WARNING: Long post. You may want to grab a cuppa or adult beverage before reading.
MUSIC:
At the end of last year, after experiencing some health scares, I asked Dr. Yun to replace me as the collaborative pianist for the April opera performance. She graciously complied, although neither of us loved her having to do that. I made very little music from January to September. Then, while sitting with Nancy Cline at a Music at Noon performance, she showed me two texts she had gotten from musical theatre students who couldn't find an accompanist for the fall semester. Nancy was going through a lot of stress in her personal life, so I told her I would take on these two students for the rest of the semester. I had played for Mia and Daniel during the fall semester of 2017, so was already familiar with their excellent work ethics and knew I'd have fun working with them. Then about three weeks later, I received a late night text from one of the opera/classical students, saying her accompanist had been "ghosting" her and asking if I'd accompany her. I assented, but told her she had to find someone else for the spring semester. And just like that [snaps finger] I was out of retirement and occupying a lot of piano benches.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I l*o*v*e musical theatre (MT). So I was very excited to switch from opera to MT and to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Maria Fenty Denison, who leads the voice program for the theatre department at YSU. Maria and I have been having a wonderful time in her studio, and she has very generously thrown some amazing opportunities my way.
I was honored to accompany the auditionees for the Spring 2019 production of Sondheim's "Into the Woods." I will be the rehearsal accompanist for this show, and will be in the pit for the performances. (Friday and Saturday evenings, Sunday matinee of Palm Sunday weekend; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings of Easter weekend - put it on your calendars.) I also was the collaborative pianist for two performances by MTTroup - a group of about a dozen MT students - performing some great old holiday songs at the new Doubletree Hotel in downtown Youngstown during their cocktail hour, and a Music at Noon performance at the Butler Institute of American Art. This work with MTTroup will be ongoing as we reach out to the community to spread the word about the excellence of the YSU musical theatre program.
(Here's the video of the Music at Noon performance: https://youtu.be/Epg69RdcZYc) I will continue accompanying Mia and Daniel for the spring semester, including Mia's Senior Showcase. And I've taken on Jessica (another senior) and Aislinn, so at four students and a show, I've declared my dance card to be full.
Finishing off December (surely you know about musicians and December!), I stepped up to help Jamie Shiell at Christ Episcopal Church in Warren, where Tyler is the tenor soloist, in Jamie's production of Lessons & Carols. I also helped out in his Christmas Eve services and accompanied Tyler in two solos, one of the YSU students in a solo, and played harpsichord in an organ/harpsichord duet of a suite of Christmas carols. I ended the year subbing as the pianist at St. John Lutheran in Champion, a delightful small church where I'm happy to help when their regular organist needs a day off.
That's a lot of music for being retired! 😄
TRAVEL:
Again, if you know me well, you know I love to travel. In January, Jas and I, along with our travel companions Mike and Marilyn, and our beach buddies Maggie, Carol, and Jeanne, again spent a week at El Dorado Maroma south of Cancun on the Riviera Maya. If you're ever thinking about vacationing at an all-inclusive resort, I highly recommend the El Dorado brand. They focus on the cuisine, and it's all wonderful. We'll be heading to another El Dorado resort a few miles away from Maroma in mid-February, 2019.
I didn’t graduate from the high school near Orlando that I attended, but if I had, it would have been in the class of 1967.5. In 2017, I attended the 50th reunion of the class of ‘67; in 2018, I attended the 50th reunion of the class of ‘68. It was great fun to see some classmates I hadn’t seen in 65 years!
My half-sister and I had planned to travel to California for her granddaughter's wedding in March, but Debbie got very sick the day before we were to leave, so those plans were cancelled. And rather than do more traveling, in October she and I have started attending a theatre or concert performance once a month. We saw "Hello, Dolly" and "Les Miserables" at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, and attended the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus Christmas concert at Severance Hall. After not knowing about each other for 65 years, we're taking advantage of our geographic proximity to get lots of sister time on the books.
In May I went on a Bali Fiber Tour with nine other women and two guides. We spent one weeks each based in Sanur and Ubud, traveling out from there to do lots of fabric-centric activities. If you're a fiberholic, as I am, visit the Bali Fiber Tour page on FB or google "Bali Fiber Tour." Barb Alexander has been leading these tours for a number of years, and it is a wonderful experience. Here's my travelogue, if you're interested: http://jancrews.com/travel/bali-2018/
Several weeks after returning from Bali, Jas and Mike and Marilyn and I went on a GoAhead tour of Ireland, starting and ending in Dublin and traveling around the south and west coast up to Galway. Since Jas and I visited the island in 2011, I took the Ancestry DNA test and learned I'm part Irish, so this trip was especially meaningful to me. I would go back anytime, and I would take advantage of GoAhead's great staff and planning. Here's that travelogue: http://jancrews.com/travel/ireland-2018/
Four days after returning from Ireland, I left for Japan. This was another fiber-related trip and included lots of interesting activities and side trips, along with the opportunity to meet lots of interesting likeminded people. http://jancrews.com/travel/japan-2018/
In September, Jas and I flew to Boston and drove out to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, to visit his brother, Glenn, in his annual month of working for Cabbage Island Clambakes. From Boothbay Harbor, we drove around the coast all the way out Cape Cod to Provincetown, stopping to visit friends along the way. I love New England, and would visit at the drop of the hat, so I greatly enjoyed this getaway, which coincided with Jas's retirement after 30 years of employment with Norfolk Southern Railway. One more travelogue, if you're interested: http://jancrews.com/travel/september-in-new-england/
And my final travel was a November weekend with my elder son, Scott, at his home in Lewisville, TX. I was able to attend one of his last hockey games of the season. I also took advantage of being in Dallas to catch up with my old friend Walu. We've been friends since around 1980, and have traveled to Europe together, but hadn't spend any quality time together for about 15 years, so this was a treat. The other treat was getting to meet my search angel, Vickie Strong, face to face. This trip was a great way to finish off all my travel for 2018.
While not exactly travel, I am now living in the land of winter comfort in my house, with the addition of new modern windows - 27 of them - on the 2nd and 3rd floors of my circa 1927 home. Once these are paid off, I’ll order the 1st floor windows.
EXTREME SADNESS:
The worst part of the year was losing our beloved Maggie Hagan, Jas's cousin and our frequent travel partner. Maggie knew how to have fun like no other person I've ever met. She was the whirlwind in the center of every party she attended. While we were in Mexico, she discovered a lump in her breast. She had radiation after our return. Then a few months later she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. On November 6, surrounded by her large and loving family, she passed away, leaving an enormous hole in the life of every person who had ever met her. Oh, Maggie, how we loved you.
GRATITUDE:
Again this year, I am filled with gratitude that is associated with my genealogical research.
My deepest gratitude for this year (and always) goes to all my second, third, and fourth cousins who have taken Ancestry, 23andme, or FTDNA tests. Each one I have contacted and who has replied has accepted me with an open heart.
Included in this gratitude pool is genealogical researcher Vickie Jordan Strong, who is my search angel. (Yes, that’s a thing.) Vickie has been holding my hand across the miles as my paternal family tree grows and expands with every new farm family we find. We have found lots of men who are NOT my father. Maybe someday we’ll find THE guy, but along the road, my life is richer for all the people who have touched my life. An adoptee grows up with lots of holes in her soul. My holes are slowing being filled with each contact with Vickie and my cousins.
I wish you all health and happiness in the New Year.