Leaving for the Holidays

Hello friends and family!  We are getting ready to leave tomorrow for Georgia to spend Christmas with the McKenzie family, and then will head to Orlando to watch MSU play Alabama in the Capital One Bowl (it will be televised on January 1 at 1pm Eastern Time--look for Colin on the sideline by the band!).  We wish all of you a Merry Christmas, safe holiday travels, and a Happy New Year!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!!

Colin and Mandie on our way to cut down our Christmas tree

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the McKenzie home!   Even though we will be spending the Christmas holidays with the McKenzie/Garcia family in Georgia, we still wanted to decorate our home for the holidays to enjoy before we travel!  The first decoration that we decided to put up was the Christmas tree.  While we own a cute little pre-lit fake tree that we usually put up, but this year we decided to have a true Michigan Christmas experience and venture out to a tree farm where you can cut your own tree.  Last weekend, we went to Peacock Road Tree Farm in Laingsburg, Michigan, and are now the proud owners of a beautiful Fraser Fir that we cut down ourselves.

Colin cutting down our Christmas tree at the tree farm

It looks beautiful decorated in our home!

Colin also put lights on the outside of the house so that we could be festive like our neighbors.

And then, this weekend, we got a foot of snow!! Everything is snow-covered and beautiful!
To see the full web-album of our Christmas photos, click here.

Our snow-covered backyard

Snow-covered tree in our backyard

Fall pictures on my camera!

I found extra pictures from the beautiful fall that we had here in Michigan on my camera when I was trying to upload Christmas pictures (oops!) and have uploaded them to our fall Facebook album.  You can access the album and view all of the photos by clicking here.  These pictures include MSU football games, Colin's concerts, pictures I took of the leaves changing on campus, and Spartan Spectacular, a concert that the Spartan Marching Band does every year indoors.  Happy viewing!

Budget Travel Magazine Giveaway!

My friend Sara is giving away a year-long subscription to Budget Travel Magazine, a great magazine for people who want to find new places to visit while staying in a budget!  To win, all you have to do it leave a comment on her "Crazy Cozads" blog.  You can enter the contest and find out more about the contest by clicking here.

CSN.com--a great place for one-stop holiday shopping!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I love to read blogs about multiple topics and follow several.  For those of you unfamiliar with the world of blogging, stores will often offer to give freebies to blog readers if you sign up for email updates from their websites, share their information with your friends, etc.  I enter these contests all of the time hoping for free things and of course, never win.  Until recently. 

A fashion/style blog that I follow recently had a give-away for a free $75 gift certificate to CSN.com and I won!  I was unfamiliar with this store until the giveaway post, and wanted to share with our readers because it is really great.  It is comparable to a Bed, Bath & Beyond, but with more selection, especially for home products.  And right now they are offering free shipping and freebies on lots of housewares before Christmas.  If you are looking for a one-stop place to shop for family Christmas gifts, I would recommend visiting http://www.csnstores.com. 

And for what am I going to redeem my free gift certificate???  I am not sure yet, but this cute red tea kettle by Le Creuset: http://www.csnstores.com/Le-Creuset-Q3101-67-LEC1609.html

Job Extension

For those of you who do not know, my faculty library position here at MSU has been a temporary appointment dependent on funding (the economy here is not so great).  Last May, the administration extended my contract to the end of December, and we have been anxiously waiting to find out if they would be able to extend me through the Spring semester of 2011.  Yesterday, they approved my appointment through May, which is when Colin should be finished with his coursework and we would be looking to move on to wherever he finds a job.  What a blessing and relief!

Sad Journey

I never post on here, but thought that I would write this one in Mandie's stead.

On Saturday, November 13, 2010 Robert "Bob" Rhodes, Mandie's father, passed away. I do not have the words here to express the deep sorrow, pain, and grief that we all feel over his loss. His obituary may be found here:

http://obit.navarrefuneralhome.com/obitdisplay.html?id=856664&listing=Current

Mandie and I traveled to Baytown to be with her family on Sunday (11/14) and, after spending a week there, are returning back to Michigan. We'll head back to Baytown on Wednesday to spend the Thanksgiving holiday there.

If you did not know Bob, you truly missed out. He was a fantastic person, and someone that I am so very glad to have had the chance to spend some time with. I know that I will miss him.

Watch Colin Conduct the MSU Wind Symphony on Banddirector.com!!

Thursday, September 29, at 7:30pm Eastern Time, Colin will be conducting Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger with the MSU Wind Symphony.  The concert will be streamed live online for free at www.banddirector.com.  To access the concert online, go to www.banddirector.com and click on the tab that says "Live Broadcasts."  There will be a link to the MSU Wind Symphony Concert at the top of the list.  The link should open a few minutes before the concert so that you can make sure that your web browser is configured correctly to view the video feed.  This is a great opportunity to see Colin conduct from far away for all of our friends and family back home!! We hope that you all tune in to watch it!'
The Concert Program is as follows:

Nelson.............. Rocky Point Holiday
Wilt................... Nevermore
Grainger........... Lincolnshire Posy
Bassett............. Lullaby for Kirsten
Hindemith........ Symphony in B-flat
Fillmore............ Circus Bee

Collage Concert

Colin and Mandie after Collage Concert

Us celebrating at Pizza house after Collage Concert

Last week was super busy for Colin.  This year, he was again the production manager for the MSU College of Music Collage concert, which showcases different acts from all aspects of the school of music.  Performances were given by the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Choral department, Jazz Band, a jazz vocal group, a Klesmer group, and various instrumental duets, ensembles, and solos.  It is a big concert to organize, and everyone thought that Colin did a wonderful job! A program of the concert can be found by clicking here.

Also, in the MSU football world, MSU beat Notre Dame two weeks ago in overtime with an amazing fake play!! If you missed the game, here is the play that won the game:



MSU plays Wisconsin on Saturday for their first Big 10 match-up of the season, so look for Colin on TV!

Short Update

Marching band season is here and in full swing!  Colin just finished Spartan Marching Band preseason, which started last week and ended last night.  After long days from early in the morning until ten or eleven o'clock in the evening, Colin is ready to start school on Wednesday and get into a normal schedule.  The first MSU football game is this coming Saturday, and marching band activities happen every weekend until Thanksgiving, except for Halloween weekend.  The schedule can be found here.  We are gearing up for a busy fall!!

Colin passed his Comps!

Colin took his Music Theory comprehensive exam today today and he passed!! He is now one step closer to being Dr. McKenzie!!  The comprehensive exam is part of the requirements he has to fulfill to finish his degree.  Now all he has is one more year of coursework and to finish his document and he will be done!  Congratulations to my super smart husband!!

Colin's New Job!

That's right, in addition to being a full-time graduate student with the MSU band department, Colin has a new job!! Colin will be the new interim organist at St. Katherine's Episcopal Church in Williamston. He has played on the organ and thinks that it is a beautiful instrument and is excited to be able to use his musical talents in a performing arena again. The church is very historic and quaint, and its ground include the main church, a smaller chapel that is actually an historic landmark (the original site of the church), and a beautiful prayer garden that has an authentic labyrinth! Information about the church can be found online at their site by clicking here. Colin and I are both looking forward to this new activity in our lives in Michigan.

Rhodes Family Visits Michigan!

Mom and Dad at the lighthouse in Grand Haven

My parents came to Michigan for a visit this past week, and we had so much fun with them! They flew in on Wednesday afternoon and we got to catch up a little bit, and then on Thursday, my dad played golf while I went to work and Colin went to class. On Friday, we took a day trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan, which is a little German town about an hour and a half west of Lansing. We went to Bronner's, the largest Christmas store in the world. We also went to all of the shops in town and then ate yummy German food.

Mom, Dad, Me and Colin outside of Bronner's Christmas Store

Dad and Colin inside Bronner's Christmas Store

On Saturday, we went an hour and a half to the east of Lansing to Grand Haven, a small town situated on the coast of Lake Michigan. This was our first time to ever see Lake Michigan, and it was huge!! We walked along the coast and looked at the beach.

Lighthouse at Grand Haven

Boats coming into the channel from Lake Michigan

Me and Colin at the lighthouse at Grand Haven

Then, on Sunday, my parents went back to Texas. We were sad to see them leave but were so glad that they could come to visit! Click here to see a complete online album of our summer pictures, or paste the following link into a new browser window: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2332405&id=9203837&l=61fd711d19.

New Puppy Pics!!!

We have made a new album with updated pictures of our favorite family members--Charlotte, Beauregard, and Savannah! If you want to see pictures of our super cute puppies, you can view the album by clicking here or by pasting the following link into your browser window: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2332887&id=9203837&l=f6f5504c5d

Crazy Summer Times!

Colin and Mandie at Cara's rehearsal dinner

Mandie and Cara before the wedding
Great American Ballpark
Astros fans in Cincinnati!

The Spring school semester ended in mid-May, and we have been celebrating Colin not having classes by keeping busy and traveling! Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to Cincinnati to visit our friend Amy and to see the Astros play the Reds at the Great American Ballpark. Although the game was pretty terrible (the Astros lost 16-2--ouch!) , the stadium was gorgeous and we had a good time actually getting to watch some live Texas sports! After the game, Amy had a cookout at her parents' house with some of her Cincinnati friends, so we celebrated Memorial Day the American way with hotdogs and hamburgers. We were even introduced to a new sport--Cornhole! (check it out if you don't know what it is, it is really fun)

Then, in June, we headed to Texas where I was a bridesmaid in my best friend Cara's wedding. She was a gorgeous bride and we were so happy that we could be there to celebrate her big day with her! Cara also was a bridesmaid in our wedding almost two years ago, so it was very special to be able to reciprocate that experience and stand by her side at her wedding. We got to see several of our friends from Baylor as well, which was very good since we don't get to see our college friends very often anymore now that we are far away. The same week, we also worked registration for the Texas Music Teacher's Assocaition Annual Convention, so any spare moment we had from wedding business we spent with our other TMTA friends! I have worked this convention for seven years now, and this was Colin's second, and we always have a good time seeing our friends from the Baylor School of Music who also work with us.

All in all, it has been a busy but satisfying start to our summer, and now we look forward to relaxing! To see a full album of the photos from our Summer trip, click here.

Spring semester is over!

This semester has gone by so quickly since Colin and I have stayed super busy! Just a brief update of what has been going on the past few weeks: I went to San Antonio to present at the Texas Library Association annual conference, and got to see my family in Baytown for a little while because I flew in and out of Houston. Surprise: while I was there, my great aunt and uncle from Athens, GA were randomly in town and we got to hang out with them for a little bit. It was really cool to get to spend some time with them because I don't think we have been to Georgia for the family reunion for my dad's family in a couple of years.

Then, I came back to Michigan and Colin became swamped with work preparing for a big concert that the Wind Symphony at MSU was putting on. MSU College of Music brought in John Corliagno (who won a Grammy for his music for the movie The Red violin) for a week of clinics culminating in a concert combining the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, and A Cappella Choir here at MSU. It was a great concert, but lots of hard work to put all together, so Colin was super tired. Then, Colin took finals--4.0 for the semester! Woo hoo for my super smart husband!

Last week, we had friends over for a Cinco de Mayo party where I made real Mexican food (not the nasty stuff you get here in Michigan!) and then I went to an Academic Libraries Symposium in Novi, MI. Now, we are so ready for summer!! If only the weather would cooperate...

Cirque du Soleil!

For Valentine's Day, Colin bought us tickets to the traveling Cirque du Soleil production of Alegria that was coming to East Lansing in April. Thursday night was finally the night we got to go see it! The show was spectacular--if you have never seen it before, I highly encourage you to go. There were amazing tumblers, contortionists, acrobats, and funny clowns, and the music was wonderful as well. The coolest part was that our seats were on the floor of the Breslin Center (the MSU basketball arena), so we were up close and personal with the whole show! It was really cool to get to see all of the costume details and makeup artistry that you would not get to see otherwise! We had a great time and were really excited to get to go!

February Update

Beauregard and Savannah taking a nap together on the couch.

Mandie and Colin at the Spartan Marching Band banquet.

We have been keeping pretty busy with school and work these days. Colin is enjoying his classes this semester, and I absolutely love my job at the MSU libraries! The dogs love to play in the snow everyday, and enjoy going to the dog park in East Lansing when we are able to go.

This past weekend was especially busy and fun. Thursday night, to a concert for a salsa band that our friend plays percussion in, and it was super fun to watch all of the people who now how to dance salsa dancing to really good music. On Friday night, we attended the Huddle Banquet for the MSU Spartan Marching Band. It was to get dressed up and see all of our marching band friends that we haven't really gotten to see since the bowl game in San Antonio. To see a complete album of photos we took at the event, click here. Then, on Saturday, we went early in the morning to the Capital Area Humane Society to volunteer orientation so that we can go walk dogs and help out when we have time. We are really excited to finally getted plugged into the volunteer scence of our community. The facility there is very nice and all of the workers are very friendly, so hopefully we can go back really soon.

After that, we went to our first MSU hockey game with some friends of ours that are also from Texas and involved in the College of Music. MSU beat Ferris State, and it was really exciting to watch all of the fights that the players got into on the ice. All in all, we had a good weekend of spending time with friends and actually engaging in community activities, which is a nice change of pace from running from one band event to the next. Today, we are having a winter storm, and received about a foot and half of snow overnight, and it is still coming down hard all day today. Wish us luck as we try to avoid getting snowed in!

And a Happy New Year!

Colin and Mandie celebrating New Year's Eve at

Pat O'Brien's on the San Antonio Riverwalk

Happy New Year from the McKenzies!! We hope that your holiday travels and visits with friends and family were as wonderful as ours were!

As you read in our last post, we had planned to take a whirlwind tour of the South over the Christmas break, and it ALMOST went off without a hitch! A friend of Colin's from MSU is also studying conducting and is a fellow Texan, and had planned to carpool down to Texas with us in his own car with his Cocker Spaniel. Unfortunately, on the day that we were supposed to leave for Texas, his car would not start! So, Colin and I being the wonderful friends that we are :), delayed our trip for a day to see if they could fix his car. The dealership could not fix it in a timely manner, so we offered to take him with us to Texas. That is right--three people, four dogs, and all of our stuff for three weeks of travel in a Honda Accord for over 20 hours!! Sound fun, right? Really, it ended up being fine and we were glad that we could help out a friend.

We visited Texas and Georgia to see both of our respective families, and it was wonderful to be home for Christmas. We even had the added treat of seeing my Aunt Vicki and Uncle Bob in Baytown when we didn't think we were going to be in town at the same time, and seeing lots of people from Columbus when Mrs. McKenzie had a dinner party at her house, including Colin's brother's in-laws who also live in Columbus. Good times were had by all and we were so thankful that we got to be with everyone we love over the holidays. To see pictures from our Christmas vacation, click here to access the web album.

Then, it was off to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl! San Antonio is one of my favorite cities, so we enjoyed very much taking our Michigan friends to experience Texas in one of the most fun places in the state. We were able to ring in the New Year on the Riverwalk, which was very fun. MSU lost the game to Texas Tech, but I felt that we put up a good fight, and the game was much better that we had expected it to be. To see pictures of our trip to the Alamo Bowl, click here to access the web album. To all of our friends that we didn't get to see this trip to Texas, we are coming back in the summer and hope to see you then!

We had to leave the day after the game to drive back to Michigan so that I could be back to start my new job as a Reference Librarian at MSU. I have been working for a week now and absolutely love it! It is exactly what I wanted to be doing in a job, and I am enjoying every minute of being a working girl again! Colin has started his Spring semester of classes and has enjoyed conducting the pep band at hockey games for MSU. We are looking forward to a wonderful semester and hope that Spring comes soon to the state of Michigan! Not that we don't enjoy the snow, but the eight degree weather for weeks at a time is a little too cool for our tastes.