Tonight the five Lavins are celebrating… we give thanks to the Lord for bringing Dad through another tax season! He is now officially finished! We so appreciate those of you who have lifted him up in prayer throughout these last several months and weeks. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much – James 5:16.

Last evening we drove to hear the Austin Symphony and Hilary Hahn perform. The program included:

~Cantus Arcticus, Op.61 by Einojuhani Rautavaara, a composition scored for symphony and recorded bird calls. An unusual and fun selection of music!

~Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82 by Aleksandr Glazunov. This was a truly outstanding performance by the amazing violinist Hilary Hahn. After several rounds of applause and standing ovations, she treated us to an encore of Der Erlkönig (The Earl King), by Heinrich Ernst (a fantastically difficult piece of music).

~Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastorale” by Ludwig van Beethoven. It portrayed the experiences of life in the country: cheerful feelings on arriving in the country, a scene by the brook, a merry assembly of countryfolk, the lightning and thunderstorm, and the happy shepherd’s song. When Beethoven wrote this beautiful music his hearing was significantly impaired; he wrote based upon his memory of sounds and his great love for nature.

The whole family, along with our friends Tim and Cara Horn.

Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas

Josh got one of his CD inserts autographed by Hilary Hahn

What a memorable and fun evening this was… Dad even topped it off afterwards with drinks at Starbuck’s.

Dad takes a few minutes after lunch to enjoy the sunny afternoon… along with his “girls” Addie and Essie. Someone sure is getting a lot of loving!

Essie is more than ready for another nap.

Never were there such devoted sisters…cutting out new “Laventi” skirts (pattern from our friends, the Valenti girls in LA).