Friday Night... The Very Most

Tonight was something unique for Tammy and I. We had a date. Not a let's hurry and grocery shop while the kids are at grandmas date; an actual date. With a daughter at a birthday party and the two boys having a play date with their cool uncle; mom and dad are free to have fun. So tonight we went out to The Flying M Coffee Garage and watched Connecticut Four and The Very Most.



Some context. Having grown up in Nampa I remember when the Flying M was a Firestone tire shop. It's nice to see a space transformed for a new use. They even re arranged the letters from the Firestone sign to "Finestore". Also, Jeremy Jensen guitarist/ vocalist for The Very Most is from Nampa. We attended school together and for a time when we were first married Tammy and I lived next door to his parents.



It was a great show. Connecticut Four took the stage first and played a great set. They offered to barter their EP CD for a floor to crash on for the night. I couldn't convince Tammy that our living room would work. The sounded great. You can listen here.



Second was The Very Most. The reason we came tonight. What a fun show. Indie-pop made to order! The music was great and the venue was awesome. But I have to say that the best part was being with Tammy.

It reminded me of when we were dating and first married just the two of us. Together. At times when it was too loud to talk Tammy and I texted one another.



Fun times. Great music. Amazing company.

I want to be... Forever Young!

Forever Young.
I want to be Forever Young.
Do you want to live Forever?
Forever,Forever.

I want to be Forever Young!
This year things are and have happened that make me look at my life. I turned 35. Although I don't feel it, I am not as young as I once was. In August my dad is getting re married. I never really saw that happening. Now it is and it's great. His fiance is really nice. They are very happy together. Also, my grandfather passed away. I no longer have any grandparents living. I am 35 so that is not unusual, but it makes me question my own mortality. I have been out of high school 17 years and we are expecting our fourth child this August/September.



Who am I? What have I done? If 17 year old Chris Peterson met 35 year old Chris Peterson, what would he think? What would he say? What advice would 35 year old Chris Peterson give him? Would I tell him that his family will change immensely and that it is all part of a grand plan and that life goes on. Would I tell him that he will meet someone that will change his life for the better and that he'll love more than anything else. Would he need to know that there will be more to life than cassette tapes (see MP3s). Would I let him know that a two year mission will be harder and more rewarding than he ever imagined. And that it will effect his life forever.



I don't think I would. I might share with him what I've (we've) done. Gone to college. Graduated from college. Married a beautiful/ wonderful women who gives my life meaning and inspiration. That he WILL have a family and to be ready to be a great dad. I would not be the person I am now had I not experienced all those things and more. Life is not easy, nor simple. There are the complicated unimportant and the plain and precious that make life interesting. I can't wait for our new little baby (girl #2) to enter our home and see the love that awaits her from this family Tammy and I created.



I have lived. I have so much more living to do. Can't rest or reflect for too long. I've got to catch up with the eight, six, and four year kids ahead of me. That fourth child is coming quickly.

Youth is like diamonds in the sun,
And diamonds are forever.
Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever...

Here's a link to the song... Below is the video...

News To Lift Your Spirit

I read this post on another blog and the subsequent news article and had to share...

Dying girl gets to see 'Up' at home [UPDATE]

By far the saddest, most moving, story this blogger has ever posted on:

Colby, a 10-year-old California girl dying of cancer, too sick to leave her home, got her wish of seeing Up last Wednesday in a rather extraordinary way.

After receiving "frantic" calls from determined family friends, Pixar flew an employee to the girl's home in Huntington Beach (about 415 miles from San Francisco/Emeryville) on a day's notice with a copy of the film on DVD (and a bag full of Up stuff) so she and her family could watch it. Afterwards, the disc was returned with the employee responsible for its safekeeping. Colby died about seven hours later.

Reportedly, "Pixar officials declined to comment on the story or name the employees involved". This could suggest that the Pixarian who visited the family —whose "eyes were just welled up"— might be more well-known than the studio wants to let on.

Read the full story at The Orange County Register.
----
Update: This story is understandably receiving a lot of attention —worldwide, in fact.

At last count, at least 198 news/media outlets had picked up the OC Register story, according to Google News, foremost among them the Associated Press (AP). Specifically online, it made the homepage of major social news websites like Digg and Reddit, and has been emailed countless times by individuals.

Even the normally snide commenters at blogs like The Consumerist and Gizmodo have been moved by the tragedy and, like others, are giving Pixar kudos for its gracious, 'classy', 'human', handling of things.

(Updated June 19)

Courtesy: The Pixar Blog There are still people in this world who strive to make life brighter and easier for others. I hope that we can all try to be THIS kind of person.

Happy Birthday America!

Today is the day that we celebrate our independence. I hope that you are not like the "Jaywalk" participants who do not know from whom we gained our independence? It was the British. It started in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence and that chapter ended in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris when the British formally acknowledged the United States as a sovereign nation.

So enjoy the day with your family, friends, neighbors or even strangers. This is the day that we celebrate the birth of our Nation! So go out and ENJOY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

Genius...

iTunes. Heard of it? If you are reading this blog post then you probably have. I have used iTunes since version 1 in 2001. After getting an iPod in 2004 iTunes became more important as I used to organize the songs on my iPod.


One of the more recent additions as a feature in iTunes is Genius. You know when a friend recommends a band or a song because they know you like another band? Well, that is what genius does. It looks at your iTunes library and finds songs that would compliment the initial one you chose. I have 4615 songs on my iPod, so using genius helps 'mash up' songs that I might not have put together on a playlist myself.


I recently created a genius playlist for the song "A Little Respect" by Erasure and the list that follows are the results. It made a day driving to Twin Falls and Back a lot more enjoyable. Give it a try and see what songs in your own library you have been missing!