Pleasant Suprises...

Hello again all,

Well, Thanksgiving is once again upon us...its amazing to think how fast a year goes by, before we know it, it will be January 1st! Well, I found out this week that I have been offered an audition with the Ohio Light Opera on November 30...wish me luck, I'll need it. My friend Joel, who was offered an audition as well, lovingly mentioned today that the audition is in Salt Lake City on the 30th and that our big Concerto Aria competition (that we are both competing in) is the next day at noon. We have a long weekend of driving ahead. The plan is to leave Thursday afternoon at 2 PM, drive to Idaho Falls, spend the night there with my family then leave in the morning for Salt Lake and play for the day before our audition. Then, we have to turn around after our auditions are over at 5 PM, drive back to IF, spend the night again and then leave early in the morning on Saturday to make it back for the Concerto Aria competition... oh yeah, good times, but a pleasant suprise none the less.

If I wasn't two seconds away from being driven insane I don't think I would know what to do with myself.

Speaking of being 2 seconds from insane, I have three days until D-Day...or should I say S-Day, the day when Seth is finally out of Houston and with me. I am eagerly anticipating this because of what is riding on it...without giving too much away, a lot is riding on this following week going well. I am trying not to think about it too much. I just want to enjoy Thanksgiving, cooking enough to feed a small army, and spending time doting on my loving boyfriend. I guess I'm starting to put a foot off the "go with the flow" wagon, need to make sure that I pick it back up before I go rolling off the wagon completely and eat dust!

I am super excited to see my family. I miss them all so much, but being away has been good for me. I'm not as close so I don't have to be as involved as I used to feel like I had to be, and I worry less about them, although they are always in my thoughts and prayers. It has also been good for me and my older sister Amber, I don't know if it's just me, but I find myself feeling a lot closer to her than I've been in a long time. I feel like we are reforming that a bond that got lost somewhere between junior high and high school... it is so nice to call her and talk every day, I really find myself being so grateful for the little chats that we have. I love listening to her and helping her...I love that she seems to finally acknowledge me as an equal, or atleast a grown up... I love her to pieces and I am super excited to spend time with her where I can spare it this week.

My brother just got married...which means (insert scary realization music here DUH DUH DUH!) I am officially the last single sibling in the Winberg family. All I can say is, I hope that my dad is proud of me where ever he is...I held off...I do seem to recall him telling me when I turned 11 that boys were bad and that I should stay very far away from them, except for my brother...he was good by association to dad...I didn't think he thought I would take it so much to heart for so long (tee hee...) So I am also looking forward to a fun filled weekend with the open house in IF and all of the lovely stares and pitied glances from relatives who feel so sorry for my tragic state of singledom...Truth...I could care less, I love my life. For the first time in a long time I am perfectly content. I have faith and I know that there are bigger and better things out there for me, I know that God will direct me to where he needs me and to who needs me. Maybe the glances won't be so pitying when they hear that I have a beau...that is if he still wants to be my beau after putting up with my family...(LOL [wink wink])

Well, cheers and Happy Turkey Day, I hope you all gorge yourselves on triptophan ( I think that is how you spell it) and pumpkin pie (or in my family's case pumpkin cheesecake, cheesecake with homemade berry sauce, and apple pie...I love cooking for a crowd, its my biggest thrill in life!)

Hugs and Kisses All!

Autumn Randomness...

WOW!!!! So, its Veteran's Day and apparently in Montana not only do the banks, post office, and courthouse close, but so do the schools...so Brittany is enjoying a fabulous day off. Oh wait, but it isn't really REALLY a day off...nope, I get the joy of opera rehearsal, awwwww... why oh why can't people just learn their music, I ask you? Oh well, life goes on and so do the blizzard warnings. That's right folks, we have a blizzard warning up here in Missoula, if the weather continues on like this its going to make that 5 hour trip home to Idaho Falls a 7 hour trip and the Monida pass into bad news bears...I guess everyone can just continue to pray that I make it without a scratch (on me or Sophie- my car..yes, my car's name is Sophie...)

I am soooo excited for Thanksgiving its disgusting. I have to call mom and make sure that she has done atleast the shopping for the turkey, it will need to be defrosted before I get home as I can't get home until Tuesday, and a completely frozen turkey usually has to sit in a cold water bath for 3 days (there you all learned something new...) I've spent all morning looking up recipes! This year will be especially big because I have a man coming...that's right and not just any man, MY MAN! Seth is coming from Houston, and I can hardly wait. He wants to help me cook, but knowing what a kitchen commando I am it will be interesting to see if I can resist the urge to scoot him out. I did promise, however, that I would be nice to him and let him help me- he is stoked to cook with me (between you and me, I think he is more stoked to learn my top secret turkey recipe...my turkey is LEGENDARY!) I am super excited because I found a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake...which means I have one less pie to make if I can combine the recipes...cheesecake in my house is a holiday tradition, I don't think anyone would forgive me if some form of cheesecake wasn't on the table.

Well...speaking of holiday traditions, I am super stoked to go christmas shopping! It is totally going to rock! I love shopping, especially for other people, and I am one of those freaks who genuinely enjoys giving more than getting presents (granted I won't whine and complain if I do recieve...) My favorite is watching my nieces and nephew with their Christmas presents, its so funny to watch them open them. I remember last year getting the pleasure of watching them open presents from Santa and Austin got super psyched over a pair of socks...SOCKS! I remember being a kid and wincing if I got clothes, bring on the good stuff! But Amber and Kelly have done such a wonderful job making sure that their kids are super greatful for anything and super excited for just about any big party type situation. I only hope and pray that I can have that same kind of effect on my kids someday.

Well, now that you've all heard me ramble I have to go. I have to finish getting ready to leave for opera rehearsal! Yahoo for Gianni Schicci.

Hugs and Kisses!

Still Kvelling!

Okay...so my yiddish isn't as great as I had hoped it would be by this time in my life...but that doesn't mean I can't a kvelling (kuh-vell-ing for those of you who don't know) or fashuganah...but I'm mostly kvelling. I won the District Metropolitan Opera Auditions here in Montana, next step Regionals in Seattle...and then, dare I say it Nationals in New York City onstage at the Met working with their coaches and piano players....I really don't know what to say or think. I am just counting my blessings and I am so grateful for the chance to show my stuff. I've tried now 3 times at the Met audition, the first two times with little or no success and now the third time is a charm!

It meant so much to me to have all my friends cheering me on. For the first time in my life I celebrated something...I mean REALLY celebrated, I went to the fanciest restaurant in town with my friends and spent $40 on dinner...no I didn't buy for everyone- that was just for me! That's right, your Brittany Ann decided to go uptown (or atleast as uptown as you can get in Missoula, MT)

Of course the first person I called was my boyfriend...I've really come to rely on him...its scary and sad to think about the possiblity that someday he may be there, he is the first person I want to share good news with and the first person I want to run to when I am having a bad day...I've never experienced that...I usually just want to tell family when good things are going on and I usually keep my stresses to myself- but he has changed all that. Perhaps I won't have my semesterly nervous breakdown, I won't have it because I get to complain all I want to my Sethie and listen to him complain too...its a beautiful thing we've got going.

So, the countdown to the Met is on! I already have to think about changing my program, which means I will be learning a new aria...AGAIN...but an even better countdown is going on- 20 days people...20 days and I get to be in my Sethie's arms! I am completely Kvelling now! 20 days and I get to kiss him and be all ooglie eyed...

Moving right along...the semester is half over here at UM...WOOHOOO... I Just hope I can get my stuff in order, especially since I have a recital to learn music for. Heres hoping!