Friday morning we drove to California for a mini RH tour. We started in San Diego and played at a great acoustic venue called LeStat's West. It's right next to a great coffee shop called, LeStat's, (clever, eh?) and draws a very eclectic crowd of people, which we always love. Owen Plant drove down and sat in on some songs with RH.
We were able to spend the night and have quality time with Ryan's cousin, Traci and her husband Joe, who were married one month after us. It's so nice to be able to visit family and friends while we are out on the road and make it feel like a big friendship tour. :)
Saturday morning we had breakfast with some of Cameron's friends down near Mission Beach, and then drove to LA. The show that evening was at another great acoustic venue that we had never played in before called Genghis Cohen. At first it appeared rather interesting because its attached to an upscale Chinese restaurant, and the seating is old church pews. But, the feel of the room was very much like Club Passim...very folky, which we really appreciate. Norm from Cheers was even there!! Although, he was there for the food we think since we didn't see him at the show...then again, he is very short, so he could've been in there pretending to be a small child. :)
This morning at church we thought we felt an earthquake. But, not being from CA, we weren't positive if it was an earthquake or perhaps just the trash man hitting the dumpster really hard on the ground outside. But, sure enough we came home and checked on the internet to see that it as a 2.7 magnitude at 10:07 am just 1 mile southeast of Yorba Linda, CA!
Well, I'm off to make dinner for our friend Ken, whom we are staying with. And then I fly back to Tucson tonight while the guys stay in LA and record for the week.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Monday, July 09, 2007
Scrabba-dabba-doo!
Our (my) first 4th of July in Tucson was blisterly HOT! The recorded high for the day was 113, and we spent from about 9am-11pm out in the sun!....and then slept for the following two days because we were so sun-drained. :) We were at the Hilton El Conquistador, a swanky hotel/resort on the northwest side of Tucson that does a big 4th Festival put on by the radio station. RH opened for Rocco de Luca and Lifehouse. Due to 2 people putting on the event having to go to the hospital from heat stroke, there were some technical difficulties at the beginning of the concert, but it ended up being a great night of music (and sweat). :)
The beautiful natural backdrop...
I thought I'd show a shot that includes people...there were about 3,000 spectators!
Our friends Lori and Ryan at the event...
On Saturday, we hosted our first ever Scrabble Tournament! Growing up, I never remember loving this game, however since getting married, Ryan and I have become completely addicted! And watching the documentary, Word Wars, about the national Scrabble Tournament, only aided in our addiction.
We had 9 people competing in the tournament...but only Jen walked away as the official champion! She got a 84 point word in the final round (squats/zips on a triple word! for those of you scrabble lovers out there).
Heather, Chris, and Melissa during round 2
Jen and I in the final championship round (she whooped me)...
Ryan and Danny in the final consolation round...by Ryan's face, I'm sure you can determine the outcome...
The beautiful natural backdrop...
I thought I'd show a shot that includes people...there were about 3,000 spectators!
Our friends Lori and Ryan at the event...
On Saturday, we hosted our first ever Scrabble Tournament! Growing up, I never remember loving this game, however since getting married, Ryan and I have become completely addicted! And watching the documentary, Word Wars, about the national Scrabble Tournament, only aided in our addiction.
We had 9 people competing in the tournament...but only Jen walked away as the official champion! She got a 84 point word in the final round (squats/zips on a triple word! for those of you scrabble lovers out there).
Heather, Chris, and Melissa during round 2
Jen and I in the final championship round (she whooped me)...
Ryan and Danny in the final consolation round...by Ryan's face, I'm sure you can determine the outcome...
Friday, July 06, 2007
Meredith Ryan Cameron!
Last weekend, I flew to Denver, met up with Janna and Kari, and drove to Winter Park, CO for Miss Meredith Ryan Hortop's wedding! It was such a quaint and beautiful outdoor wedding. The ceremony took place in a grassy meadow with wild flowers and a beautiful view of the mountains! And the reception was in a little barn that is normally used as a warming hut for cross country skiers in the winter. Each group of friends/family sat in their own little stall that was decorated with white christmas lights, tool, and purple flowers...it was gorgeous!
I must say that I'm quite intrigued by the culture of Winter Park. It's a very small community, population 800, but it doesn't feel like any other small town that I've been in. It actually feels more like a big college campus for people who are all majoring in outdoor activities. Everyone was always outdoors playing (mountain biking, running, etc), or talking about being outdoors...pretty cool.
Here are some photos from the weekend...
Meredith and I first seeing each other in the lodge where we were staying...and where Meredith spent the night before her wedding day.
The walk to the Hawaiian BBQ the night before the wedding...
A little Albion pride...
Meredith's husband (to-be at this point), Chris Cameron, in the grass skirt...
Meredith and Janna staking down the sign to direct people along the 2-track dirt road to get to the ceremony the morning of the wedding...
The ceremony location...
The reception...
Congratulations Meredith and Chris! And just as a fun side note, Meredith's full name is Meredith Ryan Cameron :)
I must say that I'm quite intrigued by the culture of Winter Park. It's a very small community, population 800, but it doesn't feel like any other small town that I've been in. It actually feels more like a big college campus for people who are all majoring in outdoor activities. Everyone was always outdoors playing (mountain biking, running, etc), or talking about being outdoors...pretty cool.
Here are some photos from the weekend...
Meredith and I first seeing each other in the lodge where we were staying...and where Meredith spent the night before her wedding day.
The walk to the Hawaiian BBQ the night before the wedding...
A little Albion pride...
Meredith's husband (to-be at this point), Chris Cameron, in the grass skirt...
Meredith and Janna staking down the sign to direct people along the 2-track dirt road to get to the ceremony the morning of the wedding...
The ceremony location...
The reception...
Congratulations Meredith and Chris! And just as a fun side note, Meredith's full name is Meredith Ryan Cameron :)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Good Craic!
Last week I went to Philadelphia to see our friend JohnO who was visiting from Ireland!
>>To catch some people up, I met JohnO while studying abroad in Ireland, then he lived with my roommate and I during the summer of '04 when Ryan and I met...thus making the three of us (well, really the four of us with Cameron) really good friends. JohnO returned to Boston in the summer of '05 for our wedding, where he was a reader, pronouncing every "you" with a good Irish "ye".<<
We thought Ryan was going to be recording for the week in LA, so we didn't buy him a plane ticket...However, it turned out he didn't have to go to LA, but it was too late to buy a ticket by the time we found that out. He had a great time hanging out with his guy friends at home though. :)
We took a bus tour around Philly and saw all the major sites.
Our first stop was the Betsy Ross, where I had done a service project for MLK weekend in college...
Chinatown...
LOVE...(look for the red letters behind the trees)
St. Peter and Paul...
The Franklin Institute...a great hands-on museum...JohnO seeing if he can lift his own body weight...he did it!
We also went to Lancaster County, Amish Country. I'm fascinated by the Amish, so I loved going and learning more about their culture. We did a tour of an Amish home, and also watched a movie on a boy of age (16) making his decision about whether or not he would choose to remain in the faith. The Amish are currently retaining about 90% of their youth a year! The Amish can use rollerblades and scooters to get around, in addition to horse and buggies, however they cannot use bikes because bikes would allow them to get too far from home. I was a bit disappointed to find that most Amish families now use Pampers instead of cloth diapers, and even wear manufactured sweaters, but I guess they needed to find some short-cuts when their lives are otherwise quite laborious.
We stopped in a little village that sold Amish goods. Here's Lisa sampling some jam...of course we had to sample everything in the store! :)
Lisa, Arnold, and Megan, friends of JohnO's from Ireland who are missionaries for CrossWorld in Philadelphia, and also who we stayed with...
Me and JohnO...
It was a great trip!
My journey home however was filled with adventures of another kind...both flights were delayed, which weren't too big of a deal because I was reading a good book, but then once I reached Tucson, our car died in the parking lot of the airport! :( We had to push the car through the gate so that we could pay without having to have the money add up while we waited. Hopefully gray beauty will be back working again soon!
Congrats to our friend Melanie and Devin who got married last weekend!
>>To catch some people up, I met JohnO while studying abroad in Ireland, then he lived with my roommate and I during the summer of '04 when Ryan and I met...thus making the three of us (well, really the four of us with Cameron) really good friends. JohnO returned to Boston in the summer of '05 for our wedding, where he was a reader, pronouncing every "you" with a good Irish "ye".<<
We thought Ryan was going to be recording for the week in LA, so we didn't buy him a plane ticket...However, it turned out he didn't have to go to LA, but it was too late to buy a ticket by the time we found that out. He had a great time hanging out with his guy friends at home though. :)
We took a bus tour around Philly and saw all the major sites.
Our first stop was the Betsy Ross, where I had done a service project for MLK weekend in college...
Chinatown...
LOVE...(look for the red letters behind the trees)
St. Peter and Paul...
The Franklin Institute...a great hands-on museum...JohnO seeing if he can lift his own body weight...he did it!
We also went to Lancaster County, Amish Country. I'm fascinated by the Amish, so I loved going and learning more about their culture. We did a tour of an Amish home, and also watched a movie on a boy of age (16) making his decision about whether or not he would choose to remain in the faith. The Amish are currently retaining about 90% of their youth a year! The Amish can use rollerblades and scooters to get around, in addition to horse and buggies, however they cannot use bikes because bikes would allow them to get too far from home. I was a bit disappointed to find that most Amish families now use Pampers instead of cloth diapers, and even wear manufactured sweaters, but I guess they needed to find some short-cuts when their lives are otherwise quite laborious.
We stopped in a little village that sold Amish goods. Here's Lisa sampling some jam...of course we had to sample everything in the store! :)
Lisa, Arnold, and Megan, friends of JohnO's from Ireland who are missionaries for CrossWorld in Philadelphia, and also who we stayed with...
Me and JohnO...
It was a great trip!
My journey home however was filled with adventures of another kind...both flights were delayed, which weren't too big of a deal because I was reading a good book, but then once I reached Tucson, our car died in the parking lot of the airport! :( We had to push the car through the gate so that we could pay without having to have the money add up while we waited. Hopefully gray beauty will be back working again soon!
Congrats to our friend Melanie and Devin who got married last weekend!
Liz and Charlene's Visit!
Hi! I'm going to pick up with where I left off on my last blog post...Liz and Charlene's visit...
We had a great time having them stay at our place for the week. Charlene is the easiest baby ever! She never cried, except for when she started teething on her last day here...and I think that warrants crying, she slept for 13 hours a night, and smiled while strangers held her!
Here are some photos from their visit...
We were all taking naps when Ryan got home...
An evening hike at Sabino Canyon...
Swimming at Grammie's...
Grammie insisted on babysitting while we swam...
Rachel (Ryan's half sister-on the left) and her friends were entertained by Charlene for hours!...
Ryan and Charlene played together for hours...
Liz and Charlene ready for the airport...
Charlene catching on that she is leaving AZ...
Charlene not happy about leaving...
We had a great time having them stay at our place for the week. Charlene is the easiest baby ever! She never cried, except for when she started teething on her last day here...and I think that warrants crying, she slept for 13 hours a night, and smiled while strangers held her!
Here are some photos from their visit...
We were all taking naps when Ryan got home...
An evening hike at Sabino Canyon...
Swimming at Grammie's...
Grammie insisted on babysitting while we swam...
Rachel (Ryan's half sister-on the left) and her friends were entertained by Charlene for hours!...
Ryan and Charlene played together for hours...
Liz and Charlene ready for the airport...
Charlene catching on that she is leaving AZ...
Charlene not happy about leaving...
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Breakfast, Birthday, Babies...
Hello!
I hope everyone is enjoying summer! On the radio today the dj said "it's going to be a cool week with temperatures only reaching the upper 90s."...eeks...even though I've already survived one summer here, I'm still not ready for what June/July/August bring! Yesterday it was 102, and today is already much cooler, with a high of 'only' 94.
Ryan spent the morning at the dog park with Lily and Stanley, while I drove to Phoenix to pick up our friend Liz and her baby, Charlene! (I knew "babies" in the title would catch everyone's attention!) I'm having one...stay with me for the week that is. :)
Thanks for everyone who voted for RH to get into the Cornerstone Music Festival this summer in Bushnell, IL! They finished in 2nd place out of 230 bands, and will be performing on the new band stage on Friday, June 29 at 4:20pm, for anyone that will be there!
On Memorial Day, Ryan and I discovered/re-discovered (I had never been there/Ryan went on a field trip growing up) Augua Caliente. It's a beautiful park near where we live that has WATER!! Up until now, I thought NO place in Tucson had water...the "rivers" are dry washes, the water falls don't fall, and the only time you can see water is if you go to someone's pool, or during monsoon season. But this park has beautiful ponds and palm trees all over the place! We brought a picnic breakfast, read, and walked around the park for the morning before all the BBQ'ers rolled in.
On Monday, Grammie celebrated her 76th birthday! There was a huge surprise party for her at Bazil's, her best-friend's restaurant.
I hope everyone is enjoying summer! On the radio today the dj said "it's going to be a cool week with temperatures only reaching the upper 90s."...eeks...even though I've already survived one summer here, I'm still not ready for what June/July/August bring! Yesterday it was 102, and today is already much cooler, with a high of 'only' 94.
Ryan spent the morning at the dog park with Lily and Stanley, while I drove to Phoenix to pick up our friend Liz and her baby, Charlene! (I knew "babies" in the title would catch everyone's attention!) I'm having one...stay with me for the week that is. :)
Thanks for everyone who voted for RH to get into the Cornerstone Music Festival this summer in Bushnell, IL! They finished in 2nd place out of 230 bands, and will be performing on the new band stage on Friday, June 29 at 4:20pm, for anyone that will be there!
On Memorial Day, Ryan and I discovered/re-discovered (I had never been there/Ryan went on a field trip growing up) Augua Caliente. It's a beautiful park near where we live that has WATER!! Up until now, I thought NO place in Tucson had water...the "rivers" are dry washes, the water falls don't fall, and the only time you can see water is if you go to someone's pool, or during monsoon season. But this park has beautiful ponds and palm trees all over the place! We brought a picnic breakfast, read, and walked around the park for the morning before all the BBQ'ers rolled in.
On Monday, Grammie celebrated her 76th birthday! There was a huge surprise party for her at Bazil's, her best-friend's restaurant.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Mount Lemmon Take 2
Friday night, Erinstacy (friend from Boston that now lives in Phoenix), drove down to have a girl's night/ sleepover since Ryan was in LA recording! We made a great dinner and sat on the back patio for hours chit-chatting away.
Saturday morning we packed a picnic and drove up Mount Lemmon to go for a picnic and a hike. Our hike turned into more of a rock climbing adventure because we wanted to get what we were sure had to be the best view on the mountain...and I actually think it very well may be the best view...getting to and from the 'best view' though, is a wee bit challenging... :)
Destination...
View...
The climb down...
Survivors...
Saturday morning we packed a picnic and drove up Mount Lemmon to go for a picnic and a hike. Our hike turned into more of a rock climbing adventure because we wanted to get what we were sure had to be the best view on the mountain...and I actually think it very well may be the best view...getting to and from the 'best view' though, is a wee bit challenging... :)
Destination...
View...
The climb down...
Survivors...
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Block Party!
About a month ago I listened to a podcast sermon from the Vineyard (our church in Boston). The topic was on being a host, and even moreso, being a host to those you might not even know. During the sermon, they interviewed a woman from the church who had a party for her entire street (Clarendon Street) in Boston! That is a big feat because there are many apartment buildings with many people living in each building...she had over a hundred people attend, most of which she had never met before! And, it went so well that they have since had other get togethers since then.
(If you'd like to listen to the sermon, http://vcfcaudio.bostonvineyard.org/podcast/vcfgb-podcast.html it's the sermon from March 18th by Christopher Greco.)
This sermon really inspired me to want to get to know our neighbors more. Last night, we invited the neighbor kids over for pizza and to watch "Night at the Museum". Then, today we had a block party/brunch for everyone on our street...it was soo great! There were about 20 people who came, and most stayed to the end, or even past the stated "ending time". One of the woman on our street who has lived here for 30 years, said it was the first block party that the street has had in 28 years!
It was super easy to do, and a lot of fun. So, if you have neighbors that you haven't met...I'm encouraging you to throw a block party! :)
The neighbors who came are already scheming a street garage sale for later this summer, and a BBQ for the fall!
Our invitations...
The spread...
Some of the people...
(If you'd like to listen to the sermon, http://vcfcaudio.bostonvineyard.org/podcast/vcfgb-podcast.html it's the sermon from March 18th by Christopher Greco.)
This sermon really inspired me to want to get to know our neighbors more. Last night, we invited the neighbor kids over for pizza and to watch "Night at the Museum". Then, today we had a block party/brunch for everyone on our street...it was soo great! There were about 20 people who came, and most stayed to the end, or even past the stated "ending time". One of the woman on our street who has lived here for 30 years, said it was the first block party that the street has had in 28 years!
It was super easy to do, and a lot of fun. So, if you have neighbors that you haven't met...I'm encouraging you to throw a block party! :)
The neighbors who came are already scheming a street garage sale for later this summer, and a BBQ for the fall!
Our invitations...
The spread...
Some of the people...
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