Tales of a Music Mama

Meteor girl

2009-09-10T19:38:00.001-07:00

Just a few moments ago my sweet little girl came into the den when she was actually supposed to be asleep in her bed.
We've been talking a lot lately about space and dinosaurs and earth and meteors and apparently, the last part struck a nerve with my science obsessed girlie and she asked with a little quiver in her lip, "Will a meteor hit our house??"

I called Josh in because he is super SUPER good at not only explaining things in general, but explaining things to her, and being able to relate to her, being that they practically share the same logical, literal brain.

I sat there listening to the sweetness of Sera, asking question after question, and hearing Josh give logical, thorough answers, knowing she trusts him with her whole heart and he loves her completely with his.

Even after a long explanation about how we have telescopes to see into space with, and how we could prepare for such a disaster, and how most meteors are very small, etc. etc., she still paused, teared up and said, "I can't stop thinking about it!"
Now there's something mama can relate to.

Josh brought her back in her room... and now between the crickets and the silence of a house that is trying to settle in for the night, I can hear their sleepy voices chattering about rockets, and space and astronauts... and I love my precious family.

Show Tonight in Chattanooga!

2009-09-05T07:18:00.001-07:00

Day with Mimi and Nona

2009-08-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

I took the girls and Mimi to San Simeon to visit my mom's (relatively) new place up on the hill.
It's across the highway from the ocean, close to Hearst Castle nestled far back on a large and rugged ranch.

We went down to Cambria to walk around the shops, and then on to Morro Bay to eat at the Haufbrau and visit the Sea Lions on the docs.
This was an almost weekly tradition when we lived here (Haufbrau) and it was so sad when we first moved to Nashville and Sera kept asking to go to the "Sea Lion Place". Yeah, there are none of those in Nashville. She was very happy to reunite with the water mammals.

The ranch

Mimi and the girls. Sera is wearing my award winning "Pioneer Days" costume, circa 1986.

Eli, the sweetest dog ever, who I rescued from the pound 13 years ago.

My mom, aka "Nona" and the girls. The ocean is just over the hills behind them.

Nona's "Little House"

Morro Bay:

Amelie is eating lemons dipped in tartar sauce.
Here's hoping she still has enamel left on her teeth.

Papa came to pick up Nona and the girls couldn't resist piling on the couch.
Usually they like to steal his cane and run away.

What a fun day with both the grandmas! We love you!

Avila Fish & Farmer's Market

2009-08-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we hit the Avila Farmer's Market to score some Fish Tacos.
They did not disappoint.

We spent the afternoon playing with Mimi at the park, perusing the local goods, running from the bees and enjoying the only (mostly) predictably sunny beach on the Central Coast.

(Angry and not wanting her picture taken)

(in a better mood after talking to Daddy)

(Sera talking to Daddy)

Pebbles the Pony (Cayucos w/The Oakes pt 2)

2009-08-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

What lucky little girls to have their own pony!
Grandpa and Grandma got her for the grandkids and she lives on the ranch where Dorothy, the horse expert takes wonderful care of her.
The girls have had a few pony lessons now, and some of the pics below are of them learning how to treat a horse, what side to get on, the names for the equipment, etc.

These photos are of their 2nd and 3rd visits with Pebbles.
Josh was there the first time they met her, and took these photos.

(A shot of the big horses for perspective. That pony is tiny!)

These were taken during our 3rd visit out there. After a few lessons with Dorothy, the girls were ready to take Pebbles out beyond the area and out for a long walk behind the house:

"Indian headbands" made with Abalone shell we found:

(baby snail)

Flying Kites:

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Dorothy. You are so special to us, and we love visiting your little Oasis by the sea!

Cayucos with the Oakes, Part 1

2009-08-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Grandpa (Josh's Dad - Frank) and Grandma Dorothy live in Cayucos when they are not working (and living) in Port Hueneme.
Right across the highway from the ocean, their place is secluded, warm, and absolutely beautiful. Across the highway the other direction (at the coast) is the Abalone Farm, where Josh lived from the time he was 10 until he was about 16.
Our visits usually result in the girls not wanting to leave and me falling asleep in a lawn chair.
So peaceful.
I wrote the blog in 2 parts since I got SO many great pictures during our many visits out to the Oakes' place.
Josh took pics of the girls collecting boysenberries and you can see them HERE.

The property, yard and surrounding areas:

(backyard)

(Beyond the backyard - My mom's place is north, over the hills on the left)

Time in the yard with Grandpa and Grandma Dorothy:

Playing in the "tunnels" in the yard:

Makin' pies with freshly picked boysenberries:

The girls and the Beagles:

Picking Veggies in the Garden:

*Stay tuned for Part 2 - Pebbles The Pony

Catching up - SLO visit w/Josh

2009-08-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

I arrived from tour in Ca on July 11th. Josh flew in the same day and stayed with us a full week.
It was really hard to say goodbye knowing I wouldn't see him for a month after that, but the days he spent out here were relaxing yet full, including trips to Josh's dad's house, Josh's birthday with friends, and the family reunion in Cayucos.

For Josh's 32nd, we had our best friends in SLO county come over for some pizza and home made carrot cake. The Millers - Ryan, Sarah, Hattie and newborn Tilly, The Rooks - Bret, Andrea, Natalie and the soon-to-be-born Naomi, The Lundeens - Karl, Erin, Sören and the soon-to-be-born Anika, and The Ingalls - Cameron, Anna, and Asher--who is still busy growing, and too tiny to be born just yet:)

We had the shin dig at Carson's (Josh's mom's house) and my mom and her husband Steven and Marty and Roxanne (my bro and sis-in-law) were all able to stop by!

The Millers and Andrea

Sarah, Amelie, and Papa Steven

My first go at Carrot Cake - Josh's grandmother's recipe

Josh and the girls, Cam and Anna in the background.

Bret and Karl

She's getting SO old.

Sweet Natalie Rooks

The next day we went to lunch with Ryan and his daughter Hattie. I had my favorite from Mondeo's - Asian Spa Salad and fresh Ginger Ale.

Amelie grabbing Hattie

More grabbing

I don't care where you are from, or where you have been, I can gaurauntee we have a better Farmer's Market in SLO. It's simply the best. I miss it, and I made sure to get 3 of them in on our trip so far, and will probably be there this Thursday night.

Erin, Josh, Sera and Bret, outside of Firestone.

My "best friend of 23 years" Erin, sharing strawberries with Amelie.

Family Reunion in Cayucos

2009-08-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were able to get together with most of Josh's mom's side of the family for an entire weekend in Cayucos.
We hadn't all been together in a long time, and definitely not since all of us have had kids, so it was great to see all of the littles interacting with each other!

The group included:
Josh's mom Carson, Aunt Donna, Aunt Mary & Uncle Steve (who made the beautiful engagement ring I managed to lose after only 5 years of marriage), his cousin Aristea, her husband Turner and their little boy Hudson, his cousin Thad & his wife Nicole and their sweet baby girl Maren, his brother & sister-in-law, Nate and Christina, and our nephew Xander, and us. MIA was poor Hillary (Josh's cousin) who had just had a tonsilectomy.
We missed you Hill!
Now you can Sera can have something to talk about at future family reunions;)

I only took pics at the park...and a lot of our nephew Xander because he is seriously SUCH a cutie.

Josh linked to his photos from that day HERE.

Thad and Nicole posted a cute video of Amelie and Maren HERE.

Mini Update

2009-08-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Me and the girlies in Morro Bay

Sorry for the lack of updates/pics.
We have been having a wonderful time gallivanting all over the central coast.
We left Nashville on July 7th, got to CA on the 11th and we have been here ever since, and we don't go home until August 20th.
It's so nice.

I have been taking TONS of pictures, so they will be posted soon.
Many of them are of the girls just having fun at the beaches and parks with Nona and Mimi, riding their pony "pebbles" at Grandpa and Grandma Oakes' and eating.
Yes. We have lots of pictures of food.

(fish tacos from the Avila Beach Fish & Farmer's Market)

California is being very, very good to us...except for my allergies which are WILD here.

We have been away from Josh for 2 full weeks and we have about 2 1/2 left to go.
In the meantime, we keep up by video chatting. It's nice, but not as good as the real thing;)

Video Chat

Avila Beach Park - Sera on the phone with Daddy

Avila Beach Park - Amelie on the phone with Daddy

Cayucos

The reservoir on Old Creek Road halfway between Cayucos and Templeton.

I'll post proper entries soon.....

Show tonight @The Clubhouse!

2009-07-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

Port Hueneme with the Oakes

2009-07-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

Soooo...the bulk of the tour shows ended on Sunday, July 19th and I had a week's break before the next show.
Josh flew out for that week and we had a whirlwind vacay together, visiting various family along the Ca coast.

Josh's dad and his dad's wife Dorothy live part time in Port Hueneme where they work during the week (near Ventura-southern California) and part time in Cayucos, on the Central Coast where we were from, and where most of our other family lives.

The girls had never been to their Port Hueneme house, so we stopped there overnight on our way up to SLO from L.A.

It was SO beautiful, and their house is walking distance to parks and the beach, so of course the girls had a blast.

Monday afternoon we walked to the park with the dogs, fed the ducks and geese, walked to the beach and then got soaking wet!
The girls couldn't resist being on the beach for the first time in a year without jumping right in, despite the fact that they didn't have their bathing suits on.

There are so many pictures, I'm just going to post them all and keep the words to a minimum:

Makin' pancakes Tuesday morning:

At the beach in proper attire:

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Oakes, we loved our time in Hueneme!

Concert tonight in Atascadero!

2009-07-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Tour Day Three - ABQ

2009-07-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Read about it on the music blog!

Tour Day Two: OKC

2009-07-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Tour Day Two is up on the music blog!

Hotel Cafe Tonight!

2009-07-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma City Tonight!

2009-07-08T06:58:00.001-07:00

Tour Day One: Little Rock

2009-07-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

CLICK HERE for videos and pics of the first day on the road...

New record and summer tour!

2009-07-01T12:26:00.001-07:00

Friends,
There is so much happening around here!

*My latest record, "Coming Around" is available!
The record is available as a digital only release for now and for a limited time, you can download the entire album for FREE or pay what you think is fair for the music!
Follow the link for details:

http://floparis.net/free-music

(If you're on Twitter or Facebook, it is SUPER helpful/awesome when you update your status letting everyone know you just downloaded the album - it helps spread the word!)

*Summer tour kicked off at my favorite East Nashville spot (Ugly Mugs) with an album release show featuring Eric Brown, Katy Bowser and Sandra McCracken.
Thanks to all who came out to listen and celebrate!

Take a look at the tour dates below and visit www.floparis.net for more information.
You can also click "events" on the Flo Paris fan page to get details, RSVP to events, etc.

7/7 - Little Rock, AR (TBA)
7/8 - Oklahoma City, OK (The Backroom w/Shannon Horn & Emery Clark)
7/9 - Albuquerque, NM (Southwest Gift Baskets and Coffee)
7/10 - Phoenix, AZ (TBA)
7/11 - Bellflower, CA (Angel City Café)
7/12 - Hollywood, CA (Hotel Café w/Lakes)
7/19 - Atascadero, CA (ABC)
7/31 - San Luis Obispo, CA (The Clubhouse)
9/5 - Chattanooga, TN (The Barking Legs)

I may possibly be adding Sacramento, CA to the summer tour and Memphis, TN and St. Louis, MO to the fall, so keep checking the website for details.

There will also be daily video blog entries at www.floparis.net/blog during the tour!

Take care, enjoy the record, and hope to see you on the road!
-Flo

Coming Around

2009-06-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm off to my album release show.
Download the album for free, or pay what you want!

Stuff Christians Like

2009-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

This is freaking hilarious and SPOT ON. Sad/Funny.
My faaaavorite is the "memorial day" post. If I have to hear one more Christian sing "Proud to be an American" I might throw up.
By the way, I can still love Jesus and say that.

Stuff Christians Like

Trip to the Dairy Farm

2009-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Alison and I took our 4 precious girlies to our local dairy farm on Friday.
I would blog the whole thing, but turns out I'm actually pretty lazy, and since Alison has already done a fabulous job documenting the day, I am just going to link to hers ;)

"A Very Dairy Day"

Album Release Show

2009-05-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Keep up on the music blog for the latest news.
News will be posted soon about the July tour!

Sera's Preschool Graduation...aka "Break My Heart"

2009-05-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was not prepared for Sera's preschool graduation.
First of all, she does not really even attend a "real" preschool, but a 2 day a week mother's day out program.
I knew there would be an end of the year program, and some sort of recognition for the 5 year olds who would enter Kindergarten in the fall.
I imagined paper graduation hats at the most.
What I did not expect, were caps, gowns, graduation songs, and tears...but that's exactly what I got:

Our last name is spelled wrong, as always.

Sera and her BFF Abby. I tried to pull Amelie aside out of the picture, but Sera said "No, I want her in!" Sweet sisters.

They had asked the kids a series of questions ahead of time and read them off as they walked down the aisle. It is impossible to hear in the video, so here is what the director is saying:

"Sera Oakes.
Sera wants to be a teacher when she grows up.
Her hero is Sam.
(as in, her friend Sam who is a year older than her. How precious is that!?)
Her favorite colors are pink and red.
Her favorite food is grapes.
She will be attending Kindergarten in the fall.
Her favorite part of Parent's Day Out was playing with Abby."
(Of course, Abby's answer to the same question, was "playing with Sera".
SO sweet)

Sera Reads

2009-05-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sera has been reading for awhile now, but usually in small bits and pieces. She is to the point now where she can sight read (mostly, without sounding out) and reads ALL the signs at the store every time we go out.
She loves the "BOB" books, and has pretty much mastered level one. I think we will be moving up to the next level soon!

Sera reading "Lad and the Fat Cat":