Week of Music

This past week was highlighted with musical events! Last Monday, I got to meet up with my cousin & his family for supper. It's always so much fun visiting with them! :~) While playing with my hair after we'd finished eating, Jenna (the 6 yr old) told me about her performance the next night at the PTA meeting for her school. Then, she told me I could come cheer for/watch her if I wanted to. (How could I say no to that?!?) Thankfully, I was off Tuesday night, so I headed east to see the show. I must admit, I was amazed (& brought to tears a couple times) at the talent these kiddos displayed! Her elementary school - a public school - teaches '6 pillars of character' to the children. How wonderful that they are learning how to live lives of character at such a young age!! Another impressive program at this school is the stringed instrument lessons for each student. Community members have either donated money or donated a stringed instrument to the school . . . enough so that each student in the school gets to learn how to play during the school day. Being a music lover, this touched my heart! The program was about America's "living history". So, the kids told of different influential people from our history throughout the program. It was really entertaining! I forgot to ask her mom if I could post a picture, so I won't. But, suffice it to say she was adorable up there singing her heart out! =) The show/PTA meeting ended with the coach getting several pies in the face - a reward to the kids who sold the most cookie dough last semester. Good times! As my cousin so aptly stated as we left the school - "Anything that ends with someone getting a pie to the face is a good time!" We decided that this should be the conclusion to many more activities in life!

Saturday night, I met up with a friend of mine from Galveston & a couple of her friends to go to the opera. We went to see La Boheme at Fair Park in Dallas, but we actually missed the first half of the opera because of traffic. We sat on MLK Blvd. in downtown Dallas (not the safest place in the area for a car full of girls) for close to an hour trying to get into the gate. As we looked around at the people in the cars sitting beside us, we started noticing that many of the people weren't the opera type. (I know - wrong to judge a book by the cover.) At one point, the girl driving us rolled her window down and asked where the carload next to us was going. Turns out, one of the big country stations for the Metroplex was having a Country Mardi Gras at the Cotton Bowl - also at Fair Park for those of you not familiar with Dallas. All the traffic was beginning to make sense. We did finally get inside. Don't get me wrong, I love the opera & the talented musicians! But, as we sat there, I was wondering a few things: 1) How did these people sing about chickens & eggs with a straight face? 2) Would it sound as pretty if they were singing these words in English? 3) Do the people who speak that language find it odd hearing people sing chicken & eggs, or do they think it sounds pretty & elegant like we do? Hmmm . . .

The other day, one of my friends from the hospital I used to work at in Dallas posted pictures of her beautiful tulips blooming. So, I decided that they must be in bloom here at the botanical gardens. After all, Fort Worth is only about 35 minutes west of Plano - not really a big climate difference! Well, much to my dismay, they weren't blooming in Fort Worth, but there were pretty daffodils EVERYWHERE you looked! Go figure. I enjoyed my walk in the garden anyway, though. For me, you pretty much can't go wrong walking among beautiful flowers on a sunny day!

So, you may be wondering what daffodils have to do with music. Well, they're forever connected in my little mind thanks to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (the good version with Gene Wilder). After the 5 golden tickets have been redeemed, the kids have signed the contract, and everyone has piled into that little elevator, Wonka opens the door to the magical candy field with the chocolate river. "Everything you see is eatable . . . edible!" (Yes, I know it's scary that I know the movie so well!) =) Moving on - As Wonka is singing about this paradise, he sits down and plucks a daffodil off of its stem. He then proceeds to remove the cup part of the flower from the saucer part and drinks from it. I've always imagined it to be some super sweet juice. Anyways, when I see a daffodil, that song immediately comes to my mind & gets stuck. It's still playing in my head . . . hours later. :)

The 'tulip trees' were also in full bloom. I'm almost positive they aren't really called that, but the blooms remind me a little of tulips, so that's what I call them. :) I love that the blooms are different colors on the inside from what they are on the outside. The contrast is amazing!

Undaunted by the lack of tulips in the gardens, I decided to pick some up at the grocery store on my way home. I was determined to enjoy some tulips this week! If I were a flower, I'm pretty sure I'd be a tulip. I always forget how bulky they are at the base, so the two bundles I got took up two vases. NOT a problem, though. I'll just get to enjoy them in my bedroom and my living room! Good times!!

Have a great week!