I’ve been to Chicago and back and then to Chapel Hill, NC. Afterward, a few days to recover from all the fun, learning and excitement and then get Travis to a very important doctor appointment. Thankfully, CrowdStrike did not mess up any of my travel. It did cause problems for the keynote speaker at my conference in Chicago. We did see and hear him thanks to Zoom and some amazing problem solving skills that music educators have developed. I’m sure that you are familiar with the phrase “The Show must go on!”. In all, the conference was worth every penny, minute and inconvenience.
I belong to an organization called Feierabend Association for Music Education (FAME), and this is the first conference that I have been able to attend in person. During the Covid pandemic, I attended the virtual conference from the comfort of my couch. Learning in person is still better for so many reas0ns; I was able to make face to face connections with my fellow music educators, use all 5 senses to experience the conference, and socialize with new friends from all around the world. Plus, meeting in person allows us to participate in folk dancing.
Sanna Longden
Here is an ‘Ussie’ I took with an amazing dance educator. I first danced under the direction of Sanna Longden while I was at Appalachian State University. She has traveled around the world teaching and learning cultural dances. Her focus is on folk dances and she teaches how all humans can find a respectful, peaceful, connection through movement to music. I love that she is still presenting and that FAME honored her for her many years of movement education. Plus, her sense of humor reminds me of my grandmother who lived in Chicago.
Another favorite event at the conference was experiencing ‘Circle Singing’ for the first time. It is improvisation at its finest! Sadly, the closest circle singing group is 2 hours away in D.C., so I will have to find another way to learn and grow in this ‘new to me’ singing ensemble. I understand that Bobby McFerrin hosts a circle song school each year on the West Coast. Here is an example of a way that a circle song works. You should notice short repetitive vocal motives (ostinato) that are layered. About 2:00 in, Bobby starts directing changes. Watch for as long as you like.
Pharmacy
I’m sitting here listening to my husband struggle getting his pain medication from Walgreens. I completely understand why certain hoops are in place for a medication like oxycodone and I hate that he has to take this medication. However, it is what helps him survive the pain caused by Sarcoma L. Jackson. He is defending his doctor’s approval of an early refill and even the insurance has approved the new script. Walgreens will not refill this because 15 days has not passed since the previous filling of the medication. Now he is informing the palliative care doctor and hopefully they will have a solution. He only needs to make it to August 8th, which is one week away. That is the day he is scheduled to have S. L. Jackson removed from his body!
Surgery
After ten weeks of wading through doctor visits, failed & successful scans, insurance workarounds, and being released from the community hospital; Travis is finally scheduled for surgery on August 8th at VCU. He is having a hemipelvectomy with fusion. This means that the left half of his pelvic bone will be removed and a metal plate will be attached so the femur can be fused to the metal plate. The procedure will last 5-6 hours and will likely be scheduled for the first slot on that day. He will begin his recovery in the hospital for 5-7 days and then we will find out about home health care or a rehabilitation facility. Travis will have to learn how to walk with a shortened left leg.
We are keeping our eyes on the prize which is removal of the sarcoma with clean margins! If you are willing to say a prayer, please mention Dr. Domson and his surgical crew. It will be good to know that they are being prayed for as they take care of my husband. I also hope the pain medication issue can be resolved quickly. I will continue to focus on the things that I can control while I pray that God will help with the things beyond my control.
Great Sports!
During my travels for work related events, I like to take time to enjoy something in the area that I can not experience at home. I considered taking a river cruise to learn about the architecture in downtown Chicago. However, I chose to visit Wrigley Field and watch the Cubs lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks again. StubHub got me with their fees and taxes and I still only paid $35.00 for a seat looking at 3rd base that was completely in the shade! My Uber ride to downtown from Alsip was more expensive than the ticket. It will be a long time before I have a chance to sit in what my Uncle Tom calls ‘the cathedral’, which makes the money spent just fine with me.
Wrigley Field
I missed the first inning because of traffic, imagine that?! The Uber driver had to drop me few blocks out because the police create a perimeter around the park before, during and after the game. So, when I arrived it was the top of the 2nd and it looks like I didn’t miss too much. It was 80 degrees and the wind was blowing in from Lake Michigan. In other words, it was lovely for me and not good for homeruns. The amazing thing is that the Cubs won the game and I enjoyed singing the chorus of “Go Cubs Go” with all the other fans in Wrigley, a first for me!! The game went into the 10th inning, so I actually got to see 9 innings, hahaha!
Go Cubs Go!!
As soon as I returned to Richmond, I left again for Chapel Hill. This time it was a two and a half hour drive down to Durham where we stayed in a nice new hotel. My sisters were with me for the next sporting event. Manchester City Football Club from Manchester, England is traveling this year for the FC Summer Series. This is my first chance to see them in person and my older sister is also a fan of Man City so we made arrangements to get there. We also decided to see if our younger sister is willing to fly over here from the West coast to join us and she jumped at the chance.
Soccer or Football?
So here we are in the University of North Carolina’s football stadium to watch an ‘English football’ match. As we arrived, fans were leaving the stadium because of a lightning delay. We only waited 20 minutes and they started to let everyone back into the stadium. The three of us were ready for rain but it held off until we returned to the hotel!
The opponent, Celtic FC, is no slouch of a football team. They just won the Scottish Premiership for the second year and their fans came prepared to cheer their team on to victory. They also earned a few new fans. My younger sister thoroughly enjoyed the cheers from the Celtic fans and we all giggled as the booed for Grealish each time he had possession of the ball.
Though my team did not win, that did not stop us from purchasing over-priced t-shirts. As always, the best part for me is spending time with my sisters and catching up with one another while making new memories together. Such Fun!
That’s all for now
So that wraps up the highlights from the past two weeks. I enjoyed my travel thanks to all the people who helped check in on Travis. I have mixed feelings about Travis’ upcoming surgery and an overwhelming sense that it is the best course of action. With Summer break coming to an end, life is about to move to a new level of complications. To manage it, I focus on all who have offered their support to us and this passage “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”-Philippians 4:13