And Flute

 Region was at Syracuse High School, just a few blocks from Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I was so glad they could come!  We stopped at their house for late-night muffins afterward, which also served as breakfast the next morning.  Thanks, Grandma!

It seems like Golda is always dancing.  She has 10 or 11 dance classes a week, including ballet, dance company, jazz and modern.  But on the side, she does this thing called flute.  She is in the audition band at Davis High, Wind Ensemble.  They had a performance last night at Region, where they were the last band of the night, at 9:30.  They got a standing ovation after their performance, mainly because everyone still left in the audience was from Davis High, mostly students from the other two Davis bands that had performed earlier.  All three Davis bands got Superior ratings and qualified for State.  (This is the second year in a row that all three bands have gone on to State, which is something no other high school in the state has ever done.)

Anyway, the band performance reminded me that Golda also qualified to to to State with her solo and her duet.  HERE IS THE SOLO.  AND HERE IS THE DUET.  She has an amazing accompanist (thank you, Jennifer!) and her friend Alyssa is a talented, hard-working musician who loves the flute.  I was proud of them.  This performance of Golda's solo was at the district level, where we had to change her time to accommodate a callback for a play she auditioned for.  She had to leave ballet early for the new time, (and she was late for ballet because of the duet performance) but at least she made it to the callback.  When she tried out for the play, we assured the director that Golda would work out any conflicts.  What were we thinking??  The very next day, she had a flute lesson, a band concert and modern during her Belle callback time.  Laughable!  The following day, she had solo and ensemble during the dance callback.  She ended up getting a dance part, along with Ruby, Lexie, Ari, Ellison and a bunch of other friends, so we're thrilled.  I just wish the practices were in the middle of the night so they wouldn't conflict with anything.

Why did the girls even try out for the play?  Long story.  Bottom line, it's fun, and they have to have some fun once in awhile, even if it causes an equal and opposite amount of stress!  Golda has a lot on her plate, and I'm proud of her for her stamina, and for staying up until midnight every night to study, taking a brief break for sleep before getting up to study at 5 or 6.  I know I didn't work anything like that hard on homework when I was in high school, and I can't wait to see Golda relax at the beach next week.  (Probably with a history study guide in her hand, but hopefully without dumb chemistry on her mind.)

See?  Fun at the Sadie Hawkins dance with her friend Evyn Conrad, Eliza DeBry and Kyle Hatch.

And work: warming up in the car on the way from ballet to solo and ensemble.  (Incidentally, there is a marquee at the car wash place that says, "Rain doesn't clean your car."  My car window is excellent proof of that!)  I know it seems like kids are overworked these days, but I think the key to everything is to figure out how to derive joy and happiness from work, and I think Golda is gaining excellent experience in that department.