Dear Friends Cross the "Pacific Puddle" Just to See Us, Carmen at the Opera House, and Hot Air Balloons are Finally Flying in Room 2KH!
Reverend Andy and Robyn Smith Arrive Safely 21 June 2016!
Even though I think that coming to Australia, seeing koalas, kangaroos, the Opera House, and whales were all on Robyn and Andy's "bucket list," I choose to believe that they came here just to see us! Robyn and Andy are friends from our college days at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas in the mid-late 1970's. They are the type of friends for which "you can go for a few years without seeing each other, and then pick right up where you left off!" They love us unconditionally, and we feel the same about them. They grew up in Austin, Texas and were high school sweethearts. Mitch and Andy were fraternity brothers together in the Pi Kappa Alpha brotherhood Alpha Omicron pledge class of 1976. Robyn attended Baylor University for one year and then transferred to the University of Texas where she graduated in 1979. Andy was the Best Man in our wedding in Lubbock, Texas in August of 1978, and Mitch was a groomsman in their wedding in 1979. Robyn and Andy have always lived within an hour's drive from Austin, and of course Mitch and I spent 26 years in Lubbock and relocated to Colorado in 2007. Andy is a United Methodist pastor serving now as the Senior Pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Seguin, Texas. Here is a short bio on Andy:
Rev. Andy Smith was appointed to serve as Sr. Pastor of First UMC Seguin beginning in June of 2014. Previously he has served in Bastrop, Lake Travis, St. Matthew's in San Antonio, Dripping Springs and St. Paul in El Campo. Andy was serving in Bastrop during the catastrophic wildfire of 2011 and was a founding member and officer of the Long Term Recovery Team that rebuilt 130 homes for low-income fire victims. Andy was recognized for his efforts with a 2013 Point of Light Award from the Bastrop Chamber of Commerce.
Andy and wife Robyn have been married over 35 years and have two married children and three granddaughters, all of whom reside in Austin. Andy enjoys golf, travel, cooking and loves music of almost every kind.
Here is a link to the website for Andy's church:
Even though we never lived near each other physically as we were rearing our families, we have remained close friends for 40 years! As a matter of fact, we were so blessed when our Best Man, Andy Smith, performed the marriage ceremony for our daughter and son-in-law, Mary Beth and Kevin in 2013 in Breckenridge, Colorado!
In the past few years (now that our kids are grown) we have recommitted ourselves to our friendship! We have recently traveled together to Santa Fe, San Diego, and in May 2015 to Savannah, Georgia. While in Savannah when I told Robyn and Andy of the possibility that our 2016 travel opportunity might be to Australia, they jumped at the chance! Sure enough, it worked out, and now they are here visiting us for about 10 days!
Carmen at the Sydney Opera House
Mitch and I have been to and near the Opera House several times since we have been here, and we even took a tour of the house courtesy of my Jeffco principal colleagues, but we had yet to attend an opera or concert there until now. To welcome Robyn and Andy to Sydney we went to see Carmen last night. It was stunning! Here is some background information on the opera:
Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on a novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its first audiences. Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work would achieve international acclaim within the following ten years. Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon; the "Habanera" from act 1 and the "Toreador Song" from act 2 are among the best known of all operatic arias.
The opera is written in the genre of opéra comique with musical numbers separated by dialogue. It is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, and the tragic death of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial.
After the premiere, most reviews were critical, and the French public was generally indifferent. Carmen initially gained its reputation through a series of productions outside France, and was not revived in Paris until 1883; thereafter it rapidly acquired popularity at home and abroad. Later commentators have asserted that Carmen forms the bridge between the tradition of opéra comique and the realism or verismo that characterized late 19th-century Italian opera.
The music of Carmen has since been widely acclaimed for brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere, and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet musically represented the emotions and suffering of his characters. After the composer's death, the score was subject to significant amendment, including the introduction of recitative in place of the original dialogue; there is no standard edition of the opera, and different views exist as to what versions best express Bizet's intentions. The opera has been recorded many times since the first acoustical recording in 1908, and the story has been the subject of many screen and stage adaptations.
The music and costumes were wonderful!
We had a lovely time, but Robyn and Andy were definitely ready to get to sleep after such a long plane trip and such a memorable welcome!
Here are some things that are planned while Robyn and Andy are here! I, of course, will be working, but will meet up with them each afternoon/evening.
Jenolan Caves and the Blue Mountains (23 June)
Here is a photo of Robyn with her first encounter with the wallabies!
This weekend we will be traveling to Byron Bay. We have heard that it is absolutely wonderful - a whale watching expedition is planned for Saturday. I hope to see one jump out of the water just for us!
Sightseeing in Sydney CBD
Wildlife Park - Koalas, Kangaroos, etc!
Trivia Nights at Hunters Hill Club and Hunters Hill Hotel
We warmed up last night by winning our first trivia contest at the Hunters Hill Club!
Balloons are Finally Hanging!
I have had a few questions about whether we were able to get the paper mache hot air balloons finished and hanging. Well, the answer is YES! The children took a lot of pride in their balloons, and they kept wanting to add more details so that it would be "just perfect!" I garnered help from the Spanish Teacher at the school (aka Mitch) to assist me in hanging them. Here they are!
Just one more week of Term Two, and that will mean the year is half-way over. I can't believe how fast the time is going. I am continuing to learn and grow in my professional understanding of how to educate children, and I am forever grateful for this opportunity.
Here is what I hope to show you in next week's blog after our whale watching trip on Saturday - a photo that I have taken of a very special whale waiting to jump for me!
Will my dream come true?
Take care dear friends!
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