New Fiddle

Hayden has been needing a new violin for quite some time, but they are really expensive. We did a couple of routes this summer delivering phone books, I babysat this summer and saved it all for the violin, and Hayden did a lot of yard work and babysitting. We received an unexpected gift a few weeks back and realized that with that, we had enough saved for a violin. Which was a huge blessing considering that since we started saving, Dix lost his job and his unemployment income plus my income from teaching piano lessons is about half of what he was making before--and we were poor then! Anyway, we headed on down to the local violin shop and spent several hours watching Hayden play several different instruments. When he finally narrowed it down to two, the owner brought out another violin for him to try. Doh! It took a while longer, but he ended up deciding on the last violin that was brought in.

Then he had to choose a bow. It was funny because the shop owner told us that the violin picks the bow. In other words, a great bow for one violin may not be great for another. It just reminded us of Harry Potter. About another hour later Hayden had it narrowed down to the bow he liked the best. And then he had to choose a case.

And then I wrote a check.

And then we brought it home.

And he hasn't stopped playing it since! He has been re-inspired and spends anywhere from an hour to maybe three a day practicing. His playing is improving by leaps and bounds. It's so fun to hear him play.