Well, I have to admit that I have probably set the record for the longest break from a “daily” blog post. Many of you probably wondered if I would ever return. To be honest, so did I! 🙂 Once you get out of a routine, it is sure hard to get back into it. If it had not been for the prodding of many people (including being given the assignment yesterday to “post on your blog!!” from my daughter), my break may have continued.
Life has been crazy and it amazes me that I have not posted in 3 months! It all started with my visit to China where I was without access to most of the internet pages that I needed – WordPress, YouTube, Facebook – and so I was not able to post. I returned home to the holidays, kids home from school, vacations, medical issues, and … here we are today.
So, I am taking the plunge and starting to write again. I have NOT taken a break from music over these last few months, so I still have a lot to share with you. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope this song let’s you know that I am still here and “I’m Good!”
I have posted songs by The Mowgli’s before and I love their sound. They are just so cool and their music makes me happy. This song really resonated with me – I love the beat and the lyrics are fantastic too. This is their new single from their upcoming album, Kids in Love. The single is available now and the album has an expected release date in early April. Enjoy!
Well, I am sorry, but I am jumping on the Taylor Swift bandwagon with today’s song. I honestly have been singing this song since the first time I heard the sneak preview on October 20 from Ryan Seacrest. I love the sound (very 80s) and it just seemed like the perfect theme song for my current life adventure.
Almost a month ago we got an apartment in NYC. As you know, we had some major life changes over the past few months and quite unexpectedly my husband and I became empty-nesters a couple of years earlier than anticipated. (We keep saying that we are either doing something very right … or something very wrong. My daughter left home at 16 to attend college, and then my son left home at 15 to attend a golf boarding school. Holy cow!) Anyway, I realized that the sudden change was going to be more than I could stomach. I just could not imagine myself sitting out in our big, quiet home all by myself. Moving into the city seemed like the perfect plan for a new adventure.
The minute I saw our apartment, I knew it was where I wanted to be. I love the view and I love being in the thick of the action.
I love New York City! I love the energy, I love the diversity, I love the chaos, I love the excitement, and, of course, I love the music. I guess that I would have to say I understand the thrill of the city that this song exudes.
I went to visit my son for his 16th birthday a few days before we were scheduled to move into the apartment and his first comment to me was, “Well, it sure didn’t take you long to replace me!” Ouch! Obviously he understood my reason for heading into the city was in part due to the loss of having him at home. He wasn’t far off, but as it turns out, it has been much more than that. My husband and I have been having a fabulous time. We are certainly enjoying this new adventure together even more than we thought we would. We still have not exactly figured out the logistics of our life, but I am sure that will come. 😉
Well, I have survived my first few days of being an empty nester … an empty nester much too early! 🙂
Last week I dropped my son off at his new high school – a golf academy in South Carolina. I never thought that I would ever send one of my children away from home to a boarding school for high school, but here I am. It was a very quick decision and my emotions have been all over the place the last several weeks. I am sure if you look at the last few songs I have posted, you will be able to tell where my head has been. I really, really like my kids and I love to be with them, so how did I let one leave home at 16 for college and one leave at 15 for boarding school? What am I thinking?
I got home Thursday night and I woke up Friday and told myself that I had the day to be sad. So I listened to all the songs that would let me wallow in my sadness. Just to give you a quick idea of the emotional pit I was digging, the songs included: “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift, “Poems, Prayers and Promises” by John Denver, and “When I’m With You” by Ben Rector. That last one by Ben Rector has been on repeat for the last four days! If you don’t think music can impact your emotions, I challenge you to listen to those songs. A friend of mine told me on Friday, “…I think you are going to have to give yourself more than one day to be sad!” Obviously she is right, but I am certainly trying not to be actively sad.
I am happy to report that my son is very happy and the school seems to be a great fit for him. That makes me happy! I am very proud of him and the decision that he has made. I just know that I really miss him and the house sure seems empty without him here. I thought I would have him home with me for two more years, and just like that he is gone.
All organized in his new room.
Home away from home.
His outdoor classroom (the indoor one isn’t as pretty)! 😉
I love this song by Saint Raymond and I have been waiting for a day to post it. Saint Raymond is the stage name for Callum Burrows, a very young (only 19!) and talented, British singer-songwriter. Burrows is from Nottingham in the UK. He released his debut EP, Escapade, in early 2013 on Gabrielle Aplin’s (another of my favorite young British artists) Never Fade Records label; two more EPs followed in early 2014. I think we will be hearing much more from Saint Raymond – he has a fabulous sound with great harmonies, cool beats, and interesting lyrics. He is another new artist that has a sound reminiscent of the 80s. Even more exciting, he will be supporting one of my very favorites, Ed Sheeran, on his UK, Ireland, and European arena tour this fall. If there is something that will rocket Saint Raymond onto every playlist, that would be it! I know that you will like his sound.
I have to tell you that the video is the reason that I am posting this song today. It kind of feels like my life right now. Once you watch it, I am sure you will understand. Sometimes I don’t know if I am making the right decision, but when it comes down to it … I have to make a decision and jump. My kids have lived a life full of adventure, change, and challenge and they have risen to all of it. They have a very strong sense of self and embrace life to the fullest. So, how do you say “no” when they are ready for something that maybe I wasn’t ready for … the answer for me was ‘You Don’t.’ My heart is heavy right now, but what a ride as they chase their dreams and I dive in after them as we all enter the next new adventure.
With just a few minutes to post tonight, I wanted to give you a great song to help start off your weekend. This is a playful, cool song with a really fun beat.
This song is by Charli XCX (Charlotte Emma Aitchison), an English singer-songwriter who started writing songs at the age of 14. This song is on The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack – which, by the way, is an amazing soundtrack with an incredible list of songs and artists. (I have not yet seen the movie, but I absolutely loved the book.)
My son was playing the soundtrack earlier this week while we were driving in the car and this song just became one of my very favorites. I’m sure this “Boom Clap” will be the sound in my ears when my alarm goes off at 4am tomorrow morning! Yikes!
I am finally getting around to posting again. It has been a very spotty summer for me with this blog. This is another one of those crazy weeks, but I really feel that it will be good for me to get back on track.
My daughter left for China yesterday. She is doing a semester abroad in Shanghai and it was so weird to ship her off until Christmas. Although she has been away from home for two years in college, it just feels so far away now! Life changes too quickly. This has been the first year where it has really hit me that my little girl is growing up. I already miss her and am so grateful for wifi and international texting because I am not sure I could bear not being able to chat with her.
On top of that, my son was offered a spot at a Golf Academy for high school. We visited the school this summer thinking that we were looking at it as a potential post-graduate year after high school and then, within a two-week time-frame, he decided to go away to school THIS year. I went from thinking I was going to have my son home with me for two more years, to having my son home with me for three short weeks. I can’t even begin to express how much I am going to miss my buddy.
So, talk about a busy summer – my emotions have been all over the place! Lots of big life changes. Who knew that by the ages of 15 and 18, both of my kids would be moving out of our home and changing my life so completely. Although life will be different for me, I am happy that both of my children are pursuing their dreams and experiencing so many exciting life adventures. Time for new adventures for me as well.
I am posting a song today by one of my favorite artists. I love Ben Rector! This song is from his 2013 album, The Walking In Between. Ben Rector writes incredible songs and totally captures “the moment.” This song makes me think of my family and this particular moment of ours. On Monday, we were all home together – a family of 4. By Tuesday morning, we had become 3, and in just a few more days … we will be 2. I love my family and being with them brings a purpose to my life that I never expected. Enjoy this fabulous song.
Today is my anniversary. 24 years ago today I married my best friend! That is a long time and I feel very lucky that we found each other so many years ago. We have known each other since he was 15 and I was 16 years old and we have literally grown up together. We realized some time ago that we have been together longer than we were ever without each other. It is amazing how fast the time flies. I find that this is the perfect song today because life really is better with him.
Just wanted to post a quick song today. I really like this song and have been looking for a day to share it. No riptides in sight, but we went for a big long walk down along the beach today and the tide was so far out it was incredible. So .. low tide, riptide …. sometimes the connections are weak. 🙂
This song is by Vance Joy (real name, James Keogh), a young Australian singer-songwriter from Melbourne. Keogh picked the name, “Vance Joy” from the Australian author, Peter Carey’s novel, Bliss. The song was his breakthrough and was not only on his first EP, God Loves You When You’re Dancing, in 2013, but led to his 5-Album Atlantic Records deal and will be on his debut studio album, Dream Your Life Away, in September of this year. The song has been a huge hit across the globe and I think we will see much more of Vance Joy in the days to come. He is incredibly talented and just a nice, down-to earth guy. He has been touring constantly this year and just finished performing at Lollapalooza. He will be opening his own US headliner tour in Dallas in October.
