watching the Christmas shows (has anybody watched the Kacey Musgraves Christmas Special?! Cuz that’s all I’ve been watching the past few days…it’s so nostalgic and perfect in every way), and I’m cranking the Christmas tunes in the kitchen while we make dinner. I love this time of year as we celebrate family, practice gratitude, give back to our community, reflect on the year of the past, and look forward to the year ahead.

[ Here are some snapshots of Leigh, Nebraska back in the day, love the Christmas beauty spread throughout the town and the Christmas Card Tree? It’s so cute! ]

So tell me, what are some of your Christmas traditions? I’d love to hear! 

Till next time,

Trina

A Life in the Arts

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a day filled with family and friends and all the blessings in life! While I am taking the time to count my blessings, there are two that stand out to me right now: one being family, and another for being involved in the arts. You see, I was raised in choir, band ensembles, dance classes, and a little bit of theatre here and there. I would often sing or play my flute in church, with my mother as my loyal accompanist. We have recently made it a priority to play and sing whenever we are together. (she is actually going to help me with choir rehearsals and will play the organ this weekend, per my request)

[ My mom when she was little. What a cutie! ]

Right now, my skills are being put to the test with holiday events coming up! This past month I have produced both a music recital and dance recital, all within the same week. I am currently planning ahead for all the musical events featuring Christmas Carols and traditions that never seem to lose their magic. While some days can be long, I still leave the theater or church feeling grateful for the work I get to do. How many people can say that they love AND have fun at their jobs?!

Today, we will be roasting the turkey, I’ll be shouting out recipe orders to my family, and cranking the Christmas tunes real loud. (maybe even singing and dancing in the kitchen, who knows) While that part of the day might be crazy, we will still take a moment to go around the table and share with each other what we are thankful for. Because that is what today is all about!

[ Saw this old photograph in a classroom at the school where our dance recital took place. Love it when I can find these gems out in the wild! ]

Till next time,

Trina

Growing Pains

I’m writing to you while sitting on an airplane in Chicago. I was fortunate to spend a sweet 36 hours in the busy city for a business retreat this past weekend. We got to eat some pizza, drink some good coffee, and share some meaningful conversations about life, work, and all the things. 

When I was getting ready for the day, I bent down and threw out my back. Yikes. Ouch. I know, I know. It was crazy - all I was doing was bending down, trying to get clothes out of my suitcase but alas, that’s how it gets ya. Since I had trouble moving like normal, I scheduled an impromptu appointment with a chiropractor in the city. In the middle of the appointment I realized something very uncanny: this was the second time my back had gone out on me, surrounding major milestones in my life this past year.

Talking with the chiropractor, I tried to investigate and see if my exercise routine had caused this weakness, if there was something I could do to strengthen my back and comically, he said, “It’s normal. Just comes with growing older.” If you could drop your jaw and belly laugh at the same time, that’s what I was feeling internally at that moment. You see, I had back problems a week before my high school reunion and now it’s the week before my 29th birthday and the back problems have returned. Seriously, universe?! Do you have to make it obvious that I’m getting older?!

[ Me with my Uncle Paul and cousin Jamie, celebrating my birthday on the farm ]

While I’m recovering (bought another tube of biofreeze and slept with a pillow on my back last night), I’m realizing that growing older has its aches and pains that we just have to deal with sometimes. Not everything will go to plan like we imagine, sometimes we won’t move as fast as we want to, and not every day will we feel like conquering the world. And that’s okay because there’s always tomorrow and the day after that to complete all the tasks we want to accomplish.

[ I don’t know this woman but I absolutely love this photo! Isn’t it beautiful? ]

Currently wishing I could get a gentle back rub from my grandmother like old times. She loved whipping out the lavender oil, tea, peppermints, and all the things to make me feel better. But in the meantime, I’m cracking all the old lady jokes (sorry grandma), walking a little bit slower than normal, relying on the help of the people around me, and taking it easy. Those are also remnants of growing older. 

I hope you are able to walk gracefully and bend down with ease this week as you go about your day to day. 

Till next time,

Trina

Just Passing Through..

Hey there,

Hope you have been surviving this week with Daylight Savings and the time change. These darker evenings prompt my yawns to start a little earlier than usual! But I will say, seeing the sunrise in the mornings have been beautiful...(And that extra hour of sleep we got last weekend was pretty great too) 

[ Sunset in Nebraska…for this case, we will pretend it’s a sunrise :) ]

I was blessed to see family from both sides as they visited St. Louis for either school or work. It was great to catch up with them and talk about life. Honestly, I’m one of those people where if you post on social media that you are in town I WILL contact you immediately and see if we can grab a cup of coffee, share a meal, or take a walk in the park. (Nothing gets past me) I love seeing family and friends when they pass through the city of St. Louis...even if it’s just for a short amount of time. While growing up and traveling, my family would often stop and see extended family if we were in the area. My parents have always made that a priority, even to this day! I guess that’s another trait that has been passed down to me, which I’ve proudly inherited. :)

[ My aunt Kathy visiting during the week for her church work with Concordia Seminary. She is a true historian and storyteller at heart. I got to show her all the slides I scan from our family’s collection. Gave her a tour of both the church I work at and the studio Lucas works at. We ended the day, enjoying a meal at this local diner in the city. ]

[ The next day, my cousin Katie was in town! She is studying Interior Design in Mississippi and took the trip to St. Louis to explore the historical architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright house, and visit the Arch for her university class. It was great to catch up and show her the studio! ]

I remember specifically when I was a child, my mom made it a goal for my grandma to see all of her grandchildren in a year. This was after my grandma experienced a frightening car accident and had a difficult time getting back to full health. You see, my family on my mom’s side is spread all throughout the country, and since my grandma had eight kids you can only imagine how many grandchildren she had! Nevertheless, my mom packed up our van and drove us all across the country to see family. I’ll always remember that year as we visited all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I have vivid memories of us playing video games on the Super Nintendo and jumping on the trampoline in Colorado, french braiding my hair and riding horses in Ohio, playing in the McDonalds PlayPlace in Iowa, and singing Christmas carols with both family and strangers in the mild winter of Texas. Sweet memories with family. 

[ My aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom’s side - this was taken at a family reunion when my mom was pregnant with me! Crazy ]

What are some of your favorite family memories from your childhood?

Till next time,

Trina

Films & Farms

Howdy!

Hope you are enjoying the week so far. I am soaking up this crisp, fall weather while enjoying hot cups of coffee, piling blankets, eating s’mores around the fire pit, and slowing down a little bit before the holidays are in full swing.

[ Here’s a picture of my Uncle Tim all bundled up, holding a piece of cheese when he was a young tyke…probably getting into some kind of mischief. Some things never change. :) ]

[ A young deer keeping warm during the cold weather. ]

A few weeks ago I traveled to Austin Texas for the world film premiere of Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait. Being in Texas reminded me of those classic Western movies featuring John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. The smells of leather, sounds of spurs spinning on cowboy boots, and seeing Stetson cowboy hats of all different styles made that nostalgia feel even stronger in Texas than in my every day midwestern surroundings. The film also compelled me to reminisce on the days when I would visit my grandma in South Dakota. Her “Little Home on the Prairie” was a place where the cows roamed, the cats lingered in the barn, and the China was always on the table, ready for tea time. Open skies have been a constant part of my environment growing up and the wide landscapes in this film felt a lot like home. 

Here’s a video of a lasso king from the 1920s - one of the many inspirations for the film. Guarantee it will blow you away! If you can’t watch it for some reason, just Google “The Ropin’ Fool, Will Rogers.”

A 1922 silent short film starring (and written by) Will Rogers, in which he shows off many of the rope tricks that made him a vaudeville star with the Ziegfeld Follies from 1916 to 1925. There is a minimal plot, involving a love interest and a rival, but it is only a device to get as many lariat tricks as possible into the 20-minute movie.

Other than films and farms, I got to travel again, which is a love that is deeply engrained in my family’s DNA. I’ve discovered this while looking through family photos over the past few years, with some photos dating as far back as the 1940s to Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Traveling must be in the blood I guess! I literally thanked my mom for helping coordinate the trip to Austin, Texas and her response? “I’ll thank your dad because you know I love doing this.” Hahahaha 

Till next time,

Trina