"Appalachia Waltz" enters my life the year 2006.
Whether it was duly bought on iTunes, lifted from my dad, or given by a friend, it appeared in my music library and became a soundtrack to my dorm room. At age twenty I was disenchanted with most pop music and did not have access to many other records that suited the every day. Yo-Yo Ma's collaborations were a gateway, bringing exquisite skill and elevated composition to familiar styles. Appalachian Journey, Appalachia Waltz, and Obrigado Brasil were the albums of my twenties.
Around the time Yo-Yo's projects entered my life, so did another man who played the cello. Jacob and I started dating fall of 2006. On paper, we looked good. In full reality, we were messed up. We ended things five months later. But, it so happened that just as we ended things I took a job in the same office as he. We were routinely around each other more than when we'd been dating. In that low-pressure culture of normalcy, something new happened. I didn't realize it, however, until he shocked me at the end of the school year with an invitation to get together again. In fact, I said no. But then I shocked myself by feeling happy all day that he was still interested in me. I took the weekend to sort out what was going on and finally understood that the second time around would be different from the first. We were good friends now. We were driven by faith, not fear.
So. May 2007 - together again.
May 31, 2008 - married.
The bridal processional at the wedding: "Second Time Around" performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor
P.S. "If music be the food of love" - eat!
Hall Wedding Cake (Fig Preserves Cake)
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. allspice
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1 c. oil
- 3 lg. eggs
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 1 T. vanilla
- 1 c. fig preserves
- 1 c. chopped pecans (optional)
Mix dry ingre. in lg. bowl, add remaining ingre. and mix at medium speeed with hand mixer until well blended. Pour into greased & floured bundt pan. Bake 350 for about 60 -70 min. until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 min. & remove from pan. Buttermilk Glaze 1 c. sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 c. buttermilk 1/2 c butter 1 T. light corn syrup 1 tsp vanilla Bring all ingre. except vanilla to a boil in saucepan on med. heat. Boil 4 min, stir constantly. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Cool a couple minutes & then pour over cake.