Thankfulness

I have so much to be thankful for today. I have moved, registered for my classes and gotten a job. I have great renters for the Beehive and friends who like me and who I like and learn from. My family lets me stay for the week, eating their food and sleeping on their couch, enjoying their company, and I get to work with musicians who are so good...I'm inspired and overjoyed every time I play with them. But that's not all....I have a bike too! How did my life get this good? I am so thankful. I feel like it's such a good time for me. It's a pocket valley of peace. I know life won't be this good (or easy) forever, so I just want to enjoy these moments.

Some highlights from the last week:

After a great week in Aberdeen (I went down for some music jobs) I left early in the morning yesterday to get back to Bellingham and beat traffic. (Almost successful.) My cousins and I rode our bikes about 9 miles (?) (felt like 25) to the farmer's market, where we ate dry leftover roast beef sandwiches and watched people of all different types. The biggest thing I noticed though was the smell. Delicious.


My great grandpa turned 100 years old on Friday. We had a big party at his assisted living facility. The staff brought in some Hoquiam firemen to light his candles...all 100...on the birthday cake. It was hilarious. Can you imagine...born in 1907 and seeing all those world events? Note: I bought the Beehive from him and he always tells me what a good house that is. He bought that house in 1964 and lived there until he was 98.


Zona Calda (the jazz quartet I'm so happy to be a part of) played some shows this week...one at the Pacific County Fair. Now that's a fair that makes you feel like you're on a movie set. It's tiny, but hearty. Menlo, Washington knows how to get the job done.


My sister Claire, always such a gracious person, made my favorite breakfast food ever...pear pastries and chocolate pastries. They are so fantastic. And a lot of work! She starts them several days before we eat them, letting them rise many times to become the flaky wonders that they are. She was up working on them at 5 or something the morning we ate them. Thank you Claire.


I danced with Jia Tai, my brother with the true dance floor MOVES.

Warren surprised me with his singing ability and songwriting ideas. Wyatt, Warren, Laurel, Jai Tai and Gabby (our Bellingham cousin) and I started writing a tune this week. We have it on video (scary) but there are some really good ideas in it..and a big part of that came from 9 year old Warren. He played drums and was the lead singer. Could it be that my brothers will start a band and travel the world? That would be cool. Of course getting Laurel to participate was like trying to run over a cat...difficult. She's so good but just shy, I guess. She reminds me of me, I have such a love/hate relationship with music and performing. I feel like I'm a late bloomer and am just now beginning to embrace it. I hope she does that earlier, it's more fun to accept who you are than deny it. And she is so a musician with a gift. (For the record, she's a much better musician than I...I mean that we are alike in hating to play in front of people.)


Anyhoo. I'm at my first day of work tomorrow and am looking forward to it. A-haaaaaaa!

The move

Well I've made the move. I'm nearly unpacked and I'm settling in nicely. My family is the best. They did so much work to help me get out of the house and into the trailer, and then out of the trailer into my studio. Now my family in the north is being so welcoming and kind. I feel so relaxed about everything. Even job hunting, which is unsettling. Kind of like a first date. You want so badly to make a dynamic, delightful, interesting impression....ahhh. It's hard to be that when you're nervous and your words trip over themselves coming out your mouth. Yes.

Thank you and good night. I'm tired. Tomorrow is a new day!