A Fourth of July for the Books

When I first moved to New York, I knew I would never be overly homesick. I've lived abroad before and have never really been the type to miss home all too much . However, I realized there might be ONE day this summer when the home-sickness just may creep in:

The Fourth of July. 

Our small town of Cannon Falls hosts the quintessential Independence Day bash. The parade that goes on for an eternity, the fair, the Bears baseball game, the fireworks, running into practically everyone you've ever known, etc.  In all of my 25 years, I'd only missed one Cannon Falls Fourth. So, I was emotionally gearing myself up for a "Ugh, I miss home" kind of holiday weekend. Instead, my weekend turned into one of those times in life you wish you could rewind and watch over and over again.

My "house guest" for the long weekend was my very great friend and voice teacher. She's done the whole NYC/Broadway show thing, has an unbelievably impressive resume and is a phenomenal teacher. Melissa, along with her equally as wonderful husband Jerry, has been instrumental in helping me find the guts to chase my dream and made it very evident that it was the right time in my life to make this necessary move. Additionally, she is someone who provides me with invaluable support, as she traveled a similar road years ago.

Dinner at Joe Allen's, pictured with Melissa's "Georgy" poster. The show was considered a "flop," but she garnered a Tony Award nomination for it ;)

So, what did our weekend consist of? Everything.

~Great dinners ~ shopping (and finding perfect outfits for my end-of-summer Cabaret and for my cousin Ashlan's rehearsal dinner!) ~ breakfasts of (percolated!) coffee (I feel so domestic now) and babka (my first introduction to this tasty treat) ~ a walk down Hudson Parkway ~ a voice lesson (just like the old days, but instead at a fancy NY rehearsal studio) ~ a visit to the South Street Sea Port Street Fair (we both have a dangerous addiction to scarfs) ~ watching the fireworks on TV over cups of decaf and a plate of cheesecake (because we were both too exhausted from buying scarfs to walk down to the river ;) ~ and countless strolls throughout the neighborhood that used to be home to Melissa and her husband, but is now home to me.

I also tagged along for a coaching she had scheduled in preparation for an audition. I met a long-time friend of hers and was able to learn a ton (including how to properly cut and paste a 32-bar sheet music cut). Melissa sang a snippet of "I've Got the Sun in the Morning and the Moon at Night" from Annie Get Your Gun. Though I've sung that song a thousand times before, in hearing it in that moment, I found new meaning. Funny how that happens sometimes...

Among everything, my most favorite things about this weekend were our wonderful conversations.  Some kept us up far too late, others ended in core-strengthening exercises (ha!) and one concluded by declaring curling irons superior to straighteners; but every one meant the world to me. It's not often that someone can spend four days with someone they admire so much on a weekend when their head and heart are back home, and feel entirely comforted. So, in the words of Annie Oakley:

"Got no diamonds, got no pearls, still I think I'm a lucky girl.... And with the sun in the morning, and the moon in the evening, I'm alright." 

Thanks for everything, MH.

~B