Tornado Season

This weekend was another complete whirlwind of events. After last weekend's momentous traveling adventures, I never really got a chance to recover and by this morning I was beginning to feel it!
Along with long arduous Elijah rehearsals, I had to attend three large Princessing events. Friday night was the annual St. Patrick's ball... Do I really need to say more?! We were five very lucky girls in crowns and ball gowns on the arms of five tuxed boys. It was SO much fun!!! We all met at about 5pm and were ushered into a pre-party cocktail party. At which point we met all the sister society Presidents and had pictures taken. Then we were piped into the actual cocktail party. Finally we were piped into the ball room and introduced individually as we walked across the dance floor to our table. The rest of the evening was filled with dancing and eating in excess! At about 11pm the room next to the ballroom was opened and a celtic band began to play while people drank guineas and Irish coffees (whisky and coffee with whipped cream on top). At about 2am most of us decided to get a little sleep, but there was in fact a post dinner reception which one of the other Princess' stayed for.
The next morning I had to be up by 6:30am to get to the Irishman of the year breakfast being held at Windsor station. I can not believe that people can drink Irish Coffees at 9am!!! There was certainly enough good food and non-alcoholic caffeine being served to keep me amused and the fur on my cape acted as a walking pillow.
Sunday morning was the Mass of Anticipation at St. Gabriel's church. About a month ago I asked the accompanist and one of the organizers if they wanted me to sing, which they thought would be perfect. I only got a phone call Saturday night (despite my many messages) from the organist asking if we could meet at the church a little early... Duh! I was singing the Bach/Gounod version of the Ave Maria which can be sung in almost any key. We established that I'd be singing it in G and at which point he began demonstrating what he would play. I was mortified! I politely said that that wasn't exactly Bach's Prelude, to which he responded that he didn't in fact read music... Shock and horror filled every cell of my being! I did my best not to let the diva escape... The next morning we rehearsed and all I could do was ignore him. I would rather have had the busker in the metro with the little ballerina on his keyboard accompanying me knowing he'd be at least playing the right chords! I was very tempted to call one of the assistant organists from my church to come down and accompany me, but I didn't. I sat through the beginning of the service listening to the miked choir and the a Britney Spears impersonator chanting the psalms and I came to the sad realization that not everyone is as lucky as I am to be surrounded by beautiful music every week, accompanied by an incredibly talented organist and lead by an incredibly talented conductor. In fact I'm still overwhelmed! And then I realized that no one was expecting what I was about to sing. All I could do was sing my heart out and let the congregation get the chance to hear what I get to hear all the time. It was very sobering! Especially when I arrived at my church later that afternoon to sing a virtually perfect, professional performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah. How many church choirs could even contemplate doing that?! Not many...