Girls' night at the Opera

I took Sarah and some of her friends to their first experience at the Opera. I'm registered with the Austin Opera as a home school teacher, so they blessed us with some free tickets to the performance. Isn't that wonderful?! When I was little I always dreamed of going to an opera, and never thought I would. It was one of my childhood dreams that Nathan later filled as a birthday gift (accompanied with a pair of burgundy and gold opera glasses to match my evening gown. What a thoughtful touch!). Nathan has a self-proclaimed mission to fulfill all my childhood dreams....but I suppose that's another story for another day. Suffice it to say I'm so blessed to have him as my best friend!

All the girls were so excited about our evening. I had listened to them talk about it all week long, full of eager anticipation. They all dressed up in their finest dresses and wrapped up in lacy shawls or sparkly stoles. They all lined up in my bathroom, giggling with delight as I put glitter and makeup on each of them. Many of the girls even had little purses with lipstick or lip gloss. It was so cute to watch them practice being 'sophisticated'.

We arrived at the opera just in time for the show. We watched "La Travatia" by Guiseppe Verdi. As the musicians tuned their instruments prior to the performance, our friend Minya said, "I know this song! I've heard this before!" It was pretty funny...she would exclaim the same thing after each intermission when the instruments would be tuned again. Halfway through the first act, another friend, Brianna, exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! Those are REAL people down there! This is amazing!" 

The performance was delightful, and the symphony was absolutely captivating. The girls would pass the opera glasses and an extra pair of pocket-sized binoculars back and forth quietly throughout the show. I passed out lemon drops to our group periodically whenever there was a particularly long song so the girls wouldn't get bored.

During the second intermission I held a vote among the girls. It was very late at night and I gave them the option of leaving early or staying for the rest of the show. I had thought they might be bored and didn't want to drag them through the entire thing unwillingly. I was delightfully surprised with their enthusiastic response. They all wanted to stay and watch the revenge between the Baron and Alfredo. They claimed to love the entire show. I'm so glad! They played hand-clap games during the intermissions....it was so fun to watch them.

I absolutely LOVE a good opera. The music is so captivating and the singing sounds so singular. I'm always astounded with the singers' vocal capacities. It gives me chills, and I constantly squeeze Nathan's hand in elation during the most beautiful parts. I'm always sitting at the edge of my seat in anticipation. I was SO thankful to be able to share this experience with my daughter. 

After the show we took the girls out for a dinner at a late-night restaurant. They had so much fun eating and chatting. We made it home right at midnight. On a school night. Can I just say again how much I love the freedom home school gives me? I LOVED being able to stay in bed an extra 2 hours this morning. My boys ran into my room early in the morning and we all snuggled under a pile of quilts together and drifted back off to sleep. It has been a delightful day so far!