Monday, April 22, 2013

The Bittersweet Weekend

Before I get into what I did over the weekend, a little history. Aaron and I got married in 1991. He had moved to Columbus from Cincinnati and was out of work for a while so he started telemarketing for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. That's right, he was one of those guys who might have called you at dinner time asking for money. Through this job, he learned about the Columbus Symphony Chorus, a volunteer group that performed throughout the year with the orchestra. There were auditions in January of 1992; we both auditioned and both got in.

Doing the math, that's over 21 years that we've been singing in the Chorus. We've both served on the board, and I was chair of the board for a year. We got to perform at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra and Chorus. We've met some of our best friends through Chorus, and it led us to First Community Church, where we now both sing in the choir. I can't imagine what our lives would be like today without it.

Last week I shared with you that we had a big concert over the weekend. Friday night was spectacular! We performed the world premiere Of Songs and Singing and we sang our hearts out in Brahms' Requiem. Then we had a lovely reception on the 28th and 29th floors of the Huntington building. Saturday night we had another wonderful concert, then went out for drinks with Chorus friends.

But Saturday was a little harder. Aaron and I have decided it's time for a break. We'll still be singing at church, but not with the symphony. My tears started even before Saturday's concert when I told my friend Susan that we weren't coming back. Susan and I joined the Chorus at the same time; when she was chair I was her vice-chair; we've sat next to each other for years. I was a blubbering fool during the first half of the concert. I'm not sure how I even managed to sing. I was much better for the second half until we got toward the end of the Requiem. Then the floodgates opened again. We truly believe that we'll be back, but it's super hard for me to think about. But we're looking forward to being in the audience and experiencing the symphony and chorus in a brand new way. And I'll probably cry then, too.




Also over the weekend: we had a community garden meeting and "clean up" Saturday morning, but most of us bailed because it was flipping COLD. We even saw some snowflakes. No thank you. My mom arrived and we went for dinner at Lindey's before the concert.

Sunday we had the morning off from singing at church. We slept in and went to breakfast with mom at The Angry Baker. She headed home and Aaron and I went for a long walk. It was a beautiful day, though a tad chilly. We hung out on the porch for a bit with neighbors and toasted Jennifer and Jason's 1st anniversary, then got to meet some new neighbors. And I managed to get the laundry done, which was no small feat.


Stay Tuned,


Confessions of a Gila Monster

PS - Head over to Erin's blog (Love, Fun and Football) and wish her a happy birthday and  read about some other bloggers' memorable birthday gifts, including one of mine!



4 comments:

  1. Lovely that you both can sing. Singing your heart out is a beautiful thing!(hey that rhymes!)
    Doing what is best for you both is important.
    Music is such a joy!
    Carpe diem every diem!
    Love Steph's momma
    Linda Sheridan

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  2. I'm sure you were overwhelmed with many feelings. It's hard to take a break from the things that are ingrained in us, even when we could use it.

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  3. It's always hard to leave something that has been such an integral part of your lives for so long, but on the other hand, sometimes a break is what's best. I cried my eyes out at my last show/concert choir in high school, and I was only a part of that for 4 years! Can't imagine what you and Aaron were feeling!

    Ugh... laundry. Must. Do. Laundry.

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  4. I will miss hearing you in the alto section (two rows up!) You are such a leader in the chorus....you will be missed!

    Rebecca

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