Reflecting on 2014 - our "Christmas Letter"

Brendan:

Brendan continues to work for Siemens Field Services International.  Many of his jobs continue to be located in Saudi Arabia.  Nine months out of the year he was traveling working on gas turbines.  In-between these jobs he spent time maintaining the house in Denver, CO or working on the flat in Ireland.  He even did the cooking and cleaning in Ireland when he is there.  One of his triumphs was cooking a loaf of Guinness bread from scratch. He enjoys the city life in Dublin, IE.  Riding his bike around town as a means of transportation has been quite the experience.  He hadn’t ridden a bike since his high school days (more than a decade ago).  When the bike just won’t do, he will ride the train.  He loves trains too, so it has been an all-around win.  In Ireland (when he is home) he has had the chance to volunteer for “English Corner” at the local church.  He enjoys helping students learn English by giving them a chance to casually practice the language.  He continues to serve the Army Reserve as a mechanic for a Unit in Denver, CO.  He spent four weeks working for them “turning wrenches.”  This year, thanks to a friend’s encouragement, he began going to the gym more frequently.  Brendan once again took our niece Rachel to a Father/Daughter dance at our church and enjoyed dancing the night away.

 He had the chance to be a groomsman at a wedding for a childhood friend.  Not only was the wedding a great experience, but he loves an excuse to wear a tuxedo.  

That same friend loaned him his motorcycle for the day and he was able to take a nice scenic motorcycle ride through the Colorado Mountains.  Another highlight of the year was going skeet shooting with friends at a firing range east of Denver. In-between all this he still continues to read, keep up with Call of Duty and pass the time with his Netflix subscription.  This year has been quite an adventure between working and transitioning to Ireland.  To all my friends in the US and IE I hope this year finds you well and the coming year will be even sweeter.

Hannah:

January started off with Hannah’s senior recital at the University of Denver. I enjoy working with so many wonderful musicians and actors. I really miss college life at DU since I graduated in November 2013.  

Since then, I headed up a group of friends who all miss playing their instrument. We have created a group called the Sage Ensemble. I am the primary composer for the group and we have done multiple concerts around the Denver area. The group name comes from the fact that all the music I compose has a picture, story or emotion attached to it. It is never “music for music’s sake”. Therefore we call ourselves an “abstract classical” ensemble which means our music incorporates other arts such as poetry, drama, 2D artwork... Our website is: www.SageEnsemble.com.

At the beginning of last year Hannah got a job as the Assistant to the Head of Commercial Real Estate for Keller Williams. I enjoyed doing office work and felt like I really thrived in the work place.  I was also hired on as the official House Manager at the University of Denver Theatre Department.

During the summer, my close friends Stephanie, Nathan and I began a tradition called “Adventure Monday” where we tried to do something new around Colorado. We did fun things such as kayaking in the mountains and the Denver Aquarium. I even went to my FIRST Denver Bronco game.

After much thought, prayer and consideration, I decided to get my Masters degree at Pulse College in Ireland. I got accepted to all but one college I applied for, but Dublin’s course sounded like it had the most to offer. Brendan and I did a huge garage sale, sold our jeep and motorcycle, and moved to Ireland in September.  My sister Meghan and her daughter Rachel moved into our house and are taking care of all our furry babies for the year we are away.  One of my ferrets, Mowgli, got really sick and passed a way the first week I was gone. This was my first pet to die and as silly as I felt crying for a ferret, it hit me hard. I am missing out on an entire year of my pet's life while in Ireland. I am sure it sounds ridiculous, but I am sad to be away from them for this long.

Dublin has been a grand adventure. There have been many ups and downs of moving abroad and with the program. I really miss my friends, family and my pets, but it has been neat to go to a different culture and live a different lifestyle. I have enjoyed not having a car. Brendan and I both bought a bike and go everywhere on it. It was hard to get use to since I have not ridden a bike since I was a teenager; but I have really come to enjoy it.  I am enjoying the rainy weather and their lattes are wonderful! The people are SO nice and I have made many new friends and have a wonderful new church family. We have made it to the Dublin Zoo (our tradition is to go to the Zoo in all the places we have visited…), the Guinness tour, and the cliffs of Moher. (See my bday blog for our Dublin tour with friends). Our roommates, Bojan and Sarah have also been wonderful.

The view from our flat

The "roomies"

The college program has been good. I have met some WONDERFUL people in the business. From Garry Schyman I learned that it is common to use academic, extended techniques in film and game music. What I love about this is that I use to struggle composing atonal music during my bachelors, BUT it has come out in my music more naturally and more often here then ever before. When it is used in a scary or intense moment for a movie or game, IT WORKS! And it makes sense! I love that. I have enjoyed seeing how the academic-style of music I learned in my undergrad has come to the surface in my music and really enjoying "sneaking" hidden things within my film score assignments such as the octatonic scale.  Christopher Young taught me that a sing-able/ memorable melody is something people desire and something composers must work at to do well. He was also very encouraging that being a film composer is completely possible. Then Andy Hill showed me that my music does tell a story and that I do have the ability to write music that is cinematic. I have also enjoyed doing multiple recordings of my music and have learned a TON in music technology -- which was a primary reason I chose this college over the others.

 

Me and the guys in the recording studio

Me and Andy Hill

Me and Christopher Young

All that being said, this is the first year of this Master degree and They have a lot of ironing out to do when it comes to scheduling and organization of classes, especially better use of class time outside of the guests. What is nice is that the heads of the college are open to our (the Masters students) suggestions and are working on making things better. It looks like next semester will be better prepared. I have been extremely frustrated and am trying to be patience as they work things out. I don’t feel like I learned as much as I hoped to learn. I am also really struggling physically. I think the weather and the stress due to workload and lack of good scheduling brought on a lot of physical pain. My hand and fibromyalgia pain has been worse then ever and this has added a lot of frustration and discouragement. I was also hoping I’d feel more “at home” in film scoring. I never felt like I completely fit in with the fully academic music world, but I am not finding I fit in here either. I am somewhere in-between these two worlds and have no clue what that means yet. I think I could be more of a “Libby Larsen” –academic, but music that is approachable for a wider range of people. I also REALLY miss working with the theatre – I wondering if I should have accepted the Masters in Composing for Musical Theatre degree in New York. I have met some great new friends and have had some wonderful experiences. There are just days where I have not felt the amount of money and sacrifice Brendan and I have put into this adventure has completely been worth it. --- Maybe I am just missing home too much. Hopefully after next semester I will have a change of mind.

Brendan had to work through Christmas this year so I ended up going back to Colorado to be with family. My dog Belle dove under my legs and would not let me out of her sight for the first few days. My cats slept with me all night. I missed my babies SO much – it will be hard to leave them again. I had a wonderful Christmas with family (even though I ended up spending the first week in bed sick). We went to the Zoo Christmas lights and Botanic Gardens. I had good friends over for New Years. Sunday I head back to Dublin to join Brendan for a little while before school starts again. 

Me and Belle when I first arrived

Loving on my kitty Eilonwy

Brendan bought gifts and sent them home. He asked my sister Meghan to wrap and put them under the tree for me :) Such a s good guy I have. THIS picture is of my new mug... which looks like to zoom lens I have been asking for for years LOL

Me and my sister-in-law Erin

Brendan and I want to wish all of our friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May God bless you in all that you do and may you have a wonderful 2015!

Micah 6:8 
He has told you, O man, what is good:
and what does the Lord require of you
but to justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God