Catching up!

So, it has been a long time since I've had the time to post anything. As I look at my last post (which was also my first) I realize just how much has happened in the past two years.

Ben and I graduated from NAU about 2 years ago with our music degrees. Ben is currently teaching choir at South Valley Jr. High and Campo Verde High school. He is doing a fantastic job and his choir programs are booming. For his music programs to flourish and grow in these hard economic times really is a testament to Ben's abilities as an educator.

I have recently experienced a change in my life. About 2 months ago I had a day job at Wells Fargo bank, I taught voice lessons in the evening, then I had rehearsal for AZ Opera at night. It was a very busy schedule, but I was keeping up with it. Then I contracted mono. For those of you who have never had mono before, it is like God is telling you to slow down, and you wonder if he's telling you to just give up altogether. It is a demonic zombie who keeps pushing you down every time you get up and continues to return even after you could have sworn you killed it. After two months of travel to grueling rehearsals, coupled with work in the day and the sprinkling of students in any available hour left WHILE experiencing mono symptoms, I decided it was enough. Ben and I discussed it and I quit my day job. It has given me the time I need to recover so that I can be well for my opera rehearsals, and it has actually turned out to be a very good decision overall.

I now have the freedom to use my days for me. I can finally get some cleaning done around the house (which is in desperate need after two months of not being attended to), I can try blogging again :), and I can fill up my time with more voice students, which is what I really love to do.

My upcoming performances are Faust with AZ Opera, then my students have a recital Dec. 7th, then I get to sing with an opera legend, Dimitry Hovorstovski in January! I get to be a professional singer and voice teacher!

So I have found that God has given me this awful illness to bless me with the ability to have my dream jobs right out of graduation and still have plenty of time for me to take care of myself and my husband. In a sense, I'm living the dream and I praise God for it!

The first one!

I'm sure you never could have guessed from the title, but this is indeed my first blog.

Today was a long day at school. Ben had class at 8 this morning, and I was at school from 11am-7pm and did a lot of singing. I am really busy with school these days. I have a huge research paper to write for my junior level writing course, which I absolutely loathe, and I have a ton of music to learn for the next big concert: NAU's 35th annual Holiday Dinner (and there was much rejoicing.....yay....)

Ben feels like he's getting sick again... he is SO fired. He's been sick twice in the past month, and consequently so have I. Except I seem to get a much more severe case of whatever he had and gave to me, without fail. I cannot afford to get sick this time in the year, when I'm expected to sing for about 3 hours any given day at school, then another 4 hours at work. And Ben has the same rigorous schedule, so he definitely can't afford to get sick either... I'm just going to follow him around with a can of Lysol and hope for the best...

On a more positive note, Ben and I have decided to take our health more seriously. We've started to shop at an organic food store and are being very conscious of what we are putting into our bodies. It's a rough transition, especially with our rushed life-style, but so far we've been doing pretty good, without too many set-backs. I can't speak for Ben, but I feel a lot better overall after making a conscious effort to stay healthy and support local farmers at the same time. (The only thing we lag off on is when we intake alcohol :P but nobody's perfect).

I'm working towards a benefit concert in January that will be held in Sedona. It will be a fundraiser for me and 3 other classmates for the "South Africa fund". Our top choir is going on tour to South Africa this upcoming May, and needless to say it is a very expensive trip, so this fundraiser will help us out. I'll give you more details as they arise.

Well, that's about it for now. I'm waiting for Ben to get off work. I'm eating a tiny pizza, but I really want a steak.

-Aubrey