Holy Cow

Dang- I can't believe it's already July! And what's even more amazing, is I'm told someone is actually still checking our blog! That's wonderful faithfulness, considering the last post was written in January!

Here's a brief synopsis of our past 6 months:

Ross liked Texas State University well enough, but has decided to take a year off to raise funds to finish, or decide what else he'd like to do with life. Financial aid being what it is, isn't quite what it should be. He also found out he's diabetic. It has been a tough transition we are still adjusting to- we're trying to make changes slowly. Ross was the Elders' Quorum president for our church (the men's group) during the past year, which calling he enjoyed at times but which completely stressed him out during the rest of the time. He's job hunting as we speak, and is hoping to find something that won't break his back!

I sang in the chorus for the professional opera company in Austin for their production of Carmen this spring, and got to take private lessons with one of the main artists, Barbara Divis. I felt like I gained a whole year's worth in 2 hours. I also gained a lot of insight talking to her and the other principle singers, and am now in a program to get a teaching certificate so I can teach elementary music. I love opera, don't know what my future will bring, but I learned that most singers spend a minimum of 9-10 months of the year on the road. They also mostly pay for their own health insurance, air travel and accommodations. I don't know if I'm up for that kind of punishment. Teachers, on the other hand, often get decent health plans, major holidays off, and almost 2 months of freedom in the summer. And they get paid so much better than the opera company is willing to pay me! :)

But the most important piece of news in this long-winded post is that Ross and I moved back to Austin 3 weeks ago. Our new address is 10101 West Parmer Lane #1118, Austin, TX, 78717. New number is (512) 377-9191. We'd love visitors!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We've had a hectic holiday season, but it was filled with lots of goodies, including a trip to Utah to witness a very special wedding (Ross's Scott married Cathryn, whom we adore!), a trip to Colorado to spend Christmas with Juliann's parents and brother, Lief, and lots of car troubles!

On our way out to Utah, we got a flat tire, and on our way home we got in a wreck. We slid on some ice outside of Denver, and ended up running over a sign and landing in a snowbank. It was pretty rough weather that day- several cars wound up in the creek- we feel very lucky it was a snowbank for us! But Juliann got a ticket for ruining the sign, we lost our driver-side mirror, and scraped up our side pretty badly. No one was injured, thankfully- just the Subaru!

We finally made it home after dodging the snowstorms in Colorado and skating across the ice of north Texas. The next day we headed out for some groceries but didn't get very far- our Subaru was smoking! We stopped at a very seedy-looking gas station/mechanic shop, where Hugo told us the car had major engine problems- several very expensive parts badly damaged or broken entirely. A free tow to another shop, thanks to our new membership in AAA, only added more drama.

Ross got a phone call this morning saying our car was fixed, and it set us back $3600! We never approved any work, having received no estimate. Man, we panicked! We came up with all sorts of scenarios to find a way to come up with that kind of money, and decided to talk to the shop and see if they'd cut a deal with us. We get to the shop, ready to do what we had to, only to find the price was misquoted: NOT $3600, but $360! What a relief!

Our car still needs a new mirror, and the driver side paneling fell off at some point after the accident, but our engine is running fine- even got a free oil-change to boot! And we're not that much more in the hole to show for it!

So, here's hoping our new year has better luck, and more relief for us, and luck and joy for all of you, too!

Back to Mexico!

Last night, I received an invitation to go back to Sinaloa, Mexico- the state where Mazatlan is located. The conductor of the state symphony there (the Sinaloa Symphony Orchestra of the Arts) heard me sing the Queen of the Night and liked me well enough to ask me to be the soprano soloist in their performance of the Schubert Mass in G Major and Beethoven's Chorale Fantasie and Holst's Christmas Day! They're going to pay for my airfare, my hotel for a week, about $30 a day for expenses, plus $1,000 to do 2 performances! I'm so excited to have my first real paying gig, and one I didn't even have to audition for!

I'll be in Culiacan, the capital city of Sinaloa, Dec. 2-7, and we'll perform Dec 6 & 7. Now I just have to go buy the music and learn it in a month. I also want to learn as much Spanish as I can. I totally faked my way through this summer, but this time I want to speak it better- I want to keep up the good impression!
The best part was when I spoke with the conductor in person over the phone and he told me I should send a CD to every agent in New York City because he thinks I'm ready! That made me feel so fabulous, especially after some of the crazy and discouraging coachings I've had lately.

A very well respected, well renowned vocal coach from Houston came for a few days to work with singers at UT. He charged $75 an hour, and everyone said it was well worth it. I spent my hour with him, and the whole time he worked on my speaking voice because he said I talk funny, and that it must be hindering my singing. Finally, when my hour was up and I went to leave, he asked me if there was neurological damage or a disconnect between my face and my nervous system. I had NO idea what he was trying to get at, so I left, discouraged, disappointed, and upset.

But now I can ignore him and all the other Vampires in the world and feel much better, because I'm being paid to sing!

Return to Normal!

The Magic Flute is finally over, and I am slowly regaining my life! It was a wonderful experience, I learned a lot, and even got another gig out of it. I was asked to sing one of the Queen's arias at a VIP event for the Austin Lyric Opera, and got paid $50 to do it! I was TERRIFIED, but sang it really well anyway, and was just thankful Ross came so I could squeeze his hand before I had to sing. Now I just have to catch up on everything I let slide for the past 4 months!

Ross is doing pretty well in school this semester- just aced an exam in his computer science class! YAY!!! We are loving San Marcos- sometimes the traffic is bad and the 18 year olds drive terribly and we feel old, but it's a cute town, we're making friends, and school is better here for Ross than at UT.

Ross was also called as the Elder's Quorum president for our church here (for those who read this who aren't also LDS, that means he's kinda in charge of all the men in our congregation- he has to keep tabs of them and make sure they're doing all right;, they have an hour meeting every Sunday he has to preside over; and generally it's a lot of responsibility). Ross is terrified also, but I know he'll be great! Our branch is pretty small, mostly single college kids, a few couples. It's nice. It will be a lot of work for Ross, but we're lucky it isn't a huge family ward with hundreds of families with kids!

Promised Pics of Costa Rica, Mexico

It took me forever, mostly because my camera broke almost as soon as I arrived, so I have had to rely on fellow singers' to post these before I could copy them. But here are some promised pics:

The group in front of the Children's Museum in San Jose (where we performed in Costa Rica)
The 3 Ladies in rehearsal
The Queen and Pamina (Juliann and Julie-Anne)

Il Directore at the Coffee PlantationThe beautiful waterfallThe hummingbird at the Truck Stop/Bird Garden
The truck-stop owner's cow with our stage manager's daughter
The Jungle Cruise (Katie, Me, Julie, Laura)

The Howler Monkeys on said jungle cruise
The 3 Ladies in performance in this theater (the Anna Peralta Theater in Mazatlan).
Also, check out this website for a story about the show, and even a little video clip of me!

Jaco was a blast! Apparently, it is pretty well known for it´s surfing scene, and I could see why right away. The waves were ENORMOUS!! And the water was soooooo warm!! I was so used to the Pacific Ocean being nice and frigid, so it surprised me to find it actually warm and comfortable! I have a nice sunburn on my shoulders and back in some patches where I missed with the sunscreen to show for my 3 days in the sun, too!

The very next day after returning to San Jose´, I had to jump right back into a bus and head East- this time for Limon on the Caribean Coast! The ocean was gorgeous, and I was very sad we didn´t have time to take a dip. A beautiful coral reef is supposed to be close to Limon. But we were there for a concert, and then had to come right back to the city. The concert was really fun! There were very enthusiastic and appreciative people listening to us, which gave us loads of energy and excitement, too. That´s my favorite part of singing: when I´m singing for a crowd that is enjoying what I´m giving, it feeds me and is like electricity and it makes me give more. I love it!!!

One more day in San Jose, thank heavens, and then we head to Mazatlan! I wish I could be heading home. I´ve been really home sick and depressed (and I´m blaming the city for it more now that I´ve been able to get outside of it and actually enjoy Costa Rica), and will be happy to return to Texas. But Mazatlan should be fun. All those years living in Los Angeles, and I never once got to Mexico!

Beach Excursion!!

I cannot wait! Tomorrow morning we leave for Jaco, a beach town on the Pacific Coast! We will be staying at Hotel Cocal, which looks very nice. It has 2 pools, horseback riding, air conditioning, and the best amenity yet: hot water!!! I´ve really been enjoying my homestay family, but I must say the idea of a hotel after 2 weeks here seems perfectly heavenly!

An update on Ross: he got his acceptance letter to Texas State and spent yesterday in an orientation for transfer students. He´s registered, finding most of his classes did transfer over (minus the Italian, but as he´s just doing computer science here that isn´t a problem), and that financial aid is pretty comparable to UT. Life is wonderful indeed!!