December is almost over and it was a whirlwind! From operas to recitals to concerts and church services, December is the month of music. Something magical happens in December: music drifts out from schools and churches onto busy street corners, white twinkling lights glow from the windows, and greet cards fill our mailboxes.
Here's a look at The Vintage Chanteuse's December snapshots.
Christmas isn't complete without a trip into the City!
Hello, Vintage-istas!
I've missed you all so much :-) Here's what I have been up to this week....
It's time to let my summer blonde turn to a warm autumnal glow.
"And if we wrapped up against the cold, we wouldn't feel other things, like the bright tingle of the stars, or the music of the Aurora, of best of all the silky feeling of moonlight on our skin. It's worth being cold for that." --Serafina Pekkala (Northern Lights, by Phillip Pullman)
My happy place.
"The end is nothing; the road is all."
--Willa Cather
Ludwig's Halloween costume! I have to say, it is the perfect costume for a wiener dog!
We've started wedding planning! The theme is I'll follow you anywhere...
Staging. staging. staging. Lots and lots of staging rehearsals!
Hi! It's The Vintage Chanteuse here and it has been a long time (too long, much too long). My small corner of the world has been in complete upheaval. I've spent the last month trying to settle into two new jobs and it hasn't been easy. Actually, its been a staggering experience to say the least and I have completely lost control of my personal life because of it! Alas, I am beginning to find my place, the dust is starting to settle, and the ground doesn't feel so shaky. And now here I am! I'm back and even more excited to share my vintage inspired life with you all! Oh, and did I mention I am wedding planning also?! More to come on this topic at a later date...
Here's my week in snapshots!
We have been searching far and wide for the perfect venue to host our reception. We found it this morning peaking through the fog as we reach the top of rolling and winding road. This beautiful historic 1756 barn at Holcomb Farm in Granby, CT is going to be the perfect backdrop for our vintage inspired wedding!
Just in case we forgot it is still summer for another 6 glorious hours.
My favorite time of the year begins tomorrow! We will be celebrating the return of fall with roasted butternut squash, pumpkin pizzas, and apple ciders!
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
Sometimes life throws you curve balls and suddenly big, seemingly life changing decisions must be made immediately. Well, that was my week...hopefully the decisions I made were right. Because of this, I've had a week of new beginnings and goodbyes. Moving forward in life is scary and hard but I am focusing on one day at a time--living life slowly and intentionally.
My favorite thing about living in a really old apartment building? The details! I love finding the most interesting details in my apartment; like this art deco thermostat.
The most important life decisions should be made over drinks and sunshine.
This little girl always wants to help....I am pretty sure she thinks she is a human.
I broke my vegetarianism and had an amazing burger this week. It was so worth it!
My score finally arrived and now this is my life...
Yesterday we received a bag full of beautiful peaches! So what better to make than gluten-free peach crisp?!
Here's to a living a life full of intention and vintage-inspiration!
This week has been a week of jumping back into real life. After blissfully running away from all my responsibilities, I am getting back into the practice room, hitting the pavement with my half-marathon training and preparing my music curriculum for the Fall. I am feeling refreshed and have found a renewed passion for my art form, but goodness, it is exhausting!
Here are a few snapshots:
We found this beautiful Fall leaf on our run this week! I am so not ready for Summer to be over....
The sunflowers are in full bloom right now! Ah, a sunflower will forever remind me of my dear late aunt, Lori McLain, who grew the most beautiful sunflower in her backyard.
We happened across these awesome retro chairs at a tag sale! I am not sure where they will even go in our apartment, but I couldn't leave without them.
Well, it is Summer and Connecticut really does have the BEST ice cream!
Soooo much German is being shoved in my head right now! I am preparing a role in Der Rosenkavalier in November, so the practice room is becoming my second home.
Here's a little love, just because the world is scary right now and I don't think too much of it could be spread. A man holding a sign in West Hartford Center said it best: BRAHMS NOT BOMBS.
Leonard Bernstein said, "This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before."
Here's a little Brahms' Requiemto help soothe your soul this week. If you jump to 40:01 you can hear me as the soprano soloist with the Arizona State University Symphony and Choruses.
We've had an amazing week full of wine tasting, garden walks, museums, and window shopping!
Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum is the nation's old art museum. It has everything from 16th Century statues to Picasso. There is no better way to spend a rainy afternoon!
We are working our way through the book 50 Hikes in Connecticut by David, Gerry and Sue Hardy. This week we hiked to this beautiful waterfall at Wadsworth Falls State Park.
Since its Summertime, it is totally okay to have ice cream for dinner, right?!
How gorgeous are these berries from Rosedale Farmin Simsbury, CT?! It's like Summertime in one tiny bite.
A glass or two of wine at lunch will only make your day better, so does really good company!
It rains a lot in New England....like every other day! So coming from
Arizona it was quite the adjustment. However, the beauty of lots of rain
are flowers like these.
One of our favorite places is West Hartford Center. It's like a town
center straight out of Europe with outdoor cafes, french bakeries,
coffee houses, old fashioned barbershops, and bespoke suit tailors.
Of course, we spent our Saturday afternoon drinking wine and celebrating the end of another week!
Bonjour! This is the first in my new series, My Week in Snapshots, in which I post my favorite moments of my week...like a photo journal!
Here we go!
My dissertation was published in the NATS Journal of Singing as recommended reading! It was actually sitting on my shelf for months without me noticing. Reading about my research after being so removed from it has inspired me to pick up where I left off in my research of Willa Cather's connection to music.
I grew up on a farm...and I have no green thumb whatsoever! I am hoping I can keep at least a cactus alive; stay tuned...
The produce at our favorite farm stand is so beautiful!
I have become obsessed with our new vintage record player! We found it at Fistful of Daisieswhile in the Midwest. Our mornings begin with listening to NPR and end with Gershwin on this gem!
One of the best things about visiting Nebraska is coming home with so many fabulous vintage dresses!
Beach! Beach! Beach! We spent a lovely day on the Long Island Sound in Connecticut.
Around every corner in Connecticut are signs to pick your own blueberries. Fresh picked blueberries are heaven...
We found the most wonderful Arizona Kitsch while thrifting this week. They are perfect for my Cacti and provide a little homage to our time in Phoenix!
Yes, Connecticut really is so charming that American flags line the highways.
