A Day in Hell(brunn)

Ha! Yesterday, we packed up and spent the day at Hellbrunn Castle. Hellbrunn is famous because this is where the famous “Sound of Music” gazebo is located. We had been to Hellbrunn for the sheer sake of seeing the gazebo and recording our ever-famous video, but we had never seen the rest of the beautiful grounds. Does anyone know what kind of flowers these are? They were huge!

Hellbrunn was built in 1619 for the Archbishop of Salzburg who had a sense of humor. Extensive 'trick' water fountains were installed on the grounds. Yes, I did get wet. Did Jeremy? Of course not! Why would someone whose hair takes approximately 2 seconds to dry get wet? I got sprayed up the crotch when I walked through a door, and I got sprayed on top from these nifty little deer heads. Clever, huh?

It also has a water-operated music-playing theater built in 1750 showing various professions at work, a grotto and a crown being pushed up and down by a jet of water. The pictures don’t really do these little mechanics justice...you need to see the video at the end of the blog. It should be noted that at all of these games there is always a spot which is never wet: where the Archbishop stood or sat, which is today occupied by the tour guide (who has complete control over who to spray). You can see this very clearly at this trick table where everyone is getting an enema, except for the lady sitting quite comfortably at the head!

Of course, we also got some pictures of all three of us on these beautiful grounds!

Don’t ask about the last one. I think we scared lots of tourists making it, though!

And last, but not least, here is a little video of our day in Hellbrunn. All of the animated characters are run by water, so it is a very unique experience! You classical music fans will hopefully appreciate my choice of music as the backdrop. Enjoy!

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Well, feed me nails and call me 'Rusty'!

Who would’ve expected this? In a surprise move that has shocked the world (and my wife), I have decided to do a blog post… nay, a series of blog posts! Yes, after a hiatus of 7 months and 16 days, I have returned to temporarily take over the highly acclaimed “Wiener Wednesday” portion of our blog.

I first must apologize for my long absence, and I have to say that I am taking over Wiener Wednesday for a few weeks NOT because my lovely wife is giving up on it or because she would simply rather eat Salzburg ice cream than type blogs, but because I actually have time right now to do it, and there are a few interesting topics I’d like to share with you.

When we first started the blog, it was with the intention to talk about new experiences in our new home, and as a means by which I could chronicle my first year or two in the orchestra. What I found out, though, is that many of our blog readers aren’t musicians, and I must attempt to blog about orchestra subjects that are interesting for folks other than musicians. In reality, the most interesting things that happen to me orchestra-wise usually coincide with very busy times, which means I can’t always sit down and post… thus the main reason that my last blog post was on January 13^th!

However, every time we take a trip to the U.S. and the topic of the Vienna Philharmonic comes up, there are several questions that I am always asked. I figured that these re-occurring questions must be re-occurring for a reason, and I thought they might make for good blog material because it seems so many people wonder about these topics.

As an example, this is the start of my list, in no particular order:

- Touring – Does the orchestra tour very often? Where to?

- New Year’s Concert – What was it like playing the concert? Did you meet Julie Andrews?

- Conductors – Who is your favorite (or least favorite) conductor? Are they nice? Do they speak English or German in rehearsal?

There are some other pretty specific trombone-related questions I get a lot, but we’ll see how these go before I dive into those. If you have any other suggestions for topics and/or questions you’d like answered, contact me by email or by commenting on one of the posts. Hope you enjoy!

Today’s ‘question of the week’ is definitely the most frequently asked: “How long is your contract with the orchestra?”

I assume many people ask this question as a roundabout way of asking “How long will you be in Austria?” I also think lots of folks automatically associate traveling to Europe for a job with temporary things like study abroad or 2 year work-study programs that people our age are often involved in. The short answer is, my contract is open-ended. Unless I do something ridiculously awful and get thrown out of the orchestra, I can stay as long as I would like.

When I first won my audition, I was put into a “Probejahr” period, which roughly means ‘a probationary year’. During that first season my playing, my personality, and pretty much everything about me was scrutinized and evaluated by the already ‘confirmed’ members of the orchestra. During June of 2008, there was a hearing called a ‘jurysitzung’, where between 25 and 30 members of the orchestra met to determine if I would be confirmed or not. If I weren’t confirmed, I would’ve finished my initial 2-year contract and then most likely come back to the US. But, thankfully I WAS confirmed during that hearing, and my place in the Vienna State Opera orchestra was made official, which also secures my spot in the Vienna Philharmonic. My contract now renews automatically each year unless I specifically do something to end it.

As to the second implied part of the question, we are still not totally sure how long we’ll stay in Austria. We are happy here, and feel this is where we are meant to be right now. We’ll keep praying for God’s guidance in that area, but aren’t making any concrete plans for the future. If and when we’re supposed to leave, we’ll know it.

Well, that’s all for this first week of FAQVPO (Frequently Asked Questions about the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). Tune in next week, where the topic will be “Touring with the orchestra”.

All Natural, Baby

Yesterday, the Wilson fam went on a hunt for a food processor, so I could start making Eli’s baby food from scratch. I wonder why we say “from scratch” when something is homemade?? Anyway, after braving the heat for several hours (though Eli didn’t seem to mind since daddy was there)…

We finally found one! So, I bought some peas to start my first endeavor in baby food making. I thought peas might be a good start because they’re relatively mild, and I wanted it to be a green food. I found a lot of good recipes for all different foods at Wholesomebabyfood.com, where I will probably frequent often.

While Eli was taking his first nap of the day, I decided to get on the ball. I wonder why we say “on the ball” too? Anyway, I boiled the peas for around 10 minutes, and then I put them in our brand new processor.

I added a bit of water, and then I pureed them.

Yummy! I ate some myself, and I thought they were delish. All that was left was to feed them to the kiddo, right? I was really excited to be feeding my little boy something so healthy! I’m so glad he was too!

Wait…that’s not supposed to happen…

Maybe he didn’t get the memo that healthy and organic is better? You can watch the video to see how he really responded:

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So much gagging and shuddering….oh well, at least he didn’t spit it in my face! I ended up mixing the peas with carrots (that he’s been eating for a while), and he ate quite a bit more. No worries, it’s probably an acquired taste like turnip greens!! I’ll probably try him on some avocado next. I’ve read that’s another good first food. We’ll see!

Well, I did some investigating and found out where "from scratch" and "on the ball" came from! Click on the phrases to see. It's good to be learned. :o)

A Great Day

Today I woke up to this sweet, smiling face.

We ate breakfast together, and then one of us got a good scrubbing in the bathtub.

We played and napped until daddy came home. The three of us went walking in the Mirabell gardens after getting the best cookies ice-cream in the world. I looked up and saw the most beautiful, blue sky.

We crossed over Müllnersteg pedestrian bridge and had this fabulous view of the Old City.

We shopped the market lining the Salzach River and laughed at the puppets for sale and the hip guys with boom-boxes on their shoulders. Best of all, I got to do all of this with my best friend.

We walked back to this beautiful, old apartment, and Jeremy and I watched an episode of 24 while Eli took a nap. We had a great meal of grilled chicken, mushroom rice, and carrots on our terrace overlooking the great Salzburg Fortress.

I watched as my husband desperately (and quite comically) tried to beat a level on Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. Even Eli got tickled at daddy's antics, and he showed us those cute little bottom teeth.

It wasn't an extraordinary day, but it was a great one. I feel so blessed to have these two guys and the kind of life most people dream about. I'm not talking about the kind of life where I get to live in Europe and see beautiful things, but the one where we have a happy, healthy family. Because without Jeremy, Eli, and my Lord, I think Europe would be pretty bland and joyless. Yes, it was a great day. :o)

3-Month Professional Pictures

It occurred to me as I've been sifting through the latest America trip photos that I never posted these!

When we went to America in March, Ford Fairchild took some pictures of Eli and the family. Click here to see a sampling of the pictures. Enjoy!

Show Us Your Life - Wedding Dress

I think Jacob and Dani’s wedding got me thinking about my own wedding a lot this past week. Not to mention, we recently celebrated our 5-year anniversary! A blog I read, Kelly’s Korner, is starting a new theme where every Friday you share a bit about your wedding on your blog. I think I’m going to participate in this! I loved our wedding, and I know a lot of you did not attend ours. And even if you did there’s nothing wrong with a little walk down memory lane, right? This week, you are supposed to share about your wedding dress!

Anyone who knows me knows I love blue. I actually never went shopping for a dress…seriously. Right after we got engaged, I was flipping through one of the 2,000 bridal magazines I bought. I came across my dress, and I knew that was it! I looked it up on the internet, and found the only store in Knoxville to carry it. I went to White Lace & Promises Bridal Boutique, and I ordered it immediately!!

So, I had my dress a whole year and a half before my wedding. I know, pretty crazy. The dress was strapless and had blue beads and embroidery across the top that became less dense as it went down.

I had a pretty knot in the back with two sprays of fabric that ran down the back with more blue beadwork. This picture at my fitting is the best one of the back.

I had a beautiful blue necklace that my bridesmaid, Lindsey, had given me two Christmases before the wedding. When I saw it I told her that this was perfect for the wedding, so don’t get offended if I don’t wear it for a year and a half! Here I am with with the beautiful Linz…thanks again!

I bought my headpiece and veil off Ebay. The headpiece was had lots of blue beads, crystals and pearls. I think I got it for $10! I wanted a very simple veil because I figured I wouldn’t even wear it for most of the reception. It was short, and only went halfway down my back with a white ribbon outline. Once again, only $5 on Ebay. :o)

Miss Tina did a beautiful job on my hair. It was a French braid up the back with lots of hoopla on top. Man, I had a stack of hair back then!

Oh, and did I forget to mention I wore painted Keds tennis shoes with little girl socks?

Oh yes, I am so cool…even on the greatest day of my life!

Feel free to go on over to Kelly’s Korner and participate in wedding extravaganza too! :o)

Salzburg Doesn't Impress Babies

Well, Mister Eli is still slightly off his time schedule. I had to wake him up this morning at 9:30...which is definitely off. His naps lined up better today, so tomorrow may actually be normal! He also woke up in better spirits today, and he was all smiles and laughs. Who wouldn't be happy with a frog on their behind?

After it got a little bit later in the evening we decided to go walking while daddy was at work. I have to say he was very unimpressed with Salzburg. This surprised me because it seemed like he was marching out of my belly whenever we walked in Salzburg last year! Maybe the inside of me provides a better atmosphere than 95 degree heat?

He basically sucked on his pacifier the entire time, and I couldn't get him to laugh once! He was just zoned. I guess that's ok...we all prefer to be cool!

The most interesting part was when a group of Asian tourist all stopped to take Eli's picture in his stroller. I'm not really sure why this happens. It's a pretty common occurrence in Vienna as well. I think there is a fascination with white babies...specifically boys since they are such a patriarchal society. My friends, Becca and Adam, went on a mission trip to Beijing with a couple who brought their baby boy. They apparently got stopped a lot for the laymen paparazzi! I was just letting them take his picture, when they even starting saying to me, "You smile? You smile?" Weird. So, in other words, if you are blog surfing and come across me and Eli's picture on an Asian blog, let me know!

I think I'm going to split up blogging about our America trip into several blogs. It is just too much to put into one! So, I'll randomly intersperse American blogs amongst the current happenings. I hope this is ok. As if you had a choice! :o)

Not Really Wiener Wednesday

I realize this makes three blogs that hint at a failing Wiener Wednesday. But I promise this is not true! I really just wanted to let you guys know that I’m still here…I’m jet lagged, but I’m still here. We arrived on Monday after flying all night long from America. We then proceeded to unpack, do laundry, then repack to move to Salzburg for the next three weeks. Jeremy mowed the lawn, we ran to a doctor’s appointment for me, then loaded the van...all with virtually no sleep. The next morning we headed to Eli’s pediatrician for another set of vaccinations…not fun for a jet lagged baby (who had woke up confused at 2 am ready to play)! From there, we drove three hours to Salzburg. And once again, we unpacked. Now that we are here, it’s nice to relax a bit! Not to mention we have a lovely view of the Salzburg fortress from our apartment terrace.

Eli is doing as well as he can be for a teething, immunized, jet lagged boy. Today was better than yesterday though. All he wanted to do was lay around and stare into space. Notice the band aid on his thigh…I hate giving him shots!

You’ll probably also notice he is almost naked…it’s so hot without AC! We got spoiled in America, then came here to 90 degree weather. I gave Eli a cool bath today to help him quit sweating a bit. I basically made him a mini swimming pool. I may have splashed around with him too. :o) I’m glad a front is supposed to come through tomorrow and cool it down!

I think I’ve also decided to start making Eli’s baby food. I’m just not pleased with what I’ve found at some of the largest grocery stores in Austria. With the exception of maybe two, all the veggies are mixed combos…especially all the green veggies. I really don’t like this when introducing new solids because if he has a bad reaction, you don’t know which vegetable is causing it. So, I think making his food is an easy, healthy alternative. Plus, I don’t have to see this face again after giving him a zucchini and potato mix.

Seriously…zucchini and potato? Even I had to agree with Eli on this one!

Once we all get over jet lag a little (and I can think better when it cools off) I promise I will start blogging more. I have lots to tell you about our trip to America…it was such a fun time!

Wiener Wednesday Break

Hello all! Unfortunately we are so busy with our Stateside time, that I think Wiener Wednesday (and other blogs) will be on break for the next three weeks. I know you will miss us, but we have to soak up this family and friend time! (not to mention lots of food) We'll catch up as soon as we can!