On the Radio

To celebrate my FIFTIETH blog post I thought the most exciting thing to do would be to invite you all to listen to me sing the last performance of Elijah with the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Youth Symphony Orchestra and Choir exclamation point exclamation point exclamation point*

The piece will be broadcast live from Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Blue Lake's own public radio station at seven thirty eastern time/six thirty central time.  To listen to it live online, just click here: ELIJAH LIVE BROADCAST. It would be silly for you to listen online and have no idea what we are saying, so please follow along with the text here. Singing in Hill will be a bittersweet moment for me because it is the last time I will be performing in Ann Arbor before I move back to Texas in September.  In the last four years at the University of Michigan I had many opportunities to both sing on the stage with the Chamber Choir and see many concerts from the audience of this beautiful hall, and getting to do so one last time will be such a treat.

Now, not to be tacky [oh who am I kidding], lets compare Hill randomly to one of the places I had to got to sing in Europe...

* So in addition to my screen breaking on my lap-top, apparently the number keys don't work either, which is really fun when I try to type exclamation points, at signs, parentheses, etc.  I also tried to pay a bill online the other day and when I was prompted to put in my credit card number I wept a little bit and just called them. Oh, and apparently you can make the asterik by hitting function p on dell laptops, so that helps

Send in the Clowns

This morning is my first time back to Pottery Barn in the month and a half that I have been gone to camp and Europe... so for no reason other than I think it's funny, here is a picture of my assistant store manager, Darcia's, mini cooper. (And don't you even think about saying "Darcia Darcia Darcia", because it. is not. amusing.)

Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad

So what's better for a weary soul who has been trapsing all over Europe (I know, poor me) and watching seventy plus high school students:  A WEEKEND AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, BABY!  My dad, the past-president of the Texas Dental Association *tah dah*, has meetings at the American Dental Association headquarters and so I was lucky enough get to spend some time with him and hang out in Chi-town with my mom.

The view from our window

John Hancock building from the room

Water Tower Place, Hancock Building, and Ritz

The American Dental Association [obviously]

The Water Tower

Museum of Contemporary Art

Form Balance Joy

My granddaddy Dan was also in town with my parents and he took us up to the observatory deck of the John Hancock building.

Giant LEGO sculpture

Looking out on Lake Michigan

The Navy Pier

ADA building as seen from above.

Mom and Dad

Me and Granddaddy Dan

Just cleanin' some windows

The big talk around town--besides stateside return, of course-- was that Transformers 3 was filming on the Magnificent Mile.

Some guy keeping the people at bay. Unfortunately he couldn't keep director Michael Bay at bay.

The bridge partially drawn with cars strewn on top

wooo WRECKAGE

and CARNAGE

What's under the tarp... I MUST KNOW

Look at all those bullet shells in the box

One night mom, dad and I went out with some of the other dentist big wigs and then had some drinks in the current President's suite.  Luckily we happened to be up there just in time to catch the fireworks at the Navy Pier.

Get it little six year old Olympus camera

THE FAM

I also had to find some way back to the Blue Lake campgrounds because the general was parked there while I was in Europe.  Gloria, my friend Janai's mother, and one of her other daughters, Nikki, were brilliantly kind enough to take me the three and a half hour drive to the woods of Michigan.  THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Gloria proving to Stan that she was in the woods

Want to Buy Some Illusions?

The other day I was browsing through an older bon appetite and I came across some wonderful coasters in their "News & Notes" section and followed the appropriate link to Etsy.com, a hybrid social networking/retail website that provides handmade and crafted merchandise straight from the makers themselves, ranging from photogrophy to food and tables to toys. 

Coasters by thesaltypeanut

I have recently fallen in love with print-making and spent WAY too much time browsing the hundreds and hundreds of artists and prints on the site. 

"Monsieur" collection by blancucha

Costomizable Family Tree by cozyblue

What I can only assume is a Log-Cabin Republican by dekanimal

If you know me, then you know I have a weakness for stationary.  I only gave myself 10 minutes to look around this part of the site because I cannnnnnnnnnnot buy anything! :( 

STELLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. by DotsAndDahlias

How could I NOT! by Montserrat

Happy Summertime

Even though I am back from Europe I still had ooooone more host family to stay with!  My dad is in Chicago on business this weekend with my mom but didn't get here until today, and Ellen offered to let me stay at her parent's house last night in the meantime.  What an amazingly fun time we had!

Work that salad!

grillin'

How are we still awake!

Best American host family

I LOVE all of the lizards from around the world on the wall... ub-sessed!!

We have learned to sleep anywhere in the last 5 weeks

Today we went to "Lunch in the Park" in Libertyville, which is set up at the center of their town where restaurants from around the area have booths, there is a live band, etc.

That band was really really horrible... :-/

Pretty flowers, but not quite as great as the ones in Uetersen.  BTW what small town American gathering doesn't have Fire Trucks?!

With Ellen and her mom!

OMG first BBQ in well over a month

Mason wishing it was Gatorade "Plus"

Gotta love the sight of that flag! :) :)