The Mother Hips/My Favorite Hips Mix Link

The Mother Hips truly and securely hold a place in my heart where many of my best memories are stored. I first heard these guys in maybe 98 or 99 and saw my first live show in 99 or 2000. I'm not exactly sure, but I know I have been in love ever since. I have since gone on to see them over 50 times in many different venues. And they never disappoint (except when they fake breaking up that have done a few times).


Happily they are making music together again, their newest release Kiss the Crystal Flake is amazing! Its great that they are also touring again, though on a much smaller scale. The reason for my post, is I am going to see them this weekend in two live shows in San Juan Capistrano and Hermosa Beach. Elin, my best friend of many years and my partner in crime in all things Hips related and also the person I owe a great big THANK YOU for introducing me to the Mother hips.


This weekend, I am breaking in a 'Hips' newbie, my husband! He has only heard them in bits and pieces as I have made him mix tapes or when Ive been listening to them. So in honor of seeing them live, I made him a mix tape of my favorites, and thought I would break in all you other 'Hips' newbies out there! Click the link and download my mix! I am hoping that you will all fall in love with them and purchase all their albums and support them so they can keep making music!


Some of my favorite Hips shows have been at the Bit and Spur in Springdale, Utah (right outside zion), which provided me with some of the most memorable shows, some being, when Kgordee played with the Hips, and my 21st birthday, and him kissing his wife for the first time, a weird lady sitting on Elin's lap who was sitting on Emilie's lap, crazy crazy crowds and the fun road trips with hours of 'who would you rather games'. When I came home from 4 months in China, after an 18 hour flight and little sleep, I surprised all my friends by showing up at the Mother Hips show in Provo at Johnny B's. Seeing the Hips at the Zepher in Utah! always the funnest and most joyous crowds of fans, being surrounded by friends all singing along to every song. Once I was singing so loud to 'Hey Emilie' that I was 'overcome' by the spirit of rock and roll and literally Collapsed at Egos, in Utah. Of course the Hips road trips to different states, especially the Belly Up in San Diego, always a rowdy crowd but worth it. Also fun to camp in San Clemente on the beach and look for records at Lou's! I have so so many memories of my time 'following' the Mother Hips, and I hope that anyone who reads this will comment and share the love! Because I know their music has certainly made a difference in my life and gotten me through a lot!

Girls Camp

A while ago I was lucky enough to receive the calling as Girls Camp Director! Can I tell you all, that I am seriously freaking out! Tonight I am going to my very first meeting, which apparently is supposed to last for 3 hours! 3 hours people! I guess its hard for me because i feel like a baby when it comes to callings, especially callings that involve organization and planning (not some of my strong points). However, I guess we get the jobs that we know we need to work on! If anyone has words of advice, please help me because I have NO idea what I am doing here!

All the freaking out aside, I am really excited to go to girls camp. The girls are so sweet and really great and I can honestly say that some of my favorite memories (and most spiritual) come from my time at girls camp. I love the singing, camping, building fires, being in nature, and most of all I love the camaraderie and friendship that grows between the girls and leaders. I will be posting updates of how I am handling my new responsibilities.

HTML love!

Since I am not so great with HTML, chad helped me further pimp my blog to my own personal likings. I changed what I wanted in photoshop and he helped host the image and put it on my blog! I have the smartest, most amazing husband ever! and now I have a truly cute blog of my dreams! (at least until I get bored with it in a few months!)

My blog needs a makeover

So, I have been seeing many blog friends with fancy shmancy blog pages and I am wondering if anyone out there in blog land can recommend some free blog template sites so I can spruce up my boring blog.

UPDATE: blog makeover complete, thanks to 'the cutest blog on the block' (because I dont know how to write my own html code and thanks to Leslie and Liz for the recommendations. I hope you all like it!

It's that time again . . .

LOST is coming back tomorrow night, and yes, I am totally obsessed. This season Chad is along for the ride as well! After the show I want to hear what everyone thinks about the new season! Another new show that I think it totally worth checking out is LEVERAGE. It's like a modern day robin hood with the slick tricks of oceans 11.

Artist block

I struggle sometimes with what to write and what to withhold from my blog. I have friends who pour out their heart and souls on their blogs and I must say that It takes a lot of courage to do that. So today, since I am feeling quite introspective I will take a page from their book and get a little personal. I have no idea if most people will actually read this, or if my blog has just become a means by which to deliver random facts and pictures from my life.

Someone said a good blog is one that is written about something that we are passionate about, Since I have been married, lately the main thing I feel that strongly about is my husband, yes, I know its cheesy, but it is true. But am I alienating people because not EVERYONE feels as passionate about Chad as I do?? That being said, I would like to think that I am passionate about art, or at least I used to be.

Lately (for the past year and a half) I have felt a huge artist block, if that is what its called. Although I have had great happiness and change in my personal life, I have felt artistically un-inspired. I guess making photography a business has sucked all the life away from me and my ability to take photos that mean something to me.

In a recent conversation with a friend, I admitted that I thought I chose the wrong path for my life, because I don't feel passionate about photography. I don't LOVE picking up a camera lately, I don't like shooting weddings, or portraits, or I guess people in general. I am not sure why it is but I think it has to do with a lack of self confidence on my part, and also finding it hard to relate to people in a commercial photography type way.

I've been trying to get out of my comfort zone and shoot more people, and have recently photographed a couple babies. I like the way the picture turned out... but i find myself drawn to pictures of places or things rather than people. I'm wondering, is there something fundamentally wrong with me? Or is it that I feel more connection of emotion with the places people inhabit or things left behind.

A lot of my work I have a hard time categorizing, because I feel so fiercely personal about the photography I shoot for myself. Recurring themes in my work deal with memory and the process of recording it. But when people look back at me and my work will they wonder if I lived alone? Ive spent almost 2 weeks alone, Chad has been away on business and I work from home, so it is rare that I HAVE to be in contact with people.

I think that what this week and for the most part, and in moving away from all my family and friends has taught me is, I NEED people, and I could never live my life alone. Although at times I find myself feeling alone among a room full of people. I guess I just can't let the world within myself keep me from living my life, and I hope that soon it will allow me to come to a place where I feel passionate about art and about my work and feel excited to create something, even if it is just for me.






I have shot ONE of these photographs in the last few months, the rest come from a place when I felt passionate about photography, and felt like I did have something to say, and felt a love for art. This year, I will try to recapture that, and to get over this artist block.

Christmas update!

This Christmas was truly a 'white Christmas' as we spent it in Utah! It was like out of a movie, you know the type, when it starts snowing that beautiful 'movie snow' on Christmas Eve and everyone goes, awwwww. We had a great time playing in the snow and sledding and hot coco with the marshmallows and candy canes afterward.

Certainly one of the highlights of the trip was our annual Christmas party/gift exchange/Nativity. It was several days of parties that reach a high point when mom aka Redwing, got out a floppy Christmas dog and said... "Some of you haven't seen grammie tap dance before".

For those of you who haven't been lucky enough to see (or relive through the retelling of) the original tap dancing bit that happened several years ago at the Gibson/Doxey Christmas party. Lets just say it involved, 40+ pairs of tap shoes, particle boards over the carpet, a lot of jazz hands and MOST of my family tap dancing with Redwing at the helm!


So this year, Mom relived the old tap dancing glory days by dancing to a little ditty by Mannheim Steamroller. It was fanciful and frolicking that would make Liberace proud! Stay tuned for a Youtube link!


Chad was truly 'broken in' to my family this year, not only by the tap dancing but by the 50+ people and children squealing and blowing Kazoos so deafening that I think I suffered significant hearing loss! The look on his face says it all.

I will be posting more pics from Christmas but in the mean time you can check some of them out HERE. All joking aside we had a wonderful and memorable first Christmas together thanks to all our family and friends who took the time to hang out while we were up in Utah.