2013
August 2013
Alex is back to school this week, with a lighter schedule than normal (he’s only teaching a few wood shop classes this year). He’ll be able to devote more time now to making harps (he’s about six months behind). Since many of the children were traveling this summer (Anthony, Emily & Mark drove to CO to visit their sister Joanna for the summer), Sue spent her time writing an instruction manual for the 10-String Davidic Harp. It turned into a bigger project than anticipated, but hopefully it will be helpful to the many customers who have been waiting for a book like this. With it almost completed, we hope to bring it to the printers in early September. Anthony was offered a job in CO this summer, so now he is living out West; and Emily decided to stay and help her sister Joanna until she has her baby in October. Mark flew back to PA in mid-August so he could join his parents on a trip to New England to visit family. We made two trips to Massachusetts to visit family this summer... one in early June and another in mid-August. Alex’s dad (now 87) needs more attention, so he and his siblings are trying to figure out ways to help. While in the New England states, we enjoyed seeing the ocean again.
A beach in Charlestown, RI
Dosei enjoying the beach sand
Newport, RI
Craig enjoying the rocks at the ocean
Paul started in January at Sight & Sound’s Conservatory, so he has a busy schedule this year... he has classes in the morning, and then he’s performing in the shows in the afternoon & evenings (with only Sundays & Mondays off). He loves what he is doing, and hopes to continue working there next year after school is finished in December, he just auditioned for their production of “Moses” which starts in February of 2014.
Paul at school – Sight & Sound
Paul gives the family a tour before the show of “Noah” at Sight & Sound
This is Mark’s last year of home schooling... he’s a senior now, and the last one to graduate – so this is Sue’s last year of home schooling (after 28 years!), and she graduates too! God is good, and we’re looking forward to another grandchild coming in October (#5 for us!). We enjoy our family, and we are very busy serving Him with all the gifts and skills that He has given us.
December 2013
Alex keeps busy making harps... we have a continual flow of interest, and customers continue to be added to our waiting list. We’ve done some house-hunting this past spring; looking at possible places that would allow us to have our harp shop on the same property as our home, but nothing has turned up. Thankfully we don’t have to move, so we can just take our time looking around and waiting for the right time and the right one. With all the kids busy this summer (Mark & Emily went to be with Joanna & Anthony in Colorado for July & August), Sue managed to write a book... an instruction manual on how to play our 10-string Davidic harp. It was a lot of work over a few months, but she had lots of help from family and friends. It’s listed on our website in case you’d want to see it. She also wrote a couple more Christmas books for this harp as well, and is now working on another book of ten hymns. She just got back from a one-week trip to Colorado to visit Joanna and to meet the newest grandson, Angelo. Anthony was home for the Thanksgiving holiday for three weeks, and returned back to Colorado early December. He’s enjoying his new home (living with Joel Bishop’s family) in the Grand Junction area. His favorite past-time now is learning Spanish in preparation for his upcoming trip to South America (Chili) next month. Paul just graduated last week from his studies at Sight & Sound Conservatory, and enjoyed his experience this year very much. Although he did not get a part in the Moses show, he hopes to work part time for S&S in the coming year, along with making harps again for his father. Since Joanna was having complications with her pregnancy this summer, Emily decided to stay in Colorado till after the baby was born (little Angelo was born to Stephen & Joanna early October). We’re also looking forward to welcoming another grandchild to Dena this coming April.
The Hochstetler Family Nathan & Dena, Craig & Dosei
The Dindinger Family Stephen & Joanna, Angelo, Nico & Geno
Our family CD is finally finished... and like good wine, it took many years to get to this point (we started it before the girls got married 7 years ago!), All the children helped on this one, and it includes many of our family’s favorites (some Christmas songs too). You can see more details about this CD if you go to the “Recordings” section of this website (it’s featured on the top right corner of that page). We also started a Facebook page where we can let family and friends know about new harps, CD’s, and books that are available – you can go to the top of the harp page on this website and click onto the link, or go to Facebook’s website and type in Marini Made Harps and “like” us to get our updates. Once again we see God’s faithfulness to us as another year comes to a close, and we look forward to seeing what He has for us as the New Year unfolds.
From left: Mark, Emily, Alex & Sue, Paul, Anthony
