Resources

What I would like this blog to be is three things:  1)  A place for me to showcase my photography, 2)  A place to record memories, 3) A place where I can write about being the wife of a rockstar.

Since Dan's been traveling for the past two years I've come to realize how hard it is to have my husband gone.  Rockstar wives are similar to military wives except that rockstars aren't risking their lives and they're also not being forcibly deployed for 6/12/18 months at a time.  Military wives have so much support and resources available to them (and they SHOULD!) but what about us?  Rockstar wives deal with a plethora of issues.  On one hand, your man is happy and living his dream which should in-turn make you happy.  On the other, you start going to social functions alone and deal with the never-ending comments and remarks ("he's gone AGAIN!?" "where is he this time?" "he's gone a lot! how do you deal?")  All of a sudden there's no one there to take the trash out or to give you a hug at the end of a long day.

We've gotten to know lots of full-time musicians who have wives and children and there really aren't a lot of resources for these families who are trying to juggle a social life/ parenting/ family/ vacation/ home renovations/ cleaning/ oh, and a husband who plays concerts year-round all over the world.  I wouldn't consider myself a resource and there are plenty of amazing, strong women who have had traveling husbands for much longer than I have.  However, in looking for help or encouragement, I didn't find any.  I looked up "rockstar wife blogs" and didn't find any that have been updated in several years.

These idle blogs are also a testament to how uncertain the life of a "full-time" musician can be.  One day, it will all be over.  I often use the phrase "when Dan stops playing music" and people are often surprised.  "What do you mean WHEN?  Is the band having trouble?" they ask.  No!  But, I'm not so naive to think that this career will last forever.  And neither is he.

I want to publicly promise that I would like to be a resource for you if you are dealing with a transient, scatter-brained, hard-working, talented husband like I am.  Know that you're not alone!

Steppin' Out - Reunion

This weekend was a special occasion:  MY TEN YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION!  I can't believe I'm old enough to have a high school reunion and I cant believe I went.  Vancouver is one of those nice communities where most people lived there their entire lives and spent Kindergarten through Senior year with all the same people.  My family moved a few times when I was a kid.  We lived in Vancouver until I was seven, spent 2 years in Salem, OR and then 6 years in Puyallup, WA and then went back to Vancouver and I finished 3 years of highschool (then went to college and never came back).  I obviously felt a little left out (then and now) but I still enjoyed high school and made some wonderful friends.  It was nice to see what everyone's been doing.  There was a rapper, a published author, a mayor, a PTA/PTO advocate, teachers, bankers, moms and dads.

I can honestly say that I am pretty proud of my past ten years.    I got a degree, got married, bought two houses, lived in France and Canada, and I'm pretty happy with the decisions I've made and the person I've become.  There's nothing wrong with self confidence!  Lord knows I could have used more in high school.

I have never done an outfit post and I dont intend on making it regular thing.  However, I DO like clothes and I DO like this outfit and I DO like my friends' blogs that have outfit posts.  So, for your viewing pleasure, here is what I wore to my 10-year reunion.

Top: IheartRonson by Charlotte Ronson for JC Penny. | Jeans: BDG from UO. | Shoes: Target. 

The Life of a Tour Wife

The day before my husband leaves on a tour is usually a date night.  Dinner + last minute packing and cleaning up = very low key.  For some reason this week we changed it up and decided to go buck wild on Tuesday.  We went to the Puyallup Fair which, if you didn't know, is one of the top ten largest fairs in the United States.  We got some fair scones and Krusty Pups and Earthquake burgers, all Puyallup Fair "must-haves".  We saw it all and left around 8:30pm.  Then we hung at at a friends house until 10.  Then we went to ANOTHER friends house until 2am! 2am on a Tuesday.  (Like I said... buck wild!)

This is where it gets dicey....

My husband, God bless him, left on tour on Wednesday morning at 6am.  4 hours of sleep, I dont know how he does it.  When I got up (much later than 6am) I noticed that my keys (mail key, BMW keys, Chevy key, loft keys) weren't on the hook by the door.  Curious, I sent Dan a text:  "do u know where u left the keys?"  He called and said he thought he left them on his desk or on the floor on his side of the bed.  "Whatever, I'll look for them later...." and I went about my day.  Around 4:00 I needed to run errands.  I started to look for the keys in the places I was told they might be... and then I looked in other practical places... and then I looked in weird places... and then I looked in places that they keys would definitely not be but thought I should look there anyway.... and then I called Dan.

He gave me all sorts of new ideas... the jacket he had on last night ... the bathroom floor ... his jeans... the change jar...the sock drawer.....basically, EVERYWHERE!  I ended up getting a ride to my evening rendezvous, a ladies night, and then I called him again when I got home.  More ideas, more searching.  No keys.  I ended up spending 3 hours looking for these keys.  I just KNEW Dan had them.  He had to.  He checked his bag (again) and didnt find them so we both went to bed and decided to deal with it in the morning.

Today, I woke up to this message on my phone:  "Lindsy, I'm so sorry.  I found the keys in my bag.  I'll ship them to you."

UGGGHHHH.  We still dont know how the keys got there!  I hope and pray that I was gracious and patient.  Sometimes I suffer from rage blackouts and I get impatient and say mean things.  I love him so much, scatter-brain and all, but sometimes I have no tolerance for situations like this.  I lecture Dan quite often about putting keys on the key-hook (which is RIGHT BY THE DOOR) and about not leaving on tour with the keys to the Chevy or the loft since the Chevy and the loft AREN'T in Nashville or wherever.

In the meantime, I have my 10 year high school reunion tomorrow so I needed to drive to Vancouver but I bought a train ticket instead and the keys should hopefully arrive at 3pm tomorrow at my mom's front door.  Thank God for overnight shipping.

So, that's a glimpse into the craziness of being a rockstar's wife... or maybe just Dan's wife!

Make it a Grape Day!

In 2006, Dan was supposed to start touring with a band but two of the guys got cold feet.  Meanwhile, Dan and I had already quit our jobs and were about to put our house on the market.  An opportunity came to us that changed our lives forever:  We got to live in France for a year!  It was so wild and it all happened very quickly.  We sold the house, gave our car to Dan's brother, raised a bit more money, went to training in Illinois, and 4 months later we bought one-way tickets to France.  

I so badly want to write more about France but this post isn't about France. 

Upon starting our classes on how to serve in France we got asked the question, "Do you drink wine?"  Dan and I looked at our friend, Rick, and answered simultaneously "No", not sure if it was a trick question.  His reply was, "Well, you'd better start!" Apparently we needed to start drinking to fit in and not offend the French.  So, we did.  It was harder for Dan and he still doesn't really like wine.  But I do!  

Anyway......that's the brief story of why I drink wine.  (Did I really need a reason???!?!)

The point of this whole post is just to show off these grape vine pictures from our vacation in Kelowna, BC last weekend.  (I feel like I just wasted 5 minutes of your time and I apologize.)  Make it a grape day!

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

We had a wonderful weekend in Canada to celebrate ten years of dating.  I got a Living Social vacation package for Lake Okanagan Resort.  It was two nights and a round of golf with a $40 dinner voucher.  AWESOME!

We left on Thursday after work.  Dan thought I booked a hotel in Merritt, BC (about 4-5 hours Northeast) and  I thought that he booked it.  Oops!  So, we rolled into town and found an Econolodge.  We got the same pizza we had ordered 10 years ago:  pepperoni and olive, from Panago.  [If you haven't had Panago Pizza, drive to Canada right now and order some!  Their specialty is dipping sauces.  I prefer jalapeno ranch.  Mmmmmm.]  Anyway, 10 years ago I ordered pepperoni and olive because Dan said he didn't care but later I found out he hates olives.  I like all kinds of food so I didn't even think about it.  Now, 10 years later, Dan likes olives!  I think of the pizza as a metaphor for us.  10 years ago, Dan did whatever I wanted.  He was so submissive and I didnt even realize.  Over the years, our tastes have become more in tune and when we make decisions, big or small, we are so much more in tune than we used to be.

We continued our drive on Friday morning and stopped a couple times for photos because BC is so beautiful!  Here are some of my favorites.We made it into Kelowna and explored downtown.  Later, we checked into the resort.  The room is so nice!  It has a kitchen and balcony with a bedroom and a pull out couch in the living room.  We definitely want to come back when we have kids.  It would be perfect for that.  First, we went swimming in the lake!  It was cold but not TOO cold, we'll call it:  refreshing.  We transitioned from the lake into one of the two outdoor pools and finally sat in the hot-tub.  We went to dinner which had amazing views of the lake.  I had salmon, Dan had pork loin.  Honestly, the best meal I've had a LONG time.On Saturday we went golfing!  Dan has golfed once in the last several years and I have never played an actual game.  My college summer job was working at a golf course and my parents and grandparents play golf but I've never actually played.  We both have our own clubs, which we brought.  We made an afternoon tee time so that the course would be empty.  It got windy and rainy when we started to play so the course stayed empty almost the entire time.  And.... WE. LOVED. IT.  We were actually really good!  Dan's leaving on tour again soon but we hope to golf a bit more before winter.

On Saturday night we went back into Kelowna to try and go wine-tasting but we were too late.  All the vineyards and tasting rooms were closed.  We took some fun photos anyway.  We had made plans for a late dinner with some old college friends who live in Kelowna.  It was so much fun to reconnect.  We all get so busy and we're living so far apart and it was nice to sit and catch up... and reminisce! 

On Sunday we drove home but not before getting a large, filthy breakfast of coffee and donuts and bagels at Canada's gem:  Tim Horton's.  Loves it.  All in all, a very relaxing weekend.  I would have liked warmer temperatures but you can't always get what you want!  Dan leaves on tour in 2 days so it was nice to spend so much time with him.  Even when you're stressed out about work or LIFE it's still important to get away and celebrate and/or relax.  Do it!  Before it's too late!

We've Been Dating for 10 years

Dan and I went on our first date on September 15, 2001.  About a month later, on a midnight drive to Vancouver, BC with about 7 other college students, in a cold and drafty bus, I told him I loved him.  Before you freak out about two kids saying "I Love You" after a month of dating, please check yo'self.  We had known each other for over a year.  If you want to read our whole story, find it here.

In about 4 hours, we are leaving for Lake Okagan Resort in Kelowna, BC.  We are going to stop in Vancouver and have a pepperoni and olive pizza from Panago Pizza ... because that's what we had on our first date, of course!  The resort has a 9-hole golf course, spa, pools, lake games, and horses.  The weather should be nice so it's our last taste of summer.

I am so excited!  I could barely sleep last night.  I have traveled a lot over the past few years but I haven't had an actual vacation.  We've visited family and gone on tour but we haven't done anything like this for a long, long time.  The closest thing to a vacation was being in Boston last year, for Dan's brother's wedding.  

So So So So excited!  Au revoir!  See you Monday!

Patience is a Virtue: Baby's Room

The Rockstar and I will become parents for the first time ever.  We will have a child living with us in two months or a million months.  I have no idea how long it will take.  No one knows!  While I'm eager to meet the little tyke, I'm also not ready.  So, that helps with my complete lack of patience.  One thing I know I need to do is get the room ready.  Right now the room isn't a room.  We live in a loft so, it's an open nook with a guest bed and a loveseat in it.  It's going to be a lot of work!

I already have the crib that converts to a toddler bed, a changing table, and a potty seat.  That's all that's required of us.  It could be very short notice once a child is "available"... like, days.  And I have NOTHING.  No diapers, no toys, no clothing, no food.  I have no idea how old the child will be or gender or size.  So, that part is all out of my control.  (Friends with kids:  Please save your old baby stuff and be prepared to dig it out in a days notice!  OKTHANKS!)  


The part that I can control:  decorating the nursery and getting it ready!!! While this may seem creepy (my husband thinks it is) I have spent hours on Pinterest and NurseryNotations.com and Etsy and all the baby sites you can think of.  I've got a ton of vintage prints for the wall.  I have two crib sheets:  gray and sage green.  Yesterday I got a rug, some fabric for throw pillows and curtains, some upholstery fabric to reupholster our old rocker.

So, maybe I'm crazy but I need to do SOMETHING to feel like I'm preparing my life for the major change I'm about to experience.  Here's what I've put together as a design concept for the room.

I'm trying to keep it gender neutral without doing something that everyone else is doing.  I want it to be unique and reflect who Dan and I are and what we want our family to be like.  We're keeping the industrial feel of the loft and using as many antique things as we can.  I love the bookshelves made from old crates on Blue Bird Vintage.  The Singin' in the Rain poster is one we already have and while I hate the color blue, the mason jar lights are in blue so it all ties in.  So, there it is!  What do you think? 

And please tell me I'm not crazy.

via Bleubird

Prints I've purchased/made.

Photographer, Swimmer, Boat-Fanatic

Meet Melissa!  She's a photography student and a swimmer.  She loves boating with her family.  We took some senior photos at Thea Foss Waterway on a boat, by the water, by the Museum of Glass, and the Albers Mill Lofts.  She has a great smile as well as a great serious face.  Melissa wants to go to art school and is considering staying local for that.  I might have made the mistake of telling her about some schools in Canada.  Sorry, Melissa's mom!  I wish her all the best and maybe after art school she can work for me at LMR Photography!

Tacoma Community

Dan got back from tour on Thursday after driving all night.  He was exhausted when he got home and I was at a meeting so he ended up taking a 3 hour nap.  I woke him up when I got home and we went up to Seattle for a concert.  We were both so exhausted but it was our favorite band, who happens to be opening on a huge U.S. tour right now.  They had the night off and played a secret show at a little venue in Ballard for about 75 people.  It was totally worth it.  

On Friday we helped serve food at Dan's drummer's brother's wedding.  It was fun, but also exhausting.   (I had gone to a concert on Wednesday night, too)  By the time Saturday rolled around we were SO STINKING TIRED.  I had an 11am photoshoot.  (I will post those photos tomorrow).  I was so tired that I slept in and went to the photoshoot without having breakfast or coffee.  The photos turned out okay but I felt like a crack-head the whole time. It was in the 80s and I was hot so we went to the Green River.

On Sunday, we launched Tacoma Community!  For months we were meeting in people's homes but we are called "Tacoma Community" and we want to be in the community.  So, we are meeting at the coffee shop on 6th and State.  Dan emceed an open mic and there were treats and BlueBeard Coffee and friends.   We are a group of people, from Tacoma, who love Tacoma, who are seeking to make sense of this crazy world we live in.  We are all on a faith journey. Whether we recognize it or not we are all being called home by our Maker. Our group is comprised of people in all different stages of this journey. We are: eager Christ-followers, agnostics, Deists, recovering fundamentalists and a few not-too-sure-what-we-areists.   If that sounds interesting to you, join us on Sundays at 7:30 at 2201 South 6th Ave.

Jessica

Rachelle and baby Audrey

Amazing desserts!

Dan as emcee is a pretty awkward, I mean... funny, thing to experience!

Daniel singing his heart out!

Bonney

 

Nate

Libby

Show-Off Your Shot

My favorite shot of the week:  This is Katie!  She is a very sweet girl, about to start her senior year at Curtis High School.  I love her dress and natural smile.  It's difficult taking a back-lit photo but I like the way the sun hits her hair.  So pretty.

Senior year is such a fun and crazy time in your life.  I love taking senior photos!  Katie plays lacrosse and hopes to play in college.  I took photos of her brother, Tom, two years ago.  I've been doing senior photos long enough now to start getting younger siblings of past clients.  So, that's always fun!  And maybe in a few years I'll start shooting their weddings! AH!  SO FUN!

Linkin' up with Rachel from and then, she {snapped}!

Josh: Class of 2012

 This is Josh.  I met Josh when he was a tiny little boy and now he's a big football star!  His mom told me that he's grown 4 inches and gained 40 pounds in the last year.  (WOW.   That takes immense dedication).  He plays for Mountain View High School - which so happens to be my alma matter - GO THUNDER!  It was a lot of fun to catch up with him since we probably haven't spoken in a decade or more.  He's such a nice young man!  I hope that his football skills take him to great places and wish him all the best in the future!  Oh, BTW, he was written up in The Columbian. So you KNOW I'm not using the term "football star" loosely.

Boating

A quick snapshot of my Labor Day Weekend.  I got to go out on my dad's boat with some of my best friends (Sara and Rob) and my brother and sister.  Sara's parents came, too!  It was 95 degrees in Portland on Sunday.  AMAZING!  I LOVE hot weather and I love water (lakes, rivers, waterfalls, ponds, oceans, pools).  A little too much, actually, because I totally got dehydrated and threw up that night (TMI?).  But I had fun and I got tan.  It was worth it.  What did you do for Labor Day Weekend???

Captain Dad, manning the ship from up top, cigar in hand.

Uncle Chuck.

Love this picture of my sister!

Columbia River.

My brother and one of my best friends: Rob.

Self portrait + my sister.

Dad's reading material.

My best friend, Sara.

Aunt Judi.

Makin' waves!

Rob likes to steal my camera. ;-)

My brother, tying us in back at the dock.

And, for my friends who dont yet know about this amazing song and video... "I'm on a Boat" by The Lonely Island (SNL Digital Short)