Moving to Another Website

Hello reader. Thanks for reading. Hey, I am moving my blog to another website. I bought the url “lifeinbcs.com” and have set it up. I’ve moved all the past posts, and have even written several others by the time you read this.

I have been wanting to have the blog have its own domain name for a while, and this seemed like as good a time as any.

So, if you found this site, head on over to LifeInBCS.com for more interesting reading and restaurant reviews and stuff.

Same guy writing it, just an easier name to remember…Life In BCS!

See you there.

Tags: domain, moving, website

Mamma Mia! Coming to College Station February 22-24, 2011

I grew up listening to Abba. I remember going on road trips with my family and Abba was a staple, as was the BeeGees, Simon and Garfunkle, John Denver, Niel Diamond, Men at Work and, surprisingly, Eddy Grant (of Electric Avenue fame).

I think I roller skated faster when Abba songs came on.

Later, in college, I met a girl (who later became my wife) who liked Abba. I like to imagine her in roller skates with disco lights, boogying around a skating rink.

So, I’m sure you have heard of the Broadway play that was made using Abba songs, right? If you haven’t, well…there was a Broadway musical made using Abba songs. Then later a movie. The movie was pretty huge and the musical was a massive hit. In fact, it’s in it’s twelfth year. That’s a long time. In fact, it’s currently number 11 on the Wiki list of longest running plays. Before you hit that link, can you guess which one is number one? (I guessed Cats, but I was wrong).

Well, MSC OPAS is bringing Mamma Mia! to College Station on February 22-24. Cool. I am taking my wife. We are excited! We haven’t seen the movie so it will be new to us.

Truth is, we have never been to Rudder Theater to see any plays, so this is exciting.

I was told that they will be unveiling the events for the coming 39th season on Thursday, April 28th at 6:30pm via a 30-minute TV program on KBTX. Cool.

MSC OPAS stands for Memorial Student Center Opera and Performing Arts Society – OPAS is a committee within TAMU’s Memorial Student Center. It is unique because the board of directors in comprised of community leaders and TAMU students.

When OPAS was founded, there was an opera every season. As the years passed, opera companies stopped touring as much and became extremely expensive when they did tour. The organization’s name was shortened to just MSC OPAS about ten years ago when it became apparent that including an opera every season was not possible.

I asked them what the biggest show they ever did was.  They said it was when they presented the world premiere of the Bolshoi Grigorovich Ballet Company performing The Nutcracker, Nov 23-Dec 1, 1990. 21,000+ tickets were sold. This was a huge international story that resulted in OPAS being mentioned in The New York Times’ Arts Section. OPAS has also had sold out performances featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Emmanuel Ax, RENT, RIVERDANCE and a week of LES MISERABLES.

Their first show was classical guitarist Christopher Parkening on November 3, 1973.

I was told that parking is convenient and FREE (nice) and right across the street. Awesome.

So, the Mamma Mia! story goes like this:

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya – from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

© JOAN MARCUS FOR THE NATIONAL TOUR OF MAMMA MIA!

Produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

More info about Mamma Mia! and the North American Tour here.

And here is a link to the Crew that are coming.

So, get your tickets soon. Should be a great show. I’ll let you know what I think of Mamma Mia!, the Rudder Theatre and the experience as a whole. Here’s the Wiki page in case you want to learn more before you go.

Tags: A&M, broadway, College Station, mamma mia, rudder

Flowers Family Benefit Concert – Friday, Feb 11, 2011

I’m sure many of you have heard by now of the tragedy that happened to a local family. 4 boys lost their mother, then a few months later lost their dad. The grandmother has come down and is working on adopting them and taking them to her home in Colorado.

Here’s an exerpt from The Eagle:

It’s hard enough for a child to lose one parent, but the loss can seem almost insurmountable when both a mother and father pass away in rapid succession.

That’s the fate that befell four College Station brothers — all under the age of 15 — who lost their mother, Kim Flowers, in October and whose father, Nolan Flowers, died earlier this month.

Kim was just 34, and the cause of her death has not been determined. Nolan, who was 42, suffered a fatal heart attack.

Kim Flowers’ mother, Susan Solich, says the boys are coping, but she worries about the long-term effects of the loss.

“The tragedy is four little boys losing their parents,” the grandmother said.

But the double blow has been softened somewhat by the outpouring of support for the four Flowers children — 14-year-old Brandon, 12-year-old Justin, 9-year-old Tyler and 6-year-old Conner.

You may have also heard about the benefit BBQ that happened a couple of weeks ago at the Kroger on Rock Prairie, where they raise $36,000. This is pretty amazing. Well, there is another opportunity to donate to the family, as well as enjoy some live local music.

Lifechurch is hosting a benefit tonight (Friday, February 11, 2011) to benefit the Flowers family. There are 6 musical performers ranging from a bells choir to a metal band, and everywhere in between. The performers are the PGM Choir, Elmo Weedon, Etched In Stone, Brothers In Arms, Behold The Great Throne and a Special Guest.

Local chefs (including Chef Denise from The Lemon Wedge and Chef Shawn from St. Joseph’s) will be donating chili for a chili cookoff. Come and taste and vote. Here’s an article we wrote about The Lemon Wedge.

Starbucks will have a barrista serving up yumminess and there will be other concessions and band merchandise. Most or all proceeds will go to the Flowers family.

Project Yogurt (which is just around the corner from LifeChurch) is donating 30% of their sales during the concert. Try the chocolate. It’s really really good. So is the cheesecake.

There will be a silent auction as well.

This will be a great time to hang out with friends, enjoy some great music, and know that you are helping a family cope with loss.

Cover charge is $5. Doors open at 6pm. Bands will be playing all night…probably through midnight.

Chili will be served until it’s gone. Same with Starbucks. I believe the way it’s going to work is that coffee is free, but you can donate for it if you want. Chili tasting is free as well, and I believe you will need to “purchase” a ballot to vote…something like that.

LifeChurch is in the Tejas Center on Villa Maria and Texas Avenue…behind the JoAnn Fabrics…right next to the Theater Company.

I was told the kids were really looking forward to the concert. I am too.

Tags: benefit, College Station, Flowers Family

Benefit Dance Concert for Slum in South Africa

This Friday, Feb 4, several dance and musical performers (including the Chara Christian Dance Company) will be dancing at the Bottlebrush Benefit Concert at Life Church in Bryan. This event features local and out-of-town dance and music performers and groups. The event is free and starts at 6:30.

The purpose of the event is to raise money for Bottlebrush, which is a slum in Durban, South Africa.

For more information visit the facebook event.

Bottlebrush is a slum located in Durban, South Africa. It is the biggest slum area in Durban and 50% of children there suffer from HIV. The concert consists of dancers and musicians performing throughout the night! T-shirts will be sold for $10. This event is free.

All proceeds from the benefit concert will go directly to the Bottlebrush area to help pay for meals, medical assistance, community center renovations, etc.

We’re going to be a part of something so amazing… helping those in need of course! The weather won’t cancel this!

Coffee, Tea, & Hot Chocolate will be sold for $1 a cup, and bottlebrush Tshirts are $10! Any money you give tonight goes straight to the kids in Bottlebrush.

I asked Connie Templin (who has put this benefit concert together) some questions and she graciously answered:

Why Bottlebrush?
Africa was the first place besides the U.S. I had ever been, and Bottlebrush was the first real life “ghetto” or “slum” I had ever spent time in. Bottlebrush spoke to my heart after spending days with barefoot kids, no running water, shacks that served as houses, and glass covered roads. Of all the nationalities represented in Africa this summer, Americans were the minority. I knew I wanted to share this to everyone I could to raise awareness.

What was your experience at Bottlebrush?
My experience was nothing short of eye opening. I grew up so privileged and to see kids without the simple necessities I take for granted, it really broke my heart. It made me appreciate so many simple things in life.

Why Dance?
Dance has been in my life since I was 2. I always danced in a Christian dance studio, and I’ve always been taught to use my talents for the Lord and ministry. It’s so powerful! Dance can illustrate so much and if someone watches a dance and says ” I didn’t get it, until I saw that dance”…. that’s when I know it makes a difference. When I was in Africa we used Dance, Music, and Theatre to reach out to the kids and it only seemed fitting to do it here too.

Is there something “extra” special we should expect? A new dance move or choreography?
We have a couple of special things going on tonight. We have one piece of choreography that illustrates a struggle, and is kind of deep. Most dances for a benefit might not have something so dark, but I wanted it to be realistic. Not everyone in Bottlebrush is singing praises to Jesus just yet, a lot of them have burdens and I wanted it to be represented. I am also using a lot of visual aids. Three of the main pieces have the words being played on the screen with some professional photos that were donated by local photographers. The songs we dance to have such powerful words and I wanted them to be tangible. I’ve haven’t seen a lot of dances with visual aids at the same time, so I think it’s pretty special.

What are some of the songs that will be danced to?
The piece that represents carrying burdens is called “Heavy in Your Arms” and the first line says, ” I was a heavy heart to carry, my beloved was weighed down.” I saw first hand and prayed for mothers that were broken, this song represents them. It’s also personal for me and the other dancers. We are dancing through our own struggles while we portray burdens in general. Pretty deep. The 3 main pieces we’re doing are all by Brooke Fraser, who is an avid mission worker. “Orphans, Kingdoms” “Albertine” and “Flags” are the songs we are using. I suggest looking up the words to Flags if you have time, it’s like poetry. The final line, of the final song tonight states, ” I know the last shall be first.” Which is what our prayer is for Bottlebrush. [check out a youtube video of Flags with lyrics]

Who are the musical performers?
The musical performers are all my friends from random areas of my life! 2 girls, Liza Linney and Michelle Prichard, I know from 5th grade and they moved here to attend TAMU are singing tonight, each of which are amazing and are trying to pursue music. Wesley Taylor, Aubrey Hunt, and Rylee Owens are “Young Life” pals and they play around the BCS area on a normal basis. I know Wesley from High School and the other two girls attend Life Church. Will Agnor is our opener tonight, he is one of my friend’s that I acquired through his wife and he isn’t performing he’s “singing to Jesus with his eyes closed.” The John Family, drove all the way from Colorado to be here and they are natives of South Africa! Pastor Dennis started the feeding program in Bottlebrush, and he’s the one that raised awareness about Bottlebrush to Y.W.A.M. His children will be singing tonight as well.

Map for Lifechurch | Map of Bottlebrush, South Africa

Doors open at 6:00, hope to see you there!!

Tags: benefit, bottlbrush, Bryan, LifeChurch, south africa, Texas

It’s Big Event 2011 Time! Whoop! March 26th!

As if there wasn’t enough to love our hometown Aggies for – this one takes the cake, in my opinion!  THE BIG EVENT!

If you don’t know what it is, here’s how the official site describes it:

The Big Event is the largest, one-day, student-run service project in the nation where students of Texas A&M University come together to say “Thank You” to the residents of Bryan and College Station. For the past 28 years Aggie students have participated in this annual event to show their appreciation to the surrounding community by completing service projects such as yard work, window washing, and painting for community members. Although The Big Event has become the largest one-day, student-run service project in the nation, our message and our mission remains the same – to simply say “Thank You.”

This is the coolest thing ever!  A bunch of energetic TAMU students coming to your house to lighten the load and take care of some things you just can’t seem to get around to -  and all just to say “thank you”!  Only in Aggieland.

We’ve only done this once since we moved to the Bryan College Station area 5 years ago.  The first two years, we didn’t know about it!  How is that possible?  Then, last year, we didn’t get registered in time.  Don’t let this happen to you.

I couldn’t find a deadline for this year on their website.  I think this is because they can only take a limited number of applications, so it’s first come – first served.  They started taking applications on January 12th.  You can even register online now, so it’s super easy!  Edit: OK, a reader pointed out that the deadline is on the application (thanks Kathryn!).  Here’s what it says:

Due to limited resources, we will only be able to accept the first 1,500 jobs submitted before February 18, 2011.

When they came to our house in ’09, we had them do some wall-paper removal, painting and some yard work.  The Big Event Committee sent out about 20 students to our house.  In typical Aggie spirit, they had incredible attitudes and great work ethics.  Those guys got the job done and then some.  A couple of the guys decided that the “sink hole” we had going behind our backdoor needed to be filled in and leveled out.  I guess we had some engineering students because they did a fantastic job!

So here they were, a bunch of guys and gals in a narrow hallway peeling 1980′s wall-paper, jamming out to some tunes and having a great time.  My kids wandered through and chatted with these very kind and gracious students.  The painters (no pictures of them – boo) were in two bedrooms dealing with paint fumes and puke moss green paint (just a little bit of “painter’s remorse” here).  They did a great job with high ceilings, ladders, painter’s tape and kids running under-foot.

The students who worked the front shrubbery beds went over and above, as well!  They made our poorly landscaped house actually have some curb-appeal!

We were told that it was not necessary to feed our volunteers but we provided sandwiches and chips and drinks for them anyway because we were so thankful!  Then we got to sit around our living room with these kind, brilliant and enthusiastic young people and chat while they ate!

There’s lots of things they can help you with but they are not allowed to use any power tools. The things they can do are cleaning, painting, raking and other yard work, moving dirt and trimming trees.  This year, we will be getting some much needed help with our yard. My grandmother always used to say “many hands make light work”. We’re so thankful to these generous students for helping lighten the load around our casa!

The Bryan College Station area is very blessed, indeed!  God bless you, Aggies!

leigh

Tags: 2011, Aggies, big event, cleaning, March, painting, students, TAMU, thank you, volunteer, whoop, yard work