December??

My boys have been giving me a hard time because I don't really care to hear or play Christmas music. At first, I had an issue with it, as two of our local radio stations started to play Christmas music on November 7th!! That is WAY too early. I typically start playing it on Thanksgiving. Which I did. I had an instrumental Christmas station playing on Pandora. I figured that would be the catalyst and I'd be in a Christmas mood after that. However, the next day, I tried to play some and it just didn't work for me. So I went back to my regular music.

I've played my Oh, For Joy! CD by David Crowder Band. I've played TSO. I'm still not there. I hear it in stores and other businesses, but it's just not happening for me. We don't yet have our tree up and I thought that perhaps that was part of it.

And then last week, it dawned on me. It's the weather. I'm pretty sure we've only had snow in town once this year. ONCE. In Colorado. And it's December 3rd! Not only is there no snow, but the temperatures have been in the lower 60s most days (as high as 65!). It's definitely the weather that's throwing me off. It just feels like a nice October fall day, not December, and definitely not nearing Christmas.

Now I realize that for some of you, the whole snow and cold weather thing is irrelevant (southern Cal, some Texas friends, Floridians, etc.), but living most of my life in Colorado, this is just not normal. It's very strange. And really very bad because we're experiencing record drought here. Given that we are already living in a semi-arid climate and the fires we've had over the past dozen of years, this is very bad.

So I'm going to pray like crazy for some moisture and SNOW. Our state needs the moisture desperately and I'd like to feel just a little more Christmasy.

On a funny side note, we watched White Christmas (I just love that movie!) last night and when they arrive in Vermont, the big draw is supposed to be all the glorious snow, but there's none. In fact, it's warm and lovely - kind of like Colorado. When Bob, Phil, Betty, and Judy step off the train, we commented that they must be in Colorado.

Young Love by Mat Kearney

We have been Mat Kearney fans since we first heard his music, so I was excited to have the opportunity to review his latest CD, Young Love. Young Love combines quite a few upbeat, fun tunes with his mellower, ballad style. It opens with a catchy song called Hey Mama, which had me hooked from the first time I heard it. I'm singing this one all the time. Which is okay, because it's a really fun song. Whether you're a Mat Kearney fan or haven't even heard of him, I highly recommend this CD. Check out this totally cool, interactive graphic: ps- sorry for the weird alignment of things - apparently I'm having issues with the groovy, interactive graphic. Get the CD, though. It's awesome.
Disclaimer: As a member of the One2One network, I was provided with a free copy of this CD in order to review it. The opinions stated here are my own.

BB King

Last night, my mom and I had the privilege to see BB King in concert. We've wanted to see him for years, but were never able to make it. It was very exciting to finally get to go. Going with my mom was extra special because it was her love for the blues that got me hooked. We had wonderful seats, the opening band was terrific, and the King and his band were incredible!

Bantering with his drummer.




He has a great sense of humor.

...Featuring Norah Jones

I haven't been a fan for a long time, but I have really come to enjoy the talents of Norah Jones over the past year. She has an incredibly rich and smooth voice with remarkable versatility. Earlier this week, I received a copy of ...Featuring Norah Jones courtesy of One 2 One Network for review. From the CD cover:

Recorded from 2001 to 2010, the cameos, duets and collaborations on this compilation span the musical spectrum and show Norah Jones to be one of the decade's most diverse musical connectors.

When I first opened the CD, I was a little curious how well it would work to have such a wide array of musical styles together. Norah sings with artists from many genres from Wilie Nelson to the Foo Fighters, Herbie Hancock to Outkast, and many others in between. Yet, the Norah's flexibility beautifully ties the various styles together.

While I've had just a few days to enjoy the CD, my favorites right now are:

• Love Me with The Little Willies {Rarely do I care for Elvis remakes}
• Turn Them with Sean Bones
• Ruler of My Heart with Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Robert Randolph
• Here We Go Again with Ray Charles

...Featuring Norah Jones was released earlier this week, so you can pick up your copy.

{Disclosure: I am a member of One 2 One Network, who provided this CD for review; opinions expressed are my own. I am entered to win a gift card through One2One Network by participating in this campaign.}

The Concert

Recently, Hubby & I went to see the Boomin Beyond Measure Tour with Matthew West, Jeremy Camp, and Toby Mac. It was very loud, high energy, and a total blast! I got tix for Hubs for Christmas (although I benefitted, as well) and was able to get pretty fantastic seats. A better zoom on my camera might've been nice (obviously), but otherwise it was great.

It was pretty cool seeing people of all ages and walks of life at the concert. I don't remember ever going to a concert in my BC(before Christ) life, and I went to quite a few, where there was such a wide variety of attendees. Loving Jesus crosses all boundaries.

Best of all, every one of these three men gave God all the honor and glory. They brought out their Bibles and and shared His word, pointing everyone towards the Lord. It was so cool.

Matthew West


Toby Mac introducing Jeremy Camp


Jeremy Camp


Toby sharing God's word


Toby & Jeremy jamming to Jesus Freak


Cool lights - just cuz


More cool lights