the thing about me and music...

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a pretty devoted fan when it comes to my music. I follow the artists I know and love as though they were old friends, keeping up-to-date on new albums, tours and the like. When I hear that one of my favorites is coming out with a new album, I even write it in my planner. That's the kind of nerd I am.

For me, though, music is a nostalgic thing- I can associate specific memories with almost every album I know, and could probably get even more specific with each song. And I'm a loyal fan. Though I love finding new music, I still listen to a lot of the same artists and albums that I loved 10, maybe even 15 years ago. This music has chronicled my faith journey in a lot of ways, so going back to music that inspired me when I was in middle school, and just starting out on this journey, it reminds me of where I came from and it still inspires me today to remember how God has been with me through it all.

I can tell you that Cindy Morgan's Under the Waterfall makes me think of summertime, sitting in my parents' front yard with a walkman (one that played cassettes!). I was in 7th or 8th grade. I still love Cindy to this day. Margaret Becker's What Kind of Love takes me back to the last year that I was in the Creamery Theatre's A Christmas Carol, when I was a senior in high school. Those memories are among the best of my life. Andrew Peterson's Love and Thunder takes me back to spring break of my junior year of college, when I drove out to Omaha to interview for my internship at the NE Arts Council (wow, I had no idea what I was getting into there!). That was 8 years ago already! Christine Dente's Becoming takes me to the fall of my last year of college, when we were all getting ready to say goodbye. And then don't even get me started on Sara Groves. There are too many memories and stories and nuggets of truth that have seeped into my soul to even recount.

Matthew teases me a little because I tend to listen to music on a seasonal basis. Certain times of the year, I just get cravings for certain albums because of the memories and feelings that go along with them. In the summer, it's Nichole Nordeman and Ben Shive. In the fall, I like to listen to Sixpence None the Richer and Sara Groves' Add to the Beauty. In the post-Christmas winter, I love Andrew Osenga's The Morning and Jars of Clay's Good Monsters. And now, in the spring, I've been listening to Jill Phillips' Kingdom Come, Cindy Morgan's The Loving Kind and Hymns: One Glad Morning, and one of my newer favorites, Sandra McCracken's In Feast or Fallow (this album is fast becoming one of my all-time favorites).

But I've also been listening to a lot of new stuff. I can't get enough of John Mark McMillan's The Medicine (for you Candlewooders, he's the guy behind "How He Loves", "Skeleton Bones" and "Death in His Grave"). And I'm also loving Audrey Assad and JJ Heller. And then there's this new duo called The Civil Wars. I originally heard about them through Relevant Magazine sometime this fall. I was a little intrigued because the woman in the duo, Joy Williams, used to be a blond, smiley Christian pop artist. But now she's older (and a brunette) and has a much more unique and sophisticated sound now that she's paired up with this guy named John Paul White.

And there's just something about their sound that captivates me. But more on that later.

The other thing about me and my music is that I will go to great lengths to see the artists I love in concert. I remember being in 8th grade, and my youth group planned a trip to see dc Talk and Audio Adrenaline in Ames. On a Tuesday night. And I remember going to my math teacher on Monday and asking him if I could get Tuesday's homework assignment as well as that day's, because I knew I wouldn't have any time on Tuesday night to get anything done. And he gave it to me. So I was able to work ahead and enjoy the concert without that pesky homework thing hanging over my head. I was prepared.

In high school, there was this guy named Simon who was die-hard into his music. He was a rocker, and he took it very seriously. I remember one day we were on a field trip somewhere and I got on the bus and he called out, "Nicole! I have a question for you." I went and talked to him and he said, "You go to Ohio a lot, right?" "Yeah," I said, "to Cleveland." "Well," he went on, "how long of a drive is that?" I told him. He said thanks and went back to talking to his friends about how that would be a very do-able road trip for them to see one of the bands he loved. I admired his dedication.

When I first moved here, I found out about a Sara Groves concert in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I had only lived here a month, and hardly knew anyone at all. But I had never seen Sara in concert before, and since I had literally nothing else to do (no friends yet or anything), I decided to make the trip solo. And even though it wasn't nearly as far away as Cleveland, I thought of Simon as I left work a little early and drove the two and a half hours, enjoyed the wonderful concert, and drove back home again.

And now this past Wednesday night, Matthew and I saw the Civil Wars. It didn't require a long car trip or anything like that, but it did require us to step out of the norm for a night... and it was so much fun. They were playing at this club in north downtown Omaha called the Slowdown. It was standing room only by the time we got there at 8:30 and The Civil Wars didn't even take the stage until 10:40 (on a school night!), but it was worth it. They put on a great show. The audience was entranced, as was I. It was good stuff.

I think I'm already too old to stay up that late on a regular basis, but for that one night it was just fun to enjoy the city, my husband and the music. I hope I never get too old for that.

Drama Club, Baby Boys, and Familial Blessings!

I love nights like this. The sun is still up at 8:00, the dishes are all clean and put away, my husband is downstairs tending to our plants, and we're just enjoying the first low-key night we've had in awhile.

I don't like just using the word 'busy' to describe life. Yes, it is busy... but I guess I just prefer to think of it as full, rich, maybe... Life has been full of the sweetness of changing seasons and rich with family and good friends.

A couple of weekends ago, we went back to eastern Iowa and enjoyed a really nice visit. That Friday night, we went to Mount Mercy for their spring play. Kathi (my former theater professor) from time to time will invite alumni to be in her shows. And since Ann is currently teaching at MMU, Kathi convinced Ben to audition for the show. So, since it had been a few years since I'd been back on campus, and back in that "third world theatre", I just had to go see Ben's return to the stage.

It was a fun night. Prior to the show, we met up with Ann, my former English professor (and advisor) Mary Vermillion, and a few other MMC alums at a British Pub called the Londoner. We caught up over fish and chips, and then headed over to the McAuley Theater for the show.

My parents and Nancy came, too... My dad was really excited to see his buddy Ben onstage. He even jokingly asked for his autograph after the show. Ben re-introduced my dad to Kathi by saying, "You remember Nicole's father? We go to baseball games together." And they do. Plans are in the works for their outing to a Cedar Rapids Kernels game this spring. They're funny.

It was so good seeing Ann and Kathi and Mary and everyone else. It definitely made me nostalgic for the days spent in that little theater... but that's another entry for another day.

Me, Kathi and Ann.

Saturday was simply a lovely day. I got to spend a few hours with my dear Aroea and her boys, and also got to see Leslie and her family, her particularly Lincoln, her new baby boy.

And in between all of that, it was fun to celebrate Staci Mae and her soon-to-be-arriving baby boy. Her cousins put together a great shower, and it was fun seeing her so excited. It's so crazy that the next time I see her, she'll be a mom! I call her Momma Mae.

On top of all the fun with friends, I just really enjoyed being with my family. We watched a movie together Saturday night, went to the Colony Inn for breakfast Sunday morning, and enjoyed good fun and conversation throughout the weekend. They're just good stuff (but we of course missed Natalie and Kevin!).

And since that weekend, we've just been keeping busy (er, full and rich!) with spring- we're starting the garden, I got a new (used) bike last week (I can't wait for it to warm up so I can ride it!), and we've been doing some not-as-fun but definitely necessary spring cleaning.

On top of all that, Nancy came to visit yesterday! She came on a whim yesterday afternoon and I just loved having her here. We cooked supper together, talked a lot, and played Settlers of Catan with Matthew. She even got up at 5:45 in the morning with me today to work out! I love my little sister!!

And that brings us to here, Monday night. In an effort to take advantage of what's left of this low-key night, I bid you adieu and happy spring!!