Singing to the Chrismas Child

I am beginning to get involved in my new church here in Salem. I am working on getting on regular rotation for the worship team and I am def. wanted there. They keep on saying, oh wow, a TRUE Tenor. Not like I haven't heard that before. It really is fun being a True Tenor though because there are not that many of us.
When someone says that I am a TRUE Tenor though, what they are saying and what they mean is that I do not have much of a low range. None, really. When they hear me sing my lowest note, a Bb, they get a smile on their face cuz they know that there are not many that cannot sing that.
Anyways, this last Sunday, I was able to sing a backup vocal for the song Forever and that was a lot of fun. I got to meet some new people who were very nice and they had all heard of me ("The guy who is a True Tenor") from Pastor Nate. I was also invited to sing again this week and I gladly accepted, but this weekend I am heading to the Coast for the Veritas (College Group) Retreat and so I could not make it to the practice. I think I will be used more and more though. I hope.
This weekend will be lots of fun. I get to go to SeaKrest yet again and I am looking forward to it. It will be a good chance for me to get to know more people from the group rather than just knowing their stats (their name, what school they go to, and what year they are, ect). I still am a bit fuzzy on even the stats. Hopefully I will be able to have some great conversations with everyone there. It seems to take spending lots of time at things like these for me to open up and get others to open up to me. (except for the Antioch group- I don't know why, but when I went to SeaKrest with the Antioch group, before it was a church, when it was just a college group, I did not draw close to anyone there, Sad, I know.
Anyways, I am looking forward to this weekend just for that, to get to know people more.

On another note, I had some fun yesterday. I decided to do some Operation Christmas Child Boxes, so I went shopping for those. I headed first to the New Dollar Tree near my house and got the majority of the stuff there, then I headed to Target to get stuff that I could not get at the Dollar Tree- like Matchbox Cars and Legos and junk. I got them home, wrapped the boxes and loaded them. They are sitting here in my room and I am so excited to give them away soon.
If you have not ever done an Operation Christmas Child box, you should start. Just start with one, it is not that much money, and it is lots of fun. I started with one a few years ago, and then it gradually grew. SO much fun, you won't be sorry.
(BTW- if you do not know what Operation Christmas Child is, you can search online to find out exactly what it is. A division of Samaritan's Purse)

THE BEST PIZZA RECIPE EVER

Parties are great, aren't they? The whole Family is in town this weekend  (minus a Bro in Law who had to get back to WA) and we had a party for the little one last night. It was a great time. She loved the attention. We had an early one year old birthday party for my niece, she turns one on November 11th. Exciting times. She got some great new clothes, and a Video Camera (granted the video camera was mainly for the rest of the family, so we can see Arianna while she is growing up.Also, we had some good cake and a few other presents too.
We also are having somewhat of a party tonight as we are planning Pizzas for all. At first, mom was saying she was just going to get some Papa Murphy's Pizzas, but I suggested my Famous Pizzas from my Recipe book. At first she said no, because it is a lot of work to get the dough and all the ingredients and the make the sauce and all that, until she found out that I was offering to make the pizzas myself. So, yahoo, we are having ind. pizzas for the family and I get to make the BEST PIZZA DOUGH AND SAUCE EVER. If you taste these recipes you will understand and agree with me.

Here it is in case you ever feel like making the best pizza ever.
http://www.archive.org/download/BestPizzaRecipe/Pizza.pdf

Fall Beauty in Salem, Oregon

I went out this morning for a walk/drive/photoshoot in Salem area. I started at a park that I thought would have some great trees to take some pictures at and it has some walking paths too, and I did take some photos but, I found the trees to be somewhat boring. I was looking for fall trees and there were not that many there of the beautiful changing leaves. So after my walk, I took a drive down to Market street.

"To Market, to Market, to buy a fat hog..." ( I know at least my family was thinking of that)

I went to Market street to take some photos because I knew that there were some amazing trees along the road. I was right. The majority of the photos that have made it only my Picasa site are from Market and the surrounding areas, side streets and junk. I also tried to take some on Commercial but there are not that many places to stop and take pictures on Commercial street.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the photos of Fall in Salem, Oregon.

Tim's Fall Salem Photos

Snow is Better!

Ya know how everyone can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Snow is BETTER than rain??
Well, I know there might be some out there that are delusional enough to believe that Rain is fun. But, I say take a look at the songs.
Sure, there is Singin in the Rain, and Its Raining Men (But really, thats not about Rain, thats more about Men), but most songs are portraying Rain in a Bad way, like- Raindrops Keep Fallin on my Head... Thats not about the wonderful sensation that it is to have rain fall on your head, its saying - Its not good to have rain and you feel bad and whatnot.

Well to get to my original question- The way you know everyone can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Snow is Better than rain is by the songs. Think of all the great Snow Songs...

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Snow, Snow Snow (The song from White Christmas)
Winter Wonderland
And many more.


Now, don't let people tell you that the only reason the songs of snow are better than the Rain songs because it is during Christmas that we sing these songs. Yes, I give you that it does have something to do with it, but it still stands that SNOW is WAY Better than rain (especially when you don't have to drive in it)

And, Hey, You can NOT do this with Water/Rain

 

The Inspiration for Blogs!

Doogie Howser, the very first blogger. Well, not quite, he just had a journal on his computer where we put them online for people to view and comment, but hey its pretty close.

Gotta Love Doogie!

Chirstmas Music Reviews

Today was another Christmas Music day for me for some reason. I decided to get the music ready for listening to and so I made some playlists in my iTunes and looked through my Christmas collection to see what I have.
I also took a look at new christmas music coming out or just recently release.
I found some new stuff:

Family Force 5 has a new Christmas Album out.

After previewing, I have found that this is not the Christmas music that I enjoy. I have really liked their past two albums, the sound has changed and I liked the new stuff, but this time, the sound for me is WAY too electronic. I don't mind occasional hints at electronic sounds and voices and such, but this whole album sounds the same and it does not have any variety to it. It all sounds made up and I don't like that much. So my review of this new album that came out the 6th, as a 2 out of 5.

My next review was of How Many Kings By Downhere:

This one I was not expecting to like that much. I do like downhere and their vocals and music, but I was expecting it to be too soft for my likings. I was wrong. Yes, they have a softer side than Fam Force 5, or the X Christmas, but it is a good sound and they have lots of variation. Their songs are catchy and very fun to listen to. They usually put a twist to the old standards and have a few of their own, new ones (included the title track- How Many Kings) that are done very well.

My next review is of the X Christmas Album:

This album was released last christmas and is all of the more rockier bands of Christian music. The bands included are everything from Thousand Foot Krutch (and their counterpart- FM Static) to Hawk Nelson, to David Crowder, to Anberlin, to the Almost, to Project 86, and KJ-52, and even more.
I did have some fun listening to this album last year on the way back from a concert, and trying to guess what bands they were, but I did not want to buy it just then because there were some songs that were kinda scary for me and didn't sound like christmas songs ( I think you will understand once you hear these few songs). But after a year and listening to samples again, there are still some that I would not buy on their own, but for the most part, the songs are good and very rock-y. I would recommend this album for the 10 or so good songs, rather than the 2 or 3 not as fun songs.

The next one I took a look at was Shane and Shane. Their new album last year as well, Glory in the Highest, is very well done.

It is a quieter album that seems to me to have some jazz/blues sounds to it and I am not all that into Jazz, but it still struck me. They have great vocals on this album and the ways of recreating some of those classic songs that everyone knows, is awesome. I am planning on getting this one sometime before christmas.


The next is one that I have had for two years now- MercyMe and their album- The Christmas Sessions.

This one is amazing. It is my favorite christmas album and has nothing even comparable to it since Amy Grant's Home For Christmas Album way back in the early '90s.

Their songs are great. They have wonderful vocals. Again, the old classics are put together in an interesting way that makes them brand new again. They have some new songs such as Jacob's Lulaby which is about Jesus' earthly father singing him to sleep and thinking about all he will do. And of course you gotta love an album with Christmastime is Here and O Holy Night.
The sounds are legendary and I would Recommend this to anyone who likes christmas music. I give it a 6 out of 5.

KROC

Today was a day with the fam. I has the opportunity this morning to attend a Men's Breakfast with Dad at his Church here in Spokane. Then we put up the Tent for tomorrows after-service time (But I really don't know if there will be that many people who'll want to stand outside and talk. It's gettin kinda cold over here) And then we met up with Mom and Kelli and headed towards the Davenport Hotel in Downtown. This is a pretty impressive hotel from the early 1900s and it has been remodeled and has lots of great pictures from 1919 and 1914 and such. Then we headed out towards Cour DAlene. We got some food in a little shopping-type mall at an Italian place and it had a Good Strumboli (kinda like a Calzone but different) then I had to kill an hour because the sister wanted to shop in this place that had only Girly stores, so I was incredibly bored for that hour. Then we headed to the KROC center- A Salvation Army Community Center where we saw all the things it had to offer. Lots and lots of stuff including a Leisure Pool, a Competition pool, athletic center, and theatre/Church.
Then we headed back to the basement and took a rest. Now it is off to a Dinner at the home of a couple in Dad's church. Should be fun, they are great people.

Oh, and there is a Brand New KROC Center in Salem now too, so I might have to check it out and see if I need to join.

Yesterday and Today

Another Great reason that I enjoy Jack in the Box so much- The workers there are AWESOME. I stopped on my way to Spokane for a Big Cheeseburger for $1.00 and asked if they had any dollar small soda drinks as well. He said that the cheapest size they had for  soda was $1.50. I was not planning on spending more than $2 so I said, no thanks. Then as I was paying, he gave me a cup and said "Don't worry about it" A FREE DRINK FOR ME! That was awesome. You sure would not find someone just giving away a drink at McDonald's (of course, at least McDonald's has Dollar drinks though too).

Anyways,
I am in Spokane right now spending time with family. Dad is up here doing an Interim job at Trinity Baptist in Spokane. And every week practically, he is driving down to Redmond to see mom and family, and so this week we (mom, Kelli, and I decided to travel up here to see him instead) so I drove from Salem to Biggs and met mom there. I left my car, and we drove up the rest of the way together. Kelli is on her way tomorrow via a plane trip. We had a good safe drive up to Spokane last night. Mom drove from Biggs to Kennewick, and we had dinner at Olive Garden, (In which we both didn't feel all that great afterwards) and then I drove her car the rest of the way.

This morning we went to a State park in Spokane and then headed to the church to say hi to the other secondary secretary, then it was off to a great lunch at Tomato Street Italian Restaurant.  I was a bit weary about this restaurant because I did not want to have tomatoes. (hehe) But it was a great lunch. Dad and I had what they call the Lazonni which is pretty much Lasagna with Pizza Dough Wrapped around it like a Calzone. We still have extra for dinner too.
Now it is time for a relaxing afternoon. Mom is sleeping and I am doing some homework stuff and a post of course.  We are also planning a trip to the Mall in northern Spokane sometime this afternoon.

A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to have a comforter for my bed. Not just any comforter, but one that was fleece and homemade. Well I asked some friends to do this project for me if I got them the material. So that is what I did. I get to see my finished project tomorrow morning and I can't wait to use my new fleece comforter tomorrow night. Thank You Pillsbury's.

Castrato???

What gives it away? Is it my manly look? my Furry Physique? My Billowing Voice?My Gruff personality? Every time I am in an audition, people know I am a Tenor singer even before I sing??? How is that Possible>?? (I am just kidding, I know that its because of my HIGH voice that people know that I am a Tenor.)
I went in tonight for an audition for singing in the worship team at Salem First Baptist. Nate knew right away that I was a Tenor, even before I sang. WOW, How did he know.
It must be because of my voice. That same voice that people think that I have not gone through puberty yet. That same voice that when answering the phone at home, people think that I am my mother. That same voice that gets made fun of. But ALSO, that same voice that sings wonderfully. That same voice that has such a rich texture when singing, that makes people cry. That same voice that was given me by God. That same voice that I have been to Two All-State and one All-Northwest Choirs in.
I may have a high voice. I may not have much of a low range (None at all really). I may be teased about having a Castrato operation (an operation done a long time ago that "Fixed" young men so they would have high voices for the rest of their lives), But it is the voice that God has given me and I am not ashamed of it. I am proud of my high voice that cannot sing below a middle C. I am proud of what I was given and born with.
We should all be proud of our gifts that God has given us and not worry about what others think or what we would want to have as a gift ourselves.

It's Got Me Thinkin about It!

Guess who went down the Costco CHRISTMAS Aisle today?? Yup, you guessed it, ME. It was not even my idea, my mom's. And, of course it is starting to stir the feeling of Christmas in me. LOL. I know what you are thinking. I can hear practically all of you yelling at me "It is not Christmas yet, Tim. There are still 84 days until Christmas." (My sisters yelling the loudest of course, but I say Bah Humbug to them) But ya know what, I don't care.

It has started. 

I am even starting my christmas music- Hawk Nelson- The Bells on Christmas Day as I write this.

It really is quite an amazing time of the year. Sadly, this year I do not get to decorate a whole house as I did last Christmas. It really puts me in the mood. I have some great decorations for my house (AKA the non-existent one) and so I was thinking about doing some decorating of my room in Salem, but I think it would be smarter to just wait for home in Redmond to do that. It is so exciting though.

I can already smell the spiced Cider cooking in the crook pot- the aroma wafting throughout the whole house
I can see the ceramic houses dispersed all throughout the living room with no space for more (even though each year the collection gets bigger and bigger) (There are suburbs of this village all around the windows and coffeetables)
I can feel the chill of the snow on the ground in which I throw snowballs at my dog who tries to catch them in her mouth as if it were a ball.
I can taste the peppermint fudge that is a yearly tradition with my family. There is never enough.
I can hear the laughter of the family when all together and enjoying the company, talking about nothing in particular.
I can feel the emotion of Christmas morning when I cannot sleep and we have stockings, Special Cinnamon Rolls, the Christmas Story from the Bible (everyone reading a section and Justin reading about Maggie -Not the GPS), and Presents- In that Order.

Can you not see why this is the greatest time of the year; One I look forward to each year and want to start earlier and earlier each year??

The Only Home I Know

The Only Home I Know.... (good song that I have sung before but also a description of Redmond/Bend)

Well, I am back home again for a wedding that is happening this Saturday. I got up on Tuesday and decided that I would  drive home then instead of Thursday or Wednesday because it would give me more time at home with family and I did not have anything to do in Salem except homework that I can do wherever I am. (The nice thing about mostly online classes)
So, I waited for the mail to come (around noon) and checked it, nothing for me (I am still waiting for my Sub letter to come in the mail so I could be a sub in the Salem District.) and then headed out to HWY22. I made a quick stop at Costco for some gas and a pit stop then headed in the direction of Home. The first bit was very very rainy. It was the worst rain I had ever driven in, but then it stopped. There was quite a bit of traffic on Tuesday heading home, that was a bummer. After about Idanah though, the traffic subsided. I was also worried about the construction flaggers that I had checked on that said there were two, both a 20 min. wait or more. BUT, luckily, the flaggers were very quick and I did not have to wait more than 3 minutes. By the end, I was zoomin along at my pace and that was nice. I made fairly good time and got home around 2:45.
Well, I got home and had a nice dinner with mom at the Pub. Gotta love the Pulled Pork Sandwitch. Very good. Then yesterday, I got up and had a nice easy morning and decided to get our HD cam ready for the wedding. I wanted to get all the files off of the camera so it had a fresh start. So I transfered all the items (Mostly Arianna Clips) onto my computer and made them into an Archival Backup DVD. I tried it out on the big screen and the video files looked awesome. It was great to see the clips in HD and that big.
So, now the camera is ready and I am waiting to do the Video for the wedding.
I also did lots of reading for my Homework/Classes yesterday.