Home, home on the range

And no, they're not kidding about the deer and the antelope. This winter I've seen more deer in town - right in front of my house, in fact - than I've seen out of town. One actually ran into my dad as he was driving to work just down the street. And there's been a little baby deer that likes to eat our bushes. He's so cute!

It's been a few months now (okay, almost a year) since I wrote about moving and getting a new job. I think it's high time for an update! And for any of you who may have forgotten...

I moved to Wyoming!!!

Ah yes, lovely Wyoming. Some of you may sense some sarcasm in that remark, but let me assure you, it's completely sincere. I love being from and living in Wyoming. For one thing, there are so few of us (around 500,000) that it should be counted as a rare and unique pleasure to meet someone from this vast, though sparsely populated state. Sure, it may be a little windy - okay, more like "what's the point of a hairdo" windy - but that's all part of its charm. I believe it's one of the best-kept secrets of our nation. What a great place to be! Now if only there were more single, attractive, intelligent men...

*clearing throat* Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Wyoming. I moved here.

I'm working at the best, most fulfilling job I've ever had! And, if you recall, I've had a number of jobs to judge from. Let me list and discuss a few of the things I do for my job:

1. Teach voice lessons. I am basically the vocal department at Western Wyoming Community College. Currently I have 28 students enrolled through the school. I'm not gonna lie - I was a bit apprehensive at first about teaching voice lessons. I'd done it a bit before, but nothing this intensive. Plus, my background is more in conducting and education than private vocal instruction. But, thank heavens, I love teaching voice! It's the best thing in the world when a student has a breakthrough and makes serious progress because of something I've said. And the days where they all have breakthroughs are a literal high for me!

2. Teach choir classes. I have three groups - an SATB choir, a Women's choir, and a Men's a capella group with 7 guys. The a capella group has been around for a number of years, and I was pretty nervous to work with them. Not because I doubted my ability to direct them, but because I wasn't sure what my role was with them. They'd been pretty autonomous before, so I didn't really know what they expected of me. But we've found a good balance and they are so much fun to work with. I love it!!! They're all so talented too, which makes my job so much easier. And they keep me highly entertained, which is a nice bonus feature. As for the other groups, they only started gaining momentum in the last couple of years, and were pretty dinky before that. Fall semester I had 9 people in the SATB choir and that number doubled to 18 in the Spring! They're also incredibly talented and fun to work with. I gotta say, for only 18 people, they sound pretty phenomenal. Watch out GLEE! And the Women's choir is blossoming too. I LOVE directing choirs!!!

3. Teach music classes. I teach sections of Aural Theory, Written Theory, and Singing for the Actor. All of them are way fun for me to teach. Sometimes I wonder if I like teaching so much because I'm an attention hog and a social butterfly... It's possible, pig.

4. Direct vocal music for theatre productions. This is one of the most fun things associated with my job. I LOVE musical theatre and being involved in it so heavily is super rewarding. I think part of what makes it so great is the high quality of the program here. I can't get enough of how much talent there is in our dinky little school! I feel so privileged to be here, I can't even tell you.

That pretty much sums up my job duties. But so much is still left out! My absolute favorite thing about being here is the people. The faculty, community, and students are the BEST! I genuinely care for all my students - they are seriously talented, extraordinarily fun (though some might say "kooky"), and some of the most wonderful people I know! I'm probably a bit biased, but I just love them!!! And I can't say enough about the faculty. I've never known a faculty to be so invested in the lives of the students. They don't just teach these kids, they actually care about them. It's so refreshing to see after becoming a little jaded with the public school system. I'm definitely in the right place.

Alright already, enough of the gushing! I get it.

I LOVE MY JOB!!! And the fact that it's in Wyoming makes it even better.

The only thing lacking (and I may have mentioned this previously) is the lack of social opportunity.

But what do you think the summer's for? *nudge, wink*

Speaking of summer, if anybody has a great idea for a summer job for me, please let me know. I'm on hunt...in more ways than one...

Whoa...that sounds ominous...

"You Threw Off My Groove"

I've had some friends in the blogosphere complain to me about the lack of news coming from my blog lately. Peru is all fine and well, "but what's happening with you???" I get the hint.

Just give me one more little indulgence and I'll get back to my life, okay?

Peru Highlight #3 – Cusco

I absolutely loved this town! It was so utterly charming - everything you'd expect from an up-and-coming international tourist destination, but with a certain degree of coziness. We toured through cathedrals and museums, ate at local restaurants, visited surrounding countryside complete with ancient Incan ruins, and really felt at home there. Such a gorgeous little town!

I will admit that part of the likeable-ness of this town comes from it's name - Cusco. I mean, what's the first thing you think of when you hear that?

*Singing* "What's his name? CUSCOOO!"

Right? Right. Granted, this town had its name long before somebody threw off the emperor's groove, but it's thanks to that movie that we've heard the word before. I'm pretty sure we mentioned that film just about every day we were in Peru. ...Twice...at least...

Seriously though, Cusco was a perfectly charming city in every way. Even in the "scary" parts of town, I never felt too threatened. Here are a couple of things I loved about Cusco:

Qorikancha - a huge Spanish cathedral built on top of the main Inca Temple. Cusco was the Incan capital, but when the Spanish came, they tore down almost every building and used the Incan foundations for all their cathedrals, homes, businesses, etc. The Qorikancha still has several walls intact and is a highly impressive building.

Plaza de Armas - I loved walking around and sitting in this main square. It was so gorgeous and filled with people at all times of the day. Ah, the ambiance.

Marquesas Hotel - This hotel was fantastic! The rooms were all so original and well-maintained. The staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating, and the building itself was so historic with its cobblestone courtyards and original architecture. The breakfast was pretty good too!

Pacha Papa - YUM! What else can I say? This is not the first restaurant we ate at in Peru, but it was easily the best and most authentic. We had our first chicha morada here, as well as some incredibly delicious lomo saltado, some fried papas (4 different kinds), some alpaca steaks, and yummy hot green sauce. I couldn't get enough!

Shopping - You can find anything in Cusco. There is so much to buy! If you can't find it at one store in the right color or fit, just walk to the next booth and you're good to go. I loved browsing the little stores. I probably did a bit too much of that...

So for anyone anticipating a trip to Cusco anytime in the future, whether near or not, be excited...be very excited. I loved every moment I was there!

Hooray for Cusco!

Big Birds

Peru highlight #2:

ANDEAN CONDORS!!!

I don't know how many of you are aware, but these giant birds are so awesome! I've wanted to see one ever since I was a kid watching the Hayley Mills classic, "In Search of the Castaways." In this movie, they travel to the Andes mountains in search of their shipwrecked father and have all kinds of adventures. Here's the clip with the condor if any of you are unfamiliar with this Disney action masterpiece. (You only need to see about the first 3 minutes or so, but the rest is great too!)



One childhood dream...check!