this weekend...

Photo taken by Char Beck (www.charbeck.net)

I can't believe it's already Friday! Our week of vacation is drawing to a close, and although I'm a little sad to get back to "real life", it's been such a blessing to have this time off. Wednesday we unexpectedly spent the day in the ER with Lorelei. We're pretty sure she was dehydrated after a few days of sun and lots of activity. Once we got her to keep some liquids down she perked up quite a bit, and we were able to get back to the hotel to rest and clean up. Although it wasn't exactly how we planned to spend 4th of July, we were so thankful to have a hospital nearby and for the chance to get in quickly. Seeing my baby sick is the worst! I'm so glad she's on the mend. This weekend we'll be soaking up our last moments of vacation, and then performing on Sunday before we head back to Nashville. Here are some fun links from around the web...

spotlight: kidco peapod plus

Lorelei demonstrating "night night" in her PeaPod

Life on the road generally means hauling around a lot of stuff. Between the gear, merch, suitcases, and extra kid necessities, the loading/unloading process can be a little ridiculous! We used to use a Pack n' Play for Lorelei, and it worked fine, but it was pretty bulky, and we noticed as LJ grew she seemed less comfortable in it. After using the Pack n' Play for about a year, we made a stop in Racine, WI where we were staying with a couple we'd become friends with after doing several concerts there. Mark represents KidCo, and naturally, told us all about their products seeing as we have a little one! He generously gave us a PeaPod Plus and told us to try it out when we got a chance. We've been using it for a while now and we much prefer it over the Pack n' Play. Check out my review after the jump!

good things

Happy Fourth of July! This week's good things is my "vacation edition", as we still have a few days left to soak up this precious time as a family. Sometimes life can get so busy we forget to take time out to just be. It's so healthy to get away to recharge our bodies and souls! That doesn't always mean spending money on a vacation (our actual vacations are few and far between with how crazy our schedule is), but simply not overloading ourselves to the point of exhaustion and taking a little time here and there can work wonders. Since today is a holiday, I hope many of you are getting a little relaxation time in too! Here are this week's good things...

life in pictures

music monday: beginner tip #1

Hey all! How was your weekend? We were at a church in Miami on Sunday (the farthest south we've ever driven!) and though it was a small church, the people there were such a big blessing. I had a chance to talk with a woman whose ability to walk is severely impaired by MS, and her perspective on life and her attitude were such an encouragement to me. We were connected by our faith in Christ and the knowledge that this world is not truly our home, and I will never tire of the way my job allows me to get such a beautiful glimpse of the body at work! Today's music monday post is the first in a mini-series of quick tips for anyone looking to get started as a musician.