July 19, 2010: We had a great trip on Saturday to Sun Valley with Steve’s mom & sister. Then on Sunday we headed to Redfish Lake Lodge for the “Music from Stanley” show. So beautiful. I’m basically a city girl, but I really appreciate the beauty of nature, as long as I don’t have to sleep in a tent and sit in the dirt.

On the way home…11:30 PM on a Sunday night, we got pulled over in Idaho City. The cop wants to know why we didn’t turn our high beams down. Wuh???? I guess there is not much for police to do in Idaho City on a Sunday night. (The high beams were on cuz we were on the lookout for those pesky deer that love to jump out of nowhere.) Well, he didn’t give us a ticket. He should have been more concerned about our windshield which was covered with bug guts so thick we could barely see out of it. We were out of the blue stuff that you squirt on your windshield. We are ALWAYS out of the blue stuff when we go on trips, because we NEVER remember to fill it up when we leave. So we usually end up buying a jug at a gas station somewhere down the road, and now we have about 8 jugs of blue stuff sitting on a shelf in our garage.

July 12: At Smoky Mountain, Joel and I are going to run through our set list for Music from Stanley. So you will be hearing many of my originals, which I don’t play very often. I have gotten positive feedback from other songwriters, and have decided to set aside some insecurities, and share these songs more often. I’m also going to spend less time practicing (for instance:) melodic minor scale licks over blues chords (which always seems to sound bad no matter how many hours I spend on it) and devote more hours/week to crafting songs.

Went to a Padres game today, and they won in the ninth inning when Tony Gwynn hit a grounder over 2nd base with bases loaded. I actually payed attention for the whole game! Most of my time is usually spent people-watching, bathroom- visiting, and twizzler-eating. We’ve got the whole family together, and before the third inning was over, folks had discovered and demolished my secret stash of Jujyfruits. They left me the black ones.

June 28, 2010: I had a great weekend! Friday I got to listen to some great “Jazz at the River” in Eagle. Wow, those cats can play! I wanna be a jazz musician when I grow up. On Saturday, I had a fun time playing at a wedding. The weather was beautiful. I got to accompany the bride as she sang a sweet song for her husband. It was grand! He was looking at her adoringly the whole time. My husband does not look at me adoringly when I sing…Sigh. He does, however, clap in mostly the right spots, and he carries my equipment–proof positive of his undying adoration.

I’ve been attending monthly songwriters’ showcases hosted by Steve Eaton for the last few months.   I had no idea there were so many talented writers right here in Boise.  What a treat to hear how they blend their melodies, chords and lyrics.   You would think all good songs would have already been written by now, but obviously not!   On a sidenote, we need more WOMEN to participate!

Another year has passed.  Highlights for me include

1. My two missionaries returning home, Lauren & David
2. My daughters graduation and first teaching job!
3. My son graduating from college and getting some job offers!
4. My CD was released, and website was created.
5.  Pretty busy gigging schedule.    I was able to share my music with more people this year and that makes me happy!   My favorites were concerts at the Idaho Botanical Garden and at the Ada County Community Library. 
6. I’ve got such a fun crop of students this year.  We do a lot of laughing, and a lot of learning.  The students who have consistently applied themselves are making tremendous progress, and it is gratifying to hear them make music, write songs,  and be daring enough to perform in public places. 

A big hug and thank you to all who came to the shows,  bought the CD, hired me, or just gave me a kind encouraging word.  THANK YOU!!!!:-P