November Events. . .

Obviously the business slows WAY down in the winter months.  There isn't a lot of demand for outdoor concerts when it gets cold.  So all things considered, November wasn't too bad of a month as far as events go.  We had 4 "big" events (as in bigger than a speaker rental) in 4 different venues.  I was kind of lazy about taking pictures of the first two so the only visuals I have are from my Blackberry. . . .
The first set of pictures is from the Mark Masri concert at Boise High School.  You can read more about him by clicking this link.   He was easy to work with and the sound check went well. . .

We had a little bit of time between the sound check and the show so Rob and Kurt did a little bit of tweaking on the school's sound system in hopes that it could sound a little bit better.  Rob and I went upstairs where the amps were and Kurt stayed down below to listen to the speakers as they were adjusted. . .

My job was to relay information by leaning over the balcony and listening to what each of them said and repeating it to the other one.  It was a little bit creepy up there and, I'm sure you had to be there, but this "old man" caught my eye and made me jump at least once.  I know.  Whatever. . .

I didn't end up staying for the entire concert but I heard he was really good. . .

This is obviously not the Boise High concert but it will have to do. . .


The second concert was at The Egyptian. . .
This is the promotional video that was taken last year:


This was our second year on this second annual event.  It was a busy day- we couldn't start setting up until 10 a.m. and then sound checks for the four (big) groups started at 2:00 and went right up until the doors opened at 6:00.  We had 5 minutes between bands while a magician entertained the crowd and then the next group would be up and playing for the next 25 minutes before it was time to get them off the stage and prepare for the next one.  Even if I would have remembered to bring the camera, I wouldn't have had much time to take pictures.  This is pretty much the only one I have:

Good thing there's Youtube. . .

Chad Marvin. . .


Reckless Abandon. . .


Scott Riggan



Our next big show was less than a week later and was much, much different. . .

We had a late night set up due to the fact that the first concert with the Doo Wah Riders was a school show at 10:00 in the morning.  We showed up around 7:30 a.m. after setting everything the night before and when the band showed up around 8, we were more than ready.  They were a little surprised at how prepared we were as though it doesn't happen very often. . .

The school show went well and we had the afternoon to set lights and get ready for the evening concert.  The Doo Wah Riders were probably one of the easiest groups we've ever worked with.  They were talented, too.  It was a great concert. . .

The fiddle player was amazing (although I think he preferred the term violinist since he was classically trained).  He played his instrument behind his back! It was amazing. . .

Kurt took this video from back stage:

And last but certainly not least was the concert out in Kuna.  There is so much I could say but so much that I won't.  It was a nice show.  How's that?

The first performer. . .

Jaime Theitten:


The second performer. . .

Jeff Bates. . .


The Emcees. . .

Dee Sarton and Cory Mikhals

The third performer. . .

Bryan White. . .


And, finally, the Star of the show. . .

M. Hunter. . .


Needless to say, we worked with some talented musicians this month. 

And that's all I have to say about that . .

In The Meantime. . .

After Gloria and I dropped the boys off at Silver Creek for the big hike, we smart girls went back to the cabin to hang out.  We had cold drinks, chocolate chip cookies and flushing toilets. We spent a good chunk of our time down at the river teaching Jake to swim. . .

Jake is the biggest chicken-dog we've ever had.  He's afraid of everything and he yelps loudly even when he thinks something might hurt.  He's clumsy and a bit sideways but he's lovable enough that we can overlook it. . .

He wasn't thrilled about getting wet and he ran around like crazy trying to shake off the water. . .

Gloria was a very kind and patient teacher!!

Gloria also took the opportunity to practice her gymnastics which Jake thought he should be a part of!!

Is it just me or is it easier to breathe at the cabin???

I decided to get a some much neglected paper work done while I watched college football on cable.  I actually enjoy paperwork (weird, I know) so it was really pretty relaxing to sit next to the picture window with my laptop in front of me, the football game on one side and wildlife on the other. . .

We eventually had to make the long, steep, winding drive to pick up the hikers (right in the middle of the first quarter of the BSU game!!) and Gloria and Jake showed off their new skills in the river. . .

All good things must come to and end and reality called us back to work on Sunday afternoon. . .

Summer Birthday Slide Show. . .

Happy 19th Birthday, Zach!!

The Last Three Days. . .

My job involves listening to a wide range of musical genres on a regular basis but every once in awhile I'm struck by just how different the musical styles can be from one show to the next. . .

Thursday, Nampa Nights with Matrix. . .
Set list included ACDC's Back In Black and (of course) Mustang Sally. . .

Friday, Worship in the Park with Jeremy Riddle and Brenton Brown. . .
Set list included Christ is Risen and Everlasting God. . .

Saturday, The Meridian Symphony Orchestra at City Hall with a guest opera singer!
Set list included The Star Spangled Banner and a Medley of Broadway Hits. . .

So out of all of the songs I heard during the last three days, guess which one was my favorite??  (Hint: NOT Mustang Sally). . .

It was THIS one:

Yep, maybe I'm not such a Redneck afterall. . .

Party!!

It's been an interesting weekend: I've been immersed in boxes of memories, we had a little excitement that I've been sworn to secrecy about, Rob came down with the "yuck" that's been going around AND we celebrated my mom's birthday.


My brain has been on overload so it wasn't surprising that I forgot my camera. This is the only picture I took with my phone all evening. It was during a heated political discussion. Ok, heated is probably a strong word but I find it interesting/cool that Zach has formed all kinds of educated opinions on a wide range of subjects and can even defend them. He should have been on a debate team. . .

We all enjoy playing games so we had a big pile to choose from. Gloria was at a friend's house and Rob was keeping his sick germs to himself at home but the rest of us played games the entire evening . . .

The Grand Finale' was a rousing game of Spoons. . .

It was a little violent, but that's to be expected. . .

What fun is Spoons unless you can compare your flesh wounds??

I handed off my phone to my mom and she took a few videos. . .

Maybe you had to be there to appreciate it but it was hilarious!!

Quiz Meet #2. . . Quaker Hill. . .

In spite of bad weather that threatened to shut down quiz meet #2, everyone made it to McCall and back home again safely. Oh yeah, we also had a really good time! I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do because 1. I was too cold most of the time, 2. The rooms were mostly small and not well lit and 3. I was just kind of feeling lazy. . . Besides, I mostly used my phone so the quality isn't great but it still works to capture the memories. . .


Still my favorite team of officials:


It's always fun to quiz against the Greenleaf team. . .

So much snow! It snowed off and on the entire weekend. . .

Rob came along to the meet to help with music and sound. He might be banned from future quiz meets for challenging the judge who didn't accept Zach's challenge. . .

Our cabin was tiny but cozy. 10 females in a room that slept 10. Three of the bunks were just a couple of feet from the ceiling. I called a bottom bunk, of course, as did all of the adults so poor Steph, pretty much the tallest girl in the room, got stuck way up top. . .

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the middle school team quizzing because I am not their coach. I heard they did just fine, though, and had a great time. . .

The verse-off. . .

Quizzing against Newberg. Good times!

I've been playing the game of Spoons most of my life but I have to say that the 2 hour game at Quaker Hill will probably live in my memory as THE MOST VIOLENT of them all. At least 4 people bled at some point (the sign of a TRUE Spoon's Player) and I'm pretty sure there were some visible bruises as well. . .

It was SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Here is just a little bit of video as proof:

The second meet is always held around my and Elsie's birthday so we still get to celebrate together like we have since she was about 3!!

The awards ceremony! Zach's hard work paid off and he took first place in the high school division! Yay, Zach!

Cute couple. . .

Sweet friendships. . .

One last look at our cozy little room. . .

And finally, the traditional eating of the Hostess cupcake on the return trip. . .

Always fun to go to Quaker Hill but always nice to come back home. . .