Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Just wanted to wish everyone who has read here a Merry Christmas and a very happy holiday season. Thank you all for taking time to stop and read my thoughts and listen to my new "Ponder Casts" this year.

I am doing a quiet Christmas weekend. As far as I'm concerned, I've already done my major Christmas celebration. You just can't get much better than the time at Senior Trip in Asheville. My relative family is scattered and dwindling, so I was thankful to celebrate with my many friends in the family of God.

Stay tuned for some big news from me after the holidays. Some will already know it...but the rest of you will have to stay in suspense. Sorry.

Post Senior Trip Thoughts

I'm sitting in the Asheville airport right now on what is supposed to be a two hour flight delay, but who knows for sure.

I got to thinking about some of the songs heard over the weekend about how it will be when we are all together in Heaven. Many of us believed it just might feel like it did these past few days. Now we find ourselves heading home, going back to our "regular" lives. Some of us might have workplace challenges to return to, others stressful home situations. If we get caught up in those stresses that go with it, it may be hard to retain that glow that we all felt during Senior Trip.

The challenge is keeping that spirit with us as best we can. What can we do? We can remember to keep in touch with that person we exchanged contact information with to help lift us up in those trying moments. Maybe we can take a closer look at where we work or where we live and try to bring some of that spirit to those around us. Granted, sometimes that's way easier said than done. But what would happen if we tried?

____

I want to thank Mark and Penny for linking this blog to Mark's website for the Senior Trip reports and those who kindly took time to stop and read my thoughts on Senior Trip.

I have now summarized the Senior Trip Asheville reports on this page.

For all you Mark fans, if you would indulge me a short shameless plug, I have an episode on a podcast I do called "Wendy V's Ponder Cast" --it's the episode "3MLs" where I talk about three of my favorite artists with the initials ML. Chances are you will know at least one of them. Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.cyberears.com/index.php/Show/audio/163

Mark Lowry's Senior Trip Asheville - Day 3

Morning:

This morning we witnessed examples of the effectiveness of Mark's and the other artists' ministries both when they are in true worship form and having a good old time in the Lord. Mark and LordSong kicked it off with some songs from "Be the Miracle" like "Whatcha Need", where Mark shared personally how he dealt with his faith while awaiting word on his nephew when he was missing for 26 hours some years back. Woody Wright and Joy Gardner set a powerful musical stage with songs of God's grace. By the time Joy sang "He's Been Faithful", there was no doubt that God was in the house...we were all deep in the worship spirit.

All of the above set it up for the message by Christ Church's pastor Dan Scott. His message centered on the three wise men. Pastor Dan's focus was the wise men were who they were because they were able to see the full picture--the cross as well as the star. His touching story of his wife's illness and recovery, with a word of faith spoken by a hospital cleaning lady, was an inspiring message of hope. The word has long been out that Dan Scott's a great preacher. What I didn't know was that he's also a great singer. I bought his CD, Serve Somebody, during the break.

Then the fun began. Woody Wright hosted this trip's version of the Truly Wed Game. Now, if you can imagine Woody as host and Mark as the "color commentary" person, then you would not be shocked to hear that it was an absolute hoot. Michael and Kim Lord, Barbara Fairchild and husband Roy played with two audience couples who were married at least 50 years. Both of those couples got free tickets to the Branson shows.

Like I said earlier, some of the best stuff happens before the shows start. If you could see all the people hugging, taking pictures, exchanging addresses and contact info, you would soon see that this is much of the true magic of this event.



Evening:

I'm not sure I can come close to adequately describing this. But here goes.

The evening began with a few songs from Mark and LordSong, including, of course "Mary Did You Know." Which, of course, Mark sang incredibly. Next up were extended sets from the other two featured acts. The Lee Singers, of Lee University in Cleveland, TN, did a solid program of Christmas songs in varying styles, including a salute to the troops. They are personable young people, some stopped to chat with us. Not all are music majors--some, for example, are business majors who enjoy the choral experience. And by the way, they are their own roadies.

The Annie Moses Band, a family group, covered just about every genre at some point in their set, ranging from bluegrass to opera with many songs from their Christmas projects.

The last part was billed as a "singalong" with Mark, LordSong, Woody Wright, Joy Gardner, Austin's Bridge and Barbara Fairchild. It started out that way until, as Mark might put it, God came along and hijacked it. It then went from a bunch of friends sitting around taking turns singing songs to a worship that was even more powerful than the one this morning, if you can imagine that. Mark just opened up to God and drew us all into the experience.

That's the best I can do.You just had to be there.

It's this simple. If you have not experienced a Senior Trip, you absolutely must do so. This is not just a group of concerts. This is a soul experience. I mean, so many of us were in tears because it was just too difficult for us to leave after all the love and fellowship that came out of this.

Thank you, Mark, for answering the call God put on you to go into music ministry so we all could be blessed by you and the magnificent, beautiful gift of a voice God gave you (God's so smart, isn't He?).

See you in Branson...if not before.

Mark Lowry's Senior Trip Asheville - Day 2

Today we got a good look at the grounds of the Grove Park Inn. You can't beat the beautiful mountain setting while eating breakfast or just walking along the inside of the building and gazing out its many viewpoints. Most of us also spent time at the Biltmore Estate. The tour was very extensive. Some of the artistic detail you find in these rooms and the sense of history was just amazing.

Of the "God Is Crazy About You" shows that I've seen, tonight's show has to be in my top 5. Mark was just on it...starting from his accident, going down some rabbit trails that were hilarious (why women have babies so much for example --if he had morphine drip in the process, he'd "birth a nation") but also profound when he talked about trying to understand the accident he had at 19 where he broke 11 bones or sharing how he was led into music ministry (thank you, God!).

Personally, it was sort of my night musically. Mark gave me my Christmas wish and sang "The Christmas Song" and in between working in a story about not believing in Santa Claus ("that's when the presents dried up"). And, like I did last trip, I got to "dance" with Mark once again, this time during "Jingle Bell Rock". But there is a curse on me somewhere. Last time, no one was able to get a picture with me dancing with Mark, and this time it didn't work, either. Well, you'll have to take my word and the crowd's for it. (But if you took one and you have it, please send it to me!)

Other musical humorous highlights: Barbara Fairchild, the "Sr. Trip mascot" was back with us again, celebrating her wedding anniversary with a duet with her husband Roy. She also did her 70s hit "Teddy Bear" after sharing an hilarious story about once donning a reindeer costume to sing the song (since it's about wanting to be a teddy bear, getting a teddy bear costume and singing it wouldn't quite work). Woody Wright shared the story of how he and Mark wrote the song "What Were You Thinking?" which Mark sang on the Gaither Australian Homecoming video. The inspiration: a case of chiggers Woody and his dog dealt with!

Austin's Bridge came back to do a great acapella number. LordSong and Stan Whitmire, well, they always do what they do so well. They are a beloved part of the "ReMarkable family". But this particular night it was lots of Mark and lots of singing, including one of my favorites I haven't heard live, "I Don't Belong" -that was a great treat.

The "Geri-oke" at the end was really more of a "ReMarkable Idol". We heard from a great variety of talented singers and players among the audience.But I'm going to give a special shout-out to my friend Roxie Adrian who wowed the crowd with her piano rendition of "Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know." You know, there's nothing cooler than to be able to witness those kind of moments.

Though I am not a big fan of general admission events and it can be a little inconvenient to line up at the door hours ahead of time for the best seats, this is where a lot of the fellowship happens here and you meet a lot of great people. I found that it helps to wear a red hat, or have some sort of recognizable picture out there. :) In fact, someone borrowed my hat for this picture.

Stay tuned for day 3.

Mark Lowry's Senior Trip- Asheville Day 1

The journey to this first night concert didn't go in the smoothest way. We were re-routed an hour or so on our way to the Grove Park Inn due to a massive tractor-trailer accident. When I got to the hotel, they didn't have my ticket package for me. I am not the person to skip--not getting something when others got theirs freaks me out (it goes back to childhood). Then I could not get back into my room and there was a couple outside that claimed it was supposed to be their room.

But it all got resolved, and when the concert doors opened, none of that mattered.

Here's the greatest thing about Senior Trip. It's not just a concert or getting to hear the best male singer. It's a time of building friendships and camaraderie. I'm not the only one who noticed that after the Gaylord Senior Trip. Mark mentioned this from the stage as well and encouraged the bonding among us audience members (and yes, that happened from the get go). I can testify to Mark's hope that lasting and life-impacting friendships come about on this occasion, but I'll elaborate more on that at a later time...

On to the music:
Mark was incredible on "Let There Be Peace on Earth". One of the most consistent musical acts around, LordSong, were also in great form. Stan Whitmire was on the injured list this time, sporting a broken foot having hit a sinkhole on the beach, but it didn't hurt his playing any.

We heard from a talented new act, Austin's Bridge. Barbara Fairchild was back with us again and told us a funny story about getting in the wrong car after pumping gas--with a passenger who appeared to hardly notice.

So why were people laughing during the Mike Bowling Group's set? When they performed the title song from their CD "Graceland", "Elvis" entered the building. That would be Mark, in Elvis specs and sneer.

The angel has made a triumphant return. Janet Paschal gave a wonderful performance and testimony, and is as ever beautiful inside and out (though Mark felt her stilletto heels were "not saved").

Brian Free and Assurance rocked the house in their extended set, with a rousing finale singing the praises of King Jesus.

(By the way...I did not read Mark's Ramblings on the concert before I wrote this. He must have been writing his the same time I was. Great minds think alike!) :)

Nashville Day 1: Comin' To Your City

Ordinarily, sitting at the gate for my flight and wondering where the heck the plane or the gate attendant is a short time before the flight was scheduled is stressful for me. But today, there was a little pleasant distraction. I saw a tall fellow in a black hat sit in the row behind me at the gate and I thought "hmm, he looks a lot like Cowboy Troy." Not 10 minutes after that who arrives but one of country music's most successful songwriters today: John Rich, half of Big and Rich. So that answered the Cowboy Troy question. He was the real deal. Minutes later, the other half, Big Kenny, sits a couple of rows back working his laptop.

This was, after all, a flight to Nashville. I guess you do have a shot of seeing famous folks.

Now my sister will probably think I am completely insane when I tell you that, even though these guys are among my big favorites in country music these days, no, I did not approach them or ask for an autograph at the gate. I've been around musicians so long that I know that this was a time when they need their space to work their phone calls, computers or whatever. Besides, no one else was doing it. I just thought it was pretty cool that they were on the same flight. I do hope it did not mean that I missed them at some gig in MN--hopefully they were here just connecting through. When my friend picked me up, I did see Cowboy Troy again as we were walking to baggage--so I did quickly say "hey I love your music", and he said thank you.

Tonight's event was, of course, the Gaither Homecoming concert in Nashville. It was a terrific show. I won't give a detailed song by song rundown but just give you some of my personal highlights.
-Because I worked tables at the last couple of Homecoming shows I missed the "Lean On Me" opener, so it was really nice to see this time with the artists walking among the crowd. Our gang managed to get Mark's attention so he came over when he spotted us.
-Lynda Randle blew the roof off the place with her version of "Eye Is On the Sparrow", as did Sonya and the Isaacs on "It Is Well". They were in the spirit on those.
-I really liked Russ Taff's version of "What A Wonderful World."
-Showing again what super fine singers they are (as well as two of the nicest people EVER), Reggie and Ladye Love Smith were terrific in a Christmas medley.
- Ivan Parker, Ben Speer and Jeff and Sheri did their songs from the latest Christmas videos.
-Both the Vocal Band and Signature Sound were on their game last night. They picked a winner when they picked Wes Hampton. He did an excellent job with "O Holy Night".
- Bill seemed to be doing well, and it was very nice to see Gloria and Kevin Williams.
- Actually there was relatively little interaction between Mark and Bill compared to in the past, but he got his zingers in there (Rory Rigdon did most of the usual humor, complete with priceless expression). But Mark was in good spirits and did "Whatcha Need", the Piper story, I Call Him Lord with Charlotte Ritchie and Becky Bowmann, and of course the Mary raising Jesus story leading up to "Mary Did You Know." Which leads me to a slight objection. Bill and the Vocal Band do their thing at the end of "I'll Tell It Whereever I Go" and Bill says "eat your heart out Mark Lowry". Sorry Bill. I don't think Mark has to eat his heart out for anything. He is still the greatest male singer I've ever heard and he proves it by me with every rendition of "Mary".
- Gordon Mote was terrific and I spotted him and his wife Kimberly on the way out. I got to tell Kimberly that she needs to record an album. She is as strong a vocalist as any I've heard of in my opinion and I believe if she releases a project she could be very major in the business. Gordon hearily agreed.

So a long but lovely day for me. Another day in Nashville for me Saturday then it's on to Asheville and Mark Lowry's Senior Trip on Sunday.

Quit Yer Whining...

Believe it or not, here in Minnesota we have folks who are whining because this big snowstorm of the past week missed us. Yes, we do have some dry conditions here, but I would prefer wet precip. Everyone else wants snow (until, of course, they try driving in it). I do not want any until I am back from traveling. Then, it can snow all it wants. My car is off the road for the most part this winter and I may have one more trip which will not be dependent on any event and can be flexible.

Oh, I mentioned I will be blogging from Mark's Senior Trip next week. If I have time and bring my microphone,I may even do a quick pondercast from Asheville, too. We'll see.

On to the next event

Thanksgiving is now over and done with. I did a great job on my turkey. It got done a half-hour earlier than I expected. I've never seen so much juice come out of a turkey. Which is a good thing because I didn't have any gravy. I was in the store and thought for sure I picked up some organic turkey gravy and bought it. Perhaps it didn't make it to my grocery bag in the checkout because I never found the stuff at home. Fortunately I was able to improvise with some soup mix. Anyway, I got all the cooking, eating and cleaning done, then as predicted went out like a light for two hours on my couch, with hazy sunshine shining in on me. Gotta love it.

Now I will be preparing for my next trip in December: the Gaither Homecoming Christmas concert in Nashville, then on to Mark Lowry's Senior Trip in Asheville, NC. I will be blogging on those events, so watch this space.

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

I'm sure we all have something to be thankful for on this day. Among other things, I am always thankful for down time at this time of year. I don't do the holidays the way ads and society tell me I am supposed to. If that makes me an oddball, so be it. Me, I will be cooking and then napping on my couch--it looks like it will be with the sun shining through my patio doors. My favorite nap scenario. It makes me the envy of many people...those who admit it, and those who do not.

However you celebrate--have a great day.

Catching up with me

I am finally getting caught up here. I have been a bit preoccupied with a life matter. But you can get burned out being so single-minded in your focus, so I think it's time to take a break and recap some other things that have been happening.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Twin Cities Quartet Convention in Bloomington. It was in the same locale Mark Lowry's concert was a couple of weeks earlier. TCQC has been pretty much an annual event for this location, but I hadn't been there in about a year or so. It has its endearing traditions, like the pre-act Internet jokes read by genial host Jim Loving, and the barbecued chicken sandwiches. It seemed to be a smaller crowd with less product tables than past years, but it was a good afternoon of Southern Gospel music. There were some impressive newer acts such as Stand Your Ground from Crown College in MN as well as my perennial favorites, The Browns (who are doing very well on the national Southern Gospel scene), Higher Power and my friends in Wisconsin, Living River Quartet. The Living River guys dealt with some technical problems in their late afternoon set, but they handled them with class and earned a well-deserved standing ovation.

I've seen a glimmer of hope this year for Southern Gospel music in the Twin Cities. Along with this event and Mark, we've also had Ernie Haase and Signature Sound do a show for us this year, and we are also getting the Hoppers in town at the end of the year.

I also want to thank everyone for the great support for the "Ponder Cast". I've had listeners every day and I'm still in Cyberears' top 10 thus far (with many other new shows being hosted). I've also been getting a bit of encouragement about doing some voice work, so I will be doing a voice demo in the near future.

Ponder Cast so far

I've been spending a lot of time on my podcast "Wendy V's Ponder Cast". So far, I've been encouraged by the numbers. I have at least 22 subscribers that I know of, and I've been in the top 10 of Cyberears' most listened to podcasts for a couple of weeks. I've also learned a lot about sound production, how to mix tracks, fix sound quality and all that. I'm still learning.

I have the full three part series on embracing encouragement posted now. The next Ponder Cast will be called "3 MLs". It'll be good.

Have you checked out Wendy V's Ponder Cast yet? What are you waiting for? Go here!

Wild Weekend..

The theme song throughout my head this past weekend was the old Bill Anderson song "Gonna Have A Wild Weekend". I named this weekend as such because it involved three nights in a row of concerts and late nights and product sales for all of the shows. Getting enough sleep was not part of the plan of these three days.

It's not often that the two musical worlds I travel in--local MN music and gospel--have major events for me back to back. The first two nights were the St. Joan of Arc Church "Cabaret" concerts. This year's theme was "The Road Show: Songs for Wayward Lovers". About 45 musicians and performers who are part of the strongest talent pool in the Twin Cities come and perform in these shows every year. And that's not even all of them. We had some people missing this year, but a few new faces. My job was to help sell product and hold my breath that every artist who wanted to sell CDs had table space to do so. I issued an e-mail invite to all participating this year to be sure they all had the opportunity. So due to that, I was partly "in charge", but that was okay. On Saturday I had a second job, which was, for the 7th year in a row, to cover and write the story on the Saturday show for the SJA website. I at least had a plan for where I was going with it plus a head start having been there Friday as well. Despite getting in way past midnight on both Friday and Saturday, the regular church musicians and I dragged our tired tails to church early the next morning, because that is part of the Cabaret tradition, after all. Here is a link to the reviews.

Sunday was an event I waited five years for: Mark Lowry playing a concert in the Twin Cities. It being that my church was halfway on the way to where Mark was playing, I didn't go home --I went straight to the Mall of America and shopped till I dropped. Halfway to church, I realized I forgot my concert ticket...but since I was volunteering I hoped it was okay. I was due at the church Mark was at a couple of hours before the show to do the CD sales thing there. But I wondered if I was going to make it. After I left the Mall of America, I took a walk to the new IKEA store, since I hadn't been there and had some time to kill. I got to the furnishings floor fine, but then I got totally lost trying to find my way back to the entrance. I circled the floor several times and all I saw were exit signs which went nowhere. I was starting to panic until I decided to try going to the self service area --at last, I eventually spotted the checkouts and the door. Lesson learned: don't go to IKEA unless you have a LOT of time to kill.

Now for the concert: as always, Mark was funny, LordSong and Stan Whitmire supported him beautifully, and we heard how much God loved us. Again and again, though, I will say it: the guy can flat out, without a doubt, SING. His live renditions of "Mary Did You Know" and Martha Munizzi's "Say the Name" (which I never heard him do before) ought to be enough to have convinced anyone there. Yes, he kept saying "don't think we're great, we're all broken freaks", and if you do stick around to meet Mark you will realize how down to earth he is. But, I will continue to praise to the highest heavens his vocal abilities.

It was a joy that my friend Norman came on the road again to sell product. I met my two You Tube friends and we hung out at the end to get pictures and things signed by Mark.

So ended the wild weekend. Tomorrow I sleep. And write, when I'm not sleeping.

Me and MySpace..

If I weren't busy enough with my two websites and my new podcast, last week I also went and signed up on MySpace...again. This is my second time around with it. Last time I signed up was a few months ago, but that lasted only a couple of days. I kept having technical glitches--no matter how many times I logged in, every time I tried to do anything, it said "you must be logged in to do that!". So I blew it away in frustration. But with so many of my friends now getting on board, I thought I'd give it another go.

So far, it's been a lot of fun. It's a good way to get some publicity out about my websites and the "Ponder Cast". With so many artists also with "MySpace" pages, it's also a good one stop shop to keep up on tour dates, releases and such that your favorite artists have. And I must admit, it is a very fun concept to add famous folk to your page as "friends". There are those who think everybody's on for dating, even though my profile is fairly professional (gotta read it, folks), but I'm pretty selective about my friends here as in real life. I'm hoping to make a few music business or radio connections, especially in Nashville, since I'm out there so much.

My new "Ponder Cast"

I have been wanting to try to do an audio podcast for quite a while now. I finally got around to getting a microphone and getting it started. With a blog called "Wendy V's Ponderings", what else could I call the thing but "Wendy V's Ponder Cast."

UPDATE: I found a place to host my podcast efficiently and inexpensively and get it to ITunes...so now we are live! You can get to it and subscribe at the link on this page.

Anyhow, I hope you will check it out!

Then it got good...

Around 7 pm I fired up my laptop and streamed in KISN, out of Portland, OR. My old heartthrob when I was 11, Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere and the Raiders, does a request oldies show out of Portland Oregon, called "Mark After Dark". He planned a theme tribute to "Where the Action Is", my favorite music show growing up, with an interview with one of the "Action Kids dancers" that I really wanted to hear. Of course, it came on at the bitter end. But it was so fun listening--some savvy folks that were obviously Mark/Action fans from back in the day made some great requests. Mark does a great job as a DJ with this show, comes off very personable, doesn't get in the way of the music or put the entire focus on himself. Thus, with the two hour time difference I ended up pulling an all-nighter and got to bed at 2 am, something I haven't done since a Praise Gathering in Indianapolis years ago, I think.

Before Mark's show, someone did an awesome "forgotten oldies" show. I believe KISN is perhaps the greatest oldies station in the country since WCBS-FM. We need to pray for this station, that it has good strong ratings books and never gets "JACK-ed".

In the end, even when I was growing up in the 60s, the music always made everything right. Thanks KISN and Mark for taking this birthday from blah to a bash.

Birthday...big deal

I turned 51 today. This birthday hasn't quite measured up to last year, which was of course a milestone, it being my 50th. Can't quite top being in Nashville with Michael McDonald (well, at his concert, that is). It also can't measure up to all the great musical experiences of last weekend. Not that I really expected it to. Yet, it has slipped by unnoticed this year by people who sent me their wishes last year (and whose birthdays I noted quite significantly this past year). I did get some nice message board postings. Except there's one thing I don't quite understand. Some people who as far as I know have been very friendly toward me left birthday greetings for someone else whose birthday was the same as mine, with our postings in about the same spot, but passed over me. Go figure...

I will mention names here. I have one message for Stone Cold Creamery. If you are going to have a birthday club where you send people coupons for a free ice cream, please set it up so they have the coupons the next morning...not in the middle of the day when they've already left the house to go celebrate. Chances are, people will not go out of their way to make a return visit to collect. Of course, the people at the Mall of America store "couldn't do anything about it". After requesting at least a free sample of something, I went to a competitor and enjoyed a healthier fat-free frozen yogurt with caramel instead.

I bought two birthday gifts to myself. One was a headset microphone so I can learn to eventually unleash podcasts on the world. However, it looks like it's only going to work on my laptop, so I need to get some software on it to convert .wav files to .mp3. Anyhow, stay tuned!

Then, as I was heading out of the mall, this gal at a kiosk practically grabbed me and pulled me over to have a look at my nails. She then took my index finger nail and gave it and my hand a full treatment that had it looking like I just stepped out of having a manicure and took 10 years off the look of my right hand. I did have this done once before someplace and remember being very impressed, but not enough to part with money at the time. This girl was not about to take no for an answer--so I told her it was my birthday and she'd have to cut me a deal. Well, she did, to the tune of 35% off. So I'll try this myself on the rest of my fingers. If nothing else, it may discourage me from being a nailbiter. I'm not a big fan of long nails, but this buff polish stuff does make them look pretty slick. I just hope it's not like going to the hair salon, where you can't quite replicate the look yourself afterward.

So not the greatest birthday, but not a total bust. At 7 p.m, it got good..

Fun at the Fair..

Well, another Minnesota State Fair has come and gone. This year's was a good one for me. For starters, I love the fact that this year there were two park and ride lots just minutes from where I live (even though the shuttle bus schedules were erratic, at best).

I did take time out from my newly adopted 80% organic way of eating to do my usual food fair: fries, corn, foot long hot dog. I did go in search of the 18-inch hot dog I thought I'd heard about. That turned out to be a corn dog, however, so I passed.

I did not make it to the MPR Morning Show broadcast this year (I'm sorry, Dale and Jim Ed, I still love you!). I had two fair visits this year. The first was detailed in the previous "musical fantasy" post. Before that show, I took in my other tradition, going to the live Channel 5 news broadcasts (and getting my mug on camera). At that broadcast, the audience was charmed and impressed by a country/rock/bluegrass band, the Drew Davis Band, based out of California. They've just been signed to a record deal and have had great success touring with Trace Adkins, among others. These fellows played going in and out of breaks and really bonded with the audience (especially me when fiddle player "the Drake" sat down next to me and played during one of those breaks).

On Sunday, my marathon free show day, I went early to catch the Drew Davis Band's early show. They did a half acoustic and half electric set. They've got great musicianship, solid songwriting and a strong frontman in Drew Davis. I'd keep an ear out for these guys.

I also caught recent Nashville success and Coon Rapids resident Rockie Lynne, who most definitely had a hometown crowd out in force. I bet a lot of these folks were behind him when he was getting started and they must be thrilled to see the success he had with "Lipstick". It was a very good set, and Rockie's a particularly decent guitar player. He introduced a number of biker people who were posing for pictures in front of the stage before the show. Rockie and these folks organize a ride each year to visit loved ones of those who died serving our country to tell them "their loss had not gone unnoticed". Very nice.

Then it was off to the Ramberg Senior Center to visit my buddy Mike Loonan who was playing a number of sets there with one of his musical partners, guitarist Chris Herriges. I'd not heard these two play together before--they regularly do "dueling piano/guitar" gigs where people make requests and they play whatever is thrown out at them. They were up for the challenge in each set I sat through...even polka requests. Of course, you know now that as the years go on, Beatles and Simon and Garfunkle tunes will be the senior set "music of your life" before we know it. Yow.

I was hoping the dire predictions of rain would hold off for the evening. No such luck. By the time I was headed for the bandstand to stake out a seat for a couple of hours to see Brenda Lee, it was pouring. And, it kept pouring. But there was a seat on the front row bench on the end. I wasn't the only one hanging in for three hours. After all, this was one of the greatest female singers who ever lived (in my book) I was waiting on. I was soaked in places my blue tarp Disneyland poncho couldn't reach, my hands were getting shriveled and numb because I couldn't keep them dry. I also was running out of ideas on how to keep my tote bags dry.

But it was worth it. A comic named C. Willi Myles helped us endure the rain. He was entertaining, and clean. He's lived in MN since he went to college at St. Cloud State. A lot of his humor was about being from Alabama and learning about our weather and ice fishing. Then finally it was time for Brenda Lee. I thought it unusual that they played all her hit songs on the sound system as they were setting up for her. She actually only did a few of those in full during her show, the rest were in medley. But hey--she was still Miss Dynamite, and she was so down to earth, humble for all she has accomplished, and very funny. I am very glad I had the opportunity to see and hear one of my musical heroes and legends.

A Musical Fantasy Fulfilled..

OK, so basically I have two musical fantasies.

The first would be for Mark Lowry and Michael McDonald to hook up (even if it's a picture of the two of them together on Mark's site,that would be good enough for me.)

The second happened last night at the Minnesota State Fair. It was the coming together of what played a big part in bringing me to Minnesota – "A Prairie Home Companion"- and what has kept me here the last 17 years: the local musician scene, and two guys who opened the door to it for me, Tommy Mischke and Michael Loonan.

Tommy was a guest on the PHC Minnesota State Fair show and invited Mike to play guitar in the band. What an incredible opportunity for them (and the other excellent members of Tommy's band). Most folks know of Tommy's success in talk radio, of course, but I've been a big believer in his musical gifts since that solo evening at the old Music City Café many years ago. I still think to this day he is one of the best singer/songwriter/pianists this Twin Cities scene has ever had…I would say he's our own Greg Brown. Now Garrison Keillor has taken serious notice of his talents.

Michael, my dear friend, has worked hard over these past dozen years perfecting his craft and gradually having many great opportunities come his way. No overnight success, rather steadily staying the course, Mike now lives his dream of working from home as a freelance musician, with a full plate of gigs and jobs and uncompromisingly balancing all that with family responsibilities.

No one I know of deserved the break of last night more than these two guys, in my opinion.

Tom and the band did four songs off his superb "Whistle Stop" CD: Land of Lakes (Back to the Water), Thoughts of You, What You Do, and the ultimate highlight for me, Grandpa, a song I've been in love with for 15 years, back when it was called "Nicholas". The band was tight and Tom's voice was rich and full of character. Although I missed his piano playing (a role well filled by CD producer Jared Rush), he made a strong front vocalist. It was way cool to see Mike on the big side screens during a featured guitar solo.

A couple of weeks ago I got a ticket up in the boonies section of the grandstand, and I figured then I'd have to do with that. But, when checking a couple of days ago, Ticketmaster showed a seat in the center ground section, so I went for it. It turned out to be a great seat, closer than I thought I would be. There were signs all over the Fair warning you not to resell tickets, so I chickened on trying to sell the grandstand one. Oh well, I've blown off more money than that on more foolhardy things.

Mike and I had a few moments to talk about all this when we ran into each other before the show. He nailed the whole thing well, as he usually does: we had all come full circle with this evening.

Watch the Prairie Home Companion website for a show archive and perhaps pictures to be posted.

Ten Years Ago...

The things you find when you go digging around all the stuff you stored someplace at home.

I came across a cassette tape of a radio interview I did on KFAI, 10 years ago this month. Time sure flies. I was interviewed on the Local Sound Department, then hosted by Mark Wheat, now one of the top DJs on Minnesota Public Radio's 89.3 The Current. He was kind enough to give a gal trying to bring attention to local musicians a shot in the arm. We talked about my newsletters I had going on at the time and I got to play some songs by local folks I was working with or listening to at the time.

My speaking skills were decidedly pre-Toastmasters at that point (I didn't join a club until two years later), high-pitched in spots, but I at least sounded like I remembered to slow down when gathering my thoughts. Which is a good thing. I tend to stumble on my words when I try to last-minute edit in mid-sentence.

One of the thoughts that came up in our conversation was that we were both doing what we did for the love of it and not for pay. I'm still in that spot and shifted direction a little since then. Mark has of course gone on to well-deserved radio success. Way to go.

It was also interesting to hear how much had changed over 10 years...mentions of venues and events that no longer exists, groups no longer together or artists that haven't been heard from since then. The acoustic scene has always been a revolving door as coffeehouses go. But listening to that show reminded me how exciting a time the early/mid-90s were when I was in my local music promo heyday.. and how grateful I was for all the opportunities which came my way then to promote the artists I believed in.

Ernie and the guys come to town

Finally, after a general drought of Southern Gospel artists in this area outside of the annual Gaither Homecoming, we had Ernie Haase and Signature Sound do a show in Bloomington. As I commented on my Gaither.com blog, I can understand why these guys are the hottest SG act out there. They start their shows with a repeating video of trivia questions and amusing clips. Oh, and Bill Gaither kicked off the show. On video, that is, leading us in a singalong of Gaither and other classics. How clever!

Ernie and the group had it going on vocally, they were very entertaining, personality plus, dancing (I love the dancing. Let them call you the Temptations, guys, that's all right) and humor. I did note, however, they did "borrow" a bit from the Gaither Vocal Band that they aren't using anymore now that Mark is gone from the group. You'll have to see them to figure out what that is. But at the end, they sincerely and clearly explained why they were there and do what they do...to share the good news of God's love.

In the aforementioned opening video, we were asked to shut off our cell phones ...unless we were ordering pizza for the guys. Well, someone must have done that...as I was leaving, I saw a Pizza Hut delivery guy bringing pizza to their bus.

Back home now...

I'm back home in the Twin Cities. The day I left, I took a look at the return flight schedule and was quite surprised to realize I booked myself only 25 minutes between connecting flights. What was I thinking?? I must have been swept away by this ticket price--I never book less than two hours in between connections. When I got to the airport this morning and saw my flight out was delayed, I figured I was done for. The kind folks at Midwest Connect made a backup booking for me on the next flight in the afternoon. But, it wasn't necessary. There were about 8 of us from Nashville to Milwaukee connecting on to Minneapolis. Our plane actually arrived 15 minutes late but Midwest held the plane to Minneapolis for us. Now that's service (NW, take note). So it was about 4 hours traveling from Nashville to back home here. Not bad. If I could get all the flights to work out that way and have all the planes wait on me, I might book a little tighter. :)

I had a wonderful time. I met some really nice people. I love it there. I will be back next in December.

Off to Nashville day 3

Today was a long but wonderful day. I started the day at GracePointe Church in Brentwood. Pastor Stan Mitchell's Book Club discussed a portion of Brian McLaren's book "A Generous Orthodoxy", dealing with being stewards of the environment. Then Pastor Stan continued his series on vocation, a topic of great interest to me--especially today when he included my life verse, Romans 12:8 which affirmed to me my calling to encouragement.

I got together with friends, one new and one even newer who gave me a grand tour of Brentwood and provided me with bits of valuable information I'd been seeking first-hand answers to. We took a look at the condo development she had just purchased a home at and is awaiting completion. I walked through some models, and let me tell you, in the Twin Cities you will never get the floor plan for the amount of money these were going for. In fact, I don't even see such prices for 3 bedroom condos here, period.

If you go to Nashville you just don't go without hearing live music, so I wrapped up my day at one of my favorite spots, the Bluebird Cafe. I heard a very fine bluegrass band called the Farewell Drifters. I told them about the "Bluegrass Saturday Morning" show on KBEM in the Twin Cities and suggested they send a CD.

It was a wonderful, but short, trip. Guess I gotta get ready to come home now....

Off to Nashville day 2

Today it was off to Rutherford County, through LaVergne, Smyrna and Murfreesboro. It was another one of those drives I like in Nashville, straight shot strip driving, easy as pie (and listening to WSM and Bill Cody--how cool is that?). I was given a grand tour of Murfreesboro, courtesy of Ruthie, fellow Gaither.com message board buddy and a New Jersey resident with a cousin in the area. Murfreesboro is about 30 miles south of Nashville, the home of Middle Tennessee State University, a very nice looking city with just about anything a person would need.

On the way driving back to Nashville, I stopped at a Kroger grocery in Smyrna to pick up some fruit and water. My purchases were on sale if you had their card, but being I'm not from around there, I didn't. I explained that when I was asked at the register if I had a card--suddenly a woman at the checkout in front of mine turned around and said "here, she can use my card." Now that is Southern hospitality. Very sweet and unexpected. I saved over $2 because of her kind gesture. The checkout clerk then offered me my own Kroger card and I course accepted...because you never know, you know. :)

I would have gone elsewhere but I had enough driving today and gotta save that gas (though regular is not yet $3 here most places!). I did get a swim in during the afternoon. So tonight I watch the new Gaither Vocal Band video on TV and watch and listen to the Opry again.

By the way, if you watch the Opry on GAC on Saturday night, I hate to tell you this, but you miss a lot of good stuff when the commercials are on. I listened live on WSM radio along with the TV show...the show goes on during the TV commercials and there some great performances happening while the sausage is being sold on TV. I can also tell you there is a 7 second delay between the radio and TV.

Brentwood and the Bluebird tomorrow...

Off to Nashville day 1

Well, nothing too eventful about the flights today--they were just late. I didn't have to have any secondary bag screening and I put my grooming items in my checked bag, so no problems there.
The flight in here was very scenic--lots of beautiful green terrain.

It had just started to rain when I got there. Nonetheless, I decided to venture out on foot in search of a place for supper. The desk clerk recommended a restaurant across the street. When I got there, though, I noticed that next door to it was a Chinese buffet! Woo hoo! Obviously I changed my plans and ate my brains out while a very good radio station with a good 80s oldies mix played in the background.

The challenge shall be trying to maintain a semblance of (relatively) healthy eating over the next couple of days. Let's just say that when you fly Midwest, it's a given you're gonna cheat with the homebaked chocolate chip cookies.

Tonight I shall listen to the Opry and watch Randy Travis and Josh Turner perform together on CMT. Tomorrow it's on the road..

Off to Nashville...

I'm headed to Nashville this weekend for a very short trip. If the laptop's able to connect, I'll be blogging about it here and there, so stay tuned.

Due to the new travel regulations, no spiky hairdo for me when I'm out there.

"Me Day"

I haven't known what it's like to take a real vacation day off work for years, I think. Usually when I take time, it's because I'm traveling or committed to some event. The only days to myself lately have been holidays..and that's because everything is usually closed. But last week, I gave myself what I called a "me day"--a day set apart for me. No plans, no commitments to anything or anyone.

I took that time to relax, do a lot of spiritual study and reading. I must say, everyone needs to do this now and then...especially if you have a stressful job or other intense stuff going on in your life. Much was revealed to me just by contemplating and being still. And, I know for sure it's had a staying effect thus far. It was a great beginning of a physical and spiritual renewal.

Gotta check the calendar to plan my next one now....

Temp Your Way Across the Country

I have in my library a book titled "The Temp Workers' Handbook" by Brian Hassett. Having been a temp on and off throughout my work life to accomodate my creative pursuits, it's been not only a valuable resource, but a great read. Brian Hassett is a brilliantly talented writer who manages to bring a refreshing humor and perspective to the field of temping.

I was looking through it this weekend and took note of a section where he describes how people could travel their way across the country and temp in different cities. I'm not sure if this all was tongue in cheek or not. But, if you're someone without a lot of strings in life and a lot of stuff, it could be an intriguing way to live for awhile.

Hmm...I'll have to take a look at that.

Around the world..

Every now and then I do a Google search on myself to see what I find. The latest results have been quite surprising. Due to some recent articles which I've placed on article portal sites, I've found that my work is featured on many websites I never knew existed, including several music related web sites. I was also amused and pleased to find myself listed as an artist on a few CD sales sites, thanks to CDBaby.com making my audiobook "Treasures In the Tip Jar: the Art of Awesome Fan Support" available to CD online outlets and digitally via ITunes and other download sites. I even found a listing for myself from such places as Germany and Denmark.

None of the above has yet made me rich and famous. Oh well, I'm still working on that. One small step at a time, you know.

Best male singer...

It's been said that you don't pick singers…they pick you.

Most people who read my blogs and website regularly know that I've been on record for the past five years or so saying that Mark Lowry is the best male singer I've ever heard. I was not born yesterday. I've been a serious, and somewhat astute, music listener for most of my life…and a lot of you also know how old I am.

If you've been wondering why I declare all this, let me explain it to you.

To me, the elements of a great singer are: voice quality, emotion, strength, lyrical phrasing, and ability to handle diverse styles well. Some singers are considered great because they have one area that is particularly strong. For instance, they may be able to sing big very, very well. But, for someone to come along and have all of these elements to such a great degree is very rare. The only other singer who to my ears had it all was the late, great Patsy Cline, who I feel is the greatest female singer who ever lived. Barbra Streisand runs a close second for female singers. Michael McDonald was the reigning male singer in my world for about 20+ years prior to my discovering Mark. (Don't feel bad, Michael...that's a good long run and he still hasn't moved far from the top spot).

I encourage you to check out the following performances and hear for yourself what I'm talking about (try Mark's website at www.marklowry.com or Amazon.com for sound bites). Most are from Mark's solo albums.

1. Mary Did You Know (Mark Lowry On Broadway)
The one that started it all…it can probably be said this performance changed my life. It opened the door to a lot of personal blessings over the past five years. I even lobbied for a Grammy nomination for Mark in the male vocal category for this performance. Basically, I watched the video that night on TV, heard Mark sing this and my jaw dropped. I looked at Mark on the screen and said "you don't know me now…but you will". I was only going to write an e-mail to tell him he was the best male singer I ever heard...and the rest is "Wendy V" history. Who knew?

2. Reaching (Still the Greatest Story Ever Told-Gaither Vocal Band)
Mark's solo break in the middle of this song to me has as much breath-taking, emotional, goose bump impact as Patsy Cline's "Faded Love".

3. The Christmas Song (Mary Did You Know)
I have not heard this song sung better (and yes, I've heard many versions). As perfect a pop standard performance as they come. All the elements I mentioned earlier are masterfully demonstrated here and throughout this album: voice, emotion, diverse style, phrasing.

4. Make It Real (Some Things Never Change)
The hit that should have been. Had this song been played on country or adult contemporary radio, it might have done what "Butterfly Kisses" did and gone straight to #1. I believe those markets would have responded in a big way to that voice and a song that expresses where many of us have been at some time or another in our lives.

5. I'll Worship Only At the Feet of Jesus (Best of Mark Lowry, Volume 2).
Even as many times as I've heard this track, I recall at the last Praise Gathering I attended, they played this as people were filing out of the worship service. I just stood there and froze.

6. But Seriously (album).
It's hard to be blown away by 30 second sound samples. But I was when I first heard these on Mark's website. When I finally got a copy of the album, I played it 6 times in a row. A classic, timeless, perfect combination of the right songs and a great singer. (FYI, if you have the Best of Mark Lowry vols.1 & 2 , then you have the whole album).

Mark's next planned release is a hymns with orchestra project. Look out.

Oh, by the way…Happy Birthday, Mark.

East Coast Trip

I am just back from a trip to New York and CT to visit family. We've been dealing with ill health of parents for many years. With one remaining, it is still sad and stressful at times.

Many of the New York and New Haven area radio stations set the soundtrack of my growing up in the 60s. This time out my sister and I visited the Savin Rock Museum, a place that celebrates the setting of where we grew up. Savin Rock is on the Connecticut shoreline in West Haven, the former home of a grand amusement park which existed from the early 1900s till 1968. It's now a shorefront and a boardwalk, but the memories are well preserved.

I begin and end my trips with overnight stopovers in New York City to regroup, break up the long travel duration and to know I'll make it to the airport on time on the way back home.

Man, I love New York.

I've been there more times since I left the East Coast than when I lived in CT only 75 miles away. I love the city's energy, media coming at you from all sides (a bit like the Tom Petty song "Jammin' Me", admittedly) and watching the tons of people do their thing, trying to get from point A to point B. Most interesting is the juxtaposition of the well to do side by side along the streets of the homeless and destitute.

I went out in the early evening and sat in Bryant Park for awhile, just watching people chill, read, chat, relax, whatever. I do remember a time when New York seemed sinister and unsafe. Though I do instinctively keep my hand on my bag when I walk, I feel safe and unthreatened as I walk the streets (my main way of getting around the city).

My usual hangout, the Museum of TV and Radio, was closed when I was in town so I couldn't go there this time. However, Virgin Megastore on Times Square is fast becoming my favorite place in the city. I told a worker there that they needed to have a dance floor in the store—because every time I go there, I want to dance. The closest I come to that is walking rhythmically throughout the store's three levels. If ever one place in New York captures the city's pulse and spirit, Virgin Megastore is it.

And ever still, the best place to eat in New York is any of the hot and cold buffet delis you can find.

"Prairie Home Companion" movie

I have been eagerly awaiting the Robert Altman "A Prairie Home Companion" movie release. I've been a fan of the show for over 20 years and you could say it impacted my life, since it was what made me take a look at MN as a place to live. The rest was history and you can read that at the Radio Regulars portion of my website.

So, I got to see the movie this weekend. It was just wonderful and it went way too fast. It was very funny and entertaining, and I felt it captured the essence of the show, save for a few changed details (I didn't miss the monologue...I'm a fan of the music primarily). At first, I was skeptical of the hoopla that surrounded the various actors who participated (particularly Lindsay Lohan). But I must say, I thought they were all excellent (even Lindsay). Meryl Streep also sings well. Kudos to Altman for featuring Sue Scott and Tim Russell in prominent roles, even though their usual PHC show acting roles weren't reprised in the film. They are great talents who deserved their chance to shine along with the Hollywood folk.

The one thing I am most pleased about with this film is the fact that the regular musicians on the show are getting major exposure. Another nod is due to Altman for keeping this real rather than using actors as musicians or getting current chart-toppers. I'm very proud of and happy for all the folks like Jeralyn Steele, Prudence Johnson, Robin and Linda Williams, Butch Thompson, Peter Ostroushko (and others you'll see in the background), and most especially the Guy's All Star Shoe Band (can you say Oscar nomination for Rich Dworsky for original score? Why not!). I hope they all get a career bump on this similar to what "O Brother Where Art Thou" did for its musicians, because they are so deserving.

So, go see it for yourself, and enjoy.

The next project...

I've embarked on what will probably be a year-long project. I am seriously decluttering my home of all unnecessary junk and paper compiled over 17 years and a few moves. Why I took some of this stuff with me to all these places, I'll never know. But, for reasons not yet revealed, I have decided it finally must be done now.

Even though I am taking the advice of folks and compartmentalizing it to focus on one area at a time, it is still a bit overwhelming. A lot of the paper part of this is going to end up being shredded. So that means lots of noise, lots of mess, lots of trash. I hope I don't get tossed out in the process.

It also means letting go of stuff I've had for over 20 years. I guess I've been sort of a "you never know when you might need it" person. I need to try to avoid rationalizing over why I should hang on to stuff I never use anymore. And I need to not procrastinate and focus on the goal.

This should be an interesting journey.

Congrats to the Soul Patrol

Yes, me too...I was addicted to "American Idol" this season. Happy to say, my guy won--Taylor Hicks was my pick from the get-go. I think it was the gray hair and soulful voice, and just what the judges said--he was different and knew who he was as an artist. And there are not many people I would trust singing a Michael McDonald song! I also thought Chris Daughtry and Elliot Yamin were great. Katharine is a beautiful girl who will do well on Broadway. But we had a beautiful girl with a great voice win last year. This year I was up for something different, and we got it. I felt from the beginning that Kellie Pickler was a star. Maybe not for her singing so much, but she reminded me personally of a young Loretta Lynn, with the same sort of humble honesty. I do think she has a future on TV.

The finale show was great. Why oh why did they not have a Bacharach night in the competition...they all did well in that medley (particularly Elliott), and of course a great song is a great song, anytime anywhere. I must say Prince was quite a surprise. I loved the Brokenote Cowboys and the Clay moment was priceless.

Another plus for me this season was the blog called "The Woes and Prose of An American Idol Junkie", written by someone known only as Jennifer. I respected her writing talent, her astute observations and ways of scoping out exclusive info.

I'll be waiting for next year.

Gaither Homecoming - Minneapolis

A few notes from last night's Gaither Homecoming concert at the Target Center (non-Gaither.com version with personal asides edited):

I worked Gordon Mote's table so I missed the beginning and the end of the show. Otherwise, I thought there were subtle changes but not a drastic difference in the shows we've had at the Target Center. Ivan Parker was the only "regular" missing from our lineup. The cues for those of us who work tables are the same: two songs into the GVB set and "Because He Lives", it's back to work.

I do like the new visuals they had at the concert--added a nice effect to many songs.I didn't get to meet new GVB tenor Wes Hampton, but he did shake my hand as he came offstage at one point.

Gordon's table moved a lot of product, but I was disappointed to not have a chance to say hi to him. Because the Gaither Vocal Band played last before intermission, he would not have time to come up and be at the table before he'd have to return again. But, he sure fills the piano role well, as I knew he would. The crowd loved him.

Rory, the sound guy doing comic relief, was funny. Thing with him is he doesn't have to say much--his expressions say it all.

The Anthony Burger tribute was sadly difficult, but nicely done.

I was surprised at the number of folks around me who didn't know the "Eastern Sky" routine and that you stand at the "oh Halleluia" parts. We do air the videos here, after all. Also didn't see folks who had Gaither.com laminates or couldn't tell if they were Gaither. com members. I do want to thank Michelle (cornerstone) and JanRae who stopped by to say hi--it was lovely to meet you both, and just one of my friends, Marti, got in a quick hug. Those who did not stop by, you know who you are.

I was in front row, but it wasn't the best seat. It was in between cables and speakers. The Target Center sent me to the wrong section (they had two labeled the same, I think), so the seat I thought I had was much better, unfortunately. My pictures were some of the worst ever, none suitable for sharing.

Conclusions and other observations:
- My new glasses are lousy for night driving. Once again, I got lost on the way home. My one advantage of having lived in Minneapolis once is I can at least find my way to a key point eventually and go from there.
- My camera needs to be retired.
- Target Center needs to not label the floor sections to confuse people
-Those two young fellows in Signature Sound, Doug and Ryan, changed into t-shirts after the show and worked their table blending in as if they were one of us volunteers. I was impressed.
-Once again, close but no cigar--no dancing with Jessy Dixon. Maybe one day.

Maybe I've Arrived..

This must be some sort of milestone. I found out this evening from CDBaby.com that my audiobook, "Treasures In the Tip Jar: the Art of Awesome Fan Support" is now available at ITunes. Some time ago I signed up for digital distribution of it through CDBaby. I thought what the heck, why not. So now, I've made it to ITunes (a service I use a lot--see my other blog, "Wendy V's Music Downloads"). How about that. Don't you love technology?

I can't find it when I do a search of the store, but trust me and try this link and it will come up:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=115529060

I Can't Believe I Walked the WHOLE THING!!

The Twin Cities MS Walk, where I walked "miles for Mark" in honor of Mark Lowry, was a huge success, especially for me. The weather couldn't have been better. I raised a total of $500, way above my initial goal. And, I am 50 years old and I walked the entire 9 miles.

Yesterday I made a training walk to Fort Snelling. I didn't know I lived in walking distance to Fort Snelling. But there's a walking path that runs parallel to Hwy. 5. Walk up the steps and there you are. In all the time I've lived in the area I've never been there. I learned that was a distance of about three miles each way and I did that in an hour pretty comfortably. That made me think that maybe I could pull off the entire course.

The walk began at the State Capitol in St. Paul, followed down Summit Avenue, then crossed into Minneapolis at Mississppi River Blvd, and went from there to the finish point at Minnehaha Park. It was pretty easy up until the last mile when my feet starting feeling it. Not the heels, usually my trouble spot...those were well taped up. My foot pads started hurting between miles 8 and 9 but no way was I quitting with one mile to go. I survived and have a nice blister on each part of that foot to show for it.

One thing I couldn't have done this without was my I-Tunes cell phone. I had three hours' worth of tunes loaded in. The music just glided me through the 9 miles. I started the first hour with a bunch of Mark's songs. How appropriate that the first one was "Be the Miracle", setting the theme for why we were walking. At mile 7 I bounced along with Gordon Mote's version of "Old Gospel Ship".

The most surreal part of this all came at the finish line. The song playing on my ITunes phone as I got there was Montgomery Gentry's "Something To Be Proud Of". I swear I didn't plan it that way. Don't you know as I crossed the finish line, on came the part of the song where Eddie Montgomery says "You did it, man!" You better believe I shouted that line along with him.

I want to truly thank everyone who pledged and supported me. Especially you, Mark. This was a great and empowering experience on many levels.

If it weren't for the blisters, I would have walked home. What the heck. Maybe next time.

See pictures along the route here: http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=10118809&uid=439773

One Year Ago

Thursday marks the first anniversary of my dad's passing. I am told by many it will be a hard day for me. Truthfully, it will be more mixed. Yes, it was hard to lose my #1 encourager. But you had to be there. You had to see the condition he was in, what the illness had done to him. You had to feel the helplessness that we felt to want for him something much, much better than this earth could give him anymore.

But now, he's done with all that. Done with all the pain and suffering. Done with the body that stopped working, the mind that failed him. Now he's reunited with his parents, our two dogs, and probably shooting the breeze with his buddies and many others who have gone before. Who wouldn't want that for him?

Sure, I miss him. I hate it that I can't pick up the phone and tell him what's going on with me...even though I'm sure he knows. But the thing is, I believe that this ain't it. I am convinced that the four of us--my dad, my mom, my sister and I--will all be together again one day on the other side.

In case you missed it, here is the memorial to my dad: http://www.wendyv.com/THV.htm

Blown away

Well, we've had three days now of unrelenting rain. Not exactly conducive to getting training walking in this weekend. I suppose I could get out with my poncho--just in case it really does rain next Sunday. But I choose to be an optimist and expect that next weekend will be better.

I am, however, blown away by the pledge support I've received for the MS Walk. I have raised more than double my modest goal. I think it's a testimony to the person I'm walking in honor of.

So I will put on a Leslie Sansone tape later this afternoon after I'm done with my month end web updates and house cleaning. Besides, I find if I exercise later, I sleep better.

Walk Training Update

With the Twin Cities MS Walk a couple of weeks away, it's time to get down to it and get serious. The great news is that I am well over my stated fundraising goal...thanks to all those who have pledged!

I've been a bit doubtful that my slightly coming apart shoes will do the job for the walk. Last weekend I got a higher quality walking shoe and did a couple of training walks. Things seemed to go well on Saturday. I walked for more than an hour in the new shoes and probably covered at least 3 miles. But alas, when Sunday came, suddenly the dreaded "equipment malfunction" reared its ugly head. Rub, rub on the back of the right heel and not long until a blister showed up. This even with my special walking socks. So if I do decide to use these shoes, I'm going to do a bit of foot taping. I will try to get a walk or two in again this weekend, so we'll see how they do.

As for how much of the 9 miles I plan to do--jury's still out on that. It pretty much depends on how the feet hold out. I expect to cover at least three to the first rest stop. Maybe I will take the next three after that..we'll just have to see.

More notes on Nashville..

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been a week since the amazing heartwarming experience that was Mark Lowry's Senior Trip. So many of us are still thinking about it and talking about it.

Here's another trip story I wanted to share. Because the trip was for folks 50 and over, and I just turned 50 this past September, I thought I would be silly and go in the guise of a red hat lady the first day. I wore a red cowboy hat, purple attire and a purple and black lei sort of thing which read "over the hill" (a gift from my co-workers). I guess the hat was a hit. I got many requests and questions on "where's the hat?" when I didn't wear it the next day. Even Mark's dad missed the red hat. At the dance, when I wore it again with my blue sparkle top that I probably last wore 20 years ago, someone came up to me with a couple of dollars in hand and said "how much for the hat?". I had to tell him it was priceless.

Yes, I am going to Asheville in December. I'm not thrilled with flying out of here during that time, so I will have to recruit my prayer warriors for those weather mercies. I will probably have to make a few financial sacrifices here and there. But it's about the people. It also dawned on me that Mark will probably sing some songs from his Christmas album. So, CMA Fan Fair, guess you'll have to wait another year...

Back From Nashville...

I'm now back from my trip to Gaylord Opryland in Nashville for "Mark Lowry's Senior Trip". Go here to get the full scoop: http://wendyv.com/srtrip406.htm . I think all of us pretty much concluded that it was about the most fun and fabulous experience we've ever had. Perfect in every way, right down to the very entertaining shuttle bus driver we had going back to the airport.

Honest to God. I never dreamed that when I heard Mark Lowry sing "Mary Did You Know" on his Broadway video five years ago and my jaw dropped and I said to the screen "you don't know me know...but you will" , that he would know me from thousands of fans and there'd be all this precious "Wendy V" stuff. I am thankful and grateful that a link to my Gaither blog with my report notes found its way to Mark's website. I do hope it helped tide over some people who were looking for news on the trip until Mark has a chance to post his items.

So now, I'm supposed to go back to work and resume a normal life. That's going to be tough for us "seniors" not yet lucky enough to be retired.

FREEDOM!!

Yippee! The stitches are out!

I got my hair cut this morning and went to the store to pick up some lunch before heading to the clinic. I figured I'd be sitting there a couple of hours or so. But they took me within 20 minutes and had the stitches out in no time. Did it hurt? Well, two of the six stitches did hurt coming out. Those were the ones I expected would, that were a little scabbed or had some skin in there tight. So those who told me they wouldn't hurt at all, see I told you so!! The thumb healed quite nicely and now I just have to keep a bandaid on for a couple of days to keep dirt out of it. It is still a little sore in those two spots, but that will heal in time.

Now I have to get used to the fact that I can use both hands again fully. The first thing I did when I got home was wash my hands like I normally did. I am looking forward to two-handed showers again.

I'm glad this experience is behind me but I did learn how much we take little things for granted, like using your thumb and taking showers without having to stick one hand out.

Now, onward to prepare for the Nashville trip. I'm still trying to work out the logistics of getting to a concert I want to go to the night before the Senior Trip festivities. It is taking place across town from where I'm staying. I don't want to rent a car and can't change hotels now because all of the hotels in downtown that aren't fleabags are booked for GMA week. So I hope there is a shuttle or good cab service. This is all provided I make it there on time to even pick up the ticket. Otherwise I've gambled away a little chunk of change. Oh well, we'll see.

First Cut is the Deepest, continued...

(Oh yes, that earworm has been in and out of my head ever since last Friday evening...).

Well, it's been about a week and "thumbelina" seems to be healing well as far as I can tell. The thumb is much happier when not wearing a bandaid (it comes off at night to air out). It wants to bend and do everything it normally did prior to last Friday, but I have to restrain it like an errant child.

It's still more a pain in the neck than a pain in the finger. Taking a shower is interesting while sticking one hand out past the curtain, wearing a plastic glove (I bought a bunch of those last year at a dollar store. Never used them much till now. Makes me glad to be a packrat.). But I hate having to ask my co-workers to do things I want to be doing. I hate that my right arm and shoulder ache because they are doing all the work. I hate that I can't do my new spiky hairdo with two hands because one hand can't get it right.

But this all shall pass. It better by next Saturday. It's also convenient to have them taken out that day because I have a hair appointment already set up right near the clinic. These stitches look like they're in there pretty good. Could be interesting trying to get them out. I have heard that a lot of people take their own out, but I've taken enough chances, thank you very much.

What else? My turn...

(proper punctuation and typo free copy has been temporarily suspended for the next two weeks)

So I had just written an e-mail to someone saying I hoped brighter days were ahead. I was making supper and went to open a can of tuna fish--I eat solid white a lot because it's a quick and easy meal. I had it open three quarters of the way and then the hand opener quit. I must have given too much of a nudge and then YOW. Sliced my left thumb at the joint. Enough to know a couple of bandaids I put on weren't going to do it.

Reluctantly I called 911 to have paramedics look at it. I went down to meet them with their sirens and all with a towel over my finger. They took it off to take a look and said "wow--you've already got it bandaged." Uh, duh---isn't that what you should try to do? They packed it pretty heavily for me and asked if I wanted to go to the hospital or my urgent care clinic for stitches. I went with the urgent care clinic, since I live 5 mins. away and was just fine to drive, so long as I didn't have blood dripping down my arm.

I waited for about a half hour until the first nurse looked at my finger. It was 90 minutes until they took me in for stitching. There were quite a few people there who seemed worse off than I was and only two doctors on board. The good news was that the bleeding had stopped, so I could just chill by people watching or trying to get into whatever kids video was playing (a few sick children with fevers were there).

The worst part of this was the numbing shots they give you and you are well warned about that.I laid there and went "yowww" (trying to be funny, but seriously, it hurt), while gazing at a strategically placed poster of a beach with the word "breathe" on it. How do little kids with these accidents deal with the shots? I also got a tetanus shot while I was there since it had been a while. That was a piece of cake.

I have a total of 6 stitches in the finger. It is in an inconvenient place but lucky for me, it did not hit a tendon. I have to avoid using my left hand for 14 days so I don't pop the stitches (fortunately I am right handed)--a challenge for me, a computer tech and a very independent type. If anyone has any creative ways of doing daily things with one hand, let me know.

Yes, these stitches WILL be healed and outta here by April 1--or else. Thanks to all who offered prayer and concern. Keep it coming!

Moving Forward...

Some further thoughts on Anthony:

I did get to see the funeral rebroadcast on Friday. It was part funeral, part Homecoming showcase. I think Anthony would have liked it. With all due respect, may I say it was SO good to hear David Phelps sing "These Are They". The guy can still bring it.

I hope at some future point if she's willing that the Homecoming tour will retain Lori. I think she's earned it and did a wonderful solo job at the service.

Mark noted on his podcast how Anthony was his favorite to accompany him on "Mary Did You Know." Indeed, his playing on that track is sheer virtuoso. If you've taken notice, you can easily hear Anthony's played some great licks on many Homecoming tracks, with different styles. One of my favorites was as he's accompanying GVB on "Promises One By One" on "Hawaiian Homecoming"--that one has pure funky soul and I did tell him how cool he was on that track. The only other pianist in my opinion that ranks close to Anthony in style, speed and diversity is my friend Richard Dworsky, who plays for Garrison Keillor on "A Prairie Home Companion." A talent like Anthony's is hard to replace.

*****************

Last week I signed up for Leslie Sansone's Walk Club. It's a online venture with many features, including availability of full videos. With it came a walking book and a 1 mile walking DVD. I also bought a 3 mile DVD of hers, so now I should have enough to regularly rotate in my training. The book has a structured plan which I'll try to follow somewhat...heaven knows I can use the structure until it warms up and spring comes calling. (I did try the 3 mile DVD this weekend and got through it! Yay! )

By the way, the walking book package and my t-shirt for the MS Walk arrived the same day. Coincidence? Perhaps not. It could be my kick in the tail to get motivated and get moving, because May will be here before we know it. After all, Mark' Lowry's Senior Trip is now a month away. Time do fly!

Speaking of Mark's Senior Trip, now comes the news that Mark has been injured in a motorcyle accident, suffering a broken leg. Word is it won't keep him from being at Senior Trip. We can be thankful he wasn't killed...I don't think we could take one more unimaginable heartache on top of another. Keep him in your prayers.

Life's too short and precious..

This morning I opened my e-mail and almost choked on my juice. The headline read that Anthony Burger, one of the Gaither Homecoming artists, passed away suddenly of a heart attack while playing for the Gaither Homecoming cruise.

I don't think any of us were ready for this one. At least when I lost my dad last year, I was prepared for it.

Anthony was one of the artists I was friendly with. He was always good for a hug whenever I would see him at a show, or Praise Gathering, He supported me when my dad passed, promising that the Gaither gang would be praying. And, he always acknowledged and supported my work for musicians. One of his favorite things to say to me was "If Wendy married Anthony Burger, she'd be Wendy burger." Always got a good laugh out of that one.

Let me share the story of the attached picture. I was at the Dallas Homecoming two years ago. One of the things I hoped for was to get a picture of me, Mark Lowry and Taylor Mason together (I already had one of Anthony with many of the other Burger buddies). Taylor was very kind to pull this together for me. Sue Carlson volunteered to take the shot, and as she was about to, Anthony walked by and we pulled him in (for those who don't know Anthony, he is standing on the right in the shot) . It happened to be February 14, so my joke for this picture was that it was "my three valentines".

I don't usually celebrate V day--but that year, I did.

There are countless other memories to share in this five years of fandom. You can find some of those sprinkled throughout Gaither show-related trip reports in the fans section of www.wendyv.com. I hadn't seen Anthony in a year and was really looking forward to doing so in May. Needless to say, it will be very different at the Target Center this year.

Thanks for everything, Anthony, and go rest high. I hope you'll introduce yourself to my dad.

A very successful day!

Ever have one of those days when everything actually works? I must say, today turned out to be one of those.

I did not look forward to going out in -25 wind chill to my local Firestone at 7 a.m. to get my car brakes checked out. My brake light came on last week and I was prepared to have my brakes replaced on my 10 year old car (The one with the 15,000 miles. Yes, you read that right.). I thought that would take more than an hour, so I would either have to bus or walk to my haircut appointment about 10 minutes away at 8 a.m. Well, they decided a little brake fluid would do the trick because my brakes weren't worn enough to warrant replacement. So I saved $200 and drove to my hair appointment.

I got to the hairdresser and got my hair cut in a spiky hair style. I've been working up nerve to do this for weeks. It looks like the top of a little pineapple--kinda cute.

My next stop on my agenda was to get new eyeglasses. I decided it was high time for my next eye exam, plus I wanted more "chic" frames to go with the new 'do. I waited about 45 minutes for the eye doctor to show up, and read a Readers' Digest issue while I waited. How apropos for it to have an article which says "your eye doctor can tell by looking in your eyes if you might have diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer". I started to have second thoughts about this whole thing. I was nervous enough because the last time I was checked, my right eye pressure was slightly elevated. But then the doctor showed up, so I decided to go through with it.

Everything checked out well, I needed only a slight adjustment to my prescription and I got a great deal on glasses. Even better news was the right eye pressure was normal. I had that higher reading about three years ago when my eating/exercise habits were less disciplined. I attribute this improvement to cleaning up my act, eating and exercising better and taking a supplement with lutein which promotes eye health.

That appointment got done just in time for lunch...after which I got a parking space close enough to the upscale grocery store. I decided to shop there this week now that I had some extra bling. I didn't deviate much from my usual grocery order and it turned out not much more expensive than Rainbow or Cub (our discount grocery stores).

It was a very successful day!

OK, so I've been lazy...

OK, I admit it. I got a little off track with my walking training. I got too distracted with the job change and other things going on. But now I am back in to some routine. My pedometers are still a bit off, so I wasn't sure just how much distance I was getting indoors.

I decided to go with buying a couple of Leslie Sansone's walking DVDs. They are broken down by miles, so you can at least measure some distance.

The first DVD I bought has a 1 mile and 2 mile program. My goal is to alternate those for a week, then try to do both together. I also ordered another 3 mile tape, which should be here in a week or so.

The MS Walk is up to 9 miles. I may decide to do 6. So, right now I'm looking at this as two 3 mile walks. Hopefully by the time the end of April rolls around I'll at least be averaging 3 miles a day.

"Whatcha Need" is what I got..

I must say that Chapin Hartford, the composer of "Whatcha Need", one of the songs on Mark Lowry's latest album "Be the Miracle", certainly nailed it. "Whatcha need is what you get and it might be the opposite of what you dream and what you plan, it's out of your hands."

This year I decided I would go back to full time permanent status where I worked. As an in-house temp, I was technically considered part time, even though I have put in 40 hour weeks for the last two years. A week or so ago I looked at one job posting that interested me but hadn't decided to go for it. Then I woke up in the middle of the night that weekend and felt a strong impression on me to post for the job. I inquired about it the next Monday and learned the job was still open but they were in the final stages of selection. However, because I had done an assignment for the supervisor, they were interested and rushed my application through.

It looked promising--but I didn't get the job because another candidate had a touch more experience in a couple of areas. I was a bit disappointed and couldn't understand why God would wake me up in the middle of the night and tell me to post for the job...if I wasn't going to get it. The only thing that made sense were the words of the aforementioned song.

This week I updated with my supervisor and she told me of a posting that was still open in an area I used to work in as an admin assistant. This was an IT/tech job I had interest in over the years, but the timing hadn't been right. I believed it was closed because a friend of mine just got hired for it, but it turns out there were two open positions...and the supervisor I worked for inquired about my availability. So I posted for it and yesterday was offered the position--which I accepted, of course! . I'm very excited.

The last part of the song chorus? "Whatcha need is what you get and the story ain't over yet, if you thank God for what you got, it will turn into what you want."

Progress..sort of...

I'm continuing to train for the MS Walk, but not sure just how much mileage I got in this week. I had problems with both pedometers that I have. I replaced the batteries on both of them, but I just can't figure out this stride setting thing. I played around with it and it seems the readings are still a bit off. I know I can do a mile in about 20 minutes but the readings are showing slightly more than half a mile now in that time period.

I got outside this weekend to get a half hour walk in. We are said to be having a pseudo winter here in MN so far, with less snow and temperatures a bit above normal, in the 30s. No complaints on that from me! But it wasn't in the mid-30s when I went for a walk while waiting for my car's oil change to be done, so still a bit too cold for long outside walks for me just yet.So back on the makeshift living room/kitchen track in the evenings.

This week "American Idol" starts, thus impacting that schedule a bit, I'm sure...

Training begins..

Despite a rather stubborn ear infection that's been hanging in since Christmas, it is now time for me to start training for the MS Walk Twin Cities I'll be doing in May. I'm doing this in honor of Mark Lowry, the best male singer to my ears, and it's a good opportunity to help me keep in shape. The walk itself is 9 miles. I'm hoping to break it down to 3 walks of 3 miles each in terms of training.

As I said, one of the side benefits of this is to get in better shape. I'm happy to say that I've been able to stay at the level I got to in September when I lost 13 pounds. But now we are well into winter here in MN and the motivation to stay active while indoors is a challenge. A co-worker recently loaned me a few Richard Simmons "Sweatin' to the Oldies" videos and a Leslie Sansone walking tape. Now, those were a lot of fun to do. But if I'm going to train right for this thing, I've got to do some authentic walking. Leslie's got some steps in her video that aren't always actual walking, so that won't quite work for me in training for walking distance. And during the week, when you work all day and commute back and forth and have to have some life at home, who's got time to go to the gym or malls to walk?

Over the weekend, I came up with the simple answer. Turn on the Dance channel on my cable system's music choice channels and just use my living room and kitchen as a walking track. One of my Christmas gifts to myself was a pedometer, so I put that on and just started going...and going. I found that I didn't really have to like the music all that much--as long as it was rhythmic and helps me keep my pace. My first goal this first week is a mile a day, and I made that easily. Next week, it will be a mile and a quarter a day each week, and so on.

Yeah, I hope to lose some more weight, too. It would be cool to be in shape for "Senior Trip" in April. I'd like to hit there with my red hat, feather boa and say "I'm 50 years old...how the heck do I look??"

I'll keep you posted.

My new blog

Welcome!

Much of this will be a mirror blog of sorts to one I have on Gaither.com, with a few edits here for non-member readers. Meaning, you may not know who/what I'm talking about if I used the Gaither blog stuff here verbatim.

Happy 2006!