Okay, I know this was last summer, but we finally got the video up and posted of me singing the National Anthem at the Pirates/Reds game last summer. Just wanted to share. 🙂

The view at our hotel in Crystal River

One of the Indian Mounds at the State Park in Crystal River

First Presbyterian, Crystal River, FL

Naples Community Church

Some of the amazing, weird ficus trees at Edison's house

In Ford's garage - a 1917 model T and a 1929 model A

My mom and Nancy in the Royal Palms at Edison and Ford's estates

Another Triple D place - Keegan's

Well, another busy week, great times, and really hard times. Isn’t that always the way?

Last Friday I got up ridiculously early for me – 5 am. What is this I hear about people who actually get up at this time on purpose?! Craziness. So by 6:30 I had showered, dressed, packed, eaten, driven to the airport and dropped my car, taken the shuttle, checked my bags, gone through security and was waiting for my flight. Normally I wouldn’t have been awake yet. I felt heroic. And tired.

Took a flight to Nashville, changed planes and landed in Tampa. My mom (who had come down early to spend some time with her mom) picked me up and took me straight to a surprise lunch for my grandma’s 92nd birthday (surprise for Grandma, I actually knew about it, you know what I meant). My grandma’s so cute. We were too early, so I pretended that I had forgotten something and HAD to stop at the pharmacy (you know, it was like a hair gel emergency, grandma!) and she never suspected a thing. She was so shocked when she found out that I was so duplicitous and that I bought something I didn’t even NEED! Almost broke her heart, that $4.26 I spent in the name of her surprise.

After lunch, my mom and I drove up to Crystal River, Florida where I was doing a women’s retreat the next day. I had another serendipitous Hotwire experience. I usually try to get my hotels cheap to save the people bringing me in some money – I really don’t like spending other people’s money. Well, I got this on Hotwire where you don’t even see what you’re bidding on until you get it, and it was wonderful. We ended up at the Plantation Golf Resort which was right on the water, so we had a beautiful walk and even went up to one of the state parks and saw the Indian mounds before it got dark. Then we had dinner and I prepped the talks before turning in.

The church, First Presbyterian, was literally just down the street, and we had such a good time. It was a really nice group and we just did a day long retreat with some worship, talked about Peter, sang some songs, had great food. It was a wonderful time together, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it! They asked for the theme “Make Me An Instrument” and had decorated all around that – it was beautifully done. Thanks, Sharon, for the coolest nametag I’ve ever gotten at a retreat!

After the retreat mom and I drove down to Bonita Springs which is about 5 hours south, and stayed with our friends there, Nancy and Ralph (the ones I shouted out to on Moody Radio last month). The next morning I drove even farther south to Naples and sang the morning worship services at Naples Community Church and then gave a concert there as well that afternoon. They are celebrating moving into their new space which is a re-purposed dress shop. Check out the pictures – even as I was taking them I thought, who made this look so perfect? It’s a real hardship to be down here when it’s snowing at home, let me tell you. 🙂 Had a wonderful time visiting there too, especially since we have another friend, Wendy, who’s there. Thanks for having me!

We went out that night with some more friends who live here half the year (yes, we know the entire state of Florida). Then back to Ralph and Nancy’s. The next day we were touristing a little and visited Edison and Ford’s winter estates which were just beautiful. Edison was trying to find a substitute for rubber during the war and had brought in all kinds of plants to experiment on so the grounds were amazing. Drove back up for our flight to Tampa and my uncle took us to another Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives place where he actually knows the owner – Keegan’s. It was really good.

We had some very sad news while we were down here, though. My grandma’s cousin, Nick, passed away which was not a surprise because he was over 100, but still sad. More shocking, though, was the news that a close family friend at home had died very unexpectedly in her sleep. She was only 57 and wasn’t even ill. It’s still hard to believe. I was supposed to do another event on Tuesday, but they graciously let me reschedule and we changed our flights to get home in time for the funeral. It was so hard to see the family suffering and in shock, and brought back so many memories for me of dad’s funeral and our own loss. I have been praying so hard for them – this is going to be a tough road.

It’s brought home to me again that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Don’t wait to tell people you love then and don’t wait to tell them about Jesus – they need to know, and you never know if you’ll have another chance.

Matt Brown, the Marketing Director at Praise FM in Minneapolis, MN, and also co-founder and director of Think Eternity asked me at a visit a while ago about what I would tell people about vocal care. He speaks and teaches frequently and also teaches evangelism, and he was wondering what I would tell his students about taking care of their voices when they are going to need to use them all the time. He asked me to write some of it down, so Matt, this is for you. 🙂

Couple of first thoughts I have, and I may add to this at a later date.

1) Do not abuse your voice. This may sound stupid, but don’t scream at ballgames, don’t keep talking when you’re sick, if it hurts, quit using it. Don’t push it.

2) When it’s hurt, don’t whisper. Whispering is actually much worse for your voice than just talking. If you’re sick or you’ve overused your voice, talk as little as possible, but when you do talk, do not whisper.

3) Stay hydrated. This is all the time and water is your best friend. If it’s hurting, drink warm water, maybe with ginger in it or lemon, but straight warm water is the best.

4) Avoid caffeine and ice, especially right before singing or speaking. They are the plague. Caffeine makes everything tighten up and causes a lot more wear and tear. Ice will make you cough and coughing is extremely hard on your vocal cords. Don’t believe me, try drinking a glass of ice water and I guarantee you will start clearing your throat or coughing. Trust me – there is a reason that on-air people leave their water bottles in the closet rather than the fridge.

5) Speak in your natural range. Many people try to push their speaking range lower so that they will be taken more seriously. They may not even know they are doing it, but it’s very fatiguing to your chords. Try to speak in your natural range – your voice will last much longer.

6) If it hurts, stop. There is a difference between fatigue and pain. It should never actually hurt to talk or sing, and if it does, stop. You need to recover from something.

7) If you are having unexplained pain (you’re not sick, you weren’t screaming, etc.) check for reflux. It’s extremely common, especially in singers because the way one breathes to sing puts pressure on the sphincter at the base of the esophagus. You can have silent reflux and the only symptom is vocal pain. It’s easy to treat, so check into it.

Okay, that’s all I’ve got off the top of my head. Hope that’s helpful and I’ll post again if I think of more. 🙂

Camp Pinnacle was pretty even on a rainy, gray day

With some of the ladies from the retreat

At Sherrill's Pioneer Restaurant in Clyde, NC - note the gun over the cashier

Well, Ohio was hit with one major, major ice storm this week. I know the weather was nuts everywhere – I keep hearing about it, but boy was I happy to not have to go anywhere for those few days!

I was also so thankful that we decided to drive to Georgia this week. I had a women’s retreat for Crossgate Church in Seneca, SC, and they were having their retreat in Clayton, GA. The closest airport was Atlanta, and that was still going to be about a 2.5 hour drive, so we just decided to drive the whole thing, and am I glad because the airlines were so messed up from the storm, I would never have gotten out. We had no school most of the week and the roads got to be good enough to drive on pretty much exactly as we had to leave. Thank you, Lord!

This time, my husband decided to come with me which was great. His parents came down to spend the weekend with the kids. We have not had as much time together as we’d like this past month, so it was a luxury just to drive in the car and talk. He also has a handy phone (so much cooler than mine!) so I spent some time trying to find, you guessed it, local places that aren’t chains for us to eat and stay, etc.

We found a really awesome sushi place on Thursday night just south of Cincinnati, I think it was Miyako? They have a hibachi side which we weren’t very interested in since we were in a hurry, and a cute little sushi bar right in the middle. Absolutely delicious, I have to say, and so quick. I’d do that again anytime.

We stayed in a little historic bed and breakfast in Richmond, KY called The Bennett House. It was a pretty nice b&b, and a good change from hotels. Got up and headed out to the retreat center. On the way, we stopped for lunch at Sherril’s Pioneer Restaurant in Clyde, NC. I have to say, I would never have stopped here normally (not the best looking from the street!), but the reviews online were fantastic, and they were spot on. It’s just a little diner, but the food was great and cheap, and the people working there were super friendly. Totally should be on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!

Got to Pinnacle Retreat Center in the early afternoon, and it was raining and gray and still couldn’t hide how beautiful this area is. I’m sure this was one of the worst days of winter for the people down here, but after our ice storm week, 40 and rainy was looking pretty awesome! The women we met there were just wonderful. I did a concert at their church about a year ago, and it was like meeting old friends. So kind and welcoming to us! And the staff was amazing at this center – I was so impressed.

I taught the retreat on the life of Peter – we looked at how he had been transformed by his time with Jesus into someone God could and would use for amazing things, and how his life could relate to ours as we seek the same thing. I felt really good about the retreat, and about my conversations with the women there. I also led worship for them, and it was just a great group. Many of them were going through some very hard things, but they were seeking the Lord, and He is faithful.

On Saturday, Nathan and I finished the retreat and then drove the whole way home because I didn’t want to miss church on Sunday. We made pretty good time, only stopping once, at a great little Indian place for dinner called Masala – fabulous pakora, by the way. We ate in a hurry to get back on the road and when we were driving through town to get back to the freeway, we drove right by the b&b we’d stayed at on Thursday night! How funny – we had no idea we were that close. So I guess we know where to eat and stay if we ever need to get back to Richmond, KY. 🙂

Got home and led worship at church in the morning. Looking forward to a little bit of down time now before my next trip to catch up on life!

Just had to share this because I’m psyched about it! My single officially went out last Friday and Christian Music Weekly came out today – I’m on all their lists – Most Added (# of stations), Powersurge (# of added spins), and On the Verge (close to top 25)! Woohoo! Very cool. Can’t wait to see what God will do with the song!

With Lenny LeBlanc before the opening of the conference

Singing at the opening

Lenny and his band with the Cedarville Choir opening the worship set.

Wow, what an incredible weekend, and how tired am I. I’m definitely running on very little sleep and glad I have a little easier week coming up, but that was a lot of fun. 🙂

Friday was a big day – my new single went to radio (Will You Find Me Here – live version here) and also I got to open for Lenny LeBlanc at the opening concert for Cedarville University’s Worship 4:24 Conference. I was very excited to meet Lenny and his band and also to be back at Cedarville where I taught voice for several years.

The next morning I went back to the conference with several people from my band at church and they all attended sessions while I taught the vocal track at the conference. The first session I did was on basic vocal technique, the second was on advanced vocal technique and the differences between singing classically and singing in a contemporary style, and the third was on assembling and working with a vocal team in a worship setting. It was so much fun to be teaching again, and the only problem we had was that the room was way too small! It was only really meant to sit about 50 or 60 people, and we had well over 100 in there by the last session. There were people sitting on the floor, in the windows, on the benches for the instruments. It was pretty packed out, but we had a good time, and I loved hearing from all these people who are seeking to faithfully serve the Lord through their music!

Went home that night and got up to lead worship myself and had a new sense of the excellence with which we should be leading people into worship. We worship the God of the Universe! We should be doing that the best way we possibly can.

Heading to Georgia again later in the week, so I’m prepping for that, but so glad to have a couple of days off. I had a blast, though, hope I get to go back next year!

First Presbyterian, St. Petersburg, FL

With Ron Maxwell at Moody Radio Florida

My mom on air with Terry at WAFT

With Terry and Sherrie at WAFT

Some of the amazing deserts at the Marietta Diner

This week has been amazingly busy. My family flew home last Saturday with my brother which always makes me sad. Then my mom and I headed back over to my grandma’s to see her and to be with First Presbyterian in St. Petersburg.

Sunday morning I did special music on all three of their services, and then gave a concert that afternoon at 3. What a warm church – I really enjoyed getting to know their people, especially the band which opened for the concert that afternoon. I had a great time, but it wasn’t until I sat down that night that I realized how tired I was!

The next morning I headed out early again to be on the morning show at Moody Radio Florida. I was on with Ron Maxwell, and he was just a wonderful guy. He’s been friends with my radio promoter for years, so I was expecting him to be great, and he definitely made me feel welcome. Had a great time, and even got to send a shout-out to my family in Florida and to my friends Ralph and Nancy who I knew were listening down in Bonita Springs. They were thrilled. 🙂

We headed over the next day to visit some friends we hadn’t seen in a while in Vero Beach, and then the next day drove up to Valdosta, GA. We have a dear friend here too (isn’t it great to have people scattered all over the country? Lots of people to love) who used to go to our church before moving down here. It was great to catch up with her!

The next morning mom and I went to WAFT in Valdosta to be on their morning show. Turned out to be a girls morning since all the men were at some convention, so mom and I hung out with Terry and Sherrie and chatted the morning away. It was a lot of fun – this station has supported my ministry for years, and I appreciate them so much!

After that, mom and I started the very long trip home. I get very tired of chain restaurants, so as you may have seen, we try to hit local places and often try at least one Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives every trip. This time we went to the Marietta Diner, and it was pretty good, but the deserts were just incredible. Why is it always the deserts?!

After eating too many things, we trekked as fast as we could home. My personal goal was to be home before midnight and I dropped mom off and pulled into my driveway at, yes!, 11:58. Pretty good. I’m glad to have a day off because this weekend I’m teaching at Cedarville University’s Worship 4:24 Conference, and I’m going to need to catch up my sleep a little!

Christ Presbyterian Largo - some of the stonework and crown ceiling

My kids loving the Magic Kingdom

What a fun morning we had in Largo. I’ve been talking to this church for ages – their pastor contacted me about coming as did their leader for adult education, and it took a bit to realize that they were from the same church, and neither one realized the other was talking to me! My family came down with me this time because we’re going to visit Mickey in between some of my events. The kids have a short week at school, so we took them out for a few days to get away from winter. 🙂 My grandmother who is 91 years young (still riding her bike!) lives only 2 or 3 miles away from this church, so we had a great time getting to visit with her and with my uncle who lives down here too. We found out that her cousin goes there and is their oldest member at 104!!

Sunday morning I did some special music and also gave the message. We had several people we knew from the area come as well, and that made it especially fun for me. This was one of the coolest churches I’ve seen architecturally – it’s built almost entirely from stone, and there are busts of the patriarchs everywhere in the sanctuary which blended in some. My son finally noticed them and leaned over and said, “Mom, why are there heads everywhere?” The ceiling was made to look like Christ’s crown of thorns which was neat too. We didn’t get the best pictures here, but you’ll get the idea.

After church we went to lunch with my uncle and grandma and then headed over to Orlando. It looks like a pretty beautiful week here, and my kids are really excited. My mom and brother met us there, so it should be a great time for all.

Our dog Ivy looking tortured with a mohawk. Man, she has mean owners.

This article came out in the paper here, The Columbus Dispatch, about my mom losing her wedding rings. My dad passed away several years ago, so the rings were even more precious. It’s a feel-good story about what happens when people choose to do the right thing. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, just for fun, we groomed our dog just before we left, and I just had to take a picture – we only left her with the mohawk for about 5 minutes, but maybe longer next time – I think it’s a good look for such a sweet little girl.

Rectangle of dough

After cutting strips

Add fruit filling

The press-twist-press-next method

On the pan ready to bake

Okay, I got a lot of requests for this, here, and on Facebook, so here goes. Just warning you, it’s not super easy, but it’s not bad either, and it is worth it. It’s not healthy, but hey, it’s Christmas! Next year I may try to sub the sour cream with Greek yogurt, but we’ll see. And someone apparently helpfully took pictures, so I’ll add those too. 🙂

2 c. sour cream (I use light)
1/4 c. butter
2 pkg. yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. salt
2 eggs
6 c. flour
1 1/2 c. dried apricots
1 1/2 c. maraschino cherries
powdered sugar
water

In a saucepan, heat sour cream with butter until the butter melts and it’s lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in the water (make it a good yeast temperature). Mix together sour cream mixture, dissolved yeast, sugar, salt, eggs, and 2 c. of the flour. When combined, mix in another 3 1/2 c. flour. Turn onto a board and use the last 1/2 c. of flour to knead for 10 minutes (you may need a bit more). Put in greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour (I turn on my oven for a couple of minutes at the lowest setting and then TURN IT OFF and put the bowl in there – use a metal bowl). While it’s rising, chop the apricots and cherries together, reserving 14 cherries for garnish – this should be a rough chop. (I use my food processor. As a child I remember spending what seemed like DAYS chopping apricots. Add a little flour to the apricots to they don’t stick to the blade and do them separately or add the cherries later – cherries chop a lot faster and will turn to slush in about 3 pulses).

Take the dough out and divide it into 3 balls. Each ball will make one coffee cake. Roll a ball on a floured surface to about a 12″ x 16″ rectangle. Looking at it vertically, use scissors to cut strips from each side in about 1/3 of the way, leaving the center third whole (make sure you have the same number of strips on both sides). Spread 1/3 of the apricot/cherry mixture down the center. Take the two top strips, cross them over the fruit, press together and twist, and then press down onto the fruit. Continue all the way down, pressing the new twist over the last one, and sealing the final one at the bottom. Lift onto an ungreased baking sheet, stretching one end a bit and pulling it over into the shape of a candy cane. You can bake it now, or let it rise again for about 20-30 minutes and it will be puffier (my preference). Bake at 375 degrees about 15 minutes until it gets golden brown on top. Mix powdered sugar with a little water to make a glaze and drizzle on top. Cut 4-5 cherries in half and garnish (picture in the last post).

These freeze so well – since it make so much, I always bake one when we make them, and then freeze the other two for Christmas morning and New Year’s morning. Just freeze on the tray before the baking step, and once they are frozen, take them back out and wrap them well and put them back in the freezer. We take them out the night before and leave them on the counter, and they’re exactly ready to bake for breakfast. Hope you like them!