“Over The Rainbow” (Eva Cassidy)

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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This is one of my favorite arrangements of this beloved song –

It’s just a beautiful, soothing song, don’t you think?:
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(“Over The Rainbow” by the incomparable Eva Cassidy – available on CD or MP3)
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“Hallelujah” – k.d. lang

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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There are so many wonderful versions of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” out there – originally covered by John Cale, the version performed by the late Jeff Buckley is perhaps the most well-known of them all (the song has also been covered by Bon Jovi).

I think the first time that I heard this song was on the movie ““>Shrek” (sung by Rufus Wainwright). There is an amazing 4-part arrangement out there by the Norwegian quartet Lind, Nilsen, Fuentes, and Holm.  Heck, it even sounds good in Italian when performed by Il Divo.

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“The Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre

Posted on September 4, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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In 2004, Eric Whitacre set Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Seal Lullaby” to music:

Oh! Hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us,
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.

Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow,
Oh weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow swinging seas!

Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936

His arrangement is absolutely breathtaking:
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In hectic and chaotic times, music like this truly calms the soul.

(“The Seal Lullaby” is available in CD and MP3 formats)
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“Be Still My Soul”

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Honestly, one of the most beautiful arrangements of this beloved hymn:
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(Performed by the BYU Concert Choir, from their CD “All Creatures of Our God and King” from Tantara Records, directed by Mack Wilberg. This is also available at Amazon, but that link doesn’t have samples available for listening.)
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Happy 30th Birthday, Sarah!

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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Thirty years ago today, a spirited whirlwind of a girl blew into our lives:

Watch out, world – this one is loaded for bear…..

….and we have never been the same.  Where has all that time gone?

God has a wicked sense of humor – ask any family that has more than two kids, and they will tell you that the third kid threw them for a loop.  Just when you think you have the whole “parenting” thing figured out – you’re thinking you know everything there is to know about raising kids – the third one comes along, and you realize that you don’t have the first CLUE…..

By the time Sarah came along, we had been parents for 6 years.  Poor Sarah got the “leftovers” – we were a lot calmer about things, but we were also just plain tired.  Rachel was starting kindergarten and Michelle was only a year old, so Sarah got whatever energy we could muster up at the end of the day.

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Still Crazy (In Love) After All These Years

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Forty-two years ago today, two starry-eyed kids said “I do”….

To my wonderful husband, Paul – thank you for all of the special memories, and for making me so incredibly happy.

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Forever 26

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

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Today marks the day that we welcomed our beloved second daughter, Michelle, into the world.  It seems like only yesterday that we were counting her fingers and toes.

Never let it be said that God doesn’t have a wicked sense of timing. We had waited 2 years to start trying to have a 2nd child, and after 2 more years of silently mourning each time it was obvious that I wasn’t pregnant, I had finally resigned myself to the fact that maybe we were only meant to have one child. So I resolved to go see the doctor “the next month” to go back on the Pill.

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It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year…..

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Back To School
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This came out in 1996 – the first time I saw it, I almost fell off of the couch, I was laughing so hard.

All these years later, it still makes me giggle 😛

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Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Not my real parents – they don’t want their faces shown, so I got to pick a random picture of any old couple (That’ll teach ’em…..)

On this day 63 years ago, my Mom and Dad tied the knot.  This year, Dad joined Mom in Heaven, so now they are together again forever.

I’m glad they did, ‘cuz otherwise, I wouldn’t be here….

Unfortunately, 2019 was the last anniversary they celebrated together – their 60th.  Mom passed away in March, 2020.  Thankfully, for that 60th anniversary, all of the grandkids, along with Paul and I, were able to get together and celebrate the occasion.

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A Fateful Monday Morning

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Statement by the President, August 6, 1945

THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington, D.C.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE — August 6, 1945

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. It had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British “Grand Slam” which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.

The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold. And the end is not yet. With this bomb we have now added a new and revolutionary increase in destruction to supplement the growing power of our armed forces. In their present form these bombs are now in production and even more powerful forms are in development.

It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East.

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