blog entry

I Went Camping......Sort Of.

So there was a bed. And a ceiling. Walls. Heating and air-conditioning. But the sweet old lady at the front desk rang a BELL when it was time for dinner, for crying out loud, so in my rainbow hued brain, it counts as camping....I'm stickin' with it! I just returned from a weekend choir rehearsal retreat. Yep, I'm singin' again! Few to none of you know that I spent the majority of my childhood, teenage, and young, obnoxious adult in college years studying and training in opera/classical music until I felt like my vocal chords were going to pop. I know, I know. I am actually NOT half bad, but didn't pursue it because it was the logical thing. The thing that everyone, including colleges and vocal coaches told me I SHOULD do. That would've made WAY too much sense for my need to be tortured soul. But I have recently come to accept the fact that I am a nerd, a geek, and a dork. Whatever. Kiss it. I should have embraced my strangeness SOOOOOO long ago, as it makes me incredibly happy and fulfilled, much the way writing does. That being said, I'm singing in my choir. At church. With Jesus and everything. (Please try to breathe in slowly, since too much of this information all at once may make you pass out.) Said church does a HUGE Christmas production, aptly named Carols by Candlelight (I'm sure you're smart enough to take it from there), and I, brave little girl that I am, am auditioning for a solo. That's right, kiddies. Me. All by myself. On stage. Microphone in hand. Whaaaaaaaaa......I have butterflies just thinking about it. But back to the retreat. It will suffice to say that I was, by far, the youngest one there, if you don't count the two middle-aged adults asking for directions at the front desk after they took a wrong turn on their way somewhere else. I am fairly new to this particular church, from the raised Pentecostal mindset anyway, where church members are born, baptized, and eulogized all at the same alter, so I expected to have negative fun on this little adventure, although picking up some valuable choir do's and don't do's. The information that I had on the destination was limited. A campground for team building and leadership seminars, called The Summit. Goody. Little did I know that it would be one of the most refreshing, energizing, serene places I have been. In my imagination it became a tiny Walden. There were big green trees. There was also a lake, hiking trails, birds, no television, and peace for free. I spent AT LEAST an hour breathing the air with a book attached to my face, while the others roasted marshmallows, played tennis, fished, and/or whatever it is that people do who have known each other 30 years too long. I could see it in their eyes. I heard it in their voices when they would inquire about the aforementioned book. I was the little nerd. It was a wee bit like going back to visit your former geek self in elementary school. Except this time, I loved every minute of it. So keep your fingers crossed. I audition Sunday.....