Lennox: 15 Months

On a bus somewhere between Cadott & Nashville: Remember this baby? Well, she's all grown up now and I had a chance to do another photo shoot with the one and only Lennox Esmee Wilson (another sweet Godchild). Last time, she pretty much slept and was doing her best to muster a smile. This time around, she laughed, changed outfits and clowned around with her brothers. I love looking back at the changes in such a short amount of time and can't wait for next year's growth.

As before, some highlights:

40s movie star?

tutu

summertime fun

giggle

hanging with the boys

trouble x3

can I have a kiss?

look at those faces!

as always... The Wilsons

Pleasantries

Mt. Pleasant, MI: After battling the heat at home, it has been lovely being in a place where the weather feels just like it's named: pleasant. And although I had a bit of Sunday Stomach on the bus ride last night, it feels good to be on the road again. Doing what I do, having a purpose.

I also think it takes getting out of your routine to appreciate the routine itself. It seems I'm spending more time in my own bed than in my bed on wheels. But now that I'm away from it for a bit, I feel like I've overlooked or at least not fully appreciated the bits and pieces that make up the home life I've created.

Over the year, I've done a bit of home improvements. Nothing too major (though the downstairs bathroom does need to have an overhaul one of these days), but little bits around the house that really make it mine.

First, I began the year with curtains for the living room. The condo originally came with blinds (that were the same in every room) and though it served its purpose, two days before my New Year's soirée, I was on a frantic rush to make at least one home improvement for my guests' enjoyment. (Ok, fine, more for my personal enjoyment, but still). With the boy's generous help to hang them, the three gauzy pieces add a warm amber glow to the room.

Next up was my bedroom. As much as I love mornings (simply because you get more hours in the day if you wake up earlier!), I became more and more disturbed at the fact that sunlight was blazing onto my eyelids in the wee hours of the day and interrupting what little sleep I was able to get. The problem was the quarter circles above my windows. Though they added a distinctive look, I had to think outside of the box (or, in this case, window) to find a way to block the sun. With the help of a blind man, I added little flare and cut down on a lot of light.

In the guest / art room (and slowly turning into a music studio for the boy), I needed to add a little glamour to the wide and blank teal blue wall. I originally had a vision to have birds flying across the ceiling, but I feared my guests may have flashbacks of some '60s movies. So, I opted for keeping the birds on the wall and thanks to my findings on etsy, I purchased a lovely birdcage stencil and some 3D birds. Still contemplating on what to put on the ceiling, however....

And finally, next to my tree (literally and figuratively), my most favorite pieces of home decor. Thanks to an online print company, I was able to take five photos, blow them up and print them on gallery canvas. Now these pieces of art -- photographs that I personally took from around the world -- are the first thing that really catch your eye when you walk into my home. There are sometimes, as I pass by, I catch a glance of them and remember the exact moment in time when I took that picture. The trip to London and Tokyo and Venice and Dubai and Paris... just having those cities captured and on my wall makes me so grateful for the position I was in to have a chance to take them.

simply... pleasant.

Illusions Of Bliss

Nashville, TN: Maybe I jinxed it. Maybe I wanted it too bad. Maybe I have really bad luck.

Then again, maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

Any way you look at it, I feel like the cancellation of Lilith Fair in Nashville is somehow directly tied to me. (A bit presumptuous, I know, but please hear me out.)

Ever since the tour was announced, I have been felt a personal connection and excitement about it. Lilith Fair was the first tour I ever worked on. It made me believe I could do anything I wanted to in the music touring industry -- even as a woman in a male-dominated field. The energy was electric. The music was magical. The ride was riveting and I hated to see it end.

But, suddenly, it was back. And even better than having it back was that it was going to tie in with a local women's charity in every city. So now I could combine both of my worlds. What joy! What bliss! I'm gonna make them a million from this! Ok, maybe not a million, but at least a few thousand and how GREAT would that be!

I solicited my friends. I tried to cause a buzz. At the end of the day, we got 74% of the vote. We were in. We just needed the founders' approval, but how could they not say yes?

So today when I got the news (via a call via a tweet -- another reason to loathe that form of technology), I realized my illusion of bliss was simply that: an illusion. I was flabbergasted. I was heartbroken. I was pissed.

Then the realization of WHY I was feeling so strongly about it hit me. It wasn't so much about missing out on a night of amazing female musicians. It wasn't all about helping raise money for an organization I love. It was about satisfying my own personal ego. I wanted to be the one who organized and rallied and pulled us up through the ranks. I wanted to be the one to go to the press conference and accept the check from Sarah. Hell - I already had the blog planned out in my head! This was about MY glory based on MY efforts.

I don't think God necessarily pulls out the rug from under us when we least expect it, but I also don't put it past Him to put me in my place. Maybe I should have focused my bliss on the real meaning of the campaign instead of looking at the accolades it could garner for me.

For now, I'll thank those who took the time to vote (thank you, sweet friends!), congratulate those who did win and do my best to enjoy this delicious piece of humble pie.

RoomLighting

Nashville, TN: It's funny how my "down" time is anything but down. Although I haven't been traveling the country, I've been running around Nash, doing photo shoots, trying to get to the gym, spending time with the ladies, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But the majority of my time has been in the home office. Though I am not technically on tour, the approaching one-off shows require a lot more logistics than simply hopping on a bus and going to the next city to do the same show you did the night before.

When I take a break from making itineraries... then redoing itineraries... then tweaking itineraries one more time, I tend to spend my time on my new electronic drug of choice: Adobe Photoshop LightRoom. I've been a fan of Photoshop ever since I got serious into photography (and with a little assistance from my teacher in London) and have used Bridge to view and organize photos (sorry, iPhoto, it's just not happening for me). But LightRoom just seems to do it all. You can view, you can edit, you can add borders, you can add a copywrite -- and the best part, once you're done, you export the files to another folder so your originals are saved and your photoshopped (or I guess lightroomed?) photos are saved separately. Ah, the small joys in life.

Here's an example of the subtle but substantial adjustments using LR:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

You can see that the borders are rounded, the whole image is brighter and tighter, the shower gel is a bit smoother at the top (I feel like I'm playing "spot the differences"....). And everything was done in just a few minutes in one location! All in all, just makes me feel like a better photographer.

Oh - and if you're interested, you can purchase the Thistle Farms Summer Survival Kit (including geranium spray and shower gel which contain geranium oil that directly supports Rwandan widows and orphans who survived the genocide and a limited edition bag created by women in Lwala, Africa) by going to the Thistle Farms website.

But now I must get back to my new favorite room in the house.... the LightRoom.

The Perks Of The Job

Nashville, TN: I spent a random Wednesday at another awards show, this time, however, I could actually drive home in between rehearsal and red carpet to freshen up. Just a perk of the show being in Nashvegas.

Then I had a chance to say hello and hug my old boss. Not the one I normally see at these country affairs, but the one right after him -- who took me around the world, allowed me to listen to my iPod live every night and who can still make my heart flutter a bit. Just a perk of the rock & country worlds combining.

Finally, though I see lots of celebs backstage at such a star-studded event, my star-struck factor has diminished a bit over the years (not gone completely, just a little less painfully obvious). However, there are a few that cause me to look twice and make me SO grateful to be in this exact moment and this exact time.

Such as:

And in case you don't know what this is about:

HILARIOUS.

A funny, talented boss with her funny, talented SNL impersonator. In the same dress. Backstage. Just another perk.

Spammed in the Springs

Palm Springs, CA: As soon as the wheels touched down on the glittering tarmac, I gazed at the mountains, felt the setting sun's warmth through the small window and took a deep, cleansing breath. Thankful to be back on the road. Grateful to have a job that I love. Happy to explore a new city (even if inside a casino for most of the time). My iPhone had finally rebooted from it's 3 hour nap and I checked my messages.

"Hello, Miss Carolyn. It's your Dad. I realize you're probably still flying, but if you get a chance, you might want to check into it.... I think someone has hijacked your website. They put a bunch of crap on there about viagra. I know it's probably crazy right now, but check it out when you can."

There's nothing like being away from home and being broken into. Like getting a call from ADT when I'm in another country. Or having a neighbor hear my car alarm go off when I'm not in the neighborhood. This isn't THAT extreme, I suppose, but still - it's my virtual life. And viagra? Come on. I would have thought it would have been a little more creative if my place in the virtual world was going to get taken over.

Maybe this is a sign that it's time for me to get a website facelift.

Until then, I leave you with my blog and if you need to reach me, you can always find me at moreinfo@snellycat.com.

(and thanks for the update Dad!)