A Whirlwind of a Month!

A Whirlwind of a Month!

May has been so much fun! On May 7, I met up with a good friend, Jane, for breakfast at Prasino's in La Grange, IL. It's an awesome restaurant that serve all organic foods for a reasonable price. We had a great time chatting for a couple of hours before Jane had to head for the theater.

On May 15, I volunteered at a motorcycle race that benefited an organization called Park Lawn. Park Lawn takes care of the needs for mentally disabled individuals, and helps them learn to be more independent. I got up very early to register the riders, but due to terrible cold, rainy weather, not many riders showed up. I did have a lot of fun, though. I love chatting and meeting new people.

Last week we had a visit from Ruben's niece, Lauryn and her boyfriend Chris. They spent 5 days with us, and they were great guests!

Here they are outside the backside of the opera house.

We all met together and had lunch at the restaurant where Ruben bar tends.

We also went to a Sox game together! SO MUCH FUN, and the Sox won!


This is a great view of the city skyline from the stadium.

This past weekend Ruben had 2 performances with an amazing chamber ensemble called the Cameretta Symphony. They played an all Beethoven concert, and it was truly amazing. The concert sponsor was having an fundraiser event at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the symphony was the entertainment. The room was beautiful, and the concert was so special. I have never heard Beethoven 5 played by such a small ensemble, and I was so proud of Ruben and the other bassist. They made that section sound a lot bigger than only 2 people!

This is a pic of the performance space. A really lovely room.

Ruben worked both Saturday and Sunday mornings at his restaurant. In order to get to his performances on time, he had to take his bass and tux to the restaurant and then after work head directly to the concert. On Sunday afternoon, I picked up Ruben to drive him to his second performance in the subburbs. Before he left, his co workers wanted to hear a little bit of what he does. It was really sweet to see how supportive they are!

The Sunday performance was done at a church in Wheaton, IL. I was excited that they allowed us to photograph the performance, and that I was able to hear the concert again!

They got several standing ovations!

All this busyness is leading up to my vacation in Texas. I'm leaving this Saturday for Austin, and will be traveling west with the family, and spending 2 weeks in Midland! I'm really excited to hang out with my Grandad, Nana, see my aunts, uncles, & cousins! I am especially excited to see my cousin Heather's new house, and help her get ready for her wedding day, June 11. It's going to be a really great trip! Plus, it will be good to get into some warmth! Chicago has been so cold this month.

See you soon Texas FAM! Love you!!

Give Me Some Theater!

Last week was an interesting week. Ruben had his audition in Kansas City, and while there stayed to visit with family and friends. Unfortunately, they didn't offer Ruben the job, however, it was his best audition yet. The fact that he continues to gain confidence in the audition room and feel great about his performances keeps him going. Next up is an audition for Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan.

This week I got the opportunity to experience some theater, and what great experiences I've had!!

Friday night I saw the Writers' Theatre opening night performance of "Heartbreak House" by George Bernard Shaw. It was directed by my favorite Chicago director, Bill Brown.

Here is the lobby before the performance.

I found this publicity shot of one of the scenes. Absolutely beautiful! The set design by Keith Pitts, and light design by Jesse Klug was transforming, and completely cocooned the audience in Shaw's world. Writers' is an intimate space with only 108 seats. I love this kind of theater experience. The actors don't have the opportunity to "phone it in" they have to be completely genuine in their choices in order to make it work. I believe they did this brilliantly!


After the performance there was a reception for the cast and crew. I was the Wardrobe Supervisor, Jane's date.

Like I always say, I'm so proud of my work at Writers', and I continue to be proud of the work they produce. I miss this crew very much!

Here I am backstage with Jane. Love her!!

On Sunday, while Ruben was working, I headed downtown to see the opera "Medea" performed at Chicago Opera Theater.

It was a really lovely trip downtown. I noticed a new piece of city art along the way, and a really fantastic musician playing on the corner.

Finally, I made it to Harris Theater, where Chicago Opera Theater performs.

I really enjoyed this performance too! I thought it was visually stunning, and I was really proud of my friend Julian Pike who designed the lighting. Here is publicity photo of Medea that I found.

It was a great performance, and made for a very fun afternoon.

I love that I live in a city where getting around doesn't require a car. With these gas prices, the train is a fantastic way to get around! This is a view from the platform as I see my approaching train.

Gotta love this city!