#justbreathe

...a good reminder...

Norah, Kara & Me

We started out with a bottle of chardonnay, onion rings {cuz we're classy like that} and some pasta at Rock Bottom Brewery.  The restaurant was directly across the street from the concert venue, so we had plenty of time to visit. 

Two girlfriends,
more like sisters,
bonded for life
catching up on gossip
enjoying a rare night out... 
without any boys! 

Kara and I went to see Norah last Sunday evening.  What a phenomenal voice!  Even in a larger theater, it seemed intimate, etheral and awe-inspiring!  The opening act was a pleasant surprise to us too!

Okay, I do have one little complaint but it has nothing to do with her or the opening act.  There was a single man who sat DIRECTLY in front of me.  No worries, right?  Move one way or another and you can see again (we were stage right).  Yeah, not so much.  This man was a bobble-head... and the WHOLE night he moved his head and/or his body back and forth and back and forth and...  yeah.  Grrrrrr.

Back to the music... I had never heard of of the opening act before that event, but was pleasantly surprised! Cory Chisel is an Americana folk artist who grew up in the Midwest. He is known around town as Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, but he sang with a woman. I had to google to find her name... Adriel Harris. Beautiful songbird that plays the ivories, tamborine and sings alongside Cory. I would definitely consider a few of their songs for download. Check out some of their music online if you're looking for something new!

And then, along came Norah.  Quick intermission and stage change... beautifully suspended origami birds appeared above the set.  Twinkling lights and a band of about five others completed the ensemble.  Norah was absolutely incredible, and so worth the ticket price (and yes, another birthday present to me).  She sang both new and old songs (the haunting Miriam, Chasing Pirates) and the crowd sat mesmerized.

All musicians were on stage at one point, similar to this video, and it was vocally amazing!  The bass, keyboard, squeezbox, voices...  loved every single minute of it.  Norah ended the evening with two encore songs, and Come Away with Me, one of my all time favorites!  Definitely, a night to remember.

And I'm not sure, but I think the two-week long of birthday celebrations have finally ended... anything from this point forward I will lump into the beginning of anniversary celebration!

Thanks for joining me for another celebration, Kara!

Proud American Kids

Oliver sang the National Anthem with his All District Choir last night.  Great job kids!





This was the last hurrah for the fifth graders in this year's All District Choir. 
What a great season of singing it was. 
We are very proud of you, Oliver!

Shake the PaPaYa Down

WordFULL Wednesday

Share. 
Spread the word. 
Future generations are counting on us.
#stopkony

i won't give up {iHeart music}

i cannot get enough of this song lately.

it just plays to my heart & soul.

what piece of music moves you lately?

magical MUSIC in the air

I love love love the holiday music this time of year...  and it gets even sweeter when it's my kids and hubby singing such sweet melodies.  Wow, seven concerts in a month!  Where've we been this month, you ask?  Just take a look and you'll see...  we've been busy! 

4th:  JP's concert at Calvary

11th:  Oliver's holiday concert at Calvary

12th: Henry's 7th grand band concert

15th: Henry's 7th grade choir concert

18th:  Oliver's ADC Winter PRISM concert

19th:  Henry's Sola Voce performance at AHS

24th:  Oliver's singing at the 3:30 pm Christmas concert



Check out more of the recent music magic in videos on my YouTube channel.

• When looking at the ADC videos, you will find Oliver on the left-hand side, second row from top (near the microphone pole in the middle of my videos - grrr).  He is also the fiddler in the solo performance.
• Henry is mid-section in choirs wearing a pink tshirt.  In band, he's in the back (most likely you will not find him) playing trumpet.
• Some of the videos have yet to be named because I need to match them up with the appropriate program.  Hopefully they won't be deleted due to copyright infringement.

...sing, sing a song...

make it simple to last the whole day long

sing of good things, not bad

sing of happy, not sad

just sing...  sing a song!

Music and a Story {date night}

I cannot wait for date night tonight...  performing locally at Grace Church, and I've got a date with JP to take in the whole spectacular experience!!

catch the {creative} spirit of the season

I've come across quite a few crafty videos lately...  they just make me smile. 

I hope they do the same for you on this fine Friday in December.  May you enjoy slowing down just a bit and partaking in some holiday creativity and silliness going on around the world.

From Alaska...




To Haiti...



and everywhere in-between!







these can get very addicting!  go on, go ahead, share the joy!

And if you're in the mood to BLOG HOP...  link up and follow along!  I'm flipping for Friday and joining Never Growing Old today with her Follow Friday 40 and Over.

Life in a Day

What are you doing on Saturday, July 24th?  YouTube wants you to document your "life in a day" and submit for possible publication and premier at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011!

Be a part of something global and capture your day on Saturday!  Details for submission can be found on the page linked above.

We will be going to Camp Wapo this weekend and camping as a family.  I will definitely bring my camera/video along and see what I can capture and submit.

...absolutely love this!!

and it was right here in Minnesota!