music

Highway to Happiness: Shall We Process?

Wedding Recaps

Yes, we shall. Timelines be damned, we were just going to roll with it!

All images courtesy of Pink Shutterbug Photography

All images courtesy of Pink Shutterbug Photography

But before we do, let’s take a look at the aisle and ceremony decor. We kept it simple but, I think, effective. For the aisle markers I needed something free-standing (the earlier idea to use shepherd’s hooks or similar was, of course, nixed when we chose a non-grassy space for the ceremony) but also something that was easy to set out since we would be handing them off to the venue to arrange and you never know who’s going to end up with that job. I drew up the plans for an open crate with a tall lattice back panel, just deep enough to fit a trio of wine bottles, which Roadie was kind enough to build for me. Painted a dark brown and then sponged with a metallic glaze, they were deemed complete with the addition of some moss-coated wire, faux grape clusters, and the aforementioned bottles.

As I mentioned in our planning posts, in lieu of a bridal party, we opted to formally seat our families at the beginning of the ceremony (instead of just the mothers, as is traditional). Starting with Roadie’s family, his father escorted his sister to her seat and Roadie escorted his Mom. Roadie likes Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (as do I), so we settled on the Largo from Winter for their music.

pinkshutterbug_seatinggroomsfamily_collage

For my family we went with Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring as played by the Canadian Brass (a subtle nod to Mom dealing with 7 years of her schlepping me around to practices and performances–I played baritone in middle and high school and still do in a community marching band). Brother Scooter escorted Dr. Aunt to her seat, followed by our youngest brother & sister-in-law as Scooter circled back to escort Mama Leadfoot.

pinkshutterbug_seatingbridesfamily_collage

 Now, I’d chosen relative brief songs for both of these selections while simultaneously making sure we had enough music in case we had to use the church (which has a longer aisle). I saw no reason not to let the music play and give everyone time to get settled and just take in the peace and calm of the moment. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the one pressing the play button (or stop, as it were) and the DoC felt differently, fading out the music early and moving onto the next. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt rushed, but there was just no way to communicate with her not to keep doing that, so we rolled with it.

pinkshutterbug_brideandgroom_processional_collage

Oooh, the anticipation!

I remember feeling not so much nervous as giddy in that moment. I may have gripped Roadie’s hand a bit tighter than usual and I was feeling rather giggly. There were no butterflies–I don’t even think I felt self-conscious at this point (which is saying something considering the two dozen pairs of eyes trained on us at the moment). I was just happy, and then our music started (Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Cannon Rock, edited to remove the singing and some of the extra repeats).

pinkshutterbug_brideandgroom_walkingdowntheaisle_collage

Why do people (myself included) appear to be laughing in those last two photos? Because, in true form, I got up the altar and immediately realized the rings were off to one side of the altar instead of in the center and reached behind Friend-ficiant L to rearrange them. It’s wonderful to be surrounded by people who know you, your quirks, and love you because of them (or in spite of, take your pick). At any rate, it was a nice ice-breaker, if a wedding ceremony could be said to need one.

pinkshutterbug_processional-1

But enough of that, it was time to get serious!

roadtripwedding

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

Highway to Happiness: Let’s Mingle

Wedding Recaps

Even though our plan had been to greet our guests as they arrived, the transportation mix-up meant that almost everyone had already arrived to greet us, instead. Either way, hugs and happiness overflowed our intimate gathering. The cheese, fruit, and pastries were hitting the spot as we had hoped, and I think there were just as many guests opting for coffee and tea and there were for Champagne or our signature cocktail. (Not wanting to risk a spill but finding myself suddenly parched, I stuck to ice water until after the ceremony.)

I especially love the overhead shots courtesy of the second shooter in the balcony. | All images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

I especially love the overhead shots courtesy of the second shooter in the balcony. | All images via Pink Shutterbug Photography

Roadie and I wandered among our guests and I admit to being a more than a little happy as they started complimenting us on our choice of venue as well as our decorations as they asked about several items. The small desk that held our ceremony programs in an antique from the one-room-schoolhouse days that Roadie and I refinished together–I’d grown up using it as a nightstand, but it predated that use by many years as we found out that Dr. Aunt had used it as a child, herself, and refinished it back when she was in high school. And if guests look closely at the corner of the lid they could still see the impression left by Brother Scooter’s front teeth from a long-ago bed-jumping incident. It may not seem exceedingly wedding-y, but it’s a part of our family’s shared memories, memories that were added to by Roadie and I working together to restore it, so it seemed right to have it serve a useful purpose as we started this next chapter of our own branch of the family history, you know?

It was great to see the little touches we'd plan work so well in the space.

It was great to see the little touches we’d plan work so well in the space.

Our cardbox got a decent workout during Cocktail Hour, but folks were, I think, a little stymied by the cork guest book (despite a sign to explain the hows and whys). We ended up with some signed corks, but less than expected. Oh, well, you win some, you lose some.

In the bottom picture you can see the golf cart that was supposed to pick us up acting as a piece of scenery.

In the bottom picture you can see the golf cart that was supposed to pick us up acting as a piece of scenery.

Now, there was  another hiccup during cocktail hour and that had to do with the music. I’d created playlists to run the allotted times starting with cocktail hour. I’d spend hours adding and removing songs to make the times work out just so, and labeled each playlist with the start time to make it virtually mistake-proof. I did this for a very specific reason as we’d planned to play  a specific song as the transition between cocktail hour and the prelude, and the playlists would easily flow from one segment to the next. And I’d gone over this musical cue with the DoC during our last planning meeting.

pinkshutterbug_cocktailhour_collage4

The wrinkle came when the DoC opted to start the cocktail hour playlist early–while they were still setting the area up and we were still taking pictures down the hill. I’d heard the music start, but hoped (since there was nothing to do about it from where I was) that she’d reset it at the appointed time.

I’m sure no one is surprised that she didn’t, and our transition song played at good 30 minutes early. *eyeroll* I remember hearing the opening measure and whipping my head around, looking for the DoC. She adjusted the playlist to an earlier track, but I’m afraid the damage was done. Instead of the distinctive intro to Europe’s The Final Countdown (yes, we did, we totally went there) sounding at 11:30, the DoC simply cut the music off completely. Instead of the gentle, gradual movement of guests (with chuckles from those who got the joke) from one side of the fountain to their seats on the other, the silence made everyone self-conscious about taking their time and they all rushed to their chairs.

The other songs I’d queued up for before the parents were seated? They got skipped, too. And this is how we found ourselves moving up the timeline a good 10 minutes.

roadtripwedding

The Road Trip Wedding Recaps:

AlcHOLidays | National Bluebird of Happiness Day | Pursuit of Happiness

Sips

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, you say? Notice that it’s only the pursuit of happiness we’re guaranteed, not the finding or attainment.

In the 1940 film The Blue Bird (starring Shirley Temple, speaking of drinks), the bird in question is given as a selfless gift, and then escapes. The moral being that the bluebird of happiness is always to be pursued, not captured. And from the 1934 song,

be like I, hold your head up high,
’til you see a ray of light and cheer

and so remember this, life is no abyss
somewhere there’s a bluebird of happiness

—Bluebird of Happiness, Harmati & Heyman

All this to say, September 24 (that’s this coming Monday) has become known as the National Bluebird of Happiness Day. Now, you can take that as a challenge to always look for the silver lining, to keep optimistic as the days get shorter and the weather turns brisk (which is a plus in my book), or to go out of your way to spread a little happiness for someone else; essentially being a bluebird of happiness yourself!

And if you’re into old movies but not feeling the Shirley Temple vibe, watch Hitchcock’s The Birds, instead. I’m certainly not going to judge what makes you happy.

Pursuit of Happiness Cocktail for National Bluebird of Happiness Day, September 24

Part of what makes me happy, of course, is creating fun cocktails for any and all reasons. Historically, there is a cocktail known as the Blue Bird, using either gin or vodka, triple sec (ptoo!) or curacao, and bitters. I suppose gin would make sense for the era (Vodka didn’t get a good foothold in the US until mid-century, after all), but my thought process was veering a bit more tropical, plus I’ve been wanting to use this new Denizen Aged White Rum from Holland (look for a full review forthcoming), so rum and blue curacao (of course) means pineapple isn’t very far behind. Then I decided to try and see what the difference would be between pineapple juice and pineapple soda. Just because.

Pursuit of Happiness

2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Aged White Rum (like Denizen)
3/4 oz Blue Curacao
garnish of a slice of Pineapple with or without a little bluebird pick

Combine the juice, rum, and curacao over ice and shake til you’re feeling happy. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of pineapple.

Making little themed picks from a bird stamp, blue ink, and toothpicks is totally optional but fun!

So, I tried this both ways: with pineapple soda and pineapple juice. No surprise that the juice version won out, really, it’s only to be expected. The soda just didn’t have enough oomph to blend well and stand up to the two alcohols, while the juice gave the drink some body and you really got more pineapple flavor. Now, if you wanted to, I’m sure you could cut it half and half and be fine, but I was feeling more all or nothing last night.

And for those who might wonder if the Cruzan Vanilla Rum I reviewed a while back might not go lovely in this drink, it’s too sweet. I know, is that really possible? But yes. The aged white rum has depth without being harsh, the vanilla would be a bit cloying. That said, if you were inclined to combine the pineapple juice and the pineapple soda and then lace it with a bit of that Cruzan Vanilla Rum, what you would have would be more than a little reminiscent of pineapple upside down cake.

And there’s nothing wrong with that!

And because this is one of my favorite TMBG songs and actually has ties to the original Bluebird of Happiness (bluebird of friendliness, anyone?), I have to close with Birdhouse in Your Soul.

(Direct link for the Feed Readers: Birdhouse in Your Soul by TMBG)

Cheers!

They’re Playing Our Song

Third Time Wife, Wedding Planning

Back in the day I loved heading out to the bar or club on a Saturday night and closing it down, spending most of my time on the dance floor, amidst the crush of strangers and a few close friends.

I’m actually having trouble remembering the last time I did that. And it doesn’t really bother me.

What I’m trying to say is that the Road Trips are not really the dance-party type, though I adore music and have something playing whenever I’m at work, in the car or in my office and not streaming something via Netflix. And what goes on behind closed doors when I’m rocking out need not be discussed.

And yet, having that first dance, along with music and dancing during the reception in general, was important to me in our early planning days. Mainly because it was something I wasn’t able to do in the past (my first wedding being in a dancing-is-evil-believing church and the second being a private courthouse visit) and that lack I do feel.

Somewhere in my memory is the habit of a couple choosing “their song” by what was playing the night they met/the first time they kissed or at some other momentous occasion. Todd and I met online, in a chat room, and there wasn’t much music going on. Although there was one song, the night we stayed up until 4am chatting and flirting, that was shared.

(Direct link for the feed readers: The Gummy Bear Song by GummiBar)

Yeah, I don’t see that happening at the reception, do you?

(Oh, and you’re totally welcome–you cannot unsee or unhear that one. But at least it wasn’t a questionable Kermit cover that, as Mr Road Trip put it “ruined his childhood memories forever.” That I’ll spare you.)

No, back when we were emailing back and forth, getting to know each other and being a bit gushy, as you do, we’d email each other song lyrics. Only slightly less cheesy than the classic radio dedication model (which I cringe at, now) and a helluva lot safer than speaking lyrics to one another (a major pet peeve).

One of those songs was one I’d never heard of, before, and one which quickly became special to me once I tracked it down on iTunes.

(Direct link for the feed readers: Little Things Mean A Lot by Kitty Kallen)

While I’m a smidgen more materialistic than the song would suggest (I never say no to sparkly gifts), I really do love the overall sentiment of the song and it rings (hah!) true for us.

Our song became one of the earliest–and easiest–decisions early on in the planning process. After all, who else is looking back 60 years to a relatively obscure song for their big day? Not many, I’m betting, and that makes me happy not to have some song off a wedding compilation CD that everyone and their brother has used.

Not that there’s anything wrong with I Honestly Love You, but it’s been done. A lot. (10 points if you instantly got The Wedding Planner reference.)

Of course, once we got into the nitty gritty of planning, we decided to forgo dancing as a major part of the reception. Combined with the fact that we’re more of the sit-around-and-talk types rather than the dance party types, our reception being in the early afternoon just doesn’t lend itself to some wild party. (Hey, we’ve learned something from watching all those episodes of Four Weddings!)

So, while Little Things… remains “our song,” the jury is still out on if it’ll show up at the wedding at all. Mr. Road Trip is fine either way, I just can’t make up my mind on whether I really want it or not.

 Do you have a song with your significant other? How did you choose it?

Percussive Therapy

64 Arts

Why this isn’t clustered with the earlier art of musical instruments I’ll never know, but we’re switching out our lace-making fiber for others of sturdier stuff.

27: Art of playing the vina and the damaru (drum)

Stringed instruments are the most important, particularly the vina. The drum is indispensable. Both are difficult and need to be practiced from childhood if the various notes are to be clearly distinguished.

So this art is about 2 percussion instruments: the Vina, a stringed instrument played either with or without a slide, and the Damaru, a 2-headed, hourglass-shaped drum. Both are popular is Hindu music.

The vina (or veena) is similar to a sitar, which is probably what most of us thing of when Indian stringed instruments are mentioned, but uses gourds as resonators and either is held in the arms or sat in front of while it rests on the floor (either on its resonators or on legs, again, it depends on the style).

Thanks to the wonder of the Internet and the “mecca” that is YouTube, here’s an example of veena music being played by (supposedly) the first female vichitra veena player!

Direct link for the feed readers.

The damaru is a much more portable instrument, it’s small size making it easy to carry along for whatever reason you might have. In many cases, it’s a ritual instrument, and kind of reminds me of that scene at the end of Karate Kid II. But I digress…

Direct link for the feed readers.

Now, I suppose I could have tracked down a damaru or similar drum in town (the vina might have been a little tougher), or even ordered one online and played around with it at my leisure.

Thing is? I’m short of leisure these days and, instead, I’mm using this art as a remider to plunk myself on the ground of my own studio and blow the dust off a stringed instrument I already own. (The dust is only on the case, thankfully.) My poor lap-hard hasn’t been getting much use at all.

Music is more than just playing notes or plucking strings. There’s a certain slow-down that happens, especially with a stringed instrument. You have to get situated, make sure it’s in tune, and remind your fingers where and how they go all before playing a decent note.

With a to-do list a mile long, this sort of thing might not sound like the best use of my time. I’m inclined to disagree, though. Being forced to slow down, reminded to take a moment for beauty and skill, is part of what “better living through creativity” is all about. Music may be ephemeral, ethereal, and a thousand other intangible things, but it’s the sort of thing that will never clutter up your corner or make more for you to dust. It will adjust your attitude, though.

So I encourage you to dust off that guitar you stopped taking lessons on months ago, open up the piano or even make your own tissue-box guitar and just have some fun making some noise.