Dear Nursing: You are crazy and intense and challenging and weird. I like it :) Dear Winter Storm: Everyone just stay home. A 60 car pile-up is enough. Dear White Chocolate Raspberry Mocha: You are my new favourite drink. I am now adopting you and calling you mine. Yum. Dear C & C: One year ago I was celebrating your wedding, and now I am celebrating the birth of your beautiful baby girl. Congratulations. Dear Mexican Bulldog {second beverage letter}: I can't actually finish one of you. Such a lightweight. Dear Sister: I love getting up early with you and visiting. Dear Alicia Keys: "This Girl Is On Fire" is my new life theme song. Heck yes!
Happy Friday!
Don't forget about the transition from Google Reader to Bloglovin'.
This is effective July 1st, so don't forget to follow A Silver Snapshot here.
I have talked ad nauseam about Sister on this blog {blogger's privileges}. At the beginning of October, she took off for a crazy two month adventure in the amazon to help pastors learn more about the Bible. So proud.
You know what else I've obsessed over??? LES MISERABLES . . . which is premiering on December 25th.
So before Sister left, she recorded a guitar cover of "I Dreamed A Dream", a solo sung by the character Fantine in the musical. She dedicated it to me, which touched my heart so much. So I decided to record the same song on the piano {this is a first for A Silver Snapshot}.
Here is my piano cover of "I Dreamed A Dream" for my Sister. Love you!
Fact: I am getting really excited for my Halloween party on Wednesday. I hope it'll be super awesome and full of fun costumes. Fact: Don't even ask me how many times I have listened to Taylor Swift's new CD Red. Don't even. No shame. Fact: I often travel all by myself. I have flown by myself so many times, that the couple of times I have been with people, I didn't know what to do with myself. Do you make constant conversation? Do you sleep on each others' shoulders? What are the rules? Fact: Tomorrow is a very special day on the blog *insert big, mischievous smile*. Fact: The best three female roles in Broadway are as follows: Eponine from Les Miserables, Hodel from Fiddler on the Roof, and Christine from The Phantom of the Opera. Fact: I miss playing classical music on big, grand pianos. However, I don't miss the amount of time and effort that went into piano. Fact: I often sing very loudly when I am by myself at home, which is a lot during the day. Hopefully, the neighbours can't hear . . . Fact: I love the snow. Sorry, but I do.
Fort McMurray is the prettiest in the fall. I'm in love with the changing trees.
I was going to link up with Emily from The Freckled Fox for her "Little Letters", but I don't think she's having that linky party today. Either way, kudos to her for the idea!
UPDATE: Linky party was on Thursday. Whups, my bad!
Dear September: Where did you go? First semester is almost halfway over... Dear Once Upon A Time: You were everything I hoped and nothing like I expected. Best episode yet! Dear J. K. Rowling Book: You are a grave disappointment. Expect a full blogpost book review soon. Dear Final Exam: You are NEXT WEEK!?!?! Um, what!?!?! Surrender flag being raised now. Dear Sister: Happy travels as you're off to the Amazon. Love you. Dear New Taylor Swift Songs Begin Again and Red: Love, love, love. I am so excited for October 22nd! Dear Halloween: I am getting excited for costumes and the party I'm hosting :) Gotta love dressing up. Dear Music Covers:OccasionallySometimes Most of the time, I like you better than original music. Whups. Dear Thanksgiving: I hope you are filled in an incessant amount of turkey, pumpkin pie, football, friends, and laughter {oh, and of course, studying}.
Have you ever heard Paul Brandt's single Alberta Bound? Whenever I'm driving through my beautiful Alberta, I love to have it on full volume with the windows down. I took these photos of the beauty of this province on my trip to Flaxee's wedding.
Don't worry, I haven't lost my B.C. roots, and I'm a mountain girl through and through. However, something in Alberta's vast skies and endless fields captures my soul. I love this place.
Have you ever heard of the Broadway production Les Miserables?
It is based on a novel by Victor Hugo that was published in 1862.
The musical was written by Claude-Michel Schonberg and opened in 1985.
It follows the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean.
The antagonist/villain is the policeman Javert.
We meet Fantine, the mother who turned prostitute to support her daughter.
We meet Cozette, the starving child Valjean raises.
We meet Marius, the lovestruck scholar who joins the revolution.
We meet Eponine, the street rat with unrequited love.
We meet others such as the Thenardiers, Enjolras, and Gavroche.
But it is not just the characters and their stories that grip you,
it is the music.
In a word, it is thrilling.
I first heard of Les Miserables in 2006 when my vocal instructor took myself, Crystal, and Isaac to a neighbouring town to see a high school production. Wow. I think my world changed. I soon went on to sing "On My Own" in a recital competition. Since then, I've kept up with the music on YouTube and whatnot, and {along with Phantom}, it has remained a favourite. Moreover, it is a musical that both my sister and I geek out over
{check out this amazing high school production on YouTube here}.
And now, it is going to be a movie {after 26 years}.
Watch for it on December 13, 2012.
And a few days ago, the first trailer was released.
Am I the only one who listens to a song/album over and over and over
until it is embedded into the music portion of the brain? No? It's just me? Well, I do.
The repeat button on iTunes is my best friend.
My latest find is for KING & COUNTRY, one of the opening bands at YC Alberta 2012.
Their haunting melodies and beautiful lyrics stick with you.
A lost memory She had water in her eyes She cried stay with me Say how can this be love If you are leaving me But darling love's to blame
Well, I am alive {sorta}. Sleep deprived and without a voice {not due to screaming but due to actually getting sick}, but I survived. The weekend was full of noise, music, shopping, and God. Here are a few snapshots of YC Alberta 2012.
Switchfoot
Tim Hughes
Ben Cantelon
The two speakers were my favourite, and the concept of surrender will continue to be processed long past when YC ended.
Of course, the shopping wasn't that bad either :P
So I am letting all of you in on a little secret. While I lifeguard, I tend to sing to myself. It is done very quietly and [usually] when no one is around to hear me. It is something mindless to do to pass the time, and it does not distract me from guarding. Plus for those of you who know me, I tend to be a permanent songbird, so I'm just working that into my work environment. Anyways, so two days ago, I am standing on the bulkhead doing my scans, but I forget that there is a lap swimmer literally right at my feet. So not only do I break out in song, but it isn't even a song. It is more like a "da, da, la, la, boo, bop, bo". Also, the one time I happen to not sing under my breath is . . . now.
Awesome:
A song that has been on my mind recently. Measure your life in love.
. . . it's because I'm listening to The Hunger Games (Songs from District 12 and Beyond) on repeat.
This may or may not have been my first purchase with my first paycheck . . .
Early favourites include:
-Abraham's Daughter by Arcade Fire
-Daughter's Lament by The Carolina Chocolate Drops -Kingdom Come by The Civil Wars
-Eyes Open by Taylor Swift
Purchase it! It's worth it.
On a different note, I have reached over 10,000 pageviews.
Although I've said many times that I would probably continue blogging even if no one read my stuff, the fact that people do read it makes it that much more wonderful. So thank you to everyone who takes the time out of their day to see what A Silver Snapshot is all about. Thank you for every pageview, comment, and follower. It means so much to me! ♥
In my life, music has always held such a heavy weight with me.
For some reason, music has always been controversial to me. I'm not entirely sure why? There is the whole classical side of it that engulfed 12 years of exams and recitals. Then, there is the Broadway side that holds a certain fascination to me. Some of the people closest to me (or just the ones that have lived with me) will tell you that I randomly burst out in whatever song phrase runs through my mind. Sometimes, music says it best, whether it's chalked full of well-timed lyrics or just a haunting melody.
Rising above all of this, today's music is Eminem - sometimes that's just how it is.
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