Wednesday

Doing fun music stuff tomorrow!
Our jazz ensemble will be singing in the outside amphitheater behind CGCC's PAC at noon tomorrow
AND I'm practicing tomorrow night for the first time with the punk band I'm singing with  :) yay!  

yep I did

Sunday Night heart update

My sweet Matthew's Valentine to me...

 On the inside..

melt my heart :)


Last thought tonight

gone by in a blur

I performed at the Gilbert Heritage District Event Friday night-It was a catered live/silent auction- our jazz ensemble sang on the main stage right before the live auction -SUPER SUPER high energy and totally fun.(I guess that makes us the headliners. ha. There were performers on all the levels) and then 5 of us sang solos- I real quick chose one and sang it. NO preparation at all. LOL  I chose Summertime from Porgy and Bess and since it was in a high key in the book they had there, I sang it like a blond bombshell. It was fun to get into it (but the mic was pretty hot). I even had my fishnets and green heels.

This morning Aaron and I sang "Oh Divine Redeemer" at the private family viewing before his Grandma's funeral.  It went really well- Aaron got choked up at the end (making everyone else sob) and i had to sing the last line alone as always- "help me, my Savior."  It's such a beautiful arrangement- we've done it many times before and I'm guessing we'll keep getting asked to do it again and again.  The funeral went well and we had an awesome luncheon with the family- Grandma said she wanted people to perform music and read stories and poems, and she wanted Grandpa to teach the grandkids to dance like they used to (She'd been planning her funeral for a while- modifying it from time to time when she got new ideas).  I've lost a lot of family and friends, but none I saw so frequently as Grandma.  I saw her every single Sunday, and it is surreal to lose her.  When I went to visit her in the hospice a few hours before she passed away, she was sleeping and wouldn't wake up.  I held her hand and kissed her softly on the forehead and it felt like she was already gone.  She was empty.  I miss her a lot already. Tomorrow it will be hard to have family dinner without her. She was a spunky lady.  Rest in peace, Ouida May.

Last of all, did you know Fun. was at Zia in Chandler on Wednesday night?  My kids even got autographs.  they had SO MUCH FUN. no pun intended.  well, not by me, anyway.  here's a song from their newest album

PIctures found in the far reaches of my computer

Haiku Wednesday

Unfair Wednesday night

My family's going to Fun.

While I go to class

what I did at 6am

The kids' Valentine's Day parties are today, so last night I asked the kids what they wanted their valentines to look like and this morning I got up and made them.... 
Megan wanted one with a cartoon triceratops that said "Have a Dino-mite Valentine's Day!" (that's what her box of chocolates from A and I said)
Matthew just wanted green yoda valentines.
After a bit of copying and pasting from the internet, here they are:

Megan wanted hers printed on blue cardstock, and Matt's were on green cardstock.  They wrote their names in the "from" field, colored in the hearts, and taped fruit by the foots on the back of every one.  They really liked that they were like a coloring book pictures so their friends could color them and liked that theirs were home-made.  I'm just posting this so I can find them again. And so you can use them, too.  I printed 4 to a page. The dinos were on a horizontal page set and the yoda was on a vertical.

just going through old boxes

and discovering old photos....

age 4

now you know why they called me wide-head baby human.

age 19

chopped and dyed

age 20

(I made those pants out of yellow polyester pants and a green turtleneck from Savers to change them into bell-bottoms.  And then added some hippie flower embroidery at the hemline)

Friday

YAY! It's Friday!

This has been a good week, but man, do I need a nap!  I have had so much fun in my classes, which I love.  I have a piano recital on Monday and I also start tutoring on Monday.  My math teacher asked if I'd be willing to stay after class to tutor periodically for 2% extra credit added to my final grade at the end of the semester. Soooooo, I guess I'll have 102% final grade.  I hope he throws a candy bar into the mix, cause who needs 102%?? ha! I LOVE math, so I'm excited to help people understand it better. FUN!!

I have a Dr's appointment this morning- I'm getting my physical exam for my VISA! woot woot!  It's actually a pretty extensive exam- they have to know when you got specific vaccinations and you have to get tested for Tuberculin/PPD, HIV, Chancroid, Gonorrhea, Granuloma inguinale, Leprosy, Lymphogranuloma, Syphilis, Hepatitis, give the date of your last tetanus booster, report blood type, and RH factor.  They have sections for the dr to comment on each part of your body and one for mental status.  I also have to get a full chest xray. wha??  I don't understand why the xray, but ok, I'll fork out cash as long as I can get my visa.

Speaking of cash... Aaron just found out from the school that he'll be getting reimbursed for his laptop! woot woot! yay!

Last, but not least, I finally found the set of corel plates I've been searching for at my local goodwill.  I'm SO happy I found them....  They are my favorite because they are what we had when I was a kid. Totally vintage. LOVE LOVE. Plus, they don't get super hot when you're heating up your food in the microwave, unlike all our other dishes.  Please excuse the sheer red nastiness of my face in this photo :P

I took this picture so I could show my mom and sister the treasure I found :) sooo happy.

And in case you're wondering, yes, I'm bringing them with me to Dom.  Otherwise such a purchase would be foolish.

apple store

We all just got home from a trip to the apple store where Aaron bought his macbook for med school (Clarissa-we still might get Logan's for me).  Man, electronics are expensive!!  The kids and I messed around on the different computers and ipods, etc..  here are some comic book pics I took with a macbook while we were there..  I think it'd be fun to take a bunch of these pictures, add some word bubbles and make a family comic book. ;) tee hee. 

Haiku Wednesday

One two three four five

Counting syllables is fun

Unless your brain's broke.

(as mine is today. yay bad grammar)

Recital

I'm sure you all are sick of hearing me talk about music. and singing. and competitions......... and jazz..... Soooooo of course I'm going to talk about it :)  Actually, I just wanted to invite anyone who would like to come to my vocal recital tomorrow night (which, by the time anyone will read this, will be tonight). It is
Monday, February 6th at 7pm at the
PAC on CGCC Pecos Campus.
As usual I'll just be singing one song (it's for all CGCC vocal performance majors) and I'm sure I'll be near or at the end.  They always do that to me.  i guess I'm the fat lady. ;)  I hope to see a few of your smiling faces there! Hasta.

Oh, and in case you were waiting with bated breath, I did eh ok at the NATS competition.  I felt pretty apathetic about it, unfortunately.  Oh well.  I really don't like competing anyway, I just love performing, so there you have it.

NATS

I'm singing in the Classical NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Vocal Competition at 9:24 today.  I'm singing 4 songs- A Mozart Aria in Italian, a piece by Strauss in German that takes immense breath support with loooong phrases, and two Art songs in English, one of which kills my diaphram. oy. I'm soooooo not up for it right now.  I'm not nervous but that makes me nervous. ha.  ok, I think I just need to shake it off and have someone slap me across the face to get the adrenaline going- caffeine will hurt my voice, so I can't do that....  BLEHHHHH  Maybe I'll just go for a jog..... yep, that's it.  ok, asta.  Thanks for being my sounding board :)

Tiffershmiffany

I had lunch with my good friend, Tiffany, today at Five Guys Burgers and Fries on Mill in Tempe.  We smeared burger-sauce on our faces and took a pic to commemorate our outing. Awww... aren't we cute?  Except for the reflection on my glasses that makes me look like I've got crazy-eye. HA!!! She and her 3 boys are moving on Wednesday to join her super-brain aerospace technician husband, Jake, in CA.  We had to get together one last time before the exodus.  I got to meet Charlie, her new adorable baby boy who has an alfalfa tuft at the back of his head and smiles a LOT.  He's gonna be lady trouble. I also got to play tooty-tiles with her 3 yr old, Luke (sing a different note for each tile you quickly jump on.  beep bop boop..  If you step on a crack you get buzzed.. errrrrrrr!).  I'm gonna miss you, Tiffany!  I can't wait until you visit me in Dom..... right? right? ;)  Good luck, lady!

In lieu of haiku...

Nope, there was no Haiku yesterday.  I was too busy to write anything.  However, I did NOT fail to write down my random thoughts to share with you all later.  I have a notebook I keep in my car and whenever I think of something that might be fun/weird to share on the blog I write it down so I will remember later.  This is the same note book that has a running list of Professorisms (see blog's right side bar) on the back cover next to the list I just started of Vanity License Plates (personalized license plates I see on the road).  Here are some I've seen:  OHBTIFL, HALOROX, STRWARS, DECOR4U, WKYRDRM, OOHHYEA, GOCUGRS. Fun fun.  I have no idea what the 5th one means, so if you figure it out, let me know in the comments.

ANYWHO, now for the random happenings/thoughts...

-Aaron bought his ticket to Dominica.  wow, that was devastating to our bank account. The trip takes two days with an overnight in San Juan (not included in the $1200 price tag).  He's flying down a month or so before me. Yes, that's right.  That means that when I go, I'll have an overnight in Puerto Rico with my two little kids....and I don't speak Spanish. yipes!

-I don't know if I have ever told you about my filter.  It's faulty.  My verbal filter.  I ALWAYS have something to say about everything that I hear and I say things that are inappropriate or dumb (but always funny or clever) because I didn't run it through my filter and decide to err on the side of caution. B and I talk about it often.  Her filter is more refined than mine ;) However, with a little practice over the last year I have learned to restrain a little and any time I think of a "your mom blah blah blah" or "that's what she said" or the even less appropriate "that's what your mom said" comment or something so dumb (but still witty) that it shouldn't even occur to me in the first place, I say "FILTER!" Unless I'm with Aaron....  However, there are some words I hear and think "man, that's a great word. I need to say that." This is a completely random list of words I like.  Off the top of my head. LOL.

Twerp

Rotter

Crotchety

Dead Grotty(grotesque)

Frak (thank you, Battlestar Galactica)

Ridiculous
Baby-child

Fabulous

Fantastic- but I say it Fahntahzzyshtook, because in 1837 Robert Schumann composed a series of piano pieces and labeled the group "Fantasiestücke, Op. 12" and that word has stuck with me ever since we studied Schumann last year.  I love it. ha ha. ohhh mannnn... welcome to my brain.  If you click on the excerpt below you can hear one of the pieces from the Opus being played on an absolutely horrid piano. ha. but you'll get the idea.

I'm also a fan of inserting "freaking" into the middle of words like fan-freakin-tastic.
And I say "dude" a LOT.
There are a lot more I've thought of but I've got morning brain.

-I love the cone.  McDonald's ice cream cones.  The ice cream is  ehhh alright until you get to the cone.  I could eat the cone (w/melty ice cream) all day long (as long as I have some icewater- I always need ice water when eating an ice cream cone. Is that normal?). I told you this would be a random post.

-I am loving my classes.  Piano class reminded me that I actually can play.  I hate practicing at home- I need to get my piano repaired.  It's 150 YEARS off-tune and the middle C hammer doesn't play.  Really, middle C?  Why you playin me like that?  I'm supposed to play YOU.  ok, yes, I know. dumb. FILTER.

-Aaron has to buy a nice laptop for school. ug. more money. Passports, plane tickets, computers, a back-supply of diabetes meds for 2 people, full physical exams with xrays for A and me with no insurance, new hearing aids for Matthew at $3000 an ear... Did I mention that we don't have a credit card?  Now might be a good time to get one, says I.

-Remember how I'm going to NYC for 5 days in April for a Vocal Jazz competition with Distinguished Concerts International?  I mentioned it in an earlier post, but, as it turns out, everything is going to be covered- plane, hotel, registration ($650 a person), and we get a daily food stipend. woot woot!  This is good, because there was no way I'd be able to pay for it with all the other stuff we have to fork moolah out for right now. YAY!  I'm super super super super excited!  I had more supers memorized, but I figured you'd get the point.  All you jazz-hater friends of mine can just ignore this part of the post ;)

-I've been listening to the Black Keys lately...  I'm glad I revisited that. There are not many bands that can make you feel as cool while you're driving and jamming along as the Black Keys.  For your listening pleasure: (and viewing pleasure- these guys are funny)

This isn't an official music video, but the official music video is a movie preview with talking over it, so I opted for this one off of YouTube:

This has already become a long post, so I'll tell you about our
friend's restaurant, Bar[en]Grill, and our visit to 
Superstition Farmers Market another time :)  Hasta.