In Pursuit of Irish Celebration

When Chris and I started dating, I was surprised to hear that his favorite holiday was St. Patrick's Day.  I soon learned it was more so for the Americanized day of green beer and festivities than for the patron saint of Ireland (and, surprisingly, Nigeria).  Growing up, I had always celebrated the day by *sometimes* wearing green (when I remembered) and  enjoying tolerating "Corned-Beef and Cabbage" for dinner.  Over time, the flavors of this traditional Irish meal grew on us, and when Chris and I married, I decided to continue the tradition each year.

Through the years, we've added to our celebration of the [British] man who was kidnapped by Irish pirates and kept as a slave for six years before escaping and returning to England.  It is said that after returning to Britain, he had a dream in which the people of Ireland were begging him to return and bring the Gospel of Christ to them. Thank you to my dear friend Colleen for the above picture from her 2014 visit to Ireland :)

Through pure coincidence, we started our week of Irish celebrations with the Oscar-nominated movie, Brooklyn, which told the story of a Irish immigrant who comes to American in the 1950's.  As a complete sucker for historical dramas, I obviously loved it.  I felt Saoirse Ronan well deserved her nomination for best actress.  BTW- remember that crazy movie about the little girl who was raised to be an assassin?  Same actress.  Literally just figured that out as I was writing this.  The movie completely got us in the mood for celebrating both of our Irish heritage.  And it's a book.  I haven't bought it yet, but my "books to purchase" list seems to be growing faster than it did before I started my goal of completion.

Thursday morning began with the children enjoying green eggs while wearing their green fare.

An interesting bit about the original St. Patrick's day color... Spoiler alert: it wasn't green.  Jump to 25.15 to hear Bryan McGovern, associate professor of History at Kennesaw State University share the original color and also hear about the incorporation of corned-beef into this holiday.

That night, we listened to a Celtic Pandora station during dinner and each took a turn doing a jig afterwards.

Friday night, we enjoyed our Reuben sandwiches with a cold Guinness.  I use Boar's Head corned-beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut along with  Publix Rye bread with Caraway seed and Thousand Island dressing.  I pan-grill them with Kerrygold Irish butter and served them, sliced in half, with kettle-cooked chips.  Again, Celtic music set the mood as our background music.  No jigs were performed this night.

On Sunday, we concluded our Irish festivities with our corned-beef and cabbage dish.  I like to let our roast cook slowly at a low heat to help it become tenderized.  I serve it with boiled potatoes and a green salad.

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?  Is there another saints day that you celebrate?  What are some of your family traditions for these holidays?

March Goals 2017

Around here, March is the beginning of all things Piano-related.  Between Festivals, Auditions, Recitals, Judging and Accompanying, March comes in like a Lion and, well... stays pretty loud.  Because of the musical nature of my March, you'll notice most of my 2017 March Goals are music related.  Through my many teaching years, I have found that when many events are lined up that require much energy and planning, regular weekly lessons can start to feel very taxing.  In an effort to keep energies high and remain an effective and inspiring teacher, it becomes even more important to make sure I take care to stay inspired.

1. Learn the Following Pieces:

Learning new pieces does so much for me as a musician and teacher.  I believe that creating and sharing music should be the core of every musician.  It keeps me inspired and keeps me more able to relate to my students as they learn new concepts and experience challenges in learning new music. My March list of pieces to learn consists of the following:

Le Jardin Féerique (The Enchanted Garden) 
from Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose Suite) by Ravel

This is a duet written by Ravel and was a gift to his friend's children and based on some of his favorite French fairy tales.  I will be peforming this piece with my dear friend and duet partner, Renée, at a Musicale Concert on Saturday, April 1 (no joke).  

Ständchen (Serenade) by Schubert, transcribed for piano by Liszt

I first heard this piece on Pandora and immediately fell in love with it's heart-wrenching melodies.  I had a difficult time finding the music for it and discovered it was originally a song and only later transcribed (multiple times) for piano.  I first found Heller's transcription and quickly devoured it.  However, as I went back and listened to the recording of the piece, I realized Heller's rendition was lacking some of complexities of the version I was hearing.  I then found Liszt's rendition of the piece, which contained the more difficult passages.  I am excited to learn Liszt's more challenging (and very beautiful) interpretation of Schubert's song.

Rondo from Sonata Op. 13 by Beethoven

This one is a bit of a cheat, as I played it as part of my Senior Piano Recital.  I now have a student learning this piece and decided it would be fun to bring back to life.  I've been working on it over the past week and it still brings much joy!

2. Improve My Run Times for Both 5K Races

We have two 5K races coming up this month: the Shamrock 'n Roll at Atlantic Station and Fiona's school's first race, Run the World with ICSA.  I'm not a fast runner, but I'm excited to see if I can beat my time from October's Big Pumpkin Run.  Be sure to keep an eye on my Instagram Account for pictures of the race days: Sunday, March 12 and Sunday, March 26.

3. Immerse Myself in Music

Many of us have heard of the importance of caring for ourselves first in order to be able to adequately care for others.  I believe this principle also applies in my arena of a Piano-Filled Spring.  There are so many events coming this month where I will have the privilege of pouring into others that I need to make sure I keep my musical soul filled!  I was fortunate to attend Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's concert (featuring Benjamin Beilman playing Sibelius' violin concerto in d minor), and will get to attend my dear teacher's retirement piano recital at the end of the month.  Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze another concert in there somewhere :)

4. Everyday: Read, Write, Speak, Move. (and Play!)

While scrolling Instagram this pas week, I came across a friend's post where she had visually laid out her goals for the month of March.  I love a good visual, and she graciously agreed to allow me to share it (Thanks, Beth!)!  I decided to make one of my own for my New Year's goals, as a way to stay inspired to keep them up, and even added one on for March's practice goal.

5. Decorate for St. Patrick's Day

When things get busy, one of the first things to go out the window is seasonal decorating.  I love watching the change of seasons and know celebrating holidays marks the passage of time (especially for children), and Fiona especially loves seeing the different decorations throughout the year.  I've already explained how busy this month is (and it is so tempting to just keep the decorations put away), but I am going to make it a point to get out ALL the green to celebrate this special holiday.

Three Kids and a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

That's what officially makes a blogger a blogger, right?  That's what I had in my mind for a long time.  I've yet to acquire either of the above items but still enjoy pretending, as I've done so since my first post in 2010.  Consistency is hard for me, so setting goals in something I do often. One of my goals for this year is to be more consistent in blogging, and along those lines I felt it was time to update my bio.  So, please allow me to introduce myself.  Again.

My name is Ashley Craig-Diaz and I'm a lover of God, Family, and Beauty.  I believe every day has beauty in it, waiting to be found.  Some days it's definitely more difficult to find the beauty, but my hope is that this blog will provide its readers with inspiration to do just that.  I believe it's through finding this beauty that we can really begin the pursuit of finer things.  "Things" is a word loosely used here, as the "Finger Things," are often not things at all.

I was born in Georgia and grew up on a farm where homemaking, cooking, and gardening were all a part of everyday life.  Additionally, I studied piano and went on to graduate with a Music Degree in Piano Performance.  I started teaching piano lessons as a teenager and have continued to do so to this day.  I feel blessed to do something I love to do every day and honored to have the opportunity to help others develop a lifelong love of music.

I live and love in beautiful Georgia with my husband Chris and two beautiful children, Fiona and Eliot.  They bring me joy and teach me grace.  Together as a family, we enjoy entertaining, going out to eat, and ordering pizza while cheering for the Atlanta Falcons.

Welcome to my blog :)

2017 Word of the Year

For several years now, I've heard of people choosing one word to focus on for an entire year.  This word sets their intention for the year and much personal/spiritual/physical growth is centered around this intention.

Every time I hear stories like these, I always think, "Wow!  That is so cool! Imagine having enough insight and being so in-touch with yourself that you can sum up your intentions for an entire year into one word- I should totally do that!"  And then for the next 5 minutes I think really hard.  This thinking is following by my concession and acceptance that I'm probably not spiritually mature enough to come up with a word that will actually still make sense for my life 12 months later.

As a quick side note (because anyone who knows me knows my tendency to thrive on side tangents)... Most official "Words of the Year" are named in retrospect.  Enjoy reminiscing yesteryears' words here.

After writing down my 2017 goals, I suddenly realized over the years, I had become spiritually mature enough to formulate my own 2017 Word of the Year.  Totally kidding.  But I did see a theme and decided to put it into a word.  It is yet to be determined whether or not it will last the whole year (or really, even past January):

GREATER:

"of ability, quality, or intensity considerably above the normal or the average" 

Don't let this post fool you.  I still feel as though I lack insight.  I could probably stand to know myself a little better.  And I definitely haven't reached some great heights of spiritual maturity.  I simply noticed a trend and put a word to it.  

In case you missed 2017's Goals Post, the areas in which great applies include:

A Greater Number of Books Read

A Greater Number of Posts Blogged

A Greater Understanding of the French Language

A Greater Amount of Time Devoted to Dance

A Greater Amount of Yoga Poses Made
A Greater Amount of Honesty and Courage to Do What's Best for My Family and I

In addition to having my first "Word of the Year" ever, 2017 seems to hold so much promise and potential.  I posted a picture on Instagram at the beginning of the year, letting the world know I've been waiting on this year for about 33 years.  I've always had a fondness for symmetry and since my birthday happens to be on a 17th, having a birthday in the year 2017 seems very special.  Additionally, I turned 33 this year, which is a number signifying a promise or the promises of God.  It's going to be a GREAT year and I'm excited to see what it holds.

2017 Goals

Happy New Year and Bonne Année, dear friends!  I've missed writing but enjoyed taking off the month of December to focus on enjoying every minute of Christmas, Chanukah, and New Years Celebrations with my family.

If you've been around my blog for a while, you know I'm all about setting some goals and New Year's Resolutions are no different for me :)  I'm a firm believer in always growing and doing what you can to better yourself.  So, without further ado, I present my 2017 Goals:

1. Read 25 Books

I always try to set a number of books I'd like to read in a year and keep a list of books read.  2013 averaged a book a month with a total of 12 books read.  I could not find a list for 2014 anywhere, which did not surprise me as that was the year we moved into our home and (a week later) became a family of four.  2015's list really disappointed me with only 8 books, so I was much more pleased to see 14 titles on 2016's list.  It's still not as many as I would like, so I am shooting for 25 in 2017.  I've broken it down to 2 a month, plus 1, which seems way more doable.

2. Have 50 Blogposts This Year

2015 was actually the year I really committed to consistently writing for my blog.  You really can see that carry over into 2016, where I hit my record of 25 posts for the year.  I truly enjoy writing and am constantly wanting to be more consistent, so I set a goal of 50 posts for this year, which can be broken up a multitude of ways: 4.16 posts per month; 0.961 per week, or even .13 per day, which truly seems much more attainable. 

3. Complete Level 2 of Rosetta Stone French

I purchased this software in 2011 and have been slowly working through it over the years.  Right now, I'm in the third part of Level 1 and have set a goal of completing the remaining parts of level 1 as well as all of level 2 by the end of the year.  I also set a *maybe* goal (that's a thing, right?  I'm pretty sure that's a thing) of attending Monday Morning French Conversation at a local French Bakery.  We shall see if that one happens...

4. Dance More

Dancing is my favorite.  Absolute favorite.  Last Spring, my favorite Zumba instructor decided to no longer teach Zumba classes and I did the unimaginable.  I stopped dancing.  I was seriously so let down that the classes that I looked forward to each week would no longer be happening.  I recently decided that it was so silly to let such a reason keep me from Zumba and decided to check out some of the other instructors (who really aren't that bad) and was (of course) reminded of how much I loved it.  This resolution/goal also encourages the random post-dinner (or even pre-dinner) dance parties with whomever might be present.

5. Yoga More

I love yoga, man.  Fortunately for me, my favorite yoga instructor is still in practice, so this goal is to just show up more often.  Last year I had a yoga goal of a side plank and about half way through the year finally nailed it.  This year's goal is definitely to perfect the push-up, and to do them all. All. The. Push. Ups.  

6. Be Honest with Myself and Others About What's Best for My Family and I

This is something that seems so obvious... one of those "easier said than done" things.  It's also been coming up in full force over the past few months in life and through a few books I've recently read.  While I haven't perfected it yet, I know it's of the utmost importance tokeep learning and trying.

I'd love to hear from readers to see if others enjoy New Years Resolutions and Goal Setting!  What goals or resolutions have you set for 2017?

Linger Moments ~ No. 5

lin·ger

/ˈliNGɡər/

verb

1. to stay in a place longer than necessary, typically because of a reluctance to leave.

1. 
   
2. You know those moments: the ones often catching you by surprise, causing you to pause a little longer than perhaps intended.  You are invited to take a moment to linger before jumping in to the start of a new week.
3. 
   
4. 
   

1. The Grove Christmas at Passion City Church

The Grove is a monthly gathering for the women of Atlanta and is an extension of what Jesus is doing in and through Passion City Church.  Hosted by Shelley Giglio and The Grove Team, these gatherings are centered on Jesus and focus on being a place where women can be Rooted in the Word of God, choose to Flourish where they're planted, walk in Freedom in Christ and truly live, and offer their lives as Shade to those with whom they come in contact.  

The Grove is hosting their annual Christmas Gathering on December 5th and 6th!  Their gatherings take place at Passion City Church in Atlanta (515 Garson Drive) and begin at 7:30 (although the doors open way before that and I've heard people start lining up as early as 4:00!!).  I was fortunate to receive an invitation to one of these gathering from a dear friend for the Grove's Christmas Gathering back in 2013.  I've enjoyed attending their other gatherings over the years and always leave completely encouraged.  If you're in the Atlanta area, these events are DEFINITELY worth checking out.

2. Mozart in the Jungle

You know those shows- you see them pop up again and again in your "Top Pick for Ashley" category on your TV viewing source... You've probably even seen friends talking about them on social media.  Then [a few years later] you decide to finally check them out and think, "Right on, Amazon.  This was a good pick for Ashley."  My most recent encounter with this cycle happened with the Amazon original series, Mozart in the Jungle.  The title intrigued me enough to try the show out and I was instantly drawn in.  The story line is about a young maestro taking over the New York Symphony and his developing relationship with his assistant, an oboist trying to make it in the orchestra.

What I really love about the show is not only the hilarious story line (and obvious musician jokes I can totally geek out to), but also how I felt motivated to intentional piano practice.  Teaching so easily takes over my music time each day, and it's nice to have a reminder that's it's a good thing to work on my own craft.

Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Amazon Prime with a Brand New Season 3 premiering on December 9, 2016!

3. Amy Snow

I finally finished the book that was on my October reading list (gulp).  Y'all, this book was one of the best I've read in a while.  The story is set in England in the late 1800's and begins with eight year old Aurelia finding baby Amy outside in the snow.  Against her parents' wishes, Aurelia helps to raise the orphan baby, never to discover from where she had come.  Fifteen years later, when the Aurelia passes away, Amy is banished from the home but not before receiving the first clue to a secret treasure hunt, created for her by Aurelia before she passed.  The treasure hunt takes her all over England and ultimately reveals Aurelia's secret.  Don't let the fact that is took me so long to read this book trick you- it really was a page turner, and I highly recommend it.  

May Designs

If you've been around my blog for a while (or especially if you know me in person), you know my affinity for May Designs' May Books.  These personalized notebooks are so fun to create and I've thoroughly enjoyed making them over the years.  So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when one of their representatives offered to GIVE AWAY a CUSTOM Classic Notebook to one of my readers, FOR FREE!!!  This gift includes complete rationalization from the cover, to the monogram, to the inside pages!!!

I was first introduced to May Books by a piano student, who's mother gave me a Classic with the calendar pages for Christmas 2013.  I will admit that I was a bit worried about the lack of space (I was used to a HUGE academic planner with 15 minute intervals), but I quickly fell in love with the size as it was light-weight and super portable (and easily fit into my purse).   That fall I order my own academic planner and had such a fun time personalizing the cover and monogram!

Another thing that I love about these books is how the company is always coming up with new inside pages!  This past Lent, they debuted a "40 Days of Prayer and Gratitude" insert with adorable water-colored pages.  They released a newer "Gratitude First" insert for this November along with super adorable Holiday 2016 covers (be sure to check out the "Cross Stitch Red & Pink," which looks like a winter sweater :).

To enter this giveaway, simply visit May Designs and comment your favorite design on this Instagram post!  It's totally that easy :)  Thank you to May Designs for sponsoring this giveaway (which includes a Classic May Book (you choose the pattern, monogram, and inside pages) and free shipping in the US)!  As always, all of the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own :)