that felt good

Oh I love opera! I love it I love it I love it.  And I miss it.  

My mind races back to my college days quite often.  I loved learning and walking the streets of a busy city surrounded by tall buildings.  I loved learning how to manage my time and coping with the stress of long to do lists.  I was so excited and envigorated being surrounded by music in rehearsals, lessons, classes, and all of the concerts I attended.  

Music was one of my first great loves.  It is something that no matter what stage of life I'm in I want to be doing it in some capacity.  I have to.  Whenever I go long periods of time with out and then I come back I can't believe how starved I was for it.  

This weekend I got the opportunity to sing at a talent show.  Oh how it filled my heart with joy.  It was a simple low pressure situation and yet it felt so familiar and comfortable.  Although it took me a minute to settle down in to it.  Right around "felice mi fa" I let loose and just let it all soar right out of my mouth.  I've been singing this song since I was 12, which should not have happened but that is a story for another day! So it was nice to say hello to an "old friend".  I'm so grateful for a talent I hope to use for good all of my life. 

women who care

Last weekend I had the opportunity to speak alongside my friend Jenn Mack at the Atlanta Stake "Women Who Care" conference.  Our topic was "It's your divine nature, own it!".  Here is a 40 minute excerpt from the conference, the last 5 minutes included the song that Jenn and I wrote for the conference.  The first 10 minutes are missing in which we took one big group selfie and talked about the things we see when we look our physical selves and then we imagined what our "spiritual selfie" would look like, or how we look to our Heavenly Father.  After our song we both bore our testimonies and those are missing too but I'm so glad we have the middle documented, it was such a sweet experience to look in to the eyes of those young women and seeing them soaking in the message.  The spirit was so strong in that room.  I love sharing the gospel and testifying of its truths. 

ascend

I wanted to share a little bit of the story behind this song.  I think it is the kind of song that could mean something to anyone who hears it.  We all have mountains to climb and whatever the mountain is that you have to climb wether it is a personal trial, repentance, an addiction, self doubt, loss of a loved one, or just something hard in your life that makes you feel like you have no idea how you'll make it through, I hope this song can give you a glimpse of hope and the source that you should look to for help. 

You are not alone.

You don't have to do anything alone.

Jesus Christ is the way, he will always be the way.

I wrote this song recently for someone very close to me who is facing the biggest trial they have ever had to face.  I've never known anyone in my life to ever display more faith than this person and they are such an enormous example to me of how to face our trials and challenges.

Ascend

Standing here and looking at the top. 

Knowing that you have to climb. 

You fill your lungs your feet hit the dirt. 

In motion pushing every stride.

And when you feel that the step you take is the last one you can bear.

A burning and a feeling He is pushing you there.

The higher you climb the more burdens you unload so you can ascend.

You turn to look behind you

And He is carrying them.

Blisters sting the sun is beating down.

Breathless gasping in your chest.

Slipping sliding trying to hold on.

A strength emerges just beyond your own.

And when you feel that the step you take is the last one you can bear.

A burning and a feeling He is pushing you there.

The higher you climb the more burdens you unload so you can ascend.

You turn to look behind you

And He is carrying them.

Climb, climb, climb.

Standing here and looking at the top.

You never knew how far you'd come.

(Disclaimer: sorry for the crazy eyes in parts, it's a habit I'm trying to break. So proceed with some non judgemental caution, Ha!)

composer

I've been making good on our anniversary chat.  I've written several songs in the past few weeks and it feels so good to be creating.  I read a quote a long long time ago and it has always stuck with me. "Don't give up on something you can go a day without thinking about."  For me, that is music. 

I know music will always be a part of my life and I know that at different times of my life it will play different parts.  Teaching, performing, competing, writing, creating, singing in the living room to the sound of my husband playing Hannah. I love it all.

These days music is just coming out of me.  I sit down at my dads childhood piano and I can expel a song in about an hour, it's like they've just been waiting to get out.  I love this.

Tonight I finished a song call "tender mercy love". It's one of my favorites so far. I've always had a dream to write church music and now I'm doing something's to make it happen.  We will see what the future holds but what is coming out feels good and sounds good. 

positive vibes for Grover

Our Uncle Grover has been very sick the past couple of months. He is now in the hospital and is heading towards having a lung transplant. He is one of the most positive people we know and his wife is as strong as they come.

Today it was our plan to go to visit him in the hospital and serenade him with some tunes but last night we got a text at midnight saying that he has been moved back in to the ICU and no visitors could come. So we went to the next best thing and decided to record a couple of songs for him and Sally. We did 'Wonderful Tonight' because that is what Grover sang to Sally at their wedding. So we hope they enjoy that song again like newlyweds. The other song we did is 'Don't Worry, Be Happy', if Grover had the breath to sing this one, he would. Because that is the kind of man he is...happy, carefree, and fun.

We love you so much Grover. As soon as we are allowed will be there in person to make music for you. Til then every song we sing is for you.

If anyone out there could send him positive vibes or pray for him we know he would appreciate it. Also if you'd like to upload some music for Grover send us the link and we will send it to him!  Music brings him so much joy!

here's my heart

This weekend John and I got to play at Ponce Unplugged in Atlanta with a few friends. I love being married to someone who loves music just as much as I do. Some others who performed were Sam Crowley, Jenna Kimble (soon to be Zimmerman!), and Jenn Mack. John and I did two songs. The first one was a funky arrangement we wrote ourselves of Come Thou Fount, I'm in love with it. Then we did our original To Be. It was so much fun and we are going to try to make it a regular thing, so if anyone wants to come perform let me know, we are trying to get people together from all different denominations of religions to perform.

This song means so much to me. It reminds me of my freshman year of college singing the Mack Wilberg arrangement with Alan Raines and the University Singers. This song was a great comfort to me at that time, we had just found out my father had cancer and I thought of him each time we rehearsed that song and would pray for him as we sang it. Thank God he is ok now, but this song will always remind me of my father and my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Enjoy our version of a beautiful classic.

and there were drums...

This weekend we celebrated Labor Day with a jam session.

We had lovely weather, Italian Sodas, and a cookout.

Our friends ventured out of the city and came to our country farm and we listened to the night sounds as we ate out on the porch.

I made a Peach and Raspberry Crisp, John always looks forward to these when fall starts to come.

My favorite part of the evening was when we were all jamming and then Mark filled the Italian Soda bottles with different amounts of water and tuned it perfectly to a G major arpeggio.  It was both incredibly nerdy and incredibly genius.

Here are some videos from our jam sesh:

Sofia

This is husband playing a mean version of Classical Gas featuring our new baby, Sofia.

I don't know why in the world this song is named Classical Gas but I do know that I get the giggles every time I say it.  This is now one of my new favorite things John plays.

Please ignore the massive piles of things and boxes behind him, we are still in the moving process.

Here is John playing Sofie, like a boss.

Su'll aria...che soave zeffiretto

I simply do not even know how to begin to talk about this past weekend in Miami.  

I feel absolutely overwhelmed with love and support. I have so many pictures and stories and feelings.

I was meant to meet Rima.  

We are meant to be friends.  

I am meant to listen to her beautiful wisdom.

I had no idea what to expect from this past weekend but it filled my heart and touched my soul.

I had so many burning questions answered and I feel a renewal of my love for my talent.

I love falling in love with music over and over again.

 (me, French Soprano-Rima Tawil, and the conductor Lynn Luce at curtain call)

 (Dr. Mom (Lynn Luce) and me at the reception after our Saturday performance)

(the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra and Rima)

(Saturday performance)

(Countess and Susanna)

(The most wonderful people I know.  They are my heart. Mom, Dad, me, Husband)

(courtesy of husband's iPhone)

I performed with the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra in the Miniaci Center in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.  Then we performed in Miami Beach at the Colony Theater on Sunday.  Rima and I sang the Mozart duet Sull' aria from The Marriage of Figaro.  

It was magic.

I am still processing the whole weekend.

I am speechless, maybe I can form better thoughts tomorrow.

Unplugged

This past weekend we went to my old house.  

My old roomie Jenna had transformed the awful creepy basement in to a SWEET open mic stage. 

It was the Ultimate Jam Sesh! 

There had to have been 100+ people.  

It was JAM packed!  

We had to have been breaking some sort of fire code...

Hubs and I performed:

You and I

Blackbird

Remember to Breathe

I Wanna Grow Old with You


Then we did Fish or Cut Bait and Sleeping Giants with Jenna and Belen.  
You can buy her album (here).  Seriously, check it out.  Now.

Check out this video montage that shows everybody from the night.

Thanks to Lights+Camera+Love and Taylor Giddens for documenting this for all of us.


Let's do it again!

A Music Video? OK!

John Murphy and I made a music video.

With the help of our friends over at

Lights + Camera + Love

we think we created something that is pretty cool.

This is the first song that we wrote together.  Some of you may have (seen it before).  But we wanted to document it in something a little less....web cam-ish.

Click on this picture to see our music video of "To Be".

(a few more tunes you might enjoy are here, here, and here.)

This week is a pretty big week for me as I will be in Savannah competing with 30 other singers from around the country.  

It's called the (American Traditions Competition).  

The top prize is $12,000 and a recording contract in New York City.  

I feel so honored to be competing with such talented and nice singers.  

I had my coaching today and even though I am 10 years younger than most of the singers here, I feel pretty confident with where I am.  I am so grateful to have a talent that I can share and refine.

I am missing John like crazy.  He won't arrive here until Thursday when I finally get to perform.

I can't wait to see what the rest of this week holds.

There you stand in your Dungarees

I have an eternity with Mr. Murphy.  

I like to dream about what it is going to be like.

This song evokes so many emotions for us. 

It takes you through the life of a young husband and wife and then the years pass them by and when they are old they realized that they never had the time to dream.

What are our dreams?  

What do we do to really accomplish them?

Not to be totally sappy here, but a few weeks ago Mr. Murphy took me on a date to go put-put golfing in 30 degree weather and then we went to go see Tangled.  If you haven't seen it yet, go now.  Close your computer, put on some pants (because i'm sure you're not wearing pants), grab your keys, and go.

Flynn Rider said something to Rapunzel that I will never forget.  She had a dream her whole life to see the lanterns rise in the sky and when she was right on the edge of fulfilling that dream she said this:

Rapunzel: I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?

Flynn Rider: It will be.

Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?

Flynn Rider: Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.

Brilliant right?

I hope we are always searching for new dreams and trying our best to see them through.

We are living our dream right this very second. 

It is everything we hoped it would be. 

How sweet it is.

A Bun in a Hot Place

It's finals week.

Stress and anxiety levels are at an all time high.

I may or may not have had random silly crying spells yesterday.

I am expected to graduate in exactly a week.  

If I pass my piano profficiency.   

Ick.

Then...precious freedom and a lot of unknowns.

So, tonight in between me writing a paper for Psychology and studying for Psychology and Mr. Murphy slaving away over his French final we decided WE NEEDED A BREAK!

Enough was enough, our brains had had it and it was time for some sweet sweet music making.  

It is the 2nd best kind of therapy out there.

So, we dressed ourselves and scrubbed off the study grunge and made ourselves look presentable to record a happy song.

Here is our original cover of Iron and Wine's "Such Great Heights" debuting Mr. Murphy's birthday gift.

So, why don't you take a break from what ever hot situation you are in and treat yourself to a little procrastination by yours truly and her honey bun.  

It can be good for the soul ya know?

I want to thank (this lady) for the inspiration for the Audrey Hepburn meets Carrie Bradshaw

BUN!

The light at the end of that long, sad, dark, depressing, lonely tunnel is near.

I can't wait to wear that funny square shaped hat and bask in the glory of 5 1/2 college years.

Now...back to the grindstone.

Rap-ra

Have you heard the latest and greatest in musical advancements?

Oh, you haven't?  

Well here is a breath of fresh air for you.

It's called RAP-RA.

Its a lovely blend of rap and opera.

You heard right...opera.  I do that stuff.

About a year ago 3 of my genius friends and I crafted this lovely ditty with the help of Garage Band, a Mac, and lots of whit and gangsta love.  

Be warned...this song is about bootys.

We "primiered" it at a costume/surprise birthday party.  The party was for moi.  I have the best friends. 
I really miss these times.
And people.

Mr. Murphy and I didn't even know each other at this point!

My dear friends and I dressed up as each other.  It was all very confusing.

I was Jamie

Jamie was Lisa

Lisa was Belen

Belen was me

Get it? Got it? Good.


Here is us pre-dress up...

(do I look like I have one leg?)

Here we are at the Booty Do premiere.

Get ready to be rocked by Booty Do...

Lisa is now in Finland serving a mission...I miss this lady.
4 more months and she is home sweet america home.

So, how did you like Booty Do?  

Apparently its pretty catchy, its my nieces first song request every time we see them! 

I hope it will be stuck in your head all day now.

Calm it down, calm it down, calm it down....

All beacause you laughed in your sleep

 Dear Husband,

Tonight I may have gotten a little mad at you.  And it may or may not have been caused by a certain syndrome that seems to come around every month.  

I was so perturbed that I lay in bed completely restless and disturbed.  I was determined to stay mad at you, even though really you had done nothing wrong.

Then something magical happened...

You laughed in your sleep.

I looked over at you and you had the most beautiful smile on your sleeping face.  Even though I was brimming with unreasonable anger I forgave you for the things you didn't even do right then and there.

You see, you are a pretty wonderful guy and we don't ever fight but I've been feeling so touchy lately.

Maybe it's the fact that graduation is 4 weeks away and I have so many obstacles looming over my head.

Maybe it was a little bit that I really wanted to snuggle and watch Toy Story 3 tonight. (Even though I enjoyed Forrest Gump)
And maybe it was the fact that tonight you said my chest skin looked leathery.

Anyway...here is my peace offering.  

I was so inspired by your magical slumber induced giggle that I had to come in here and do this for you. I love you.

Love, Your Wife

P.S. I hope you remember what you were dreaming about so we can laugh about it together in the morning.

Murphy Style

Mr. Murphy and I are the epitome of newlyweds.  

We live in a dirt cheap apartment.  We still get giddy around each other.  We are still learning new things about each other almost everyday.  We think that though life will have its hardships we will always be madly in love...and we will.

About a month ago while listening to the French Cafe Pandora station You and I by Miss Ingrid Michaelson came on.  "Ukelele?!?"  I was instantly in love.  So, I texted John and told him immediately about my new musical gift that had been sent to me by the Pandora Gods.  This song reminded me of us so so so much, even down to the talky about le France.  We both hadn't heard much of Ingrid before so we were breathing in her music through our whole bodies.  It was delicious.  Sometimes when I listen to music I close my eyes and I can literally feel the music enter my pores.  I learned to do that in tenth grade and music has never been the same since.

So, here we are being ridiculous, and completely ourselves.  John didn't want me to make a big deal out of it BUT he has on a new shirt that I think is h-oh-tee-tee. And I am wearing some lovely new earrings from Finland.  "Wait did she just say Finland?  That's weird.  Isn't that where there is an overabundance of reindeer?" The answers are yes and yes.  Also, I have never been to Finland but my bestie is serving her LDS mission there and she sent me a shirt and pair of earrings from Finland for my b-day, and I love them.

You and I...Murphy style

And yes...maybe I am guilty of that being a Christmas wreath behind us on the wall...just maybe.

Fly like an Eagle

Two weekends ago we had the really really amazing and exhilarating chance to go see the Eagles play in Piedmont Park for the Green Concert.  Every year they some have someone ridiculous (like ridiculous amazing) come and thousands and thousands of people show up with blankets and chairs and sit by the light of the moon and listen to glorious music til their hearts content.

So in honor of our night John and I wanted to record an Eagles song.  The whole time I have known this man he has always played a mean Hotel California. Now, its a pretty long song, so brace yourself for a near 6 minute cover of a classic.  Do we do it justice?  Probably not, but who the heck cares!

So, really this is just us being completely ridiculous.  I did not think this was our real time recording so sometimes I act pretty lame. (Sorry the audio gets a little blurred because we are such loud performers.  I bet our neighbors hate us.)

This was right before the concert was about to start.  I have seen my John super excited many times but nothing compared to his excitement that night (other than our wedding, and when I make him yummy food, and when I buy him cool shirts...wait.  I guess he just gets excited a lot.)

Before the concert John bought us Jalapeño Corn-dogs and a Funnel Cake.  Oh. So. Good.  But the lines were so long that by the time he got back with it, it was too dark to capture a shot of that deliciousness.  Just know that we enjoyed a lot of fried goodness.

We were soooo close!!

(Just the warm up band...)

Right before they came on John leaned over to me and said, "I never thought I would actually get to do this in my life.  I'm so happy."  I was thrilled that we got to see them perform.  I can't believe they are still rockin' it after 40ish years together!

It was amazing.  Everything they performed was a hit.  My favorite was when they played Desperado and we slow danced a little bit in the grass.  Dancing to the Eagles live with hubs can't be beat.

"Don't you worry
Sometimes you've just gotta let it ride
The world is changing
Right before your eyes
Now I've found you
There's no more emptiness inside
When we're hungry...love will keep us alive."