HALLELUIA!!!

One week down - only 2 more to go! This week has been just as crazy as I expected but it's done now. Let's see, since I last posted - Geoff did NOT get home from his lil' job with the neighbor and so I did NOT get to go to Rustic Hutch!! :( I was SO disappointed and I let Geoff know it in no uncertain terms. I was not really nice about it and I felt bad. But he kept saying "we'll go tomorrow, promise", but I teach all day Friday and then have to go to the theatre. Literally! I taught Friday from 11AM to 6PM with a 15 min. break (long enough to shovel some pizza bites down) and then left directly to the theatre to have mics loaded and set by 6:30PM. There is a disadvantage to running the sound - you have to have the mics in the dressing rooms an hour before curtain but then you're done until the show starts! I get there, rush to load batteries, check connections, sound check and get mics to the actors (about 20 min. of work) then sit around til 7:30 when the show starts. Usually this is when I refill my mug (free soda and the owner FINALLY got Dr. Pepper in their fountain!!!) and eat chocalate from the actors stash in the green room. Not good!! Oh well.

Got home late on Friday night and realized I had not had a chance to pick callback music for the auditions the next morning!! So . . .at midnight I was sitting in my room, listening to the tracks for what songs would be best. It was 2AM by the time I turned off the light and laid down. Of course then it takes me time to unwind and stop my brain. I can't remember the last time I looked at the clock.

Saturday morning started early! 6:30AM shower, out the door by 7:40AM to Sonic for a big Dr. Pepper to get through the morning, 8AM Messiah rehearsal at the Stake Center (I'm a soloist this year), 9:30AM leave for the theatre, 10AM Callbacks for Singin' in the Rain. The callbacks went well - not everything we wanted but we'll make it work. Casting discussion at 1PM, mics loaded and set by 2PM, ran quickly to Taco Bell for something to eat (hadn't eaten yet by then) and then back to the theatre to run the 3PM show. In between shows at Hale they feed you and this week it was Oreganos, but I grabbed a big plate of salad and ran to make a deposit at the bank and get gas in my car. When I got back there had been a bunch of drama that I got filled in on. . . . stage moms! UG! Well, that show ended . . . finally and I got home about 11:15PM.

It was late by the time I wound down . . . again.

Sunday morning was quite the 'wake up' call! At 7AM my alarm went off but I chose to shower and get ready after choir practice and went back to sleep til 7:50AM. Well, that was waken to a loud POP and the power going out at 7:15AM!! Worried it may have been something on our end - we use M-Power; a service that allows you to buy power when you need it. I called SRP and low and behold - a power outage from Broadway to Thomas and Country Club to Higley. For those who know the area - that's about half of the city of Mesa!! And to make matters worse - they don't anticipate it to back up for 2 hours! SUCK! What about church? We just laid in bed, trying to accept the quiet. Hard to do - we like our "white" noise of the fan, pool pump outside our window, etc. The power came on about 8AM - yeah! I headed out to choir and then afterwards the youth practice that I'm accompanying. Got home around 10:15AM and had about 45 min to shower and get ready for church. Kylee and Jonathan (senior primary) were singing prelude Christmas music today. Geoff stayed home with Maddi who is sick with a bad cough. Dakota and I sat in our row - I enjoyed having the time to just enjoy and not have to play prelude. Afterwards I was confronted by the Bishop wanting to know if we were going to be ok for Christmas. When I told him, yes - he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said "Sis. Toon, please be honest with me! We want to help if you need it!" It's a really hard to explain to people that money is not our issue. Geoff isn't afraid to tell people that I make more than he does - ha! With his job loss, we just got set back a bit but we're gonna be just fine since it's the end of the semester and I have about 10 students who pay the semester up front (anywhere from $500-$750 each)! This will keep up up front of our bills and pay for Christmas!! We really aren't worried about Christmas - now January may be a different story but we're hoping he has his job back or gets this new one! Anyway, I came home to switch with Geoff so he could go teach his Primary class and I stayed with Maddi. We both slept - a much needed rest for both! When everyone got home - I taught 3 lessons. I know - not something to do on Sunday but I have no other time and I have to support my family and give the "paid for" lessons to the students. One wasn't really a lesson though - he needed a warm-up for his Stake performance that night. He 'paid' me with a $65 gift certificate to a Day Spa! :) Loving that!! I'm gonna get a facial!! :) After I finished, I rushed to my Stake Center for the Messiah. It was a lot more dressy than I anticipated! Geez! Wish someone would've told me! I wore black but not heels/hose (not that I would've anyway). Everyone was glittered up and looking fancy! Felt a bit dopey but oh well. I sang "ok" - it was an alto solo and I am really not an alto, although I am beginning to relish in my lower notes - but NOT for a classical piece. Wierd afterwards, no one really said anything to me. :( Must have really sucked!
Afterwards we came home and put kids to bed. Within a half hour, Jonathan began wheezing! We went to give him a treatment and found we were out! Called the doc on call, only to find out they wouldn't refill it. So . . . 11:30PM I'm out the door to the ER. Home by 1AM with a steriod and Albuterol Rx. He finally fell asleep! Morning has been long but I'll save that for a later time!
Have a great one!!