Forgotten Loves

Last night, at the home of our friend's Duane and Tanya, I got to indulge in a couple of hidden loves--junk food and singing. I can't remember the last time I had pizza rolls, cheetos, chips and onion dip, tater tots, pigs in a blanket and taquitos. Add in some cheese and crackers and bacon-wrapped dates, and we were set. In general, we eat pretty healthy--mostly natural, non-processed foods (our grocery cart is always brimming with fresh fruits and veggies), but it was great to step back in time to a lot of the treats I had as a child, either as an afternoon snack or part of our family dinner. It was a different time back then, without the concern of trying to stave off those extra unwanted pounds or choosing foods to give you the energy to get through the day. I'm grateful that I love the foods that are good for me, but happy for the chance to step back in time and treat myself to a forgotten indulgence.

After the junk food and some poker (my first real game, and I won!), Tanya and Duane broke out the Rock Star 2 game. My love for singing goes back to my childhood, when I learned to sing by mimicking my aunt's alto harmonization in the four-part hymns we sang in our small church. Over the years, I've been able to gratify my dream of being a "real" singer by a talent show or two, a group performance at high school graduation, becoming a regular at Karaoke Night at the Tin Roof, and singing backup for one live show in Ann Arbor. After marrying a musician and seeing the reality of life on the road and the other challenges of the music industry, my desire to be a star has waned, but I still like the thrill of the performance. I've been having some issues with my throat lately, so I wasn't sure what was going to come out last night, but I'm so glad I tried. Duane turned down the backing vocals, and I was rewarded with screams and applause from the computer fans and rave reviews from the crowd of 5 in the living room.