A beautiful moment

I want to share a moment I had today that was really beautiful for me. A few friends and myself went to the Forest Lawn Cemetary and Mossuleum here in Glendale (LA). I have always enjoyed walking through cemetaries ... I don't know why but there really is something so beautiful in these places. It doesn't feel sad to me in anyway. Quiet, reflective, peaceful. This particular cemetary you would never ever think existed in the swirl of LA. It is like you are taken back in time to old Europe. (Sidenote: my favorite place in the universe...Europe!) Anyway ... As we were going through some of the galleries and country side, I was walking down this one part of the mossuleum were beautiful marble art pieces were displayed and there before me on one of the walls carved into the stone was this quote that really captured something very deep for me. It was a moment in time that was really beautiful for me.

"If we could surround ourselves with forms of beauty, the evil things of life would tend to disappear and our moral standards would be raised. Through our contact with the beautiful we see more of the truth and are brought into closer contact with the infinite." -Calvin Coolidge

This is my prayer tonight.

well...Birthday Celebrations were had

and it was FUN! Thank you to all who dropped me a note, email and/or a phone call! That really does mean so much to me :) (aunt marilyn - you are always so amazing at remembering birthdays sorry to have missed your call - the countdown for Germany is on!;)

I did a small intimate shindig at the "Velvet Margarita" on the Friday night with a few friends and then the party kicked it up a few notches on Saturday night at our loft with an absolutely amazing dinner prepared by Doug Mathews and his beautiful wife Rachel. I cannot even pronounce all that we had from pork tenerloin to chicken provance with herbs, assortments of cheese and appetizers, ceasar salad ... the list for real goes on and then for dessert we did a cold stone icecreamery thingee where people could choose all their own toppings! Ice Cream is my favorite of all favorites and then we had Margaritas on tap ... blended, on the rocks, champagne with strawberries also for dessert along with a free flowing Chocolate Fountain! That is right!!! OK...it was just one class, ritzy act! I loved it!

And then a few of us danced the night away to 80's music and all that groovy stuff ...

Wish you all could have been there! It was also so much fun to have Greg/Teresa Trask and family hanging all the way from Abbotsford, Canada. That made the party extra special for me:)

Yesterday I spent the day/evening in SanDiego with the Trasks at SeaWorld. We had so much fun!!! I was driving down the I5 south towards SanDiego and sometimes I have these moments where all of a sudden it hits me. I LIVE in flippin CALIFORNIA!

Interesting how even in a beautiful place one can get lost in just the survival of living life. Well, yesterday was a moment where I felt like I lost myself in the beauty of this place that the Lord has brought me to. From the beautiful ocean to the incredible palm trees, foliage and flowers. Oh the fragrances... To the laid back california sun, surf and mindset that goes with it. I need to explore more. Oh how I love the water ... one of my secret little dreams is that one day - one day I will be able to live close by if not at the ocean. who knows ...

Well, I need to do some work here. Bye for now:)

sheri

Birthday Eve ... Birthday Eve ... Birthday Eve ...

My last evening of being the ripe old age of 28! Haha ... in my dreams 28 and most days what I feel yet, some mornings I look at myself and go ... man, I never used to look like this first thing in the morning... oh the joys of getting older and hopefully a little wiser ;)

I was awoken first thing this morning by a rousing rendition of HAPPY BIRTHDAY by my dear mother, who I kindly let finish her enthusiastic chorus and then gently reminded her that my Birthday is actually tomorrow! ok AWKWARD! hahaha... My mom replied by saying a few times over well, it's Thursday today! And I said yes, but my BDAY is the 16th - that is tomorrow. So, after she realized that she was looking over a 2005 calendar and had it wrong a little chuckle ensued the senior, retired moment. Better early than not at all -right!

So, all you voyeurs ... I expect to see some Birthday Shout Outs filling either my comments section of this blog or my email inbox. That would do my heart good!

Birthday Festivities to come:

tadadddaaaaaaa around 5am(ish) or so on June 16th the story goes, a very small 5 pound baby was born in Edmonton, AB. Canada (uhum...that would be ME:)

Friday - June 16th - I usually like to spend a melancholic girl day ... After I spend the morning grocery shopping for my saturday shindig ... The afternoon will be all about

*Matinee - 'The Lake House' - Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock. No romance of my own yet so, I need to vicarously live through the screen satisfying this romantic that I am.
*Pedicure - Oh I love being a girlie girl!!!
*Lots of Fun Coffee
*Working Out
8:30PM Dinner with a small group of friends at the "VELVET MARGARITA" on Sunset in Hollywood
*Perhaps a little dancing ??

Saturday - June 17th
*Sleep In!! Hopefully if Bailey lets me .. I have him fully trained now on my usual 5:30am wake up calls...groan!
*Lunch with a couple friends
*Finish getting the loft ready for my PARTY!
8PM BIRTHDAY PARTY at the LOFT!!!! Dinner, Margarita's, yummmmmiiii food, about 30 LA Friends and my good friends from Canada 'Trasks'. 80's music, laughs and all that fun party stuff!

So...there you have it - this will be a celebration of ME - starting tomorrow! yipppppeeeeee.....

ONLY 4 MORE DAYS ... TILL ...

MY BIRTHDAY!!! woohhhoooooooooo ....

The COUNT DOWN Is ON!

To MY BIRTHDAY that is ... 7 days from today everyone! Just a reminder ;) lol... June 16th is the happy happy day. Plans are slowly coming together for my Birthday Week celebs! whehehee ... The highlights being

DUKES in Malibu! Check out the link www.dukesmalibu.com -you will all wish you were coming. That is Friday, June 16th at 8PM

Then on the Saturday Night I am throwing a big party at our Loft with a few of my favorite things such as: Margarita's, Sushi, frozen Yogurt/Icecream and all the toppings .... 80's Music ....

Anybody wanna come down and party with us??? You have a week to get down here:) That would be so awesome!

Love to you all
sherix

Rachel's Painting from the Recording

A close up view ...Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!!!!

See below for more Loft/Recording Photo's

Recording/Loft Pictures #3

Loft Recording Photo's #2

Some more ...

Recording/Loft Pictures

HI All ... just posted a big long blog last night but, wanted to show you some pictures from the recording we did just a couple weeks ago! It went amazing ... We had dance happenin' led by Alexandra Hayes/Crystal Loszchuk/Jennifer Belt and Melissa Bartlotti. Plus, Artwork by Rachel Ford and Andy Visser. We also had Chad Shelton who we commissioned to do an amazing piece of sculpture during the recording. The Band of course...amazing...video... We had it all -pretty much;) Enjoy the view -Photography by Lee Dralle
(Please note: I am going to have to do this in a couple posts)

Finally ...a new post beginning here below

There are always at least a dozen excuses as to why my tardiness to blogging as of late. I just finished checking out the newly designed EPICMX.COM website. Looks amazing Chad! I am sure that you are the genius behind that re-design. WOW ... I sure miss all of you in CowTown.

I have been fairly reflective these days. Why is that, I don't know? Perhaps it is a mixture ... the 'coming down' from an insanely busy month of May along with an assortment of processing thoughts. We completed a live recording project with David Ruis and Indigika. I was out travelling 4 times the month of May. Preparing for Germany July '06 and all the details which ensue. We moved into our newly acquired LOFT Space, I had a few dear friends visit me the month of May. Let's just say it all was ahappenin'!

So, I'm kinda tired, been wrestling with my melancoly mind and heart for sometime. Some days are good and others the loneliness seem to great to bear. I have my survival tactics like we all do and lately they seem to be more healthy options than my past choices. Definate bonus! One being 'BARRY'S BOOTCAMP'! No, I have not joined the US Army. Ha! That is a scary thought ... However, for all you non- LA friends who read this blog (which is pretty much everyone) check out www.barrysbootcamp.com if interested. This will give you an accurate picture of what has my mind, body and soul focused on for the last 5 weeks.

Picture this ... My alarm goes off at 5:20AM 5 days a week ... I very slothfully roll out of bed, as I stumble through the dark to find my workout gear, I wash my face-throw my hair up and off I go with waterbottle and towel in hand. I take 4 freeways to Sherman Oaks and end up arriving into the entry way of Bootcamp at about 6:15am. Yes, the trip is approx. 30MIN.

At 6:30am the motley crew of us who definately are now all 'regulars' walk into a heat, sweat infested small room (the 5:30am class is just ending) with approx. 15 treadmills lining one wall of mirrors and benches, weights and rubber bands in the other half of the room. The room is dark black except for the colored pot lights aimed strategically on every piece of equipment. Your body temperature begins to rise as soon as the doors open. Every morning I am praying and asking the Lord to help me, cause it seems overwhelming the soreness and pain I am about to subject my body to. Nothing I have ever experienced before. The music starts pumping - LOUD and Nadia our trainer jumps up with enthusiasm. She is amazing! She is about 5 foot nothing and maybe 100 pounds. Honestly, I have never seen a woman so perfectly built, toned and sculpted like her. Seriously. She is really cool! Really energetic and knows when to push push push you past your boundaries each time. She starts yelling out in Bootcamp fashion the "plan" for the hour. Our class is 1 hour long. 30 minutes cardio (treadmill) and 30 minutes floor. Each day targets a certain muscle group.

Monday-ARMS
Tuesday-LEGS
Wednesday-ABS+CHEST
Thursday-BACK+SHOULDERS
Friday-5on5off (everything)

Off we go on the treadmill. And we are not talking run at the same speed for 30 minutes. All interval training to the core and your speeds decrease and increase intermittently.

Honestly, I have NEVER sweat so much in my entire life!!! Every pore is pouring out sweat! Even my ankles are sweating! So, now that you know what my morning's are like here -you can all pity me/or should I say ;) cheer me on in my recent obsession!

This has been really good for me in so many ways and not just the obvious! This definately is my most committed and closest relationship right now.

So, I pulled out a poem that Faye sent me about a month ago -that today I was meditating on as it brought life to my heart. I will write it here below. Also, I was meditating on Jeremiah 17:5-8 for the last couple days. Great passage of scripture! Check it out. It pretty much articulates where my heart has been of late.

My Birthday is coming quickly ...perhaps another reason why I have been reflective. hmmm... I will speak more to that at a later date.

Check out this poem :: by Catherine of Sienna
HIS LIPS UPON THE VEIL

He has never left you
It is just that your soul is so vast
that just like the earth in it's innocence
it may think,
"I do not feel my lover's warmth
against my face right now."

But look, dear,
is not the sun reaching down it's arms
and always holding a continent in His light?
God cannot leave us.
It is just that our soul is so vast,
we do not always feel His lips
upon the veil.

PS - I just realized that I should have called this post "A tribute to Barry and his bootcamp"! HAHAHAH ... oh well - now you have a peak into a fairly huge thing in my life right now. More details to follow on the rest of my happenin's. Need to head off to bed -to be ready for 5:20 tomorrow. ....groan....ugh!