VPA Revue 2019.

Thursday, May 2nd

Castle View's VPA Revue

You may or may not remember this event from last year.

I got to the school at 5pm to help serve pizza to the kids who had been at school all day rehearsing for it. Bill came around 5:15 to secure a good seat. Turns out we wanted a seat on the bleachers after all, for a better overall vantage point. Nothing like waiting pert near 2 hours to save a seat you could have had if you came 15 minutes prior to start time. We both also had low batteries on our phones, so I plugged my phone in to charge while serving pizza up until start time, and only added about 10%. I am suspicious of the outlets at the school. Needless to say, we had to conserve, but still managed to record all of Mauri's performances plus snap a few pics.

The theme this year was "Decades."

The first piece, Baba Yetu, was all the choirs combined... Mar has a brief solo part.

 

And the final piece was I'll Be On My Way performed by Voices of the Pride.
Mar is in the trio.

There was a whole lot o' singing and band-playing and orchestra numbers and dancing and even a snippet from a play in between the two. It was a l-o-n-g night, but I enjoyed watching Mar in her FINAL HIGH SCHOOL CONCERT along with many of our Seminary students.

Afterwards someone had the choir seniors get together for a quick pic. Luckily Bill ran over and grabbed a shot before they disbanded.

I think Mar had a huge some influence on Jake taking up choir and doing the musical this year.

This cute girl is in our ward and may {hopefully} be in our Seminary class next year.

Annnnnddddd a quick selfie before my phone died...

...although it managed to eek out a couple more quick shots of these cute girls.

Phew!
We {and our phones} made it to the end.

This is one of our last parental-support-of-public-school-events EVER, at least for our own children. We definitely hope to attend similar events someday for our amazing grands.

It's weird to think back on all the room-mothering, PTA-ing, class-volunteering, fundraising, band-supporting, play-attending, locker-tag-making, hair-curling, cheer-track-swim bleacher-sitting (and cheering), car-pooling, team-party-throwing, musical-watching, and choir-listening I've done over the past 25 years. It's been challenging, yet joyful at the same time. I have LOVED that my children have been PARTICIPANTS. They have overcome fears and developed skills and talents. They have had to stretch themselves, but became better for it.

The least I could do was to BE THERE.
Not just passively, but as an active and interested supporter.
Their biggest fan.
Other than Little Billy, who admittedly is {slightly} more animated and enthusiastic than I am haha.

Nuggets.

On Tuesday (3.26.19), Mar's choir, Versailles, sang the National Anthem at a Nuggets game. This was a fun (albeit expensive) opportunity for all of us to attend our first NBA game in CO. We've only lived here how long? Oh yes, 17 years haha.

Bill and I had attended quite a few Jazz games back in our Utah days, and we watched many more on the telly (especially when my Grandma G. was alive -- she was a huge Jazz fan).

Taylor had two straight years of Jazz-themed birthday parties when the Jazz were tearing it up at the playoffs. Tay also had a Jazz-themed bedroom during much of our Kearns years.

Since living in Denver, it's been a little hard to get behind the Nuggets. Some of that probably due to our fierce Jazz loyalty (which has dwindled over the years btw), and some due to the fact that the Nuggets just haven't been that... interesting. Not to mention, we are cheap, and those tickets are 'spensive, Weezy. BUT, when your child is singing the National Anthem, and you get "discounted tickets" ($60/ea haha), you bite the bullet and GO.

It was a lovely evening.

My second time EVER at the Pepsi Center 

(the first was to watch my nephew wrestle at State last month).

The choir had taken the light rail downtown, so they got to watch warm-ups and peruse the Pepsi Center for a bit. We met up with Mar when we arrived, made a potty stop, spent too much for a drink (for Mar) and some cinnamon roasted nuts (for me -- seriously, they're like popcorn at a movie theater -- the smell pulls me in and I just can't resist), then parted so she could go get in her spot... which happened to be right above our seats.

She was, unfortunately, in the second row of singers, which made it tricky to get a shot of her.
I recorded the jumbo-tron, Bill recorded the girls. I've included both video clips for your listening and viewing pleasure.

The game was super fun.
(And the $60 seats were pretty darn good.)
The Nuggets won, but just barely, which was a little shocking for us since we headed out after the 3rd quarter and the Nuggets had maintained a healthy lead (20+) for most of the game while we were there. But it was a school/seminary night, and Bill had a lesson to prepare.
Obviously we were there for the best part anyway... the National Anthem.

We snagged a couple of fun pictures on our way out.

The city at night is so pretty... this picture doesn't do it justice.

Now for a few true nuggets:

(I've needed this reminder the past couple of weeks)

And finally.... I saw this on FB and thought it was super cute
(and will probably share with my Seminary class next week as we gear up for General Conference) :

(make sure you turn the sound on! 
The little speaker on the bottom right ;-)

All That Jazz.

 I am so behind.

I am gonna try to whip a few posts out in the next couple of days in an effort to catch up.

Let's go back to Mar's All State Jazz / CMEA adventure January 24-26.

It was a fabulous experience for Mar, aaannd a major volunteer + hotel-reserving fail for me.

I'll try to explain while keeping it brief.

I hesitantly volunteered to help decorate the choir room for the girls of Red Hot prior to CMEA. Due to a communication breakdown, I didn't realize 1) that Mar wouldn't even be at school the morning after we decorated to appreciate the efforts her mamita-and-fam put into making it special {for HER}, and 2) that by volunteering to ASSIST, I would be the ONLY parent (of about 8) to bring ANY DECORATIONS OF ANY KIND. I had a poster printed of the choir, I made a double-sided set of lips with each girls name and painstakingly glittered them (with a little help from my girl-Friday Lex), I made 80 fringe tassels to hang on a garland AND double-sided music notes, also glittered, and I ordered and provided a 30ft fire backdrop. I kept sending emails to the group of parents who had also volunteered, and literally did not get any response other than one "I'm not crafty." UUUGGGGHHH. 

Billy-my-hero came after work the night we decorated to help.

Three other parents helped with the actual hanging/decorating, the other 3 or 4 moms spent the whole time assembling gift bags for the girls. Oh, I could rant for hours about the issues I had with this entire process, but I can feel my blood boil just thinking about it all again, so I'm cutting it off RIGHT HERE.

I had also volunteered to drive some of the girls down to Colorado Springs, not realizing when I agreed to this (and to staying overnight in CO Springs that evening), that Mar and her friend Megan would be going a day earlier than the rest of the choir because All State Jazz was held the same weekend at the same location, but it was a day longer, AND that Mar would spend very little time with the girls of Red Hot = we would spend NO time with the choir (unlike the initial email MONTHS ago where the choir teacher said we {the parents} would attend practices and dinner together with the girls Friday evening). 

So Bill and I drove girls, none of which were our own, to the Broadmoor in CO Springs Friday morning. I then dropped Bill off at his office, then twiddled my thumbs until he was done working for the day (okay, I actually went shopping, which I haven't done in ages...). We grabbed an early dinner at a yummy sushi place just down the street from his office, then hit a movie at a DOLBY theater. The theater was amazing, so dinner and the movie were definitely the highlight of the day. (This was the only pic we snapped at the theater... not quality, but it will help me remember.)

Then we went to check in to our hotel.

I had declined the discounted-to-$222 room at the Broadmoor (I'd rather pay that kind of money when I'm there for FUN, not for a school event), and tried to search a respectable lower-priced hotel for our stay. Let's just say my selection was.... terrible haha.

This was the view out of our window:

 Yes, our window overlooked the lobby. Not a single ray of sunshine possible.

And this was on the ceiling above the bed:

 Hmmmmm.  NICE. 

Note to self: never stay at the Academy Hotel again.

The next morning we headed back to the Broadmoor to watch Mar do her jazz thing.

This is a very special exclusive opportunity that only a few choirs get invited to each year (another one of Mar's choirs went last year). No recording or picture taking allowed, for heaven knows why. As you can see, I snapped a few secret pictures... I'm waiting for the FBI to come arrest me any day hahaha.  Once again, the {other} choir teacher booted us out of our prime seats so he and "school administrators" could sit there. 

Mar with Red Hot:

Our timing was off this year, so we missed the group photo ops except for this one.

The professional picture of this shot showed more than one pair of undies, so luckily this super-quick snap Bill got was from a better angle haha.

Mar with the All-State Treble Jazz Choir (can you spot her?)

We were super stoked to discover that Mar had 2 solos. Nice going, jazzy girl! (She had actually texted me the night before telling me she had the solos, but I somehow MISSED it in between our other texts back and forth. Chalking it up to snubbed-volunteer mom brain haha.)

The pricey professional pic:

This was all the All-State Jazz Choirs combined for a special number.

I can't remember what it was, but I DID order (for $80, people) a digital copy of all the performances Mar was in. Still waiting to get that in my email.

 The director working with the treble jazz choir was this cute lady

Janis Seigel from The Manhattan Transfer.

Mar loved her.

So, except for a great dinner and movie, and some awesome jazz performed by my favorite jazz singer, the weekend was a bit of a bust. But I wouldn't have missed being there for anything.

Staying on that jazzy note, the following Friday the All-State Jazz choirs were invited to perform at All-State Choir, so Mar and I headed to downtown Denver so she could perform and I could watch a bonus performance.

Way to be, Mar! XOXO

Sing, Choirs of Angels.

Mar's Christmas concert was on Tuesday.

She told me that day that she had emailed her middle school choir teacher and invited her to attend.

Wow. That girl has some initiative (she didn't get it from me haha). And, Mar informed me, her middle school choir teacher {Mrs. Alexander} was planning to come.

Mar had also mentioned here and there that she was on track to get a solo or two.

Awesome.

The other neat thing about this concert is that choir alumni are invited to attend, and each choir sings a selection that is repeated EVERY YEAR which the alumni are invited onto the stage to sing along with the current choir. Did that make sense? (I'm having a hard time making sense lately, especially when I'm trying to cram a lot  - including keeping up with the blog - into a limited space of time.) I missed this concert last year due to wedding prep, so it was kinda new to me, even though I remember Mar trying to explain it to me last year.

Anyway, Mar DID have a few solo parts, and I recorded nearly every selection, so in an effort to simplify things I will try to narrow things down. Just as a reminder... Mar currently participates in THREE choirs at school.

RED HOT
(Choir #1)

This is an all-girls jazz choir. They have been invited to participate in CMEA in January, which is a big deal. I believe they will be performing Black Horse and a Cherry Tree (which I think I have already posted from the last concert), and possibly some/most of the pieces they performed at this concert. I'll just share my favorite :-)

Crazy in Love (Mar has a scat solo)

Aaannnndd the alumni piece

(last year Red Hot was a mixed jazz choir, and this year they have a men-only jazz choir that only meets once a week...thus the dudes)
I'll Be Home For Christmas

Versailles

(Choir #2)
Women's Choir

Gaudete! (Mar has a solo)

And the alumni piece (posting because I think this is such a cute song)

Go Where I Send Thee

Voices of the Pride

(Choir #3 - "Voices" or "VOP" for short)
Mixed Choir

March of the Kings

The alumni piece... nice and short - because nothing says Christmas like
Carol of the Bells

I was actually quite surprised at how many alumni come back to sing at this concert, and it was a little weird to think that Mar will be an alum next year. IF she hasn't left for a mission yet, she may very well be singing in next year's concert.

And who did Bill and I sit by?

Mrs. A.
It was so sweet of her to come.

The last time Mar and Mrs. A. had a picture together was the end of Mar's 8th grade year.

Circa 2015

I can't believe the first half of Mar's senior year is over.
That was fast.
As it were unto us a dream.

Speaking of time passing quickly, Happy Anniversary to this cute couple.

Mamma Mia!

November 12

Monday

Opening Night

 I purchased a 2-dozen bunch of roses from Costco, with the plan to break them up into 6 per night... because I like to stretch a dollar {wink}. I couldn't pass up this amazing color - a deep coral/red. Mar even noticed that they coordinated with her party dress perfectly. And, even more amazingly, 9 of those roses are still in a vase on the kitchen counter 2 WEEKS LATER. It was a phenomenal purchase.

I attended the performance by myself, since Bill was out of town through Thursday on a work trip.

Mar got another bunch of roses from her {boy}friend (who is NOT pictured below), which were also long-lasting and beautiful. It's been so lovely having fresh flowers around the house the past couple of weeks.

November 13th

Tuesday

Again, I attended by myself. I still enjoyed the show, but it's much more fun to go with someone. I apparently did not snap many pics ;-)

November 15th

Thursday

The Stewart girls came to see the show. I love them! I've been friends with Marci FOR YEARS. Our husbands served as bishops at the same time, and we survived by going to the temple together once a month for 5 years. She is an amazing person. She brought her cute daughter, Alison. Lindsey Stewart is Marci's sister, who moved into our ward about 6 months ago. Both of them married unrelated Stewart guys -- fun, huh? I had an instant connection with Lindsey, and I have loved getting to know her better. She is amazing, like her sister. I am blessed to know them. These girls were totally up to getting up and dancing during the finale and bows - 3 solid songs (btw, I did NOT dance when I attended by myself haha). Audience participation is key to the party vibe of the show.
Thank you, ladies!

And Bill made it home just in the nick of time to catch the show, too. We didn't get to sit together, since we nabbed his ticket from a friend just moments before it started, but he was glad to finally get to see it.

We had a good laugh over the fact that this was posted outside the theater. When Mar took her school picture, she wanted to do something funny, since it wouldn't go in the yearbook and would only be on her activity card. Little did she realize that it would be posted for all to see and enjoy. Gotta love the {mis}spelling of our last name... nothing new to us, though ;-)

November 16th

Friday

Robyn and Kat joined us for the performance. I told them we needed to get up and dance during the final 3 songs, and they were totally up for it! It was so fun to get to know Kat a little better -- and these ladies rocked the dancing.

November 17th

Saturday

Closing Night

Shilo and Kody had planned for months to come to CO to see Mar in the play, and Lex and Jase ended up moving out of their UT home that same weekend, so Shi and Kody helped drive with them. The plan was for Lex to stay here with Emmett, and Jason's brother, who lives in Alabama, would fly in on Sunday and they would head out to Alabama with the moving truck. Things worked out perfectly, but it was a bit of a crazy weekend. We went to one of our fave family hangouts for dinner before hitting the show.

I had arranged to have a couple of girls from our ward babysit Evie and Emmett. Emmett was a bit fussy that evening, and the mom of one of the girls ended up coming over to help with him. Luckily, Lex was blissfully unaware, so she could thoroughly enjoy being at the show.

Here's a quick clip of the final song:

We were just missing Britt and Austin... bummer. I love these people!

The whole family had helped me put together the candy leis for Mar and her friends, one of our seminary students, and a couple of kids from our ward that participated.

I have always loved ABBA, so I loved the music. I LOVED the dancing. These peeps did a bang-up job at singing and acting. I saw it 5 times and enjoyed it every night. I am, however, glad that it's over. We survived this crazy week!

And Mauri? She was definitely my FAVORITE PART.
I loved watching her love performing.