Wild, Part 1

I can’t help but chuckle to myself when thinking about a remark I heard in the fall … 

A friend of a good friend (but not someone I know well) has kept in touch with me via “email-log.” 

Before I started this blog, I would send an “email letter” or “entry” to a mailing list, which was on bcc (blind carbon copy) basis. This would sometimes lead to “daemon-mailer” messages, in response, from messages that got lost in the electronic frontier. These are an annoyance of grand proportion when you are traveling by train through Europe. It was also cumbersome to send pictures at times, if I hadn’t been uploading diligently. 

The blog is the replacement of that. It means that anyone can read the posts who has the link, or who knows what to look for.

This person was on my email-list when it existed. We’ve corresponded about the overlap between spirituality and the arts, specifically music. We don’t write to each other often, but I savor the letters when I get them. They are always beautifully written. He has gotten to know me, remotely, over a number of years, and as probably (as he thinks of it) as somewhat of a “wild woman.” There are bits of truth to that. 

I would say that anyone in the arts these days must have a little “wild” in them. Why else would we want to listen to them? 

Let’s define wild, especially as it applies to the arts.

1. (of an animal or plant) living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated.

2. uncontrolled or unrestrained, especially in pursuit of pleasure.

3. very enthusiastic or excited.

4. a wild card, or something that is unknown that, when introduced, changes the game.

If artists-creators-writers-musicians-actors-directors cannot tap into some or all of the above qualities, they aren’t worth spending any time on.

The remark that was relayed to me was,

“I don’t believe she got married.”

And my response was - 

“Really?” 

Does marriage diminish wildness? Is it such an institution that people can’t retain some original core of who they are? Or is the very decision to get married seen as a surrender to once-wild images? When Zheng and I announced our engagement, numerous remarks reached me such as, “I hope she doesn’t stop traveling!” or “I hope she doesn’t loose her ambition!” 

My response to both of these is - 

“Really?” 

(To be continued ...)

PHOTO: From our wedding rehearsal! Zheng's mother had come from China to visit us and to attend our wedding. She designed and made the clothes that we are wearing. 

Backlog! (Wedding Rehearsal)

Yes, I know it's not good to begin every entry with "I'm sorry I haven't written." So I will attempt to catch up my readers with blogs. I've made it through an incredibly intense six months. And now my job is to write, and create, and begin to wish everyone the great beginning of 2014!

I didn't have any time to write or post around the wedding. I was too busy wrapping gifts, assigning tables, traveling, keeping jobs going, writing thank-you notes to attendants, or writing checks. 

Here are some photos of our wedding rehearsal. Aying made amazingly beautiful clothes as gifts for my family, as her introduction to them. (Remember how Zheng presented my parents with gifts when he met them?) You will see our beautiful outfits in the photos. 

Memories that I will forever hold from this rehearsal are: my brothers being late because they had to buy dress pants; the same brothers telling the ring bearer and flower girls to "look for monsters under the pews," the terrific food; and a feeling of unbelievable anticipation of the day to come! 

Breath

Oh, wow ... how time has flown since I've last "written" or posted. (I haven't been writing my morning pages either, and I'm feeling it these days). 

Since the last post, I've added a name to my own. For many of you who have asked (and will continue to ask), the new name is Kristin Ditlow Yuan. (No more "Alynn"). God-willing, the "Dr." will be added to the beginning of my name, by the end of this academic year!

The absence of writing (and the limitation of my other creative needs, such as practicing) have been put on hold due to a small event called a WEDDING. Our wedding was "small" by most standards, especially by standards according to the county in which we were married. But getting ready for it felt like a gigantic task. Details. Payments. Handling the DJ, the photographer, the flowers, the menu. How are people getting from the church to the reception? (We did *not* rent a limo or bus. And it was just fine). 

I think the greatest mark of our wedding was my Dad's comment:

"I wouldn't have done anything differently." 

And that is a stamp of approval, because getting my beloved Dad to wear anything but a pair of jeans and a polar fleece is a semi-big deal. Add to it making him (at times) the center of attention and a lot of people, some of whom he doesn't know (my friends) and you have a situation which would make a lot of people uncomfortable. 

I never thought that I'd say that my wedding was "comfortable," but it really was. I didn't mind being in the dress all day (a pair of lower heels helped my feet be okay), my hair stayed put, thanks to the marvelous work of JR, I knew everyone who was in attendance, and the music was spectacular. 

So as I get a chance to breathe, in the middle of a coffee shop in Stevens Point, WI (I'm here for the first of a two-part residency that will conclude during the spring of 2014), I'm happy to say that Zheng and I survived, very happily, the planning and happening of our "big day."

We actually really loved it.  

Another thing that we loved about our wedding was how "personal" it was. Our friends played in an orchestra for us, conducted by another one of our good friends. Four other friends sang (some of these people were also bridesmaids or the maid-of-honor). My uncle took the pictures. Several of my mom's family handled the detail of getting lunch for the orchestra before the ceremony. And the gifts and cards we received were so personal as well. So many people wrote beautiful things in the cards (a few cards were hand-made). Ellen, who you've read about so much here in the blog, made an afghan which she started when we announced our engagement. Zheng's mom clothed my entire family in traditional Chinese-style dress. (Many of us wore these to the rehearsal dinner). Another uncle rolled a rolling pin for us! Aying made a speech which was so beautiful - in both Mandarin and English. The amount of work that took is phenomenal. (We were planning to do our vows bilingually, but that didn't end up happening). There are so many things for which we are grateful. The next weeks will be spent thanking those people with (personalized) thank-you cards. And my grandmother Nanny was a beacon of sainthood and sanity throughout.

So, with great pleasure, I can take a breath, and say, the work was worth it. We made the right decisions about how to cut costs, I survived planning a wedding from a distance while working two new jobs. We did this because of not only how stubborn we are, but also because of our amazing "family" and our continual reliance on God. 

Save the Date

Wedding planning is slowly starting to ramp up, along with setting plans for the summer. A relatively new tradition in the "wedding industry" is the "save-the-date" cards. These are less formal than the invitation and can feature picture(s) of the couple. I've been asked to think about which pictures are the best of Zheng and I, and then design a card.

Our wedding "date" is October 26 - apparently a very "lucky" date. We are excited and it is about five months away. So much to do, and as we just talked about, keep ourselves fit and keep from "growing weight."