A Benefit Concert and Memory Lane

My niece Michelle attends the same high school where I spent my high school years.  Each year the choir director (who was my favorite teacher ever) puts on a benefit concert to raise money for local foster children.  This year they did a variety type of show with musical numbers from individual members of the choir and a few numbers by the whole choir. Michelle signed up to do a musical number with a few of us in the family.  We didn't have sheet music for the song we wanted to sing.  We just had a copy of the song on CD so my mom listened to it a million times and wrote all of the parts for us.  It makes my brain hurt to even think about doing that.  I really really wish that perfect pitch and the ability to play the piano by ear were traits that were passed to me.  They were not. 

Michelle, Kelsey, Deanne , Rylee, Renae, Jodi (All THS alumni or current student....except Ry.  And WOW am I a shorty pants!)

Renae, Michelle, Mr. Larson, Kelsey, Deanne, Jodi



Below is a video of the performance.   Kelsey and Michelle sang 1st Soprano, Renae was 2nd Soprano, Rylee and Jodi were 1st Alto and I was 2nd Alto, or the man's part.  Rylee laughed at me every time we practiced.

Walking through the doors of my high school made the memories flood in!  Walking through the doors of my high school at Christmastime in the choir room made the memories flood in even more!  I walked in and could see my 16 year old self (in my mind's eye) singing "Sleigh Ride" across the room to the boy I was crushing on.  I could see myself wrapping gifts for the foster kids.  I also saw my 17 year old self running to the bathroom in tears a year later after the relationship with the same boy ended and I knew my heart was broken for sure and would never be the same. The tears happened while we were rehearsing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and the line that set me off was "Through the years we all will be together if the fates allow."  (Is it really sad that I remember all of this?) (Happily I can report that my heart is not, indeed, broken and it is more full and happy than I ever could have imagined). 

As I walked into the auditorium (not in my mind's eye, but in real time now), I started to laugh.  I saw the spot where the Dress Swap of '95 took place.  It was an accidental incident, but one that still makes me laugh.  Here is the background information:

1) Most of my friends were in choir with me
2) We had had a sleepover after our previous performance, which was probably a month or so before the spring performance took place.  (Which means that we all had our choir dresses at the sleepover and we all went home with a choir dress after the sleepover had ended).

I got ready for the spring performance (which was on March 3, 1995--I only know this because I know it was the same day that President Howard W. Hunter died and I was able to look it up) and noticed that my dress was a little snug.  I remember thinking that I should probably lay off on the sweets.  (Incidentally, it is now my goal to be that "fat".)  Tiffany showed up and her dress was tight.  We were so confused.  If BOTH of our dresses were tight, then what in the world happened? (I was wondering if maybe Tiff and I just switched dresses, but her dress would have been too big for her, not too small if that were the case.)  We were discussing the possibilities when Natalie walked in.  Mystery solved.  I still remember vividly what her face looked like.  We all started CRACKING up.  Doubling over with laughter.  Her dress was ginormous on her!  It was falling off her and we were all pointing at each other because none of us could speak because of the fit of laughter we were in.  Here's what happened:  I took Tiff's dress, Tiff took Natalie's and Natt took mine.  I really need to find a photo of us in our choir dresses (although we never did take a photo of us in our wrong dresses).  Good times!