How I Met Your Father

Dear Sydney,

Since it is your Daddy's birthday, I thought I would tell you the story of how we got together.

It was early in the year 2000. I had recently made some big changes in my life. I had quit my job in the Christian music industry the summer before and had recently gotten a publishing deal. I remember telling my publishers that they were the only men I needed in my life. At 33, I finally realized that if I couldn't find the kind of man who would treat me like I longed to be treated, then I would rather just stay single. So I threw myself into my songwriting. For the first time in my life I quit worrying about when (and if) I would ever get married.

One Wednesday in February - it was Grammy night to be exact - Aunt Betsy and Uncle Sean invited me over for dinner. John and Jeanie were coming too - and your Dad! They had been trying to set us up for two years, but it had never worked out. Your Daddy said that he almost backed out when he heard there were going to be two couples there. He had a feeling he was being set up with someone. I was hesitant too and had told Aunt Betsy, "Okay, I'll come, but I'm not going to try and look cute and I'm going to leave at 9:00 to go to the Gym!"

When your Dad got there, I was in the kitchen making guacamole. I had a huge gash on my head because I had run from the studio to my car in the rain and had hit my head on the car door! I had met him before but had forgotten how nice looking he was. He was tall with beautiful blue eyes (like yours!) and a smile full of mischief (again, like yours!). Suddenly I was wishing I HAD tried to look a little cuter! But he didn't seem to care.

We talked and talked. And laughed. We kept quoting the movie "Fletch" because we both loved it. I sat next to him at dinner and I remember being so impressed with how friendly and outgoing he was with everybody. He asked great questions and he told great stories. I can't remember if I left early, as planned, or not. If I did, I'm sure I didn't WANT to.

He told Uncle Sean the next day that he would sure like to see me again. They planned a double date for Friday night. We went out to hear Jules' brother, Jeff and his band play. I'm sure they were great, but I only remember talking (maybe flirting a little) with Daddy. We had so much fun! I'm sure you can imagine because I see every day how much fun YOU have with him, too.

He called the next day to see if I'd like to go to a concert with him the following weekend (a whole WEEK away!). Of course I said "Yes!" but I was really wishing I could see him sooner! Well, he called again, a couple of hours later, and said, "Hey, you wouldn't want to go see a movie with me tomorrow, would you?" So, we did. After the movie we sat at Green Hills Grill and kept asking each other, "Where have you been?!" We were married just over a year later - on St. Patrick's Day. I didn't think it was possible, but I am even happier today than I was on that day!

I know you are not quite six, but I don't think it's too early to start teaching you the importance of being treated well by a man. It means so much to me when he takes you on "dates". I pray you will never settle for anything less than how your Daddy treats you (and me!). No marriage is perfect, but I never, ever doubt his love for me (and you!). I will never forget him saying one time, in our early days of dating, "I just can't believe I'm actually with Julie Corlew!" And he still makes me feel that special. And you are one blessed little girl to have him as your Daddy!

With much love,

Mama

P.S. You will be hearing this story a lot as you grow up, until one day you stand at the altar with a man of your own who is as kind, loving and generous as Daddy.

The Cool Down Game

Something interesting happened in spin class the other day. It is an unlikely place for an epiphany, but it happened just the same. It was a full class. Between 30 and 40 people show up this time of year - this Resolution time of year. Most of us only know each other in the context of spinning. So, Dean the instructor came up with a game to play during the "cool down" portion of our class. The game is entitled "What Do I Do For A Living?". Over the course of the past several weeks, I have come to find out that I am spinning with surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, fire fighters and the chief of police!

On this particular day, however, I got chosen. I sat there, self-concious, as the members of the class sized me up and shouted out guesses. They thought maybe I was a nurse or a teacher or a stay at home mom. Someone finally noticed my BMI t-shirt, so they started guessing music business jobs and finally, songwriter.

After class was over people started asking me about my writing. They were so kind and interested and supportive. "Good for you!" they said and "Don't worry, you'll get your break soon!" Then the two guys who look like they are in a rock band mozy-ed over.

"We're songwriters, too", they said. And then we "talked shop." We know a lot of the same people and we talked about how tough it is "out there."

"Ya know, you two look familiar.....maybe we've met before," I suggested.

They looked at each other a little sheepishly and then one of them said, "We're the Warren Brothers!"

Oh right!! These were the guys who tried and tried to make it as country artists. They made 3 or 4 records and had several singles that didn't quite make it up to the top of the charts. Then they were judges on Nashville Star. Now they are just writing songs - mostly for other people. (They wrote that "Do It Anyway" with Martina!)

The epiphany?? I left there that day feeling like a songwriter once again. Like the Warren Brothers, my career path has not exactly followed the course that I hoped it would. But that doesn't mean that I'm not a songwriter anymore. It's not just what I do. It's who I AM. I HAVE to create. I wither inside if I don't. I have wasted too much time being disappointed by Music Row and wondering why I haven't gotten the big breaks yet.

No matter what happens, I will always be a songwriter. Every bit as much as Brett and Brad will always be The Warren Brothers.

Private

Joel and I agreed that if he would blog, I would blog. This was supposed to take place last night. Well, he did - and I didn't. I thought a lot about what I wanted to say. And about what I didn't want to say. I knew that the title was going to be "Private". But when it came down to it, I went Christmas shopping instead. So now here I am a day late and a dollar short - uh, make that $167 short!

The reason I titled today's post "Private" is because that is how I have been feeling lately. I think that is the reason I have not blogged in over a month. I am not a private person by nature. So this feeling surprises even me. I am usually an open book. I tend to spill my feelings and secrets and stories and frustrations quite freely. I have had many things on my mind, but I have not felt the need to hash (and re-hash) them over publicly.

In the second chapter of Luke, the Bible tells the story of Jesus' birth. The angels are singing and the shepherds are proclaiming the news of His birth. Kings and commoners and farm animals are crowded around His manger. So much is going on at this moment in history. And yet........the scripture goes on to say, "but Mary treasured all these things in her heart." And I can relate to that feeling so much right now! And not just because Christmas is rapidly making its way to town. I am so thankful for my little family. It's more than I can effectively express in words. But I can say that my heart, like Mary's, is full of hope for the future. It is full of an awareness that I am alive at an important time in history. It is full of a sense of purpose.

I could go on and on and keep trying to express all that I am thinking and feeling right now. But I think I'd rather just treasure these things in my heart for a little while longer.

(Interestingly enough, Joel blogged about privacy, too. Check out his blog at http://thistlelane.spaces.live.com)

One Year Later

I have been blogging for a year now. Hard to believe. It's also hard to believe that I'm another year older. I celebrated (and celebrated and celebrated) my birthday over two weeks ago. On the day of, I got my hair done, met my girlfriends at my favorite Thai restaurant and then got my toes done with Jules. And to top it off, Mark, Syd and I went with my parents to Cheesecake Factory for dinner that night! The next night Mark and I met some more friends at Margot, my favorite "trendy" restaurant. We mostly drank wine and laughed. To round off the eating frenzy, we had dinner at my parents' later that weekend. Betsy made mouth watering chicken enchiladas and cheese cake........

Five pounds. In case you were wondering how many pounds I have packed on. FIVE! Now, I don't think I gained them all during my birthday week, but it has definitely been in the nine weeks since school started!

And how do I know it has been nine weeks since school started?? Why, report cards came out today, of course! There were no surprises. We had our parent/teacher conference last week and Miss Robinson went over everything with us. Our favorite quote from Syd's teacher: "Sydney is showing a lot of leadership skills for a Kindergartner - some may call it bossy - but I choose to call it leadership!" We laughed. We live with this child and are no strangers to her personality traits. I was so nervous beforehand. I guess every parent wants their child to be the smartest and most well-behaved. But it seems that Syd has trouble being a good listener sometimes and she has not quite mastered writing her lower case letters and the number 2! These things were outweighed by the fact that Sydney is an eager participant in all activities and is empathetic toward her friends. It's a little harder to teach that stuff, huh?

So, a year ago I couldn't have predicted how things would look today. I thought Sydney would be going to a different school. I wouldn't have dreamed I'd have a part-time job. Juliana had not even gone into the studio yet. Mark's new deal was no where near done. Things look better than I would've thought back then. It has been a tough year at times, but I am better because of it. With or without the five pounds.

The Stars Are Aligning..........In Their Own Timing

A friend and co-worker paid me a high compliment yesterday. She had downloaded Juliana Cole's record off iTunes and really liked the music. She walked into school yesterday and asked me, "What in the world are you doing working in the workroom if you are writing these great songs??" My sentiments exactly. Well, not exactly. Because I am thankful for the job. The little bit of extra money helps. But I agree with her in that Juliana (Jules will heretofore be referred to by her artist name - cuts down on the confusion!) is in L.A. and Phoenix doing gigs and TV shows and I am making 110 white paper barns for 1st graders! That's really just the nature of the entertainment business, though. One day you're waiting tables (or making copies) and the next thing you know you're riding in a limo headed to an awards show. It happens all the time. I have faith that it's going to happen for us. It's just the darn lag time. Or God's timing. I want it now. But there are greater forces at work that I don't understand. Maybe it will all make sense in retrospect.

For now, I am grateful for any good news. Last Tuesday, the day that Juliana's record was released, we found out that she was featured on the main page of iTunes. Mark says this is huge - and he knows these things. Two days later we found out that the record was charting on iTunes. Number 91 in sales out of thousands of pop artists! So, strangers are buying this record?? I only bought ONE - it's not like we're stacking the deck or anything! Juliana called while I was writing this blog. The show went great last night. One of those shows that goes off without a hitch. Effortless. And there were four music supervisors from various film and TV companies in attendance. The guy from ABC emailed this morning to say how great he thinks Juliana's music is. And then the TV show went great this morning in Phoenix. Everything is falling into place. Slowly.........but surely. One of these days in the not too distant future, I know we will get some BIG good news. Life changing good news.

Until then, you will find me in the workroom at the elementary school. Humbled, thankful and full of expectation.

www.julianacole.com

Here are the pictures to prove it

Soccer Moms for David Cook!





How cute is he in that hat??







Archie didn't want to get near us. Said he was "sick"........yeah, sure...........





and finally............there was Mrs. IdolSmith's mini mid-life crisis!






The signing of the shirt!





Quote from Mrs. IdolSmith: "I wish I wasn't smiling QUITE so big!"

American Idol Tour Review (or "Who let those soccer moms loose in Dallas??)

I would like to introduce you to my guest blogger, Mrs. IdolSmith. That's her screen name from our "Fantasy" American Idol League. She is a HUGE Jason Castro fan. She joined his fan club and started connecting with other Castro fans online (aka Dreadheads!) Naturally, she wanted to attend the Jason Castro Fan Club BBQ that was thrown by his church ladies just outside Dallas. We worked up the following report for our fellow competitors. Bear in mind that most of our teams were comprised of artists, managers, songwriters, agents, etc. Mrs. IdolSmith, however, is a "civilian" - and she brings an innocence to it all that is...... er, refreshing? (I am Mrs. SimonSays)

Take it away, Mrs. IdolSmith!

LUNCH WITH PROF B
We arrived in Dallas around 1 pm and met Prof B at Mi Cocina for lunch. He was really nice and I'm so glad I finally got to meet the famous professor! I wish he hadn't had to do responsible things like teach class on Monday night, because it would have been fun for him to go to the concert with us. Although, he may have out shouted me when our boy Jason took stage.
(Mrs. SimonSays' 2 cent's worth: It was great to see Prof B - he was his wonderfully jaded, sarcastic self!)

THE BBQ
Having never been a part of a fan club I was excited to go to the BBQ and meet my new friends. We had a hard time finding where it was and finally saw someone enter a building by a pool in the city park. Okay, if there had not been Jason signs and music, I would have turned around thinking we had interrupted bingo night at the community center. It seemed some were stuck in a time warp. I felt a little ovewhelmed at first, but after mingling around and putting screen names with faces, I thought,"Hey! these are my people! Let's have some BBQ!" Several, as Mrs. SimonSays put it, were definitely "waving the crazy flag", but most were just good ole Castro fans.
(Mrs. SimonSays' two cent's worth: Mrs. IdolSmith was shell-shocked (bless her heart), but it was exactly what I expected. Prof B and I TRIED to warn her! For all you music biz insiders - some of these folks would show up on your "Weird Fan List". (bless their hearts)).

AUTOGRAPH SEEKING
We heard people were gathering at the AA Center to try and meet the Idols when they arrived into town, so on Monday around 12:30 pm we headed to the AA Center parking lot at close to 100 degrees. Mrs. SimonSays kept saying that she seriously doubted anyone was coming out to sign autographs and that if they did she would be really surprised. I never wondered if they would come out, it was just a question of when. We had fun standing near some twenty-somethings and with a few girls who had snuck out of their downtown offices and were somewhat embarrassed to be there. After about 2 hours of standing and talking, here come the buses! Very shortly after that, out comes David Cook! Mrs. SimonSays was falling all over herself! It was nuts! She forgot all about being too cool for school and jumped in a picture faster than anything. Then out comes Archie who was coughing and acting sick and didn't want to stand close to anyone. We talked to Kristy Lee a little bit and she said she was looking for houses in Nashville. Finally comes Jason! Yea! We saw a fan give Jason her cell phone to talk to a friend or something and I was wishing so bad we could make Mr. Seacrest Out’s day with a call from Jason, but I didn't have his cell number. We all know how much he loved Jason, and rightly so. Jason signed the back of my shirt with a smiley face that had dreads! And then of course we took a picture. I wish I wasn't looking SO happy, but I was laughing because I actually could NOT believe that I was there hugging Jason Castro! *sigh*I know its sick, so sick. The culmination of my mini mid-life crisis! (Yep, Mr. Team 35, just wait until you turn 40, you’ll be the first one buying the sports car.)
We were sad we didn’t get to see Johnsie. I thought Mrs. SimonSays was going to shed a tear or two, but after some guacamole and a margarita she forgot all about it. (Good thing Mrs. Commish decided to take a trip with the Mr. instead of coming with us. It would have been a wasted trip with no Johnsie sighting, plus waiting on the buses could have ruined her reputation).
The Dreadhead in charge of making gift bags with all kinds of Texas shaped snacks for the Idols asked me to bring my cookies (I had posted a picture of them back in May -at the height of my sickness and addiction to his fan club website). I wrapped them up in cellophane and put an official sticker on the back with ingredients. Since we own a restaurant I know how to do it right. We missed seeing Brooke because she came out so late and we were starving and hot, but we heard that she came out and said that she had broken into the chips and salsa and eaten the Jason cookie! I am sure he was scrumptious.
(Mrs. SimonSays' two cent's worth: I have to admit, this part was a little humbling for me - as I am more accustomed to being ON the bus with my artist friends - not WAITING on the bus! But the pictures that we got were well worth being pressed against sweaty fans for two hours! As far as the goody bags - file this under the "items that never make it past the road manager" category.)

THE SHOW
The show was AWESOME! I thought every one of them was much better live than on TV. It may have something to do with singing the same three songs for the past 6 weeks and no Simon, but whatever it was, they were really good. I loved Brooke and Johnsie of course. I thought Jason did great, especially when he sang the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy". He waved a Texas flag and got a big hometown welcome. I was reminded while listening to him that he and Brooke are what I like- the singer/songwriters types. Brooke sang Coldplay's "Yellow" and Fiest "1,2,3,4" She was so good! David A. was great too! The little girl next to me had been quiet all night and when he took stage she squeezed her teddy bear (honestly) and screamed with her eyes shut. David Cook was great with the audience and seemed very much the leader. We saw a fan give him a black cowboy hat when we were at the buses and he was so happy to get it. When they all came out for the final song, he was wearing the cowboy hat and it got passed around to Brooke, Kristy, Jason, Carly -as they danced and sang to the Commish's favorite song "Please Don't Stop the Music"!
I am excited now that I have one more concert to look forward to! Taking the boys to Evansville in a couple of weeks -seats 6th row from the stage! Sure you don't want to come with me again, Mrs. SimonSays? Bessie Moo? Anyone?
Mr. IdolSmith said this is the year my children will remember their mother running off to chase the American Idols. I have the Commish to partly thank for all this. If he had not been so persistent in falsely accusing Jason of being a stoner, I wouldn’t have been driven to the AI boards for research and would have never met all my new friends online and become an addict. He’s lucky Mr. IdolSmith didn’t press charges. I can only come to one conclusion, IdolSchmidoling is not for the weak at heart.
(Mrs. Simon Says' two cent's worth: Cooksy, Johnsie and Brooke were great - came across like true artists - well, except for that cover tune thing! Chikeze and Ramielle were boring, Kristy Lee was robotic, Carly started good, but got annoying, Archie sang great, but had zero personality and we agreed to go buy souvenirs for the kids during Syesha's set. Castro was what you would expect. That is as diplomatic as I can be. I did enjoy the show, but I will have to decline the offer to repeat these shenanigans in Evansville!)