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Not sure if I ever mentioned I got promoted at work a few months ago. I should stop having ideas for things, because then I end up doing them. :) I really enjoy my work 97% of the time.

My boss went on vacation at the end of June and I had to be on-call. That was interesting. Some days things apparently went smoothly, some days I'd get 5-6 calls. No rhyme or reason to it, either. But all in all things worked out well and we hadn't had the place shut down by the time she got back. And I was glad she was back!

Right after that I went on a trip to meet up with some friends/downhere fans (also known as "downhomies", a term coined by the band's singer/guitarist/pianist Jason Germain) in Nashville for a few days. A few of the people I have talked to for a long time, some were fairly new to me. But everybody was really nice, and a lot of fun was had.

One of the days we volunteered with the downhere guys at a charity called Feed The Children. They provide nonperishable food, toiletry, and "luxuries" boxes to poor children and families. Luxuries... like little Avon lotion and a candy bar. Hmm. Makes you think a little bit about that ___ you just HAVE to have.

Anyway, they didn't need any boxes filled at that moment, apparently a large event in town needed a few thousand, and the volunteer groups before us had taken care of those. So they were low on all sorts of things needed to make the boxes. Part of our group split off to box up a over 1000 pairs of Crocs for that event. Kudos to them for donating so many new pairs of shoes. After we were done, we set to folding and taping new, empty boxes into shape for the next set of volunteers. We must have done a few hundred of those. I didn't count, but there were tons.

The other part of the group set to removing the tops from cases of donated food so it could be arranged for the assembly line setup they have for putting food boxes together. A couple of guys even compacted old boxes to be recycled. There were a lot of things to do, but the Feed The Children staff seem to have everything down to a science. Nothing is wasted, everything is organized. It seems to be a well-oiled machine, down to having volunteers coming in regularly to do this sort of thing.

That evening downhere's label, Centricity Music, hosted a little "marketing meeting" with us. They picked our brains about how we get our music, what we like, what we don't, ideas, challenges, etc. It was an interesting insight into this world I know very little about. I mean, I get the idea of marketing, the question of how best to connect consumers to your product. Anyway, I learned a bit and was glad to know I'm not the only one frustrated with the local Christian radio station (KCMS - boo!).

Then we went out to dinner, which they graciously covered as well. It was delicious, too.
Pretty much felt spoiled. Afterward we celebrated two birthdays with delicious cupcakes from Ivey Cake in Franklin, and walking into the room where we were all gathering, we heard a familiar voice singing... It was the band's upcoming Christmas album playing.

We were very excited to hear it, but with all the talking it was hard to. Especially for me, since I was sitting on the complete opposite side of the room from where the music emanated. But never ones to disappoint, after another chat session and downhere playing an intimate acoustic set of songs by request, the fabulous Centricity guys handed us all advance copies of the cd! You can just imagine (maybe?) the ensuing chatter. There was much excitement that entire day, and it was the perfect way to wrap it up. Talk about a souvenir.

I only finally got to listen on the way home on the plane, but then my MP3 player's batteries died, since I hadn't recharged them after using it all the way to TN. I did get to listen one time through and love, LOVE, LOOOOVED all of it. I keep getting Good King Wenceslas stuck in my head, as well as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

We also got copies of a new artist to their label, Matt Papa. What I've heard of it, I've liked. I need to really sit down in some peace and quiet to really let it absorb into my brain. Maybe it'll knock the Christmas tunes out of there so they can be fresh again come November. :)

We rounded out the weekend with a hilarious photo scavenger hunt and a bit of church in one of the hotel rooms. And lots of twitter. It was an amazing and one-of-a-kind experience... That I hope for more of in the future!

Blessed Be
Words & Music: JG & Joel Hanson

Matt 5:1-16
There seems to be a special blessing available only to the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, or in a word: the losers. It’s a shame that most times we are deathly afraid of becoming the kind of person Jesus described as eligible for this blessing.

Losers
All the lovely losers
Who never thought you’d hear your name
Oustide
Always on the outside
Empty at the wishing well
But time will tell

Blessed be
The ones who know that they are weak
They shall see
The Kingdom come to the broken ones
Blessed be

Thirsty
Like you’re drinking from a salt sea
But one day you’ll be satisfied
Hungry
For the taste of mercy
If only you could have your fill
One day you will

Blessed be
The ones who know that they are weak
They shall see
The Kingdom come to the broken ones
Blessed be

Not for the strong, the beautiful, the brave
Not for the ones who think they’ve got it made
It’s for the poor, the broken, and the meek
It’s for the ones who look a lot like you and me

Blessed be
The ones who know that they are weak
They shall see
The Kingdom come to the broken ones
Blessed be

Thanks to Gina for the tip!

I set up my own radio station, which I can customize as I listen to it by banning songs or artists, or adding new artists. As I add artists, it adds similar artists' songs to the playlist. We listened to it last night as we were setting up Caleb's new bed (post on that later), and Bryan discovered a new band he likes! It's a really cool concept! Check it out or Create your own Slacker Station now

...featuring your favorite Monkey Brothers and moi, along with other die-hard downhere fans!

The latest post on Lav's Blog turned me to the blog of Jason Gray, labelmate of my favorite band in the whole universe, downhere. He posted a blog about an experience they had last night on the Bethlehem Skyline tour. I had the pleasure of hearing Jason Gray's story and music, and then meeting him while he was in town with downhere and Shawn McDonald earlier this year and I have to say I am not surprised at his response to an uncomfortable (to say the least) situation. Some of the members of the band downhere were also involved, and this also just makes me love them more! What an amazing example of godly men standing together.

Read here: http://blog.myspace.com/jasongraymusic

I wish I knew how to play an instrument so I could use this link!
Lavs Blog: Downhere Chords

I do have my bass sitting in the barn at my mom's house, but I haven't had the time/$$ to take lessons. Someday!

Heard in my boys' room this evening:

1. Los Pollitos Dicen, Traditional Latin American Lullaby
   
2. Jesus Loves Me, Traditional Sunday School Song
   
3. Come With Me by Phil Phillips and the Starlights (1959)
4. The Family of God by William & Gloria Gaither (1970)
   
5. The More by Downhere (2006)
   

This month Caleb also started back at preschool. He is still going twice weekly and enjoys it tremendously. We have started talking to him about moving back to Washington, an idea he is quite keen on, so now he's asking his teachers at school if they're going to miss him. He really is getting the concept of missing people. He talks about missing Bryan when he's not here, and actually said yesterday, "Mom, I wanna pretend that Daddy is here." That made my eyes well up!

On top of missing Daddy, Caleb has a nasty cough and cold. It might be "the one that's going around" or it might not, but he's not very happy about it. He's had the cough since about Tuesday, which is usually when my boys get sick after being exposed to other people on Sundays. Today he seemed be feeling ok aside from the illness, but in the afternoon he was feverish and almost lethargic. After dinner he seemed to be feeling more like himself, but the cough still has its hold on him. I've been giving him Triaminic, but I don't think it ever helps. Maybe just a little. I guess it helps a little, or else I wouldn't give it to him. He had a lot of vitamin C too. But poor little guy, he says to me, "Mom, the medicine didn't work." This was about a minute after he drank up the shockingly red syrup and proceeded to cough, of course. Poor buddy. I had to try to explain to him that the medicine doesn't make the cough go away, it's just supposed to help a little. Not much consolation for the boy, I'm afraid.

Micah is getting some more teeth in finally. Some of his molars are already part-way in, and he's finally getting the second pair of bottom teeth in the front. I tell you, my kids teethed strangely. But I digress... Micah is getting smarter each day. It only takes him seeing you do something once, and he's all over it. He can also finally reach to turn light switches on (he can't reach high enough to turn them back off; I haven't decided if that is good or bad), and turning lights on makes him quite happy. He has fallen in love with apples, and can clearly say apple too. He has a lot of words now, some of which are clear, some of which only Bryan and I can understand.

My favorite story of the last month has to be about our favorite song. I listen to downhere basically all the time we're in the car (bad radio reception in this area), and Caleb and I love to sing along to The More. Well, now Micah loves it too. How do you suppose I know this? Well, it's not just because he shouts out, "The More!" when it's on. And it's not just because he starts "drumming" on his little legs or bouncing his feet to the music. There is a part of the song where Marc sings out "ah-ah, nanana, nanana." Caleb and I always sing along. And so, Micah sings out, "nanana, nanana!" He doesn't always or even usually get it during the right part of the song, but always sings it during the song.

This evening, I was rocking Micah while Caleb was in his bed. It was dark and we had some classical bedtime music going. Micah, out of the blue, sings, "Nanana, nanana." So I asked him if he wanted me to sing The More, and he nodded. So I sang it to him, and after much rocking, put him in his bed. Then it was Caleb's turn to rock. And of course since he heard me sing The More to Micah, he wanted The More too. More The More. Ok.

So I sang it again, and during one of the verses, from his crib and out of the darkness, Micah sang out, "Nanana, nanana!"

Bryan and I keep saying we need to get this on video. We just never have it out at the opportune moment and Micah really is very conscious of the camera, constantly calling out, "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!" So we'll have to find a way to surreptitiously record him doing it. It may be hard, because he doesn't nanana on command. It's somewhat spontaneous.

If you listen to Christian radio, you've most likely heard a song called How Many Kings. It's a new Christmas song by (you guessed it) Downhere. You can hear it on their MySpace profile, along with a few other favorites, or listen to it while you read what band members Jeremy and Glenn have to say about it. (Lyrics are there too.)

My favorite thing about it is that it's not another run-of-the-mill Christmas song with the requisite Baby Jesus, star, Magi, etc. But then again, they're not a run-of-the-mill Christian band. In their usual way, Downhere manages to drive right at the heart of what it (in this case, Christmas) means. They always seem to make me feel the weight of the words and the greatness of God's love and mercy. How much He must love us to send Jesus... Nobody else could come close.

This song is actually the song that converted me from my Carols-Only ways.




So if you need to pick up a good stocking-stuffer ("stuffing stockers" at our house; long story), preferably for somebody who lives in your house so you can hear it too, you can grab a copy of Bethlehem Skyline, which includes this song as well as other good ones, on the Centricity Records online store or if you like to go digital get the song or cd instantly.

You can download downhere's The More from the label's website for free.

A friend of ours babysat the boys last Sunday for Bryan's birthday. We went to the downhere concert in Roseville, which is in the Sacramento area. I have been a downhere fan since their first, self-titled CD came out in 2001 and I saw them in concert (Lynden, WA, of all places). Truly, I have been listening to it for six years and running. It's that good.

We missed their second CD, So Much for Substitutes, when it came out. But Bryan got the third one (which came out in March), Wide Eyed and Mystified for me. And so, I've been listening to it.

Aside from the rockin' sound, I really appreciate their lyrics. They are different from many other Christian artists that I have noticed. They are original, metaphoric, poetic... They often paint a picture of how small we are and how great God and His love are. They are just plain beautiful and moving.

And so, we went to the concert last Sunday. We bought a couple of t-shirts and the cd we were missing when we came in. Bryan was the wise one who said the merchandise area would be packed after the show. Good thing I listened because when we exited, it sure was packed. A table was set up outside for the band members to sign autographs, but since we were the first ones out the door, there was not a line formed yet.

So, we decided to get in line (start the line) and meet them. They had an awesome stage presence... Like regular guys having fun doing what God has called them to do. And when we met them, that was confirmed. Jason, Marc, Glenn, and Jeremy. They signed out shirts and chatted for a moment. Bryan talked to Jason about some airplaney stuff, I told Marc that Great Are You is my favorite song and was glad they played it that night. We both talked to Glenn and Jeremy about it being Bryan's birthday and so on. I kinda felt like we were monopolizing their time a bit, but they seemed not to think so or mind. It was cool.


*I'm not real big into "celebrity" stuff that our society seems to be into, but I liked these guys. I'm always telling people that don't know about them to check them out, and now more than ever. They have won some Christian music award, but they aren't "huge" like some others like Third Day and such. The audience for the Roseville show numbered around 300.

On the way home we didn't have a cd player to listen to the new cd, but we chatted about the show, and couldn't get one particular song out of our heads so the chorus line kept spilling out. We really had a great time... A blessed time. I'm SURE God was pleased to see so many worshiping and praising Him, especially all the youth that were there.

Thinking back, I think this would have been a great experience for our church's youth group to be a part of. Next time the band is in the area, I'll make sure to alert Ken, our youth director.

I'm really jealous (or something) that they will be playing in Tacoma, WA the day after my birthday. I told Bryan we should've kidnapped them so we could always have a live show. Just kidding, of course. :) They don't have any more tour dates planned in California except for one in Huntington Beach, which is in southern California and much to far to drive. Anyway, if you are in WA can make it to the Tacoma show, DO! Do it for me, at least. :) Our tickets were only $10 each and I would have paid three times that much to go. (And I'm thrifty!)


**By the way, if you didn't notice, in the first two paragraphs you can click on the band's name and CD titles to see their site and CDs with audio samples on Amazon.com, respectively.

Na, na, na, na nana na, nana na na, hey Jude!
Na, na, na, na nana na, nana na na, hey Jude!

Some things in life are just useless but entertaining. This is one of those, for sure.

A member of one of my favorite bands, downhere, posted this on their MySpace blog, and I thought I'd steal it and post it here to share... And while I'm at it, I highly recommend you listen to their music if you haven't yet.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

The Real Jesus... What's in a name? Category: Music A name is so much more than a combination of letters that we attach to people or things. When you think of a name of someone you know, you don't think about the letters or the spelling, you think about the person. The name and the person are interchangeable in your mind. I've been thinking lately about the meaning of names. More specifically, the relationship between a name's meaning and the person the name is attached to. Most people's names have an origin... a meaning. My name means "Hammer Warrior". Which is cool, because my favorite thing happens to be going to war with nothing but a hammer as a weapon. It's a hard job, but someone's gotta do it. No, but really... I'm still trying to figure that one out. Maybe my hammer is my guitar... isn't it supposed to be an axe? Oh well. Maybe it's a french thing. Jason's name means "Relevant Healer", Jeremy's name means "God will uplift", and Glenn's name means... um, "A glen of lavender". How about that. Some names conjure some pretty strong emotions in us. Some names make us angry, some leave us feeling nostalgic... some go in one ear and out the other. But there is a name I know that is so full of meaning that it causes a vast array of reactions in people. And this fact alone proves to me the importance of this name. We all may react differently to it... but we all REACT. I believe it's the one name that demands a response. The person attached to this name is the only person I know who fully, completely, and perfectly lives up to his name. The name means "The Lord is salvation". The name is Jesus. Check out "The Real Jesus", just added to our music player. Thanks, Marc