Here comes the rain....

Last week it snowed. Today it was 80+ degrees outside. Now it is windy and the clouds are rolling back in. Geez. Can spring make up it's mind yet???

We are still in recovery mode from Spring Break. How can it be a break if I am still exhausted?
The last couple of days have been rough.

My Grandpa, whom we call... Big Daddy, is in critical care in an ICU in Louisiana. When he came out last year for my brother's wedding...he was sick. I ended up rushing him to the hospital. He couldn't eat. He couldn't swallow. And I know he was in pain. Well, he had a tumor in his esophagus. Such a big one they couldn't even operate on it until after chemo and radiation. And though it was futile...I begged him NOT to have surgery. Alas to no avail. His last round of chemo was about a month ago. He had surgery this past Monday. And hasn't woke up since. He coded. Had multiple system failure. And is now on a ventilator, dialysis, and his lungs are filling with fluid. Prognosis? Not good. Not good at all.

It is hard to take because he was in such good health before all of this. And full of life and pep. He always calls me his little smiley girl. The singing Amy girl. Followed by a laugh. When I was small he would scratch my back forever...it was the best! He always looked on the bright side...

Needless to say, with the rain on it's way. It might as well pour.

Sunday Afternoon

Take an awesome Sunday...




















Add in a little fun...






















And Voila!!!
One awesome Sunday, coming up!

This is the best free entertaining way to spend a lazy Sunday.

Those are the water barrels for the horses. They needed to be rinsed and put away...the put away part didn't happen yet. And the kids love them!!! We may just keep them around for free, easy entertainment.

The highlight of the event was when Sam challenged the girls across the yard. Yeah, he didn't win. It was awesome!!! Katie won. But she is a circus act in the making. If you hang around here long enough you will understand!


We spent Sunday with Grandpa. Shooting the BB gun, barrel racing and laughing. Don't forget the laughing part. It was nice to have some sunshine to celebrate with. And the cookies. They were alright too.



















He is SO cute!!! I know, I gush...but

Frosty's with fries can fix almost anything.

Katie got her very first stitches last night.

While reaching for strawberries in the fridge, she accidentally bumped a can of salsa...tried to catch it and the metal rim sliced her index finger right where it attaches to her hand. Needless to say...it needed stitches. 2 to be precise. Not many, but enough for her!!!

Nothing is much more joyful than the 10 o' clock trip to the hospital with a very sad 9 year old. This is her first trip back since she was a teeny baby. We got in the car and she stated...I don't even know where the hospital is. Followed by the barage of questions... Is it dark? Can you stay with me? Are they nice? Will it hurt? And so on. For the Mom's out there...you have heard them all.

Her Dr. was Dr. Egbert. Seriously, I wonder why he is a Dr.? He was really kind. And very gentle. The hardest part was holding her while they numbed her finger. I had no idea she could scream like that or that loud. I was impressed. Remember never to attack her in a dark alley. You would most likely go deaf. Just FYI. She didn't jerk or move, and for that I was grateful. Riley always moves and we have to sit on him. She held still and tried not to look, but couldn't help herself. She looked, a little. They got it stitched up. Clean and bandaged. And off we went on a midnight ride to Wendy's.

Frosty's with fries always make things better!

Pictures of the work in progress...

Close up of the texture...ala Amy!

What will be the big screen.

Shelves. Sort of.

The main room.

Partially done ceiling tiles...and recessed lighting.

Riley's closet and bathroom door...

Riley's room!

Looking out of his door into the main room.

The ceiling...

Built in entertainment system...that got soaked, and survived!

All the wood we need to stain...blech.

Sam's clothes. Yes, he strips on the stairs and uses the same ones for a few days.
Boys are really weird!

What the kids do while we work.
Yes, they are eating watching movies upstairs!
Ah. That is the life.

The basement.

Ugh. We have been working on it since right before Christmas.
Wiring, Lighting, Sound systems, projector.
Sheetrock, mud, texture, paint, paint some more.
Vacuum, sweep...vacuum, sweep.

More sheetrock, more mud, *shivers* sanding.
Sanding, sanding, sanding.
Texture, knock down. Sanding, sanding, sanding.

Vacuum, sweep.

Get the picture?
Well here are a few to chew on!

Thursday!

It is Thursday.

It is Spring Break!

And the sun. It finally came out today...*YAY*

Too bad I have to paint in the basement. Guess I should get going, so we can actually do something today. Perhaps a trip to the dinosaur museum is in store...

Yesterday was an adventure in itself. The basement got flooded by my son. I still love him though. Thank goodness for a new day, right??? We had to lift the toilet and reset it last night. Then we were able to assess the damage. All the water went right through all of our electronics...of course. I got it all unplugged and a fan going...Sam checked everything out, and by some miracle...it all still works! Almost 2000 dollars worth of equipment. *Whew*

So, yeah. Today is much better, so far!

Well, it is officially Official.

I am a 35 year old college student.

Ironically, starting off where I began. Many moons ago. Wait, that is a different story! LOL!!!

After several years of studying voice, as a young woman...my views shifted. About a year and a half shy of my degree...I did what many young stupid immature naive college students do...I changed my major. There were many good reasons and intentions behind it. However, how odd.
That after all this time, nearly 13 years, I would find myself right where I started!

Today is a special day for me. Nope. Not because it is Wednesday. Not because it is the first day of Spring break. And not even because it is STILL raining. I registered for College today. And slowly but surely, I hope to finish my Music Degree. It has been waiting for my return. Not a day has passed that I haven't thought or dreamed about finishing.

It has been a long time. And technically, I am a freshman. All over again. Blah! So rally up some support for me!!! I am nervous and excited and lots of other things that you already know about. ( crazy ) It is time. For me to do this. What the Lord intended me to do. Teach music. From my heart. To theirs. To the world.

Bring it.

Tackle it Tuesday...

Tuesday brought...
Rain.

And more rain.

Rain makes me...nostalgic. For many reasons. It makes me homesick. I love the rain. Jumping in puddles. The yummy splashing, sucking noises against my feet... the smell. The heaviness in the air before the storm.

As I type, the rain is pounding away on the back porch. I can hear it hitting the pavement. Unyielding. Unrelenting. Undone. Pouring from the sky.

Tuesday also brought, Laundry. Sweeping, dusting and mopping. But those things aren't nearly as exciting as the rain!

You are Never alone. Ever.

His Hands

Meet and Greet Story

Meet and Greet...

I was so excited the day of the concert that I could no longer stay home and wait.
So, I went up to SLC at The Depot and started chatting with a handful of people. We could see the band coming in and out of their tour bus. But, we were being respectful and giving them space. ( Surely that gets annoying to have people sitting by the bus )

Anyway. They had won a meet and greet with the band. They were waiting for Arny..serious that was his name...he was with the record label. To take them in and listen and stuff.

We were all freezing, it was SOOOO cold, and the wind was blowing. Whoever was supposed to get them in was like an hour and a half late...when this guy came up to me and started asking me questions. I pointed out the group of people ( 5 ) to get in. And then he invited me to come in too!!! *Wha?* The girl I had been talking to was soooo excited. She kept saying over and over, I just have to share this with someone!

Shortly after that AmyO came. I wished I could take her with me... but we were already inside waiting to go up to the stage.

They took us in, and they were warming up and played several songs. Then bits and pieces of songs. We met their manager, the record label guy, and some members of the opening band. Then one by one...members of the band came down and chatted, signed autographs...*thud*

Justin gave me a big hug and had Brittany take our picture. I am kinda short...so he had to cuddle up and he was like...I am so sorry, I probably stink...we have been on the bus. I smiled and promised if he wouldn't smell me, I wouldn't smell him! LOL!
He put his face against my cheek...and then he was gone.

*sigh*

Then I had to stagger back out to reality! Into the cold. But W.O.W.
What an amazing group of guys! They were all very down to earth and humble. It was really cool to see such talent be so...cool. It was like they could have been our neighbors. ( wish they were )

So what makes this really funny...is we ended up smashed against the stage. We got things thrown at us. Water spit at us...sprayed at us...why am I a moving target??? The bass player kept smiling and winking at me...and I would look around like wha??? And he would laugh. It was funny. They recognized who I was, so we ended up with guitar picks, a set list and I had Justin's water bottle. Which I promptly guzzeled. I was dying of thirst!!!

All in all.

Best. Night. Ever.

And this is a shout out to Brittany...who shared an amazing experience with me.
Without her none of this would have happened!

Photos from the concert!

The gals!

Front and center of the stage!

The Stage!

Justin.

Christy and me!

Approaching Normal Album Cover

Ryan- violin, mandolin, guitar, keyboards and vocals!

C. B. Hudson- guitar

Matt. bass...cute smile extradoinnare!

Thanks Justin!
Thanks Ryan, CB, Matt and (Justin's brother...drums)
For the Best. Night. Ever.

For the girls that shared it with me.
And Steph...how can I ever thank you for breathing life back into my soul
and
introducing me to Blue October.


I have to tell you how simply amazing these guys are! Each one of them has a gift and talent. However, Justin. Has a way of pulling you into him. Of conveying his emotions. The pain, sorrow and also immense joy. What a DIVA!!! He is simply, simply...made to perform. His voice, his face...the expressions. You have no choice but to feel what he is feeling. To live what he had to live to be able to write these songs. C.B. was a joy to watch... his emotions where written across his face...and Ryan! Holy Crow...should anyone person have so much ability? There were times he had a guitar strung across his back, with a violin pinned to his chest...was playing the keyboards AND singing...geez. That could give me a complex!!! I know Justin's brother plays the drums, however I couldn't see him...but he kept us rocking all night long. I simply don't have the words to express how sad I was when it was over. It was so amazing.
An intricate dance between musicians.
Beautiful.
Graceful dancers.

Justin, may have changed my life. With his songs.

Blue October Concert Pictures

Hope this is enough to whet your appetite! I forgot my camera...so I am waiting for pics from my friends to come through...

I will post more soon!!!

Create

Blue October = Best. Night. Ever.

Last night was the Blue October Concert here in Salt Lake City.

Can I just say they are amazing??? This is the first concert I have been to in almost 17 years. Um, they rock. What a talented group of guys! Not only do they love what they do...they do it soooo well. They play with emotion that borders hysteria...then a lullaby...the roller coaster ride.

Or Jump rope if you will.

Those of you who know me well, know how excited I get. I got there super early because, it was just too hard to stay home any longer. Tickets started to sell at 5. I was there by 3:45. I know. It was worth it though! The reward for freezing your tookus off in the cold is....

A small intimate meet and greet with the band. Yup. I got to meet the entire band with 5 other people. Someone somewhere has my picture with Justin. However, all of them...ALL OF THEM are very down to earth. That is probably my favorite thing... They asked our names, and even signed a poster for us. They just jammed on stage and got ready...then came down one by one and introduced themselves and chatted. *thud* Seriously. Ironically, Ryan ...the super cool guy who plays the violin, mandolin, multiple guitars, sings and keyboards...is from Louisiana. Wha? Yup. The same place I am from. What a small world.

Here is a shout out to their new album.

Approaching Normal.

If you can get the clean version off of I tunes. I highly recommend it. It is filled with powerhouse rock out songs, lullabies, and serenades. YUMMY!!! My favorite is jump rope...which was written for Justin's daughter...( every chance he had he was showing her picture to us...red headed and ADORABLE ) There is one for the soldiers they see in the airports as they travel. So much. I wish it could have lasted ALL NIGHT LONG.

Alas, all good things come to an end. Amy O., Christy, Erin and I enjoyed a night right against the stage... being tossed guitar picks, water bottles, water...(ugh), bonking knuckles and holding hands with some of the most awesome musicians ever. *sigh* I love musicians. It makes me feel all pink and tingly inside. I have to admit that washing my hands after made me feel lots better. Those guys were all sweaty and stuff. I am such a freak...

Best. Night. Ever.