Monday, December 31, 2012

Christmas 2012

 Photo unload about to happen. We had a very nice Christmas filled with 25 Days of Awesome-ness for Michael and myself to enjoy. Time was also spent with dear friends and family in the celebration. There was lots of hot chocolate, eggnog in sugar-encrusted glasses, cookie decorating, seeing reindeer and ice sculptures at Thanksgiving Point, admiring the pretty lights and decorations around us, and, of course, window shopping at City Creek, with a stroll through Temple Square. 

Loved seeing Michael and Natalie Rougeau when they came for a visit. Although, wish we could've spent more time with them. I foresee some strictly sibling fun in the years to come, because once a year is just not enough! They are cute and perfect for each other. It makes me happy to see them happy when I am also so happily matched myself (paraphrase from Jane Austen's Emma)!



 Model walk.

 I think it was safe to say that Nat, that Southern girl, was a bit cold here in Utah. :)



 Our beautiful Christmas tree. Not real this year, but hopefully next year will turn out. We do not need a repeat of the ugly tree excursion of 2012. Gives me the willies just thinking about it. ;)

 Keeping France always close to our hearts.

Made a bunch of these ornaments for my family members and myself. Different colors and seashells to reflect each family. They are a bit of Florida, back in Utah. Still need to put a picture in ours!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Christmas Card 2012

Here's our Christmas card so all can enjoy, especially to those we weren't able to mail a copy to this year!

We really do love all of our dear friends and family and are grateful for the support we are constantly given, especially through this year of BIG changes and adventures. 

We've enjoyed moving to Tallahassee and back to Utah, driving cross-country with a U-haul trailer both trips. As a result, Michael's become VERY skilled at car repairs. We've also been grateful to be completely finished with schooling as I finished my music therapy internship with Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, FL. And after that, I studied for and passed my board certification exam to officially become an MT-BC! 

We also searched for and bought our very first home! That has brought all sorts of fun projects to be done and dreams to be fulfilled in the coming years. We have BIG plans for this house and are totally in love with being in our own space that we can alter to our taste and needs. We love our neighborhood and ward and are happy. That's all we can ask for. It's a pretty great life. 

Right now, the snow is falling softly outside in big, fluffy flakes. Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 08, 2012

Christmas-ification

 I've been enjoying making our new home festive for the Christmas holidays. It really is so fun having a fireplace mantel and a bunch of little places in the home that I can decorate. That said, we're keeping it pretty simple this year. Not a lot of Christmas decorations or purchases have been made, seeing as we just moved and have lots of "settling in" to do.

But, I did catch some really great Black Friday sales. And luckily, the things that we were interested in weren't "hot ticket" items, so going out when it was still dark outside didn't have to happen this year. And for that, I was grateful! And I was also a much happier customer!

I got a really great deal at Joann's on berry garland. Weave three strands together, secure with a little thread, and you get the pretty wreath in the pictures above. I love how it turned out!

I also brought back these paper ornaments this year. I really love them so much because they are incredibly easy to make and look so pretty. Each one comes out uniquely different. And they twirl all around throughout the day! Inspiration from Design Sponge.


These paper bags are part of something special I'm doing for Michael. I call it Michael's "25 Days of Christmas". A different bag filled with candy, activities, coupons, etc. for each day of December until Christmas Day. My friend Dani came up with idea for her husband and I decided I wanted to do it for mine. It's been fun planning everything, making the cards, and surprising Michael each day with something different! Michael seems to really be enjoying himself with all this special attention. And he deserves it, with all the hard work he does and how he takes care of our family. He's pretty great, if you ask me.

I'll have to post pictures of our tree and tell the funny story revolving around that. Life is good and fun right now. We're just basking in the snow that fell today, and enjoying the fire Michael made in our fireplace. Perfect day!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Here's another recipe for your classic holiday dinners. This Thanksgiving was also my first time making homemade cranberry sauce. Even though I love the canned stuff, especially the jelly kind that slides out just like the shape of the can (I know, I'm weird), I think I've found something that will become a tradition in our house for the foreseeable future. 

It's that good. 

In my research for a recipe, I found many that called for just cranberries, sugar, and water. I knew that I wanted something more and when I happened upon a recipe with classic holiday spices and an orange, I knew that's what I wanted to try. It did not disappoint.

And Michael's family (who are not usually fans of cranberry sauce) all tried it and liked it very much. I'll say that's proof of how great it is. So, try it for yourself! 

Happy "Start to the Holiday Season"!

Spiced Cranberry Sauce
 (adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli on the Food Network)

Ingredients:
12 oz. bag fresh cranberries, washed and dried
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 orange, zested and juiced

Directions:
  1. In a medium pot, combine the cranberries, sugar, and water. Stir to blend. 
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and add the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir to blend and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Some of the cranberries will burst and some will remain whole. 
  3. Add the orange juice and zest, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature or refrigerate before serving.
Yields about 2 cups

Friday, November 23, 2012

Pecan (pronounced "puh-kawn") Pie

Pecan Pie. Another recipe I have had on my "to-do" list for a while. There were lots of pies to be made for Thanksgiving at the Blacks this year, and I knew this was my opportunity to finally try my hand at Pecan Pie! Thanks to Pioneer Woman who is a perfect source for a true Southern pie. The recipe was much easier than I anticipated and that even encompassed trying out a new pie crust recipe.

I can assure that it tasted as pretty (and even better) than it looks. I love the little fluted edges I made in the crust, and how pretty it looks in my new pie plate. Courtesy of my in-laws for my birthday. They gave me a Home Goods gift card and I was able to purchase my first (and heavily discounted) piece of Le Creuset. I think this is going to be the start of a very happy friendship. :)

Pecan Pie
(adapted from Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:
1 whole unbaked pie crust (I used Pâte Brisée from Simply Recipes)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbs. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter (salted)
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup (heaping) chopped pecans

Instructions:
  1. First, whip up your pie crust and place in pie plate.
  2. Next, mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.
  3. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.
  4. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Cover top and crust lightly/gently with foil. Bake pie at 350º for 30 minutes. Remove foil, then continue baking for 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans.
  5. Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.
NOTES:
- PIE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLY JIGGLY WHEN YOU REMOVE IT FROM THE OVEN. If it shakes a lot, cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minute or until set. 
- Required baking time seems to vary widely with this recipe. Sometimes it takes 50 minutes; sometimes it takes 75!

Monday, November 19, 2012

La Maisonnette France Giveaway

Have you ever wanted to go to France and stay in a quaint little town and "cottage" for a week? Well, Michael and I think about it all the time and can't wait until we get the chance to do so.

Lucky, because I'm entering a giveaway to stay in La Maisonnette, owned by the fabulous blogger Stephmodo. She's giving away a week's stay to mark the 3rd anniversary since it's completion/renovation. Lots of love and work went into this beautiful place.

If you'd also like a chance at this giveaway, check out her blog post today. It's a very special opportunity. Oh, and Happy Monday to everyone! :)

Sunday, November 11, 2012

First Snow in Sandy

 What do you do when it looks like this outside? By the way, this is a picture I took this morning, looking out onto our cul-de-sac. Can you see how much it has snowed since Friday? Yeah, the snow basically has only stopped for a few hours while we slept on Saturday night. Awesome.

Anyway, back to the cozy FIRE that we (or should I say, Michael) built yesterday in one of our 3 fireplaces in this house. This wood burning stove just happens to be in the large family room that was once the garage. It was so warm and, with a cup of hot cocoa, did just the trick keeping the cold out during this first snowstorm.

 Look how cute and happy he is! Man/Michael created fire.

And here's a little video, full of cheesiness. We had to document the sounds of the fire too!

Thursday, November 08, 2012

THE House!!!


There you have it folks. Our little home! Don't mind the fact that his picture was taken with Michael's cell phone, so it's not that great of quality. It may not look too cute right now, but we have some big plans for it. And that's what this post is about today. I'm afraid we're still not perfectly settled in enough to share inside pictures, so I'll give you a basic run down of our plans sans any photographic illustrations. :)
  1. Windows - We're replacing them. They are the original single pane aluminum, put in the house when it was built in 1976. We just decided on the company we are going with to replace them and we're getting a killer deal. It will make such a difference for looks, sound, and insulation. Yay!
  2. Shutters - That basically goes along with the windows. We plan on building them ourselves and we know that they will automatically up the "cute" factor. 
  3. Landscaping - This is going to happen in the Spring, of course, and will make SUCH a difference on the welcoming appearance from the front of the home. Picture flower beds along the front and down the walkway, with some shrubs, annuals, and perennials. Pots on the porch also. And maybe a tree in the front yard or park strip!
  4. Front Door - This one is planned for a bit further down the road, as it's not too essential, but will be purely aesthetic. Something in a nice wood, maybe some panels on the side. Nix the "country criss-cross window panes"!
  5. Master Suite - There are 3 bedrooms upstairs and we plan on combining two of those to make a really nice master suite complete with a master bath and walk-in closet. It will be a thing of beauty.
  6. Old Garage/Family Room - As you can see from the front of the house, that large room on the left used to be the garage. The previous owners closed it in and built another 2-car garage on the side and further to the backyard of the house. Now there is a large family room in its place. It has steps that go down to basically the level of the concrete. We plan to raise the sub-floor and create one open and level living space from the kitchen to that room. Likewise, that front window is not being replaced right now, but will wait until we alter that room as we'll have to raise the height and possibly put a larger window in too. More pictures to come for illustration!
  7. Insulation - You can't see this, but we are upgrading our insulation in the attic. We need this to preserve a more comfortable temperature in the home.
  8. Finish Work - Updating with crown molding, new light fixtures, electrical outlets and covers, and paint over time.
  9. Energy Efficiency - Basically, that's the name of the game right now, with this home. We are replacing bulbs, windows, insulation, weather stripping, and doing all sorts of other things (tankless water heater included) to increase the energy efficiency of our home. We want to save money and bring it into the 21st century! It's about time!
So, what do you think? We got an amazing deal on the home, and with the market being like it is and rates as low as they are, we expect great things for our future in this home. We're so happy to finally have our own space again, to decorate, live in, and enjoy exactly how we choose. There's something to be said for getting back into your "normal" routines.

Our ward and neighborhood is great. Everyone is so happy to have us here and we have been welcomed with open arms. I love being in a nice family neighborhood with kids who just hop the fence and come into our backyard to say, "Hi". I think we are going to continue to feel happy here and know that his was truly the right choice for us at this point in our lives. We feel so incredibly blessed.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

DIY: Wooden Halloween Decorations

 As you can see, I've been a bit busy lately making all sorts of fun decorations for the fall/halloween season. I guess since we're about to move into our home (we'll be first time homeowners in about a week!), I've had the crafty "itch".

I started off with these cute candy corn, or as my adorable 3 year old niece calls them, "tandy torn"! She walked in the house the other day and exclaimed that to her grandma (Michael's mom). She was so curious as to why there was candy on the mantel. Guess that's a compliment to me how well they turned out because she thought they were real. Okay, maybe that's a stretch for the imagination of a 3 year old, but it was cute nonetheless. She was a little saddened to find out they were only made of wood and paint. :)

  My wonderful hubby used a circular saw to cut the triangles, then my sis-in-law Janessa showed me how to use a jigsaw to round the corners. I then sanded and painted these cuties to my heart's content. It took a little while because I may have "accidentally" painted orange on the bottom at the beginning. Thanks to my bro-in-law Leland who thought that something looked weird, then proceeded to laugh heartily and repeatedly throughout the night as I white washed the entire thing to make up for the mistake. Oops! :) In the end, they turned out quite cute and adorable. They fit perfectly on a fireplace mantel or a side table!

 This past weekend my friend Dani and I decided we needed another craft to occupy our time while the boys were at the General Priesthood Meeting for Conference. So, Dani found this cute idea from the internet (not sure where) and we went to work. Michael cut out the boards before he left. (I'm still afraid to use a circular saw. Maybe I'll conquer that fear someday?) 

The rest was pretty simple as all it requires is some paint and a bit of free-handing the faces. Not too shabby for a girl who can draw stick figures and that is about it, if I do say so myself! After the pain dried, I just hot glued burlap onto the cute mummy's body and used dowels to secure the boards to the bottom. Pretty easy, no?

I still think this needs something, like maybe painting purple stripes on the base. There's plenty of black, I think it could benefit from one more pop of Halloween color. What do you think? Any fun crafts you've been doing this year to get into the Fall spirit?

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Peach Scones and Life Changes

 Lots of changes have been happening in the Black family this past month, and it seems like the changes seem to coincide with the changing weather and seasons!

We are nearing the end of our time spent living in Michael's parent's basement as we are UNDER CONTRACT with a house!!! I've hesitated to say anything to the general public (especially over the internet) as one never knows what may happen or if things will fall through, but we are very positive and sure that this will be our home. Things have gone smoothly and well throughout the contract phase and we should be in our new home by the end of October!


So, in the spirit of the end of summer and beginning of fall, I'm sharing a recipe that I have had stashed in my repertoire for a very long time and just never had a chance to bake, much less share here.  

Fresh Peach Scones. 'Nuff said.


Fresh Peach Scones
(adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tbs. baking powder

4 tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

4 tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1 cup diced, peeled peaches
4 tbs. heavy cream, for brushing the tops of the scones

2 tbs. cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling on top

Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl or food processor, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Drop the cubes of butter over the flour mixture. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, or pulse the food processor. Work until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  3. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Pour over the flour and butter mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. Place dough in large bowl, and with a spoon or spatula, carefully fold in the chopped peaches.
  4. Transfer the dough to a heavily floured surface and gently form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a long rectangle, about 3/4 inches high. Using a pizza cutter, cut scones into triangle wedges and place on a baking sheet.
  5. Lightly brush scones with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let scones cool on a wire rack before serving.
Makes about 14 scones


On another sweet note, work is picking up and growing and I'm LOVING it. I have about 10-11 patients right now and it just keeps growing and expanding. Access is definitely using me for marketing purposes, so I'm busy with those kinds of presentations out in the community. I actually never thought that my face would be out there so much as a music therapist for hospice. It's kind of interesting and scary that I am a huge representation of music therapy here in the state of Utah. 

I've had some really cute patient stories as of late and lots of fun experiences with them. What I love about music therapy is that it is an essential service for hospice to offer, as patients need something that is enjoyable and not just a nurse visit with poking and prodding. Music therapy is all about quality of life. I had a patient tell me yesterday, "You just made my day". And I believe it is true. It makes me happy to know that the patients are loving it so much so that they are mentioning it to other IDT members. I receive positive feedback from nurses and social workers at every meeting. 

The Music Studio

We are truly blessed right now as my voice students have picked up also. Their styles are varying and I'm loving teaching a folk singer/guitarist, an R&B singer, and a young man who wants to be on the X-Factor. Another student to be coming soon. It is so much fun as I see them grow in their talent and enjoy that growth also!

 It seems like, once again, the Lord is in control and knew what would be the right time for certain things to happen and he made them happen so perfectly for our needs. Looking forward to moving into our home in a couple weeks or so and making it our own. We have some fun remodel plans and can't wait to show them to you on here. Be prepared, you might get bored with all the "house" posts that are forthcoming!

Hope you're all having a wonderful Saturday and those who are watching General Conference are enjoying it and getting answers to your questions and prayers. I love this time of year when spiritual inspiration is so strong and answered through the Lord's mouthpieces!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Herm's Inn

While visiting with my mother on Saturday, we popped into this adorable "new" restaurant in Logan, called Herm's Inn. It used to be an old service station on the edge of town, right before you would drive into Logan canyon (or come out of it). Apparently, the building had been sitting vacant and dormant for 70 years before somebody decided to purchase it and turn it into a cute little breakfast/brunch place!

 I just loved all the architecture and design. Everything had nods to the old history of the place. Lots of metal and wood. The fixtures were even industrial with vintage style light bulbs.



 They took great care to preserve as much original features as possible, including these window panes. Don't you just love the look of the wood against those chandeliers?


 Thank you Frankie. He serenaded me from above the fireplace.

 The entire menu made me salivate. It was really difficult to decide what to order (seriously, I took like 10 minutes). I eventually decided on the "Aggie" omelette. Loved the nod to USU and Aggie country. Also, seeing as we had just beat the U the night before!

On to the omelette. It was filled with bleu cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and spinach (which I requested they add). Loved the pungency of the bleu cheese alongside the other ingredients. Nice side of home fries and a pancake that had a bit of lemon flavor to it. Paired with the in-house made syrup, the pancake blew me away and I have now vowed to try citrus in my pancake batter!

What a cute little place. I love it when people take old landmarks and resurrect them to something special as a way of remembering their greatness and history. It was a fun little place to have breakfast and I'm certainly going back in the future. There is a giant cream cheese frosted cinnamon roll and a big bowl of homemade jalapeno bacon macaroni and cheese waiting for me!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Hunt

 Picture via The2Seasons

Hi friends! I'm still struggling with things to blog about lately because, well, Michael and I have officially become boring. Or at least that's how it feels sometimes.

We're still in our house hunt and frankly, it's hard. Michael doesn't seem to be as affected by the long search as I am. I think part of it is the difference of being a woman and wanting your own "space" to clean and take care of. Call it a bit of maternal instinct. It's not that I'm not grateful to Michael's parents for letting us live with them for free while we search (because I really am SO grateful), I'm seriously starting to get cabin fever and to feel cramped. I don't know how people share homes for years because this is getting difficult after only 3 months. Do I ever have some respect for those two+ family homes out there.

Michael and I were talking the other day in the grocery store about how much we miss just grocery shopping on Saturdays. This particular shopping trip was while we were in Logan for a camping trip. Michael said that he used to love our Saturday shopping trip to the grocery store, walking down the aisles, searching for good prices, scoring at the day old bakery section, etc. It seems like something so simple and insignificant, but he's right. I miss it too. It was time to just be us and to have a bit of independence. Michael's parents are gracious enough to buy groceries while we live here, but who knew that we'd miss that one small thing as much as we do?

Another thing that I think makes this more difficult for me is that Michael is busy at work during the day and I'm still working on getting my jobs really off the ground. Everything is set up with the Music Studio, but student requests haven't really flown in yet. I only have one voice student right now and I hope that more will come as the new school year begins. And with music therapy, I'm all ready to go and so is my supervisor, but others seem to be dragging their feet so I haven't actually started practicing music therapy with patients yet. (On the other hand, I am officially Rebecca Black, MT-BC. I passed my board certification exam! That's pretty sweet if you ask me.)

As Michael and I were taking Milo (the Black family dog) for a walk the other night, we were talking about how our expectations have changed over these past few months. Michael admitted that he really thought we would be in or almost in a house by now.  We've had a few close calls but the houses just didn't feel right and that has been hard emotionally. It's also frustrating how the market has turned from buyer's to a seller's market. Houses don't pop on the market as frequently as they did even 3-4 months ago. Some friends of ours bought their first house a year ago and that was when 50 new houses would list every day. They looked at at least 100 homes. Over our search, we've probably only walked through about 35-40 homes. I think since the interest rates are so low right now, that many people are refinancing instead of listing their homes and buying a different one.

We're starting to feel like we just want to find a home without a few things we really felt like we needed at the beginning of our home search, just to be in a home. Instead of hoping to be in it for about 5 years, we're thinking maybe 2-3 years. No matter what we buy right now, the home will appreciate in value just for the fact that market will rise in the future. So that's positive.

Sorry if I sound all pouty, whiny, and just plain depressing. This is what we're dealing with in the Black family. I felt like it would be good to write it down and maybe get some perspective from my sweet friends. Anything would be appreciated!

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

DIY: Jersey Knit Bracelets

Aren't these just the cutest and funkiest bracelets you've ever seen? My sisters-in-law and I got together last night and made these jersey knit bracelets, courtesy of a Pinterest find. They're made with a simple finger-weaving method. (I totally did this kind of thing with yarn when I was younger...did anybody else do this too?) 

 As you can see, you get different widths based upon the amount of fingers you decide to use. I really love how they came out. If you want to make some yourself, just check out V and Co. She has good visuals and even a video tutorial. It's really easy and fast to do. I'm thinking I'm going to make more of these for stocking stuffers/girlfriend gifts this Christmas!

 You can see how the weave turns out to be like a "box braid" all around. Word to the wise, you'll need only one strip of 58" fabric to make a bracelet with 2 fingers. Two strips for 3 fingers. And if you have small wrists like I do, still only 2 strips for 4 fingers.

Once you make one, you'll get the hang of it and develop a feel for how much fabric you truly need to make each bracelet. I really like the look and feel of the 2 finger bracelet myself. It's not too chunky, but just right!

 And if you're feeling funky, why not weave two strips together at the same time? I kinda like how they came out (bracelet on bottom was made with only one color, as you can see). And those grey and navy fabrics were a different kind of jersey knit, so they feel a bit more "rustic" as I like to call it.

I hope you feel inspired to make these super cute and simple bracelets. I'm already wearing one today and love it!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Patriotism and the American Dream

Made this yummy patriotic trifle on the 4th of July and I forgot to blog about! It's too pretty to not share with all of you, so I thought I'd at least put a couple pictures on here and give everyone an update on life and things that have been happening in the Black household as of late. 

The trifle itself is just a vamped up version of my classic Strawberry Creme Trifle. Add a few blueberries and it's pure patriotism in a bowl! And take my word for it, this recipe is foolproof and is the best trifle you will ever eat (and you will say that every. single. time. you take a bite). If you don't have a trifle bowl, just serve the cake in slices and top with the fruit and whipped cream. Doesn't get much simpler than that!


On to life...

Michael and I are still in our house search and at times it is disappointing, exhausting, and grueling. We've been searching for only 2 months now, so I have to keep reminding myself of that fact when I have frustrating days that try my patience. We've found a couple homes that we have liked and placed offers on, but things just have not worked out or we've felt like they weren't the right places for us when it all came down to details. 

We're struggling finding cute homes with character, when really the type of homes we would LOVE to live in don't really exist out here in Utah. We have always said that someday we think we might move back out East as neither of us were raised here in the West and we just love the green, larger lots, trees, and home styles out there (think Colonial, Victorian).

I actually did something torturous to myself the other day and looked up homes for sale in North Carolina (just for fun, HA) and found hundreds that we would be happy to live in, with price ranges and lots that made us drool. Ah, c'est la vie! Not meant to be right now, but maybe someday! As for now, we're still on the search and have really narrowed down where we would like to live, so it's a waiting game to see what comes on the market every day. Hopefully August will be a promising month!

The Music Studio 

Among other updates...something related to the American dream...I finally have jobs! And yes, I did say jobs as in plural. I have joined The Music Studio in West Jordan and will be teaching private voice lessons there one afternoon a week. The great thing is that they will do all the advertising and recruiting and basically I do what I do best (teach) and let them send students my way.

And as for the second job...I will be contracting with a local hospice company here in Utah to provide music therapy services! This employment I am super stoked about because I basically created it out of thin air. I actually was never sure I'd be able to make this happen here in Utah, where music therapy can be so behind compared to the rest of the country. But, I got in there, did some proposal pitching, talked to all the right people, and they were convinced to add music therapy as one of their provided services to patients!

I'm not going to name the company yet, as I haven't officially signed paperwork, but let's just say that they are one of the most forward thinking hospices I have ever encountered. It took some searching to find the right place, and I do believe, that after a short period of time, they will truly see the benefit in music therapy and will seek to expand its availability to patients they serve. Everyone I have spoken to has been so excited to have me be a part of the company and have put their hearts (and money) behind it!

So YAY for music therapy being awesome and for people who believe in it and what it can do for hospice patients. I feel like I have found the place where I can truly grow as a music therapist and do what I love the most, which is sharing and using music to enrich the lives of others! Life is good.