Okay, technically, it will be late afternoon, but the song still applies.
I can't believe it's actually going to happen. All this planning, and it's finally come to pass. Today, I took Mom and Aunt Pauline out for manicures and pedicures. It was the first time for all of us. Just to look over and see the two of them being pampered in a way they deserve but would never give themselves - it was just awesome!
Tonight, we all just sat around eating great food and telling good stories. I finally got to meet Tim, the best man, who just flew in from Edmonton. And even more family friends flew in today. This is the greatest family reunion!
I have just finished writing my speeches. I will probably fuss over them again tomorrow. I'm so nervous about saying all the things I want to say, and making it efficient and effective and beautiful and memorable and blah, blah, blah... I know it doesn't need to be perfect. I guess what I really want is for it to be accurate to what is in my heart.
I really try to use this blog for my creative and spiritual adventures, and not for my personal events. But I can't imagine any part of my creative and spiritual life that will not be affected by this decision for the rest of my life.
I'm feeling so blessed, so special, so loved, and so loving.
Time for deep breaths, good sleep, and a prayer of thanksgiving for such an incredible twist in my life.
Peace...
Friday, February 10, 2006
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Too tired to title.
I read an article about blogging yesterday that stated a "finding" on blogging. Apparently, the less going on in your life, the less you blog. Right now, I would completely disagree.
Things are insanely busy right now, and I'm taking no time to blog. I'm also behind in my email, which never happens. I'm actually just fighting to get all sorts of things done.
But I really don't want to complain about this busy-ness, because it's all awesome stuff. And to complain about it would make me a bit of a jerk.
It is now less than ten days til the wedding! I can't say I was really excited until the shower last week. I mean, I've always been excited about marrying Gerald, but I don't think I was excited about the wedding til just recently. Last week, my Babe of Honour threw a surprise party for me, and that was just incredible. It was very girly and very wonderful. It wasn't the stupid fun I would imagine for a bride in her twenties. It was the awesome fun of women who've lived and loved and know that a good party comes from just spending time with good friends. Of course, crazy coloured wigs and a feather boa helped too! (I'll just let your imagine go on that one.)
The following day, Gerald and I had a really interesting gig: We performed at a Robbie Burns dinner. As a good Irish child, I knew no Scottish songs, so I had to do some research, and then, as luck would have it, Gerald was available to accompany me. We did "Lass from the low country" and "Ye Bank and Braes" with guitar, and they were both really fun. I have to say, there is one thing I miss when I sing gospel music: I love to sing a good sad song! Some story with no hope and no redemption that tears your heart into little pieces. That's just good singing!
The other song was "Ca' the Yowes to the Nowes", a Burns poem written in an old Scottish dialect. I actually Googled the text to find out (A) What it means? and (B) How to pronounce it? We did this one with voice and djembe. Gerald has done much more Celtic music than me, and I was incredibly grateful for his support!
The next morning, I returned to All Saints Church and Community Centre to add some music to their morning service. The building of All Saints is a work of art - red and yellow brick, dark wood, stained glass. The congregation is made up of people most of us would never choose to look at - homeless, addicts, 'those people'. Sunday morning finds a small congregation of about 25 people. The congregation is fully involved in the service. They read the lessons and manage the overhead projector. (And yes, I don't mean 'power point presentation', I mean 'overhead projector'. Just like we all had in high school.) During the prayers, a mic is passed around so people can add their own petitions. People feel very safe, and some of the requests are personal and heartbreaking. After the sermon, the priest opens the floor to a discussion, and the congregation jumps in with ideas. When it comes time for the offering, a donation box is brought up to the altar, but a plate is never passed. Why make it stand out that some people can give and others can't?
I felt so blessed to share in their worship. I played guitar and sang a few songs. During communion, I sang "I Call Out Your Name" and "Spirit of the Living God". For my two solo pieces, I did "Down on my Knees" and "He Touched Me". Some people started to sing along on the last one, so I repeated a chorus and invited them to join in. The whole service was wonderful. They always have lunch after the service, so I stayed for that as well. Everyone was welcoming and generous. I've been invited back, and I'll go sometime in the spring.
The rest of the week has mostly been filled with wedding madness. Things like place cards and chair covers have reached a new priority in my day to day routine. I'm completely overwhelmed with the whole business of thank you cards. I'm one of those rare people who still handwrites thank you cards for everything - gifts, meetings, special kindnesses. But I currently have to send the same person three or four thank you notes: one for the shower gift, one for the party gift, one for the wedding gift... Can't I just have a singing telegram show up in church some morning and thank everybody?
Speaking of singing telegrams, I had a funny little gig tonight. I did another Marilyn Monroe look-a-like thing. This time it was for a man's 70th birthday party. His wife threw him a surprise party, and I was a bonus surprise. He just loved it! I sang "I want to be loved by you" and then opened the floor for photographs. At the end, I did the classic Marilyn Happy Birthday, blew him a kiss, and made a grand exit. That's it. I was back in my car in twenty minutes. They were great people and they all had a great time. And I got to make a little spending money for the honeymoon!
Tomorrow, I'm teaching a new class, working on an audition song, going with Gerald to book his tux ( I can't believe that's not done yet!) , painting a basket for the flower girl, finalizing the honeymoon plans, and continuing to write thank you notes. I'd love to get some sleep, but I don't think I'll get that any time soon. Maybe on the honeymoon?
Things are insanely busy right now, and I'm taking no time to blog. I'm also behind in my email, which never happens. I'm actually just fighting to get all sorts of things done.
But I really don't want to complain about this busy-ness, because it's all awesome stuff. And to complain about it would make me a bit of a jerk.
It is now less than ten days til the wedding! I can't say I was really excited until the shower last week. I mean, I've always been excited about marrying Gerald, but I don't think I was excited about the wedding til just recently. Last week, my Babe of Honour threw a surprise party for me, and that was just incredible. It was very girly and very wonderful. It wasn't the stupid fun I would imagine for a bride in her twenties. It was the awesome fun of women who've lived and loved and know that a good party comes from just spending time with good friends. Of course, crazy coloured wigs and a feather boa helped too! (I'll just let your imagine go on that one.)
The following day, Gerald and I had a really interesting gig: We performed at a Robbie Burns dinner. As a good Irish child, I knew no Scottish songs, so I had to do some research, and then, as luck would have it, Gerald was available to accompany me. We did "Lass from the low country" and "Ye Bank and Braes" with guitar, and they were both really fun. I have to say, there is one thing I miss when I sing gospel music: I love to sing a good sad song! Some story with no hope and no redemption that tears your heart into little pieces. That's just good singing!
The other song was "Ca' the Yowes to the Nowes", a Burns poem written in an old Scottish dialect. I actually Googled the text to find out (A) What it means? and (B) How to pronounce it? We did this one with voice and djembe. Gerald has done much more Celtic music than me, and I was incredibly grateful for his support!
The next morning, I returned to All Saints Church and Community Centre to add some music to their morning service. The building of All Saints is a work of art - red and yellow brick, dark wood, stained glass. The congregation is made up of people most of us would never choose to look at - homeless, addicts, 'those people'. Sunday morning finds a small congregation of about 25 people. The congregation is fully involved in the service. They read the lessons and manage the overhead projector. (And yes, I don't mean 'power point presentation', I mean 'overhead projector'. Just like we all had in high school.) During the prayers, a mic is passed around so people can add their own petitions. People feel very safe, and some of the requests are personal and heartbreaking. After the sermon, the priest opens the floor to a discussion, and the congregation jumps in with ideas. When it comes time for the offering, a donation box is brought up to the altar, but a plate is never passed. Why make it stand out that some people can give and others can't?
I felt so blessed to share in their worship. I played guitar and sang a few songs. During communion, I sang "I Call Out Your Name" and "Spirit of the Living God". For my two solo pieces, I did "Down on my Knees" and "He Touched Me". Some people started to sing along on the last one, so I repeated a chorus and invited them to join in. The whole service was wonderful. They always have lunch after the service, so I stayed for that as well. Everyone was welcoming and generous. I've been invited back, and I'll go sometime in the spring.
The rest of the week has mostly been filled with wedding madness. Things like place cards and chair covers have reached a new priority in my day to day routine. I'm completely overwhelmed with the whole business of thank you cards. I'm one of those rare people who still handwrites thank you cards for everything - gifts, meetings, special kindnesses. But I currently have to send the same person three or four thank you notes: one for the shower gift, one for the party gift, one for the wedding gift... Can't I just have a singing telegram show up in church some morning and thank everybody?
Speaking of singing telegrams, I had a funny little gig tonight. I did another Marilyn Monroe look-a-like thing. This time it was for a man's 70th birthday party. His wife threw him a surprise party, and I was a bonus surprise. He just loved it! I sang "I want to be loved by you" and then opened the floor for photographs. At the end, I did the classic Marilyn Happy Birthday, blew him a kiss, and made a grand exit. That's it. I was back in my car in twenty minutes. They were great people and they all had a great time. And I got to make a little spending money for the honeymoon!
Tomorrow, I'm teaching a new class, working on an audition song, going with Gerald to book his tux ( I can't believe that's not done yet!) , painting a basket for the flower girl, finalizing the honeymoon plans, and continuing to write thank you notes. I'd love to get some sleep, but I don't think I'll get that any time soon. Maybe on the honeymoon?
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