i kept my family very busy this weekend, and i believe we contributed greatly to milwaukee's economic growth. if milwaukee felt a surge in their funds, they can chalk it up to the Gaustads. on friday, we went to a Brewers vs. White Sox game - sadly the only one that they won :( - and i bought a Brewers shirt. it wasn't the one i wanted (it wasn't light blue), but my aunt said it looked "sharp" on me so i settled for the black with blue and gold lettering. it was my first visit to Miller Park, and even though we were up in the last row it was a beautiful sight to behold. that ball park is amazing. perhaps it was the fact that the roof was open - and i've never been to a baseball game played outside before - but i thoroughly enjoyed myself. it was fun to dream about when Target Field will open and the Twins finally have some spectacular facility to play in. my mom and my aunt began complaining of the cold in the 7th inning, but i think overall they enjoyed it even though they might have thought it was too cold and too long. i can't wait to go to my next baseball game at Miller Park - TWINS vs. Brewers! i'll be wearing my Twins gear and i'm really excited because i've noticed there are a LOT of Twins fans in milwaukee - so it'll be fun to see the number of people that show up. i'm super pumped. :)
saturday we went to the Mitchell Horticulture Conservatory - also known as "The Domes." basically these consist of three climates with plants, spices, birds :/ etc that are native to tropical and arid environments. the third "dome" is a "show dome" with perennials and annual flowers, nothing too exotic, but nicely arranged and laid out - similar to an English garden. then we head to the Milwaukee Art Museum, where i took my family through the exhibits, showed them what i do at my internship and some of my favorite rooms. saturday night we all went to see a movie together, and then split some cheesecake at the cheesecake factory!
today was a good day. after lunching at the eclectic Comet Cafe, we went to the final concert of the MSO for the season. in addition to this, the conductor and director of music for 12 years was leaving, so this was his farewell concert. the performance was phenomenal. the title for the concert was "Symphony of a Thousand" and included the symphony, and three choirs, one of which was a children's choir. the piece they performed was gustav mahler's Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major, "Symphony of a Thousand" (the final scene from faust). i don't know how to critique music, but i do know what good music is and isn't. i'm not generally a music snob, if given my choice, i'm pretty main-stream, but i enjoy jazz, classical music, opera, etc. obviously my opinion does not come from an intellectual scholarly place. but what i do know is that when i listen to fantastic orchestral ensembles, there's something in my heart that lifts, and there's something that makes me either want to weep or grin from ear to ear. it's a really strange and wonderful feeling and it's a pleasure to see a packed music hall with people that take as much joy in great music as i do. before the performance there was an appeal to donate money for the continuation of the MSO and i'm thinking very seriously about doing that. the orchestra and directors and administrators have all taken cuts in their salaries and pensions - enough to give 1 million dollars back to the MSO organization - and i figure i can do my part and to help keep music alive in this community. i should probably donate before i forget about it - or feel my soul sink back under the weight of loans and debts and grocery bills.
now my parents and aunt have left and headed back to Iowa/Minnesota, leaving me alone in my quiet apartment, wondering what i'll do for dinner and where all the noise has gone. but it was a really great weekend, filled with a variety of things to do - and it was a great reminder for me to get out there and see some of milwaukee's gems before i'm buried again under schoolwork and researching my thesis topic. i should really start a list. there's an art fair festival coming up next weekend though - which i'm VERY excited about and i'm determined to go to even if i have to go alone. i also really want to make it to the botanical gardens in milwaukee - i like those better than the domes. this next week i'm busy working at my internship and my paying job, and i'm going to kareokee on tuesday, and i have a dinner with the girls on thursday! i also hope to pick up some of my watercolors or oils and get painting! :) busy week coming up!
until next time,
emily
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