Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
sorry i missed you all last monday! i was busy. playing.
we’re keeping it close to home again, friends. our dear dear friend joshua hyslop has just released his album! we’ve been waiting awhile for this one and he’s been teasing us releasing songs over the past few months. i had the absolute privilege of photographing josh and his beautiful woman, julia, before they were wed last summer. my jaw still drops thinking of that evening.
without further ado, here’s josh (p.s. you know you’re famous when youtube adds a commercial to the beginning of your music video):
go buy his album “where the mountain meets the valley”. do it now!
Tags: music monday, nettwerk, where the mountain meets the valley
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Monday, May 7th, 2012
staying in the hawaiian spirit…(which is where i am right now…don’t be jealous, it’s not that awesome…fingers crossed), i figured i’d share a little ukelele goodness from my friend jordan klassen. not only is he an amazing musician, he’s an all around nice guy. enjoy…and don’t think about me drinking mai tais on the beach watching the sun set. because i don’t drink.
Tags: go to me, jordan klassen, music monday
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Monday, April 30th, 2012
oh fiona, where have you been?? more flashbacks to an angstier time in my life…it’s funny because i always wondered why people are so attached to music/voices from their youth. i still don’t have an answer to that, but i realize i’ve become one of those people. I AM ONE OF THEM. and i’m okay with that. because the music of my youth is rad.
Tags: fiona apple, music monday
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Monday, April 23rd, 2012
i have to admit, i was kinda prejudiced against this band when i first heard about them because i really didn’t like their name. i know, i’m ridiculous. but after hearing their music on multiple occasions through different sources, they’ve won me over.
**warning** this post is about my faith. so if you’re kind of like “hey, i like her photos, but don’t really want to hear about her personal life” you might want to skip this.
i am being made new. something which i am, everyday, grateful for. because the thing is…i’m messed up. i’m jealous and petty and annoying and deceitful and impatient. i fail my family. i screw stuff up. all the time.
i have days like today when something (which does not need to be outlined here) frustrates me and instead of moving on, i dwell and stew and think ill thoughts and develop that heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. and that now makes it MY problem, which it never was in the first place. and so, i put this song on replay and i listen over and over until it starts to sink in. i am being made new. i just need to choose to walk in the grace that has been offered to me. and in that grace, i can be patient and loving and self-controlled and gracious in return. what a sweet deal.
Tags: beautiful things, gungor, music monday
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Monday, April 16th, 2012
you know that feeling when you “discover” a band that not many people know and you make it your mission to tell all your friends about how amazing they are and you go see them live at a small, intimate venue and you really want them to do well…and then they do something that makes them popular and suddenly you kind of wish that they had stayed small and beautiful and that you were the only one that knew about them so you could be secretly serenaded by them without it being “cool” to like them? or is that just me?
that’s this band for me. got to see them twice last year (proof i was there) and though i truly am very happy that their music is being heard by more than just me, i still kind of wish we could rewind back to before the grammy’s…and the hunger games soundtrack…and when i googled them, information about actual civil wars was number one…and it could just be me listening to them in my cold, dark basement office sweetly satisfied that i had “discovered” them.
Tags: music monday, the civil wars
Posted in just for fun 3 Comments »
Monday, April 9th, 2012
this past week i had the opportunity to speak to a group of women who want to learn how to take better pictures. i felt nervous and inadequate and excited all at the same time and really had no idea what would come of my time with them. of course i was hoping they would learn something and that i could share a little bit of my own journey with them. i started off the evening by asking them what inspires them. because really, i believe that you can have all the technical expertise in the world, but that is not necessarily what makes a beautiful picture. what makes a picture stand out to me is when it tells a story or conveys love…when there’s heart involved.
all that to say, this question started to stir something in the hearts of these women. even if they didn’t share on the spot. i received a lovely e-mail from leanna the day after the workshop and was moved by what she had to share. if you have a moment, please check out her blog – she wrote a post about her inspiration and her hope and her love. i never knew asking a simple question would have this effect, but i was so glad it did!
if you live in the fraser valley and are interested in connecting with other moms who are learning how to use their cameras, check out this group! or if you want to arrange a time that i could meet with you/a group of your friends to do some small group mentoring, send me an e-mail. i love to help people take better pictures of their family.
as for something else that is inspiring…how about this?! my kids have probably single handedly added 200 views to this video (as i was posting, josiah heard it from the other room and came running).
Tags: moms with a camera, music monday
Posted in just for fun 2 Comments »
Monday, April 2nd, 2012
cliff and i have been taking guitar lessons. i know how to read music and spent 3 solid years of my adolescence playing the ukelele, but have never really known how to play guitar. i always thought i’d just teach myself. and well, you know how that is.
so when our friend mark offered his services to facebook land, we jumped at the opportunity. i have been a less than ideal student (rarely practising), but i’ve loved picking up some chords and watching my fingertips callous.
mark is an awesome teacher and a wonderful musician. he was the opening act at cliff’s variety show on saturday night and was a big hit. he also recently finished recording his album which will be released soon. can’t wait!
Tags: mark walters, music monday
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Monday, March 26th, 2012
this is a lady i’ve been listening to since high school (much to my poor mother’s shagrin). i only put her on when cliff’s out of the house…i took him to see her at a folk festival when we were still dating and the abundance of hairy armpits and lack of brassieres made him very uncomfortable.
all that to say, she spoke (speaks) to me. i could do without some of the dirty talk, but the thing was that she was pretty real. especially in a time when not much else seemed to be.
and now we’re in an era when we feel safe and equal when the reality can be quite the opposite. we need people like ani and my big sister to gently (and sometimes not so gently) remind us of those who are not safe and are not treated equally and remember that we too have a voice and can create change. so let’s go make change, shall we?
(i prefer to just minimize the window and listen to the lyrics on this one. but that’s just me. or maybe just go read melissa’s blog while you listen)
(if you haven’t heard much about trayvon martin, do some reading…i know it’s american news and america is so much bigger and badder than we are up here in cozycanadia – insert tongue in cheek here – but it’s good to be informed and aware and then to do something with the information you have)
how’s that for an uplifting start to the week?!
Tags: ani difranco, music monday, trayvon martin
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Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
this week we’re coming at you with a throw back to my youth. picture me. fourth grade. working on a socials project with my best friend, stacey. i had a huge crush on a this boy named robbie who had those bangs that stuck up in front of the brim of his hat – you know what i’m talking about. we popped in this tape and recorded the timing so that we could rewind it to precisely the beginning of this song. over and over again. i think we listened to it 34 times in a row that day. you can understand why.
today was the first time i ever watched the video. my fourth grade self definitely didn’t sense the eastern european connection, but you know. i was young. song still gives me chills.
Tags: music monday, roxette
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