Finding the Christmas Music Spirit

It's almost that time of the year!

Well, actually.. it is that time of the year, and has been for almost 3ish weeks already; I've simply chosen to avoid it until after my birthday, as I resolve to do every year.

IT'S CHRISTMAS MUSIC TIME!

Am I the only one who just.... can't... get into the traditional radiocast Christmas playlist[s]? I really try some years, but I just can't. It seems so .... repetitive to me, as it usually is with radio, but that's really just hypocritical of me to say, given that I have a list of a whopping what, like... 6 songs that I actually really enjoy?

Maybe it's the fact that there are endless renditions of every Christmasy song out there. I think that's what makes it the best for me: finding artists and groups who conceptualize a song while still keeping its integrity.

Pentatonix & Tori Kelly are just a couple of those entities that accomplish just that... instead of directly post every single video of theirs that moves me, I'll share the two I saw today, which absolutely put me in quite a jolly Christmas spirit. ♥

& this one....

I'm starting to get excited about Christmas preparation! The knitting needles have started flying, and won't stop until the last second I'm sure, and we're scheduled to get the Christmas tree to the house and decorated next weekend. Our shopping is almost done, too, which means plenty of time for Christmas baking, decorating..... and of course, music! 
For now, it's a date out with the mister: sushi it is! 
See ya soon, blogbots! 
xo | cmd

Backseat Sessions with Sydni : The FROZEN Edition

All right, Disney. This one is definitely stuck. I thought perhaps we wouldn't ever see the end of Tangled, but Sydni's fascination with that one faded a lot faster than I expected. Frozen, on the other hand, is still on loop at our house, and the soundtrack has basically replaced any other form of sound in the car.

I will be singing "Let it Gooooooooo," for the rest of my life, I'm pretty sure. Sydni will be singing it until you, Disney, come out with the next big hit (:

That being said, here's what the car rides home typically contain. And yes, before anyone says anything, I realize she looks like she has a mullet. For the girls out there, if you can tell me about that childhood of yours in which you didn't attempt to cut your own hair, well, I'll be impressed. In her credit, at least they're still on her forehead; when I did that, they were barely even sprigs. One centimeter is not an acceptable length for bangs. Hers are manageable. ;)




^ I love my car rides with her. This, folks, is how they have been nearly every single time since she saw the movie. If you can't appreciate a little girl singing her heart out, well, it's beautiful (:

With love from us on this NON-rainy Tuesday!! ♥

xo | cmd

Giggle Fits!

I didn't get to see Sydni this weekend, BUT, she's BACK tonight [talk about a HAPPY mama over here]. I'm never surprised at how much I miss her when she's not around, but I am constantly mind-blown at how much more I enjoy her company each and every single time. She reminds me why everything else that's a struggle for me [.. for us] right now.. is entirely worth it.

this girl makes my world complete.
she makes me complete.

We settled in after dinner for some Veggie Tales, to which she boldly choruses the opener.. every single time. I caught the tail end of it here, and in a rare moment that she's unlike me, became camera-shy and refused to do it again while I had the video camera trained on her. Oh well (:


We did some rapid fire shots, so of course, another .gif! Actually, this is even better than a video, except for the lack of sound, because there's no way I would've been able to steady a camera between tickles and giggles...
... And ponies. MLP, for days, at this place. Haha.

she.. is.. everything.

So here we are, together at last and giggled to sheer exhaustion. It's an early morning tomorrow; we've already done dinner, movie and a battle of wits over the phone with Mr. Rob [she won, babe, we all know... it's okay], so it's time to call it an early night.

See ya tomorrow!

xo | cmd

El Voce! [Night 4]

More of The Voice.

I'm gonna start singing eventually, if these auditions keep inspiring me to do so.
I might also buy Christina a shirt.
Really it's all up in the air, still. Haha.

Top picks from tonight:

 

I think I was drawn particularly to these two tonight because they're both so quirky, in a fun way.

|| EDIT! ||

I totally forgot about this guy...


^Guess how many vocal lessons that kid has had? (Zeee-ro.) Guess how old he is? (Sixteen). That's natural talent, friends :)

There were more, of course, but I have to say these two three were by far the most fun for me :)

It's been a manic monday, for sure.

Happy WEEK!

xo | cmd

Towerview "Speed Chat" !

Today was quite the buzz at the Tower!

It led off by Trish asking me early last week if I could both fill in for Carla today in the praise band as well as move my solo up one weekend to today. It wasn't until Friday night that I nailed down exactly which song I wanted to present today, and in a typical string of lateness, I found myself without a run through before go time.


natalie grant | alive (mary magdalene)



I'd like to think it went off about as well as it could have :). I really love Natalie Grant's music, but hitting some of her power notes is iffy for me most days. This one (Alive) was pretty moderate as far as belting lines goes; I might just keep it around for another good day to sing it. Easter, maybe? Hrm.. we'll see.  

Back home, I ended up falling asleep [it's been a long week]; Joe took Sydni down to SAFB for the air show to meet up with the Woods & the Cunicos. I'm sorry I missed it, but I did see some funny videos and even heard that mini crawled up on Miss Debbie and passed out. She's silly. And random :)

Nowwww on to the really exciting part! 

towerview speed chat!!

It's heeeeeeeere! [& gone by this point, but it was here, and it was amazing!] A few months back, the deacons' and staff wives had gathered together to devise some sort of event purposed to welcome new members that have joined our church recently. We had something like 27 members to welcome, so the idea was proposed to do a "speed chat." Of course based off of the principles of speed dating, this event would follow a similar format, seating new members around tables with the "old" members travelling from table to table asking fun, pre-written questions to get acquainted in a light-hearted way. Fellowship, welcoming arms and a great atmosphere to boot.



new member books!



Oh, and of course, food. [We're Baptists, c'mon.]

It. Went. Off... WITHOUT A HITCH.

Major, major thanks to the deacons' wives for all of the careful planning and execution of this event, and for entrusting me to create the new members' book. I had the best time doing it, and although I'm kinda glad it's done, I'm happy I was able to contribute, and hope that it helps a little with easing that overwhelmed new member feeling that I know I had when we first got here.

Seriously, it was an amazing time.

I knew before people even started arriving that it would be a great thing; I got to the church to set up my camera and help with the table spreads to find the entire crew already buzzing around. I've not seen so many different desserts in one church basement in a long time, all of which [from what I heard and experienced throughout the evening] were incredible.

We had nearly 100 people show up for this. How amazing! We had a blast - well, I know I did - and, might I say, did a pretty good job of clearing some major space on the dessert line ;)

Photog time: 

dessert spread.. y-u-m.

baptists ♥ food

some of the sillier moments :) | keeping it fun!

full house :)

i love these people | xo

[for all the pictures, go check out the Towerview Facebook page ((& feel free to like us while you're there, heh..))!

My goodness.. it has been a DAY.
-- A GREAT day, that is. Not a bad way to start the week, at all....

xo | cmd

How's THAT For a Midweek?

I think I have a problem...
Seriously.
I'm addicted.

I watched the third night of blind auditions for The Voice tonight, and I've gotta say I'm goin' on night 3 of inspired by some of their stories, their talent, and the fact that they're putting it all on the line for the approval of the industry's megastars.

This one, by far, was my favorite from tonight:


I've always been a fan of the Marley vibe - there's something so relaxing about the emotion behind reggae in general. This kid's got it nailed down, and I'm kind of excited to see how he does in competition.

Then there was this one, by a guy whose family suffered through extreme political turmoil in Nigeria; his father was wrongfully incarcerated, while he and the rest of his family fled the country and made it here to the U.S. It's one of those heart-string stories that makes me stop and appreciate the gravity of the life with which I am blessed [magnified by the whole adoption thing]. His testament that music saved his life is dually-noted [no pun intended].


Suave, yeah?? I like the natural rasp in his voice. Major talent. 
Oh..  ... and just in case I'd forgotten this is still mainstream media programming, I'll include this one particularly unique gal: You can search her audition on your own if you feel inclined; I'd rather not have it on here... I didn't realize until I went back to watch the others that she ["Domo"] is on crew for Rhythm City [ABDC]. Interesting. Definitely conceited, though. Too bad, too - she's a pretty talented dancer, if nothing else. :/ 
Well.. all things The Voice aside, I caught some of the opening moments of America's Got Talent before retiring the TV for the night, but I did see this, which I thought was cool [apparently they're in the finals now? Sure.]: David Garibaldi & His CMYK's - I'll let you look that one up on your own too [video.overload]. Pretty amazing stuff! 
****
Anywho, today was about as decent as they do come.
Do I dare forget the birthdays for today?
Umm, absolutely NOT! ESPECIALLY since we LOOOVE these two munchkins! 
HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, LYLA!!!

beautiful lyla! 

and of couuuuurse,

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, JACOB!!!

silly candid from the dual bday party we had a few weeks ago : jacob!

We have the privilege of having both of those little ones [along with Landon, the other September birthday kiddo] in our small group every other Friday, so we get a little extra dose of them from time to time, and we love it. Happy birthday to both Lyla & Jacob [& no, in case you thought to ask- they are not related. hehe]

**** And in other news: 
Nancy stopped by to see us late this morning - her new job seems to be treating her well and she's enjoying it. I'm so happy for her, but slightly reminded still that we miss her. Well, I miss her. A whoooole lot. *Sigh. So good to see her though!! Miss you, Nanc!! To top off the morning, I gave some blood and such to the life insurance medical examiner. I found out today that my heart's still beating and my arm still bleeds like it should with a needle in it. It's a start. :p.
Sydni and I did some more damage to the weed infestation that keeps threatening to overtake every spare inch of soil in the front and back gardens. I'm almost glad for The Voice airing at the same time every evening for the past 3 days - it's brought us back inside after about an hour of digging and pulling. I don't think it's over-exerting work by any stretch, but the mosquitoes have taken an equal liking to the moderate temperatures and it's made for very itchy evenings. My arms and legs look a little bit like broken brail sentences right now. Oy, bugs. >:[ Grawr. 
It's been a jam-packed week so far; I've got some last minute details to do on one of the Towerfest mail-outs, so I suppose I should get back to that before tomorrow. Oh, and I'm slated to sing this Sunday and have yet to solidify a song choice. 
Hey procrastination, heeeey. 
xo | cmd

The Self-Titled Day: 9/11.

I remember thistoday, last year - we were in church, attentively glued to the the testimony of a man impacted by the events of September 11, 2001. I wouldn't dare detract one second from the tragedy that made that day the historic pinnacle that it was. I read some articles around this time last year; there was a span of various interviews done with young men and women who were, in 2001, either infants or whose mothers were still pregnant. One or both parents of each of these children were taken during the events of 9/11/01; it was compelling hearing the perspective of young adults who had lost parents so young to that event. THANK YOU.. to the men and women who laid everything on the line on that day to save each other, and to the men and women after that who went to defend the honor of our resilient country. I'm PROUD to be in a nation so proud of its strength and so quick to defend it.

[fbhack!] thought i'd go with this one
[[with his better (& beauutiful)]] other half, his wife ashley :) 

In what is at most just a situationally unfortunate coincidence, I also don't want to detract from celebrating things that are worth celebrating. That includes a multitude of things, but today especially, a very good friend of mine from home has a birthday today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZACH!

I've known that kid since middle school, and although it's been a loooong time and quite a few memories later, I'm proud of him and proud that we're friends. Hope today is amazing for you, Ferg! You'd better be spending it with that lovely wife of yours. Happy birthday, on a day that's not really celebrated in this light anymore.

Among other things that were awesome today: USA SOCCER!!!! GO USA!!! I thought it exponentially fitting that the US walked away with a win tonight in their first WC qualifying game against Jamaica. They played their first WC qualifier in 2001 just under a month after 9/11, against Jamaica then, too. WAY TO GO, USA!!! I am so proud!!

"priveleged to play on sept 11" [per the us soccer website]
♥ so proud!

Plussssss, today was night 2 of 3 of the opening blind auditions for The Voice. There is some really incredible talent auditioning for this season; I'm going to speculate this one top to bottom. In the spirit of doing something a little different, this kid came and broke out a song completely in Spanish. Definitely different.. that's what I love about this show [yesterday with the yodeler? Yeahh :) ]

And this one: Aquile. One, his name is super-sweet, and his spin on this song is refreshing.


*sigh. This show. Love it.  What a day.
See you tomorrow, blogbots. 
xo | cmd

Do Re Mi Fa So La Theeee Voiiiice :)

It's back, it's back, it's back!
Season 3 of The Voice! I've so missed my weekly appointments

Soooo... the work day flew by without much of a hitch, which is a little frightening considering it was Monday [eeeeeeerie ...]. I'm not complaining! I made it a point to get Sydni, run our errands, and high tail it home with a due sense of urgency... pardon...

7PM = THE VOICE...

... aaaaaaaand...

... THE BENGALS!

'ello there, awesome Monday.

How did I forget that there are three nights of blind auditions? Who's a happy little hooked-on-power-notes viewer? This guy. 

Ceelo wore silk pj's.Christina wore a leather jumpsuit smaller than what my kid would wear. Adam donned a plain t-shirt that, in its ironic simplicity, probably cost more than everything combined in my closet, and Blake stayed true to his cowboy swagger [is that an oxymoron? I'm not even sure, really.]. 

Highlight reel? Okay. Sold. 

^Yodeling! She's got a killer voice to boot.. I know I can't yodel. Kudos.


^^ This guy just turned EIGHTEEN. He looks like he's at least 24, and even though I think Christina's a bit over-done these days, I would have to agree with her that I love love loved it. (: 
Sounds silly, but this show is pretty encouraging, even if it is a televised thing.
[Oh, and the Bengals lost tonight. Sad me. It's okay though. We'll get it!] Here we go, week!
xo | cmd

Baby Bunny Serenade

I had to share this.. haha. :)

This kid..... I love her.

We [Sydni and I] skipped the softball game tonight to take advantage of the mild temperatures. The backyard was in dire need of some weeding and minor cleanup, but with the temperatures well over 100 the past couple of weeks, I had refrained. So today, Sydni and I grabbed our gardening gloves and started ripping away at the infesting vegetation that had been creeping higher and higher by the day. I was in the midst of pruning a hosta under the deck when a little fuzzball scampered out. I thought at first that it was a mouse, but quickly recognized the tiny hop and stature. I then realized there was a second bunny nestled at the base of the hosta. I grabbed the camera and Sydni, and let her see the little babies before freeing them back to the safety of the garden.

It's these moments I love, and these moments I'll miss.
For now, I'll breathe them in and love them to every last millisecond :)

xo | cmd

Celebrate Family!

my sister!

I get that this holiday weekend was built on the foundation of the holiday itself: Memorial Day.
I am in no way, shape or form trying to detract at all from the gravity of what tomorrow represents.
I am saying that because of the extended weekend, we are here, visiting family, and for that I am celebrating. I love my family, and I was given a quick reminder today that they are just as incredible as they've always been, and that it's only getting better.

For example:  My daughter alone is growing like an outta control weed - she's developing into her own faster than I can follow, and I love it. My husband has since left the Air Force and re-joined the world of auto glass. My sister's family is blooming into this band of musically and artistically talented souls who continue to impress me every time we're together. My great niece Emmie will turn four this year. My parents are remodeling their kitchen. My cousins' kids [my 2nd cousins] are in their mid-20's now. Where is time going???? Holy smokes.

emmie & sydni ... strategy meeting. haha

Anyway, these types of holidays are typically fail-proof in bringing all of us together in one spot at the same time. I say that we're all scattered; that's halfway true. I think I say it more-so just because we are now the ones living remotely. The bulk of my family is located within a 20-30 mile radius of each other. With the exception of us, and my cousins in PA, the majority of the family is back in Ohio. I said all that to say that while the drive can be a little tedious, it is totally worth it to have even just one weekend with my family.

mom outdoing herself yet again!

syd & lola

It didn't take us long at all to get right into the swing of things; Cynthia & Brian brought not just Emmie, but their little puppy Lola, too. It was about 10 whole minutes before Sydni had assessed the little fuzzball as a non-threatening situation, and for the rest of the evening made herself Lola's personal babysitter. Since they were just about the same size - we'll say proportionally-balanced - it was pretty funny watching her tote Lola around all afternoon, everywhere she went. The dinner table, water balloon fight, and campfire were no exceptions. I think she wants one. Hmm. Not gonna happen, not just yet.

water balloon prep..... the dry phase..

Oh, and we had a full blown water fight that stemmed from my mom's idea for an innocent water balloon toss. We warned her that this would spiral out of control; she didn't believe us, but I think she realized it when the water balloons started flying, then the buckets came out, then the hose itself, along with some squirt guns intended originally for just the kids. Needless to say, by the end of it, we were all soaked to the core. That's right, I love my family. :)

kiddies all dried off :)

After we'd swapped all of our sopping wet gear for dry clothes, wiped off all of our runny makeup and tied up stringy hair, we made haste with it to get the fire pit started up for some s'mores & such.. because really what is a family shindig without gooey, chocolatey marshmallow sandwiches?? Duh. :p

marshmallows. this is a science around here....

fire! 

roasting with mini :) 

It's been an incredible weekend. I love my family, and I appreciate so much having the time to come and spend with them. We head back tomorrow to IL; it's gonna be another couple of months before we're back up this way; that makes it all the more perfect to have this time when we can.

I.
AM.
SPENT. 

Time to get some sleep and put my drivin' eyes in. See ya tomorrow. 

xo | cmd

Sufficient: The Reprise!

Trish had asked me last Sunday at the end of choir practice if I would do special music this week; I was much obliged to do so, but wound up having fairly bad luck nailing down a song that just felt right. I know that sounds a little silly, but I have this thing when it comes to singing - I try my best only to present songs that actually speak to me in some capacity that I could convey. There are plenty of beautifully-heartfelt songs composed over the course of music's existence in the library of options, but for some reason, no matter which way I went in my search, I just didn't have any reaction.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday, I sat through the womens' breakfast at church, and will take the opportunity now to reiterate just how deeply I was moved by Ms. Shirley's testimony. Her courage, positivity, and encouraging words reached a part of me that I wasn't prepared to exercise, and after much thinking on it last night, I realized that the first song I sang here at Towerview was the one I would sing, again, today. My apologies again, for the repeat, but the voice of those little words stayed in the front of my mind all day yesterday and into this morning as I did a mental re-confirmation that this was a good idea.

The song, Sufficient, originally recorded by the current wife of Jeremy Camp, speaks these words: 

adie camp



When I am weak, your strength is complete; it's perfect, completely all I need. Sufficient for me, your grace and your peace, are perfect, completely all I need.

Thank you again, Shirley, for your testimony. You are truly inspiring.

Today marks the start of a new week. I have high hopes it'll be a good one!

xo | cmd

Glory Bound



♥

It's Thursday, which means that tomorrow, our church small group resumes. Due to the growing state of our current group, it was decided back in the fall to branch out into three separate sessions, divided by randomly drawing names and populating each new extension that way. The Werners, the Pages, and the Dills [wait-a-tick, that's us!] on the same biweekly basis as the original Koinonia Group.

While doing some more updates to the E-Vite I'd sent out on Monday for our group, I found myself humming along to the soundtrack playing in the background, which happens to be one of my favorite newer songs by The Wailin' Jennys. I thought I'd share the lyrics here; this song may be on my upcoming schedule here sometime in the near future, depending on how I can coordinate some live accompaniment.

I love.. love.. love this song. :)
[[[ Take a listen for yourself, here. ]]]

Enjoy. Pray for us and the other facilitators as we go into tomorrow night, and also for the other couples that are coming. We are so excited!!

Callin' it an early night, folks. Hallelujah!

xo | cmd