Wine Tasting and Carmel
The Faculty Chamber Concert (Friday 2/24) at CSU Stanislaus went very well and I will be uploading video to YouTube as soon as I get the mastered audio. I had a great time performing with Jeannine and Matt, and the audience seemed like they enjoyed the performance. We received a lot of positive feedback and the students were very kind and appreciative. Afterwards Matt, my family, and I headed to 10 East for a nice dinner. Rich bought a round of cocktails and the food was delicious!
On Saturday Rich, my mom, and I headed to one of my favorite wineries: House Family Vineyards. The weather was absolutely spectacular and the sky couldn't have been clearer. The wine is amazing but the big draw is the view from the tasting room:
You have 360 degree views from the estate and overlook Silicon Valley. I bought a new video camera a long time ago, the Sony Ax-53, and now that the auditions are finished, I have finally had a chance to test it out. Check out the recap of the day here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sWQBrA_dVFQ
We brought a mini picnic and enjoyed my club wine tasting. The Estate Chardonnay and Pinot were outstanding. It was a really fun day and we wrapped up the day at a restaurant in Los Gatos. It would be me if we didn't have ice cream afterwards. There was a Gelato place nearby and the Chocolate Liqueur was really tasty!
Sunday I went to Fresno. My dad and sister were in town for an interview and we had a nice dinner at my Aunt Suzi's. On Monday we went to visit my grandma. She has Alzheimers and is not doing so well. She was the reason I learned the piano and it kills me every time I see her. I try really hard to not think of her present state, but instead remember all of the great times with her in the past. It is really difficult on all of us but it was a great surprise to see my Uncle Scott and Carolyn.
Some good news came on Monday so it wasn't a complete downer! I received my financial offer from UC Santa Barbara. While I didn't get the Central Fellowship, I received a great TA offer and made the University's most prestigious ensemble. The package includes a full ride as well as a stipend of $15,500. I am super excited and will definitely have a tough decision on my hands as soon as I hear back from USC and NYU.
After my Monday lessons I headed to Carmel for a couple days. My best friend Collin came back to California to visit everybody from South Korea. They rented a nice house right next door to Collin's parents place and we had a great time. I still can't believe Collin is a Dad with two beautiful kids. Elsie and grown so much and it was a lot of fun meeting baby Jake! Helen spoiled me like always and was super hospitable. The weather was fantastic and the houses were steps away from this:
I could definitely live in Carmel. Collin and I did our usual nice meal, poker, and at home gambling and a nice time. Head over to the poker blog for the recap on that. I brought my camera again so head over to YouTube for some video of Carmel: https://youtu.be/BEvkSOGXIcI
It was a fun week and now it is time to work on the student recital music and prepare for my concerto performance with the Stan State Orchestra. I have a lot of performances coming up and it is time to get ready for them. Until next time......
