ramblings of pianists and heroes. . .somehow they just go together.

I must say - your comments on moi favorite {mostly literary} "heroes"  post (<-- click or look below,) have been tooo much fun! To all of those who agree with me: your taste is impeccable. Bravo. As for the others, I have a few tomatoes of my own to throw. ;) I'm thinking of writing a follow-up post, talking about a few more of moi favorite literary guys. But I don't want to BORE anyone either. . .riiiight.

Quickly, in answer to your comments (keep 'em coming!) Laurie IS epic, and *should* have died. Period. I don't see how Gilbert Blythe is a hero, just sayin'. ;) The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of the most incredible books I've ever read - and YES, I'm throughly convinced after finishing the novel that Percy is a majorly fantastical hero - one of the best, in fact. Though no one with ever top Renè. :sigh: I'm thinking up a way for all of you to "meet" him. Perhaps an excerpt from the revised draft? 

- also, keep watching for my HUGE Les Miz post.

While your all waiting (and continuing your amusing - I mean enjoyable commenting,) check out this video :

Whoa. Speaking of heroes - I think I've just found my piano-hero. Being a fanatical piano enthusiast (my piano is my dearest treasure. . .) this pianist is SO inspiring to me. Not that I can or ever will play even remotely as well. My, what talent - his performance literally takes my breath away. And to think the vid is nothing but a Yamaha commercial! o.O I  found out that he is a rather famous composer for Disney (which I do not endorse, but anyway,) etc. . . Pretty impressive. 

And to wrap up this post - lets just say that I am unbending in my dislike for Mr. Darcy. Ok, so the second time I watched Pride and Prejudice I became slightly, shall we say "fonder" of him? Yet its too difficult for me to really appreciate the stuffy, dull, uninteresting ways of *most* Regency "heroes" - Mr. Darcy in particular. 

Uh oh. I see another onslaught of tomatoes in the near distance. . . 

I'm baaackkkk!!! {updates on life}

It seems like hundreds of years since I've blogged. ;) But no - I have not expired, I am STILL quite alive and breathing...and feeling so blessed these days by the Lord and His beautiful way of caring for His children. Really, I don't feel as though I deserve the joy, loyal family, lovely friends...Christ's mercy and presence in my day-to-day life! I've can't say it enough: God is ALWAYS good.

I very much dislike bragger-blog posts. This is *not* one. Yet there have been so many special things happening - a constant, crazy, whirlwind of LIFE. And so, I'll try to update y'all really quickly . . .

Sorbet and smoothies are my newest obsession . . . I know what I'll be ordering all summer when the rest of the family goes out for ice cream! Oh, yeah - I'd much rather have the ice cream . . . fat, sugar, all that good stuff. ;) But considering I'm lactose intolerant (which mean's no dairy outside of organic,) something fruity-cold will have to do! Soooo excited to have discovered Graeters recently. o.O

{L-R: friend Hannah Michelle, me, and Anna, before seeing The High Kings}

Last month I had the opportunity of seeing my  friends and favorite Celtic music group, The High Kings, live fore the second time in concert.  

Anna and I have gotten to know Darren Holden, Brian Dunphy, Finbarr Clancy, and Martin Furey after seeing them back in August and later keeping in contact via facebook. It was very special seeing them again knowing that our "fanship" has turned into friendship. :) 

"Now the music's gone, but they carry on . . ."

{The Town I Loved So Well - Darren's version is stunning}

 

 

It was so memorable being able to share in Finbarr's birthday! We bought him a t-shirt that said "Made in Ireland," which I had the honor of giving him during the concert. He loved it! 

{note that this is a supremely unflattering picture of me. :P } 

Just have to mention that Darren is my favoritest King. ♥ He is such a talented singer and musician (like the rest of THK,) and has the squishiest bear hugs. :sigh: See my friend Hannah's video of us greeting the Kings from a different angle. . . and Anna's post HERE and our youtube channel for more HK fun!

Currently I'm reading about 4-5 different novels. *ahem* In the middle of The Count of Monte Cristo right now. . .which (thanks to Anna for spoiling the ending. Ok, I ASKED about it. :P ) - is overall very disappointing.  I mean, Edmond is so dashing in the beginning. :sob:  Ah well . . .it's not keeping me from going to Oregon in May to attend a CoMC themed ECD ball! o.O T-this will be my first time in an airplane. 

No blog entry is complete without mention of the always epic, forever inspiring, breathtaking, (give me more adjectives! ;) ) Les Miserables. The 10th Anniversary concert still leaves my heart pounding and the tears welling in my eyes - no matter how many times I watch it . . . but I'm about hyperventilating, because on SUNDAY I'll be seeing the West End/Broadway musical LIVE. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! 

Lately I've been learning (or at least trying to learn :P ) patience. Anna and I are now part-time nannies for 4 of the most adorable children ranging in age from almost 7 to 3 months old. It's a challenge for sure, but I am so grateful for the experience! Spending time with the kiddos is a delight. . .even through the tantrums. ;) And little newborn Anthony is at the perfect huggable stage. ♥

Here's a sneak-peak of the costume I wore recently to a Literary Ball . . . I'll be doing a post on it soonishly.  Can anyone guess who I went as? (no telling, Flop. ;) ) 

And there ya have just a tiny glimpse of whats been happen'. BUSY stuff - and again, please, please don't think I'm bragging . . . o.O From the bottom of my heart, I only want to update everyone. :) 

What have YOU been up to as of late??? 

One more dawn, one more day...! and specialness of the season.

Happy New Years Eve, dear readers! :) I've been wanting to put this post up for several days now, but never had the chance. Well here it is at last!

Ah...right now I'm listening to 'One Day More', from the musical Les Miserables. No matter how many times I listen to that song, I never get tired of it. And it just seems so appropriate for today, considering we are at the brink of the New Year.

"Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in heaven has in store!

One more dawn, One more day, One day mooooore!"

So triumphant. Makes me all tingly inside, thinking of all the potential possibilities 2011 may bring. This evening I spent several minutes in deep prayer, dedicating the coming year to Christ. The future is both frightening yet exciting: 2011 will mark my 20th year. Whew, how time flies! I'm looking forward to reading the Bible in a year with some friends on facebook, getting my temps (no, I don't drive! I know how...but thats another story, ;) ) and most importantly, striving for a closer relationship with my Jesus.

There are SO many highlights to look over this past year...so for now I'll only mention a few special Christmasy things...

As you all know...I am a HUGE Andrea Bocelli fan. Possibly his biggest fan ever. ;) And I like opera. Now of course I am *extra* choosy when it comes to opera, and mostly I only like Italian. Female singers of most sorts are an especially a big no. So why do I say I like opera? lol 

Anyhow. Carmen is an opera I can tolerate, and it isn't even Italian! But that's besides the point. Anything featuring Andrea's incomparable, glorious, magnificent, stunning voice blows me away. 

:sigh:

Shortly before Christmas I received a package from one of my closest friends, Nicole. Boldly written  on the package were the words "do not open until Christmas". O-k. Tough as it was to wait, it was very much worth it! I was so blessed to find this precious keepsake when I *finally* opened my loot...

 Sooo lovely! I just adore the little box.


The tiny picture features me, Nicole, and our mutual friend Hannah. Love you girls!


Somehow I think this photo should have come *before* the one of the necklace (above.)  hehe Ah well. Isn't the drawer the yummiest thing ever?

An especially special part of this year was "meeting" one of my bestest friends, Flop (aka Alexandra :P )  via Blogger. Ally has been an encourager, entertainer, buddy, girly-friend, and all around blessing! Love you tons and tons, Flop!

The above pictures are pretty much self explanatory. If I'm the worlds biggest Andrea fan, I am a world-renowned, fanatic aficionado of Les Miserables. Oh, and dark chocolate. Ally knows me a little too well! ;)

I made a batch of traditional Italian Toto cookies for our *very* quiet Christmas day. My family doesn't make a huge to-do about Christmas as it is, but we do have a few special traditions. "Toto" is one of them.

Oooh...nutty,  chocolaty, not overly sweet, balanced perfectly with aromatic allspice and cinnamon. (I usually omit the cloves.) Hungry yet? ;) 

Italian Toto Cookies

3 cups flour

3/1 c. cocoa

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp allspice

1/3 tsp cinnamon

3/4 c. butter

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Glaze

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, allspice, cloves and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. In another bowl beat eggs. Stir eggs into creamed mixture with vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then nuts. Form into 1 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Prepare glaze. Frost cookies while still warm.

*I make the glaze mixture "wet" enough to just dip the tops of the cookies lightly. 

Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla

1tbsp milk

Combine sugar and vanilla. Stir in milk a little at a time until of spreading consistency. 

Enjoy!!

2011 - here I come*~

The High Kings in Cleveland!! o.O

Most of my friends here on blogger probably aren't familiar with the worlds greatest Irish/Celtic group, and so part of my aim in this blog post is to introduce to you, ladies and gentleman:

{the girls, l-r: Debbi, Anna, Rachael, Christina, me}

{the guys, l-r: Brian, Martin, Finbarr, Darren}

The High Kings.

<-- click --->

When *I* was first introduced to THK nearly two years ago I never imagined I'd actually see them in concert, much less meet them - I mean, their from Ireland!

This past Monday proved me wrong...

If you know me or my sister Anna there is no need to explain our perfectly crazy obsession with all things Irish. Of course we don't have an ounce of Irish blood in our bodies, but as the saying goes,

everyone is a little bit Irish.

I don't think that statement could be more true: I'm 75% Italian, 25% Polish, all American, 100% Born Again Christian...

...and Irish in my imagination.

So where do I get my passion for Ireland and Irish music?

Simple. It all started long ago when I saw a video a friend posted of a home school English Country Dance ball...she was dancing to a song called 'Maries Wedding.'

I loved it, looked it up online, have since become an HUGE fan of The High Kings, and my passion for the rich Irish culture continues to grow!

So who exactly are The High Kings?

- watch this video.

{Darren Holden}

{Brian Dunphy}

{Finbarr Clancy}

{Martin Furey}

Ok...so now you know who The Kings are. You love them, right? Right!

Shall I tell you all about the concert? Of course! ^_^

It all happened Monday August 16th when 5 fun-loving friends traveled only about 25 minutes away on a journey to experience one of the most thrilling thrills of their lives!

Since it would take years (and probably bore non-fans in the process) to explain everything, I think I'll go with the hoe-hum highlight-lowlight approach. Sound good? I'll try to keep it all as condensed as I can.

~ before the concert~

lowlight -

The drive down to pick up our friends, who met us part way (they came from Pennsylvania.) My mom and I had plenty of interesting adventures along the way, including a truck blowing its tire into our windshield. Oh, and did I mention a hearse drove by soon afterwards?... o.O

highlight -

Picking up our friends! We had some wonderfully deep theological talks on the way home. Good times!

highlight -

Getting ready for the concert! My sister Anna made all five of us a cute kelly-green cloth flower clip to wear in our hair. Everyone looked adorable, and my friend Rachael even dressed in the colors of the Irish flag. I, naturally, wore my "Irish Girl At Heart" t-shirt. It just seems so appropriate for an Irish wannabe. ;)

highlight -

Turning Memory Lane (THK's newest album) up full volume (ok, not really ;) ) on the drive to the concert. The CD hasn't been released in the US yet, but I was privileged to have ordered it some months ago.

Such fun having my friends hear it for the first time!

major highlight -

Peeking through the main entrance doors of the Irish American Club. Why? Well...at first all I saw inside were tables and a few staff workers...then I look through the other window, and a scream escaped my lips - haha, yes, its true! I mean, what else could I do? Darren was standing on the stage! o.O

super major highlight -

Walking past ALL of The High Kings (and waving while trying not to hyperventilate when they waved back,) on our way into the restaurant (directly in the room across from the main hall.) I think it took me at least ten minutes before my heart-rate slowed to normal and my hands stopped shaking.

highlight -

As we ate our meal (while waiting for the guys to finish their sound check so we could enter the main hall,) who should walk past but...Martin! Of course I was across the room getting ketchup for my hamburger, so I nearly missed him. Thats just how I do things. :P

...he stuck his tongue out at Anna. ^_^

Biggest highlight of the evening -

As my friend Christina and I stood taking pictures of The Kings instruments up on stage a woman suddenly grabbed at my arm, excitedly saying that Darren was outside signing autographs, that he was SO sweet, and that I needed to meet him! I followed blindly as she pulled me through the crowd, showed me the door, and left. (Again, thanks *so* much Ginny!)

Christina and I stumbled out the door only to see Darren walking around the corner of the building. He turned once, and I gave him a little wave. Before I knew what was happening, Darren asked if we wanted our "pic-y" taken with him.

YES!

This was the result:

Darren was every bit as wonderful as Ginny said. He was very kind, gracious, and made Christina and I feel so comfortable! Meeting him was truly the ultimate highlight of the evening.

Ok, back to highlights...and...I'm not seeing many lowlights so far! ;)

highlight -

Seeing Brian up-close for the first time! He gave us a nice big smile and wave.

~ during the concert ~

highlight -

Following The High Kings out of the restaurant (where we were waiting to snap pictures) on their way into the hall. Finbarr promised we'd get a chance to spend some time with them after the concert, and Darren asked

"well aren't you girls coming in?" :D

(Has anyone figured out who my favorite band member is yet? ;) )

major highlight -

Hearing The Kings sing live! WOW I always thought they were talented when I heard them recorded, but it was a pleasant surprise to find them EVEN better live. They were incredible!

Sorry for the poor picture and sound quality of the following videos!

{The Black Velvet Band}

{The Fields of Glory}

- I was privileged to have this posted to Darren Holdens facebook fan wall!

{Maries Wedding}

- this is slightly different then the version we normally dance too. Again, so sorry for the poor quality!

{part of Caven Girl}

{the end part of As I Roved Out}

- this video is my personal favorite.

highlight -

Standing in the back of the hall after intermission. We had a much better view there!

highlight -

Purchasing THK's DVD!

amusing highlight -

As we girls sang and clapped along with the music one of the staff members took us aside, asking, "which of you is the biggest fan?" Hard question. ;) Later she kindly held our purses and things while we talked with the guys.

second biggest highlight of the evening -

Meeting, talking with, and taking picture with ALL of The High Kings! Each of them were soooo nice, "real" and friendly, the sort of people you could spend time drinking coffee with and just chatting. They spent quite some time with us gals, which was really neat - we actually held up the line to the autograph table! There are quite a few funny stories here, but this post is long enough, and I'm doing my best to keep it short-ish.

{Anna and I with Martin and Finbarr}

{Me and Brian!}

lowlight -

Yes...the end of the concert was a HUGE lowlight (hm...there were only two in this entire post, weren't there? ;) ) I can hardly wait until the next concert...

And there you have it peoples! My very brief summery of The High Kings in Cleveland. B-)

The worlds most incredible tenor...

How does one describe the voice of the worlds most incredible tenor?

{Here are some adjectives I would use}

* Angelic*

* Gorgeous*

* Breathtaking*

*Spine tingling*

* Passionate*

* Moving*

* Dramatic* *Pure* *Dreamy* *Gifted**God given* *Inspiring* *Romantic* *Soothing* *Poetic*

Andrea Bocelli.

<--click --->

My mom was born in Italy, so I have a HUGE appreciation for Italian music. Please don't convince yourself that you can't enjoy Andrea simply because he speaks Italian! ;)

Just listen to this man's voice - he has a range no other singer can attain...

~*~ Here is just a tiny taste of Andrea - enjoy! ~*~

{Con te Partiro}

You may have heard 'Time to Say Goodbye' with Sarah Brightman.

(Andrea is an operatic and classical cross-over artist.)

Con te is essentially the Italian version of 'Time to Say Goodbye',

and is simply stunning, might I add.

Its truly one of my all time favorite songs!

:sigh:

Whoever composed this piece is a master!

(and of course Andrea is the only artist

who can sing it *correctly*, hehe)

{Dell' Amore Non Si Sa}

I'm not sure if anyone else will appreciate this song, but I really enjoy it - and I love the way this particular video was filmed!

{Andrea's story}

Just beautiful. And doesn't he seem like a sweetheart? Really, I think his blindness has kept him humble, unlike most celebrities - he just seems like the nicest, most genuine fellow. :)

~*~ Don't forget to check out my play list for more Andrea selections! ~*~

Les Miserables - videos from the 1995 "Dream Cast" concert

This past Sunday I was privileged to see the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Cleveland (Ohio) Playhouse (the nations largest preforming arts center outside of New York.)
- but that would be a blog post in itself....just describing the striking beauty of the theater lobby, the thrill of hearing the first notes of "Tradition" swell to the ceiling...it was incredible.

Now my sister, mom and I are crazily excited to be *hopefully* seeing Broadway's Les Miserables next April.

:swoon:

Plays (particularly Broadway) are my latest passion. There is something awe-inspiring about seeing a live performance, all the colors, the voices of the actors, the props, the dancing and the music - a feast for the eyes and ears.

Sometimes I wonder if a movie could ever impact me again. ;)

Here are a few of my favorite videos from the 1995 "Dream Cast" concert version of Les Mis. Breathtaking! There are some seriously talented singers in these videos, and I've watched them so many times in the past couple of days, I think the songs will be permanently stuck in my head. ^_^

*special note about above vid*

Colm Wilkinson is my newest favorite singer. Listen to the passion in his voice! Gorgeous. And the song, so sad yet pretty. What do you think?