he's jammin'

For Christmas, Andrew loaded his old iPod shuffle with songs Dylan likes and put it in his stocking.  He loves music, always has.  And being our child, this is a good thing.  Andrew and I both love music and have a pretty eclectic mix of stuff we like.  We try to play a lot of music around the house and riding in the car.  Lots of times the boys will choose listening to music over watching a movie on a car trip.  I love when Dylan really latches onto a song that I loved growing up too.  Lately he's been listening to this one a lot, and this one.   And this is a new song, but its all the rage with he and his friends right now. The boys have been having a dance party in the family room to it every night after dinner.

His birthday is coming up in April, and I think we're going to get him an iPod.  I know it would be easier for him to search for the songs he wants to hear, and it can fit much more music than the shuffle.  Plus he's so far proven he can be responsible by taking good care of his DSi XL. 

U2 and soccer and Mother's Day, oh my!

We had a very busy weekend this past weekend, and we've all been trying to catch up on sleep for the past two nights.  

We packed in the fun, starting with Friday night.  We went to the first summer outdoor concert in the area to see one of our favorites, 2U (the U2 Tribute band we raved about and saw twice last summer).  They're great and I got my U2 fix.  Is there any band greater than U2?  I think not.

Saturday morning, it was off to Dylan's soccer game and then some yard saling and errands.  Which morphed into having a couple of our soccer friends over for dinner.   7 boys total and they had a blast.  When you put 7 boys around the table you hear all kinds of bodily noises and talk about ghosts and who can drink the most lemonade.  They were all exhausted by the end of the night.

Sunday after brunch at home, it was off to spend the day at Grandma Lynn and Grandpa Robby's, with Uncle Chris, Aunt Jessica, and cousins Josh and Maya.  It was sunny and breezy, perfect for a little fishing in the pond near their house.

All the kids caught exactly one fish.  One of the fish didn't make it, and the kids witnessed a big turtle swim up to the surface to gulp it down.  It was a fun afternoon.

First Josh caught his fish...

Then Maya...

Then Logan..

And finally, Dylan..

Next it was back inside to Grandma's for a bbq and lots of playing.   Great way to spend Mother's Day, with two mothers I love and adore and look up to very much.

"there is a light that never goes out..." *

Some people have lifelong friends they've known since kindergarten.  We moved around a lot when I was young.  My Dad was in the military and we moved almost every year, or every other year, until I was in middle school and we finally settled in Maryland.  I'm not complaining.  I think moving a lot probably taught me how to make friends easily.  But until we got to Maryland, I guess I was kind of a serial friend...coming in and out of my other little friends lives' before we could really connect.

I met Sara and Ronda when we were 7th graders in middle school.  They knew each other even before then and were kind enough to let me into the friendship.  I'm pretty sure we all had braces at the same time, and I know we spent those tender years of angst exploring music together, boyfriends, and maybe a little peach brandy.   There were adventures in a semi-stolen VW Karmann Ghia, and a small car fire in a VW Bug in front of the entire high school.  There were school dances, parties and a lot of black clothing.  There was supporting each other through break ups and crushes.   There was a lot of hairspray.

These are my (almost) lifelong friends.  Next to my family, they've known me the longest.   We've known each other since before husbands, kids, college and careers.  We knew each other when we were vulnerable insecure teenagers, trying to figure out how we fit in and what we were supposed to think.

We met here last night for dinner.  Sara was in town for work, and Ronda lives in Maryland.   Almost four hours we sat and talked and laughed and reminisced.  We don't get to do that often enough, but when we do its seamless.  The 26 years have landed us each in lots of different places and pursuits. But through the years, we've remained in touch, and still share a love of writing, being outdoors, travel, food, books, family and adventure. 

We're approaching the big 4-0 in 2011.   I think we're all truly content in our lives.  We're lucky, all of us, to have found what makes us happy. And we're lucky to still have each other to share that with. 

Good friends are like stars... you may not always see them, but you always know they are there.

*The Smiths

happy little video

A while back, a foodie, music loving friend introduced me to the band OK Go.  They're totally fun, upbeat, goofy and quirky.   Good qualities for a band, right?

They've produced a new video which premiered yesterday and its just about the coolest thing I've seen in a while.  Both boys sat here watching it over and over again and have pretty much memorized it.  They love marbles and contraptions and the mechanics of Rube Goldberg machine stuff like this.  You have to wonder how long it took the band to pull this off...

Pretty darn cool.  Go ahead, click on the video link...it will make you feel good.

tunes

An iPod.  That's what Andrew got me for Christmas and its been so much fun loading it up with all my old favorites and new stuff.  We have an iPod docking station in our kitchen and I've been listening to my tunes while cooking or just hanging.  And man, is it good to be back into music again. 

Its not often I'm in my car alone.  So when I'm driving the boys around, I'm  usually hearing dialogue from one of the bazillions of kids movies we own.  I've never figured out how to get the headphones to work in the car for them.  And then, horror of horrors, a kids CD got stuck in my player several months ago and I didn't even have the option to listen to anything else but the radio. Which, lets be honest, 95% of the time, just plain sucks.  The kids band guys are friends of ours and as far as kids music goes, they are awesome.  But when I'm alone in my car, I don't want to hear music about the 50 states or brushing my teeth.

So, a whole, blank iPod to fill up with 1,000 songs of my choosing.  Wow.  Music has always played such a huge part in my life, and I knew filling it would be an on-going task.  First, I raided Andrew's iTunes catalogue.  He has similar musical tastes to mine (great, if I do say so myself) so that gave me quite a bit to start out.  Vampire Weekend, Kings of Leon, Death Cab for Cutie, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Iron and Wine, The Shins...  Then it was onto our basement CD rack that holds the soundtracks of our high school and college years.  Hundreds of CD's down there and I spent a good three days scouring the racks to download some old favorites by U2, Pixies, Janes Addiction, The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Cowboy Junkies, Beastie Boys and the occassional Booty Jams.  Then the beyond-the-college-years... Dave Matthews Band, David Gray, Interpol, Coldplay...   Then my brother turned me onto Phoenix, and Peter, Bjorn and John.  Good stuff.  Good, good stuff.

I love how music can take you to a completely different place.  It can set a mood, calm your soul and bring on a memory.  It can make you dance, make you cry, and fill your heart.

I recently reunited on Facebook with an old friend from high school (isn't FB great for that), to discover we have a common passion for similar music and for writing.  I don't think we even knew it back in high school.  We've been sharing band recommendations back and forth, and then I found her blog, and its great and smart and inspiring.  So happy to find you again, Ruth!

Here's to old friends, new music, and the 543 spots left on my iPod for some good tunes.

sounds of summer

Last night we spent the evening the way a good summer evening should be spent - good friends, great music, in the gorgeous outdoors enjoying awesome food, tasty wine and a rockin' band.

We love taking advantage of all the local summer concert series at various venues around town. There just isn't anything better than listening to some good tunes, letting the kids run with their friends, and relaxing under the stars. Last night, we checked out the first summer concert of the season at Tarara Vineyard, in Leesburg. They have a beautiful setup right on the Potomac River, and the acoustics are fantastic. And we got to enjoy the sounds of U2 for only $15 a ticket verses $100 or more.

We enjoyed a bountiful selection of processed meats and cheeses:

U2 songs old and new. So many great songs over what...30 years or more now?

We went with our friends John and Paige, along with six other familes:

Logan thought about it, then remembered he doesn't know how to swim. He did end up with "The Edge's" guitar pick by the end of the night, so not all was lost:

Rock on "Bono"!

2U

Last night was the first summer concert of the season, and we took the boys to Friday Night Live on the Herndon Town Green. Its one of our favorite things to do throughtout the summer, and we've seen some good bands through the years. We've been going since Dylan was just months old. If the weather is nice and we're in town, chances are you'll find us at Friday Night Live on Friday evenings throughout the summer. We love music, and since we've had kids, we don't get many chances to see live music much other than these summer concerts. I miss my music. The only times I get to listen to what I want to hear is either when I walk, or when I'm in the car alone (not often!).

Last nights' concert was a band called 2U and they're a U2 Tribute Band out of NY. Check out their video, and tell me if they do not sound like U2. And boy, did they rock! The music and the lyrics, even the way the guy moved and was dressed, it was like we were seeing U2 front row. Awesome! People were video taping them, and taking their pictures like they were the real deal. They were really good, and they totally rocked the house. I would totally go see them again, but it looks like they mostly play gigs north of here up in the NE.

U2 has been around pretty much since I can remember loving music, when I started high school. I had the priviledge of seeing them on The Joshua Tree tour at RFK Stadium when I was in late high high school (back when a decent concert ticket didn't cost $300). I can't think of any other band that began during my lifetime that has played such a huge role in music and is still going strong. I can't wait to check out their new CD, I've heard its great.