It's Been Awhile...

It's been awhile. A long while. Life has been crazy. Crazy busy. My demo is finished (WAAAAAA HOOOO!!!!). If you have not heard it, you must be living under a rock or something. ;) It IS on my artist page on Facebook! I am BEYOND thrilled with the results of it. I am completely and utterly blessed to have been able to record at Sound Logic with Jeff and Taylor. To have Jason playing for me was the most amazing thing ever. I could never thank him enough for it. So now comes the fun part. Promotion. Getting my CD's made, promotion, getting booked, getting my name out there and getting my band together. Lots of work to be done. I am very excited about it. I have had a few people helping me with promotion and I may possibly be working with someone to manage me. I am amazed that this could even happen and just want to thank everyone who has helped me come to this place. In a year from now, I want to look back and know that I did all I could to try. Try to get things rolling. Get my dreams going. To NOT give up even if I get a no or a maybe. I want to sing...not in the shower or the car. To sing for everyone to hear.

Beyond Amazing

I know it is only Thursday however, this week has been beyond amazing. I don't even know where to begin....I guess I will start at the beginning! My husband started working day shift on Monday this week and I actually get to spend time with him now. It is like, I get to talk to him for more than five minutes a day in person. It is wonderful. We get to cook dinner together, go on walks with our dogs together, watch TV together...stuff normal people should be doing and we were not able to because of his work schedule. I haven't even yelled at him yet this week!!! ;) Then, there is this thing...this amazing thing I am doing in the recording studio. I must say, I did not get much sleep Monday night due to my nervous excitement for Tuesday night. I just did not know what to expect. I had never recorded in a professional recording studio before. Only home recording studios. I did everything I could to hide my silly, elementary school girl grin when I walked into the recording studio on Tuesday night. I mean, I had been in this studio before to meet with Jeff Anderson to talk about my plans for my future, my demo, etc..but this was it. It was my dream becoming a reality. Jason Bennett, my piano player, was already there warming up and Jeff was getting all the mics and everything technical set up. This week we were there to lay all the piano tracks and I was just doing scratch vocals. So, Jason was the one in the hot seat! :) He did amazing and I could never thank him enough for all of his help. He is truly a gift piano player. We laid done 5 piano tracks for my demo and I will be going back to the studio next week to do the vocal portion. Jeff, who owns the studio, is outstanding. I could never thank him enough for taking on this project of mine. I never thought in a million years I would actually be doing this. It was a dream...but let me tell you folks. Don't give up on your dreams no matter how big or how small they are because they can lead to something amazing. Everything has fallen into place. It is just up to me what I do with what I have been given.

And now, we wait.

This morning I mailed one of the most important documents in my lifetime. I even attempted to go to the post office before 8am. That failed....they were closed. I got a bit over excited. This morning I mailed my submission package to "The Voice". There is no going back now. Whether I get rejected or accepted onto the show, I tried. I really tried. I made a DVD....I sang my heart out on two songs on that DVD. I filled out twelve pages of paperwork. And in the mail it went this morning. There is no turning back. And now, we wait. This is the part I do not like. Waiting. What if they hate it? What if they love it? There are butterflies in my stomach and excitement in my heart. No one but God knows what will happen. The outcome could change my life. I am telling myself that no matter what the outcome that I will be happy because I tried. Honestly, I know I will be upset if I do not make it however I know whatever happens is in God's plans and I need to accept whatever they may be. I just need to come to grips with that because the outcome will be here soon. So now, we wait. I should know by the end of August. :)

It's starting....and I am starting to get nervous.

I am starting to get a tad nervous. And if you know me, this really isn't me. I do not really get nervous performing any longer. I know who I am as a performer and really enjoy every bit of performing. I sing every Sunday in our praise band at church so I am use to being in front of people singing. But these next few months could determine a lot. Saturday, I am meeting with Jason Bennett. He is the amazing and talented piano player who will be working with me on my demo. Not only are we practicing for the upcoming demo, we are recording my DVD to submit to The Voice. GULP!!! I have even borrowed some really nice recording equipment from where I work to record it. This is where the nerves kick in. I think they are excited nerves. "What if" nerves. What if Carson Daly shows up and invites me to the show? What if he doesn't? What if I fall flat on my face? What if, What if, What if????? YIKES ALMIGHTY!!!! Then.....I so thought I had decided on the songs for my demo and now I am wavering on a few. How can I be doing this so late in the game? Jason might kill me?!!?!????!!?!?!?!! AND THEN....I think about when my demo is done. What if I get absolutely NO bookings from this? No shows. No responses from labels. NADA!!!! Then I think....So what???!!!! I am going to try and do everything I can to make this happen. See what is going on here? So many emotions. Things are starting, starting to happen and I am making them happen. Maybe that is why I am nervous because it all falls on me and I want this so badly. I am doing everything in my power to have as many positive thoughts as I possibly can. I think the closer my demo dates get the more nervous excitement I will have. I have never recorded in a professional recording studio, only a home recording studio so this is a new step for me. And hopefully a good step in the right direction.

MASSIVE song frustration

I am suppose to be working on selecting songs for my demo that I will be recording with Jason Bennett at Sound Logic studios in August. Oh, I have selected them alright. About 50 of them. I cannot record a 50 song demo. I need about 5 songs. I have no idea how I am going to narrow this done. All these songs are amazing and I know that they would all show off my vocal ability. Okay...maybe I don't have 50. More like 25. How did I get so many in my head? And they are SOOOO random. I am doing a blues/jazz album but one of the songs is an 80s song that I decided I wanted to make into a jazz song. RANDOM!!! Maybe I just need to do the old...put them all individually on paper, put them in a hat and draw them by random. Not sure how else I will be able to chose. Maybe you all can help? Let me know if any of you would be willing to do a poll for me. Audience choice? That would be something I have never done before. Then I can give you all some props on my demo. What do you think? XOXO!

August = changes

This weekend was pretty amazing. Friday, I got to see and catch up with old friends from high school. Best time EVER!!! Most of us did not want the night to end it was that amazing. Some other awesome things that happened this weekend is that my hubby told me that he is going to day shift sooner than September. He will be going August 6. The sooner the better. Five years of night shift is not a fun way to have a marriage. I am so excited that we will all be together as a family again. I had a silly grin on my face the whole day after he told me that. AND...I am recording my demo the week of August 6. I have been very fortunate that a very talented pianist will be playing on my demo. I have been trying to get everything confirmed for months now and have been going back and forth on what kind of music I want to move forward with. Now that everything is confirmed with the recording studio and my pianist, I am excited and completely look forward to this project. It has been something I have been wanting to do for years and I believe now is the right time. I feel that this will get me into what I want to do in music. I am also going to be submitting a DVD to "The Voice" at around the same time. Yet another thing that is exciting. That one is a little bit nerve racking because getting a response means big things. No response could be heartbreaking for me. Aaron starts football games in August, a new school year starts in August... August just may be the month that changes EVERYTHING!!!

Challenge....ACCEPTED!

A little over two weeks ago I started something called the "Advocare 24 Day Challenge". The reasoning behind this is I was stuck. Stuck in a weight loss plateau that was frustrating beyond belief. One of my good girl friends, Janet, is a distributor for Advocare's products and I have been using Advocare's product "Spark" (an energy drink) for a few months now. So, I met with Janet and went over everything this challenge would entail. It was not going to be easy. I mean, I couldn't even have skim milk or eat a baked potato. The big question was, could I do it? Would I cave and not stick to it? Did I have enough will power to do this? The answer is YES! I started the challenge and the first week was a little rough. I was so sick of eating salmon and chicken I would have rather gone hungry I think. I have adjusted since then. I know now that I can eat more than just salmon and chicken. And...over two weeks later I have lost over 13 pounds. I have been working my tail off (literally, I think it is almost gone). I have been to the gym almost everyday this week and the week isn't over yet. I am actually enjoying running and working out and I never EVER thought those words would come out of my mouth or go in a blog for that matter. I have a new appreciation for food. It is not something I go to when I am upset, it is something I go to when I am hungry. I think my brain finally is catching up with my body. My challenge ends in one week and I am hoping to loose another 5 pounds at least. For those of you who are stuck...stuck in a rut. Don't give up. Do what it takes to reach your goal. Whatever that goal may be no matter how long it takes. Accept the challenge.

If I live past tonight....

If I live past tonight it may be a miracle. After I post this blog, I will be starting a new road of exercise routine with the evil fitness trainer, Jillian Michaels. I will say, she does get results. She is not know as being nice or sympathetic. I have hit a weight loss plateau and I am certain she will get me through it. I am starting with her DVD, "No More trouble Zones" tonight. I also bought another DVD of hers, "Banish Fat Boost Metabolism". I think I will alternate the two of those DVD's and see what happens. Plus, I am going to continue to jog and switch it up with Zumba as well. If I cannot lose weight with all of this, something is seriously wrong. I have not been to the gym for awhile but thinking that I am going to go back soon just because it starting to get too hot out to run outside AND I am interested in some classes at the gym. So, if you don't hear from me, know that Jillian Michaels needs arrested for my death. ;)

Believe

March and April were some pretty rough months. I refuse to allow May to be a repeat. I am making an EXTREME effort to move forward to make things better. To not allow things to be repeated. To have a positive attitude and to do things to remain lifted up. I have been angry, frustrated, confused, upset, pissed off...all of those things you don't want to be for far too long. And finally, I just broke down. The next stage was being teary eyed and sappy all the time. I am not sure which stage my husband hates worst. I am still in the sappy, teary eyed stage. Just realizing that I have held on to anger and things from the past for far too long. I think I am starting to deal with things in a different way. I think my heart has been through too much for far too long and it is broken. I am on the mend. I will recover. I have a strong faith and sense of what I need to do to recover from the years of strife and heartbreak. I am so thankful for my husband who gets that I don't want to be this way. I want to be that fun loving person I use to be. I want to love life and live it to the fullest instead of being upset about the dumbest things. I believe that going forward my life will change. It will be different because I want it to be. I chose to not go backwards any longer. I chose to be the best me I can be.

Light at the end of the tunnel

It has been a pretty rough time in my life lately. I have been especially moody because of this and I am sure I have been taking it out on all the wrong sorts of people. I have been praying...a lot. It seems like almost every aspect of my life is in turmoil and that just isn't a good place to be. I have tried to remain positive through all of this, put a smile on my face and just move on with life. But at the end of the day, I am broken. Completely. I know, in time, things will all work out. However, I don't see the "light at the end of the tunnel" at this point. I have had friends walk away from me when I have needed them most. I have felt as though my life is falling apart day by day and I cannot get it back together. Each morning, I wake up with a new hope that this day will be better. Even though most times it is not, I keep going. It has to end sometime. It HAS to get better sometime. I am very thankful for my church and my church family. I know that I find complete peace when I am at church. Especially when I am singing. I am fortunate that I have been able to be involved with my church in this aspect. Leading worship allows me to let go of all I am and give everything over to God. It allows me to not worry about everything I am wrapped up in on a daily basis. My "light at the end of the tunnel" is God and music. I think that anytime I am frustrated, at my wits end, cannot get over something, cannot get through something...I need to go to God and music. Music has always had a place in my life and so has God. Both have got me through some rough patches in my life. I didn't know it at the time but looking back I can see that now. I know that I just need to let go over the grip and control I want to have over my life. It isn't that easy but it is something I need to do in order to grow in the direction God wants me to. What gets you through rough times in your life?

Drum roll please.....

Yesterday, I posted on Facebook that I received some news that would be life changing. Well....here it is...

In May 2007, my husband got a job at Subaru of Indiana Automotive as a Group Leader in IPC (In-Process Control). We were both thrilled as he had been driving to Carmel, Indiana everyday for work. It was more money, better benefits, job security and of course, it was local. The only downside was, he had to work second shift. However, the good things outweighed the bad and he took the position.

There have been some changes going on in his department at SIA. First, they are really busy. The area he supervises has four teams on it which is a lot for one supervisor. He does have team leaders under him that are amazing but it still is quite a bit for one supervisor to do efficiently. The talk of that area is that they were going to have two Group Leaders per shift in IPC sometime this year. No word when they announced that who would be going to first shift. A few weeks ago, two Group Leaders were hired for positions to cover openings in IPC one all the moving around happened but no one knew still where anyone was going.

As of yesterday, Jerrod, my husband, got confirmation that he would be that Group Leader going to days in IPC (the one currently on days would stay and he would be the second). I don't think I have jumped up and down or hollered so loud in a long time. If you have ever had a spouse that works second shift, you know how taxing this is on your family and your marriage. We have had a rough year thus far and this was an answered prayer that we have been waiting for. He will not be going to days until sometime after Labor Day but that is okay. The fact that we can get back to the way we were before and be stronger as a family makes me believe in everything. We have been dealing with him working nights for five years. That makes for a very interesting marriage when you very seldom get to see your spouse. I do cherish every moment I spend with him, what little that may be. Now, I look forward to planning things with him and actually eating dinner together, going to bed at the same time and just sitting on our front porch together. I miss that.

So....if you were thinking this had anything to do with my music career...that may be the next announcement as I am still waiting on getting contacted from a submission I placed with a casting agency for a new vocal reality show. I got passed the first stage and my submission was sent to L.A.

Good things are happening folks!!! :)

Laundry Hatred

I hate laundry. Always have. I hate collecting it, sorting it, folding it and hanging it up. Because I hate doing it, it piles up and then I hate it more because there is so much of it to do. The problem is, I love to shop and I love clothes. I probably own more clothes than the average woman. So, my love affair with clothes and my hatred towards doing laundry has become a problem as I will change clothes several times a day.

I even have my son or my husband collect the laundry for me the majority of the time and they are very willing to help out. It is just tedious work. It takes forever. There are too many steps in doing laundry. If it were more simple maybe I wouldn't dislike it so much. But it is what it is and I don't like it. And the more clothes I buy, the more laundry there will be.

Right now, in our laundry room, I have a load of laundry in the washer ready to go in the dryer, and another load in the dryer ready to come out to be folded and probably six more loads waiting to go into the washer. Do you see how excited I am to be doing the laundry? I'd rather blog about it!

Who Stole My Motivation?!?!

Last night, I told myself I was going to get up this morning and go to the gym. That didn't happen. I woke up in some pain from the incident that occurred on Monday and just couldn't get going. I went back to sleep after my alarm went off at 8 am and slept until 11am. This is not normal for me.

After finally waking up after 11am I seriously sat around and did nothing. Not like me at all. I was watching TV and vegging out. Usually I am cleaning or doing something. I just didn't want to do anything.

Finally, I get why I don't have any motivation (besides the fact that I am still in pain and on pain medications). It is raining and gloomy out. I think that this has an affect on everyone. Also, it is a Saturday my husband has mandatory overtime at work and I will get to see him all of maybe two hours today. I think that SIA and the employees there see him more than I do lately. I am thankful that he has an amazing job with lots of benefits and job security. Unfortunately, he works second shift and they have had killer overtime lately. Not so happy about this one...

I am going to try to get motivated this afternoon and do at least a half an hour of Zumba at home before I get ready to go to one of my gal pals Bachelorette parties. That I am motivated for. I am so happy that she is tying the knot in May.

So, whoever took my motivation this morning please give it back. I am going to need it tonight...

Thieves Among Us

Tonight was SUPPOSE to be a night that I was going to relax. I had dinner made by 5pm and I was about ready to pour a glass of wine when my 14 year old son came through the siding glass door basically in tears. "Mom, can you track my cell phone?" I am thinking, "Great, he has lost it again..."

I asked him, "What is going on? You don't know where it is?"

"No, I had it when I went to the basketball court, I put it on the bench under Jake's backpack and now my cell phone and his are gone."

"What the heck, Aaron?!!!???"

He is visibly upset and actually sat down on the couch and threw one of the pillows on the couch across the room. So not like him. He doesn't get mad like that.

I informed him that we would be going to the basketball court to try to locate his phone. He went ahead of me as I was putting on my sweatshirt and tennis shoes. As I was walking very fast to the court, I was thinking about how I was going to approach the situation. There are always a lot of kids there. So, I get there and there is a fight. Wonderful. Aaron and his group of friends are on the opposite side of the court where the fight is. I call Aaron's group over and tell them I am going to gather EVERYONE up and have a little chat. Aaron looks horrified.

"Oh mom, please don't do that. There was just a fight. You are going to get hurt".

What am I, in Chicago?

So, I loudly say, "Alright everyone. Some phones have been stolen and either someone is going to cooperate or I will be calling my brother-in-law that is a Sargeant for the Tippecanoe Sherriff's Department and everyone will be questioned."

I wasn't really going to call Andy but it sounded crazy so I went with it...oh and I had my cell phone in my hand this ENTIRE time too!!!

About 25 kids coming rushing towards me. Honestly, I was so pissed I was not freaked out. Also, the fact that my step-son's buddy, Malik, was there calmed me down a bit. He is a big, black kid that no one messes with and he always has my back.

So, all the kids are all around me in a circle. And I say, "Which one of you have my son's phone? If you hand it over now, I will not press charges."

Lots of responses like, "I don't have it", "There was this kid who took off in this direction", "I just got here". I mean, no hesitation. My son at this point is looking at me like I am crazy. 90% of the kids in this circle are black. Not a big deal for me at all. My son is bi-racial (half black, half white). I think that freaked Aaron out that I was willing to take this on. I am not scared of anything. I have chased kids down the street here for vandalism. (That is for another post!) I am hoping that the kids in this neighborhood will respect me that I am not afraid to approach them or afraid to get to know them. I am not afraid of color. I think they all got that today. I think they also got that I wasn't afraid to turn them into the police either!!

Kids were even showing me their empty pockets and emptying out their backpacks for me. I even upped the ante for them. I let them know that whoever recovered the phone and either returned it to me or Aaron would receive a reward of some sort. I did not tell them what the reward was (It could be cash or a trip to McDonald's or something like that). They were all listening. They all said they would keep their ears and eyes open. They were cool with everything. Or at least I hope...(I guess if my house is egged tonight we will know differently).

So, I talked with Malik after this big congregation of a meeting with these 25 or so kids and asked him to be on the lookout for me. He pretty much knows everything that goes on in and around our subdivision. He, of course, would help me with anything he could.

Then the fun part of calling Sprint to deactivate Aaron's phone and report it stolen. Whoever took it is pretty much an idiot. They cannot make or receive calls or texts, if they try to activate it, it now has a stolen ESN attached to it so it will be reported stolen. Then, if it is attempted to be activated, I have the choice to press charges against whoever stole it.

What has this world come to? Is it really worth all of this to steal a 14 year old's cell phone? He has a simple Android phone with not a lot of bells and whistles on it. Just enough to text, make calls and surf the internet. I simply wish people would stop thinking they had a right to everything including other people's possessions. It is bad enough that we, as adults, have to deal with it but now my child has to deal with it.

And now for that glass of wine....

Calling all singers!!!

Last night I was on Facebook and saw a post from a casting/placement agency that they are looking for singers/songwriters for a new singing reality show. So, after asking a few questions to the agency, I submitted one of my songs via email. I did not expect the response I got back from the agency within about fifteen minutes after I submitted. The lady that intercedes to listen to all the submissions before sending people to the next step said she would be sending my submission off to the next step in the process. GULP!!!!!

Did I really just do this? Did I really have a shot at this? Maybe...Maybe not. I may be a bit crazy for doing this but if you don't take chances in life you aren't going to get anywhere.

The lady, Darlene, also said by me submitting to her agency I could get vocal placements for commercials if they need singers (I would have to audition, of course). Or just get calls for auditions for a variety of things. YES!!!! Now, I am not sure how all this casting/agency placement works entirely but if it does anything for me I will be happy.

I am not sure what got into me last night. Maybe I am just tired of people telling me I am good enough to be something more than I am and never doing anything about it. Well folks, no one can say that anymore. :)

Chrysler drama

I have been at home all day recuperating from an odd event that has happened to me twice now. My airbags deployed and I was not in an accident. Last year, in March 2011, it was only the driver's side airbag that deployed. This time, on Monday, April 9, 2012, both the driver's side and passenger side airbags deployed. Thankfully, last year I was not hurt and neither was my son Aaron who was with me at the time.

I have a 2005 Town and Country Limited Edition. Now, last year when this occurred, Chrysler sent out an investigator for my claim and he came to the conclusion that it was not a manufacturing defect and I ended up paying over $1000 to get the driver's side air bag fixed. Twin City Dodge, the local Chrysler dealer here in Lafayette, Indiana, was floored. Twin City had even got me a rental car and paid for it thinking Chrysler would cover everything. After my vehicle was fixed and I left the dealership, after paying a God awful amount of money, the airbag light came on. SO, I call Twin City and they have me come back in and they replace the passenger side airbag harness and wiring for free. Twin City and the service manager there that I have dealt with have been nothing short of amazing. Chrysler corporate, on the other hand, is a different story.

Since the first airbag deployment, I have had no issue with this vehicle. There was no warning, again. I was driving 25 miles an hour down Greenbush Street in Lafayette, Indiana at little after 1pm. After the airbags deployed deployed, I couldn't see or hear. I couldn't find my hazard lights so I turned on my turn signal and just got over the best I could. If you are from Lafayette and you know Greenbush Street, there really is not anywhere to get over. After I collected myself, I pushed my driver's side airbag in the steering wheel as much as I could and drove back to work, which was about five minutes away. I went and got my boss to explain what was going on because we had a meeting at 1:30 pm that everyone needed to be in. After he helped me get items out of my vehicle that I got for the office and went back inside, I get this extreme pain in my stomach and lift up my shirt to see that I am bleeding. I go back in the building and explain that I think maybe I need to go to urgent care. No hesitation from him. He is eating his lunch. He grabs his keys and we leave to go to urgent care. At this point, I think I have so much adrenaline going on that I don't realize how much pain I really am in.

After waiting for a little over an hour to be seen, I see a doctor at urgent care that dresses my wound, suggests a Tetanus shot (no way!) and tells me to take it easy. They did not prescribe me any pain medications. Thankfully, my best friend came to urgent care to calm me down as my husband was in Indy.

When I get back to my office after being at urgent care so I can get the company car, Twin City has arrange for my van to be picked up. I go to get things I need out of my van and realize the damage these airbags have really caused. I cannot locate my garage door open. The next day I went to Twin City and found it in the back seat of the van. The airbag had knocked it from the passenger side sun visor all the way back there. I also found an odd, square red item that said "push" on it in the back seat. Come to find out, the next day when I could collect my thoughts and figure out where it went to, it was the button you push to release your seat belt. The air bag broke that off of the passenger side seat belt. I am glad I did not have a passenger. I cannot imagine the injuries they could of had when I just walked area with a few cuts and major bruising.

Since Monday, I have been in EXTREME pain. I have not been able to sleep and have massive bruising on my abdomen. I went to see my PCP yesterday who determined I have bruising from my chest to my lower abdomen are on those muscles and tissues. Thankfully, he prescribed me some pain medications to ease the pain and help me sleep.

Tuesday, I called Chrysler Corporate to report all of this. I have not heard back from them. The customer care rep I spoke with was very nice but he does not make the decisions. I made it very clear to the customer care rep that I had been hurt during the airbag deployment and this was the second time this had occurred. I also made it clear that I would NOT be paying for a dime due to this malfunction that a wreck did not cause. I mentioned several times that I had spoke with two attorneys and that I would not hesitate to bring them into this if Chrysler did not handle this situation differently than the situation last year. He noted everything I said to him and informed me that my case would be escalated to a different department and that someone would be contacting me within 48-72 hours. I informed him that if it took that long, they would be hearing from my attorney. Looks like I will be calling my attorney in the morning. Not something I want to deal with but corporate America is not going to screw me again.

To 5k or not 5k

I have been exercising. I use to despise exercising. Now I actually enjoy it. I have lost around 35 pounds since the beginning of 2012.

Some of my gal pals and I have all been losing weight together (supporting each other) and using this great product called Spark by Advocare. It is amazing. Now we are discussing doing a 5k this fall in Ohio. Check this website out for the race we will be doing.....http://thedonutdash.com/

Most hilarious 5k ever. Some of us are newbies to jogging and thought it would be fun. So far, I think there are 5-7 girls of us that are talking about doing it together. We are even discussing that our friend Dawn needs to run in front of all of us since she has a nicer looking butt so we can watch her behind while the rest of us run so it will motivate us to finish. I am most certain that this 5k and the times around it will be something we will never forgot. Will keep you updated on our shannigans!