Author: Michelle

Music Monday

Allow me to introduce you to Aaron Barnhart. Dean & I had to opportunity to see him perform back in April at a showcase in Nashville. We then were able to meet up with him again in June when we visited/researched Los Angeles. He is an incredibly talented musician/song writer, in addition to being a genuinely nice guy. If  you’ve seen the movie Letters To God  you may recognize one of his songs (The Waters Edge). Below is the video for Day In Day Out. Enjoy. And if you like what you hear, check him out on iTunes too.

** If the video seems jerky, change from 360p to 480p in the toolbar just below the video **

Notes from the PNW

Just some randomness from the PNW (Pacific NorthWest) (especially for my Georgia friends)

Unlike Georgia, when it rains here the car washes stay open.

Also, recess goes on outside, even in the rain. Well okay, maybe not in a downpour, but we haven’t really had many downpours since we’ve been here.

Air conditioning? What’s that. 🙂 Most places here don’t have it. It’s been wonderful not having to use it. We’ve had our windows open when it gets warm (80 degrees here is hot according to locals). Being on a ground floor apartment helps too.

Rain boots are quite fashionable. I haven’t purchased any yet, but it is on my list to eventually get. If their cute enough, I’ll post a picture.

School starts later here. Later in the year and later in the day. There are more schools, so there aren’t as many classes in each grade level. Elementary runs from K – 6 in most places. Another nice thing they did (I don’t know if all schools do this or just this one) they sent a list home at the beginning of the year of all the field trips, the dates and the costs for said field trips, and requested payment at the beginning of the year. Total cost for us, $5. The PTSA covers the remaining costs. And they (the PTSA) is a very active group. Very involved with the school, the kids, and lots of activities for the families too.

Drivers aren’t quite as crazy out here as they were around Atlanta. Not to say there haven’t been any, but overall they have been more polite. Which equates to cheaper insurance rates too.

No matter how many times I see Mt Rainier it still takes my breath away. We’ve seen Mt Baker a few times too and it is just as beautiful. Looking forward to playing in the snow this winter.

Stay tuned, more to come.

Kids Say The Darndest Things

So we’re sitting at the dinner table, discussing some of the places we saw while we were in Los Angeles. A few were places that I would have rather not have had to explain to a 10 year old (strip club, a bar with men dancing in their tighty whiteys, medicinal marijuana bars…) you get the idea. My mother said something about “don’t go to Europe then – they are a lot more liberal and you would see even more of that there.” She then went on to tell a story about when she lived in Holland. While riding their bikes through one of the “red light” districts, one of her brothers asked my Oma (my grandmother) why were these women sitting in the windows, knitting. Oma explained they were just passing the time, avoiding the question of what the women were really doing. Fast forward back to this evening, upon hearing this story the 10 year old at dinner said “maybe Oma (my mother) should do that since she likes to knit so much.” It was impossible for any of us adults to keep a straight face. Some day I’ll have to explain to her what she said and why it was so funny.