Moments

Let the Rain-Sara Bareilles

I wish I were pretty
I wish I were brave
If I owned this city
Then I'd make it behave

And if I were fearless
Then I'd speak my truth
And the world would hear this
That's what I wish I'd do, yeah

If my hands could hold them you'd see
I'd take all these secrets in me
And I'd move and mold them to be
Something I'd set free

I want to darken in the skies
Open the floodgates up
I want to change my mind
I want to be enough
I want the water in my eyes
I want to cry until the end of time

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down tonight

I hold on to worry so tight
It's safe in here right next to my heart
Who now shouts at the top of her voice
Let me go, let me out, this is not my choice

And I always felt it before
That the world was filled with much more
Than the drowning soul I've learned to be
I just need the rain to remind me

I want to darken in the skies
Open the floodgates up
I want to change my mind
I want to be enough
I want the water in my eyes
I want to cry until the end of time

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down


I love these lyrics. It's funny because a couple of weeks before I always skipped this song but recently it's been in my mind alot.

Music just does that...it finds its way into your life at the right moments whether it is giving the aha, aw, oh, ugh, ouch, hmm, yeah, sure, whatever moments...it gives life to whatever moments you are going through.

me+life+moment=let the rain

Love,
C

I get it

Friends,

sometimes you hear something, see something written and go through life thinking you've understood it.
then life happens, and you realize you never really got it.

Priorities,
faithfulness,
big world,
scary indeed.

don't you remember what I said,
don't you get it?
I'll keep on,
and on and on,
reminding you.

Stop it.

It's here in my mind,
written in me,
finding its place
to stay.

I get it.

not sure if this makes sense...if not, it didn't take too long to read so there you go.

Love,
C

Ps hope you "get" something soon too friends. It's a bittersweet feeling.

Eat up the goodness

Friends,



The Two Can Share Concert went splendidly! We had a rocking show and so much fun on that stage!

Altogether we collected 341 canned goods and about $50.00 in monetary donations.

It was absolutely amazing to see all the college student volunteers come together.






Everyone did a great job and my heart could not have been happier. I got to make music with some really cool people and see how awesome it is to come together and help out people in the community AND doing it with such gusto. awesome. :)

Thank you for everyone who made it out to the show. It was a dream come true. :) I think my favorite part of the night...well there were many but I enjoyed talking with my bandmates up on stage and talking to the audience. I am glad people didn't mind me rambling up on that stage and for that, you are very special people. :)


Some quotes for the night from our speakers,

"I think it is great the Portico student group chose this organization to benefit! I think there are some very passionate and talented students involved in Portico and they are doing some amazing things in our community! "
-Lindsey Rogers of KAUZ news

"Everything was very organized; the greeters at the front door, Brittney and crew in back kept everyone moving right along. I was proud to be a part of such an excting evening provided by wonderful young men and women!"
-Becky Browning of Faith Mission

I hope people were moved, had fun, stood up and clapped, and felt apart of something bigger.

This was a good start friends...keyword: start.

Love, eat up today and enjoy the beautiful, wacky people in your lives,
C

If cows can

Friends,
As all of you may know, I've had a benefit concert on my hands for awhile and I believe it went well. I had a blast up there on that stage with my amazing bandmates and amazing band of family and friends cheering me down below. :)

As some of you may know, there was much planning put into this past event and although I enjoyed most of it, I learned rest is an important factor.

As I was riding in a car, I noticed pastures upon pastures filled with cows and other animals. They were all resting for the afternoon. I thought to myself, if cows can take a rest, certainly I can right?

Yes, work, progress, putting myself out there, practice, and goals are all very important things, so is rest. Rest should actually reside at the top of that list.

As much as the benefit concert made me so proud, made my heart so happy, helped out the community, entertained many....rest, rest, rest rang in my ears.

It's happy, helpful, entertaining...rest, that is.

<3,
a restful C

Look at me

Friends,

I'm like...

a child with a new toy,
a girl who is ready to see her friend's reaction to the cake she made,
a pair of jeans that is loved to death,

a fall candle,
a new music book,
a favorite CD that on repeat,

a puzzle newly finished and screams to be displayed.

The benefit concert has made its way here and everything is finally coming together! It's crazy how it was such a puzzle 3 months ago and I was frantic in trying to find the corner pieces of it...but after the frustrations and confusions of grouping the pieces with similar color schemes together, trying to force-fit some pieces together, and staring the pieces together in the face for hours, a picture is coming into view.

Come see what we've done. I believe it looks pretty great.

Two Can Share Benefit Concert for Faith Mission
Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010
Akin Auditorium at MSU
7:00 pm-9:00 pm
*Bring two canned goods

<3 <3 <3,
C

the good kind

"There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be."
-Mumford and Sons

It's performance time this week. It doesn't seem real that the date is finally here! Waves of nerves pass me periodically throughout the day. I've been listening around and people are talking about the show, the music, me...and at first thought, I am thinking, how awesome...my name is getting put out there and people are talking about it...then I start to think, people are talking about me? Really? This is strange.

I'm excited. I've been excited from the very start...when the thoughts came running through my head and made its way on paper, through word of mouth, brainstorming, in songs, jam sessions, flyers, prayers, hugs, more dialogue, confusion, and it's about to come alive.

I'm nervous. I've been nervous from the very start...when thoughts of will this come through started happening, when I wasn't sure my music was good enough, the ideas faltered, people were busy with other events, etc....

well after reading this over, I think the excitement outweighs the nervousness...there is such things as good kind of nervous right?

"Just do what you need to do and everything will fall into place."
"Well, make sure not to run yourself down."
"I'm just pretty icing to the awesome cupcake that you have been baking."
"Relax Casie, everything will be fine. Promise."

...yeah what they said. :)

It's the end of Tues...tomorrow's Wed....then Thurs...then Friday and then Saturday.

I can't help but be nervous but I also can't help but smile.

<3
C

Yay :)

Two Can Share on KAUZ news


<3
C

Haze

Sometimes you have to go through some of the bad to find good...dunk your head in the water bin to bite into one of those apple? I don't know how finding the good through the bad compares to bobbing for apples but it's a strange concept isn't it? By the way, have you done that before? I haven't...secretly wish I have but then again I probably wouldn't. What if I could never get the apple out of my teeth? That's horrifying. I may have some bad dreams tonight...anyways, I digress... back to the first statement, you know what I mean right? I guess that is how I see this whole process of going through the bad stuff to find the good...it's just a strange concept...when many times you wish you could just pick the apple up with your hands from the water...easy as that.

I get the opportunities to participate in so many musical endeavors lately...whether it's accompanying people, teaching music, being a member in a band...I'm learning so much more about myself, my abilities and where I see myself going.

I admire people who deicide to choose a different profession other than music because they might possibly abhor it otherwise if they continued their music career. Is that where I stand? As I am trying out these different musical situations, it's the question of "will this make me hate music and shut off my stereo at the end of the day?" that makes me decide whether or not I could do one of these jobs as a living.

Right now what keeps me going is the music I am making with my bandmates and my solo stuff...I'm not sure if they know what a big and wonderful part of my life they are but I am glad for it.

Even though I am rather limited in my musicals experience as of now, I'm starting to see some things more clearly...what I want out of life concerning music. I don't want to ever tire of it. Ever. It's so important to me. So even if things may be difficult to sit through right now and I may not be enjoying some things...clarity will come through.

**********************************************************************
Guards

You're a haze after the rain,
against brighter shades of leaves,
coming once in awhile,
you shine, you shine brighter than the rest.

Keep me in waking nights,
the wash of your laughter still remains
as the haziness resides.

Trust time.

Can I look at you and remain this way?
You're something golden in my eyes,
yet holding it in tightly to your chest,
you're so much more guarded than the rest.

I would be willing to stay,
find the point of making you sway,
away, away now.

You're just guarded, that's all,
unaware of my stares from the rest.

<3
C

PS Picture taken in Bayeux, France.

Temporary Frost

Hey friends,
today I had a talk with a friend about life and contentment. We were feeling under-appreciated about our strengths and gifts and needed to rant about it.

Granted that just fueled our discontentment but it happens right?

I started to think more on this when I got back to my house. It's easy to feel discontent with where you are in life...job, physical state, house, finances, spouse or lack there of, spiritual, the grays, the needs, the wants, the shortcomings, the light at the end of the tunnel that seems too far gone...the list is endless.

Then I thought, if I am so consumed with being discontent, many opportunities, good or bad, will escape my attention. Yes, it's very hallmark-esque...however, it's true. How hard is it for us to stay content...actually be ok with where we are at...wrestle with the pains, the aches of something not there anymore. It all passes with time. I mean where we actually look at everything in the face and say "sure, why not?".

Robert Frost talked about the road less travelled; the road less realized too perhaps? How lonely that road is? One where contentment seems to overflow and drown out the doubts, worries, fears and uncertainty.

Christmas is coming around soon...let's rethink contentment.

<3
C

A line

Friends,
you know when there's lots going on and you have so much to do but you're just at a standstill...for no particular reason...I'm not bitter at everything I need to get done, nor depressed or overwhelmed...just not doing anything right now but writing to you.

I'm in the midst of working with my sister on my website for my music and I'm trying to come up with a one liner that sums me up. I wish it came easily to me like my name...I want it to be concise but say alot...is deep but doesn't seem like I had to overthink to come up with it, not too cheesy...ugh I am a pretty cheesy person, not too dry, cliche....hmmm...

my friend is getting a book bounded for her brother. She is in the middle of writing a forward for him and she is at a standstill as well. It's like we both have alot to say...her about her brother...me about myself...but when it comes to committing it to paper or an electronic source...we hit a wall.

me...my music...I love music...I love teaching music...playing music...writing it...composing it...my dreams consists of opening a music school at an all girls shelter international or national...helping kids be creative with the gifts given to them...music....my blog was called making music along the way?...I love simplicity...

simply music??? perhaps? does that sound like a something from bath and body works? that place smells nice...not gonna lie...many times I did go in there just to spray myself and walk out smelling lovely.

simple dreams of music?
just me and just songs?

how do I put myself into a sentence...if I were to describe me...and my music...grrrrr

I'm just a simple person who likes detail. My piano is always a mess full of books sprawled on the floor. I can't get enough of new music books. Billy Joel will always be my background music for clean up days, I celebrate the old and new sounds. Something about the warm voice of Doris Day makes me want to melt inside and when Christmas-time hits, Vince Giraldi takes reign of my CD player, my eyes light up when I hear an interesting rhythm, it all just comes easily to me.

Pivots around in my head
Rolls off my eyes
into the staves
5 lines,

dots here and there,
flowing in different forms,
her story and his,
mine rolled in there somehow,

exchanged for a different way of communicating,
speaking to the old and young,
sometimes you can't sum up sadness,
happiness is just upbeat,

healing in repeating phrases,
angriness in broken chords,
makes several severe statements,
in simply sung refrains

may spirits be lifted somewhat
higher
brighter,
finding truth for you and me.


I hope there is something in your life that you cannot really live without and that you keep dreaming about day and night.

Love,
C

Every time

Friends,
as I am looking over this week as well as the next...I shudder at how much that needs to be done.
It's unbelievable.

From keeping tabs with media in advertising, rehearsals, work, extra stuff outside of work, studying, keeping up with peeps, the Joneses, their kids and their kid's kids and their dogs and their kid's dogs...oh and chilling out...that fits in there somewhere I think.

It's times like these that I am glad for the people in my life who tell me, it's ok to breathe. It's healthy once in awhile.

I don't even know why I am blogging for I don't have too much to say. Nothing exhilarating and exciting.

I guess it's kind of like my daily runs...I run by this particular house where a man who I assume, lives alone. He tends to his garden closely. I think it's his prized possession...it's one of the best scenes I take notice upon during my runs...flowers, trees, plants...looming everywhere. I kind of hope other people see it and enjoy it as much as I do. For such work to be put into a garden, recognition is most certainly merited. It's kind of refreshing...and then there's this path that I take and every time I run past a particular house, I am guaranteed to smell apple/cinnamon scented candles...I love it. It makes me smile every time.

I's these routine things that happen. it's not mind boggling but it's there and it's nice every time.

Cheers,
C

Gotta keep at it

Dearest friends,
Just got in from a performance and before shut eye, I've just got to write.

Performances are an interesting animal altogether. I love them. I got to see other fantastic musicians perform. I hope they keep making music in the years to come.

Amidst the laughter and conversations, more so my awkward/nervous rantings on stage, I think it went well.
I had fun. What was my favorite moment? Hmm...let's see...scatting...even though it was a trial run...it was fun. The unexpected, "I have no clue what I am doing but I'm doing it anyway" feeling...that was cool.

Unexpected things always happen on stage...some things that made myself cringe on the inside and others made me surprised in a good way. People may or may not catch them...and I guess I tend to forget that point. I think they caught just about everything and more! Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. It is what it is. I just gotta get over mistakes and maybe even enjoy the fact that whatever I did made myself cringe...at least it got some sort of reaction right? ha! oh the experiences.

Uneasiness,
good or bad,
slowly...let notes fly in the air,
uneasiness,
steady, steady my dear,

Unexpectedness
let the moment sink,
settle, rise and flow,
Unexpectedness, Uneasiness
let it all go.

Thank you to all my friends who support me still. It's weird not seeing your faces often anymore. You all are very special to me.

<3
c

What makes you

Friends,
Today has been a day. That's all I can say. a good day.
It's late and I have reading to do and relaxing before my eyes come to a close.

You know those moments you just want to lose your temper and stomp out the door in hopes people caught your bold statement? That was me today...but I held my tongue...tied it down while it was squirming to speak and you know what? The situation actually got a bit better. Who would have thought? Lesson learned? It's still going to take a while but it's a start.

Later, I ran into a friend from way back when. It's great when this happens. You don't realize how much has changed in your life until you run into an old friend who knew such a different you back when. It's a good and strange feeling all at once.

I wrote a song for a dear friend of mine. I tried to match it best with what is important on her heart. So I played it for her today and she loved it. That meant so much to me. As I was playing through it she squealed with joy. You see, some people make crafts for their friends, some bake cakes, some cook their favorite meal, some take them out...I write songs.

I write songs that make people feel, smile, cry, laugh, relate to, speaks truth, and according to my sister, this is what makes me who I am. :)

Going to read now friends. I love to read...there is never enough time is there? I would read while walking and be as graceful as Belle in Beauty and the Beast...but unfortunately I would run into things. How did she do it? Such is Life!

Love,
C

Highlighter

Hey friends,
today was midterm elections day. I'll admit, as much as I was tired of hearing about campaigns and who is better and such,
I was excited about everyone coming together and putting their say in.

Highlights of today:
-elections
-radio interview to advertise my benefit concert
-eye doc's report: my eye allergy/scar tissue seems to be recovering (oh the little medical mishaps in life)
-gave a demo to my nurse at the eye doc's office and made her day which in turn made my day
-went grocery shopping with parents at a vietnamese market...always an adventure

-realizing even though this may be a crazy week, it is worth it...just have to wade it through.

That was my today friends. Hope yours have some highlights as well.

Much love and highlighters,
C