Weeks 8 & 9

Two weeks ago RH had their first house concert! House concerts are this great new phenomenon where musicians come and play an intimate acoustic show in your living room, kitchen, backyard, or wherever. The audience can be comprised of people you know, or it can be opened up to the musician's fan base. To read more about how to put on a great house concert, read here: www.danielboling.com/id29.htm
If you or anyone you know would be interested in hosting a RH house concert, just let me know (abby@ryanhoodmusic.com) and I can give you more details.

Here's a group photo of some of the people who were at the first house concert...


The following day we hung out in NYC (complements of our friend Paul Ma who let us use his condo while he was gone for the weekend)! Before and after the show in Greenwich Village, we hung out at Katie Reese's apartment (Ryan's friend from high school). Katie, her boyfriend, and her roommate all came to the VT show a few weeks back. So when we got to her apartment, she nonchalantly said that something that happened since we last saw them was that she and Steve got engaged!! So, I decided to change the "pre-party" into an engagement party! :)
Katie and Steve:


Engagement Party food and flowers:


Jackie (Katie's roommate) and Chris (Katie's building-mate)


The show at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC


That night Cameron flew to visit his girlfriend in Chicago while Ryan and I drove to Boston so that we could see friends and go to church at the Vineyard (where we used to go and got married). It was sooo great to be able to go to a church service there! Afterwards we went out to lunch with a couple (Crystal and Tim) who used to be in our Marrieds Small Group. Then that evening we went to Lisa and Stace's for dinner. Lisa and Stace were in our marriage class that we took at the Vineyard just after getting married. They are the neatest couple with some of the coolest middle school kids I've ever met (and who's names happen to be Abby and Cameron).


Monday night we hung out in Brighton Center with Jess and Tim. Tim is doing great, after having been diagnosed with cancer in October...he's already undergone surgery and chemo...and is on the upswing!

Tuesday night Ryan and I cooked dinner at Will and Orla's and also had Jill and Jana over for dinner...
Here's our family photo:


While driving through Bethel, Maine, we saw the "World's Largest Snow Woman"...note that the arms are christmas trees, the eye lashes are skis, and the buttons are tires...!!


Everyone always wants to know what our weirdest road life experiences are...and last week we got to add to our collection of stories...

We got to our hotel, and Cameron took his stuff into his room while Ryan and I went to our room. A couple of seconds later Cameron came back to announce he had totally scored with his room. Usually this means that he's gotten a king size bed, honeymoon suite with a jaccuzi, or something along those lines. This time however, this is what he found in his room:

The toilet tank in the entry way...


The bathroom sans toilet tank...


A stash of cereal, bread, and an empty beer bottle on the dresser...


A pair of trousers on the bed...


And unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the other bed b/c at the time I didn't understand that it was just as odd and random...but it was covered in hotel room towels, half folded and half unfolded...as if housekeeping had been working in there and then just stopped...It was truly the weirdest hotel experience we've had...needless to say Cameron got a different room for the night. :)

We made a trip back to Boston the following Sunday so we could go to church at the Vineyard again...it's starting to become a nice habit. :) Afterwards we went to lunch with David, Yaminette, and their new baby, Naam. (to fast forward, this is the same David that opened the show at Club Passim on 3/7/08).


We got to spend a night in Springfield with Jen and Nathan (another couple from our marriage class). Jen made us a delicious home-cooked dinner of veggie lasagne! Cameron and Nathan got to share their visual art...they are both super talented! Here we are in their cute eating nook...the table is a sweet artistic creation of Nathan's...


Finally got to drive through Belchertown (we pass signs for it on the highway all the time) and of course always have a good laugh at the name...


And the creative advertising award for this blog goes to Greenfield Community College...


For anyone who lives in or around the Grand Rapids, MI area, RH is going to be playing in the auditorium of Greenville High School on Tuesday, March 11 as a fundraiser for their student council. The show starts at 7pm and tickets at the door are $5. Please come...it'd be fun to see you!! :)