I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!

What a whirlwind six days it has been. Let's see...my last post was last Tuesday. Wednesday was a good day...more staging and then a coaching with Maestro Latham-Koenig, who is conducting the majority of performances I am singing.....most of this opera is double cast...including conductors...anyway....I was scheduled for a 4:30pm coaching on this day and happened to be released early from rehearsal. I came home and had 4 hours-so of course I napped. :) Somewhere in the middle of a deep sleep, I was awoken by the banging noise on my front door. Now-I have a tendency to be a bit disorientated when awoken from a deep sleep....can barely remember my own name for the first 5 minutes-let alone form an intelligent thought.....and being awoken in such a frantic manner...an alarm clock is one thing. Banging?? I leap out of bed and check the time-because I had set an alarm. I made sure I gave myself plenty of time to wake up, get coffee and get warmed up. I look at my clock is was like 2:55 or something. I go to the door and answer it...all groggy....eyelashes all smashed against my eyelids (cause of mascara) and hair lookin mighty fine...open the door and there's my stage director. He tells me I'm late for my coaching-I tell him "no-I'm at 4:30"....he hands me his phone and Dolansky is on the other line saying he's so sorry, but he messed up and they are waiting for me over at the opera house...to get over there as quick as I can so the Maestro can leave early cause he has a train to catch to Vienna...

Ummmm.....ok. So I hurry and put on an outfit-comb my hair and coax my eyelashes to stand back up and I hurry over to the opera house humming the whole way to get myself warmed up. The Maestro was very kind and told me not to worry as it wasn't my fault and we began right away....good coaching. He was pleased with my pronunciation and kept saying "excellent" so I felt good when I left and I have several more with him so I know I'll really glean a lot from him...he's very well schooled in Wagner style and such....and speaks German fluently.

So that was how I ended the day Wednesday...I came home and started to pack-I was leaving the next morning for Chicago and the concert on Saturday night. I was a little anxious Wednesday night...just knowing that I was on the first round of flights going back out of Europe and while this volcano actually was never as big a deal as they first thought, I still was a little thoughtful about the ash possibility. :) I was also anxious about flying all day long...getting off the plane, rehearsing the next day, then singing a concert Saturday night and then getting up early Sunday morning and flying all day back to Prague to land and have only 4 hours until I had to report to rehearsal at 12:30pm TODAY. Whew! :) But I told myself that this is my job-I signed up for it!

The flight to Chicago was good! On time-uneventful layover in Amsterdam..and then on time departure to Chicago. Again-no one in the middle seat on the flight from Amsterdam to Chicago...makes it SO nice. Also this airline I flew, KLM, had individual TV sets (which I know isn't uncommon) but they had a TON of movies and programs...all that you got to control. It was pretty sweet. Made the time FLY by :) (no pun intended)

Landed in Chicago....SO AMAZING to see my hubby.....it felt like I had been gone longer than a week....I'm sure that's because the first week here was so eventful. I relaxed the rest of Thursday...and stuffed my face with Mexican food as I knew I was going to be having much of that over here in Prague....I didn't have any trouble sleeping that night...and didn't wake until 9am....I rehearsed with Craig Terry on Friday for the concert on Saturday...and even got to see Andriana one last time before we all move...then Gabe and I went out for dinner and relaxed the rest of the night...I tried to soak up all the time I could lounging around with Gabe and my kittens. :)

Saturday was the concert....I ran some errands and got a bunch of stuff I needed...this apartment in Prague is awesome, but not equipped. I brought back a clock, a fan, a memory foam pad for my bed (totally carried it on the plane as my carry-on....and let me tell you it was worth it) dish towels, wash cloths, salt and pepper shakers...ziploc bags...a lot of stuff. I'm really happy about it all...as I was unloading it today, it really is starting to feel like a little home...

The concert went really well. God totally sustained me through the whole night....I was tired from having flown and jet lag and all...but all things considered, it went really well....my voice held up and was in good shape. I'm so grateful to the Obermans for giving me such an amazing opportunity....it was a great turnout....and so much thanks to Craig Terry...he rocked and we had such a blast making music together...good night. :)

Gabe and I got up the next morning and went to IHOP before he took me to the airport....it was so nice to spend time with him. He's been incredible...this Prague gig was so last minute...if it weren't for Gabe, I wouldn't have gotten myself over here!!! He shopped for me, got me books on German and tour books about Prague...converters for the outlets, snacks and food....you name it...Gabe took care of it. I'm so blessed by this guy....I LOVE YOU HONEY!!!!!!!!

By the time I got to the airport on Sunday, I was starting to feel my limitations....:) the flight leaving Chicago was 45 minutes delayed...my layover was in New York...and it was only a 2 hour layover. I was worried my luggage wouldn't make the transfer...by the time we landed at JFK, we were an hour and 15 minutes late. We had taken a puddle jumper jet-and instead of parking at a gate, we parked out in the north 40....literally. They had a bus come and get us and shuttle us into the terminal. I didn't have to worry about my luggage-because the flight to Prague was delayed. By the time we actually left-as in wheels off the ground-we were an hour and a half late. We caught an awesome tail wind and still landed 20 minutes early....I got a whole row to myself on this flight...which was just blissful. My only complaint was that the 2 guys behind me decided it was OK to talk loudly all night...I finally had to ask them to be quiet....lights get dimmed for a reason, folks. Take a hint already. :)

I got back to my apartment with a little over 3 hours to spare until rehearsal....I laid down for a bit...which was a bad idea...I had trouble waking up. :) I showered and went to rehearsal-which ended early...I was super grateful. When I got home, I set up my bed with the foam pad I had brought back and plugged my fan into the converter. The fan lasted about 30 seconds. I can't tell if I broke it completely...but it shut off after 30 seconds and had a burning smell....:) good thing it didn't catch on fire....after I was released from rehearsal, I went on a search for a fan. My best friend Erika got me hooked in college to the "white noise" a fan produces and I sleep better with one...it's not that I can't sleep at all without it, but I sleep better with one :)

I asked the front desk where I could by a fan and he looked at me like I had just grown another head....so I resorted to gestures...and there aren't a lot of gestures for a fan....and I know I looked pretty special trying to show him what I meant....he finally got it...and recommended a store 2 streets away...I thanked him and off I went to this store....ummm....it was a LAMP store. Every kind of lamp you could imagine. So either I gestured wrong or he thought maybe the store had other appliances....:) I decided not to give up and I walked up and down a few streets...found a pet store, a paper store, a hodge podge store of sorts that sold odds and ends like air mattresses and tennis rackets...no fans. I walked back down the street I had come up and saw this antique like second hand resale store....toasters, boom boxes, a thigh master in its original packaging....and there in the back room: a little fan. GLORY! I bought and it left that store with such a sense of satisfaction.....now my room is complete :)))

I reported back to the opera house at 4pm for a costume fitting via skype! The costume designer who is the stage directors wife-can't be here right now so she oversees the fittings via skype! It's kinda cool. :) The costume is awesome. It's modern with a Bladerunner-esque look...futuristic...amazing fabrics and really comfortable. The wardrobe ladies are amazing and so skilled. I can't wait to see the finished product and I will most definitely take pictures!!!

Whew! It was a busy several days, but I'm so glad it all went well. Now I know that I can push myself....because sometimes this job requires some crazy maneuvering....and I can do it if I need to! :)

Hope you all had a great weekend! :)

Love love love!!

Amber