Singing Again

I have really great news. I told you all in the last blog that the VA finally approved that money for the kids. Well, that frees us some of our income to do things that I had put on the back burner in order to raise the kids. Now that I know we'll be getting that money every month, I'm going to try to take care of 'me'.

Last time I went back to the chorus to 'see' if I could do it... I wanted it so badly, but I knew that it just didn't feel right at the time. This time... it feels right. I immediately knew that I wanted to go back to Toast of Tampa and audition again.

It's hard to describe what the chorus does for me. It's not just singing that I love so much, although I do love the singing. It's also that I feel much more confident around these barbershoppers. I noticed it at Labor Day Jamboree when we went to Orlando. I was "just me" in the hotel room and hanging out with Chris and Jonathan, but as soon as we'd cross the bridge by the pool or walk towards the show, my head was higher, my self-confidence was WAY better, I felt.... confident.

So, Tuesday night I gave the kids my credit card, told them to order pizza and out the door I went to chorus rehearsal. I walked in and, although there were a lot of new faces, lots of people knew me. To the ones who didn't know me, some explained that I used to be president/team leader/section leader. It was very nice having that respect and love from so many people. (There are about 100 members in the chorus.) They voice placed me as a Tenor again, although I would have been fine singing lead - with the notes I was hitting easily they said they wanted and needed me as a Tenor. So, Tenor it is. In a few weeks I'll audition for the chorus. To audition I'll have to sing a song into a recorder, then sing a song with a quartet, then learn choreography and do it for a small team. This should all be very easy for me as I was always very good at this stuff before. I already know both songs I have to sing to, so all I really have to learn is the choreography. Oh, did I mention that choreography used to come super easy to me as well? I used to teach choreo to the chorus as well, because I had a knack for learning it quickly and remembering exactly how it was taught, when it was changed, why it was changed and remembering both the old choreo and the new choreo. Odd really. So.... I can't wait to audition and get that out of the way.

The other step I will tell you that I have taken here at the house that has made things at home MUCH better is the cleaning that comes twice a month. The kids still have their daily chores... still have floors, clothes, laundry, dishes and things they are to do every day. The MAJOR change is the bathrooms. Our tubs and showers are always clean, and the 'big stuff' that I should be doing but rarely get to because I'm so busy with everything else is now being done twice a month. I've heard it from friends... "the kids should be doing all that".... but it's different. Like... they mop the floors, but not SUPER great. I used to come in from work and complain about the floors EVERY DAY. Because they would do them, but -- not all that great. Plus there is the baseboards, and build-up, and all the stuff us moms look for. Pretty much every day I cam home yelling and complaining about half-done chores.

Now that the cleaning folks come twice a month, the house starts clean - and it's MUCH easier to keep up. And... I RARELY complain about the kids doing chores. Not because they are not doing them, but because the house just looks so much better all the time. It's been wonderful.

What is it they say? Happy Wife - Happy Life. That is sooooo true in this case, for sure.

I better run for tonight... I just wanted to make sure to tell you all about Toast of Tampa.

Singing is a form of admitting that I'm alive.
Alfredo Kraus