Against the grain...

A snowy morning in April? Hell yes. That was one beautiful coffee-sipping view. I know, you probably woke up pissed about it. I'm not happy that you're upset to see it but it sure did make my day. 

I've always kinda been the odd man out. I prefer Winter and cold weather while the majority of the world would take shorts and sweltering sun. No thanks, shorts, I'm all set with you. I'll sit uncomfortably in my jeans in August. Trying my hardest to not be outside unless I am inches from the ocean. (My attire changes slightly whilst I sit by the sea). Late October through March, however, I will spend all the time in the world breathing in that cold (somewhat) fresh air. But ya'll don't want to hang out there with me then, do you?!

I'm certainly not an avid hiker but I do really love walks in the woods... in November. You're not finding me dwelling amidst a thick forest if there is even a hint of humidity in the air or a winged insect... or a crawling insect for that matter. The more leaves on the trees the less my chances are of being outside. I prefer a bare tree silhouette any day. This is the time of year in which I truly appreciate the last of the branchy views and I take lots of crappy sunset pics to capture them.

As for books - I'm not really a big reader of popular best sellers. I'll read anything Stephen King puts out but that's as far as it goes. I also don't love audiobooks or podcasts (Shout out to the You Rock School of Music podcast!) I do have a couple of favorites but I guess I'd rather read or view the material than just listen to it. I don't comprehend as well by just listening - I'm incredibly visual. My guitar instructor can tell me the same thing over and over again but until I actually print out exactly what I need to learn and study it I just can't grasp it.

I'm also not a "Paint and Vino - Girls Night Out" kinda gal. I don't want to paint what you want me to paint. I also don't need to sit in a group of thirty women I don't know giggling over Zinfandel. I'm not knocking it for all of those who enjoy it! I love you guys and love that you enjoy it! I've seen plenty of posts on social media of amazing paintings that have come from these events. But much like a Pampered Chef party or Thunder From Down Under night - I'm not attending. Give me my best friends in a brewery or vineyard and I am more than happy to stand around with my glass having a fantastic time. 

I am going to end it here because this list goes on and on and on ... I always intend on writing shorter posts but my typing fingers are very wordy. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! See you soon! 
xo 

You Rock

This post is about my love for music and my gratitude to my friend Sean for pushing me out of the comfort zone in which I dwelled for way too many years. 

For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about - Sean (Sean P. Rogan) is the owner of and one of the instructors at You Rock School of Music. We spend a lot of time together as our daughters are in the same class at school and have daily conversations about music. Given my obvious obsession with music he could never understand why I wouldn't just simply take a guitar class and "make music a bigger part of my life". I had a plethora of foolish reasons I would spit out weekly but I remember one day telling him, “Maybe I’m just meant to be a spectator.” And he quickly assured me that wasn’t the case. 

God bless him, he tried. He tried weekly if not daily to just get me into a class. "I'm too self conscious" ... "I can't play guitar,  I tried back in high school" ... "I don't have time for lessons" ... "I can't be in a group, I would be way too nervous" ... "I don't have a guitar." I had a million of them. One day he placed a semi-beat-up acoustic by the tire of my car and told me class starts Wednesday. I was so stunned by that gesture I felt obligated to go to that class. And something changed in that moment when I made up my mind to go. I went to that class. (Shout out to Ted Larson, the amazing Beginner Guitar class instructor!) And I've never looked back.

I cannot tell you how much I have gotten out of this entire experience since I started taking lessons. What I pour into my practices. How much I really want to play the electric when I never in a million years thought I would even touch one. The total satisfaction I get from finally conquering something I’ve worked on for months. The way I listen to music with a "different" ear. The feeling that I am in insider now. Like I have a backstage pass to the music world instead of the cheap lawn seats.

I urge all of you, if you have always wanted to play an instrument but keep chickening out, DO IT. Just DOOOOO IT. You can think about it for the rest of your life wishing you'd tried or you can actually make up your mind and start today. During this social distancing mess you can even take virtual lessons - in your pajamas - from your bed. Well, maybe not a drum lesson from your bed but you get me. 

I can't say enough about the staff at You Rock. Each instructor brings their own flavor to the lesson. All incredibly skilled with beautiful personalities. Check them out at www.YouRockSchoolofMusic.com for more info. I'm telling you, this has changed my life. I've never felt such a sense of accomplishment or had such a drive to continue on a path. I'm hooked. 

Sean, thank you so much for consistently nudging me toward the cliff until I fell. 

Forever grateful,

Sheri