A Sunday to Remember

Noah, Lisa, Brian Vander Ark, Scott, Mason and Katherine after the show. (And I thought I was short compared to Scott!)

We had the best time this past Sunday! The weather was perfect after a very stormy night. The company was delightful and the music was awesome! We discovered some months ago that singer/songwriter Brian Vander Ark (lead of The Verve Pipe) was doing a second summer of his "Lawnchairs and Living Rooms" tour featuring his solo work as well as any requests from The Verve Pipe albums. After a short discussion, Scott and I decided that it was just too good of an opportunity to let pass. So we contacted his manager, and luckily secured one of the slots for the tour. After the date was selected we set up a time and then I created the playlist of requests, to which Brian graciously played as well as adding an on-the-fly rendition of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" that was fabulous.

We invited neighbors and friends as well as the school staff as well. The principal, Doug, of the elementary school that my kids attend is fantastic, not only knowing every child's name but truly knowing them besides. You'll hear him during the day saying things to a kid as he walks to his bus like "Hey Mark! How was your t-ball game?" And he honestly wants to know the answer. The kids love the guy and we have always found every answer we needed and every measure of help requested, so we all feel lucky to have him. Of course, he was invited to the event, and he and his wife attended.

When Doug arrived Brian was tuning his guitar and didn't see him right away. Of course I didn't think anything of it. Moments later I am busy getting hummus out of the refrigerator and I hear them excitedly "HEY MAN! OH WOW! It's been forever!" and happy hugs follow. It turns out, the school principal is related to Brian Vander Ark. They are cousins and played together a lot as kids. We're thinking this will only help Doug's street cred with the kids.

Anyway, the concert was really wonderful. Brian laughingly called me out as "a bit of a rebel" based on my set list. Hahaha! Those who know me know that there may be a wee bit of truth in that. We were lamenting the dreams of living in cities or edgier places full of creative inspirations and support. Then you have kids and you just don't want some guy asking your 3 year old for that gumball quarter, or dealing with the myriad of other priorities parenthood requires you to readjust. So, as parents we both ended up in 'the burbs'. GASP. He has a great song referring to it: Lily White Way, and if you haven't heard it, take a listen through his website http://www.brianvanderark.com/ . It received huge applause as well as hearty laughter throughout the song.

To any who live in West Michigan (Kzoo Mom of 2...listen carefully), he's doing a show with the full band, and his singer/songwriter wife, Lux Land, on January 24, 2009, at the Rockford Fine Arts Center. My kids are already saying "So, we're going, right?!"

Brian, Noah and Scott admiring kids singing post show. Yay! I love huggy people!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things...

"You are a Jewel"

~A favorite Kenyan compliment

Rediscovering old (meaning precious like a gem stone, not aged...whew! Did I make it out of that one ok?) friends is such fun. A friend of mine since, well, at least 8th grade has always had a way of being about to make me laugh when I was sad or grumpy; listened better than almost anyone, and managed to look classy and cool even when she's falling flat on her face or making fun of herself. I am so thrilled to discover that nothing has changed! I have started reproducing my blogs on a blogspot page to keep in better touch. And, I've found that it's a tad easier to post things here in the first place. She was always great at subltly pointing out a new way of doing things (ok, sometimes not so subltly either) and her advice was always excellent. I've been enjoying her blogs under the name "Just My Type" (check link on my sidebar) and wondering what I've done for the past many years without her laughter.


My family is enjoying "meeting" her also. My husband quickly noted how similiarly we write and how our senses of humor are so much alike. My daughter thinks she is just amazingly fun and cool. And she loves learning how it was T who taught me how to shave my legs and other girly stuff like that. She's entering that stage soon, so she relates that friendship bonds like this are indeed important, especially once boys start getting involved. My youngest son seems to like her and her daughter's blonde good looks....which is no surprise as he was always shamelessly hitting on only the blonde waitresses in restaurants starting at age 9 months or so. My middle son smiles when I read things and show him posts because he sees me happy and laughing and anyone who makes his mom do that is tops in his book.

Each day I try to sneak a little time to read some of her old posts so that I can catch up on her world. I feel like no time has gone by and that's simultaneously amazing and not a surprise. There was one thing that I can always say was true about each of us: we were always ourselves. And if someone else didn't like that, oh well! We're still always ourselves and that is something we can each be proud of in this world. Teaching our kids to be like that too, by example, is probably one of the best gifts we can give them.



Today I came across a blog that's a funny list of things she "can't live without". Now, of course we all CAN live without these things, but damn it, we don't want to! :-) She stipulated that this is a list of "THINGS" so no loved ones or anything like virtues or things like "freedom" will show up on the list. As she said "So let me keep this petty and materialistic, because it's more fun that way." HA! Ok.. Onward we go!

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  My special set up of three pillows: 2 memory foam side sleeper Beautyrest; 1 buckwheat hull---arranged in a very specific order than can be deciphered even in the dark. This is not to be messed with. My darling husband has been awoken in the night to the low growl of "you have one of my pillows".
  
• My "Combo" for headaches: Two Excederin plus 2 Pseudofed (off-brand ok..but not that new fake pseudofed because it just doesn't work). Take at onset of a bad headache, especially if you're prone to migraines like me--or sinus headaches that wipe you out. This works so well that my Mom, my cousins and my Aunt use this Combo along with friends they tell. My neurologist and D.O. both have written the "Combo" down because it logically makes sense to them that it would work so well, and it's probably safer than a lot of other medicines. So, now I share with you. I do not leave home without components to create the Combo. I do realize that I might be making a mini-meth lab in my body but hell, it gets rid of headaches! Migraine sufferers would do just about anything to get relief.




• Diet cola: I know this stuff is probably going to kill me. It's my major vice. I've got to cut back. Oddly, I never even drank diet cola until I wanted to lose weight after my 3rd child was born. I'd never been on a diet and I used Weight Watchers points system (no meetings, just home) and a regular cola was a lot of points out of my day. So it all started with the diet. Arrrggg...




• Red Wines: I am not snobby with my reds really, because I've learned that fantastic wine can come in variety of prices, depending on locale and grape type. Give me Cabs and Merlots, even Pinot Noirs, but also other things like Shiraz and some blends. My favorite to bring to a gathering is "Menage A Trois" just for the label shock factor. :D It's a blend of three grapes...really! And, it's pretty good. My favorite wine is Silver Oaks cabernet. With its price, it's definitely a special occassion wine. And also I love Chateau Musar, a Lebanese wine which can only be picked during the calmer political times but is simply amazing. The ancient temple of Bacchas is located in Lebanon for a very good reason!




• Dark Chocolate: Always was and always will be my first love. (Yes T, even above Matt Dillon--- now, Matt Dillon slathered in dark chocolate....hmmmmm....there is a thought!)




• Air Conditioning: I HATE being too hot. I mean I really hate it. I do not cool down. Something is wrong with my heating and cooling system. I just don't sweat like I should. Oh that SOUNDS great, but it's not. I just keep getting hotter and hotter and hotter...my skin turns redder (starting with face) and then I get woozy. I have had heat exhaustion/heat stroke more times than probably anyone you know. So, Air Conditioners and me...we're close.




• Cat Walk brand Curls Rock Curl Booster: I have the weirdest hair. It's bi-polar, I swear. It's somewhere in between straight and curly. It can never decide what it truly wants to be. Perhaps it's just non-committal. However, I want a committment. Pick a lane. I don't even much care which lane. As I get older I notice I am doing what my dad's mother's hair reportedly did: it's getting redder (from a brown with dark auburn highlights to light auburn). That is fine. It fits my complexion. And, just to be fair, my hair seems to be doing what my mom's mother's hair did as she aged: got curlier. That thrills me because it's getting close to picking a lane. This Curls Rock stuff is great! It's Incredible! It even says so on the label --in english and in french "C'est Incroyable!" And for once, packaging doesn't lie. I can shower at night, which works better with schedules, and just air dry with a few squirts of this. Then spritz a little more on after brushing in the morning and VOLIA! I have nice organized curls that stay that way all day! I don't even need hairspray unless it's excessively humid. At $14 a bottle (that lasts me about 3 weeks) it better be good.



• DHC Olive Oil skin care products: This stuff is fabulous! The whole company started based on it's Olive Oil skin care line. It's based out of Japan, but the olive oil is grown and extracted in Spain then processed again for purity and such in a lab in Japan. I think they direct it through California to the US. Ladies around the world have been using olive oil forever as a beauty aid. Here is why it works: People get pimples and an overproduction of oil because of cleaning our faces so much that our skin panics at the dryness and goes haywire. It produces much more oil than necessary then, causing all kinds of problems. One of the solutions is to wash with a gentler material, and follow up with something that matches our skin oil as best as possible. Guess what? One of those happens to be olive oil! (Try it on dry ends of hair too for shine! Wowza! What a difference one drop makes!) So, my serious addiction is as follows:

1. Deep Cleansing Oil: you wash and look up to see your skin looking immediately healthier!


2. Olive Virgin Oil: one drop in palm of hand; rub palms together; pat on face gently.


3. White Sunscreen SPF 25: I never go out without it. And it's a great lotion besides.


4. Velvet Skincoat: wear under any makeup and it not only gives a silky smooth texture to work on, but pefects skin, and holds make up on longer! You can even put it on lightly under eye shadow to keep that on longer. I tend to wear it instead of any foundation or powder because it gives a matte finish. A little goes a long way, as with all their products (which is good because they are pricey).

***If anyone wants a catalogue, I can put your name and address in. They come with free samples in the catalogues too. :-D

• Vintage silky slips: My final "A few of my Favorite Things" item. I am addicted to collecting and wearing these to bed. There just isn't anything more comfortable. Hubby has nary a complaint either.

***Thanks for the fun Just My Type !