going for gold

Well, we're back where we started. We began our vacation in Iowa a month ago and now we're back for more. Even though the Iowa State Fair is going on we're going to skip it and watch the Olympics instead. (I hope I'm not offending anyone here, but my attitude is that if you've seen one butter cow you've seen them all.) We'd also like Rowan to spend some more time with his cousins. We got to hang out with his five-year-old cousin Beatrice yesterday, and the two of them got along great.

Brenda has been preparing for her next gig in which she sings the title role in Berg's Lulu. She made the comment recently that it's probably the hardest piece, both vocally and musically, that she's ever studied. I have no doubt that she's going to be great in the part, probably even worthy of a medal. Hey, where's the opera category in the Olympics?

It's been great to spend so much time with our families this summer. A big downside to living in a foreign country is that we don't get to see our families as much as we'd like, but a huge benefit to Brenda's career is the freedom in between gigs to travel home. (The German government's generous vacation and maternity leave policies are also helpful.) Brenda has quite a bit of work in the U.S. in coming seasons, which will allow us to see family (and for family to see Rowan) more often.

I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!