TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME...

re-discovered this photo on my laptop today... it was one of my last days on idol...

sometimes it's hard to believe that i was a part of that whole thing...

crazy

LOST AND FOUND... AGAIN

This little dude had nearly the whole neighborhood on a wild chase today. Same lost doggy character from yesterday's blog post. Long story long, the dog that we found roaming the street yesterday, slithered under the fence and ran away leaving me in the dust, as I bolted after his small swift frame till he was no longer in sight. I went into a panic as I watched the busy street bustling with speeding cars. Another neighbor hopped in his car and made laps around the block trying to find him and scoop him up and bring him back, but to no capture.

After calling my friend who is a professional animal rescuer, she told me to heat up some chicken, so I found some left overs from the Memorial Day BBQ, warmed it up in the microwave and then sliced it up and put it on a little paper plate on the front porch in hopes that he would be lured by the aroma... with in the hour I saw his tiny head peak around the corner, a little too excited I jumped up and down and tried to get him to come down the driveway, only to scare him away again:(

An hour later I got a knock at the door, it was my neighbor with the pup in her arms. I brought him inside and placed him in a large kennel where he whimpered and shook with fear for a solid hour, He didn't seem too inclined to want to come near me. After trying to win him over with a few doggy treats, he began to slowly warm up to me and lick my hand. By the end of the day I had taken him outside to play with the ball, and he nearly attacked me with excitement and jumped about as high as my shoulder as I tossed the ball to him. I'm pretty sure he's just a young pup, not even two...

Just a few hours ago my friend from BEST FRIENDS came to pick him up to take him to his new foster home where he could run and play with a few other dogs. I have to say, I had already begun to be attached to this little rascal. He cuddled up to me and didn't want to get back in the kennel, and quite honestly I didn't really want him to get back in the kennel either... it kinda broke my heart. I wanted to keep him, but knew that right now we would be unable to give him the love and attention that a dog truly needs and deserves. I have been wanting a dog for quite a while, but living the music life requires one to be here, there and everywhere, and that makes it tricky right now. You know, there are few additions to the family that I'd like to make... something to look forward to... someday:)

Until then I will sleep well tonight, knowing that theres one less lonely dog roaming the streets of the Valley of San Fernando.

PS- I wrote this post while watching yet another intense episode of 24, so I apologize for any random references to Jack Bauer, nuclear distruction, or anything that is slightly non-sensical and or ungrammatical-ish. A Multitaskin', 24 obsessin', dog rescuin' fool I am... Oh, and animal rescue runs in the family really, my mom was once a professional snake wrangler , and by once, I mean she had to pick up a snake and put it back in it's cage this one time, and by professional I mean, she has a business card "Kaylene White- Snake Wrangler" it's legit. It's a wonderful story about Kaylene that perhaps deserves it's own blog post. Until then I need to call it a night, i'm gettin' loopier then usual...

PSS- President Palmers wife is not a good person... no bueno

TAKE A HIKE...

Good day... started up guitar lessons cause I want to be "more better", gotta keep learning, I want to be Clapton, I want to "shred" your face off, well not really... really my goal is to be able to play the guitar solo in "I can't tell you why" and perhaps write some new songs with out the C chord... although I really do adore C... such a solid key.

Trying to help the neighbors save a lil' black dog that was found just roaming the hood for the last few days... I feel terrible for the little guy, he was shaking in his coat, I can't blame him, I would be afraid too if I had to walk the streets of Los Angeles alone.... no tags, no food, no home:( I have a good friend that works for BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY, so she is gonna help us with getting him to a safe place and hopefully find him a happy home!

As well, today was the California Primary so that means it's time to get out an exercise our right to vote! Now I can't claim to be the most politically savvy gal around, but I do think it is important to vote, and to be aware and educated on what we are voting for. We read through ballot and had a discussion last night in preparation. Dave was especially excited as this was the first time he has EVER voted since becoming an official US citizen in December. He even got it right on his first try. I on the other hand, made a tiny mistake and had to try again... are you surprised? Apparently Arnold the "Governator" also needed a do-over so I don't feel so bad.

Went on an evening hike with the youth group from church tonight... honestly I'm not big on hiking, but this was an easy breezy one, and the view from the top always makes it worth it. I snapped a few photos along the trail with my iphone. I love the iphone camera, there is something so authentic about the way it captures a moment. Then I use "shake it photo" app, (and my favorite app) and turn it into a polaroid picture... it even makes the sound, it'slike magic...

We live in a beautiful world... yeah we do, yeah we do...

JACK BAUER

24.... what can i say, they got me, and yes I know, where have i been... Honestly we have no time for television, but when you're addicted, you must have it, you find a way, you make time and thanks to Netflix we are able to watch at 1am... oh and you can't watch one, one is just not enough, kinda like Pringles. After the first season I swore to myself that I was done, finished and going to get help... Well my self-control is lame and Dave talked me into season two... we're half way through (so please don't give anything away!!) But after this, I'm walking away, and I mean it...

The good thing is, it is inspiring me to write some new material... could be a hit. This ones for you Jack Bauer:

P.S. Don't start watching... it's a trap.

P.S.S. No I do not and will not watch LOST

P.S.S.S. I met Keifer Sutherland one time... funny story

DRAWING...

In addition to being a nanny, one of my pre-idol jobs was that of an illustrator for this adorable clothing company called Kate's Closet, unfortunately they are no longer operating. But there was a time that I was up till 3 am at the kitchen table covered in pencil smudges bringing this lovely little character to life. I had no formal experience or training as an illustrator, it was a crash course at combining hand drawings with graphic design. It was a challenging job, but a fun one. Drawing was my first love... before music, before hair, it was all about drawing!

Anywho, I was looking through old files on my computer and came across this first rough sketch of "Kate"...

THE CABIN...

Just walked in the door with just a sliver of Saturday left... all day I found myself antsy and anxious, wondering when I would find a minute to post a blog, I can't drop the ball on day 2... that would be, in the words of Quinn White, "lame sauce". I am cutting it close, right down to the wire as usual, but here it is, as promised:)

It's been a long day, a very non-weekend-y day, nonetheless it was spent doing good things. We actually spent half the day taking a little road trip up to Big Bear where I was doing some singing and such. As we were driving through the pine tree covered mountains, I had somewhat of a deja-vu moment...

When I was a kid growing up in Arizona, my Grandma and Grandpa Woods had built this cabin in a little town called Pine. There was a time that nearly every weekend we'd hop in the van, listen to the "When Harry met Sally" soundtrack by Harry Connick Jr. and drive two hours North up to the cabin, especially in the summer months to escape the heat. The cabin might have been my favorite place, everyone was there, grandma and grandpa, cousins, aunts, uncles... oh and the dogs, lots of smelly dogs. It wasn't very big, there was a large one bedroom loft upstairs with four beds and a balcony where us kids liked to attempt to sleep, of course only making it halfway through the night until we got to cold, or scared. Then there were a couple sleeper sofas downstairs, and ONE singular bathroom that was ALWAYS occupied. There was hardly an inch of open space to be found, with sleeping bags laid out all over the floor... and the dogs. Yep there was a whole lot of family squished into the cabin, there was chaos, it was mayhem and I loved it.

Boredom didn't exist at the cabin. There was the tire swing that swung over the green belt, long walks along the side of the dirt road to collect rocks that we would then tumble and shine, adventures down fossil creek to catch crawdads, night drives through the forest to search for Elk, trips into town to the closest Wal-mart to buy fabric, beadazzler and puff paint, hours at the dining table making useless junk with the glue gun, shooting cans with bee-bee guns, sitting on the porch watching the hummingbirds line up on the bird feeder and the traditional hot chocolate and bisquick pancake breakfasts. It was like a never-never land, a happy escape from reality.

It's been quite a few years ago now that the cabin had to be sold. My grandma was devastated, we all were. And though it will never be the same, I told her that someday I would buy her another one. I just need to sell a few more records first...

EVERYDAY...

I make my bed everyday... I brush my teeth everyday... I say my prayers everyday... I say I love you everyday... there are a few things that I am good at doing everyday... As far as everything else, I am pretty darn good at being inconsistent. Like maintaining this blog for instance...

I'm going to challenge myself with posting a blog EVERYDAY for the rest of June. And I am vocalizing that so that I am held accountable...

Now I can't promise that every post will be interesting or relevant to much, as a matter of fact I am fine with the possibility that no one will in fact read them. Nonetheless, there will be a post, perhaps novel length as I am known for... maybe one sentence, or maybe it will be photo or a drawing. Oh yes, there will be something. This is about consistency, about developing habits, about dedication... stick-to-itivness and follow through.

Here we go!