AHHHHH......THE RECORDING STUDIO (said in a mellow tone)

Me, hamming it up in the studio!

I absolutely LOVED going into the studio this past weekend. Thank you, Amy, for giving me the opportunity! Scott at 57th St. Productions was incredible - so patient & encouraging. The 4 of us (me, Julee, Suzanne, & Amy) had nerves before we got to the studio and he put us all at ease. Actually, it's funny - I wasn't TOO nervous. As we were driving to Monroe (outside of Seattle), I told Suzanne, "I bet I'm gonna cry in the studio." That's who I am - that's what I do. But the crying isn't associated with nerves - it's associated with singing in front of so few people and feeling exposed. Fortunately, Amy MADE us :-) rehearse for several months so I felt really confident with my parts.

Songs we recorded:

• More than You'll Ever Know - originally recorded by Watermark. All 4 of us sang on this one.


• I Think of You - an original written by Pastor Bruce Hill of Foothills Foursquare Church in Monroe, WA. Bruce and his wife, Esther, were really supportive of all of us. Thanks for the lemon bars! All 4 of us sang on this song too.


• Magnifcot (Mary's Song) - an original written by Amy's friend, Dana (sorry, don't know the last name). Duet with Amy and Suzanne. Beautiful, chanty song. Takes you to another world.


• As the Deer - Traditional hymn. Duet with Amy and Julee. Beautiful harmonies.


• For Such a Time as This - originally recorded by Crystal Lewis. Amy and I recorded it as a duet. This is a deep, introspective song about taking risk and blowing the doors off of our comfort levels. Scott turned off the lights and lit about 25 tea lights around the studio to set the mood. If he was trying to conjure up emotion (don't worry-he wasn't), he didn't need to - Amy and I kept having to take breaks because our voices were cracking. The first time it happened, Scott said into our headphones like the voice of God, "Kleenex is coming." So sweet!

For Such a Time as This has special meaning to both Amy and I. We have had similar musical journeys and this just seemed like a pinnacle, especially for her. Pinnacle isn't the right word - more like that recording this album was what she was meant to do at this time in her life. After selling her house, quitting her job, & moving to London for a few months to refocus, she came back ready to do this. That was about a year ago and now she's done it. How inspiring!

We thought we might be in the studio Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but things went more quickly than we anticipated. We were done by Saturday at 4:00. I TOLD Amy I was a one-take wonder! wink wink

I discovered a lot of things about myself.

• I yearn for the companionship of Christians who are genuine, yet gentle.


• I am actually a "moving" person. What I mean is, I like to move: stretch, run, leap through the air, tip over the side of an exercise ball, etc. Sitting at a desk all day is becoming increasingly more difficult.


• I really adore animals. Granted, I was a little scared of the chickens (they came running for me when I went out to my car to get something - I kept TELLING them I wasn't their mother, but they didn't care - they wanted food!) The chihuahua and I got along very well. The cat wasn't so impressed with me, but that's ok. I still took a couple of pictures without him knowing it!

Most of all, I learned that I want to seize the day. Ok, so I've really always known that about myself, but this trip just really drove it home. In fact, Amy and I are talking about some really fun possibilities that I hope to share with you soon! Until my next post, do your own seizing of the day. Explore your passions. Discover what you love. And then take a step to be involved in it.