Concert update

We had a marvelous time at the concert. It was a full orchestra playing the music of Broadway and Hollywood: translated as MUSICALS. Some of the music was wonderfully familiar, "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning", while some of it was not part of our repertoire, "The Donkey Serenade", but it was all delightful. It was happy music, and so big, if you know what I mean. The sound was full and rich and...and...like a satisfying meal for the soul.

My family looked marvelous, all dressed up in their concert finery. The girls were lovely in dresses and sparkles. My men looked great in slacks with dress shirts; Gavin even wore a tie, which for our humble little family, is almost equivalent to white tie elsewhere. I was so proud to escort them to our seats. I felt as elegant as a woman who is in her 38th week of pregnancy can feel, with sparkles on my sandals, earrings and bracelet. (The pants and blouse were unremarkable except that they accommodated my belly.)

There weren't many children in attendance, I think I saw 3 other kids on the orchesta level where our seats were. This meant that our family, with 4 kids in tow, was slightly conspicuous. (Imagine the gaping mouths if we have brought the littles along!)

Our usher, Warrene, was the sweetest lady and very curious about our group. "Have your children heard this music before?" When I assured her that we enjoy musicals as a family and that Bryan and I have the goal of exposing the children to many musical styles, she was surprised and pleased.

There were a few times that I thought that boredom was creeping in- not that it worried me! My determination to expose the kids to a little culture was definitely worth a little boredom in the second half of the program. (They were singing in French.)

I would say that the evening was a glowing success, one that we hope to repeat regularly. Although the next evening probably won't be a foray into elegance; we would like to take the kids to ComedySportz.

excited

I am just about bouncing with excitement. Bryan and I are taking the four older kids to a concert tomorrow night. Not a rock concert, but a "get dressed up and go to the symphony" concert.

In October, my parent's blessed Bry and I with tickets to see this same conductor at his 90th Birthday Bash. It was a magical evening. One of the special elements of the evening was the collection of such wisdom and experience in one large hall. Many of the other concert attendees were elderly and I have never seen so many gray heads gathered in one place. I wanted to just sit and eavesdrop as they reminisced about "the good old days" when both they and the music were young.

And that doesn't even address the music itself. As conductor, Norman Leyden was spectacular. For a nonagenarian, he is full of energy and sparkle. The band and music were equally marvelous. There just isn't anything quite equal to hearing great music live in a beautiful concert hall. As we descended in the jammed elevator with other concert goers, we remarked that our kids would have enjoyed the music. Several gray heads turned in surprise, "Your children like this music?" We assured them that Big Band was alive and well at The Shoe.

After scrimping and saving and catching a sale to email subscribers, we were able to purchase tickets for tomorrow's concert. So, today we are making sure that everyone has the necessary clothing to attend the event. I am polishing shoes and cutting hair.

One other necessary item- finding downtown parking for our 15 passenger van. Bryan feels confident that he can find street parking. It is too tall to fit in a garage and we'll have to pay for 2 spots in the open lots. Doable, but not my preference.

I'll update again after the concert. I wish we could take all of you!