I can't believe I even typed out that sentence.

I'm a huge Dave Matthews Band fan {major understatement}. The obsession started early in high school and continued throughout college. Last night was my 8th time seeing his live show. I have stood in the rain for ten hours to get as close as possible. I was a stalker and drove by his house in Seattle. I would wake up having weird/creepy dreams that we were BFF's (Dave and I). I think I know just about every song he has ever written, and own all of them. OK, I think that gives enough information. Believe me yet?

Well imagine how I felt when my brother-in-law, Stuart, told me he was going to get to go backstage for the DMB show in Utah, along with the rest of Fictionist. They were playing at a gig where the saxophone player (Jeff Coffin) was involved and were being compensated with these tickets. Embarrassingly enough, I started crying (I blame it on the pregnancy hormones). Stu said he would try as hard as possible to get an extra one for me. After a month or so, he found out he was only going to get 2. For the last few years, I have been doing the accounting for Fictionist. Stu, being the best brother-in-law in the world, asked the rest of Fictionist if it was OK if I got the other ticket as compensation for keeping up the books. They all agreed... I couldn't believe it was actually going to happen.

I was so giddy leading up to the show. When we arrived to the amphitheater, the special badges we had also gave us a dinner ticket. We were free to pretty much roam around backstage. I, of course, was keeping my eyes peeled for Dave, or any other members of the band. They all must have been in their vans or something, because no one was to be seen, until I finally saw Stefan Lessard, the bass player. COOL! We hooked up with Stu's friend/connection and we went in to the room to get our food. From the few minutes we were in there loading up our plates to when we rejoined the group for dinner, a miracle occurred. As we were approaching the picnic table outside, there were a few guys sitting down and eating, and one in particular standing and leaning over the table. {HEART SINKS} I start whispering from behind Stu saying something like "Stu. Stu. Stu. Look who it is. Stu. Stu. Oh my gosh. Stu." We finally approach the table and sure enough, Dave Matthews and I are within feet of each other. I set my plate on the table, he turns around, looks at me and says:

"I've heard about you!"

I'm in complete shock. Yet somehow manage to respond by saying "Oh yeah? Why is that?" His response was so completely unexpected but also very characteristic of him (since I know him so well).

"You're the one who got knocked up!"

hahahahaha

I kept it cool and we start joking around and I say "And how do you know that?" he responds with "I'm pretty good on picking that up." Blah Blah. And for about a minute or so we just kind of joke back and forth. Stu steps in and says "this is my sister-in-law, Camille" and then I shake Dave's hand. Woah. After he said it was nice to meet me, I said something like "Nice to meet you, too. I'm a huge fan." Whew! I didn't make a fool of myself. Somehow I muster something like "Can I get a picture with you?" And there ya have it. My new favorite picture ever. An image I never thought would come to pass. To be honest, in all the times I dreamed of this happening, I didn't think that's what Dave was going to say to me, but hey, I'll take what I can get! :)



After this lifetime dream just happened, I couldn't even eat. My hands were shaking! Stefan Lessard came and sat at the picnic table next to us, and after about 10 minutes Stu approached him and started chatting with a fellow bass player. I later joined them and we sat and talked to Stefan for about 15-20 minutes. I wanted to pinch myself as I was asking questions about the early days with DMB and he was freely telling me stories of his time with the band (22 years!). So surreal.





Later on we were able to watch the Head and the Heart (the band who opened, also another favorite of mine) from side stage. Stu, being the charmer he is, was somehow able to talk to pretty much every single member of that band. They were all so nice and down-to-earth.

We ended up seeing every member of DMB backstage, even though we only talked to Dave, Stefan and Jeff Coffin. For the actual DMB show we went to our seats out in the audience and rocked the night away. He played some fan favorites - Dancing Nancies, Halloween, #41, and All Along the Watchtower. That band never ceases to amaze me! Every show is amazing and I never walk away disappointed.

Life goal to meet Dave Matthews... check! DMB fan forever!

The National in NYC

One of Russ's biggest clients is in New York City and he needs to go onsite every other month or so. I haven't been to NYC since I was a lot younger, so I've been itching to tag along. We finally made it happen last weekend! (more on our trip to come). Russ was able to plan the visit around a specific date we had in mind -- the night our favorite band, The National, would be playing at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. I'm still a little amazed it all worked out. Sure can't complain about a very highly subsidized trip to the east coast to see my favorite band.

I was first introduced to the band in college and I instantly fell in love with the lyrics, melodies and brooding vocals of Matt Berninger (the lead singer). I can easily say The National helped me get through my years of infertility and all of the ups and downs (mostly downs) that we experienced. I have a 6 disc CD player in my car and their albums have been constants -- never to be removed! I really am grateful for their music. It helped me cope and heal. Music is powerful!

This concert turned out to be more than just any old concert. Soon before our trip I read this article and learned that this show would also be the band's first time to play in an arena, and in their hometown, nonetheless. They have been a band for about 14 years, and their hard-work and persistence has paid off. They have sure had their fair share of struggles and playing for empty rooms, which I'm sure every band can relate to. It is encouraging to see that sometimes (a lot of) patience, time, and hard work can actually lead to something. I couldn't stop thinking about my own brother-in-law (and my patient sister) and their endeavors with Fictionist. The members of that band work so incredibly hard and deserve nothing more than to make it, just like The National. The members of The National are not young kids -- they are all nearing 40 and have wives and kids. Success comes in many different forms, but I think the kind that is organic and well-earned is even more deserving.

Just as this show meant a lot for me as one of the 12,000 in the crowd, it also meant a lot to them. I loved being at that show and seeing just how grateful, humbled and reflective the members of the band were. They pulled out all of the stops -- St. Vincent even came and sang a song with them! As always with highly anticipated concerts, I was sad to see it end, but also comforted because I get to see them again August 1st when they come to Salt Lake City! Yes! My very own home. They will be playing at the Twilight Concert Series, so any of you local folk should pay the $5 (crazy good price) and come check out The National.

Crappy iPhone picture before the show! So excited!

The Barclay's Center is huge and awesome. 

... and since I can't pick just one, here are a few of my favorite songs (there are so many more)...

This song, a more subdued one, was on repeat for weeks. Words can't explain how much this song means to me. 

This song was the first song I heard, introduced to me in college by my friend Kim Paul. Whenever I hear it I instantly become nostalgic for such a momentous time of my life.

And this one makes me want to run. Or jump around. Or something. Such a good song.

My First Piano Recital as a Teacher

Tonight I hosted my very first piano studio's recital. I am one proud teacher. I got a taste of how it feels to be on the other side of the recital -- sitting there as a nervous wreck listening to all the hard work you and the students put into these little pieces unfold. This has been a whirlwind year of getting in my "teaching groove." To be honest, I kind of started this whole teaching thing not-on-purpose. In January a family at church asked if I could fill in for a while since their current teacher was leaving, and wouldn't you know it... word got out that I was teaching and by the summer had 10 students. I love my little students and they truly bring me so much joy. Not every day as a teacher is easy, but on nights like tonight it all becomes so very worth it.

So proud of my girls! Everyone did so great and worked so hard. Aren't they so cute?

Foggy River

Things that make me happy lately:

- Our river. Ok, it's not our river, but the view from our backyard this morning was breathtaking. I literally ran downstairs and grabbed my camera to capture that foggy river from our back patio. Fall mornings are the best, aren't they? The crisp, cool air is a welcome change from the hot summer we all experienced. It felt so good to just stop and take in a beautiful sight before the crazy hustle and bustle of a workday morning. 

- New music. Mumford & Sons, Babel, and Dave Matthews Band, Away From The World, are two newly released albums that have made me very, very happy. If you are wanting some new tunes, I highly recommend checking both of these out.

- Funny dreams. While I'm on the topic of the Dave Matthews Band, if any of you have known me for a while, you will know I'm a super-obsessed DMB fan. I'm talking SERIOUS fan-dom here. My mom has always said when you have Camille as a fan, she'll be your fan for life. Case in point, during the height of my DMB obsession, I used to have really random and funny dreams where Dave and I were best friends. He would invite me over to his house to hang out with his wife and kids, and I even babysat for him. Lucky me! I would always wake up feeling kind of like a crazy person. Well, I had another creepy fan dream last night. It must be the new album I've been listening to on repeat, but I was one of the 5 lucky fans who were selected to hang out with Dave at his house (which was also a Fieldstone Home, I must add... which is the same builder of our home, fyi). His wife, who worked at Costco, even had me take some grilled pineapple to Dave and the other fans because apparently "it's his favorite." Anyway, you can say it. I'm crazy.

- Our new maple trees. I'm loving the hint of fall colors we have in our yard.

- Lots and lots of family time. Family really is what it's all about, isn't it?

What's making you happy these days?

Lost Kid

My blog is feeling a little neglected. I apologize for a 3 week hiatus. It's been a bit crazy around here. Among all the busy-ness, I also think I was slightly avoiding writing on this here blog. Sometimes I feel like I have so much to say that I don't even know where to start. It gets overwhelming, and I'm not sure how to write all my feelings down. This blog, after all, is intended as a documentation of life -- the good and the bad.  But there are times when documenting is the furthest thing from your mind. And that seems to be me lately.

Before I get too random and theoretical on you, I'm just going to share a song that seems to be my life mantra right now. I seem to express my feelings best through music most of the time, and today is one of those days. (If you have time, you should also listen to other songs by this fun band I found a while back. I sure do like them). 

 

Again, sorry for the absence. Some real updates should be on their way soon. Hooray!

Beggar In the Morning

I discovered a song that I cannot get out of my head, and I must share it with you!. After listening to the song on repeat at work for a full day, I purchased and listened to the whole album. The Barr Brothers are amazing. Their melodies and lyrics are so beautiful, and I find myself singing them all day long. This album has been so comforting to me lately. The song in the video below - "Beggar In the Morning" - is my absolute favorite right now. Give it a listen if you'd like.

Since it's been a while since I've done a music post, I'm going to go right ahead and list a few of my other favorite tunes as of late. Isn't good music the best? You can find a song to fit every emotion. Without further ado...

The National - About Today
A Band of Bees - I Really Need Love
Wilco - One Sunday Morning
The Lumineers - Ho Hey
Youth Lagoon - 17
Whitely - Lost In Time
Jon Foreman - The Cure for Pain
Jonsi - Tornado
Blind Pilot - Keep you Right
The Apache Relay - Lost Kid
Radical Face - Welcome Home
Capital Cities - Safe and Sound (for a catchy upbeat one :)

Rock on my friends!

Today was a day.

We all have 'em. Some days are filled with happy moments of sunshine. And then there are days where those moments are nowhere to be seen. It sounds a bit depressing, but I guess it's just realistic. Family and friends help me find that sunshine, but sometimes I also think we're allowed to have "those days." Everyone has trials and everyone's pain is real, no matter what it may be for.

I absolutely love Mumford & Sons album "Sigh No More." One of my happiest moments was last summer with my family on a houseboat in California. While there we celebrated my sister's birthday. My brother gave her this album and we all danced around the houseboat listening to the album. During one particular upbeat song Brittney even danced an Irish jig. If you know my sister you would understand how uncharacteristic that is of her. We all laughed and totally got into the moment. I love thinking back on that glimpse of time. It was carefree. Happy. Full of sunshine.

But today the album spoke to me on a totally different level.

I've been dealing with some "stuff" lately. Some days it hurts a little more than other days. I got home from work a little early and was sitting on my couch feeling sorry for myself. "Forget this," I thought. I got in my car and drove to Target (why not?). On my way there, the song "After the Storm" by Mumford & Sons came on, and it literally brought me to tears. The melody and message was exactly what I needed to hear.

And after the storm,

I run and run as the rains come

And I look up, I look up,

on my knees and out of luck,

I look up.

Night has always pushed up day

You must know life to see decay

But I won't rot, I won't rot

Not this mind and not this heart,

I won't rot.

And I took you by the hand

And we stood tall,

And remembered our own land,

What we lived for.

And there will come a time, 

you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, 

but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see 

what you find there,

With grace in your heart 

and flowers in your hair. 

For My Music Lovin' Peeps

Oh how I enjoy falling in love with new music. Finding a new favorite album or artist is like Christmas morning. All three of these albums have been on repeat for a good while now. 

I do have to say the National // High Violet is probably my reigning favorite. I cannot get enough of that album. I gave it to Russ for our anniversary last July. We blasted the album as we drove from Sundance through the American Fork canyon (nothing like taking the long way home) and oooh-ed and awww-ed over the stormy summer clouds and reigning peaks of Mt. Timpanogos. It was slightly magical. That album has been my go-to ever since that night.

Have you heard of Spotify yet? If not you may be living under a rock. It's the best. Sign up (for free!) and listen to a few of these tracks before making any purchases. Other tracks that have been my recent favs:

* Radical Face - Welcome Home Son
* Ryan Adams - Dirty Rain
* The National - Exile Vilify, About Today, and Cherry Tree (like I said, slightly obsessed)
* Wilco - One Sunday Morning
* Bon Iver - Calgary (actually the whole Bon Iver album...)
* The Moon Song - Gregory Alan Isakov
* Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers
* Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out
* Gabe Dixon Band - All Will Be Well
* Radiohead - The Daily Mail
* The Black Keys - Howlin' For You
* Geographer - Night Winds
* Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up to Dry
* Jonsi - Tornado

Sorry for the music overload, but hopefully you find a few new songs that will make your Tuesday that much better. :)

Our Musical Addition

I'm sorry I left you all on a bit of a cliff hanger last week with our "new addition." That was probably annoying, and perhaps even more annoying if it is a bit anti-climatic to you. But to us this addition was a huge deal. We shopped around for months. We researched. We hunted the classifieds. We saved and saved. And finally, we brought home our new musical addition:

Please meet our lovely new piano. It is a Kawai US-50 upright grand piano. We think she is bea-u-tiful.

I am seriously in love. Growing up I played a lot of piano. Call it a bit dorky, but I would say it was my "sport" in high school. I spent lots and lots of hours with this instrument. So needless to say, I am a bit picky when it comes to playing on some pianos, let alone spending my own money on one. Some think we are crazy for buying a new piano, and that we should have just settled with a used one from Craigslist. Believe me, we tried some out, but none of them were "the one." We finally found this beauty at a little piano shop (which we would highly recommend!) that was selling this piano for more than 1/2 the price of the "big box" Kawai store. From the first song I played while testing it out, I knew it would be ours. 

I love that I can make music in our home once again. I have missed my time at the piano. Any emotion that I am feeling can be expressed on those keys. The guy who owned the shop we bought it from was telling me how a half an hour at the piano is worth more than an hour at the therapist. 

I couldn't agree more.

Recently

Hello again friends! It's been a while. Honestly, life has finally seemed to slow down a bit, but that doesn't mean I've been any better with blogging and taking pictures. My apologies, here's a few things we have been up to recently:

// Bringing some of my pins to life. We've all seen the overpriced metal letters at Anthropologie. I liked the look, but didn't want to fork out the money. I saw this tutorial on Pinterest and made these letters for just a few bucks. I'm still not positive where I will hang them (as is the case with the majority of my house right now), so for now they are just resting on the counter. It never hurts to have another reminder to EAT, right? :)

// Finishing the sprinklers and spreading our hydroseed! This means a few things -- first off, our grass is growing, and second, we are done working outside for the year! We now literally just sit back and pray the grass comes in. Russ stands on our porch multiple times a day to watch the fruits of his labors grow.

// Enjoying our new patio! We decided to put this patio in last minute, and we are so glad we did. Now all we need is a sweet outdoor table set. Sigh. One thing at a time.

// Rockin' out to new tunes, and in particular Coldplay's new album Mylo Xyloto. You better believe that Best Buy was the first place I went after work yesterday. I was smiling ear to ear the whole drive home. You guys, this album is amazing. Every Coldplay album is a new experience, and this one is full of energetic beats and catchy melodies. I foresee many of these songs being new favorites on the ol' running mix.

// Which brings me to my next point. I've been having lots of quality time with just me and the road as I've been training and preparing for yet another 1/2 marathon. The big day is this Saturday, and I'm just hoping for the best. My training started out great, but as the race has been getting closer my runs have been getting worse and worse. One word: FRUSTRATING. I did a 12 miler last week and just about died. Sigh. I sincerely believe running is just as much mental as it is physical, so I'm still feeling optimistic and am hoping for the best. :)

The Abbey Road Show

Last Friday night was the closest I would come to seeing the Abbey Road album played just like the Beatles did in 1969 -- from the rooftop. I was practically giddy all day long in anticipation of this event. Provo has started doing rooftop concerts the first week of the month, put on by C. Jane. Stuart and a few other guys from Fictionist played, as well as some other local musicians. What can be better than listening to some of the best music ever written performed on a roof with family, friends, pizza, perfect summer weather, Chinese lanterns, and my favorite Y Mountain in the background? Not a lot, I say. Not a lot.

I love summer evenings, so much. {Almost as much as I love the Beatles}. So you Utahns out there, try to catch the next one in August. It's sure to be a great time.

3 Things

There are 3 things that have made me a happy girl lately.

#1: Pinterest. I have a lot of free time (aka: still job hunting), but for some reason I do not have a lot of creative juices flowing. So frustrating. So imagine my excitement when I finally received my invitation to join Pinterest, the most addicting and inspiring online collaboration I've ever been a part of. You can browse oodles of inspiring pictures other people have "pinned" to their boards, including decorating ideas, crafts, foods, styles, vacation destinations, art, etc. I must warn you: it is highly addicting! But believe me, my creative wheels are spinning now.

This is a view into some of my "boards" I have created. I am still learning the ropes, but I like how it will help me remember all the cute ideas I see online that I usually forget about 10 seconds after I see them. You have to request an invitation, but I have some invitations I can send out, so let me know if you want one!

 #2: Reading. I absolutely love getting sucked into a book to the point where you want to squeeze in a few pages whenever you get a chance. I recently read The Help, and by golly, I could not put it down. It is based in Jackson, Mississippi during the height of the civil rights movement, when for some reason a woman's skin color defined how she was treated. It is such an eye-opening novel that allows you to fall head-first into the nitty gritty of the character's lives. When I finished the book I truly missed these women! I can't wait for the movie this summer.




#3: And last, but definitely not least, Adele. This girl has got some soul and I think it is safe to say she is somewhat of a modern-day Aretha. This CD is played on repeat in my car, and the melodies and lyrics run throughout my head for the rest of the day. If you're feeling rather uninspired in the music genre these days, I highly recommend picking up this album, 21, or any of her others. You won't be sorry!

Fictionist & Rolling Stone: ROUND 3!

I know you have been dying to hear an update about Fictionist and the Rolling Stone Competition. I guess the title gives it all away -- they made it to Round 3!!

 image via

 

This is huge, people. The competition started with 16 bands from around the country, and now they are in the final four. That's all good and great, but now we need to pull out the big guns. They are up against some pretty great bands, and the bands who make it to the next round get to perform at Bonnaroo Music Festival in June. For those who have never heard of Bonnaroo, it's a hit line-up music festival where you go around and listen to the best of the best play all day long. A music lover's dream. This year some of the headliners include Arcade Fire, Iron & Wine, Ray LaMontagne, Eminem, The Black Keys, Robert Plant (hello... Led Zeppelin anyone?), Alison Kraus, Mumford & Sons, Florence + The Machine, and LOTS more.

Take a few seconds, rate Fictionist "5 stars" using the widget below, or if you are in reader, clicking on THIS LINK. If you are feeling extra generous, go ahead and "like" them on Facebook or twitter, because believe it or not, these Rolling Stones guys are looking at every online avenue to who should be on the cover of such an iconic magazine. And last but not least, tell your friends!

And because you have endured endless rambling about Fictionist and Rolling Stone, I will treat you with a picture that makes me laugh every time. This is Stu on a farm we stayed at during a family trip to Australia. I get to post it because I took it, and well, it's S.I.L. duty to be annoying and tease the man who married my sister. Love you, Stu! :)

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

Oh hey blog land! Nice to see you again. I've been a little consumed this week with a combination of preparing taxes, helping Russel move, searching for houses online, running, and (attempting) sleep. It's Friday night, and instead of going home to an empty house I thought I would pass the time by walking around the mall. In the midst of trying on some clothes at J.Crew I can't afford, I looked in the mirror and thought, "dang girl, you look bad!!" The glossed-over, blood-shot eyes and greasy, unkempt hair look is so not cute. I can't wait for some much needed R&R.  Oh, and a hair cut.

It's April 15th, which normally would be a REALLY happy day for a tax accountant, that is except when Washington D.C. decides to throw off the whole system and have their only little "Emancipation Day." That leaves us accountants having one more weekend of chillin' by themselves and having taxes hanging over their heads rather than whisking off to Utah be with their husbands... oh wait, that's just this tax accountant. But you know what, life goes on! Which brings me to this song I've had in my head all week. Listen to it and tell me you don't think it's catchy. I dare you.

Play On!

Our neighborhood connects to a really large park. It's not your traditional park with lots of green grass (because San Antonio doesn't really have grass.. at least grass you want to sit in). But there is a huge network of trails for running, biking, walking, etc. The other night on my run I ran over some "graffiti." After thinking "ugh, those darn people that grafitti in this park... grumble grumble..." I looked a little closer to discover that it wasn't in fact graffiti, but a quote that brought a smile to my face:

As I ran on, that quote made me reflect on music and how influential it is in my life. I have always, always loved music. A lot of it I blame on my Dad (thanks Dad!). I am grateful for how one song can bring a complete change to your mood. This week has been a very "blah" week, mostly due to... you guessed it... work. So, I scouted out some new tunes that have successfully turned this frown upside down. Here are some of the new tunes (in no particular order) that I have been grooving to in my lovely corner in the "tax pit":

White Knuckles - OK Go

Kites - Geographer

Hummingbird - The Weepies

Normandie - Shout Out Louds

This Empty Northern Hemisphere - Gregory Alan Isakov

Don't Carry It All - The Decembrists

Only the Young - Brandon Flowers (loooooove this one)

 Normandie - Shout Out Louds

Off We Go - Trent Dabbs

Comes and Goes - Greg Laswell

The Ghost Inside - Broken Bells

Everything is Burning - Ivan & Alyosha

Giving Up the Gun - Vampire Weekend

Yellow Brick Road - Angus and Julia Stone

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Greg Laswell

Whew! Ok I'll stop there. I have a handful more, but I don't want to overload you. Go set up an account in Grooveshark and start groovin'! If you haven't heard of Grooveshark, you are missing out. It's like Pandora but BETTER. I put Pandora to rest a while ago. You can search for a specific song, listen to it, and make your own playlists. It will even do a random radio like Pandora, but I just like the fact that you can type in a song and get that song. What a thought, eh? Here's the best part... it's FREE! If you join, let me know and I can share this playlist with you so you don't have to search out each song. Or you can if you want to, cause that's also fun sometimes.

Anyway, one last song that has been in my head for a few days is brought on by the inevitable Jimmer-mania that has swept the country. I have always been proud to be a Cougar, but especially now as BYU is rockin' March Madness. What am I going to do when they play Gonzaga!?!? Conflicting loyalties... Spokane vs. BYU. Yikes. I think I'll have to go with BYU, especially since this song just rocks. Teach me how to Jimmer y'all.

Lunch Break Thoughts

My thoughts are all over the place right now. Let's just start out with a list shall we?

a) I'm loving that I can get in a 12 hour work day, drive home, and still have enough light to run for an HOUR outside. Not just a quick 20 minute run, I ran for a full hour before it got dark! This is a miracle. I can't wait to do it again tonight.

b) YAY for Emily!!! (You either do or do not know what I'm talking about, but I'll leave it at that).

c) How scary is all of this stuff in Japan? I think the fact that my little brother is over there makes me that much more aware. Thankfully, he is about 300 miles away from Sendai and is happy, healthy, and safe. His birthday was about a month ago, and I have still failed to get him something (what do you get a missionary who is about to come home?!?). I was about to take the title of "worst sister in the world," when I heard about this shirt where 100% of the proceeds go to the Salvation Army relief efforts in Japan. This is possible because a donor is covering the full production costs, allowing all of the profit ($20 per shirt) to be donated. Awesome! Happy Birthday, Jace. You are helping Japan.

.... and finally, the news I'm especially happy about ....

d) Fictionist made it to round two in the Rolling Stone competition! In case you missed this post, Fictionist is an amazingly talented and hip band that has been making quite the splash in the music scene lately. The front-man, Stuart Maxfield, also just happens to be my brother-in-law (and yes, I will always play the "I'm related to him" card). Anyway, they were one of the 16 bands selected to compete in a competition for Rolling Stone. The winner gets to be on the cover of the oh-so-popular magazine, a record deal with Atlantic Records, to play on Jimmy Kimmel live, and a bunch of other goodies. Because of people like you and me who rated them 5 stars, they were one of the 8 bands to advance to round 2. Well now it's even more serious, and we need you to vote some more (it's as easy as clicking the 5 stars below)! Help Fictionist get to round three, my friends. To find out more, go here.

Radiohead, Birthdays, Pirates, & Shaving. All In One.

I bought the new Radiohead album this weekend. It's AWESOME. The last four tracks of the album are my favorite. I have to admit, however, it has not yet topped "In Rainbows," the band's last album. I feel like all new Radiohead is always "out there," and takes time to get used to. It took a few months when it first came out, but now "In Rainbows" is one of my top favorite albums of all time. Yes, I actually said that.

Today is my little brother's birthday. He's turning 21!! I haven't seen him for over a year and a half, as he's serving a mission for our church in Japan, so obviously I miss him like crazy. As of late we have been trying to help him figure out where he'll be living at BYU when he comes back. It's phrases like this that make me miss Jace-face even more: "Those spots all sound really good, though I honestly don't care too much, because I think pretty much every spot will be more fun than I can possibly imagine at this point." Oh the optimism.


{Hey mom, you might want to skip this next paragraph} 


Speaking of missionaries, did you guys hear about the Christian missionaries that were attacked by Somalian pirates off the east coast of Africa yesterday?!? Yes... pirates. It's actually quite sad, because the pirates killed four of the missionaries on the ship. Luckily the Navy stepped in and saved the day. You can read about it here.

Ok, enough rambling. I need to get back to preparing taxes. I cannot wait. I will leave you girls with a little something to help with one of life's toughest decisions:

Fictionist & Rolling Stone Magazine

I'm so excited about this post. I've been seeing Fictionist all over blogland, and it makes me so happy.

I know you guys hear me talk about Fictionist like all the time. In addition to my family loyalty to Stuart, I sincerely think this band is one of the most talented group of musicians out there. Genuine talent. And not to mention a truly genuine group of guys. Before we moved to Texas I worked for the band and got to hang out with them a lot. Even though they look all tough below, honestly, all of these guys are ridiculously funny, sincere, and just down right good people.

On to the exciting news! If you're a Jimmy Fallon fan, you might have seen this Utah band's name read by Jimmy Fallon himself. (If you want to see the clip, click HERE)

Fictionist has been invited as 1 of 16 bands to compete in a national competition with Rolling Stone Magazine! Umm, hello! The winner of the competition would...

Be on the COVER of Rolling Stone magazine

Play live on the Jimmy Fallon show
Recording contract with Atlantic Records

It's all based on internet activity and buzz about the band. To help Fictionist make it to the next round, take a few seconds, GO HERE and rate the band "5 stars," like them on Facebook, or just promote them any way you would like. Go ahead and listen to a few of their songs below. "Before I'm Old" is one of my favorites. You can also come back and click on the 5 Stars in the little gadget below as much as your little heart desires.

Also, make sure to watch the new music video for "Treasure These Moments" (In the gadget above -- you can make it bigger by clicking on the diagonal arrows in the right hand corner of the video). A combination of Stuart in a monkey suit, Aaron's roller skates, Robbie using a guitar as a pinata, the local Sammie's burger joint I used to frequent quite often, and those amazing Utah mountains brings a big fat smile to my face.

Hue and Hum

You know when you have those friends who are incredibly talented in so many different ways that you kind of want to hate them? But then you can't, because they are some of the nicest, sweetest, most enjoyable people to be around? Yeah, I have a few of those friends, and they happen to be married. Please meet Caitlin and Robbie, otherwise known as Hue and Hum.

(Aren't they so cute? Don't you just want to be their friend? This is them with their adorable dog, Albus, of course)

He is Hum, because he is an amazing musician and the lead guitarist of a very talented band you may have heard me talk about before. 

She is Hue, because she creates some of the most inspiring and original art pieces I've ever seen. Mostly, I just can't wait to own one of her originals someday. This series is one of my personal favorites.

Well Caitlin's art is just what I'm here to talk about today. Caitlin had the fabulous idea of creating a few prints centered around Valentine's Day. Her art is already incredibly reasonably priced, but here's the kicker with these Valentine's prints: you pay what you want. Yes, that's right. You decide how much you would like to donate for the print. Again, you can pay as little or as much as you want. Genious, no? I wish every store had this option.

Both prints are mixed media. I just looooove the colors. They're beautiful, no? She has two prints available: a "lover-tine" and a "friend-tine," if you will. You know, just so you don't leave anyone out that you love for this "Valen-tine's" day :)

So hop on over to their blog and show 'em some love, become a follower, be their friend. Robbie is constantly putting up free music and Caitlin never stops making amazing original art and handmade crafts. Where can you go wrong?

Hello Again, Sandy

February is here in full force! I couldn't be happier about it. January seemed to crawl by, so I'm feeling optimistic about this month of looooove. In order to help the time pass a little quicker tonight, I dusted off an old friend. I'm not quite sure why it's been so long since I brought out good ol' Sandy, but it has. A few years perhaps. But I miss playing music so bad. Until the blessed day when I own my very own piano, playing Sandy will have to do.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I even remembered a few of my favorites, including the lovely Beatles tune, Blackbird. Playing music is therapeutic. I love it. You may be wondering why I am calling this guitar Sandy. I bought this guitar in high school for $15 from one of my best friend's little brothers, Zak Nelson. (Yes, Rach... that's your little bro!) He had already named and branded this lovely guitar with the name of Sandy, and luckily I thought it fit.

Driving home from the gym tonight, the church outside of our neighborhood had the simple phrase "Opportunity Knocks" on it's sign. I couldn't agree more. Opportunities are always around the bend, and I have a feeling we're on the verge of something great. There's that optimism again. :)

Speaking of the gym, I've had some uber sore muscles lately. I am currently sitting on an ice pack, which is rather unpleasant for my behind, especially with the bitter temperatures outside. Yes, I live in Texas, but believe me the 20 degree weather penetrates deep to the bones with that dang humidity. In fact, weather.com says it feels like 10 degrees. So I guess I'm not that much of a weakling. Ok, moving on.

In closing, one of my favorite songs popped into my head today at work, and I haven't been able to get it out all day. It takes me back to the summer we got married, before we moved to Texas. We went to downtown Salt Lake City for the free "summer concert" series with my sister, her husband, and friends. Such a happy day. We stuck out the crowds and saw Bon Iver put on an amazing show.

So my friends, here's to good music, knocking opportunities, the month of loooooove, optimism, and staying warm. I hope you enjoy.

Apparently he has not made an official video... but luckily I thought this video fit the song perfectly.