“Over The Rainbow” (Eva Cassidy)

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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

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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

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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”

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, arranged by K. Plain, directed by Mack Wilberg. This is also available at Amazon, but that link doesn’t have samples available for listening. You can also do a web search and find copies that are available for purchase or streaming.)
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Happy 33rd Birthday, Sarah!

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Thirty-three 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


Forty-five 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

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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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My Advent Calendar of Music – Day #4: Blue, Blue, Blue Christmas

Can you go a Christmas season without hearing “Blue Christmas” at least once? I say you cannot! This is one of those songs that grows on you over the years.

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One Small Step – July 20, 1969

Moon Landing.
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Today marks the 56th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing. Those of us who are old enough to remember seeing it live can still recall the awe and wonder of that moment when Neil Armstrong stepped down and set foot where no man had gone before.

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Happy Birthday to the Best Husband in the World

On this day 64 years ago, a very special little boy was born.


I just LOVE Birthdays!  (Especially mine….)

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