Goodbye City Life!

My Yaya Cousin gave me this great idea of starting this new regular blog title. I've blogged a few times about how much I am loving country life, but I email about it even more. My email friends are probably getting sick hearing about the elk and turkeys and other fun things we're experiencing. But today was a different experience. As much I as I want to be a true country girl, I'm afraid I have a long way to go.



Just after I got done writing an email about how much I love country life (eleven turkeys crossed the road today while I was out running!) I went into the kitchen to pick up a little and hear something in my garbage!!





I freaked, ran out of the kitchen and called Brent's sister, the true country girl. She offered to come over and save me from impending doom. I slowly came to my senses, carried the garbage to the garage, carefully but quickly took out the bag and threw it into the dumpster. whew! And after all that I'm not sure there was anything there to begin with. I never heard it again. Who knows. But now I'm so jumpy, the wind blew in through the window, my paint chips moved, and I about wet my pants!

things that make me go, "ahhh...."

Carin took these awesome pictures of the girls. I love them!! I'm keeping my eye out for cheap, big frames that I can put them in with a big mat. But for now, these are frames I already had and I painted them black.




Our freshly painted front door.

Paint chips!! Don't you just love paint chips?! We're getting closer to the point of finally painting our house. Even the girls have mentioned being tired of the whiteness on every wall. (Refer back to first two photos.) I get giddy just thinking about it!!

Esperanza

Once in a great while you come across someone exceptional. extraordinary. sensational. incredible. A few months ago a friend saw her on David Letterman and sent me the youtube link to watch. Normally I don't really care for the musical guests on Letterman's show. But knowing this friend, knowing her taste, and knowing that she knows me, I was eager to watch and listen, knowing I would not be disappointed. But what I didn't know was that I would be entranced. She was amazing. I immediately started searching on youtube for more. I couldn't get enough.

So you can imagine my reaction when I read on her website that she was going to be performing at the Detroit International Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend. We went together, my friend and me. We got there early and sat in the front row. We watched her and her band set up.





And we listend through her soundcheck.

She is such an amazing talent, this petite, beautiful girl.

If you've never heard Esperanza, you must search her on youtube, and go to her website http://www.esperanzaspalding.com/

I couldn't resist taking this picture.

Be on the lookout for this one. She's sure to be a household name someday. Go buy her disc!

Quiet Morning

I'm up early on a Saturday morning, which means I'm up alone. It's dark and quiet, except for the rain. I love the sound of rain. And remember several posts ago I took this picture of the elk farm near my house? Well, ever since we've moved here, several of our neighbors have told us about the elk bugle. It's a mating sound they make in the fall. I've been waiting months for this experience, and this morning it happened. I couldn't place it at first. It is a strange sound that can't really be described. But I remember the girl next door telling me they sound kind of like whales. And that is what I heard. Amazing.

Loving life in the country.