Dear friends and family,
I just wanted to give you all a brief update. As the vast majority of you are aware, I have left California behind and moved onto the next step of my 2013 adventure: Co-fronting a Party Band aboard the fabulous Carnival Breeze for Carnival Cruise Lines! The biggest and newest ship in the fleet (and with a killer Caribbean itinerary), it is a stark contrast to my last ship, which was the oldest and smallest in the fleet! Find out more about my amazing ship here!
Precisely what is a Party Band? Simply put, we are the musicians that get the party started! With 5 costumed themed sets ranging from Woodstock to current tunes playing on your radio, we provide the entertainment and excitement that gets people movin' and groovin' (and probably boozin'...just a little. You know how cruisers get.) My band is a 4 piece band consisting of guitar, bass, drums, keys and 2 vocalists fronting it: one male and one female.
We have approximately 310 songs in our repertoire, which makes for a whole lot of hard work: 7 hour days, 6 days a week, and that just accounts for studio time! There is a lot of independent study time being put in as well. But who's complaining when you spend your day jammin' with some of the most talented guys around?!
Of course, I am the only girl in the band. So naturally I'm the butt of the jokes and the source of the picking-ons. But it's all in good fun. The guys are all easy-going, hilarious and incredibly talented! While the vast majority of us are from the good ol' US of A, our drummer, who prefers to go by "Neto", is from Colombia. We actually struck a deal that he would help me practice my Spanish if I aid him in his English skills. So far, so good! BUENO! Haha!
I currently reside in a cozy Extended Stay hotel in Florida, complete with kitchen space and my own peace of mind and privacy! Absolutely wonderful! I cannot tell a lie, I have an addiction to delivery pizza. So, for a few possibly consecutive days that was my dinner. But I have since put those burners to good use, don't you worry!
I am overwhelmingly happy to be putting my voice to use again and to be sharing a new experience with wonderful people! I think meeting unfamiliar people from around the world that you know you are going to spend the next 6 months working and living with is always a bit nerve-wracking: Will our personalities gel? Will they get my sense of humor? Will we have any drama? Etc... But so far things have been going fabulously, and I couldn't be more excited to continue to grow closer as a band and to make our musical vision come to life!
I am quite optimistic about the next 6 months of my life, and my prayers for health, happiness and positive adventure are more fervent than ever. I can't wait to see what this time will hold, and I can't wait to share it with all of you!
Stay tuned! As the lovely Nancy Wilson once crooned, the best is yet to come! xx
On a gorgeous, sunny and uncharacteristcally warm autumn Saturday in Ohio, Yellow Springs held its bi-annual Street Fair. Packed with excited spectators (an estimated 30,000 visitors were said to have passed through town!), talented street musicians of all ages, an abundance of handcrafted goods, colorful artwork and the enticing scents of a variety of food intermingling in the air, it was initially overwhelming, but exciting nonetheless! A lovely friend of mine, Tia, offered to let me put her treasured Canon to use so that I could document the day! Here are some shots I took. Happy viewing!
Meet Jessica's adorable 3 year old son, David! He couldn't leave the fair without some face paint, so he opted for Tiger stripes. He outright refused to roar for the camera, but by the end of the day it was 95% of the sound coming from his mouth! Absolutely precious.
This is Jessica's spunky little girl, Juliana. At 6 years old, she's full of energy, very inquisitive and has eyes that can totally make you melt. She had a lot of fun!
My brother modeling the "awesome, glow-in-the-dark" hat my Dad got for him. He was quite thrilled to have it! I'm guessing it will be a fashion staple for a long, long time.
Sorry Dad, I asked you to smile and this is the only photo I got of you! Post-Thai Dye Taco, a highly praised Mexican/Asian fusion dish, he was internally beaming, contrary to his less-than-thrilled expression.
Possibly the sweetest smelling Lavender I've ever come across. Jess and I were terribly obsessed.
Treats for the little ones! Juliana selected purple-hued cotton candy (her favorite color) while her brother chose his unusual personal favorite: a lemon. Seriously, a lemon. He thrives off of them! Such an amusing little character!
This little artist completely made my day. Armed with his makeshift cardboard booth and some spray paint, he created really neat Galactic pieces. So talented, so creative and so stinkin' cute!
Now we move into the portion of the day I was really looking forward to: live entertainment in the Beer Gardens! I came to see a local band called The Speaking Suns, a talented bunch of friends that make really awesome music. After downloading their awesome EP (you can download it here), supporting them live was a must.
Tia looking beautiful while enjoying their set. They definitely had the crowd engaged!
Two awesome ladies I had the pleasure of meeting this weekend: Sauce "The Boss" Ross and Amelia. So much fun!
Although I wanted to stick around for more music and merriment, I was pretty exhausted; there was no doubt in my mind that I was suffering from complete sensory overload! I will admit, my experience with the fair did not start off in the best manner: I was hot, sweaty and a little anxious because of the large crowd. But it turned out to be a great event full of precious moments between family and friends. Perhaps I'll come back for another one someday! "Man, the fair was so much fun!", shouted my younger brother, bubbling with glee. Indeed it was, little man. Indeed it was. xx
Polychromatic leaves strewn across rain-streaked blades of grass, the itchy warmth of your favorite knit sweater and that familiar, sweet scent of a Pumpkin Spice Latte wafting from a porcelain mug up to your nostrils signifies only one thing: Autumn has finally arrived! As we bid Summer a bittersweet adieu and gladly greet the Fall, we are also approaching the end of my first month here in Yellow Springs, Ohio. I would be very dishonest if I said being away from home hasn't been challenging: there was an entire week where the couch, Malcolm in the Middle reruns on Netflix and cereals sugary enough to put you in a glucose-induced coma were my only companions of choice. I am used to a much faster-paced lifestyle than the laid back way of life provided here, and it put me in a pretty serious funk. But after forcing myself to put down the Captain Crunch and get some fresh air (not the recycled, Freon-based air supply I had been inhaling), I re-gained a positive perspective and made a choice to allow myself the pleasure of enjoying this gorgeous Ohio environment. On the last Sunday of September, weilding my camera, a journal and a smile, I set foot for Downtown. Here are some of the lovely things that caught my eye:
There are a lot of minor, eye-catching details within the colorfully decorated interior of the Underdog Cafe , but this one was my favorite! I spent an hour or two here enjoying a delicious Blueberry Muffin, a small cup of House Blend and Yann Tiersen's lovely Amelie (my all-time favorite foreign film!) score. This photograph was taken with my iphone.
I would love to meet the person behind this Basquiat tribute. One of the best artists that ever lived! Rest in power.
Some creative soul decided one of the trees would be more appealing to look at if it were adorned with multi-hued beads. It's the minor details that make this town so undeniably charming!
I absolutely adore the architecure of the buildings here! I love the old town aesthetic the crimson bricks give the buildings. So lovely to look at.
Part of the mural beneath the marquee of the newly renovated Little Art Theatre, the local movie theatre. If I'm not mistaken, it was created by local artist Pierre Nagley, the man responsible for a large portion of the murals that can be seen around the village. He does really magnificent work!
With October comes some things I'm truly looking forward to, ranging from a birthday to a highly anticipated Art Walk taking place on the second weekend of the month. Here's to openly embracing Ohio for the last month and a half before my next journey! xx
Tucked away within Greene County and speckled with lush forestry, unique shops, yummy cuisine and "the most educated hippies you'll ever meet" (quote courtesy of my dad) lies Yellow Springs Village. The entire town is covered in art: from side walk chalk drawings to the carefully crafted felt butterflies and yarn cozies adorning the trees! There is little to no crime (most of the police reports are of neighbors complaining about noisy dogs) and everyone is extremely kind. It's rare to walk by someone without exchanging a smile or a friendly "how's it going?"! Upon arrival, I was told there is only one rule in Yellow Springs: Do not judge. Wow! As my eyes wandered from colorful building to colorful building wondering which one to enter first, I suddenly made a striking observation: contrary to California, there's no litter! The people of this town really work together to keep their environment pristine. So refreshing!
After 2 1/2 years of working at Jamba Juice, I've developed a serious smoothie addiction. In search of a blended treat, my Dad, his girlfriend Jessica and I headed downtown (my brother, Caleb, was in school at the time).
Roughly 7 minutes later, we walked into the Spirited Goat Coffee House.
An explosion of patterns and pastels, this is by far one of the most unique cafe's I have ever set foot in! With a stage for open mic nights and original for-sale-artwork hung on the walls highlighting a new artist each week, I was completely in awe. It is definitely a place I will find myself spending a good amount of my time. And yes, my Strawberry Banana smoothie tasted fantastic!
With a shining sun and clear skies, who would want to stay inside? We soaked up the sunshine while enjoying our breakfast: made-to-order bagel breakfast sandwiches with asiago cheese, egg, turkey & roasted tomatoes from the local market and smoothies. Yum!
Jessica next to one of the many art retailers downtown. Art is a very important part of life here!
My brother getting in on the action within the painting. He blends right in!
One of the things I love looking at downtown is "The Alley", an alleyway covered in murals by varying artists. Ever-changing, someone has already begun painting a new one since I've been here!
In the short time I've been here, I have met so many open-minded, trusting, intelligent, creative, inspirational and unique people! The amount of culture in this town is incredible: it seeps from the cracks in the pavement, it shows itself in the dreadlocks and tattoos of well over half of the residents, it's in every cup of coffee, in the strokes of paint on the buildings, it flows on the beats drifting from the coffee shops and import houses... I am falling in love! Possibly the best part is that I've only begun to scratch the surface of this wonderful place! Stay tuned to see what other treasures and surprises this town holds! xx
