Moving Forward, Slowly but Surely!

Spring has arrived and with it, the long list of never ending tasks!  On the homefront, we are building an epic greenhouse since our poly-tunnel did so well last year. We’ve got the frame up and the wood for the boxes but we need to put the boxes and dirt in, then roof it. I am very excited to start planting, so much so that I will probably start seeds this weekend inside my mud room.

On the music side of things, I’ve been hosting the Green Frog’s Open Mic every sunday and it’s been amazing to see the talent coming through. I’ve had the pleasure of hosting some of my favorite musicians including Chuck Dingee’ from The Walrus, The Librarians, Chad Peterson, and of course Stephen Ray Leslie. Every week I feature a personal favorite! Sign up starts at 7:30pm, music starts at 8pm. I always try to play a small set as well, sharing my newest rendition of something I’ve heard at the Green Frog or an original.  If you like to play or just like to listen, come on down on a Sunday and see what’s happening!

My next booked show isn’t until June as I am putting together my new office for healing! You may not know this about me but besides being a songwriter and performer, I have a passion for the healing arts. I am a Reiki Master and Certified BodyTalk Practitioner. As a Reiki Master, I offer sessions and wellness support along with classes so that you can offer Reiki for personal use or as a professional career. What is BodyTalk?!  Put simply, it’s a system that is set up in a way to get your body communicating better within itself and within the world. It’s a truly holistic system in that it is non-invasive and can be used with any other healing modality including Allopathic/Western medicine. For more information on Bodytalk, please check out www.bodytalksystem.com   I am currently getting my wellness website cleaned up and ready to share!

 

For more info on my music you can find me at www.mistyflowersmusic.com or on Facebook!

Happy Spring!

“They say our spirits never die. They manifest in and out of form with time. So I think I’d like to live my life moment by moment and enjoy the ride!”

Shows for March and what I’m up to…

Monday 3/19 Redlight, 1017 N. State St. Bellingham, WA 7pm, No Cover.

Saturday 3/24 Time In Play Cafe, 311 E. Holly St. Bellingham WA. 7pm.

So here’s the “Scoop on Misty”. I’ve been helping my sweetheart get his business back up and running. You may have heard of it. It’s called the Green Frog Cafe. It’s an acoustic tavern that now offers gourmet grilled cheese and liquor too! They have the best microbrews on tap, the best stage in Bellingham and they’ll be opening they’re rooftop patio by the summer.

Other than that, I’ve been playing music, writing music, watching my kids grow into littlebig people and waiting for the next move to make. I have a lot of sweet ideas to grow but only time will show which way to row my boat….

I hope to be playing more shows this year, travel to more places that intrigue me and spend as much quality time with the people I love most because time is precious. Use it or lose it!

~Time to make a change. My life’s my own to make. Got to save my own soul!~

It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day, it’s 2012! and I’m Feeling Good

Life can be pretty amazing when we let ourselves enjoy the ride. The current of life that is ever flowing below us, through us, changing and moving us in new directions of growth. We’re all good at heart, life’s filled with beauty and it’s never too late to change, to heal, to move, to feel. Humans are inherently good. Its only been told we are bad because legends have been misunderstood, unrecognized and left for future generations to decide to take those chances. The chances we’ve now been granted. To see the golden moments we are given even when we’re unsure of why we are living. Connect to within and the joy of life begins. Love of life is our birthright and with you by my side, everything is gonna be alright!

I am so grateful for all the people in my life that support, inspire, grow, share, and heal themselves. Because of your love and light in my life, I am inspired every day to do the same.

“Time passes, there’s no second chance, and you’re never to old To Grow!” ~www.mistyflowersmusic.com

 

Change is Good

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog but I feel it’s time to share my journey again. I’ve moved up into the hills of Mount Baker, nurturing my heart and my family, making music and honoring the changing of seasons.  Life has become so simple in a lot of ways. And a little more challenging in a few ways as well.  The simplicity comes from a peaceful heart, feeling supported and loved. The challenges come from living off the grid and not having a road to our home. But it’s sooooooooooo worth it to live in the woods, to be surrounded by nature and the few neighbors who know country living is where it’s at.  I’ve learned so much more about Native edibles of the NW, we truly are blessed to live in such a rich environment. My two favorite newbies are Huckleberries (which make the best pancakes and even better Huckleberry Vodka) and Siberian Miners Lettuce (which has a delicate flavor and beautiful flower).  I spend most days building trails to move our firewood to the shed, reading books to my girls, and sitting in the hottest woodstove sauna around. Of course, our cabin has instruments hanging from every wall so there’s always some new sound to create. My favorite days are when close friends join us for dinner, a sauna, an evening of musical magic. And even though I care deeply about what is going on with the world at large, it feels good to unplug from the chaos and focus on the beauty in front of me. I don’t take for granted the clean drinking water, the unpolluted river we swim in, the organic home grown food that constantly comes our way. What a blessing to be alive right now and to find the bliss within. There is so much love for us here if only we have the eyes to see.

The Challenge

I have a deep love for finding songs to perform that are out of the main loop, songs that ring sweet freedom and express the human struggle. One of my newest favorites is off an album by Vance Gilbert called Unfamiliar Moon, the song is Your Brighter Day. I recently learned another one off this same album, Unfamiliar Moon. There’s something about the rhythm and delivery of Your Brighter Day that draws me to integrate this song into my set list. But as I listen to this song over and over, trying to dissect the chords and recreate his rhythmic strum, I cannot figure it out! It would be so much easier if I could just call him up and say “what are the chords?”

The Challenge of a musician is to grow, to expand on the capabilities, the structures, the insight into melody and form. I know I’m drawn to songs to help me as a songwriter-performer and this song is definitely a challenge for me!  Until I can perform it for you, here’s the lovely lyrics. And look up Vance Gilbert, he’s an incredible songwriter that I had the pleasure of seeing perform at The Mount Baker Theatre when he opened for George Carlin!

“Your Brighter Day” by Vance Gilbert

Its the ache in your arms
When you reach high above you
Its the crack in your voice
On a tune that you sing
Its your song of survival
That at first may be hard to hear
Bless its arrival
And the peace that it brings

The shining of the sun
Is so much sweeter when you have to
Dance around whats in the way
Of your brighter day

Its the things that you wished you’d said
That you just had to swallow
Now they make you feel hollow
Right Down to your core
For each lost opportunity
There’ll be somebody new who needs
A vacation from sorrow
Heres your chance to even the score

Mistrust any fool
Whod just hand it to you
Run quickly should he smile and say
Heres your brighter day

Your brighter day
When you feel old and faded
Your brighter day
When youre intimidated
Your brighter day
Go get illuminated
Go on – take it

Now the truth is a wicked thing
And it may leave you broken
To twist in the wind
Like a shirt on a line
It will change you forever
And just when youve had enough
And you cry up to heaven
For what seems like your last time

May the clouds rearrange
In your stratosphere
And quietly step out of the way
Of your brighter day

Credits:

Vance Gilbert:  Vocal,  guitar

New Year Change

As the New Year approaches, there is an opportunity to recognize what is serving our lives and what is not. There is an opportunity to shed those outmoded belief systems and patterns so that the new ways of being can be found.

My youngest just turned 3 and in these short years, I’ve learned such a valuable lesson from her. Happiness is in the moment.

My New Years resolution is to enjoy my moments as much as possible, to remember that I create my responses to the world, to tread lightly on the Earth, and focus on kindness and connection with my fellow human family.

“It’s not about where your dreams take you, it’s where you take your dreams.

And if you can see the big picture, you’ll realize it’s the little things.

It’s the love you bring, the song you sing to brighten the day

that gives light to life and gives hope for another day.” ~Along the Way, upcoming album!

I Must Shine

I am the Full Moon Rising.
And like the light penetrating even
those shameful corners we’ve tried to avoid,
my glow shows the beautiful face
of every lonely stranger.
I am not alone.
I am One because All is One
and like the moon’s unavoidable reflection
of Sun’s Ray,
I Must Shine.