AYM and Assorted Layouts

 Jeanne's journaling:

Music has always been a very important part of my life.  I can remember when my friends & I would watch the clock because the radio played the latest Jackson 5 song every day at the same time.

I went to my first official concert in 1971 at the age of 14 with my Mom & my Step-Father, Frank Buffa and my Step-Sister, Renee.  We saw The Who at the Mississippi River Festival at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville which was an outdoor venue that opened in 1969.  The price of the ticket was $2.50 plus a .50 cent handling fee for a grand total of $3.00.  It was an exciting night for me but we had to leave early because the crowd started to get rowdy.  I don’t think my Mom realized the extracurricular activities that would be going on at a Who concert.

I went to concerts all through the 1970’s and saw Fleetwood Mac at The Ambassador Theatre for $4.00, Emerson, Lake & Palmer at Convention Hall for $4.50, The Marshall Tucker Band at Kiel Auditorium, Jesse Colin Young at The Opera House, Jethro Tull at The Arena, Yes, The Allman Brothers, Necture, Pavlov’s Dog, BTO, Brian Auger, Dickey Betts, Dave Mason, REO, Styx, Frank Zappa, Chic Corea, Jeff Beck, The Grateful Dead, Jon Luc Ponte, Stanley Clarke and some, more than once.

I’ve kept most of my ticket stubs (I think) and there’s a 10-12 year gap where I have no stubs.  If I recall, my husband didn’t like concerts so that must be the reason for the gap.  My ticket stubs pick up again in the 1990’s when I saw Don Henley at Riverport Amphitheatre for a whopping $25.00.  Over the years I’ve seen ZZ Top, The Charlie Daniels Band, Blues Traveler, Lenny Kravitz, Santana, Rusted Root, King Crimson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, April Wine, Aerosmith a number of times, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Ben Harper, The Black Crowes, The Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty, Meat Loaf, Pearl Jam, Matchbox Twenty, Train, Live, Steve Winwood, Metallica, Blue Oyster Cult, Motley Crue, The Stray Cats, The Pretenders, Firefall, Pure Prairie League, The Atlanta Rhythm Section, Mama’s Pride, Neil Young, John Mellenkamp and Willie Nelson, and again, many more than once.

And how could I forget the Hanson concert at the Starwood Amphitheatre in Nashville that Barb surprised me & the kids with in 1998?  And when me & Debbie took the kids to Union Station under the train shed to see Kenny Wayne Shepherd before anyone even heard of him?  And when me, Jennifer, Janice, Janet & Mom went to The Chaifetz Arena to see Ranya play cello with Barry Manilow?  And the annual Christmastime “Wish You Were Here” tribute to Pink Floyd concert at The Pageant which is a tradition with Lester?

My love of concerts continues to this day.  I recently bought a 4-pack to the Amphitheatre to see Boston with the Doobie Brothers, Sammy Hagar, REO with Chicago and ZZ Top with Jeff Beck this summer.

I’m glad I kept most of my ticket stubs which number over 90.  I only wish I had written the names of the people I went to each concert with on the back of the ticket stub.

 Janet's journaling:

When I found this song I wished I could remember hearing it (but I was never a devoted Barbra Streisand fan) because the lyrics are so true to life. >> Nothing stays the same everyone must change no one stays the same the young become old and mysteries unfold << Here is Jackie in 1995 playing her flute, accompanied by John Klingle (Aunt Karen’s brother) on the trumpet. During the 2 years Jackie played she wasn’t too bad as a beginner, we just have to remember she did it.

The pictures start with the musician at 3 months old with Grandma McClure, then at age 5 with Grandma Zimmermann and cousins Angie and Mindy, at 4 with her Mom and Dad, then at the blooming age of 13. >> Cause that’s the way of time nothing and no one goes unchanged << Jackie and I in 1998, Me Evie and Jackie in 2013 and then Gram (me) and Evie, 2014. >> There are not many things in life you can be sure of except ………change << as shown here.

 My journaling:

I cannot think about music without thinking about dancing. I’ve always loved to dance. I started dancing when I was about 4---as you can see in this picture with my cousin, Chrissy. I even won a twist contest in the 7^th grade. When we were teenagers, Chrissy and I started spending weekends with each other. We went to whatever “teen town” we could find---wherever Bob Kuban and the In-Men or The Spirit of St. Louis were playing. We traded nights of babysitting with Chrissy’s sister, Judy in exchange for rides to the teen towns---mostly at the Catholic churches. We danced constantly---my house or hers---didn’t matter. We taught ourselves all of the latest dances---the jerk, the monkey, the stroll, the bump---we did them all. We watched the St. Louis Hop daily. American Bandstand was our favorite---we loved Dick Clark. Even as adults, we would dance together at family weddings. Speaking of weddings, it looks like my family has inherited my love of dancing. It’s in the genes. In fact, it was dancing that attracted me to Butch in the first place. He liked to dance and I liked that! It was meant to be from the start!

 Erin's journaling:
Music plays such a part in all of our lives. I love driving down the road and a certain song will come on the radio and it will take me back to a certain point in time or remind me of a specific memory. Most of the time these memories triggered by songs are happy, however music has also helped me through the tough times in life as well.  My favorite song of all time is “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie. I would listen to this song when faced with tough situations whether personally or professionally. I still play this song when I need to give myself a little pep talk. Our Senior Class Song was “Time of Your Life” by Green Day. When I hear this song I immediately go back in my mind to my senior year and all of the good times we had. Growing up, I took piano lessons and played the flute in band.  I was in about second grade in these photos at the piano. I was shy and quiet back then. It’s hard to believe that this is the same girl who loves to sing, dance and “party like a rock star” to music now. Knowing how shy I was as a young child, these photos of dancing with friends show how far I came out of my “shell” as my parents and teachers would refer to me.  Dancing at our Wedding and the songs we chose is one of my favorite memories. This picture is from our first dance, our Wedding Song was “There’s No Way” by Alabama. Now, after eight years of marriage Kurt and I have Nathan. While Nathan is only two months old, he already loves music. One of my most favorite things to do with him is to play music on my phone and we sing and dance. His absolute favorite song is “Happy”- I don’t know how his little mind works, but I know he knows this song in particular. He grins from ear to ear as we sing and dance to it. We have played it 100’s of times already. When Nathan’s colic would set in, playing this song would calm him for a while.  He definitely makes us HAPPY so the song is perfect for us. 

Carla's journaling:

Things I Love

Two of my prized possessions are related to music.  I believe that my love for music stems from my parents.  My Mom played the piano and her voice is like a songbird.  My Dad played the alto sax like he was born with a reed in his mouth.

I love to play my piano, though I am not very accomplished.  I plan to address this issue now that I am retiring.

I found the clock in Sedona, AZ.  It opens, divides, spins and plays one of six songs every hour as long as it is in the light.  Being light activated, it is fortunately quiet at night.  My grandson, Adrian, loves this clock.  As a baby he would point and say “clock, Grammie clock”.

He would beg me to make it play again.  My music taste is best described as eclectic.  I love everything from Country, Jazz, Blues to Classical.

Karolyn and Pam's Layouts from the Farm

These are Karolyn's layouts.

 Pam's layouts:

Photo Scavenger Hunt/April

The list for this month is:

1. Spring flower

2. Flowering tree

3. Bird at a feeder

4. Clouds

5. A Church or Cathedral

There are only a few of us left that are still participating. Here are the layouts:

 Carla B.'s layout from last month.

Jan's layout for this month.

 My layout.

 This layout and the one below are Susan's from last month.

AYM/April

In keeping with our "Back to School" theme this year, this month's topic was recess. The challenge was to use mist on the page. 

In Carla M's. words: "I used a clock mask on the white background paper you sent. I did not have a blue or pink spray, so I used green and then sponged some antique linen over the top to soften the background. I just learned how to make the flowers so I used the beautiful pattern paper for the flowers and the little pink hearts for the centers. I loved your idea of using the vellum holders for the journaling."

Her journaling:

As I ready myself to retire, I had to think about what I do now.  While I have so many interest and hobbies, this assignment allowed me to think about the ways I filled what little free time I have enjoyed through the years.

While Jim’s health is causing us to slow down, I find myself grateful for all of the ski trips, golf outings and time spent cruising the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. 

I hope to improve my piano playing skills once I do retire.  This is the one pastime that can always be improved upon.

I hope I never stop enjoying all the ways that I have found to spend recess.

I love Jeanne's use of the banners. On the left side, she used the negative space as a mask and misted those. 

 This is my page. My title is: "It's all about Hanging with Friends." I masked and misted my title. My journaling:

When we were kids, we looked forward to recess at school. Basically, for us that meant playing on the blacktop Church parking lot---no playground for us. We played dodge ball and jump rope until one of the 8^th graders stood on the top step of the school and rang the giant hand bell---signaling that recess was over.

Today, the activities have changed, but recess is still the same---it’s all about hanging with friends. We take trips together, float in the pool, have “Movie Mondays” and monthly cultural outings. The difference these days is that we have no one telling us when recess is over. In fact, every day is one long recess after another!!

 This is Susan's layout---"Recess Rocks."

"Play Time" was Erin's title. Her journaling:
"Recess! My favorite subject in school! I loved recess, from playing on the monkey bars and merry-go-round to swings and see-saws, I loved it all. As I got older, I would be playing basketball with the boys or organizing and playing in volleyball tournaments.  These pictures are of my brother Ryan and I playing on a playground  As you can see from the more recent pictures, you are never to old to be a kid! We took Drew to the park one summer day when he was 3 and had a blast.  We are looking forward to taking Nathan to the park one day also- I hope I can still do the monkey bars!" 
 
Hope you are doing well. Trying to start my blog, blogger is giving me a bit of a fit (I'm using my work PC) so my goal is to be a master by the end of the week. Have a great one!

Pam also chose "Play Time" as her title.

This is Carla B.'s layout from last month.

This is Susan's layout from last month---"do the Math"