This summer has absolutely flown by. Here I am, looking at the date, July 15th...wondering where it went? We've had some big gigs this summer, we've taken some nice trips, and I've gotten some great news in the career department:

-My amazing booking agent, Jane Accurso, helped me get organized and apply for the Missouri Arts Council touring magazine, and out of ten new artists accepted this year for the honor, my band and Jane's bluegrass band were two. This book goes out all over the state, and will get our names out in Kansas City and St. Louis, besides looking great on a resumee! :) Not only does it assist my band in getting great gigs at festivals, private events, city events, etc, but it also allows me to give talks on various subjects such as Kindermusik, Suzuki, and other subjects I currently teach. The touring year will run from July 2005-July 2006.

-The Nashville EP is well on its way to completion, at long last! Just yesterday I sent off a photo CD, prints, graphics and liner notes to DiscMakers, who will also put together the audio and enhanced video portion of the CD. I'm very excited about how this disc is going to turn out. It's going to be directed toward radio and record labels, and by having the video portion with interview and live show footage, it better represents everything that I am attempting to do.

-I've met some fabulous new people in town who are actively helping me with PR and trying to find new avenues of reaching the community. One of the ideas which I am very excited about is to have a show to benefit a charity or cause. I have always wanted to raise money to aide in epilepsy research (caused my brother's death) heart disease, and cancer, as well as any and all women's issues. While I have been involved in several benefits in the past for a number of causes, I haven't ever had the opportunity to create an entire event where ticket sales and a portion of CD sales can go toward a worthy cause. I'm very excited about the possibility.

-There's too much news to write about all in one day. I guess I will need to get better about keeping up with the blog. (How many times have I said that?)

Otherwise, we are also preparing for THREE weddings coming up within the next couple of months. I am singing at one or two of them. The first one in line is my sister-in-law's wedding in August...should be a huge and lovely event, almost like a family reunion! (I think there could be nearly 500 people there.) My best friend Sandy is getting married in September, a laid-back, campfire and tent event, which will also be beautiful, and finally in September a very good friend of Michael's gets married.

So life happens and time flies by and here I am taking a moment to sit back and think about it all. This has been a really fabulous year if I look back at all of the great developments that have occurred in my life, both personally and in my career. I guess I can truly say I'm happy. How awesome....





-