A Quick Update
My first instinct is to apologize for my lengthy blog absence, but the truth is, my life and time were pretty maxed out in the tail end of 2015 into the New Year. I love this blog, but it was good for me to cut back while I was busy. So, no apologies -- just a hearty, "Hey! How are you? It's been a while! Let's do coffee!" So, as we sip some coffee together, let me catch you up on some of the highlights from Nov.-Jan.
At the start of November, I played the most fun concert I've ever done as I performed as part of DBU's faculty recital series. This was the first time they ever had a songwriter perform, so I got to make things up as I went, fusing the classical and singer-songwriter traditions into one amazing show. Since I teach in both English and Music departments, I decided to showcase my songs that fuse literature and music and I ended up with a program of Shakespeare text settings, a Chekov-based dramatic song cycle, and some songs lifted from the pages of the Bible. Adam and my Dad played beautifully on grand piano, guitar, and cajon, and my lovely friend Jenny added some spot-on backing vocals. It was just a blast, because I got to share the different sides of my writing and performing personality that I don't get to explore in your average coffeehouse setting. The whole thing was recorded, but I haven't heard back about the finished product yet. When I do have some audio or video to share, you'll hear about it here.
Late November was pretty magical because that's when Dallas becomes a flaming autumn wonderland. I spent a lot of time walking our apartment's nature trail, soaking up the gorgeous colors and the perfect weather.
I also took a lot of walks for the sake of mental health during final paper-grading season. I tripled my class load this semester with some additional adjunct work, and that meant LOTS of papers. I love that our apartment goes all-out for the holidays, as with this fun lighted tree display near the trails.
Finally, we spent a relaxed Christmas between our two families, with a mini-vacation in Fort Worth right in the middle, where we watched Star Wars, went to two Christmas Eve services and a jazz show, and ate a lot of delicious food. I love Fort Worth!
We rested a lot in January and prepped for a new semester and a Jackson Browne/Linda Ronstadt cover show, which was one of the best "Dallas Does" shows we've ever been part of!
We start around 1:17, but trust me, you'll want to hear Julie Anne!
I also spent part of January revamping my music site, and I have some big goals and dreams for that space and my music for 2016. I'm not sure yet how all that stuff will affect this blog, but for now, I want to keep The Beautiful Extras because I love having this space to share my life. And now that it's Valentine's week, I will be sharing my 3rd year of my 14x14 for Feb. 14th remix. (See previous 14x14 remixes here). So, stay tuned for that. In the meantime, if I'm still a bit slow on the blog, just know that I haven't forgotten you, and you can always follow me on instagram.
Happy Belated New Year!
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