Park City Concert

The band would like to thank the Academy.... oh, wait...
They really would like to thank the folks at McPolin Elementary School who invited them to come perform last Saturday. They also want to thank Steve from musicgarage for hooking us up with the show. What a fun fundraiser event! The kids played two sets - swapping time with some of the kids from The Paul Green School of Rock. Alex the guitarist's mom invited them to join us. It worked out wonderfully! Our kids don't QUITE have four hours worth of music to play.... yet!

The girls came with us. They hit the stage to sing back-ups and do a little "hair flinging" during the kid's cover of Bonzo Goes to Bitburg. The kids talked Andres (their Roadie) into singing the Spanish backup vocals on Should I Stay or Should I go. The stage is getting fuller!

Keenan sang, Alex sang, Erin sang, Andres sang... and Miah took the mic for his first performance on vocals. He did a great job! He was extra nervous having Ashlee there, but he did it anyway. Good job Miah!

The weather was gorgeous - sunburns excluded! We had a fun day, with great music, and good people. Here's hoping we do it again soon!

The Best Raccoon Photo!

Two posts in one day... a new record for me! I was tickled to discover this morning that my husband finds his way here to read my blog sometimes. (Hi Honey!) He asked me why I didn't post "the best raccoon picture. The one where it's hanging out of the ceiling?" So, here is the BEST raccoon picture!

Wedding Details

My cousin Colby is married to his beautiful bride, Nakita. The wedding was beautiful. My uncle's backyard is wonderful.... with a lovely stream running through it. The weather was perfect, and the day ran very smoothly with very few things going not as planned. I took a TON of photos, and Erin took a bunch as well. We ended up with some pretty decent shots, I think! These are some of the "detail" shots:

Band T-Shirts

What a fun toy! We bought a personal screen printing press to make t-shirts for the band. It is so fun! Of course... there is quite a large learning curve I'm working through right now, but I feel like I'm getting better with each try.

We gave shirts to the kid's friends when they came to Discount Music to see Depraved Indifference play at the end of the drum student recital. (Erin has been a student there since the fifth grade!)

We just adore the fans! We hope everyone can sport their band tees with us in Park City next weekend. Assuming, of course, we get a time from the concert promoters soon!

ROCK ON!

Wedding Day

Colby and Nakita are married! It was a beautiful wedding... the weather was fabulous, the line was beautiful, everything worked pretty much as planned. Erin was my diligent helper... she shot 9 rolls of film! I can't wait to see her shots. She is a very creative girl, and she has an eye for interesting compositions. What did Erin think about putting in a 13 hour day on her first "shoot"? Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words:

Depraved Indifference Band Photos

The kids have made a break from the Academy and are "being a REAL band" these days. With the break came a new band line up. Miah's best friend moved from being the band's biggest supporter to the band's front man. He does a fabulous job on the mic, and of course, the kids already think of him as their "brother from another mother" so the transition has been a breeze. They are sounding better than ever! They have three shows coming up (check the Upcoming Events Sidebar if you're a friend or family member who wants to join us.... we love company!) and we decided they needed some new photos with the REAL band members. This is what we came up with:
We didn't intentionally dress them to match.... it just worked out that way! I just said "dress nice"... they did :)

Today's project: We're screen printing T-Shirts for their fans to wear to their upcoming shows. Let me know if you're a fan... we'll hook you up! ;)

A Few of My Favorite Things

1.) My fabulous group of intelligent and charming "foodie" friends.
2.) Being a "foodie" myself.
3.) Deciding what to take to our inaugural get-together.
4.) Tying on my apron.
5.) Climbing up on the counter top to pull my mortar and pestle down from the cupboard top.
6.) My mortar and pestle.
7.) Grinding spices to create a wonderful marinade for the lamb, chicken, pork and beef kebabs I've decide sound like the perfect dish.
8.) The way all of my supplies "matched" while they were sitting out on the counter top.
9.) The fact that cooking gives me a way to create something that is so pleasing in so many ways - olfactorily, visually and palatally.
10.) Sharing not only my dish, but my friend's even better dishes as well while enjoying their wonderful company!

I am the Mean Lady

Our raccoon saga continues!

We called the exterminator, who - after having been paid hundreds of dollars - put a chemical "bomb" inside the ceiling with the naughty Mommy Raccoon and her four little offspring. We thought this would have the effect of being so smelly to Mommy that she would bundle up her little babies and move to less smelly pastures. And move she did.... to the other side of the roof, into a new and finely appointed nest over the kitchen. The exterminator let me know that this is "unusual" behavior in a Mommy Raccoon, and back they came to install a trap on the roof, with the hopes that Mommy would be trapped as she left her new lodgings to find food. It was later in the evening when they put the trap out, and as it turns out, Mommy was already out and about scavanging the trash cans by the time the job was done.

Unfortunately - for us, and also for them - Mommy left the 'kids' home to fend for themselves that evening. Another call to the exterminator.... and another ceiling adventure.

I had to reassure the two young pest-catchers that I was much more comfortable with a(nother!) hole in the ceiling than I was with the idea of the four little babies dying and decomposing over my kitchen! It was hard work - that required a HUGE pair of tongs, I might add - but soon enough, the babies were extracted and caged. Now - enter my heartbreak. The little babies were so cute... and scared. I feel like a baby killer! Looking into their frightened little eyes and listening to them cry for their Mommy.... torture. I'm sure the two pest-catchers had no idea how to handle a sobbing me as I tried to comfort the little progeny of the PEST that ate through my ceiling. I tried to reassure the little fellas that it wasn't their fault that their Mommy made a bad choice!

This is the sad little face that brings tears to my eyes. Yes, those do look like little frightened tears in his eyes to me... making me feel like I AM the mean lady!