So excited... I've added another concert to my year of music. I'll be heading to the Mountain Winery to see Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler! Woo hoo! Let the year of music continue!
March 29: Lady Antebellum featuring Darius Rucker and Thompson Square
June 16: Wicked
July 31: Barenaked Ladies featuring Blues Traveler
August 4: Aerosmith featuring Cheap Trick
September 9: Dave Matthews Band
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Monday, May 7, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Year Of Music
I'm super excited about what the rest of 2012 holds for me musically. I absolutely love concerts. In fact, I think the mark of a truly great artist or band is that they can perform live.
Here's the lineup so far for this year:
March 29: Lady Antebellum featuring Darius Rucker and Thompson Square
June 16: Wicked
August 4: Aerosmith featuring Cheap Trick
September 9: Dave Matthews Band
I am bummed - we were slated to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but Anthony Kiedis broke his foot and they rescheduled to a date that we can't make. I am keeping my eyes on the weekly Ticketmaster emails - it seems like this year is the year of cool bands going on tour!
Here's the lineup so far for this year:
March 29: Lady Antebellum featuring Darius Rucker and Thompson Square
June 16: Wicked
August 4: Aerosmith featuring Cheap Trick
September 9: Dave Matthews Band
I am bummed - we were slated to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but Anthony Kiedis broke his foot and they rescheduled to a date that we can't make. I am keeping my eyes on the weekly Ticketmaster emails - it seems like this year is the year of cool bands going on tour!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Album Review: Madonna "MDNA"
Today Madonna released her 12th studio album, "MDNA". I really like this album. Some of the songs make me think back to the sounds of the "Ray of Light" album. She definitely toys a little bit the the religious themes in several of the songs. But more than that, it's just fun music. I bee-bopped by way to work listening to this this morning and it was super entertaining. Catchy, good fun pop music. It's been a while.
We tried to get tickets to see her on this tour but it sold out in something like 5 minutes flat. If she's anything, she's an amazing entertainer!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Death of Whitney Houston
Late yesterday afternoon the news broke that singer-actress Whitney Houston had died at the young age of 48. For me, this is one of those celebrity deaths that takes your breath away for a minute. I grew up listening to Whitney sing. In fact, any female singer probably held a hairbrush in her hand at some point, belting out "I Will Always Love You".
She clearly had a very public struggle with addiction and drugs. In recent years, her performances have been ragged and incoherent. Sadly, I have a feeling that when her official cause of death comes out, it will either be some sort of overdose or some sort of drug related heart attack. The hardest part of all of this for me is the waste of her voice and her talent.
In her short life, she accomplished many things, including being the most awarded female artist of all time (according to the Guinness Book of World Records). She was awarded 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. She paved the way for singers such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and many others.
I leave you with Whitney in better times - singing what I consider to be the all time best performances of the National Anthem. Rest in peace, Whitney.
She clearly had a very public struggle with addiction and drugs. In recent years, her performances have been ragged and incoherent. Sadly, I have a feeling that when her official cause of death comes out, it will either be some sort of overdose or some sort of drug related heart attack. The hardest part of all of this for me is the waste of her voice and her talent.
In her short life, she accomplished many things, including being the most awarded female artist of all time (according to the Guinness Book of World Records). She was awarded 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. She paved the way for singers such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and many others.
I leave you with Whitney in better times - singing what I consider to be the all time best performances of the National Anthem. Rest in peace, Whitney.
Friday, November 25, 2011
It's Time!
I can officially listen now! This has got to be one of my favorites! My favorite part has to be "Eight maids a milking, they were milking just for me". Haha!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Fiddletown Fiddlers' Jam
Today we headed into Fiddletown for the 60th Annual Fiddletown Fiddlers' Jam. Last year we were there at the end and missed the contest, so we made sure to get there early this year. Each contestant plays three songs - a hoedown, a waltz and a tune of their choice. We only watched the kids contest and the beginning of the teens because it started getting so hot.
They have a great idea, it's just not entirely executed well. You see, they close down the main street and set up the stage at one end. While that sounds great, it turns out to be really hot. They buildings on both sides keep any sort of breeze from reaching you and they only set up four umbrellas, so you roast in the sun. If the organizers of the Jam were to ask Mike and I, we would suggest that they use the beautiful park as a venue, while still keeping the vendors and food on the main street to drive people into the businesses. That's just our humble opinion.
I took approximately two pictures. Ok, not approximately... I took two whole pictures:
Mike and I came home, took a nap and spent the rest of the day out working in the yard. I planted the wisteria I bought yesterday as well as the artichokes. I'm two wisteria closer to my secret garden! For those of you wondering, I have a fenced in orchard, thanks to all the crazy critters that want to eat my plants. I decided that I wanted to grow wisteria all along the fences so that it looks like a walled in orchard. Only twenty something fence posts more to plant!
They have a great idea, it's just not entirely executed well. You see, they close down the main street and set up the stage at one end. While that sounds great, it turns out to be really hot. They buildings on both sides keep any sort of breeze from reaching you and they only set up four umbrellas, so you roast in the sun. If the organizers of the Jam were to ask Mike and I, we would suggest that they use the beautiful park as a venue, while still keeping the vendors and food on the main street to drive people into the businesses. That's just our humble opinion.
I took approximately two pictures. Ok, not approximately... I took two whole pictures:
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| Mom & I Before I Started Melting |
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| Gigantic Fiddle On The Fiddletown Community Center |
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Death of Amy Winehouse
It's always heartbreaking to hear of a celebrity death, especially a young celebrity. Today we learned that singer Amy Winehouse died at the young age of 27. Normally when I hear about a celebrity death (especially someone young) it feels like a quick little kick to the stomach. There's normally that little bit of surprise and sadness about what could have been. With this celebrity death, I thought "Well, that's not surprising". An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow, but I would not be surprised if she died from some sort of overdose or complications from drug use.
Many people have called her "troubled". I really think her life goes far beyond just troubled. From legal problems to substance abuse problems to health problems, almost all of Amy's life on the music scene has been issues. In fact, her issues tended to overshadow her amazing talent as a singer-songwriter. It's heartbreaking to me to see someone who is surrounded by people spiral completely out of control (a la Britney Spears circa 2008) and to see that no one steps in to help. Amy struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues. In fact, those ended up taking a toll on her physical health (she came out and said that she had early stage emphysema in 2008).
I would like to think that if I ever developed such glaring issues that my friends and family would step in and help me out. I understand that addiction is a horrible disease, but it just sucks to see those around someone continue to use them rather than think about the long term consequences. Amy had been booed off stage in recent performances as she was incredibly drunk/drugged and unable to sing. You would think that her management team, family, etc would pull her out of all performances and get her more help rather than continue to prop her up on stage and hope that she pulled it together. I know you can't blame those around her, but I just wish that people would have stepped in.
They're now saying that Amy is a part of "The 27 Club". She joins Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, who all died at the young age of 27. Whether or not you agree that she has the same talent as those people, I think they shared the same torment. To me, it's almost like there was just too much talent for one person to handle and they were only here for a short time.
Regardless of how you feel, the music world was definitely robbed of a talent today. Rest in peace, Amy.
Many people have called her "troubled". I really think her life goes far beyond just troubled. From legal problems to substance abuse problems to health problems, almost all of Amy's life on the music scene has been issues. In fact, her issues tended to overshadow her amazing talent as a singer-songwriter. It's heartbreaking to me to see someone who is surrounded by people spiral completely out of control (a la Britney Spears circa 2008) and to see that no one steps in to help. Amy struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues. In fact, those ended up taking a toll on her physical health (she came out and said that she had early stage emphysema in 2008).
I would like to think that if I ever developed such glaring issues that my friends and family would step in and help me out. I understand that addiction is a horrible disease, but it just sucks to see those around someone continue to use them rather than think about the long term consequences. Amy had been booed off stage in recent performances as she was incredibly drunk/drugged and unable to sing. You would think that her management team, family, etc would pull her out of all performances and get her more help rather than continue to prop her up on stage and hope that she pulled it together. I know you can't blame those around her, but I just wish that people would have stepped in.
They're now saying that Amy is a part of "The 27 Club". She joins Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, who all died at the young age of 27. Whether or not you agree that she has the same talent as those people, I think they shared the same torment. To me, it's almost like there was just too much talent for one person to handle and they were only here for a short time.
Regardless of how you feel, the music world was definitely robbed of a talent today. Rest in peace, Amy.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Recovery
Today was a day of recovery. One of yet another million signs that I'm not 18 anymore... after just two days of singing, I'm exhausted. Granted, they were a crazy two days, but still. The shows went really well. I was so excited that so many of my friends and family came out to see me sing. This year was a record - I had six people at the first show and fourteen at the second! I can't even begin to describe how much it means to me to have familiar faces in the audience. I know that classical music is not everyone's up of tea and I know economic times are tight. It's even more meaningful this year. My favorite part of the show has to be the audience sing-a-long. They turn up the house lights, so I can actually see the people (normally it's dark and the stage lights are sort of blinding). Everyone seems to really get into this part and it's so cool to hear a thousand people singing back at you (I know, it's my nerdy version of being a rock star) and to see how happy everyone looks!
This morning I headed over to mom and dad's for breakfast (hooray for hashbrown cassarole and french toast cassarole) and then came up to Mike's. To apparently take a two and a half hour nap. I'm such a fun girlfriend. After that it was time for a little grocery shopping, followed by delicious chicken fajitas. Tonight is a night of football and Wii tournaments. Woo hoo!
This morning I headed over to mom and dad's for breakfast (hooray for hashbrown cassarole and french toast cassarole) and then came up to Mike's. To apparently take a two and a half hour nap. I'm such a fun girlfriend. After that it was time for a little grocery shopping, followed by delicious chicken fajitas. Tonight is a night of football and Wii tournaments. Woo hoo!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Woo hoo!
What an exciting day! Apparently it's ticket sale Saturday. I'm very excited to announce that Brig, Amber, Kris, Alyse and I will be attending the Sacramento Kings game ON MY BIRTHDAY! I'm so stoked... tickets were only $47 for second deck seats, which I'm perfectly happy with. It's going to be the best birthday ever!
To top that off, we (the five Musketeers) also got tickets to the March 10th Christina Aguilera show in San Jose. Eva and Adam are very graciously letting us crash at their place and we might even make a weekend out of it. What a blast it's going to be! I'm definitely taking my camera to both events!
I spent the rest of today relaxing. Well, not totally. I actually ran again this morning and I have to say I think I'm becoming addicted. I've been running every day for the last few weeks and it feels great! In fact, I actually feel a little weird on the one or two days that I haven't run. I really think it's an addiction. I've made myself a promise to go get new shoes tomorrow... I'm ashamed to say that I'm still running on the shoes that I did my triathlon in. Big no-no. According to most sports docs, you should get rid of your shoes after each major race. An expensive habit? Yes. Saving you from major joint damage? Also yes. So tomorrow is shoe shopping day. I'm a little nerdy and actually get excited about that as well.
To top that off, we (the five Musketeers) also got tickets to the March 10th Christina Aguilera show in San Jose. Eva and Adam are very graciously letting us crash at their place and we might even make a weekend out of it. What a blast it's going to be! I'm definitely taking my camera to both events!
I spent the rest of today relaxing. Well, not totally. I actually ran again this morning and I have to say I think I'm becoming addicted. I've been running every day for the last few weeks and it feels great! In fact, I actually feel a little weird on the one or two days that I haven't run. I really think it's an addiction. I've made myself a promise to go get new shoes tomorrow... I'm ashamed to say that I'm still running on the shoes that I did my triathlon in. Big no-no. According to most sports docs, you should get rid of your shoes after each major race. An expensive habit? Yes. Saving you from major joint damage? Also yes. So tomorrow is shoe shopping day. I'm a little nerdy and actually get excited about that as well.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
The Dump and Singing
I've discovered my favorite part of rehearsal. The drive home. Ok, I know that sounds bad, but I mean it in a good way. Today we had a two and half hour SCSO rehearsal. On the way home, I discovered how amazingly warmed up I am after that. There's nothing on the radio that I can't sing! Seriously - all of those songs are written in normal person range, so when you walk out of a classical rehearsal, it's a piece of cake!
This weekend was pretty mellow. My allergies have been horrendous (sinus pressure and a headache that makes me sleepy) and I ended up laying low most of the weekend. I made a trip to the dump with my dad Saturday morning (one of the few productive things I was able to do besides cleaning out my closet and doing my laundry). It was actually really neat - quite different than the dumps I remember from when I was little (it's probably been 15 years since I've been). They actually recycle everything they can, compost a ton of stuff and then bury what they can't do anything else with. It's a pretty smooth operation. I learned something else exciting as well. I have always been more than a little upset that my city doesn't recycle... the Bay Area has those cool little bins and stuff. Well, apparently, my city has one-upped the Bay. We don't have the cool bins or anything like that, but once your trash gets to the dump, they have someone there who sorts through and recycles whatever they can. So basically, you're forced to recycle and have to do none of the work. What a concept!
Speaking of the Bay, I'm going to SF for the day next Saturday with the girls. I'm so excited - I haven't been since last Christmas time. I'm looking for cool things to do there besides shop and walk around the pier. Maybe a trolley tour or something fun like that. It should be a blast and I promise to take lots of pictures!
Well, I'm off to bed. This week is going to be crazy busy - rehearsal tomorrow, book club Tuesday, spa party Wednesday, stripper workout Thursday (did I catch your attention with that one?), and my jewelry party on Friday. I'll update you each day (yes, you have to wait all the way until Thursday to hear about the stripper workout!).
Good night!
This weekend was pretty mellow. My allergies have been horrendous (sinus pressure and a headache that makes me sleepy) and I ended up laying low most of the weekend. I made a trip to the dump with my dad Saturday morning (one of the few productive things I was able to do besides cleaning out my closet and doing my laundry). It was actually really neat - quite different than the dumps I remember from when I was little (it's probably been 15 years since I've been). They actually recycle everything they can, compost a ton of stuff and then bury what they can't do anything else with. It's a pretty smooth operation. I learned something else exciting as well. I have always been more than a little upset that my city doesn't recycle... the Bay Area has those cool little bins and stuff. Well, apparently, my city has one-upped the Bay. We don't have the cool bins or anything like that, but once your trash gets to the dump, they have someone there who sorts through and recycles whatever they can. So basically, you're forced to recycle and have to do none of the work. What a concept!
Speaking of the Bay, I'm going to SF for the day next Saturday with the girls. I'm so excited - I haven't been since last Christmas time. I'm looking for cool things to do there besides shop and walk around the pier. Maybe a trolley tour or something fun like that. It should be a blast and I promise to take lots of pictures!
Well, I'm off to bed. This week is going to be crazy busy - rehearsal tomorrow, book club Tuesday, spa party Wednesday, stripper workout Thursday (did I catch your attention with that one?), and my jewelry party on Friday. I'll update you each day (yes, you have to wait all the way until Thursday to hear about the stripper workout!).
Good night!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
SexyBack
Today Justin Timberlake's much anticipated album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, came out. I absolutely love it. Honestly, it's the best pop album I can remember buying. And I'm only five songs into the album. Amazing. He was definitely influenced by Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna, but there are other flavors in there that I can't quite put my finger on. I have a feeling some of these songs will definitely end up in my top 25 on my iPod. It's a little gritty and a little dirty in that "I-was-on-the-Mickey-Mouse-club-but-I-am-a-25-year-old-male" kinda way. I kinda like it. :)
In other news, I think I figured out why I've been having a hard time sleeping (well, besides the obvious stress). Last week it was the worst and I think it's because I cut back on some of my running. I've been running (or kickboxing) for the last three days and have slept like a baby. Exercise, the miracle sleep aid! :)
Other than that, nothing too new and exciting.
In other news, I think I figured out why I've been having a hard time sleeping (well, besides the obvious stress). Last week it was the worst and I think it's because I cut back on some of my running. I've been running (or kickboxing) for the last three days and have slept like a baby. Exercise, the miracle sleep aid! :)
Other than that, nothing too new and exciting.
Monday, September 4, 2006
Labor Day Weekend!
What a fantastic weekend!
Friday night Matt came to town and we partied like rock stars. We tried a new club, The Park, that we actually like a lot better than some of the other places we've been to. It was a hilarious night which is pretty much summed up by the following picture:
I know Brig, you hate me for posting it again, but I can't stop laughing when I see it. Amber was getting ready to take a picture of us (believe it or not, this is in the car before we started drinking) and hit the button early. My camera does this crazy anti-red eye flash and it caught Brig and I by surprise. This picture was followed by one where our faces were red and our eyes were watery from laughing so hard we cried. It was awesome to see Matt again! I'm sad he's moving to Orlando, but so happy for him and Lauren. And now I'll have another place to visit! :)
Saturday was a mellow, clean the house kind of day. Definitely some much needed relaxation after my long crazy week at work! We rented "RV" which was actually a pretty funny movie!
Sunday was my favorite day of the weekend. It was Country in the Park day! Brigitte, Alyse, Tori and I went together and since the SCSO was performing I had a VIP parking pass. We got to pull right through this little coned off area and park where the other important people and vendors parked - lol. :) We went in and found a spot for our blankets (which later proved useless) and then I headed back stage to find the rest of the group. Honestly, it was so cool. We got all of the free food we wanted (gourmet food - tri tip sandwiches, sushi, beer, salads, and all kinds of other yummy stuff). Little did I know, but I actually ate lunch next to Josh Gracin's band. It was hard to tell who was who back there. They had the tour buses all circled up around a bunch of picnic tables and everyone was just kind of hanging out. No, I didn't meet anyone famous - they were all hanging out in their trailers. It was a really cool feeling just to hang out backstage at concert and be treated like royalty!
After we warmed up and all that good stuff we went out on stage. I can't even begin to describe what a cool feeling it is to stand on a real stage and look out at 10,000 people. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! Let me tell you, I could definitely get used to that! Here's a picture of us on stage:
And here's a picture of me singing:
Special shout out to Brig, Tori and Alyse for being my "stage moms" and taking such amazing pictures! :)
After we were finished we hung out for a while and then I headed out to watch the concert. It was so great! We ditched the blankets and stood up front, and when I say up front, I mean first/second row. Most of our pictures look like the artists are singing directly to us! The first band, Heartland, was ok. They came in at the last minute because their van broke down on the way back from Tahoe and they ended up doing a short acoustic set. A little bit disappointing. Josh Gracin came out next and was absolutely amazing! His show was energetic and super exciting. Alyse even caught a drumstick he tossed off the stage! This is Josh singing just to us (hey, four single girls can dream, can't they?):
After him came Phil Vassar who was also an amazing performer. The thing I loved most about him was that even if you didn't know who he was you definitely know at least one or two of his songs. He is a great songwriter and a lot of his music is sung by other musicians. I was wowed by his skills on the piano and by how great he was live! Here's Phil on the piano (he seemed to enjoy it up there):
Finally, Sara Evans closed the show. She was absolutely amazing. I was never a really huge fan (not as in didn't like her music or voice, but I think she just flew under the radar), but she definitely won me over with this performance. First thing, she was beautiful. I can't believe she has three kids and still looks like that! Secondly, she has an amazing voice and is a great songwriter. And finally, I love that her sister and brother are both in her band. There's nothing like the good old family vocals! Here's Sara doing her thing:
She's going to be on "Dancing With The Stars" next week - I loved that show last year and can't wait to watch and see what she can do!
Of course, no concert is complete without the typical Anna/Brig picture. We're not sweating, we're "glowing":
Today I went shopping with my mom. We had a total blast! I bought a new purse.... drumroll please... I got a Coach purse! I NEVER, EVER spend that kind of money on myself and it was definitely hard to do, but I totally love it and am glad I got myself a little treat! Back to saving for the house! Here's a link to see my new purchase:
http://www.coach.com/content/product.aspx?product_no=8543&category_id=200
Mom got some REALLY cute clothes and we had a lot of fun! I haven't been to Arden in forever - and I haven't been shopping in forever!
Well, that's all folks. Email me if you'd like to see the rest of the pictures from the concert - between Alyse and I we have a total of 223 pictures!
Friday night Matt came to town and we partied like rock stars. We tried a new club, The Park, that we actually like a lot better than some of the other places we've been to. It was a hilarious night which is pretty much summed up by the following picture:
I know Brig, you hate me for posting it again, but I can't stop laughing when I see it. Amber was getting ready to take a picture of us (believe it or not, this is in the car before we started drinking) and hit the button early. My camera does this crazy anti-red eye flash and it caught Brig and I by surprise. This picture was followed by one where our faces were red and our eyes were watery from laughing so hard we cried. It was awesome to see Matt again! I'm sad he's moving to Orlando, but so happy for him and Lauren. And now I'll have another place to visit! :)
Saturday was a mellow, clean the house kind of day. Definitely some much needed relaxation after my long crazy week at work! We rented "RV" which was actually a pretty funny movie!
Sunday was my favorite day of the weekend. It was Country in the Park day! Brigitte, Alyse, Tori and I went together and since the SCSO was performing I had a VIP parking pass. We got to pull right through this little coned off area and park where the other important people and vendors parked - lol. :) We went in and found a spot for our blankets (which later proved useless) and then I headed back stage to find the rest of the group. Honestly, it was so cool. We got all of the free food we wanted (gourmet food - tri tip sandwiches, sushi, beer, salads, and all kinds of other yummy stuff). Little did I know, but I actually ate lunch next to Josh Gracin's band. It was hard to tell who was who back there. They had the tour buses all circled up around a bunch of picnic tables and everyone was just kind of hanging out. No, I didn't meet anyone famous - they were all hanging out in their trailers. It was a really cool feeling just to hang out backstage at concert and be treated like royalty!
After we warmed up and all that good stuff we went out on stage. I can't even begin to describe what a cool feeling it is to stand on a real stage and look out at 10,000 people. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! Let me tell you, I could definitely get used to that! Here's a picture of us on stage:
And here's a picture of me singing:
Special shout out to Brig, Tori and Alyse for being my "stage moms" and taking such amazing pictures! :)
After we were finished we hung out for a while and then I headed out to watch the concert. It was so great! We ditched the blankets and stood up front, and when I say up front, I mean first/second row. Most of our pictures look like the artists are singing directly to us! The first band, Heartland, was ok. They came in at the last minute because their van broke down on the way back from Tahoe and they ended up doing a short acoustic set. A little bit disappointing. Josh Gracin came out next and was absolutely amazing! His show was energetic and super exciting. Alyse even caught a drumstick he tossed off the stage! This is Josh singing just to us (hey, four single girls can dream, can't they?):
After him came Phil Vassar who was also an amazing performer. The thing I loved most about him was that even if you didn't know who he was you definitely know at least one or two of his songs. He is a great songwriter and a lot of his music is sung by other musicians. I was wowed by his skills on the piano and by how great he was live! Here's Phil on the piano (he seemed to enjoy it up there):
Finally, Sara Evans closed the show. She was absolutely amazing. I was never a really huge fan (not as in didn't like her music or voice, but I think she just flew under the radar), but she definitely won me over with this performance. First thing, she was beautiful. I can't believe she has three kids and still looks like that! Secondly, she has an amazing voice and is a great songwriter. And finally, I love that her sister and brother are both in her band. There's nothing like the good old family vocals! Here's Sara doing her thing:
She's going to be on "Dancing With The Stars" next week - I loved that show last year and can't wait to watch and see what she can do!
Of course, no concert is complete without the typical Anna/Brig picture. We're not sweating, we're "glowing":
Today I went shopping with my mom. We had a total blast! I bought a new purse.... drumroll please... I got a Coach purse! I NEVER, EVER spend that kind of money on myself and it was definitely hard to do, but I totally love it and am glad I got myself a little treat! Back to saving for the house! Here's a link to see my new purchase:
http://www.coach.com/content/product.aspx?product_no=8543&category_id=200
Mom got some REALLY cute clothes and we had a lot of fun! I haven't been to Arden in forever - and I haven't been shopping in forever!
Well, that's all folks. Email me if you'd like to see the rest of the pictures from the concert - between Alyse and I we have a total of 223 pictures!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Coolest Thing Ever!
Tonight was the first rehearsal this year for SCSO, so I'm in a great mood anyways, but it gets better! So I do my section leader duties, have a fantastic rehearsal and then rehearse to sing the national anthem at Country in the Park. That's right people, me and 29 of my closest SCSO friends are opening the show! WOO HOO! We get cool little performer passes to wear around our necks that get us back stage and sweet parking (VIP/vendor!). I'm so stoked... I was going anyways, so why not sing in front of 5,000 people? :) I'm so excited I can't even think!
Oh yeah, we're doing some great music this year - come see us if you can!
Oh yeah, we're doing some great music this year - come see us if you can!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Backpacks, Boxing and Music!
What a day, what a day!
This morning I helped deliver 400 backpacks to a local school - the employees of my company filled them with the supplies. It was more backpacks than we had ever done before, and I was a little worried that it wouldn't all run very smoothly (I was heading up the project). Fortunately, everything worked out - the kids were so cute and incredibly appreciative. It was great to see their little smiling faces!
After work Julie and I took our little booties to kickboxing class. First things first - I neither kick, nor box. However, this class was really a lot of fun - Julie and I were both a little nervous that we wouldn't make it through an hour, but we did. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't exactly easy and was definitely a challenge. The most hilarious part was running around like we were on crack. Not sure how that fits into kickboxing, but we rolled with the flow. We're going back next week for sure!
Today I finally received the SCSO 2006-2007 performance schedule - mark your calendars!!! I'm really excited about this year's music - it's definitely going to be amazing!
This morning I helped deliver 400 backpacks to a local school - the employees of my company filled them with the supplies. It was more backpacks than we had ever done before, and I was a little worried that it wouldn't all run very smoothly (I was heading up the project). Fortunately, everything worked out - the kids were so cute and incredibly appreciative. It was great to see their little smiling faces!
After work Julie and I took our little booties to kickboxing class. First things first - I neither kick, nor box. However, this class was really a lot of fun - Julie and I were both a little nervous that we wouldn't make it through an hour, but we did. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't exactly easy and was definitely a challenge. The most hilarious part was running around like we were on crack. Not sure how that fits into kickboxing, but we rolled with the flow. We're going back next week for sure!
Today I finally received the SCSO 2006-2007 performance schedule - mark your calendars!!! I'm really excited about this year's music - it's definitely going to be amazing!
- October 21, 2006: Ralph Vaughn Williams' "Sea Symphony" - 8pm
- December 9, 2006: Home for the Holidays - 8pm (good starter concert for the classically challenged)
- December 10, 2006: Home for the Holidays - 4pm (good starter concert for the classically challenged)
- March 3, 2007: Verdi's "Requiem" - 8pm
- May 12, 2007: "A Broadway Suite" - 8pm
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Music Survey
There are some days that I just thank God for music. Today was definitely one of those. I worked a really long day and things had started piling up the minute I walked in (that would be 7am). By about 2-3pm, I needed a little break. I set my IM to "do not disturb", my phone to SAC (send all calls to voicemail), busted out the iPod and rocked out to Rascal Flatts while I answered the emails that had piled up and completed what seemed like 1,000 excel spreadsheets (gotta love being a business analyst sometimes - thank goodness I'm great with numbers!). I'm not kidding you, it totally helped.
I thought I'd take a little informal survey to see what music y'all (that's for you Kati!) listen to and what it does for ya. Cut and paste the little survey below into the comments section and fill it in for yourself (mine will be the first one).
Happy Wednesday! It's almost the weekend (ok, sort of)!
I thought I'd take a little informal survey to see what music y'all (that's for you Kati!) listen to and what it does for ya. Cut and paste the little survey below into the comments section and fill it in for yourself (mine will be the first one).
Happy Wednesday! It's almost the weekend (ok, sort of)!
- Name your favorite band.
- Who are your favorite male and female solo singers?
- What song do you listen to when you're angry and why?
- What song do you listen to when you're sad and why?
- What's your favorite love song and why?
- Best road trip song of all time and why?
- What song can you put on and instantly be happy?
- What song do you dance to in your room when no one is looking?
- Best breakup song and why:
- If you own an iPod, what song is your most played song?
- What song do you like to work out to (I know it's hard to pick one!)?
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Wow!
What a week! I seriously feel like I've been in a tornado for the last week and then tonight (just now) it spit me out. Now I don't know what to do with myself!
Thursday and Friday nights I had my dress rehearsals. They went pretty well. A couple of sour notes, but over all, not too bad. Adam and Eva and Oma came out on Friday night and the weekend went into full effect. We had so much fun!
First things first. Friday night when I get home from rehearsal the whole gang was there. Eva has what looks like a donut box. She tells me no Christmas is complete without Ginger Bibbys®. At this point a little light bulb goes on in my head. She spent all day on Friday making me the most amazing ginger bread cookies that were decorated like Mike Bibby. They're so awesome that I'm even taking one into work to show it off tomorrow. She went through a whole design process and had several prototype Bibbies until she got the perfect one. HOLY CRAP!!!
And she even made little Ginger Nanners® (my nickname) to go with the Ginger Bibby®!
In addition to that, they gave me the gold Bibby jersey for Christmas... I LOVE IT! :)
Saturday was a day of fun. We woke up to go to Jazzercise, Eva almost ruined a poor little kid's dream of Santa because there was a Santa's workshop instead of jazzercise, we went to Target, had lunch with mom and got to see her awesome shop, and then went to the concert. It turned out really well (in my completely unbiased opinion) and I think everyone had a lot of fun. One of the coolest parts for me was the audience sing along. It was amazing to hear 3,900 people singing back at me!!! Adam and Eva were hilarious to watch - Eva was holding her music at the precise angle and they just looked like they were having a blast.
Today we did the lay around. Had a yummy breakfast and took a long nap. Holy cow, I was so tired from the whole weekend! Went to church, had dinner with a friend and here I am, blogging away. I think it's bed time now. Good night!
All in all, it was a great weekend. I had so much fun with the family!
Thursday and Friday nights I had my dress rehearsals. They went pretty well. A couple of sour notes, but over all, not too bad. Adam and Eva and Oma came out on Friday night and the weekend went into full effect. We had so much fun!
First things first. Friday night when I get home from rehearsal the whole gang was there. Eva has what looks like a donut box. She tells me no Christmas is complete without Ginger Bibbys®. At this point a little light bulb goes on in my head. She spent all day on Friday making me the most amazing ginger bread cookies that were decorated like Mike Bibby. They're so awesome that I'm even taking one into work to show it off tomorrow. She went through a whole design process and had several prototype Bibbies until she got the perfect one. HOLY CRAP!!!
And she even made little Ginger Nanners® (my nickname) to go with the Ginger Bibby®!
In addition to that, they gave me the gold Bibby jersey for Christmas... I LOVE IT! :)
Saturday was a day of fun. We woke up to go to Jazzercise, Eva almost ruined a poor little kid's dream of Santa because there was a Santa's workshop instead of jazzercise, we went to Target, had lunch with mom and got to see her awesome shop, and then went to the concert. It turned out really well (in my completely unbiased opinion) and I think everyone had a lot of fun. One of the coolest parts for me was the audience sing along. It was amazing to hear 3,900 people singing back at me!!! Adam and Eva were hilarious to watch - Eva was holding her music at the precise angle and they just looked like they were having a blast.
Today we did the lay around. Had a yummy breakfast and took a long nap. Holy cow, I was so tired from the whole weekend! Went to church, had dinner with a friend and here I am, blogging away. I think it's bed time now. Good night!
All in all, it was a great weekend. I had so much fun with the family!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Madonna
Ok, so I've come out of my quarter life crisis just in time for the release of the new Madonna CD, Confessions on a Dance Floor. I absolutely love it! The first single "Hung Up" is on the radio right now - it's a very catchy tune! She's gone with this 70s/80s disco vibe with an electronic twist. It's really working! My favorite tune is "Hung Up" (totally digging the fake little flute part), but I also like "I Love New York" and the classically-inspired "Sorry".
I am genuinely amazed at her ability to span generations. Her music continues to evolve and change as the times change. And dang, that woman looks good at 47!!!
Click the "Listen to the Song of the Day" button to the right to see and hear Madonna's song! Once you're on the page, click "watch the video".
If you have the album, please let me know what you think!
I am genuinely amazed at her ability to span generations. Her music continues to evolve and change as the times change. And dang, that woman looks good at 47!!!
Click the "Listen to the Song of the Day" button to the right to see and hear Madonna's song! Once you're on the page, click "watch the video".
If you have the album, please let me know what you think!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Choir
Oh my gosh.
Everyone at some point in their life needs to join a 200 person choir. It's taken me the last 24 hours to collect my thoughts on last night's rehearsal. It was absolutely AMAZING! I have never sung with such a large group of people before and was amazed at how the director ran his rehearsal. No one talked in between when he was talking about changes and there was no plunking of parts. For those of you who don't know what "plunking" is, it's basically where you have to stop rehearsal to play one part out on the piano so someone can get it. Everyone just sight read (meaning it was the first time they had seen the music but were able to sing it correctly just by looking at it). Completely amazing. The biggest test is how quiet a choir can sing. It's very easy to get a loud sound from such a large group, but to get a quiet, in tune sound is much more difficult. This group was great. Let me put it this way, I could have sang louder by myself on the quiet parts than the whole choir did. Absolutely amazing.
Maybe I haven't collected my thoughts since all I can seem to say is amazing...
Everyone at some point in their life needs to join a 200 person choir. It's taken me the last 24 hours to collect my thoughts on last night's rehearsal. It was absolutely AMAZING! I have never sung with such a large group of people before and was amazed at how the director ran his rehearsal. No one talked in between when he was talking about changes and there was no plunking of parts. For those of you who don't know what "plunking" is, it's basically where you have to stop rehearsal to play one part out on the piano so someone can get it. Everyone just sight read (meaning it was the first time they had seen the music but were able to sing it correctly just by looking at it). Completely amazing. The biggest test is how quiet a choir can sing. It's very easy to get a loud sound from such a large group, but to get a quiet, in tune sound is much more difficult. This group was great. Let me put it this way, I could have sang louder by myself on the quiet parts than the whole choir did. Absolutely amazing.
Maybe I haven't collected my thoughts since all I can seem to say is amazing...
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Massages, Auditions and Babies
What a crazy title, huh?
First things first. I had my first massage yesterday. It was AMAZING! No, they didn't put any of the scrub "there". The only slightly odd thing was that the girl who did it was a girl I went to high school with. Ahh, the joys of moving back to your hometown. Anyways, it was so nice to be treated like a princess for a little while! They gave me a warm footbath, then used the vanilla/orange sea salt scrub to make my skin soft and then massaged in the shea butter. Very nice. If I were rich, I would do it too.
After the massage I had an audition for the Sacramento Choral Society! I couldn't believe it... I had emailed the director earlier in the morning and he called that afternoon to see if I could come in that night. I sang one of my German arias and an Italian aria. He was impressed and invited me to join! Woo hoo! They do one big tour every year or so - this year it's to China! How cool is that!?
Finally, tonight I went and saw Billy's brand new baby, Samuel Aden. Holy cow, the kid is cute. I'm convinced he's gonna be a singer - he has a set of pipes! No really, he was absolutely adorable and Billy and Barb look really good. I was so happy to see them all!
After that I went to the gym and ran 4 miles. It's the first time in a long time I've been able to run like that. Not the greatest of times, but it was 4 miles none-the-less. I feel so much better when I run distance! I just find a pace that I feel like I could run at for hours and stick to that pace until the end. Then in the last minute or two I turn it up to a sprint. Seriously, it feels great!
Ok, I'm off to bed. Peace.
First things first. I had my first massage yesterday. It was AMAZING! No, they didn't put any of the scrub "there". The only slightly odd thing was that the girl who did it was a girl I went to high school with. Ahh, the joys of moving back to your hometown. Anyways, it was so nice to be treated like a princess for a little while! They gave me a warm footbath, then used the vanilla/orange sea salt scrub to make my skin soft and then massaged in the shea butter. Very nice. If I were rich, I would do it too.
After the massage I had an audition for the Sacramento Choral Society! I couldn't believe it... I had emailed the director earlier in the morning and he called that afternoon to see if I could come in that night. I sang one of my German arias and an Italian aria. He was impressed and invited me to join! Woo hoo! They do one big tour every year or so - this year it's to China! How cool is that!?
Finally, tonight I went and saw Billy's brand new baby, Samuel Aden. Holy cow, the kid is cute. I'm convinced he's gonna be a singer - he has a set of pipes! No really, he was absolutely adorable and Billy and Barb look really good. I was so happy to see them all!
After that I went to the gym and ran 4 miles. It's the first time in a long time I've been able to run like that. Not the greatest of times, but it was 4 miles none-the-less. I feel so much better when I run distance! I just find a pace that I feel like I could run at for hours and stick to that pace until the end. Then in the last minute or two I turn it up to a sprint. Seriously, it feels great!
Ok, I'm off to bed. Peace.
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