Yet Another Fifteen Minutes

Just saw this on Fark.com today.


Turns out Zoe's picture of her picture is now a part a photoshop contest.

Check out the thread here

http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=4474874



And in the meantime, enjoy some more photos.



Needless to say, Zoe is moderately amused.

Apt Chorister

Sunday came, and with it the annual spring concert of the North Carolina Boys Choir at Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University. This is one of two concerts a year that feature all three choirs; the Concert Choir (the main touring group), the Chamber Choir (tenors and basses), and the Training Choir, which is like the minor leagues for the Concert Choir. Tristan has been in the Training Choir since his successful audition last fall, and has been practicing about 90 minutes a week with the group in preparation for this concert as well as the Christmas concert back in December.

All the choirs did an amazing job. They are very professional and well-rehearsed, and not hindering their performance is the fact that Duke Chapel is an incredible live space for performance. The choir(s), combined with the tremendous pipe organ in the Chapel put out sound and power that I can't even describe. It was simply amazing. I literally had goosebumps, and highly recommend the NCBC concerts there if you ever get the chance to attend.



Tristan did an excellent job himself. Not only was his singing spot-on (which I wasn't worried about) but he also seemed to take his lessons in stagecraft and performance seriously. He kept his eyes on the director, hands behind him, didn't fidget or look around, and sung with a lot of heart. We, along with Jeff and Katie Smith, and Jeff Overstreet from church could not have been more pleased with his performance.

Then Monday came, and with it a letter in the mail from the NCBC:

"Dear Tristan,

I am so pleased to write this letter to you extending an invitation to become a part of the outstanding Concert Choir. . ."

Tristan got promoted! This is a huge honor and we are all very excited for him.


So what does being in the Concert Choir mean? First, he'll start the year-long season by attending camp in July. Once school starts, rehearsals are twice a week for two hours each. Concerts run nearly every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as the big Christmas Concert in Duke Chapel (make your plans now --we have 10 tickets to sell.) There'll be a mini-tour in May, followed by a "major" (7-10 day) tour in June. In addition to that, there may be other concerts and the occasional wedding or funeral.

Tristan is very excited, and we're very proud and wonder where he got his singing skills from. . .

A Reunion of Sorts

Saturday was the first (annual?) Owen J. Roberts multi-class reunion of sorts. It was held at the Inn at Saint Peters Village (that I previously wrote about here) out on the covered patio, overlooking the creek and the rocks.

The organizers weren't forthcoming with the guest list, so other than a few verbal commitments, I don't know that anyone really knew who all would be there. Maybe that was part of the intrigue. Maybe not. I think more people would have been there had they known who else was coming.

Regardless, I started recognizing people right away, from my own class as well as nearby classes that I shared a school with at one time or another, as well as people I didn't know, but who knew one or more of my brothers.

But before I get to the pictures, I just want to say that I didn't take nearly as many as I should have, especially seeing as how nice the scenery is at Saint Peters Village. I blame the Class of '88 reunion for that. I took a ton of pictures there, and from the very moment I entered the bar. I was so busy with the camera that I never got around to eating, and only had one beer the entire night. So this time I went straight to the open bar for a Yuengling, and another, and another, and appetizers, and eventually diner. My camera hand was completely occupied with food and drink for the first 90 minutes at least.

But then the camera came out, and I started to document the event and my old friends and classmates.














And in what was was an awesome surprise for me, Charlie Degenhart, a former classmate and current pro musician was there and did a few songs. How cool!



So in summary, it was a lot of fun and definitely worth it.

But my plan for the next one is to walk in with my camera in my right hand, and do shots with the left hand. That sounds like a winner.

My Peanut and I Fly Southwest

Southwest Airlines: The official domestic Airline of The Traveling Roths.

( http://www.blogsouthwest.com/trackback/2176 )

The Traveling Roths' Pig Pickin' 4: 我不明白你疯了白人。

(FYI, The Evite invitation is experiencing technical difficulties at the moment. So if you can't reply, you're not alone.)

In the wake 2006's "Traveling Roths' First Annual Pig Pickin'"
2007's Pig Pickin' 2: A Public Evening of Enjoyment , and last year's Pig Pickin' 3: Triple Figures, we've decided to do it yet again. You and your family (children are always welcome) are invited to join us. . . for

Pig Pickin' 4: 我不明白你疯了白人。

We'll supply the barbecue (eastern NC-style), plates cups & silverware, and some all-ages and adult beverages. Feel free to bring a side dish or a dessert to share (put what you're bringing in the comments), a place to sit, anything else you'd like to drink, and a portable table if you have one, and your cameras. We will have a traditional charcoal grill (pork-free) and a deep-fryer available, if someone volunteers to manage them. We'll probably have our hands full with the pig.

Please RSVP via the eVite invite process either way by Sunday, May 17th so we can get an accurate count, and get our pig order into Satriale's Pork Store by Monday the 18th.

Hope to see you here!

Dave, Jennifer, Tristan, and Zoe

Swine Flu

Racer Z

Just in time for the ridiculously hot weather we've been having lately came another opportunity for Zoe to run in a 5K race. This time it was the Mebane Dogwood Festival 5K, within walking distance of our house.



Zoe and her friend Deanna were right at the front of the starting line.


And at the 8:30 gun, they were off.


Around 35 minutes later, Zoe crossed the finish line by herself.


She thinks she could've done it maybe five minutes faster, had she not walked back to catch up with her friend, who wasn't quite as fast.

Unfortunately, the youngest age group was 0-19, and as a nine-year-old competing against 19-year-olds, she didn't stand much of a chance to win a medal. There was one young girl who finished before her, but she probably wasn't under 10.

But she'll get another chance next weekend when she runs another 5K in Chapel Hill.