Well...Here we are on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It changed all of our lives. Remembering back I find that I can recall talking with my father in the car on the way to school. We had embarked on an ambitious (as usual) discussion about politics. The topic today was terrorists attacking major cities and how it could cripple the nation...Then we turned on the radio...

Rosita has an equally uncanny story. She was moving from NYC to Rome on 9/10 and she did not know if she would ever be back. Her plane was delayed due to a large storm over JFK and she did not leave until the early morning of 9/11. She remembers looking out of the window of her plane and seeing the stars of a clear peaceful night (Since the storm had just passed) over the twin towers. And she wondered, "When will I ever see this again?". By the time she landed in Rome the towers had already been attacked.

How can we forgive this atrocity?

How can we be kind to those who have done us so much wrong?

I remember wondering if terrorists were even capable of experiencing human feeling. Where they not just some kind of barbaric animals?

This morning in church the text of the liturgical calander was on the parable of the servant that did not forgive. This reading has been scheduled for today for over 350 years. We should ask ourselves...How did Christ forgive our atrocities? When we nailed him to a cross with the full weight of our sin did he crush us? (As he was perfectly able to do) No...We must, like Christ, "Not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good!"

After all, how can we NOT forgive when we have been forgiven so much!

(P.S. If you were wondering where the cloudscapes in the pictures are from we took them in squaw valley and from the plane on our way back to Miami)

A Summer Report Card

Well ... This summer deserves an A+ ... Exploring ... Relaxing ... Going Places ... Seeing Friends (Both old and new) ... Church ... Playing Music ... etc. etc. etc. As the semester begins we find ourselves a bit remorseful that the semester schedule must once again resume. Oh well...I'm sure that this year will bring its fair share of adventure for Rosita and myself. We have so many photos that it will take several albums and posts to cover them all. What a blessing it is to share these times together and with others!

This semester promises to be a busy one - Rosita is starting the Artist Diploma and it my final year in the Doctoral Program at University of Miami. That means that there is a real need to start the dissertation soon (Maybe this summer was a little too good) Anyhow, we are glad to have good and interesting work and passion for the music which we play! 

A Post Card from Sarasota

Dear Readers,

Memorial day was lovely this year. We decided to take a drive to Sarasota to meet with one of Rosita's former teachers, Susan Starr. While we were there we enjoyed the gentle emerald water (The Gulf Coast is a good deal less tumultuous than the Atlantic side of the Florida peninsula).

It seems that the town of Sarasota reeks of 'tourist trap'. Complete with faux Grecian statues and brick-a-brack shops. (We even spotted a store that sold brown paisley pants....Yuck!) However, the beaches are brilliant. The ice-cream and gelato are delicious and the music of the Sarasota music festival is fantastic! (also we went to a restaurant which had the best Spanish food I've ever had!

The Sweetness of Summer has Arrived!!!

The sweet days of summer have arrived! The picture on the left is from last summer. Yes, those are real flowers on the columns!

This summer promises to be just as full of flavor and excitement as last summer. There is a lot to do (competitions to prepare for, programs to begin and dissertations to write.) However, I think that we are both ready to take a sigh of relief from the stress of the semester. We're not sure where are travels will take us. (We are thinking of going to Puerto Rico or the Grand Tetons.) Wherever we choose, the adventures are made more wonderful as we have them together!

All over the place...Rental cars...Airplanes...Hotels...

Dear Readers,

Giving concerts can be fun, but it can also be quite grueling. I suppose that we are becoming professionals at it. At least if that means getting very little sleep and still performing your best. We just gave a concert in Jacksonville (which was a pleasure) on Sunday. Yesterday, we drove to Orlando Airport and flew from there to Boston. Now, Rosita is giving a concert at 5:00.

One can't complain too much. After all, we are doing what we love. And, more importantly, we are doing it together. Also, it gives us a chance to see so many wonderful people and places. (F.Y.I. The photo above is from a concert that we gave a couple of weeks ago in Miami. The photo to the right is from Boston Conservatory where Rosita will be playing in about an hour. The photo to the left is from the Fenway in Boston which shows that it is possible to have a garden in the middle of a major metropolitan area.) We hope that this post finds everyone well and that you are all as busy and happy as we are.

-Marion and Rosita

Finals Week in Progress and Concert Ahoy!

It seems that finals week and the papers associated with it always comes at the worst time possible in terms of schedules. This Sunday we are both playing a concert in Jacksonville. The following week Rosita is playing a concert in Boston. Then, we are scheduled to play for a lecture series in Miami .... Then .... Sweet sweet summer!!! (We are considering the possibility of making a trip somewhere, but we are not quite sure where yet and it might be nice to catch our breath for a week as well.)

(You may ask what the flamingos in the picture have anything to do with all of this? I can tell you...nothing what so ever....but they look great anyway!)

We would like to send a big thanks to all of the teachers, students, friends and family who have made this school year so full of humor, stories and anecdotal tales!

Many Blessings!

-Marion and Rosita

Here is a glimpse of our wedding!

Well, eight months later we are finally getting around to putting up some photos from the wedding! If you click on the picture it should redirect you to a photo album. Here are a few pictures that were taken before the ceremony began. As you can see, it was indeed a happy occasion!

The 'River of Grass'

Well...This post will mostly serve to warn our readers of a torrent of new pictures that are burgeoning on being posted to the blog. This shot is of us in the Everglades National Park. We found this place to be very still and peaceful - except for the alligators at least...It is amazing that you can find so much wildlife so close to the metropolis of Miami (it is only about an hour away). The Everglades were first made popular as a 'River of Grass' in Marjory Douglas's epic poem. I think that the word surreal is the best way to describe it. We are also adding a photo album about the Everglades in the Adventures tab. Hope you enjoy!

(P.S. Our camera case was almost eaten by a hungry alligator! - more on that later...)

A word on techniques for embarrassing your friends and family!

My father used to tell me that "embarrassing your kids is one of the great joys of life". This philosophy was put into practice on a regular basis. A usually manifestation was a rousing, whistled chorus of the 'Kit-Kat' candy bar song whenever we entered the super-market.

Following in my father's footsteps, Rosita and I have developed an arsenal of vocabulary all our own which is sure to make even the most seasoned veteran of stoicism blush. It is with great anticipation that we will be able to someday call each other 'Tito' and 'Pookie' to the consternation of our future family. If you have any humorous anecdotes to add please do not hesitate to post.

A word about preparing for concerts....

Well...each of us have a recital in the next two weeks and a duo concert in three weeks. How do you prepare for all of this? Easy...practice...no wait...I guess that's not so easy. At least it's not easy when you have work and school and all of that. However, the pieces are shaping up and we are always excited to share the music we love. It also means that we have to make a special effort to prioritize and go to church. It's amazing what you can do when your priorities are in the right place!

The awe inspiring ruins of Ollantaytambo!

Here is a video about our experience exploring the amazing ruins of Ollantaytambo! The music in the background is the Ballade Op.10 No.3 performed by Rosita. We hope that you enjoy!

A word about crabby car dealers...

Well...The time has come for us to start looking for a reliable second car. If you buy privately you never know what you are going to get. Unfortunately, this means you either have to take a gamble, or deal with the dealer sharks. We decided to first have a go with the dealers. WHY CAN'T THEY JUST TELL YOU THE PRICE OF THE CAR!!! They insist that first you must drive the car. If they see that you like it they will tell you all of the benefits to owning this car.

After an hour of haggling we found out that the dealer didn't even know the price and that the advertised model didn't come with air-conditioning....and then they guilt trip you about not taking their offer...Well, after spending half of a day, we think that we will take the risk of exploring buying privately. We sincerely hope that our readers have not had this problem...Ideas and comments are always welcome.

The Incan Capitol Buildings of Sacsaihuaman

Here is an interesting Ruin that lies above Cuzco. This is Sacsaihuaman. The city of Cuzco was built by the Incas in the shape of a Puma. Sacsaihuman is the head of the puma. It took thousands of 'tax paying' incas to build this site. This video is accompanied by Marion playing the fourth movement of Beethvon Sonata Op.28. For more info on Sacsaihuaman please visit here. Thanks so much for watching!

Flying over the Andes

Well, as we continue to go through video of our trips together we have come across some extraordinary footage. Here is a glimpse of what it is like to see the sunrise over the Andes. Pretty magnificent if you ask me. Rosita is performing Schubert on the piano. We hope that you all will find it quite enjoyable!

Photoshoot

Well, taking innumerable photos of oneself can seem a bit narcissistic. However, we have had a good deal of fun with the camera that is on loan to us from the school. Also, we seem to get a bit better each time that we use it.

I think photography would be a really enjoyable hobby. Everything is a good deal easier in this digital era when you can choose one shot out of thousands. For us, taking pictures of landscapes and nature is a bit like painting (much less messy though). Focusing (literally) on beautiful things makes one appreciate the intricacy of God's creation. There are infinite possibilities for capturing new colors, angles and light! Enough rambling...Here is a big greeting from both of us!

Spring break and other topics...

Well...As the title of this post suggests...we are in spring break. Practice has remained elusive and the desire to: watch movies, go to the beach and slack has been present. Well, we have some concerts coming up, so we are going to have to buckle down and put in some eight hour practice days. After all...Brahms isn't going to learn himself...If only one could practice on the beach.

We are still wading through mountains of video. There is some great footage from our trip to the Andes last year. We are planning to go back to Peru again in a couple of months.

 

In other news...we have reached seven months of being happily married. Hopefully we will be able to finish uploading wedding photos before the year is out. God is good and we are both beginning to recuperate after the craziness of the last month. 

 

A little about driving in Lima

Whenever we visit Lima I am always amazed at the way people drive. Here is a video about us driving through Lima and the experience you have just going accross the city.

Hi all! We are finally starting to sift through the incredible amount of video that we have accumulated over the course of our travels together. Here is a video from the port of Callao in Peru. We hope that you will enjoy!

With you through the flu!

When we married the words "...in sickness and in health..." were part of the vows. I guess this is included because when one or both of the couple are sick things get difficult, and, as the saying goes, 'the rubber meets the road'. It is most unfortunate that we have both been ill over the last month (Rosita had to cancel her Jacksonville concert due to illness). However, we have been most fortunate to have each other, and we have grown closer together as times have been difficult. It is never fun to be sick, but for us it caused a renewal of our love for God and for each other.

A little meandering...

Well...Life is great!...however, it seems to keep getting in the way of writing blog posts. We are in the midst of a sea of business. We are preparing for another trip to Peru and hopefully a trip to Europe this year. Miami has proven itself to be a beautiful (albeit fast paced) location and our love for each other becomes more profound every day.

We realized recently that the 14th of February is not only valentines day, but it is also exactly half a year since our wedding! As we come near this date we have to take a minute to reflect on how blessed we are to have each other. God is great!