Everything but the kitchen sink... in a nutshell

Some of our friends have probably been wondering what the heck has been going on since there's been hardly an update in a while (besides the kitty news)... and some people probably stopped reading the blog altogther!! Well, here's what has been keeping us so busy for the past few weekends...

May 16-17: NC Middle School All-State workshop and concert

Pre-workshop - meet with students twice a week for 4 weeks preparing music. Workshop weekend - had a rather relaxing time hanging out in rehearsal rooms watching the clinicians work while madly putting together documents, flyers, and tickets for Cabaret. Most everything went smoothly. Only surprise-- a mother decided to drive to Greensboro just to make her daughter stay in a hotel room with her instead of with the rest of the group. She was acting way over-protective, and the poor girl just wanted to hang out with her friends. Poor thing! OK, I lied... two more suprises -- one mother told her daughter after the concert that she could not drive her home and she had better figure out a ride, and then just left her there in tears! And one of my students' dad drove down to Greensboro and didn't even come to the concert because he left too late... so late that he arrived 2 hours after the concert had begun (30 minutes after the concert had ended)! I don't really understand why parents don't care more about their kids. I mean, All-State is a big honor for the students and I just think the parents should be more supportive and caring.

the girls before their concert

May 22-23: Cabaret

The show went pretty well. I was especially impressed with the Seniors this year because they did an awesome job preparing their Senior Song on their own. This was the first time in 4 years that I was really pleased with the Seniors' work on Cabaret. We got plenty of good feedback on the performance, and we raised over $1000 toward the Chorus trip to London!

May 24-27: Colin and Gia's wedding

So, the very next morning after Cabaret, Tony and I got up at 5am and drove to Charlotte so that we could fly to Massachussetts for Colin and Gia's wedding with my parents. We were totally exhausted... even had to take a nap before the family dinner that night (naps are usually unheard of in my world)! My Aunt Pat organized a really nice Indian meal for everyone. The food was delicious!! We also had Italian pastries for dessert (Gia is Italian).

On Sunday morning, Tony and I went out with my parents and mom's old friend, Maria. We drove to a beautiful walking path, and also visited the town around Smith College. Here we are on the pedestrian bridge.

Whereas Cameron and Rebecca's wedding was probably the longest wedding I've ever been to, this one was about the fastest ceremony I have EVER attended in my life. Megan and I were bemoaning the heat of the sun a bit as we got to our seats, and many of us were worried because there weren't enough seats on the Bride side for all of Gia's family... but no sooner had the ceremony begun, they were pronounced husband and wife and the party began. The reception lasted for about 6 hours, which included an hour of drinks and appetizers followed by a 7 course Italian meal, finished off with a chocolate fountain!! You could have rolled us out of there by the end of the night. Oh wait, we about had to roll SOMEONE out of there... hehe!

the Groom's party and officiant

Gia and ColinAshly (flower girl)Brianna (flower girl) Colin's son, Lars (he looks EXACTLY like Colin as a little boy)

some Baptiste ladies (and Maria) at the reception Kara, me, Megan, and Ashly

May 31: Carowinds Music Festival

I took my 6th Grade Chorus to the Carowinds Music Festival in Charlotte last weekend. Mike brought his 7th and 8th grade Chorus and Robert brought her Band, so we had about 150 people on the trip. Tony went along and rode some rides with me and Ken before the performance. But by the time we started riding kiddie rides with Amy, Emily and Will, Tony was too sick to ride any more. It's crazy how the simplest little round-and-round ride can turn a person's stomach upside-down for the rest of the day! Here's the two of us on the balloons before Tony got sick:

Of course, the important part of the day was supposed to be the performance, but really I didn't take it too seriously. The kids did fine and got good comments from the judges. So, everyone went home happy (except sick Tony).

Now, add in our regular jobs, workout schedule, and Tony's mad studying, and you can probably understand why there's been NO time for blogging! But never fear, the summer is nearly here! I guess that only excites us teacher-types, but I CAN'T WAIT!

Challenge of the week: How much gas can you conserve?? I know some poeple are already doing this (like Tara), but with gas prices continuing to rise, we can all benefit from driving a little less. Try riding your bike, walking, or taking the bus this week. Your pocket will thank you!