December 5, 2014

The Kara Annual Service of Remembrance

Last night we played our handbell duets at the Kara Annual Service of Remembrance.

Kara is based here in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s an organization that provides grief support for children, teens, families and adults who have lost someone close to them. Kara also helps families dealing with terminal illness.

The annual candlelight service is a meaningful event where members of the community gather to light candles of memory, hope, courage and love. There’s live music, memories, laughter, tears, and a lot of support and genuine caring. After the service, there’s a reception, where people can gather to chat and share their stories with others in the community.

This is the third year we’ve taken part in the Kara Annual Service of Remembrance. We always find it a moving and humbling experience to share our music in an atmosphere of such love and support. There is grief too, of course, but so much courage and caring.

Handbell music seems to fit very well in remembrance services. People find comfort in hearing well-known hymns such as Amazing Grace, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing and Just As I Am. We’ve also played secular songs like Ma Navu and Moreton Bay – to soothe the soul and help to bring peace.

Our thanks go to all at Kara for inviting us to be part of this meaningful event.

Handbells at the Kara Annual Service of Remembrance

December 1, 2014

Our Photos from The Nutcracker Are Now on Facebook

It’s always fun to share our photos from The Nutcracker weekend at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Congratulations to the Pacific Ballet Academy on a successful weekend of performances! We saw the show on Sunday and enjoyed it a lot. There’s something about this particular ballet performance that that makes it such a wonderful start to the holiday season. The dancers are talented and the whole production is just beautiful.

We had a great time playing selections from our 8-bell The Nutcracker Collection. Those pieces are challenging but fun to play! We enjoyed playing other Christmas and holiday handbell duets too. We played in the lobby for audience members before each performance and during the intermission. This annual event is a lot of fun for us! We always feel as if we almost set up camp in the Performing Arts Center for the Nutcracker performance weekend each year. We bring our laptops, work and eat while we’re in downtown Mountain View, and only go home at the end of each day, after the final performance is over. It’s like a festive mini vacation weekend!

If you’d like to see our photos from The Nutcracker, they’re now on our Facebook page!

November 28, 2014

The Nutcracker, at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

We’ll be spending the coming weekend at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. We’ll be playing handbell duets in the lobby before the Pacific Ballet Academy’s performances of The Nutcracker.

This wonderful ballet performance is always one of the highlights of the holiday season here in Mountain View. It’s an annual tradition for the Pacific Ballet Academy, and we look forward to it every year. We’ll be playing a selection of popular handbell pieces before each of the six performances. You’ll hear our 8-bell Nutcracker duets, as well as many traditional Christmas and holiday carols, all played with just eight bells, in the 4-in-hand style.

This year is the 24th year of these Pacific Ballet Academy performances. There will be two shows each day – at 1:00pm and 6:00pm on Friday, November 28th and Saturday November 29th. Performances on Sunday, November 30th will be at 12:30pm and 4:00pm. Come early to gather with other guests before the shows, and listen to the sweet sound of handbell music to get us all in the mood for this exciting annual holiday tradition!

The Pacific Ballet Academy students have been working hard to make this another great season of Nutcracker shows. We hope to see you at one of the performances!

November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving from Our Home to Yours!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This is our third Thanksgiving together since Carla’s big move from England to California in 2012. We survived a long-distance relationship and went through the US visa process together. We were able to get married in 2012, and apply for a Green Card. That card gave Carla permanent residence in the USA. These days, we have a lot to be thankful for!

Life is much easier now that we can celebrate special days like Thanksgiving together. Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday in the U.K, so it was all new to Carla when she moved here in 2012.

We have lots of happy memories from our long-distance relationship. However, it was certainly challenging to be so far away from each other. Special days are hard to celebrate together when there’s an 8-hour time difference between you! Christmas and birthdays were always particularly tricky for us, and we’re doing better now we’re together.

Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating with family and friends. Our family is scattered across the USA and the UK, so it’s a quiet celebration for us. But for everyone who’s celebrating today, we hope your day is full of the blessings of love, family and friendship. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

November 23, 2014

Back Together in California!

After a week apart, we’re back together in California! We were reunited at the airport in San Francisco yesterday. We’re so glad to be back in the same time zone again – especially as we did so badly at staying in touch during our time apart.

Before Carla moved to California, we coped with our long-distance relationship by talking on Skype at crazy hours of the night, and depriving ourselves of sleep. During our week apart, we had a “been there, done that, don’t want to do it again” attitude. We just exchanged a few messages each day, when we had the opportunity. Knowing that the distance was only going to be there for a week helped a lot!

Now we’re happy to be back together in the same time zone. We’re ready to get back into rehearsing for the run-up to the holiday season. Our next performance will be at a Thanksgiving Dinner for international, veterans, EOPS, homeless and out-of-state students at Foothill College, Los Altos on Tuesday evening.

Would you like to book us to play handbells at your holiday event?

You still have time to book us to play duets at your Christmas or holiday event. Take a look at our videos, and contact us if you’d like to find out more!

November 15, 2014

Back to Long Distance for a Week!

We’re going back to long distance… but not for long.

Carla’s traveling back to England today, to attend a funeral. It’s a sad time, and we’ll be back to our old 8-hour time difference for the coming week. We’ll miss each other, of course. On the plus side, though, Carla will be glad to re-connect with family and friends back in the UK. While she’s away, we’ll be making the most of Facebook and Skype to stay in close contact, just like long-distance couples all over the world.

Larry’s face looks sad in the photo, but we’re not really making a fuss about this. We’ve already survived nearly three years in a long-distance relationship, before we got the K-1 fiancée visa and Carla moved from the UK to California. A week apart is nothing compared to the time many couples spend waiting to close the distance. Carla will be busy with funeral things, and seeing friends and family – and for her, the time will probably go far too quickly. Larry will have plenty to do at home in California while Carla’s away. In just a few days’ time, he’ll be driving back to the airport. No problem… right? We can do this!

November 9, 2014

It’s Not Too Late to Sign Up for Redding Bronze!

There’s still time to sign up for the Redding Bronze handbell event, which takes place over the weekend of January 30th and 31st, 2015. Handbell musicians will gather to form northern California’s premier handbell ensemble. We’ll prepare music in advance, then gather together that weekend to rehearse and put the finishing touches to the music. Then we’ll perform a public concert at First Presbyterian Church in Redding. Larry is looking forward to being the guest director for this event!

We’re excited about the repertoire for Redding Bronze. The concert will include such favorites as Michael Joy’s lively Dorian Dance and Lee Afdahl’s beautiful arrangement of Beach Spring. Take a look at the Facebook event page for more details – and sign up for Redding Bronze soon. Spaces are limited, so don’t delay!

There is no charge to attend the Redding Bronze concert on Saturday, January 31st. Donations are gratefully received, to help with the cost of this event.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about this event, we’ll be happy to help. If we don’t have the information you need, we can put you in touch with someone else who can help. Contact us and let us know what information you need!