Friday, April 30, 2010

Imagine

I played out at Prairie Fest this past weekend.  It's my 3rd year to play in this festival that grows by leaps and bounds each year.  I love being a part of Prairie Fest, which is held at the very scenic Tandy Hills in Ft. Worth, Texas.

My intention was to take my camera (which I did) and take lots of pictures (which I did not).  After taking just a few pictures, I realized my battery was running low.  Boo hoo.  So, I only ended up with about 6 shots. 

But maybe that's a good thing.  I don't yet really know how to insert pictures into a video without screwing up the audio file.  More pictures would have only made this problem worse.  So,  if it looks like I'm lip synching, or if you notice Sarah's cello playing doesn't always match up with the sound you're hearing...please understand it's due to my amateur video-editing! 

Have a great weekend!




Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Because of This Website!

Whew.  So here it is-- the new look of my blog/website.  I'm no web designer by any means, and html is just not my thing at all.  So there might not be any bells and whistles here, but I've done it, and I can maintain it (pretty much) by myself.

For years, my friend Allyson helped me maintain my website.  And by "helped me" I mean built it from scratch and changed things around for me whenever I asked her to, over the past 5+ years.  She did all the hard stuff that was way over my head.  All I did was write in my little blog and update my gig calendar each month.  She helped me for so long, and so often, that it started to feel wrong, somehow.  The funny thing is, I realize the way we got to be such close friends is because of website. 

Allyson happened to be at a wine bar I was playing at about 5 or 6 years ago.  Mom and Dad were there too, and as it so happened, they were sitting right next to Allyson.  Somehow, during their brief conversation, it came up that I wanted a website but didn't have one yet. She gave Mom and Dad her contact information to give to me and told them maybe she could help me out.

I don't remember calling her initially, but I do know that one day soon after,  I went to Allyson's house so we could go over some of the website stuff.  I met her husband, Kevin, while I was there.  Then I left their house in Valley Ranch, and came back home to my neck of the woods.  Later that night, my husband and I went up the street to eat Thai food.  We bumped into Kevin and Allyson, who I really didn't know well at the time.  The 4 of us ended up sharing a table for dinner, and hours and hours of conversation.  And that was the beginning of a great friendship.

So instead of "the girl who designed my website", Allyson and her husband, Kevin, have become two of our very favorite people and best friends.  We've gone out for Thai food way too many times to count by now.  Kevin and Fermin have run a marathon together, while Allyson and I cheered them on.  We've taken some classes together- jewelry and swimming!  We've gone on one of the best vacations of my life with the two of them.  (And we're off for another one at the end of next month!)  We've celebrated lots of birthdays, the 4 of us.  And will be celebrating loads more...

And all, really, because of this little website.
Who would have known the power and importance of me getting a website in the first place?






Monday, April 26, 2010

It WILL Be Worth It

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I am soon to be switching over to a new looking website.  As I'm nearing the deadline (and yes, there are aspects of this that force me to have a deadline...), unexpected obstacles are coming up.  Of course they are!  That just makes it exciting!  :)

So I'll admit it,  I've been avoiding this blog a little.  I think it's partly because I'm afraid this blog and all these posts are going to disappear into the cyber vapor by accident so...why bother?  It's also that each time I want to blog,  I'm reminded of all the snafus I'm running into with the new and (hopefully) upcoming blog/website.  It frustrates me to no end.  I get so mad at myself when I can't figure out how to do things.  But I am not a web designer.  I am really not very technologically savvy at all.

But, oh, how I do love to blog.  I love to express.  I don't know where this need comes from.  But between this blog, my morning pages, and songwriting, I am able to write myself into a state of understanding my own thoughts.  And I love that.  So as I'm feeling frustrated with these obstacles I keep running into, I just want to remember... It's worth it!

Monday, April 19, 2010

My Kind of Plant

I'm not known for my green thumb. In fact, quite the opposite. Most plants I buy end up dead or at least droopy within about a month's time.

The plant pictured below however, is a different story.

Last summer, I bought this plant. It flowered for a while, and then it stopped. I kind of lost interest and stopped watering it. Eventually, all that was in that particular pot seemed to die off. Then autumn came. And then winter. We had some nights that were freezing and you were suppose to bring in plants that you could, or cover ones that you couldn't. I, of course, continued to ignore this pot, thinking nothing was alive in there anyway.

A few weeks ago, I thought a little weed was growing in the pot. Weeds seem to make it through anything. But after a few more days, there were flower buds on this plants. And then a few days after that, lots of buds. And then voila!

As you can see, this is no weed!  This is some miracle plant.  One that grew even though I ignored it for almost an entire year.  This is exactly the kind of plant I need in my life!  I'm almost afraid to water it or pay it any attention to it at all.  It seems to thrive in the worst of conditions.  

If you happen to know what kind of flower/plant this is, please tell me the name.  I should plant them in all my pots.  This is most definitely my kind of plant.

City Island

Since it was a rainy Sunday yesterday, my husband didn't play golf. Yay, rain!
Which meant he went with me to the movies instead.

We went and saw "City Island". I've wanted to see it since I saw Andy Garcia on "The View" with his daughter- who also plays his daugther in the movie. When I had seen the trailers for "City Island", I thought it was just a movie about a family that screams at each other. But when I saw the two of them talking about it, it looked like more than that.

This movie that's set in City Island, a part of the Bronx, a family hides all sorts of secrets from each other- from small ones like the bad habit of smoking, to bigger ones like being a stripper instead of a college student, to huge ones like having an illegitimate son that's never been mentioned before. All the secrets are eventually revealed during the course of this movie.

It's a comedy, but obviously it's got a lot of interesting things running deeper than just a light comedy.

Friday, April 16, 2010

New WebSite Coming Soon!

I started this blog years ago.  I don't even know when exactly, but you can check the long list of archives if the curiosity is just too much for you to handle.  (Yes, that archive list is annoying long, I know!)  It's a Blogger blog, but it's sort of disguised behind the template of this website.

But because of an email I received from Blogger months ago, I know that I'm going to have to change the way I do things.  (I don't quite understand it, I just know I have to change how it's set up.)  At first, the thought of that was scary and intimidating.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I sorta wanted some stuff to change around here anyway.

I have a friend who set up my blog years ago, and has helped me maintain it throughout all this time.  I've loved my little website.  But since I don't know HTML code or really anything about setting up a website that way, anytime I've wanted things moved around, or added, or deleted, I've had to bother her about it.

If I had my way, I'd change up the way my website looks often.  At least yearly.  Maybe seasonally.  Or oh my gosh, maybe daily!  I get bored with things pretty quickly, and I'd like to offer something new to visitors often so they want to keep coming back!  But unless I'm able to do it myself, that's a little ridiculous. 

Anyway, I've found a way to make my website, without having to use HTML.  I hope to save this blog and put it in an archive- If I lost it, it'd be like throwing out years worth of diaries.  I think the website address will stay the same.  But it's going to look different.  In fact, my main page will be my blog!  Which feels very right and makes so much sense to me.  I love writing in this blog, and my aim is to grow my readership and connect more with the good people out there in the blogosphere.

The best thing about my new website, is that I'll be able to make changes to it, all by myself, whenever I want.  That's my hope, anyway.

My days of posting this way are numbered.  The switch will be made by May 1st.  YIKES.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

In the Middle of It

Years ago, I decided in my perfect music world, I would have a cellist and a percussionist performing beside me.  I didn't even declare it with as much conviction as that dream deserved. 

But the universe heard me anyway, and helped me make it happen over time.
So now,  at some of my gigs, that perfect music world I thought up in my head, actually exists!

I am filled with gratitude...

                                 Aaron Thomas on percussion-
                                 Sarah Reinke on cello-
                                 And Me!  in the middle of it all...
                                 Performing at Opening Bell Coffee
                                 (thank you Glen Kitto for capturing the moment with a picture!)

Friday, April 9, 2010

Working on my new blog site!

Can you tell?
If you have stumbled upon my pages, they are changing often!  I'm just experimenting with all this new fun stuff.  Altho some of it is rather frustrating.  It's all pointy clicky stuff, but some it's still confusing, and I think blogger might be working out some kinks here and there.  I keep getting error messages when I try doing certain things.

I'm trying to be patient. 

Please check back.  It will all be up and running soon!

Thanks for visiting...

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Kicking and Screaming

After numerous meltdowns over the weekend, I think I'm back to a state of emotional stability.

It is in times like these I am thankful to be living with a man who has known me for around 20 years.  I'm not proud to say he has seen me at my worst many times, but that's the sad truth.  I wish I just saved the best of me for him, but unfortunately, as is human nature, the best of me sometimes goes out to strangers instead. 

Isn't that weird when you think about it?  I go out of my way to smile at a stranger.  The less I know someone, the more patient and kind I tend to be.  That is really so backwards, huh?

Anyway, back to the meltdowns.  The tantrums.  The kicking and screaming (metaphorically speaking or course), that I did over the last few days...  I was really unhappy (with myself) about several things.   Getting so mad and irrate about things was the catalyst for a new way of thinking on the very things I was wigging out about.  So even though it sucked, and I wish I had handled it all differently, I'm glad I got fed up enough to actually invite and then embrace some changes into my life.

I realize I'm being vague here.  If I were to tell you what my big issues were, I realize now that they would sound so unimportant.  In the whole scheme of life and the world, I know now that there were, in fact, not important at all. 

How lucky I am!   My husband still loves me.   He knows when to listen, but not really take me too seriously.  He just lets me throw my tantrum, and let's me move on from it when I can.  Back to emotional stability.  Whew. 

Monday, April 5, 2010

Swim Class

I am taking a month long swim class that starts tonight.

Yes, I DO know how to swim. But when I say that, I mean I can jump in a pool, swim around a bit, turn a few somersaults without water going up my nose, and then go on to float around on a raft for hours.

But I don't swim laps for a workout. I've tried doing it here and there, but I'm not so good with the breathing. So after just a few laps, I'm exhausted.

My husband and one of our good friends signed up for a swim class with Dallas Aquatic Masters (DAM!). I decided to join them. I figure it will be a good balance with my running. I am a little nervous I'll be the slowest, most out-of-breath person in the class. But it's pretty much a guarantee I'll improve once I get a little instruction.

I've got my swim cap, my pink googles, and my brand new swimsuit all ready to go.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

More Than Skeletal Remains

I wrote several weeks ago, a post about some skeletal remains found in my neighborhood. 

Well, I finally have an update.


While I was walking the girls today, Scout was pulling me towards that same little wooded area I mentioned before...where the bones were found, and where I cut thru to the running trail daily.  Scout isn't a puller, but she definitely wanted to go down there, so I let her dicate our route.

And just as we were heading down the narrow path, we had to pull over because I saw 3 women walking up.  One of them said, "Are they nice?" (referring to my dogs) and I said that yes, so one girl began petting Zoe.  Then another girl asked, "Do you walk with them often? On this path?"  It sounded weird, and I started to feel a little nervous.  "Yeah...." I said.  And then she told me the reason she was asking was because the police think her Mom's skeletal remains were found along this path and she wondered if I knew anything about it. 

Am I on candid camera?  Um yeah.  I know something about it.  I've talked about it a lot over the last few weeks.  And I even videotaped the "crime scene."  I've made up different story lines of who's body it was and how it got there.

I had a brief conversation with them.  The daughter was down from Ohio, hoping to get a little closure.  She wanted to see where things were found.  I was able to show her where the wheelchair and bones were found. 

She told me the police think her mom committed suicide.  They found her wheelchair and her i.d. and are awaiting the DNA results to see if the bones match up.

It seems so weird to me that I've stumbled on this story twice now, at just the right moment to know anything about it.  First, just as the police were roping off the area and beginning the investigation.  And then today, I just happened to come in contact with those women as they were walking up and I was walking down the path. 

And now I realize those bones where once a real live person.  A mother.  Someone that was loved by somebody.   She is more than just skeletal remains to someone.