August – September…

A Journey, with Heart and a Cheap Trick thrown in for good measure!

I’d heard or read somewhere in July that Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick would be having a concert fairly close to us in September. Say any of those bands were in concert by themselves and I’m there, let alone all 3 in one place!

It was my one big splurge of the summer; though I must say the tickets were very reasonably priced. What I was most surprised about was my two youngest kids wanted to go too. Marisa (age 14) has been a Journey and Cheap Trick fan for a while, and Jaden (age 9) was familiar with Cheap Trick and Heart, though he had no idea who Journey was (he sure does now, and there’s a special connection, which I’ll get to in a sec).

The venue was about an hour south of us. On the radio they were announcing that the show had been sold out. No surprise to me, what a line up!

We found our spots on the lawn (I got the cheap seats…I was fine with that) and we waited for the show to begin.

First up was Cheap Trick. Robin Zander still has it in spades. I couldn’t help thinking of Rbynfairy the whole time I was watching and listening to the show. (Did you know that Rbynfairy was named after Robin Zander? Her dad was on the road crew for the band in their heyday. Cool, huh?). My kids and I sang along with every song…which is evidenced in the video I took of one of the songs that evening…

Next was Heart. This was my second time seeing them in concert. The first time I got to go backstage and meet them. This time I was relegated to using binoculars to see them, but it was way worth it! Ann Wilson still sings like an angel, and Nancy Wilson can still play a mean guitar…

The headliners were next…Journey! I was a little nervous about what the new lead singer would sound like. I hadn’t heard anything about him, really, and Steve Perry is a tough act to follow. The voice that came out of this guy was amazing!

We were so far away from the stage I couldn’t see what he looked like, and it wasn’t until Marisa remarked to me on the way out to the car that it’s hard to believe the new lead singer is Asian. Asian? NO WAY! Yes, way…when I got home I looked up Journey’s new lead singer. His name is Arnel Pineda, and he’s from the Philippines. Neal Schon discovered him on YouTube! Here’s a great interview about the whole thing:

So that’s the special connection between Journey’s new lead singer and my son (who is half Filipino). When I told my son about the lead singer being Filipino he smiled really big. I told him that Filipinos are a very gifted people, and even though his dad can’t sing (one of the few Filipinos who can’t!) his dad is gifted in the martial arts. I encouraged him to search for his talents and practice them. You never know what doors will open down the road!

Next Up: Miscellaneous summery things, and one very special addition!

Special Note: A very dear friend from my high school days called me today (that re-connection is a blog post for another day) and told me his father is lying in a hospital bed on life support…he had an aneurysm. For those of you so inclined, please pray for my friend Scott, Scott’s dad, and their family.

I realize I’m a day later than I said I’d post, but it couldn’t be helped. My schedule is not my own most days, so this is as good as it gets for now…I’ll not be posting daily like I used to, that’s for sure.

Before I continue on with my summer adventures I must remark about the events of the past several days. Over the weekend we lost a silver screen icon, Paul Newman.

I have to admit I cried when I heard he’d died. It was no secret he was dying of cancer, though he and his publicists tried their best to keep it low key and hush-hush…and the guy was getting up there in years, but it’s still a shock. I loved Paul Newman. He was a fine actor, a great humanitarian, and a faithful spouse (which is hard to come by in Hollywood, huh?). I’ll miss him.

And what about the bottom falling out of the stock market yesterday?

The $700 billion bailout falls through and the stock markets of the world crash and burn. Can’t say I didn’t see that one coming. I’m not panicked. I think there may be a silver lining in it for those of us who have been struggling in this tenuous economy.

July – August – September…the rest of summer…

For me a major part of the impetus to pull out the stops and really take advantage of enjoying this past summer was the fact the economic crunch had made things nearly unbearable for me and my household. I needed something to lift my spirits. Our country has been at war, security is heightened because of terrorist attacks that happened 7 years ago (can you believe it? Seems like yesterday.), the politicians can’t get their heads out of their posterior nether regions, gas prices are out of this world, unemployment has reached all-time highs…have I left anything out? Probably…there’s not a lot to celebrate as far as I can see. The powers that be can do what they will, but they can’t take away my (our) spirit, can they? Hell no…I’m not going down that easy (said in true pirate fashion, matey)!

Personally, even though our home has been foreclosed on (we must vacate in the next month – also sucking my time away from doing things I want to do – like being here and blogging), and our money is extremely tight, we found many things to enjoy close to home, even in our own back yard – literally.

Many nights over the summer we grilled out (BBQ’d for those living further south). It would have been nice to have a bonfire or two on some evenings, but since we live in the suburbs, that’s illegal. That didn’t stop us from having our own mini-bonfire in an extremely old and rusty smoker grill:

Why, if we hadn’t been spending so much time in our back yard we would have missed one of nature’s little mysteries…we got to see a cicada hatching into adulthood (click to enlarge):

As ugly and creepy as they look, it was one of the coolest things I’d ever witnessed. Look at the one photo of the back of the cicada after it hatched (last photo) …does it not look like a camel face? It must be a visual defense against predators for them. I’d never seen one that close-up before.

Next up: A Journey, with Heart and a Cheap Trick thrown in for good measure! And more…

Hey, thanks for the welcome back guys! There’s no better feeling in the world than coming home again. Okay, that’s a lie…there are a couple of better feelings that I can think of off the top of my head  …but still…coming home is nice.

Time for part two…

June 2008, cont’d
A birthday bash, and fireworks! Oh, and I forgot the B.S. in between!!

Marisa turned 14 on June 13. We were going to have a party for her at a favorite local park, but the weather looked like it was not going to cooperate with us. We scrambled to find another location that would accommodate a bunch of hyper teenagers for the party when I thought, “Hey, the place where you work on the weekends, Marisa…there’s no show there on the night of your party!” She called her boss and she was more than willing to rent the place to us for that evening, and even be there to help with the preparation and party itself! We brought in pizza, munchies and refreshments. Her boss brought in music and movies. A great time was had by all, and at the end of the evening her boss gifted us with the venue…no charge for the evening! Can you say blessed?!

Now for the B.S….

Boz Scaggs, that is!

About 2 weeks after Marisa’s party my sister was given two tickets to the Boz Scaggs concert that was going to be going on at a venue just up the street from us. She was going to go but couldn’t get off work for the occasion, so she gave the tickets to my husband and me. I love Boz Scaggs, have for years. I took video of parts of the performance, but I’m having trouble getting it encoded in the proper format from my cell phone to be able to upload it here. If I ever get it worked out I’ll post my video…but the following video will suffice. Boz still has it!

July 2008

For the last couple of years we’ve been rained out for fireworks on the 4th of July. Since I was a child I’ve always looked forward to fireworks on the 4th. I Oooh and Ahhh all the way through them. I was expecting the worst for this year as well, prepared to once again sit at home and pout about the rain and not being able to see fireworks. But, much to my pleasant surprise, it didn’t rain!

I had meant to take my video camera to catch the fireworks show, but forgot it. I did however have my cell phone on me and decided to take video of the show with my phone. The results are less than stallar quality, but I recorded parts of the show I saw to share here anyway…

Coming next…

Backyard fun, surprises, a new addition, and more live music!

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I’ll be back later to check on you all and read comments, but the next post from me won’t be until Monday. I have stuff to do with the kids this weekend…you know, football games, colorguard competition, and helping with an endless stream of homework…

Now that it is officially fall, and it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged, I thought it would be a good time to give a recap of the highlights of my summer season, and jump back into the blogosphere.

It had been a while since I’ve really enjoyed a summer. I mean, I’ve not taken the time to stop and smell the roses for some time and I felt the need to do so. Thus, my absence from blogging…it had been fairly time consuming and hindered my ability to be spontaneous in my real-life. The break was nice, and just what the doctor ordered.

Over the next few posts I will touch on the major highlights from June through September in my life and travels this year.

I’ve already mentioned my first summer recap topic, though it was brief (and it’s been a while). Allow me to go into a little greater detail…

June 2008

Middle child, Marisa, had been begging me for the past couple of years to go to public school rather than be home schooled. She has always been my most social child, and though I feel strongly about the positive aspects of home schooling, I also believe in letting a child explore their desires (as long as they aren’t illegal or lethal!). She also wanted to try out for Color Guard since her good friend’s sister had introduced her to it several years ago. There was no better time to enroll her than this year, as she would be entering her freshman year in high school.

After several emails and phone calls to the appropriate people, we took a trip to the high school and got her enrolled. A few days following her enrollment she tried out for color guard…and made it!

In between all the activities of our summer, Marisa practiced 4 days a week for 3 to 6 hours a day with the color guard/marching band, and attended a week long band camp at a local university. Even now, after the school year has started, she practices 3 hours at a time, twice a week. It is time consuming, and sometimes a struggle to get all her homework done, but she absolutely loves it. And, if I do say so myself, she’s pretty good at it!

Take a peek at the videos of the Fairmont H.S. Marching Band and Colorguard:

The Marching Band/Colorguard has already participated in their first competition and several football games. Their next competition is this weekend, 4 hours away from home. I’ll be traveling with them via chartered bus for a day that is sure to be very long, but also very exciting!

When I was in school we (all of us not in band) would tease the band members unmercifully about what nerds they were. Now, as an adult, I can appreciate all the time, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears that go into putting on a half-time show, let alone a show for competition. So, if I knew you way back when and you were in marching band, I apologize for the teasing and calling you a “band buddy.” I couldn’t do what they do, not then and not now.

Next up: A birthday bash, and fireworks! Fortunately not at the same time!

DD #2, Marisa, made the Color Guard!

I had no doubt, but of course she had been biting her nails until we got over to the school yesterday to check the list. She will not only be doing flags, but also rifle and saber. She seems to be a natural at doing this stuff, and I look forward to the coming year, probably just as much as she is.

Another exciting development is that Marisa has been asked by an internationally known band (originally from our area) to do a photo shoot this weekend. They have seen her work and really like what she can do with a camera. I am so proud of her…she is a talented little go-getter!

I thank you all for your comments on my last post. I am afraid my time is very limited this week until my aunt returns home. We are all spending as much time together as possible because she usually only gets out this way once a year.

I have a few posts in the works for when my time is my own (sort of) again. Stay tuned!