He turned 45, and we celebrated with a DQ ice cream cake--his favorite!
These guys are very proud of their "quarantine hair!"
Sylvia found out this week that she was chosen to be drum major for marching band this fall. However, this comes with knowing that there may not be a marching band season, or it will look very, very different than in the past. It was another sad reminder when she had a zoom meeting with Mr. M and the band leadership team today. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk, and all the kids decided to go with me even though it was raining. Caeden decided to go down the slide at the playground in the rain, just to be silly.
It actually was nice to get out and walk around even though it was raining. I jokingly sang this song that I learned in elementary music class, thinking they would laugh and make fun of me, but they actually liked it. It is one that has stuck with me almost my whole life now.
Ryan came over tonight after work and there was some Mario Kart for Jeremy's birthday.
Happy birthday, Jeremy! We love you and are so thankful for you!!!
I am really emotional today. Jeremy brought in the mail this morning, and there was a box addressed to me. I opened it and found these Disney World scented candles that Dawn sent us to remind us of the wonderful memories of our vacation there together! I bawled.
All ready to try a Zoom piano lesson with Carly...
It did not go so well...No fault of hers, but there was trouble getting a good connection and it wasn't really video. And the audio was awful...when she played a song with the pedal it sounded staccato. Next week we will try a different platform. It was really wonderful to see her, for sure! It just proved that live video is not an option for all 16 of my students. :(
Jeremy did the grocery run today. He also got carry out from Moe's--our first food pickup since the stay-at-home order. I forgot to order queso though, so that was a big bummer.
Snaps
Took a walk with Sylv and Caed this afternoon. These buds on this tree are such an awesome color!!!
Sylvia wore her crafty jeans and we took some pics on the stairs of the church.
I wanted to get a picture to replicate this one...
Tried to get a pictuer of Sylvia, but someone else wanted in too...
Walking home
Sylvia spent some time skating.
I used the sidewalk chalk.
This afternoon, Sylvia put in the Barbie Island Princess dvd singalong version, and she and Caeden sang along. Too funny.
Ridgeview's production of Guys and Dolls was supposed to open tonight. Sylvia has dreamed of playing the part of Adelaide since she was a little girl and first saw the movie. She choreographed the entire show and had taught all the dances to the cast. She had chosen costumes from the closet at school, from Amazon, and had gone to the theatre warehouse with Mr. M. She had spent countless hours listening to and practicing the music. So had the whole cast. When Mr. M realized he had no other choice but to cancel the show, he called me and asked to tell Sylvia personally. She and everyone knew it was coming, but it was really kind of him to let her know himself. He said he will for sure do Guys and Dolls for the musical next year, but he will have to re-audition and re-cast it. Sylvia cried. Caeden was disappointed, but knows he should have more opportunities through his high school career.
This evening, even though she hadn't practiced in 3 weeks, Sylvia put on a dress and lipstick and sang through Adelaide's Lament in her bedroom. I was glad to be her audience, and I cried. I hope someday she will get the chance to play Adelaide.
A group of ladies in the community, including my own wonderful mom, put together a really nice reception for Mr. Norman this evening. After rehearsal, I was excited to attend!
A huge display of CHS theatre costumes and props was displayed in the commons area.
This is not exactly my costume from the king and I, but I did wear one of that same fabric as Princess Tuptim. This must have been Lun Tha's costume.
Programs from straight plays were displayed on Schroeder's piano (from Snoopy)
I was in One Foot In Heaven and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Ada Gives First Aid
in high school.
I wore one of sailor dresses and one of the yellow flowered ones as a Von Trapp child (Brigitta, the 9-year-old)in The Sound of Music my sophomore year.
I'm pretty sure I wore that baby blue dress with the high lace color in a play!
It was so neat to see Harold having a ball visiting with all the alumni and community members who came to celebrate him!!!
I got to chat with him a bit! I told him that I had a joke to tell him: I am now directing high school plays! He didn't get my joke and wasn't even surprised. I reminded him how he had teased me into trying out for a straight play my junior year, when I told him I didn't know how to act. I definitely didn't realize at the time how much I was learning from this man. What a blessing he has been to the community of Churubusco for so many decades!
Late this afternoon, I went CHS again, this time several alumni gathered to rehearse group numbers for the show.
As we arrived, Missy pointed out the new "plaque" for Outstanding Individual Performance awards. I remembered I had won Best Supporting Actress for playing Tuptim in The King and I my senior year, but apparently I also won Best Actress for playing Babe in Pajama Game my junior year.
I have such fun memories on the stage at CHS!
The choir room--more nostalgia!
As performers gathered, Missy helped us all warm up our voices.
It was so funny, "kids"--now in their late 30's--who were a few classes behind me in school attack-hugged me like I was their best friend! I felt like I barely knew them (because I wasn't around to see them perform), but apparently they felt they knew me pretty well from watching me perform in high school. It was an odd feeling at first, until I realized that I felt the same about the "kids" ahead of me!
One of the first songs rehearsed was Nothing Like a Dame from South Pacific. To me, this song is like the epitome of New Era, because it was in one of the first New Era shows I ever saw when I was a junior high kid in 1990! A couple of the guys who came back for this celebration show were actually in that New Era show, and watching this group of alumni and current New Era members rehearse this song really got me in the feels!
As we put the ensemble numbers together, it was just so fun to watch everyone come together with this shared knowledge and love for the tradition of music and theatre at 'Busco. All the alumni were so happy to see and meet each other and the current high school students were so respectful and appreciative. It was such fun work!
To me, Amy J is a CHS theatre legend. As a kid, I remember being utterly amazed at her performances. To see her reprise little bits of some of my favorite Amy roles was so awesome!
And, Brian, was a third grader when Amy was directing a CHS show and put him in it. Now he's working as an actor in NYC (currently working on Law and Order SVU, and The Walking Dead, just for a couple examples)!
Randy is another 'Busco theatre legend to me. He now produces shows on HGTV and the DIY Network. At one point, Missy asked if anyone could give Harold's reminder speech, and Randy launched right into it and we all had flashbacks! I only caught the very end of it, unfortunately...It was word-for-word Harold's speech.
Shane has directed CHS shows since graduating as well, and now he directs all the straight plays and musicals at Columbia City HS. He has also done lighting and technical work for several Super Bowl Halftime shows.
When I think about all the talent that has come out of our little school, it is pretty amazing!!!
Rehearsing Pick-a-little
Missy worked so hard on this show, and played pretty much non-stop all weekend!
She is a superstar!!!
Just one page of Missy's music with cuts and instructions...
A couple different times today, we went "down the line" and introduced ourselves with our graduation year. Lots of people knew each other, but also lots of us hadn't been around in years to put faces and names together.
At the end of the show, we will line the front of the stage by graduation year.
