tag:bandwanted.us,2005:/blogs/keeping-up-with-the-band-wanted?p=3Keeping up with the band WANTED!2021-02-10T17:00:00-07:00The Band Wanted falsetag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/65469742021-02-10T17:00:00-07:002022-05-23T10:59:39-07:00I am POWERFUL!!!<p>In just a few weeks, it will mark the day that our tour stopped in it's tracks. Each year our tour has gained strength with new and bigger opportunities growing . Our audience and fan base was growing stronger and more engaged in our journey. Then, "poof!" just like that.....a pandemic hits the world. Like a domino effect, on March 15, 2020, our live/in person shows began to cancel across the country - one after another! We were literally watching all of our promotional work, our income - our future - begin to fall away. At first, like many others, we assumed the shut-down would only last a few weeks and then we would be able to resume our tour and pick up where we left off. So, we began to think, "how can we keep our audience engaged AND support Tombstone (a town struggling with their tourist income coming to a stand still) where we are now staying?" </p>
<p>An idea immediately sparked......we then put our plan into motion! As we walked around this town, we began talking to the local businesses and actors, asking questions and learning about what they would like to see happen in the coming days. Soon, we enrolled local actors and a local venue into creating a weekly show highlighting what this town had to offer! It was all very exciting!!! Our hopes, we would generate a distraction from what was going on, provide entertainment while people are bored, interest in this town and excitement, that when everything did open up in a few weeks new tourists would want to come experience this place in person for themselves! With all of this, we would also keep our current fan base entertained...win-win!! Voila!...Virtual Tomstone Weekly Show was born! Our first show meeting was a complete bust...everyone that said they would be there, didn't show. Again we shifted. We ended up shifting many times over the course of this last year. With each step, we were learning - what is working, what isn't working, what do we want, and what does our audience want?</p>
<p>Over the course of this past year, the most important lesson we have learned is that our power remains in our response to the circumstances we are faced with. We chose not to panic when our live shows cancelled, we chose not to panic when we didn't know what our next step would be, we chose not to panic when we had no idea how we were going to survive. Instead, we allowed ourselves to trust, be patient, enjoy the moment and we allowed the universe to send us what we needed in each moment. Sometimes, the universe sent us inspired ideas, opportunities we never thought of before, time to rest, time to create, finances, a safe place to stay, people and food. We have been very blessed this year and we learned so much!! Our power is in our choice and we can only control how we respond to the circumstances that we are faced with. So, why not respond with JOY and LOVE, or PATIENCE, and then sit back and watch the universe respond to your choice, with excitement and surprise!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/62135292020-02-17T16:08:15-07:002022-08-23T16:13:52-07:00Powerful Unknown....<p>It is time to get back to writing!!! So here goes :) Since the beginning of this year, I feel like we have been caught up in a whirlwind. Time is passing by us so quickly...good days, great days, better days and some not so great days. Joshua had what we thought was going to be his last surgical procedure back in December. Although, he has since experienced a few set backs, that have at times created some interesting obstacles and challenges for us as well as another needed procedure in May. More on that later....Last year, we decided to return to south Texas with a renewed intention to grow our presence here in this market. Just so you know, this is a lengthy process breaking into the RV market here in south Texas (also in Arizona). Come to find out, these two markets are really competitive and sought after markets for entertainers....who knew! Entertainers flock from all around the country and Canada to these destinations, like us, they too are looking for warmer destinations and opportunities. In fact, many of the venues in these areas refuse to hire entertainers outside of an annual event called an Entertainers Showcase. Here is a brief picture of what this event looks like. First of all, a prospective entertainer gets to submit an application before a set deadline and pay a fee to even be considered for the event. Then once accepted, you are assigned a specific time on a specified date in which to audition (sell yourself) in exactly 9 minutes...no exceptions!!! Each entertainer gets to set up a table with all of your marketing materials and information. As an entertainer, you get to sit at your table (along with about 25-32 other entertainers) from 7am - 5pm waiting for your assigned performance time. Approximately, 150 - 200 activity directors, assistants, venue managers and guests watch a platform; each section of the platform in a different stage of setting up, performing or breaking down after a performance. Entertainers are also expected to be present the entire day (to be respectful to all of the entertainers). I found that part to be very interesting, fun and I learned so much. Through that experience, I learned so much about other entertainers, what the market is looking for and the diversity of entertainment and talent available. Also, I got to meet and visit with others in our industry. Such a great opportunity to learn from our peers and others that are doing things we want to do!! Along with knowledge.....we met and gained new friends too :) After your performance is complete, you are then directed to a private room/area to meet with prospective venues wanting to book/negotiate dates and fees for the upcoming season (in the next year or even two years away!) </p>
<p>To be clear, this was not our first rodeo at this event. When we first began this journey, we had our hearts set on this very event and believed it was the answer to our success. Our first audition was back in January 2017, when everything that could go wrong did - and our 9 minutes was very sobering. I sat at the booking table without one person coming to book a date and I was not surprised....disappointed and not surprised. However, everything happens for a reason. Although, at the time it felt like a huge punch in the gut, an utter failure. Since then we have learned so much, we took a risk and found out we had more to learn before we were ready for this step. Through that experience, we have learned so much more about promoting, cold calls and commitment. We have grown so much on the business side, in our confidence, creating our brand, perfecting our stage presence as well as not putting all our eggs in one basket ;) We don't always know why things happen the way they do at the time and there is soooooo much power in the unknown!!! </p>
<p>It was daunting returning to this event three years later. Our disappointment and fear still felt very fresh. I found myself hoping that no one would recognize us from before LOL. Joshua and I had already decided, we were not going to put any pressure on this event to do anything more. In fact, we decided we were going out there to have FUN and put the past behind us. This event would not define who we are or what we have to offer!!! </p>
<p>We were not without obstacles facing the event this year that is for sure! At this point, we had created the finances for the application fee, submitted the application before the deadline and there was plenty of obstacles throughout that process too (far too many to mention here lol) Our travel/tour/surgery schedule lined up perfectly...YAY!!! Then just days before the BIG DAY, Joshua experienced some serious health complications and needed to be seen at the ER. After leaving the ER, the brakes on our mini van failed!!! At this point, we are located an hour and a half from the bus back on the island, no brakes and fresh out of the ER.....just one day away from the showcase!! If this experience didn't give us every opportunity to quit, I don't know what would LOL. Joshua and I took on each challenge one step at a time, calmly and with our intention clear to conquer our past experience. </p>
<p>Joshua did our best to set ourselves up to succeed in every way we could. We chose to spend the extra money to reserve an RV site located right on the site of the showcase. This allowed Joshua to still be present without being uncomfortable, he could rest while I was present at our table to do what I do best....connect and promote who we are :) Our intentions were very clear, when it was our turn to take the stage (we were second to the last performers that day) WE ROCKED IT and WE HAD FUN...therefore our audience did too!!! This event was such a BIG success for us this year and we plan to be a part of it again next year. This experience has given us confidence to enter another showcase like this in Arizona for April 2020!!! Wish us luck as we continue to learn and GROW!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/60998002020-01-14T16:05:42-07:002020-01-14T16:09:18-07:00Beyond GREATFUL!!!<p>Here I sit in the waiting room of an auto repair shop again after just dropping Joshua off at the ER just a mile down the street. Joshua is having a small procedure done for a set back after his recent surgery. This procedure was necessary to allow him to take an unexpected flight back to GJ for yet another surgical procedure. It is not even half way through the first month of a brand new year and we are facing obstacles and challenges LOL! Wasn't it just two weeks ago we were reflecting on and CELEBRATING the AMAZING year we just had? It is not like we didn't have obstacles and challenges last year...we are always going to have things like this that we get to experience, we simply get to face these challenges and move forward...it is that simple. The magic is in how we react to them! </p>
<p>The other day, Joshua and I were just having a discussion regarding light vs darkness. I expressed to him that I believe both must exist. Without moments of darkness, how do you appreciate the moments of light? Our first year on the road tested our faith in every way possible. How? We experienced financial challenges, bus breakdowns, health issues, jumping into a dream without having a clue about what we were doing or what the next step would be. However, with each opportunity that would challenge us, we became stronger. We chose to learn! We left with the bare minimum needed to live. We learned where to be in certain times of the year. Lessons like, it is way too hot in Yuma, Arizona in April without an AC!! We learned how to create balance in our lives. We can rest AND we also get to move if we want to achieve our dreams! We have also learned that we are surrounded by people that love us, believe in us and want the opportunity to support us, unconditionally <3 With each challenge we face, we have also learned nothing happens by accident. Instead of choosing to stress out, get angry, play the "why me" game, we step back take a breath, look at the whole picture and chose to see all of the GOOD in what is happening! Four years ago January 1, we left our home in Grand Junction, Colorado in pursuit of our dream of living on the road and bringing JOY through music! In this pursuit, we have come to realize, even our worst day on the road isn't nearly as bad as our worst day just existing and going through the motions back home.</p>
<p>Yesterday, we chose to pay for a flight for Joshua to return to GJ next week to have another minor surgery that will promote better healing from the last one. We had just enough money to purchase the plane ticket. Today, we chose to drive an hour and a half away to a highly rated ER to take care of an issue that was causing an extreme amount of pain for Joshua, so he could make the trip next week without pain. After dropping him off I decided to run to the store just down the road. When the brakes went all the way to the floor, my first thought was...of course, why not now?!?! After I parked the van, I jumped out and saw a puddle of brake fluid under the drivers side and knew this was not going to be something I could safely solve on my own. I took a deep breath, went into the store to get what I needed and came back out to make a plan for a solution. I looked at the map on my GPS, saw that a brake shop was literally just across the street from where I was. I decided I would take the chance to drive it that far to get the necessary repairs done. They got it right in, all while Joshua was waiting to be seen at the ER. The estimate came back at $435 for the minimum repairs needed to get us back on the road. I was about $200 short of making that payment. I reached out to my friends just to share where we were and to ask for prayer support. Through that request came the solution and for that I am soooooo grateful! While I was here, I met a fellow musician turned music producer. I always say I never meet anyone by accident and I may not ever know why we needed to meet and today of all days. One thing I did notice, we need this vehicle to get Joshua back and forth to his flight this next week. If this brake issue would have happened while we were on South Padre Island, we would not have the option of repairing it without extensive towing costs on top of finding a shop nearby that would be capable of doing the repairs. Just one more reason to be grateful it happened today! Proof again that the universe is conspiring with us!!! Another thing I have noticed, whenever we have a BIG breakthrough coming for us, we tend to experience lots of obstacles, high energy challenges. When these things happen, I have become very aware there is GREATNESS just waiting on the other side of the challenges we experience and for that I AM SO GREATFUL!!! </p>
<p>I have always said "Everything happens for a reason" and my belief has grown and continues to grow stronger than ever!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/59519022019-11-06T17:24:25-07:002019-11-08T21:20:10-07:00Motivation....<p>Here we are, our bus is parked in between Lincoln and Omaha Nebraska. A month ago, we would have never guessed that we would be here of all places. In fact, we were headed to New Orleans! While we were performing in New Ulm, MN, Joshua decided to take on an electrical job to help pay for our baby goal. However, just a week after arriving we discovered we no longer needed to raise money for the baby goal. Now what? Well, we had a hole in our band schedule, for about a month and a half, that was originally planned for me to recover from surgery and now I didn't need that either. Joshua decided he wanted to keep his commitment to the new job. Earning some really great money while I decided to focus on building our tour and planting seeds here in the Nebraska area. We decided this was just what we needed to start the year off in a good financial position. Shifting our focus to making repairs, bus maintenance and putting funds in our account will put us on a very strong start for the new year! Heck we may even get the opportunity to write some music while we are here! The weather was super nice when we arrived and that made it easy to believe his work days would be fairly tolerable and soon we would be on our way again. Well, you know what they say "make a plan and watch God laugh" lol. Joshua's first week of training was a dream, a really nice hotel, 8 hour days, it was still fairly warm, he had a ride to training and it was indoors with awesome lunch provided by the company, then happy hour with his new work buddies after work. All this, while I had the mini van and the freedom to do errands, meet with venue prospects, use the beautiful exercise facilities, swim in the pool, make calls from a very comfortable hotel room and practice my guitar. That week was spectacular!!! Training is over now, we head back to the bus to prepare for cold weather as the RV park has warned they will shut off our water if we do not prepare our bus to their specifications. Oh boy!! Joshua literally finished the cold weather preparations just in time!!! A major cold front moved in, we were scrambling to do everything we could inside the bus to keep it insulated and warm. As many of you may know, our bus is not really set up for cold temperatures because our original plan was to follow the sun in 75 - 80 degree temps all year around!!! So, we improvised with what we had on the bus and purchased cheap pillows to block cold air from seeping into our return air vents. Blankets and pillows on the floor, it looks as if we have created our very own fort and it collapsed LOL! WOW!! I am so grateful Joshua is so handy and hard working, we have running water and enough heat to get us through this!!! So much for writing new music, long 10 hour days in the cold is very exhausting....there will be more time for this soon! </p>
<p>So, here comes the motivation part. While Joshua is bundled up in warm clothes, getting up at 4am to leave for the job site by 5am. He is reminded of why he chose to leave the electrical field three years ago once again. For the past three years we have been living our best life, doing what we love. It hasn't always been a bed of roses and we love what we do. Joshua and I have been sharing lots of conversations around lessons in life lately. I was sharing with him and others recently, that I believe we will be presented with the same opportunities to learn over and over again until we learn the lesson and choose to do something different. I believe this shows up in faith, trust, scarcity thinking....whatever it is, situations will show up to test us. There have been many times since we left the trade three years ago that Joshua has been offered construction and electrical job opportunities. Joshua keeps telling me and others that he doesn't want to return to the trades. He explains it is hard on his body, it doesn't bring him joy, he feels that he loses momentum and focus on what he really wants. And yet, when offered the opportunity to do it again, here we are. However, I can tell you this, this time "feels" different. Over the past week, Joshua has been sharing with me how grateful he is for the life that we have created when we are traveling and performing together. He feels and is sharing that he is excited to focus more on writing books, telling stories, writing music and performing. I feel the shift in his energy and can hear the difference when he talks about our future!!! He shares with me that this experience, although he is grateful for the funds it is putting into our bank account, is also motivating him to build "his" future instead of building a future for someone else. </p>
<p>During this experience, I have chosen to support Joshua in this journey and his decision to go back to work. Now, I was also very honest with him too. I was not thrilled to be going to Nebraska in November or that he was choosing to return to a trade I know it doesn't make him happy. However, I will be here to love on him, cook hot, healthy meals, do whatever errands need to be done, make his lunches, book more tour dates and do whatever it takes to be by his side while he works his butt off for us! I know in my heart his intentions are good, he is not trying to make us suffer and we are still learning life's lessons together.</p>
<p>I too, have used the cold conditions here as motivation! While he is working in the cold, I am working to build our future. I am dreaming and creating a vision for where we will be next year at this time. I see warm beaches, big audiences, lots of dancing, sleeping in, quiet mornings with coffee and great conversations, supported by a wonderful team of visionaries and friends!!! These dreams get me up in the cold morning and motivate me to make cold calls, send emails, research, more marketing and promotions!!! Through it all, I have learned, how can you use what you have right now to change your future?!?! For now, I am using the cold winter weather as motivation to get me to the beach!!! Time to make more calls ;) </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/59150442019-10-03T22:37:49-07:002022-01-29T15:59:09-07:00Disappointed....<p>Today, I woke up with the sunshine flowing through the sheer white curtains here on the bus, in our cozy little bedroom. It is a new day, I get to start over. I get to let go of the failures, disappointments, sadness and a dream that will never be. I keep thinking to myself "how can you be grieving something that never happened?" As I shared in my previous blog post, having a baby and sharing the whole pregnancy experience with Joshua has been a dream of ours for about 8 years. A little more than a week ago, I went to a clinic while we were moving through a small town on tour, to get my blood drawn to test my hormone levels. This test would determine if I would be a good candidate for tubal reversal surgery or not. </p>
<p>For the past week, time seemed to just come to a creeping slow crawl while we anxiously waited on these results. Joshua and I were getting very anxious and excited to move forward. We have spent the last year dreaming about this goal again. There have been lots of research and waiting for the perfect time to move forward. When we saw that we had a decent break in our tour schedule for the month of October, we took that as a sign that it was time to move. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly and smoothly, we were getting so excited that this was going to work this time! For example, we found a clinic on our tour schedule route that not only fit into our budget but were very prompt in getting everything we needed to move forward within our time frame. Then located a clinic that could draw my blood on a Sunday, in a little small town at exactly the right time (the test needed to be done on the 3rd day of my cycle). If I missed this test alone it would have thrown us into missing the window needed for the surgery and recovery. Joshua ran into an old work colleague who directed him to a job where he could work while I was recovering that would not only fund the surgery but put money in the bank. All the stars seemed to be in alignment....right?!?!</p>
<p>All in faith, we drove to the location where Joshua would be starting the job. Got a loan to purchase a vehicle to get him back and forth to the job and to pay for immediate needs like a place to park and live in the bus while he is working. Joshua and I discussed many times before making any of these moves the possibility that this test could stop the process and we asked ourselves..."will we be ok if the answer is no?" However, how can you really know your response until you are in the moment. </p>
<p>Yesterday, while we were excitedly doing a bunch of our errands believing we were going to get the answer we wanted to hear..... Here I was, standing outside of a coffee shop, in the rain, I got the call. I was not prepared for the results or my reaction. I was told by the nurse we had less than a 1% chance of getting pregnant after surgery. At first I think I was in shock...I spoke very calmly and didn't really feel anything. As I ended the call and walked to meet Joshua inside, I saw his face and he thought I was coming in with good news. I quickly started to share the information with him and while doing so....ALL the emotions broke loose all at once. In one instant our hope and dream was gone....just like that. My heart was broken and Joshua's emotions were shortly behind mine. While we sat in silence drinking our coffee, me in tears that wouldn't stop coming, Joshua was communicating the results by text with our oldest daughter because their Facetime conversation was interrupted by bad Wifi once again. Soon after we texted all of our kids and other close family members anxious to hear the results too.</p>
<p>Last night Joshua and I processed our grief in silence for what seemed like an eternity while doing little chores and avoiding each other. Joshua finally suggested to me that we should announce our results to all of our fans, friends and family on Facebook Live. I really didn't feel like I had the strength or to be honest the desire to tell anyone at this point AND he made a great point...if it had been good news we would have shared it this way, so this shouldn't be any different. Joshua and I would like to thank everyone for the pouring out of love, prayers, virtual hugs and support while we continue to process our sadness, disappointment and grief. </p>
<p>Tonight, we chose to shift our energy. Joshua and I talked about how everything happens for a reason. While we were talking, we discussed how when things like this happen, it is possible we are being protected from various possible undesirable outcomes. Then we talked about all the ways we are going to move forward with excitement! Our focus on our music, touring, and growing is stronger than ever. The funds from the job that he is starting will now go into improving the bus to keep us running down the road even more successfully than before! The vehicle we purchased will get us back to Centerville to share our time and voices with our dear friend as we share our grief. I truly believe this is just a step in our journey....yes it is a closed door and sometimes the closed doors open amazing opportunities to more, better and different! I believe one day we will look back on this experience and see the blessing...today is not that day. </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/59109752019-09-30T19:10:10-07:002021-09-27T11:31:53-07:00Waiting.....<p>We always seem to be on the move, rarely staying in one spot for longer than a week or two. This changed very little in the first two years of our journey. However, January 1st of this year we began our third year on the road as a full time touring band and with the new year came lots of changes. </p>
<p>Joshua and I were just reflecting back on this year and we were realizing that we have spent very little time actually on the bus this year. Our schedule really hasn't changed much excluding taking some time off to take care of some health issues. However we did notice this, we have been so blessed to stay with so many friends and family instead. As we travel we get to meet and spend time with so many kind, generous and loving people that open their homes and hearts to us. In these moments we get to share our lives, share stories, experiences and memories. Our friends have shared that they enjoy spending time in our space and are so honored to share their homes with us. I am always so humbled and surprised that people want to spend that kind of time with us lol.</p>
<p>During this time, I realized many of you may not know our story before we became "The Band Wanted". I know that I am shocked when I share our "before" story how many people are surprised that they had never heard this part of our story before. So, I thought this is the perfect time to share it with you. Why is this the perfect time you might ask? Well here goes....</p>
<p>Here I am sitting in a lounge once again boondocking at a truck stop just outside Omaha, Nebraska. Waiting.....I am reflecting on what started this journey in the first place. Joshua and I were married October 20, 2012 and we had decided that we really wanted to share the experience of having a child together. Joshua up until this point never fathered any children of his own and he had fallen in love with my three almost adult children. He expressed that he had never wanted to have children of his own until now. However, at the age of 20 years old, (and three babies) I had decided to have a medical procedure done (tubal ligation) when my youngest daughter was born to prevent me from having any other children. After many discussions and some research Joshua and I decided to try IVF (InVitro Fertilization) to get pregnant. After about six months of testing, research and only six weeks away from "getting pregnant" the doctors required a routine mammogram to proceed to the final step in our process. June of 2013 I was diagnosed with DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ) Breast Cancer Stage 0. The doctors informed us that the process of IVF would not be the best option for us at this time. Joshua and I were at a cross roads, our dream of sharing a child together was gone. At the time, we did not see this as a blessing, however our view has flipped 360 degrees since then. That diagnoses changed our lives forever! We had a second chance at truly living our lives not just going through the motions, keeping up with the Jones's. This was our opportunity to change our lives and our health increasing our quality of life. We put this goal on hold for that time and with hope that we could return to our goal in the future. Since then, we took our IVF baby fund and invested into starting our electrical contracting business that was yet again another opportunity to learn (we closed the business in debt). Each step we took forward got us closer to doing what it is we LOVE and DOING what it was we kept telling everyone we wanted to do. We love traveling together, singing together, trying new things, bringing joy to others and helping them find theirs!!! </p>
<p>Since that first diagnosis, we have done things to get healthier, physically and emotionally. We are totally different people than we were 6 years ago! Recently, we decided it was time to revisit our goal of having a child together!!! After some research, we found that it may be possible to do a tubal reversal instead of IVF as we had originally planned. This method felt so much better to both of us. About a month ago we saw a significant hole in our schedule and thought this may be the reason. A few weeks ago, we contacted a surgery center to start the process. While we were in New Ulm, MN, I located a clinic to have my blood drawn in order to take the first step. The blood test would determine if I am a good candidate for the medical procedure. </p>
<p>So here we are.....waiting.....waiting for the next step. This past week we have been waiting on all kinds of things to fall into place. We have experienced delays in finances, booking dates, a job application, getting the test results, locating our next destination...you name it....we are waiting on it. During this test of our patience, it has been so tempting to go out and make things happen. I don't know what the outcome will be and I know whatever it is....it is exactly what it is supposed to be, a lesson, a new stage in life or an open door to a bigger opportunity! We will see :) </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/58697782019-08-26T16:27:25-07:002019-08-26T16:27:25-07:00Joy...What is that?<p>We get the opportunity to travel this big beautiful country and Canada! If someone would have asked me "What is your joy?" 10 years ago I would have totally been stumped...What do you mean? What is that? Back then my life looked A LOT different than it does today. A typical day in the life of Candy went something like this; get up on a Monday morning with just enough time to take a shower, run out the door of a temporary house because again I am ending yet another relationship. In between leaving a home I loved, I moved into a crappy trailer, in a crappy neighborhood, with a crappy vehicle on its last leg, just to start over once again. With my teenage children in tow, I have now uprooted them from the only life they have known on a farm full of animals with quiet wide open space and little to no neighbors; into a typical low income mobile home park where everybody knows everybody AND their business. You can literally hear your neighbor sneeze lol. This was a huge transition period for all of us. Just one of the many baby steps I took in the hopes of a better life. I worked in a very male dominated industry, managing a crew of men, customer service, dispatching, billing, basically anything that needed to be done. During my 10 years with this union company, as a non union employee, I was under paid, under appreciated. The official title of my position with this company was Controller/Administrative Assistant it was one of leadership. Although I was put into this leadership position by the owner, many times it was undermined when the men I managed would run to the owner/boss and complain once again that I was being a B***ch by simply expecting them to do their jobs with excellence.</p>
<p>At this point, I had tried on several occasions to quit this job that I absolutely hated just to be drawn back in with another promise of more money. As a single mother, that was all the motivation I needed to keep going through the motions in order to make sure my kids had everything that they needed. At the end of a work day, I would return home, go for a walk to get dinner...I would work a deal with my kids..."you want dinner tonight...you get to walk with me to go get it" it was my way of spending time with them plus the added benefit of creating healthier habits by walking. Then I would watch a TV program or two with my kids only to fall into bed, just to start this day all over again tomorrow. This was also the point in my life that I was like, screw it, I don't need a man in my life full time. Previously, I would try to find someone to fill the void in my life always, expecting to find a fairytale relationship. In reality, I was avoiding loneliness, believing the stories I had grown up hearing "you need a man in your life", "don't marry for love, marry for money" "you will never make it on your own"....Oh geez!!! This time was different, I was learning what was working for ME and my kids! When my mindset began to change, my life began to change, I was finally learning what I wanted out of life....so much of this period of time was not pretty or fun that is for sure. In fact, I am pretty sure there may be a few country songs that could be written about that time too lol. All fired up and ready to do something different once again. I had told my boss that I was quitting my job to move to another state because I saw an opportunity to do something different with my life. Well, once again I chickened out when he offered me more money. In that moment, I decided to believe the same thoughts (story/excuse that I had created) that I needed this job to provide for my kids, no matter how miserable I was. </p>
<p>You may be wondering...what changed? About six months, prior to this most recent relationship failure, I woke up one day and decided I didn't like who I was becoming. My life was sinking deeper into a place I didn't want to see myself or my kids be a part of any longer; smoking, drinking every night, horrible eating habits, angry with my choices, no goals, just trying to get through the next day. A loveless relationship made out of convenience and false promises, turning into something hateful and mean. Then being told by my family doctor, if I kept doing what I was doing, "You will die". Not to mention, also being told by my son's doctor that because of my smoking I was causing more damage to him too....OMG! Talk about a wake up call!!! How many more signs from the universe did I need to have in order to do something different?</p>
<p>Basically, I had to start somewhere, so it all started with little baby steps. I quit smoking, drinking every night, started exercising and eating better. Believe me when I tell you, this was not an easy time in my life. Like, miraculously I just woke up one day and my whole life was better lol....to this day, I am still learning! During this transition, I lost many relationships, friends and family members that were encouraging me to keep doing what I have always done. My significant other and friends would offer me cigarettes and a drink whenever I seemed "stressed out". He refused to eat healthier or exercise going as far as making fun of me when I would. Once, I remember him bringing a bucket of chicken and a beer when he decided to take a walk with me lol. In fact, I recall him getting angry when I wouldn't cook the way I used to, even though he had also been given strict dietary restrictions of his own from a family doctor. The happier I became with my decisions the more "Friends" and "Family" started moving away from me.The stronger I became, the less they wanted to be around me. Now, I do have a couple of family members that stood up for me and encouraged me to keep going too and for them I am very grateful!</p>
<p>Ok, now that I have jumped through a rabbit hole with you...let's get back to how I started finding my joy. This process started with baby steps as well, I began thinking and asking myself....Who am I? What do I love to do? What activities make me happy? What kind of person do I want to be? As a single mom, I really started with small things like, remembering what I liked to do before I had kids. I loved reading, drawing, walking, biking, hiking and I really loved dancing and singing. Growing up in a big family, I realized I had never really done anything by myself! Kinda funny to think about it now. So, I started spending time with just me, going to the movies by myself, coffee shops to sit by myself, having my own bedroom was a huge step for me and something I had never really experienced! Sometimes, it was just a few minutes and sometimes I would include my kids in the adventure of finding out who I was...we created some pretty crazy memories during this time of self discovery too! By the time Joshua and I came together I was getting pretty clear about who I was and what I wanted out of life. However, it is easy to fall back into old patterns. Joshua and I chose daily to continue learning together, we ask each other questions like, "How do you want to be loved?" "What makes you happy?". We do our best to communicate what is working and what isn't working so we can try something different. </p>
<p>Joshua and I used to say that we wanted to travel, wanted a simple life, financial freedom, to do what we want to do, when we want to do it. These are all things we used to "say" and now....we just do it! Still working on the financial freedom and I believe we are getting close ;) We have discovered through experience money, time and people are just excuses made up out of fear of the unknown. Our own excuses keep us from taking any risks because out of habit and being comfortable we would rather stay in the same job, relationship, habits, house or whatever "story" we created to keep us safe....at least we know what to expect, right?. Even if it is unhappy, unfulfilled and miserable. Since then, I have discovered that as long as I keep doing what makes me happy, everything else just falls into place...it doesn't always look the way I think it is going to LOL and we have everything we need and more! </p>
<p>I have grown so much since then, even just recalling these past experiences seems like a dream or a past life altogether. Since then, I have discovered so much about myself with the love and support of my husband Joshua along with the grace and patience of my kids too....I am still learning <3 Now as we travel one of my favorite questions for people that we meet or friends that we get to spend time with is always..."What is your joy?" I am amazed how many times people will look at me with a blank expression, sometimes a sad or surprised expression when they answer "I don't know?". Great!!! Do you want to learn what it is?!?! These questions always excite me, to watch someone take that little spark of curiosity and watch their face change as they start to dream about the possibilities!!! </p>
<p>10 years ago I could not have told you what my joy was either and now I am still discovering all of the new and different ways I experience joy!!! Some of these things include, traveling with my best friend, spending time with my kids (grandkids), discovering new adventures, places and friends, performing, singing, watching someone light up when I sing for them....these are just a few and the list just goes on <3 Do you know how I know these are the things that bring me joy? When others tell me how happy and young I look....that is all the feedback I need to keep doing what I love most....thank you and keep it coming!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/58436682019-07-31T21:13:43-07:002019-08-01T12:45:29-07:00What a RUSH.....<p>WOW!! This past month could only be described as being caught in a whirlwind! I cannot believe it has only been a month since my last blog post...so many things have happened. Our northwest tour began June 20 in Heber City, Utah at one of my favorite resorts and here in about a week we get to finish our tour at the same place- Mountain Valley RV Resort. For all of our traveling buddies out there in the RV world I highly recommend visiting....be sure to do it while we are there ;) Anyway, after we left Utah we hot-footed it over to Sacramento, CA to spend time with our friends. Joshua was determined to finish a project he had started while we visited by train just a few short weeks before.</p>
<p>Each step of our journey becomes clearer as we learn more and more about each other, who we are, and finding our joy. You may be wondering, "What does she mean finding joy?". So, let me explain this just a bit....take a trip back in time with me. Think about a time in your life, maybe around the time you were 3, 4, 5 or 6 years old. What made you giggle? What was it that you were sooooo into that you couldn't think about taking a nap or you couldn't wait to get up in the morning to do? For me, I LOVED being outside, music, dancing and singing....I could not get enough!!! I had a toy piano that I would sit at and play for hours, in fact I learned how to play the theme song to my mom's favorite soap opera "The Young and The Restless" by ear. I had a broken old cassette player, you know the one you didn't have a cover to keep the batteries in so you had to tape them in. I would play all my favorite cassettes; The Statler Brothers, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers- over and over again. Then I would record myself singing on the little corded microphone on the one blank cassette that I had...this was my prized possession <3 Joshua loves to tell a story that my mom shared with him about me during our shows, how when I was about 4 or 5 while we were traveling with my dad on the oil rigs in Wyoming and Utah. I told everyone that I had written the song "Delta Dawn".....I loved that song so much that I had in fact believed that I had written it. I sang it all the time and one of my favorite songs to dance to was "Music Box Dancer". In fact, I had created my very own dance routine to that song and people would ask me to do it whenever they saw me lol. One of my favorite memories was when my grandma (we call her Honey) took me, my sister, and my cousin to see my great-grand-mother (Honey's mother) in a nursing home. Honey asked us to sing Christmas songs to a group of the residents that were sitting there in the dining room. I loved singing for them, their eyes lit up and I was the center of their attention while we sang...it was wonderful!!! </p>
<p>After awhile life piles up all kinds of stuff that can cause us to forget what true JOY feels like....You know the old saying "Life Happens". We begin to forget what makes our hearts happy and we start going through the motions. Going to school, getting jobs, raising kids....chasing a paycheck, for the mortgage, for a house that we don't really get to spend much time in, just to go back to work the next day. I share this with Joshua and others as we travel, people are afraid of a zombie apocalypse...we are already there. Don't believe me....take a walk through a department store, grocery store or watch people headed to work on their morning commute....get up, go through the motions without even a thought (shower, hair/makeup, breakfast, out the door by 6:45 to be to work by 8), no smiles, no excitement and no passion. Just zombies going through the motions. I did this for years!!! I was so "busy" making a living that I was forgetting how to LIVE. </p>
<p>Since we jumped off the edge 3 years ago on January 1, we continue to learn how to LIVE in our JOY! This past month has been so FULL of LIFE!!! I LOVE performing, singing, learning new music, writing new music, sharing my light and joy with others!! We got to spend time with awesome friends and family, make new friends, walk the beach, play games, climb mountains, see waterfalls, experience new places, have coffee, watch the sun rise and set, giggle and be silly! There were so many experiences in such a short time, I am sure I have forgotten a few lol. Now, instead of slogging through the motions, we start each day excited to see what we create! Sometimes it's a new adventure or a new opportunity and sometimes it's just rest, with a few great people or without, just depends on what we need. This is what I call LIVING and Oh What a RUSH it is!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/58097752019-06-30T20:15:54-07:002023-05-24T07:35:26-07:00Time Flies....<p>Boy, oh boy does time fly when we are having fun! Recently, we took some time off for medical reasons and for Joshua's recovery time after surgery. Now we are at it again and stronger than ever!!! In less than a month we have taken a train from Grand Junction, CO to Sacramento, CA, 5 shows, created a sound recording for a brand new video that has been in the works since March, built two sheds and now we are back out on tour!!! We took about six weeks out of our regularly scheduled tour to finally get some answers to some health issues and questions affecting Joshua's health for several years now. During that time off, we got to spend lots of time with family, reflecting on our past life living in Grand Junction and regrouping for what we want to see in our future. What we have come to realize is living in our small town again the way we had before would seem very small to us. We crave adventure, new places and playing a bigger game than we have ever dreamed of before!!! What I realized for myself is that I was ready to be building our dreams again, I missed performing and singing sooooo badly!!! I was ready for BIG GROWTH!!! </p>
<p>We are super excited to grow!!! On our train ride we talked about all the things that we want to do different, things that are working and not working and what the next steps are in our growth. Getting clear on, "where do we want to put our focus?" What a wonderful place to have a business meeting to discuss our future! Joshua and I LOVE dreaming and visioning together, the difficult part for us is taking some action to put our dreams into forward movement...we are wonderful planners ;) We get super excited and talk with lots of passion and then settle back into routines....does this sound familiar to anyone else? However, we have found that setting goals usually supports us in forward movement or at least figuring out what we are truly committed to. Recently we talked about creating more of our own music, writing, recording and performing our very own creations!!! We have also decided that this type of growth includes adding band members to our group. This has sparked even more conversations of what that might look like. Who are we looking for? What expectations do we have? Will they have? The list of questions just goes on.....This step has been very scary, for lots of different reasons. Joshua remembering past experiences when working with others had been stressful. When we added employees to our electrical business it wasn't the best experience. Facing our fears head on and not knowing what to expect. I know in my heart we will attract the right people with a vision to succeed with our band....no matter what. </p>
<p>What we have come up with so far is a vision! Performing on BIG STAGES with a committed, talented, easy to work with, do whatever it takes back up band that includes a guitarist, drummer, bassist, to start. Possibly having a second bus for them to travel too. The Band Wanted will be committed to the success of everyone in the band and that could look a million different ways. The Band Wanted will always be Joshua and Candy Carpenter. The new members of the band will be fun additions to our friends and family. </p>
<p>So, here we go into the wild blue yonder without a clue on how we will get to our destination or when!!! What we do know is we are committed to our dreams becoming reality and taking a few people with us on the way up....including all of you!!! Here's to GROWTH!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/57989232019-06-20T22:12:18-07:002021-02-12T12:17:32-07:00Knowing MY Purpose....<p>WE ARE OFFICIALLY BACK ON THE ROAD!!! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!!! I am also so very grateful for the time off (about 2 months). During this time off, we stayed with our kids. Each one of them have been so supportive, generous, excited, patient and loving. So grateful for our oldest daughter opening up her home, providing a room for us to stay in and the time we needed for Joshua to adequately recover from his surgery <3 </p>
<p>Throughout the course of our time off from singing, traveling, meeting new people, writing new music, it was like taking a glimpse back in time. I pictured what my life used to be like before we jumped into chasing our dreams together. I watched as my kids, each of them in a different stages of life, living their lives like pictures from my own past. Our oldest daughter raising 4 children and going to school herself, attempting to balance each child's schedule is like walking a tight rope between biological parents, step parents, grandparents with toddlers, a pre-teen, a teenager and one on the way is quite simply controlled chaos in action lol. The pressures that her and her husband (who is also starting a brand new business) handle daily is immeasurable. They are both learning to become a united team and they are doing an amazing job together. While staying with them I could easily see things I could have done differently while I faced some of the same challenges. It was at these times I would feel frustration when I would suggest a solution and know that my very capable daughter was not going to do things the way I would do them LOL. Breath....She gets to learn too and I get to take a breath and be relieved that this is not my circus and those are not my monkeys!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE spending time with all of my kiddos, my grand babies and I also love the freedom of not being their parent! I don't have to make major decisions in their lives. Instead, I get to trust that I raised my children to the best of my ability to be loving, kind, generous, patient adults and I am confident that they will raise their children the same way <3 This experience provided lots of opportunities for me to learn and grow as well. I am practicing patience, grace and gratitude...I am not perfect, I loose my patience, I jump to conclusions and solutions instead of allowing others the space they need to learn for themselves and I take things for granted....I too am learning. I am so very proud of my kids and their ability to keep learning!!!</p>
<p>During, this process I was reminded that my children don't need me to be in their lives on a daily basis. They are capable of figuring things out for themselves and their families without my input. By allowing them the space to learn I also get to celebrate their victories with them when they chose to share them!! They have also learned too that I am here to support them anytime they ask for it...they always know where to find me ;) </p>
<p>I learned so much about myself during our time off. For instance, the thought of returning to our small town full time was frightening LOL. Although I love spending time with family and friends, I yearn to be exploring and traveling. The longer we stayed the more stagnant I felt...I missed singing and performing soooooo much. I really can't imagine myself doing anything else, at least for now. I had never realized just how much I loved what we do until I wasn't doing it anymore. I now know more than ever that I am living in my purpose!!! After performing at a church for the first time in months....my heart was sooooo filled up by the experience of just singing again....all I could think of, how can I do more of this and play bigger? I don't have the answers yet and I know that as long as I keep living my passion and live in my joy the universe will meet my needs!!! </p>
<p>By living my dreams, my insatiable desire to keep learning and moving, I get to really LIVE IN MY PURPOSE!! I truly get to be the example to my kids and my grand babies that I have a life worth LIVING!!! My purpose is to "Let my light shine through" and what better way to do that than doing what I love to do!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/57765392019-06-01T16:01:10-07:002019-06-13T09:35:08-07:00Let The Games BEGIN!!!<p>Today, I found out we didn't win the songwriters contest that we entered back in December this past year. My initial reaction was disappointment, I failed to win with a song I felt had the potential of becoming an award winning song. I was totally bummed :( Over the past six months I had put so much energy toward promoting it, creating a video and excitement around it, sharing it with our audience and enrolling others into my excitement.....and now there was no celebration......no finale...no fireworks! Now what? What does this mean? Am I a failure? Should I just give up on writing music? Do I crawl off into a hole, forget the song all together including all the work I put into it? What do I do about the let down? All of these thoughts came flooding into my brain.....uuuggghhhh!!! Hold that thought! Right now in this moment I have an opportunity....for what you might ask ;) I have an opportunity to choose my reaction! </p>
<p>Let me unwrap this just a bit. A few years ago I was playing a game and during that game I got to experience how I show up in life first hand. During this game a fellow teammate revealed to me that they had seen something about me. My immediate initial reaction to their observation was anger and defensiveness. In that moment, I stopped....it felt like forever and I probably appeared to this person as a crazy person as I took the time without responding to just stare at her while I pondered and thought this whole experience through LOL. Then I realized that this was just an observation, their perspective, it didn't mean that it was right or wrong or even that it was true, they just saw something I wasn't aware of!!! WOW!!! This experience has changed my life!!! I now have the power to choose my reaction, to dissect and determine how I want to feel, does this information even apply?- and more importantly what do I get to do different to improve moving forward?!</p>
<p>That experience alone has been a GAME CHANGER for me. Now, when I feel a strong emotion come up for me: anger, disappointment, fear, defensiveness -the list can go on and on- instead of reacting with anger, resentment, and frustration (which are all negative responses that have the potential to grow negative responses), I get to choose a positive response that promotes growth, learning and opportunities for better!! I continue to practice this and my responses get easier and faster all the time. In fact, I no longer look like I am lost in space staring at people while I work through how I want to respond LOL. I am not perfect by any means and there are still times when I revert back to old habits of frustration/anger AND with practice they are fewer and farther between. One thing I do know now is that my reaction is my responsibility and I can no longer blame anyone else for how I feel...that is my choice.</p>
<p>Well let's get back to the beginning of the story. Yes, I was bummed and had a flood of reactions show up for me and I have taken the opportunity to look at each one and made these decisions. Yes, I do get to celebrate! I get to celebrate that we took a chance, we stepped out of our comfort zone to enter our song into a contest, it was scary to put ourselves out there for everyone to see. Our audiences have encouraged us, given us wonderful feedback and want us to keep doing what we do. We have an opportunity to improve our song, after writing and recording we discovered some things that we want to do to make it better! This experience has given me the drive to keep going, I know we will keep improving, learning and creating more, better music together! I know I love what I do, our recent extended break from music has given me the opportunity to reflect. I am more determined now than I have ever been that this is where I am supposed to be; singing, writing, performing....I am LIVING in my purpose!!! So look out world....LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/57534242019-05-13T17:23:03-07:002019-05-27T09:50:47-07:00Rainbow In The Dark<p>I am just beginning to realize that many of our friends and fans are curious about our lifestyle, how we live our lives, our music and how we come up with our tour. Many of these things seems normal everyday life to me and I guess because I know it, I assume everyone else does too LOL. We have had some questions and curiosity swirling around how the song "Rainbow In The Dark" came to be. It has an interesting back story really. Joshua and I were attending a personal development seminar in San Diego, CA a few years back (November 2015). While we travel we get to meet and have some of the most interesting conversations with wonderful people who lend ideas and perspectives to our journey.</p>
<p>When people hear our version of the song, they always say "this sounds so familiar". Well it should, if you were born during the 1980's or a fan of any of the hair bands of the 80's , you would have definitely heard this original song. Only our version of this song is much different and started with an idea. Joshua was not one of these people that had ever heard of this song until the night in the hot tub. We were hanging in the hot tub, with several other couples. You know how it is when traveling and meeting new people for the first time. There is always that one person in the room that introduces themselves and sparks conversation, right? Well, double that with Joshua and I as we usually divide and conquer when it comes to a room full of people or a hot tub as the case may be here. Joshua began visiting with a lady, about our age, who is an author. She shared with him an idea she had for a pitch she was creating for some New York executives about her book becoming a television show. Her idea was very vivid down to the music she wanted for the introduction of the show. At this point, she had no idea Joshua is a very talented musician and music producer. Joshua was listening very intently to her intentions and thought he could help her with the music portion or her idea although he had never heard the song he had an idea of what she was looking for. Interestingly enough, it was during the personal development seminar that Joshua decided to return to what he had always dreamed of becoming which was a music producer by the time he was 50!!! Now, here we are in a hot tub while he devises a plan to work with someone that needs his musical expertise!!! They both jumped on the opportunity to work together to create this project, exchange information and set a deadline for the project to be complete. The deadline was set for January 1, 2016 for the project completion so they had about a month and a half to work on it. Joshua got to work on the project as soon as we returned home from the seminar. You know how life can interrupt goals sometimes, work, kids and other distractions get in the way. That is exactly what happened here too, testing Joshua's commitment to his dream of becoming a music producer or returning to the comfort zone of the construction field. He was down to the last week before the deadline and he wasn't even close to having the project recorded! Joshua had a singer in mind for this project, she was a teenager and the schedule just wasn't lining up the way he expected it to. The singer he had in mind had a child like, high voice that would be perfect for the project. He was in a pinch and decided to ask me to help him by singing, basically laying down a demonstration track to present to the author for approval, then once approved record it with the original singer in mind. I had only sang in church choirs growing up and a solo part once.....I had never recorded anything in my life....this was totally outside my comfort zone! I LOVED singing and I had never thought about doing something like this before....super scary plus I had a cold!!! I knew he wanted this so badly to go well and I jumped in to help him. The process was really stressful for me. So we set up the keyboard in one bedroom and ran a microphone cord to another bedroom across the hall. He was looking for a deep emotional connection that would definitely be reflected in the sound of the music and match the feel of the lyrics. To reach that emotional place, I sat in the dark bedroom by myself and reflected on some of the darkest memories in my life. With some patience, time and lots of takes....Viola!....the sound track was completed on time! Joshua created the piano track, background strings and used a metronome, a glass with a butter knife to create the sound effects and with my vocals we created a hauntingly, beautiful ballad that originated as just an idea!</p>
<p>The song was presented to the author on time and was exactly what she envisioned. However, it turns out that she wasn't as committed to presenting it to the executives as she said and the project died right there. I am very proud of the finished product! Many might see this as a failure but I believe this was the very first step into this great adventure!!! Whether anyone ever uses this song or not, it is definitely one of my favorites and has my heart and soul intertwined throughout the song <3</p>
<p>Listen and watch the full lyric video <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/bueVMMmN0I4" target="_blank">here</a></p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/57329462019-04-26T14:23:22-07:002019-04-26T14:23:22-07:00Road Blocks....<p>Every once in awhile, we run into road blocks. Looking back over the past couple years these road blocks show up just before something really big happens.... that is really exciting!!! For example, we were closing our electrical business to pursue our music career by bringing music to under-served communities in senior care facilities all over the US. Sounds great right? Believe me when I say...there was quite a process to reach that decision lol! Seems like it would be a simple thing, bringing joy to others. Well, there we were in a very interesting spot actually. Our business was closing due to an injury Joshua sustained working in the field. This electrical contracting business was a fairly new business. Although, it was growing and successful it had also taken on some debt because we were in a rapid growth phase when his injury was discovered. We were facing bankruptcy and this was the perfect opportunity for us to really examine what direction we wanted to take instead. At this point we decided to follow our dreams and do what our hearts wanted to do...sing together! Joshua had gone down this path before with his family, they were the Carpenter Family Singers for twelve years when he was growing up and he was very reluctant to do it again. His experiences with the family group were not the best ones and he loved playing piano, traveling and life on the road. I on the other hand was totally in!!! Not saying that I wasn't scared and uncertain of our future, I just knew this is what I had always wanted...performing, singing and traveling the world!!! </p>
<p>So, this is where I return to the road blocks part of the story. I have a tendency to wander while I write ;) Here we are, our credit has taken a big hit, we are going bankrupt, selling one home to pay what bills we could, foreclosing on a rental home because we could never sell the home for what was owed. Now, Joshua was convinced based upon past experience, that we needed to outfit a bus to start pursuing our dreams. Out of the blue he was looking at buses for sale online and found one that would be a perfect fit for our needs! Now for the road block, no money to purchase the bus, no credit and no other options to get it. He thought at this point "What the heck, I will submit a loan application. The worst thing that could happen, they tell me no." This is one of those moments that we look back on and are blown away by how the universe opened up doors (or cleared the road blocks lol) in order to get what we say we wanted! We were approved for the loan!!! What?!?! How was that even possible? This of course started a chain reaction of road blocks. We had just enough money to drive to Tacoma, Washington where the bus was located, sign the loan paperwork, drive the bus back to Grand Junction, do the necessary renovations to meet our January 1, 2016 deadline!!! During this time, we would run out of money several times to do the renovations. While he was working side jobs, I was booking dates for care centers in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas. All the while, not knowing how to book shows or having any past experience in doing anything in the music business and learning barely enough music to do a one hour show! While we were doing local shows for practice, the bus sprung a fuel leak just before Thanksgiving that once again depleted what funds we had for the renovations at a $2,500 repair. Joshua and I really began to doubt ourselves and our commitment to moving forward. He came to me saying "maybe God doesn't want us to go this direction?" At this point, I just asked him "what are you committed to?" He shared his fear with me about not having the funds to finish the bus with a kitchen, bathroom and the possibility of leaving with just our mattress on the floor. I shared with him that I was committed no matter what and even if I had to sleep on the mattress on the floor, we would figure it out to get where we wanted to go....singing together :) Here we are, recommitting to what we said we wanted all over again and with the help of some friends, odd jobs and a few local shows, we created just enough funds by Christmas. In eight days, we finished our bus with the bare necessities needed to keep the commitment that we made and the shows we booked starting our official first music tour!!! </p>
<p>Since the moment we made the decision to follow our hearts and dreams to sing together, bring joy to others through music we have experienced and continue to experience road blocks. Here we are again at a cross road, Joshua has been experiencing lots of health issues since we left on that original tour. It has continued to morph into different things, from flu like symptoms, weakness, blacking out, low iron, the list goes on. We are now in Grand Junction, CO again. I believe we are here to reset, rest, spend time with family, get clear on our intention moving forward and I also believe that we are moving into a bigger game. At this point, I am uncertain of our future again, I have doubts and I know now more than ever....I LOVE singing and performing and I can't imagine myself doing anything else!!! I don't know what the future holds for me and I have learned, I don't have to force things to happen. Instead, I get to keep taking steps forward and trusting that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. For me, when I see a closed door, I keep moving until the right door opens...sometimes that takes a few extra cold calls, or switching to a different/new location and I am going to get past the road blocks that test my commitment!!! I believe on the other side of this latest challenge there is something BIG waiting for us because with every great challenge, comes great reward and that keeps me going <3 </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/57019052019-04-12T12:30:38-07:002019-04-12T12:30:38-07:00Doing laundry....<p>A funny thing happened while I was doing laundry today! I was folding my array of T-shirts and I realized that I was seeing an awesome theme!!! I was very excited and had also realized in that moment just how much I have grown into being my true authentic self over the past few years.....what a journey this has been! I know you are all probably thinking right about now..."What the Heck is she taking about?" LOL Well let me back up a little bit and I will explain what I was reflecting on. </p>
<p>Let's go back in time! We all have stories about our childhood, the magical time when everything was possible! These are important and formative years in our lives. During this period is when we start taking in information from all kinds of sources, our parents, our grandparents, other kids, siblings, family members, teachers, TV and now even the internet...there are so many influences to choose from. We already know who we are and early on we have never even had the first thought to question it until....someone outside of ourselves provides new information. It could be as simple as someone complimenting you or even someone making fun of you. Each one of these experiences can have huge impacts on how we see ourselves. It doesn't mean either one of them are true and if you hear enough of something from someone (or a bunch of someones) you can begin to believe that they are true, even when they are not. We start gathering information from all of these sources sometimes as young as two! This information starts piling up, we begin to believe that all of these things that other people are sharing with us are true (and some of it may be). Here is where it can get tricky. Just like anything in life, if it is being nourished, fed properly and cared for, the results created are growth, energy and the pouring out of what is being put in. A fruit tree for example, when it is being watered, gets sunlight, it will produce delicious fruit. Now, the same is true when something is being neglected, abused, made fun of and disregarded. Keep in mind it is not just one instance that creates each result, it is a collection of repeated behavior. Imagine a puddle, it took LOTS of little drips of water to create it. </p>
<p>Now, back to my own personal experience and the reason I started this whole story in the first place :) When I was in elementary school, I believe first or second grade, I was dealing with a lot of internal "stuff" related to the sexual abuse happening to me at home. My teachers would get onto me about daydreaming in class. I was having trouble fitting in with the other students. My parents weren't helping the situation by taking me out of school for various reasons. These reasons varied from they wanted to go fishing for a couple days, to my dad had a job in another state and we had to go with him for a week or so at a time. So, I missed a lot of school and felt like an outsider most of the time, even at home. I LOVED school, learning and I wanted to have friends so badly!! Although, I had missed lots of school, I was a very advanced student. The teachers and principle had decided that my daydreaming was due to me being bored in class and that I needed to be challenged. So, they decided to place me in an advanced class. This of course did not help with the friend situation at all. In fact, it had made it worse! At first, I excelled in class, I was really enjoying the challenge and felt very proud of myself for being so smart lol! As a student in the advanced class you didn't get to share the same recess as the other students, we were kept separated from the rest of the student body. We even had our own playground away from them. The other kids in the advanced class already had their own friend groups and were not accepting any new ones and the kids from my other classroom now made fun of me for being too smart! This whole situation created a whole new set of issues that would later be documented in my school records history as "Candy has an issue with authority" as I was beginning to challenge my teachers and principle. I was feeling isolated and stressed out!! I guess in my child's brain I had decided that if I started failing in this class they would have to send me back to the other class and then maybe things would get better again. That is exactly what happened, I started giving up...the teachers and the principle decided that since I was not keeping up in the class that I would be better off going back to my previous classroom. I returned to my "daydreaming" days...what a relief! From that point on I managed my school work to just get by. I eventually made a couple of friends and then of course my parents would move us again, so they wouldn't last long anyway. Moving would become a pattern to avoid any of us kids getting very close to anyone because if anyone got very close they would know about the secrets being hidden.</p>
<p>It wasn't until I was in my teens and was told by my therapist that I had developed the best "daydreaming" coping skills she had ever seen. She added that these skills were probably the only thing that protected me during some of the most traumatic events of my childhood. I had believed most of my life that "daydreaming" and living in "fantasy land" were bad things! This was the first time in my life that I had proof that this was actually my gift! Now, it would take me years to actually believe it lol. I had plenty of people after that who would still try to use it against me and I have continued to attract more of the people I want in my life who encourage me to be a "Daydreamer"!!! Ask anyone who knows me....I create my own reality...some people call that "Fantasy land" and I am totally ok with that!! </p>
<p>By the way, the T-shirts I first mentioned are pictured here....this is what they say "I'm a dreamer"..."I Live In Fantasyland" and "Igniting Dreams"!!! Proof to me that I am truly living in my purpose <3 </p>
<p> </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/57002382019-03-29T19:03:14-07:002019-03-29T19:03:14-07:00So many lessons....<p>Since we jumped off into a brand new venture of creating a music career back in June 2016, we really had no idea how to get started or how to take the first step. Joshua and I met in the electrical industry, me as an office administrator for a union electrical contractor and he as a union service electrician. We became quick friends and worked really well together. So much so that we grew the service department at that company leaps and bounds from where it started. When it came time to look at our future with that aging company, after many discussions and research regarding the purchase of the company we were working for when the owner was ready to retire, all parties involved decided that purchasing the current company was not a great plan. Instead, we decided to start our own company...we thought working for ourselves would alleviate our stress LOL! Boy have we learned a few lessons since then ;) Don't get me wrong, working for ourselves was better and if we LOVED what we were doing it would not have been nearly as stressful. One of the first lessons we learned by taking that step into owning our own electrical business was learning very quickly (over a two year period lol) that neither one of us was all that fond of working in construction!!! We were both great at it and we also hated it, we made a good living and for what? A big house that we rarely spent any time in because we were working so much and a couple of cars. We had a decent balance in our bank account and we were paying out the nose for the few "luxuries" that we had, not spending time together and too tired after working in the field and networking that we would fall into bed at night just to get ready to do it all over again tomorrow. After Joshua was diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury, he was told that if he continued to stay in the industry he would continue to have the same injury over and over again. We decided to examine our life, our choices and our options. This was an opportunity for some real honest communication about the direction we wanted to go! Believe me this was not an easy time for us, we really hashed some things out and through the help and support from the people we met and the tools we learned through some personal development seminars we continue to come out better on the other side.</p>
<p>Joshua is a brilliant man; he devised a way for us to discover what our true deepest commitments were. He suggested each of us create a list of four things that we were committed to creating in our lives separately and then we would come together to see how we could both get what we want. Miraculously, our lists were very similar, the order of priority was different and we had the same ideas about what we wanted to create. Looking back, the funny thing we learned here is none of it was material things. Neither one of us mentioned keeping our house or our cars or even having any of those things in the future. We discovered that relationships were our highest priority and this continues to this day. </p>
<p>Among the lessons we have learned about ourselves, we have learned how to utilize our strengths in creating our music career. Joshua has incredible musical talents, writing unique and beautiful piano pieces, sharing stories, arranging our music, music engineering and production, vocal coaching, pretty much anything music!! I on the other hand am persistent in making cold calls, follow up, negotiating, scheduling, social media and marketing and who knows what else I am not even thinking about right now lol! Now we have both dabbled in all of these areas and have found through trial and error what has worked and what hasn't and when it doesn't work to allow and trust the other person to do what they do best...we are still a work in progress and we make a wonderful team!</p>
<p>Hard to believe that we closed our electrical business, sold everything we had, bought a tour bus, jumped out with only 8 shows booked and here we are starting our third year on the road! We have learned how to book our own shows, finding our market, branding and re-branding ourselves to that market, more music and confidence in our talents! We are not experts by any means- and we are thrilled to step up to the plate for our next level up...who knows what is in store for us next and the best part is...WE are loving every crazy moment of this journey!!! </p>
<p> </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/56889542019-03-22T12:01:33-07:002019-03-22T12:01:33-07:00Everything happens for a reason....<p>If you know anything about Joshua and I, you know we continue to learn more about the phrase "A Faith Walk". I am sure if you have ever attended a church, religious organization of any denomination or read religion based books you may have heard this phrase too. Have you ever wondered what it means? Do you feel that you have experienced this in your life? Are you unsure if you are or have had this experience? There are so many questions around this and so many different experiences depending on who you talk to and when! I know that for me, I had heard people talking about it and I had never really given it much thought. This is until we started living this full time life on the road, singing and traveling together gig. You may have heard us talk about our journey at one of our shows...we have MANY experiences to draw from and how we continue to grow in our faith. One story in particular stands out very clearly to me. We were on the road not even a full year yet and we arrived at one of our shows literally barely on fumes with just enough time to set up for our show. When I say barely on fumes, I do mean everything fuel, food, money, energy and a place to stay for the night was truly a blessing to us! In our first year, we had sold our house, closed our business, renovated this bus and leaped off the edge into faith, believing that bringing music to communities that couldn't get out to get music was what we were supposed to be doing. So many "friends", family, business associates thought we were absolutely crazy! My favorite was when a business partner said "People in this community think that you are schizophrenic?" I immediately thought to myself YAY, someone thinks we are crazy so we must be on the right path right? LOL! We literally jumped into this journey with eight shows booked and no plans past those....looking back I think to myself "What were you thinking!" and I am so glad that we did :) Anyway, back to my original story. We arrived for our show at an RV Park that had hired us to perform in exchange for a place to park our bus for a few days. Early on in our journey Joshua discovered that trading for a site was way better than boon docking at Wal-Mart's and truck stops. We unloaded our music equipment and started to move the bus into a site for the night when the buses engine just died all of a sudden. The bus was parked at a very steep angle and when it died it rolled backwards down the steep hill, blocking the entrance to the park and would not start. Oh no...I thought we had probably run out of gas. It was low and since we were at such an angle I thought there must have not been enough fuel to keep it started...this was not good. </p>
<p>I stayed very calm and thought, it is going to be fine. We will set up for the show, I will call roadside assistance, we will do our show as planned and by the time it is done roadside assistance will have our bus up and running again. I made all the calls, we had a wonderful show with really great people, that fed us dinner, sang with us and were so kind to us during this stressful situation...just really good people, many we are still friends with today! Well, my plans hadn't quite worked out as smoothly as I had planned. Every shop that we contacted through our roadside assistance program refused to come out siting that they were not insured and did not have the knowledge to get our bus started again. Somehow, Joshua got the number for a 24 hour truck repair shop nearby to send us a tech. The service call alone was going to be $370 just to look at it! We had $500 to our names and we knew we couldn't do this on our own. The manager of the park donated a cabin to me and our daughter for the night because we were not going to be able to sleep in the bus while they worked on it. Joshua and the tech worked in the cold all night on the bus to get it started enough to limp it into the shop just a few miles down the road the next morning. That was the toughest night we had experienced yet. In between working on the bus with the tech, Joshua would come into the cabin and we would have discussions (intense fellowship lol) about where we were, we were questioning ourselves about whether we were doing the right thing, maybe God or the universe was trying to tell us that this wasn't our path and this was not what we were supposed to be doing...it was the longest night ever, definitely one we will never forget and it was also our 5th wedding anniversary!!! </p>
<p>Joshua and the tech were able to get the bus moved into the shop thankfully without the assistance of a tow truck. Now, it was just a waiting game while they did some more troubleshooting and ordering the parts needed to get the bus running again. Looking back we never know why or who we are supposed to meet in situations like these and sometimes it is just as simple as connecting with kind and generous people. The owner of the shop was so kind, that he not only allowed us access to the kitchen, bathroom and showers while we were living in their parking lot. He also decided to have a BBQ that night for his employees and invited us to join them. Seriously, he spared no expense and treated us so well that night...making us feel welcome in every way <3 Over the next four days we really got to know all of the employees while we were living in the cleanest mechanics shop I think I have ever been in! Believe it or not, Joshua shares that this was the first time in his life that he chose not to be stressed or feel hopeless during circumstances like this. We knew that this bill was going to be WAY MORE than the $500 that we had and we were trusting that it was going to be taken care of somehow. On the day the repairs were done they presented us with a bill for $2,200 (it probably should have been much more than that I am sure and I believe they believed in us and gave us a break to get us back on the road). We shared with them that we had no idea how we were going to take care of it and that the bill would be taken care of. We knew this was way bigger than what we could do and we just started praying and asking that if we were supposed to keep going down the road that this bill would be taken care of. I kid you not within 30 minutes of that prayer we had two separate calls come in and the second caller paid our bill in full!!! Telling us that she believed in our mission and wanted us back on the road doing what we do, bringing joy to others through music <3 </p>
<p>I have always heard and used the phrase "Everything Happens For A Reason" and through this journey I get to experience trust, faith, generosity, love, kindness, courage, joy, as well as many other qualities and I am truly blessed! It hasn't always been easy, in fact sometimes it really sucks and I know that every moment is worth it!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/56507252019-02-19T16:26:38-07:002019-02-19T16:26:38-07:00You Are My Kinda Crazy<p>As many of you may already know, we have written our first original song together...WOO HOO! This step is a HUGE leap forward in the growth of our music career and we are very excited (a bit scared) to share this song with everyone! Many of you may have even watched us perform it live a few times. This song has raised many questions from our audiences as well as many people sharing their own similar experiences with us. Our song is very personal to us and our own experiences, we share some very vulnerable details about our lives (the scary part). We jumped out anyway taking a risk that not everyone will like it, we opened ourselves up to possible criticism and shared some very vulnerable details about our lives. We thought this would be a great time to share some background about the song, how we came up with the idea, where we wrote it and why. So, here it is...all unfiltered, grab a drink, get comfy and enjoy the ride ;) </p>
<p>Joshua and I decided to start writing our own music about a year ago. What prompted us to make this decision you might ask? Well, we were attending an outdoor music festival and he looked at me while a very popular singer was performing and asked me "Do you ever see yourself performing on a stage like that?". My response was immediate with YES! I absolutely see myself there. Our song is just the beginning of a new chapter of growth for our band and I am soooooo excited to share it with all of you! Our vision for our band is to be the next Country Power Couple...growing our influence in the music industry and creating more opportunities to share our mission with the world through music! </p>
<p>When Joshua and I first started dating we would tell each other all the time "You Are My Kinda Crazy". This would especially happen when we would do something out of the ordinary or find out something new about each others past that would make us go "Hmmmm well that is different and I totally get you"! Voila, the idea for our first original song was born. As usual we had a hole in our schedule for a reason (we never really know why) while we were traveling through Mt. Vernon, Illinois. We were driving down the interstate when Joshua was struck with an idea that maybe we were supposed to be writing our song during this long break in between scheduled show dates. He and I spotted an RV Park sign on the interstate and decided to call them to exchange a concert or two for a stay for a couple of weeks while we write our music....and guess what? They were thrilled to have us!!! </p>
<p>When you listen closely to the song (or watch the lyric video<a contents=" here)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/qYCFnuL1CDQ" target="_blank"> here)</a> each line of this song is true and very specific to Joshua and I. Really, this song is an introduction into who we are as a couple....it's unfiltered and it's JUST US! The style that the song is written in is an old country style as Willie Nelson would say "three chords and a story" also it is an unusual duet that has a very back and forth type of conversation between Joshua and I. We decided to poke a bit of fun at each other and our very different pasts to demonstrate that although we were raised so differently it is those differences between us that we have discovered balance, acceptance and understanding for each other too. Although we were brought up literally from two vastly different households and cultures spanning opposite ends of the spectrum from conservative to an everything goes type of culture; we still have a ton of similarities too as well as different perspectives! As scary as it is to open up our lives, our pasts and hearts, we have found that our stories are not all that unusual. During our shows we have lots of people share with us their own experiences and share with us "it was like you were singing about me!" Thank you to all those that have chosen to be entertained, to share your experiences and vulnerability too!! Each time that happens it is encouraging to us to keep going, keep writing and keep sharing our lives with you <3 </p>
<p>If you enjoyed this song, oh just wait....we have more where that came from coming soon ;) Also, if you haven't already, check out our song entry and please feel free to share the link for our entry into the Red Lodge Songwriting Contest <a contents="click here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://redlodgesongwriterfest.org/2019-songwriting-contest-submissions/" target="_blank">click here</a>. We will definitely share the exciting results with all of you when we know them June 5, 2019!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/56342872019-02-08T15:54:27-07:002019-02-08T15:54:27-07:00Legacy....<p>Over the past couple weeks, we have had lots of conversations with friends about Legacy. Lots of questions and perspectives about what that looks like for each person. Years ago after my cancer diagnoses I had the rare opportunity to look at my life and ask myself "How will you be remembered?" At that point in time I had lived my life pretty safely. I worked in the construction field off and on for over 20 years, raised my three kids, and hadn't really done anything remarkable to speak of up to that point. I was shocked, saddened and blessed to now have the chance to do something different...I was excited and had no idea what that was going to look like! It was just the beginning of my personal journey of self discovery and OH BOY....what a journey this has been! Since then I have discovered that I have the desire to contribute to the world in a BIG way! I was determined to donate my time and energy doing something that I love. The next step was finding a need and discovering the big question "What DO I love?"</p>
<p>When I was growing up, from the time I was 4 or 5 years old, I remember that I just loved singing and dancing. Looking back I remember my grandma Honey taking me, my sister and my cousin to see her mother in a nursing home. My great grandmother suffered from Alzheimers, not that I knew what that was at that time, I just knew this grandmother was different. She carried a baby doll with her and treated it as if it was a real baby and sometimes she could be really mean for no reason. My grandma Honey would have us sing to the residents at the nursing home. She would tell me that I was such a ham and that the residents loved when we sang to them. I would not just sing but do all the motions to the songs like: Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer, Silent Night or other songs were suggested for whatever occasion. Another memory that I have was one that Joshua takes great joy in sharing at our concerts, lol. When I was about that same age I loved singing the song Delta Dawn by Tanya Tucker soooooo much that I told anyone that would listen that I had in fact written that song! I joined church choirs and would sing ALL THE TIME pretty much anytime the opportunity came up...I just loved it! Over the years, with getting busy raising kids, I never really thought much about singing other than on road trips and around the house....basically I put it on the back burner. Until Joshua and I started dating. Crazy that neither one of us knew that the other enjoyed singing and playing music until then. We had been friends for several years and we had no idea!!! So when we started singing together we were having sooooo much fun. I learned that his dream was to become a music producer by the time he was 50...just look at him go (not even close to 50 yet lol) More on his dream later ;) I just know that I LOVE to sing and each time I perform the desire to do more grows!!! I wanted to do more and we were taught through our personal development journey to find a need and fill it. So, I started contacting local assisted living, senior care and Alzheimer care communities in our area. We booked 20 different communities just like that near our home town! We decided that if the need was THIS BIG in just our area we could do this all around the US!! We set a date of January 1, 2016 with a whole 8 shows booked. We headed out on the road to serve the elderly communities in this country! In our first year we served over 200 communities in 20 different states!!! We continue to grow, DREAM BIG and serve these communities as well as many more around the country. Still learning, defining, and fine-tuning our mission as we travel. </p>
<p>One thing I know for sure, I have learned through this journey the importance of the people in our lives. We have 3 grown children and 5 grand children. One of our biggest concerns when deciding to leave and travel full time to follow our dream was leaving our children/grand children. I was afraid that being away from them for long periods of time was going to be a disaster for our relationships. Not only that....we wouldn't be available to help them if they needed us. However, what we have found is....our kids have blossomed into capable adults since we left! As for our relationships, I feel that we have grown closer. We are not in their daily business, they are growing and learning without our help (and we are just a phone call away). We value the time we get to spend together and see that it is not the quantity of time that we spend instead it is the quality of time that we get to spend together. With the technology available now we connect regularly by video chats, texting, and -when available- I send postcards from the places we get to visit. I get to pour into my family even when I am not in the same town. What I love most is seeing the legacy I have already created (and continue to feed through my own growth) in each of them. Our children are kind, loving, compassionate, generous, courageous, fun, and so much more! I love watching them share these gifts with their children, watching them grow, learn how to set healthy boundaries, learning to take care of themselves and DREAMING BIG!!! </p>
<p>I am no longer saddened or believe that I haven't made a big enough impact in this world because I know that I am following my heart, living my dreams, growing, learning, and teaching by example- everything that I want to see different in the world I GET TO BE!!! So if I want to see kindness, peace, love, generosity, joyfulness...I get to be the one who takes the first step and show my children how it works first! It is just that simple like walking, running, talking or potty training lol </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/56035562019-01-19T15:58:24-07:002019-01-19T15:58:24-07:00Playing BIG!!!<p>We are so excited that we are just beginning our 3rd year doing what we love together!!! When we first decided that we wanted to perform music together we had no idea what that was going to look like. Although Joshua had spent most of his young-adult life on the road with his family, performing together in a gospel band, (he definitely had no intention of creating the same experience) he didn't have a clue where to start our own journey. I for one had only performed in church choirs and school bands, never had I ever done anything solo or focused on a career as a professional musician (even though secretly I had always wanted to perform lol). So, here we were with an idea and no idea how to do it! While we attended some of our self-development seminars something that we had learned and heard was "find a need and fill it....everything else will fall into place". Well, we knew we LOVED singing together so the next step was easy right? Not exactly...Joshua was the only one that had any musical experience and the only one who knew how to play an instrument...the piano. So, I decided that I would learn an instrument too and still we fell short of what we were looking for. He grew up in a family band where they did all their own music and believed that was the way it should be done. However, there were only three of us and at the time our youngest daughter had decided she wanted to do this with us (more on that later). Our youngest had been playing ukulele for about a year and now wanted to learn the drums too...so at this point it looked like it may be possible to pull everything together! We had heard about others using tracks and thought ,well maybe while we transition and learn to play our instruments we could fill in with some tracks. This was a huge step for us and we experienced a lot of resistance around using tracks. Resistance in ourselves feeling inadequate as musicians as well as from fellow musicians that had their own judgements about using tracks. Resistance is a funny thing and will show up many times as a test to see how committed you are to the results you say you want to create. However, this is the exciting part!! What we found was our audiences didn't care about the tracks at all, in fact many of our audiences only focused on the experience and how we made them feel!!! This was a pivotal moment for Joshua and I!!</p>
<p>Oh yeah, let me back up a bit here I almost forgot to mention how we found the need!!! We decided that performing for some local senior care centers would provide us with some practice in front of small audiences. Since we hadn't performed together as a group before, this would be a great experience and opportunity to grow as a band. Well, during that process of scheduling local shows...I found and was hired by 20 different senior communities in our area!!! Oh boy did we find a need! At this time we were running into lots of resistance from other local venues in our area while trying to book shows. So, we were being coached to find the need and step into contribution and all the other pieces would fall into place. We had no idea what that was even going to look like lol. Each time we stepped out to sing the next opportunity would show up and we were getting clearer and clearer on our vision and what WE wanted. Here is where everything changed. We decided if our local senior care centers had such a great need, then others around the country did too. We had always said we wanted to travel together!!! This was an opportunity to contribute on a GRAND scale, doing what we LOVE and TRAVEL!!! So the decision was made...we were buying a bus and traveling the US bringing music to underserved senior communities!!! OUR VISION WAS BORN!!!</p>
<p>Earlier, I mentioned resistance and how it shows up to test your commitment. Well, oh boy were we tested! When we made this decision we had no idea how much we would be tested! At this time we were closing our electrical business, had already sold our home to pay whatever bills we could before we finally decided that bankruptcy was our best option. There should have been no reason we could have ever been approved for the loan we needed to get our bus and the universe does amazing things when you have a clear vision of what you want! We drove to Washington state to pick up our bus and we thought we had 3 months before the deadline of January 1, 2016- the date that we had set for ourselves to renovate the bus and officially be on our first tour as a band. We experienced a major fuel tank issue that cost us the savings we had planned to use to do the renovations. Our daughter decided she was not going to join us on tour as a band member and would be staying in GJ. This was a major blow to our band. We had been creating our branding and presence as a three piece band and now we were down to two. We were only a week away from our deadline and our bus wasn't even close to being ready for traveling full time when Joshua started questioning whether we were supposed to leave and maybe God was trying to tell us this was not our path? Through some soul searching and honest communication....Together, we faced our fears and decided to keep going!!! With the help of some friends and Joshua getting odd jobs we created the funds we needed to do the basics to get us on the road on the date we committed to! We renovated the bus in about 8 days and have only made a few changes since the day we left in our comfortable tiny traveling home. </p>
<p>We have learned so much since then and continue to grow and learn together! We stepped out into contribution to fill a need with what we love to do and have continued to be blessed each step of the way. This past year we decided that we get to play an even bigger game. Our vision remains the same about bringing music to under-served communities AND to do this more effectively we get to be the BEST COUNTRY MUSIC POWER COUPLE! As we grow our influence as musicians, songwriters and singers...we will have more opportunities to serve in contribution. We "Go Where We Are Wanted" and you know how we know this? Our fans, friends and audiences are inviting us to their hometowns, they are booking shows and want to share us with their friends, families and communities! We are so grateful for our friends and family that have stuck with us through the tough times as well as the good times and just wait..... more GOOD TIMES are coming!!! Each one of you make it possible for us to keep going, through your product purchases, donations, prayers and never ending encouragement....THANK YOU!!!</p>
<p>This year we are playing BIG!! Bigger venues, better paying venues, bigger audiences, growth and more original music...get ready for MORE!!! May the opportunities, open doors and adventures BEGIN!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/55892562019-01-09T23:18:16-07:002019-01-10T07:21:57-07:00Feeling Renewed....<p>Happy New Year to all of you!! I don't now about all of you but Joshua and I take the time from about Christmas to New Year's to reflect on the past year. During this time we reflect on all kinds of things. It looks a little bit like this...we start by looking at what we committed to the previous year. Did we do everything we said we wanted to do? Yes...great! What worked? No...Why not? We create a list of all the really cool things we created, our wins, we take time to celebrate our accomplishments....WOO HOO!!! Celebrations could look like having a specialty coffee or maybe a $10 dolphin tour....can you guess by the type of celebrations which ones we each prefer lol :) </p>
<p>This year we were so blessed by friends that decided to fly from Toronto, Canada and Washington DC!!! Usually, it is just Joshua and I sharing this year-end tradition and this year we got to share this process with our friends! It is impossible to explain the exchange of energy we created during this process this year unless you were right here in the bus with us to experience it for yourself!! We celebrated each others wins and accomplishments, started dreaming about what we saw for each other and ourselves for the upcoming year, shared feedback and perspectives....so POWERFUL!!! It was a week of shared brand new experiences, love, laughter, music, support, dreaming and excitement!!! Each one of us gaining clarity and focus on our goals for the coming year. </p>
<p>At the end of this amazing week everyone returned to their homes, lives and jobs. Since then our friends have touched base with us to share their excitement about the energy they took with them and the forward movement, successes they are already experiencing. One friend shared "there is something special about sitting on your couch"...I like to think so too! I know that it has nothing to do with the couch and I feel honored that she felt that way. <3 A few years ago I made a decision that I wanted to leave a legacy and I want people to remember me for all the good I have done in my life, I had no idea what that looked like. We have people share with us all the time that we inspire them. Every time I hear this I am shocked, amazed and humbled they feel that we have impacted their lives because believe me there are plenty of days I do not feel like an inspiration. In fact, there are times I feel like I am failing miserably and yet I still manage to keep going (even when I don't want to). On days like that I usually receive a message of encouragement from a total stranger or a friend that has no idea that I am in the struggle....always in perfect timing. I shared a story with my friend that about six months ago we were down to our last $50, we had bills to pay, no place to stay and I was questioning myself, doubting our journey and asking myself "maybe we just need to stop, find REAL jobs and settle down". We were performing at a senior adult day care center (for contribution) and I was giving it all I had. If you have ever attended one of our shows, you know that when we finish our shows we go into the audience, shake hands, hold hands, talk to each person and get to know each person. During this particular event a gentleman that was throughly enjoying our show, with tears in his eyes, shared with me "God wants you to know, that he loves what you are doing for old people". It is difficult to explain the relief I felt, my heart filled and tears burned my eyes as I thanked him for sharing that with me...it was exactly what I needed to keep going. To this day, I hold onto that moment. </p>
<p>We have so many goals, dreams and visions for our future! I feel renewed, rejuvenated, excited and energized to reach to new levels in our journey. I know I am going to experience the other days where I struggle...these are growing pains as we learn and grow into the next level and I am so grateful for each experience. </p>
<p>Just remember...we enjoy a warm, sunny day more after the cold and rainy ones are over!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/55547052018-12-23T15:27:16-07:002018-12-23T15:27:16-07:00Judgement and Justification....<p>Judgement...we all do it (even though there are those that don't want to admit it lol...even me). From the age of two, or so, we start learning how to judge through experiences. It could be our parents, teachers, other children...who knows where the lessons show up. I do know that at times we have learned how to judge just by watching, hearing or personally becoming a target of someone else's actions. These actions and the results of these actions get recorded into our brains and saved for later to be used in creating our own judgements. From my own personal experience, judgements are created as a way to defend ourselves from situations or people that we fear...many times these judgements are created out of fear, jealousy, anger, or a various list of other emotions that we chose to use to protect our selves. </p>
<p>For example, when I was a teenager my boyfriend's mother decided that she was going to panhandle with her two youngest daughters (of course, using them as leverage to earn more). She would brag about how much money she made each day standing on a street corner instead of getting a job. She was not living extravagantly by any means...just providing food and a roof over her family's head, nothing special at all. And yet, from that point forward...every time I saw people on the corner, I would judge them through my personal experience and say to myself "Why should I give my hard earned money to someone that chooses not to work?" I was grouping every person into that experience, believing that everyone standing on the street corner panhandling was taking advantage of me! Even though in my heart, I knew this wasn't true...I had now created a story that justified why I wouldn't help someone- through a story that made me feel better about not giving up "my hard earned money"...ridiculous, really, when you think about it, lol. This story was born out of jealousy (if I am honest) I was jealous that someone could stay at home with their kids, stand on a street corner and make more money than I did- when I left my kids to go earn money at a job I hated! How DARE she, right?! </p>
<p>The reason I can tell you that I know in my heart this story that I made up about panhandlers wasn't true, is because I was that person that could have been panhandling to survive. I was a homeless teenager that could have easily turned to panhandling if it wasn't for the generosity of people that I met on the street who were kind enough to provide for me so I didn't do that. My grandparents used to buy food for homeless people (they wouldn't give money, believing it would be used for booze) they taught us kindness and generosity as children; and yet one experience, born out of my own jealousy, created a completely different reaction.</p>
<p>A few years ago I had a close friend that created a plan to have her vacation funded by her friends...she devised a brilliant plan to volunteer her time in exchange for donations....WOW! You know my first reaction? "Why should I fund her vacation when I don't get one"....so sad, really, that I didn't see the opportunity to be a part of bringing someone else JOY in this world :( Lesson learned!! Now I take the time to examine each opportunity that comes to me with a different view...I ask myself "Why not?" </p>
<p>Since Joshua and I began this journey, we have had LOTS of opportunity to ask for support. We have also experienced lots of opportunity for judgement from others. These experiences have been very humbling and not something that has been easy for us. We were both brought up very proud of our work ethic, our ability to create all on our own without the help from anyone...a sign of strength right? I have also learned not to take the judgements from others personally and realize that this is just their stuff, based on their own personal experiences, fear, jealousy or whatever other emotions come up for them. We have a very small circle of people that continue to encourage us to keep moving forward even though at times we have run into financial obstacles. We keep learning more and better ways of creating the financial opportunities needed to keep going. A close friend also shared with us, they believe in what we are doing and they live vicariously through us...they love having the opportunity to support us financially when we need it...it is their way of supporting our dream and encouraging us to keep going. This is the very humbling part; believing that there are people in this world that believe in us (sometimes more than we do)...we are learning to being open to receive the abundant love from others without strings attached, shame, or obligation to do anything in return <3 For those people in our lives I am so grateful for your support, your love and your generosity....each of you know who are and there aren't words to express how much you mean to me!!! </p>
<p>So, the next time you have an opportunity in your own life to lend a hand. I encourage you take the time to examine your first initial response! Take your judgements out of your response...examine them, take a good look at them and ask yourself...."Why not?" </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/55468702018-12-09T15:54:40-07:002018-12-12T12:18:24-07:00Reflections of the past...<p>We have arrived on South Padre Island for the third time since we started this journey three years ago January 1! It is exciting knowing that we have survived this experience (we have definitely had our doubts at times lol). About six years ago Joshua and I sat down and really had a heart to heart conversation about what WE wanted out of life. He asked me simple questions that no one had up to that point in time ever taken the time to ask (and I never considered to ask for myself) What do you want? What makes you happy? Amazingly...right in that moment all I could think about was the beach...all the places I haven't seen yet...how do I want to be remembered? Don't get me wrong, I love my children and they were all coming to ages and stages in their own lives that they didn't need me in their daily lives on a full time basis. It was time for them to fly, learn and try things all on their own and I was excited for this new stage in all our lives....so many possibilities!!! </p>
<p>So, here we are on the beach...my happy place :) We take this time to reset, reflect, formulate our plan for the upcoming year...what worked, what can we do different and what's next!!!! During this time Joshua is writing his new book, creating his highly requested instrumental CD full of familiar favorites as well as some new easy listening and fun piano solos. I am also creating, writing new original music, playing guitar, catching up on some loose ends before the end of the year and booking down the road....it is all so very exciting</p>
<p>Joshua and I have lots of conversations and process through the message that he wants to share through his book including what results he wants to create by writing it and sharing it with others. Through this process we reflect on our own ah-ha moments and lessons we have learned through the tools we continue to use on our journey. Just the other day I shared with him something I experienced several months ago and reflecting how experiences in my past have shaped so many decisions in my life. These awarenesses are so important to understand not only how we make our decisions but "why". Our past experiences shape how we make our decisions every day and based on the result of the experience we continue to make the same decision over and over again because we now have proof from the past based on one or maybe two outcomes...so we will continue to do it over and over even if we really desire something different...fear steps in to stop us because it will be different than what we know (believe) to be true. </p>
<p>Here is an example of what I mean. I was abused by my father growing up, sexually, physically and emotionally (emotional abuse by both parents). Now, let me take you back to a specific moment when an experience shaped how I made my future decisions. I was fourteen years old, had my first serious boyfriend. My boyfriend, I and my little sister were sitting together watching an after school program about a girl being abused by her father in the same way my sister and I were being abused (this was actually the first time either of us realized anything about the other one) she expressed a very strong reaction. As a result of her reaction, I felt I should tell my boyfriend about this situation. At that time, my boyfriend was only 17 years old and was not emotionally prepared to deal with this kind of bombshell and expressed he didn't know how or what to do with this information. A few weeks went by, I found out that he was seeing other people behind my back...I was extremely hurt. Now pay attention this is very important!!! At that very moment in time my subconscious now found proof for, "when I am honest, being vulnerable, share my heart....people leave me." This one experience has shaped sooooo many decisions in my life and affected every relationship since. Just as an example, from that relationship forward I never shared my past with any of my partners in fear that if they new...they would leave me too. In every relationship since then I kept all my cards very close to my heart, I was guarded, only let people know just enough and never letting anyone get very close to me out of fear of being hurt and left all over again. That is until I met my husband Joshua who figured out my past, asked me to come clean and when I did created a brand new experience....love, understanding, standing by me even when at times I am not so easy to stand by lol. </p>
<p>As a result of this new experience...I continue to be courageous, share my heart...it's not always easy and it gets easier every time I do it! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/55329102018-11-29T20:25:39-07:002018-12-01T17:45:52-07:00So many doubts....<p>This past week I ran smack dab into reality. Joshua had worked so hard for five weeks in the cold doing a job in the construction industry that we both left in pursuit of our dreams. He did this to get ahead on bills coming up, pay for our stay for a couple weeks so we could focus our energy on writing, recording our own music. This is something we have talked about doing for awhile and we are usually hustling so much earning just enough to get by all while doing what we love, travel, performing, bringing joy to others. Don't get me wrong...I am not complaining just painting a picture for my point. </p>
<p>When we left on this journey, we had doubts and believe it or not more money and "security" than what it would appear to be right now...ironic really lol. Our level of fear, doubt has not grown just become different. In fact with each new exciting step things would appear that we are more unstable now than we have ever been and yet our faith is bigger than we ever thought possible. Our reactions are night and day different than what they started out being when we began this journey. We had regular unemployment checks coming in when we left, enough for our bills (just enough) each month and we kept creating. We had more time than what we do now and yet we were so worried about the money we didn't take the time to enjoy the time we had. Now, when we have time, we know how precious it is and soak it up. We are creating more money, gigs, opportunities than we would have ever thought possible in such a short amount of time. Although, at times it feels like everything is moving so slow...the amount of progress and growth we have is light years ahead of most that have had the courage to venture out to follow their dreams of making a living through music and HERE WE ARE! </p>
<p>Our doubts come and go...not being able to pay our bills, are we good enough, are we doing everything "right", will others like us, am I too old to be doing this, will our band grow and prosper, will we have sponsors...the list goes on! And then I get a message through someone that encourages me to keep going and that what I am doing is exactly what I am supposed to be doing and it will all be worth it! </p>
<p>Everyday my faith is tested...there are days I think to myself "life would be easier if you just get a regular job and settle down" and then my heart says "keep going you don't want to miss what's coming up next!" </p>
<p>Joshua talks about a bible verse in regards to storing Mana....we live each day believing that we have everything we need when we need it. This is just a season, this season is happening for a reason and we are trusting that this season will pass and we will move past it into another season of lessons...each one different. This season is fine tuning and preparing us for GREATNESS!!! I can't wait to see where we grow next! </p>
<p>If there is anything I would share with all of you...if what you love makes your heart happy, do more of that as often as you can...life is too short to waste a single minute. Believe me when I tell you, we have never gone without, our needs are always met, we never know when or how and we know in our hearts that as long as we follow our hearts we will be taken care of. Live like today is your last day...no regrets...doing what you LOVE, with who you LOVE, with as much JOY as your heart can handle, with PEACE in your heart knowing that you are doing your best, better yet living every minute with EXCELLENCE!!</p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/55122692018-11-13T21:52:03-07:002018-11-25T22:12:49-07:00Going Backwards....<p>Joshua and I have spent the last about 5 weeks in our home town of Grand Junction/Fruita, CO. It is always very interesting when we return to where we began this journey. Let me explain a bit about why I say it is interesting. When we lived here previously, we were becoming very respected and well known power couple in our little town. We networked with other business owners, volunteered our time to serve our community by sitting on hospital boards, working with our local chamber, leading various groups of men and women in a variety of community projects....let's just say we were very active in our community and becoming very well known! So when we decided to close our electrical contracting business we heard from some of our "friends" their opinions about what people were thinking and saying about our decisions...in short many thought we were "crazy"...schizophrenic I believe was the term used lol. </p>
<p>It's really kinda funny looking back (and I share this story with lots of people as we travel)...I have become very proud and fond of my label of crazy! Looking back through history at some very famous people that have made history, they were also considered by their peers to be crazy at the time they were making discoveries, stepping away from the norm and learning...so I have made that mean that we too are on the right track to do the same...MAKE HISTORY!!! How EXCITING!!! In the past, I would have heard these things and freaked out thinking that I was doing something wrong and then I would have stopped just because someone else thought I should be doing something different! I would have been worried that I wasn't fitting into what society was expecting and keeping up with everyone else's expectations...Oh My!!! During one of the self development seminars that we attended, I remember hearing a statement that described why the people closest to us may try to keep us from doing what it is we want to do. There are many reasons they try to do this, fear of the unknown, fear for your safety, jealousy, fear of success and who knows what else. They may attempt to keep us from moving past them in things they don't understand. Through this process I have learned who my true friends are, who my true family is...these are the people that have encouraged me, stood by me and loved on me "no matter what crazy thing I do".</p>
<p>During our time here in the Grand Valley Joshua picked up some handyman work and stepped back into the construction industry to make some money while we were here to support our kiddos. This has been a wonderful experience for Joshua to realize that he really does love our new lifestyle. Sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards to appreciate where you are now. He and I both have always said that we don't want to return to the construction industry and it is really easy to fall back into old habits when you know what to expect. Yes, we are really good at making money in the construction industry...now we get to be really good at making money doing what we LOVE!!! Look out music industry...HERE WE COME!!! </p>
<p>I love coming home to spend time with my family and close friends AND I am very excited to be headed back out on the road again soon doing what I LOVE! Even more so, I am thrilled that I didn't listen to all the voices telling me that I <em>should</em> be doing something different that what my heart really wanted to do. Just imagine the adventures, people and experiences that I would have missed out on! Going backwards and taking a step back to reflect on my past makes me soooooo grateful for the courage we have to step outside what is comfortable to follow our hearts. I am so excited to keep learning..am I scared, sure...I have no idea what is next and I know it is going to be GREAT!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/54867842018-10-29T14:24:44-07:002018-10-29T20:11:05-07:00What's Success?!?! <p>Over the years I have watched, read and heard about public figures of all types and their stories of success. Recently, I was visiting with someone about her husbands career in music. His experience was very impressive, playing guitar for some very well known groups. Was he famous? Nope..I have never heard of him before. I am not even sure if he thinks of himself as being a successful musician? </p>
<p>One thing I have noticed between success stories...everyone's level or measurement of success is very different! So it has made me think and reflect on my own idea of what success looks like, do I even know what it is for me? If I don't know what success looks like for me, how will I know when I have it or not? Is it money, fame, unique experiences? Just by asking myself these questions I am becoming very excited by the idea of discovering how I truly see myself and clearly defining my success story!!! </p>
<p>I guess I should start out with...what results do I WANT to create? Clearly, I am not driven by money because based on results I would still be working a job as a Construction Consultant/Administrative Assistant where by financial standards I was very successful. One thing I have discovered is I am motivated by relationships. How do I know this...based on results...I stayed in the same job for 10 years even though I was not happy with my job to provide for my children. Interesting huh?!?! When I was diagnosed with cancer several years ago I had the rare opportunity to dig deep into what I REALLY wanted out of life because I was being faced with not having enough time to do the things I wanted to do and experience. About a year later while I was attending a series self development seminars...I got another opportunity through a couple of different exercises to experience that again! So here I am sharing that experience with all of you now! When I looked back over my life, I asked myself a simple question...how will I be remembered? I realized at that moment I hadn't really lived, I was playing just to get by, make ends meet, no risk, going through the motions and I had done nothing really substantial to speak of to be remembered for! Now, here's an even better question...How do I WANT to be remembered? We are right back where we started with results!!! For years I had been telling people that I wanted to travel, go to the beach, see the world! I still want to do all of these things and as often as I can AND now by taking a risk to follow my dreams of singing I have been doing all of these things and more! Something else I have discovered, by following my dreams I am inspiring others to do the same...without even realizing it I am now making a HUGE difference in the world!!! </p>
<p>I believe for me that my level of success is a living breathing thing! I continue to learn, grow and experience new things all the time, therefore for now I consider myself very successful for taking risks, following my dreams, building relationships. I have proven to be very successful at booking show dates (250 Shows in our first year as a band!), learning new music and growing as a singer. My success story will be different next year as I have learned and grown in other areas and now master a brand new set of skills...how exciting!!! Will I be famous? Yes, I believe I will be very famous!!! Just imagine the success story I will be sharing then...ups and downs including some really good "Peanut butter and jelly" stories to inspire others to keep going....it isn't always easy and I know all of this will be worth it!!! </p>
<p>Super curious, what does success look like for you? Leave your comments below! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/54695832018-10-14T14:38:40-07:002018-11-08T16:13:08-07:00Taking Risks....<p>Growing up and into my adult life taking risks was so "unsafe" to think about. I grew up with a mother that was literally afraid of the world outside our home, when in reality our home was one of the most unsafe places I have ever been. Although, looking back I took risks all the time...they just didn't seem that risky to me if I had made up my mind that what I was doing was what I wanted. I ran away from an abusive home when I was 14 years old and lived on the streets for a short time...risky? and I wanted something different than what I had. I became a mother at the age of 17 and stepped into the biggest risk I had ever faced, motherhood...risky?...I was living a destructive lifestyle and now had someone to live for. I chose to leave a co-dependent relationship and raise my 3 children on my own at the age of 28 after closing a family business and my only source of "secure" income...risky?...I wanted something more for myself and my children. These are just a few examples of the risks I took as I was growing up. Now, each one of these steps were not easy to take and each one was just another lesson in my life. You would think the decision to do something "risky" would get easier after a few, right? </p>
<p>It has taken some time, self discovery and faith over the past two years to realize that it does get easier, in fact making risky decisions has become very exciting for me now! We took a major risk when two years ago we talked to each other and realized we were both unhappy owning and operating our own electrical contracting business. At that moment we both realized the reason we were both working together in this business was for the other person! He thought I loved to work doing a job in an industry that I secretly hated, wanted a big house, cars, toys, the "American" dream and I thought he loved working in the electrical industry, wanted the "security" of owning our own business and becoming a major player in the business world. After he suffered an injury and was told that if he continued to work in this industry he would consistently have this same injury on a regular basis. What we found out is that there is no such thing as "Security" and the "American" dream can be anything WE want it to be instead of trying to keep up with the Jones's or "Fit In" with what society expects. We could LIVE our dreams instead of just dreaming about what we always said we wanted to do in the future!!! That meant taking a HUGE risk...closing our business, selling our home and jumping in with both feet to travel on the road full time singing and playing music together!! Sounds crazy right? Well as respected business owners in our home town I can tell you that when we decided to do this together, we had PLENTY of our "friends", family, business associates question our mental stability haha! Looking back I love the fact that we actually had business associates who we thought were good friends tell us that we were appearing "Schizophrenic" to everyone in the community and they were worried about our reputation! Now I know they were more worried about theirs. This was a pivotal moment for us. We could listen to all of the people we trusted in our lives and borrow their fears for us; or we could step through it with courage to get what WE want. We stepped forward toward our dreams...not without fear...instead we were trusting in faith that this next step was going to be amazing! Since that big leap we continue to make "risky" decisions every step of the way...each step is just us getting closer to the next step, each one taking us in different and better directions! Guess what we have learned? We have never gone without, we have made more true friends around the country than we ever thought possible, experienced more kindness, love and generosity and we have not only survived...we THRIVE!!! We have experienced more bucket list experiences than we ever thought possible in two years and we are so excited to see what's next!! Joshua and I love the saying "But did you die?" after every risky decision that we make and watching it unfold in unexpected and sometimes scary ways...we say this to each other and always laugh! We continue to step out in faith, trust that we are following our true purpose and living our life to the fullest...will we die? Someday and when we do...we will look back on our lives without regrets and know we lived everyday to the fullest!!! </p>
<p>What if not taking the scary, exciting and unexpected risk is the one thing that is keeping you from a better job, a better house, a better relationship or relationships, your dreams, everything you "say" you want? </p>
<p>I have only one piece of advice here....take the risk...face the fear and get everything your heart has dreamed of!!! Is it scary? Sure, or it could be exciting...the choice is yours!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/54551282018-10-04T20:01:47-07:002018-10-14T13:09:12-07:00What's next?!?!<p>Well, this past month has definitely been a roller coaster of events, adventures and faith building exercises lol! Do you ever experience a day that feels like a whole week (or a month) was packed into it? I can tell you our days are soooooo full that there are evenings when I look back at where we started the day and wonder, did all that really just happen today? Our bus has needed some regular maintenance for some time now and earlier this summer it was becoming very apparent that we were going to need some major repairs done. This started when the AC on our bus stopped working back in June while we were in Colorado visiting our family. Joshua is a member of a really cool Vintage Bus Enthusiasts group on Facebook that help each other trouble shoot mechanical issues, and offer great advice and resources for services around the country. They spent several months troubleshooting the common issues associated with our AC system and he got some great information for a shop that specializes in Bus AC repairs! It turns out that we were going to be about 20 minutes from that very shop, without leaving our tour!!! It really couldn't have been better timing. Since we do not have regular windows on the bus that we can open (they are emergency windows only) we resorted to opening our emergency hatches while we were driving just to get some kind of air flow going through the bus. I shared with my daughter and close friends this week that I will never look at another sauna the same again in my life LOL! We were traveling to each performance in 80-90 degree temperatures at 80-90% humidity in a closed up box of steel driving down the road...yuck! There are so many things during this time that I chose to focus on....I began a practice every morning of thinking to myself; I am sooooo grateful for the AC unit we have when we are parked, clean water to drink and to shower with, food, a safe place to stay, electricity, my health, the strength of my body....my list goes on and on!!! We had some of the best financial successes of our tour during this time AND we also experienced some of the biggest repair bills during this time. Each time we pulled into a mechanic shop, we would literally have just enough in our pockets to pay the bill. It was as if God, the universe what ever you want to call it, knew exactly how much we had (as I am sure this is true lol). Each one of these experiences were just opportunities to keep stepping out in faith and trust that we were exactly where we were supposed to be at exactly the right time. </p>
<p>These experiences have just shown us how much we have grown since last year in our faith, our trust in God and in each other. Is there stress? Sure, we still have a knee jerk reaction that says "Oh Man...What's Next?!?!" the difference is we don't immediately go into panic mode. Instead, we take a step back, look at our choices, make a decision and take the next step right in front of us. Before, we would be looking so far down the road at what the consequences of this decision might be that we missed out on the moment, overthinking the situation by looking too far down the road that we stressed our selves out and made ourselves sick by creating stories of an outcome that may never even come! It is so freeing now to look at a situation, say "What's the worse thing that could happen?" take a step back, face the worst thing we could think of and realize...oh that's it! Well, we could live through that and then take one step forward instead of trying to take ten all at once or making a rational decision that we may regret in the future, like settling down, finding "real" jobs for a false sense of security lol. </p>
<p>Life is a practice and we are learning everyday to follow (and trust) our hearts, listen and keep stepping forward in the direction of our dreams!!! </p>
<p>So, "What's Next!?!?" I have no idea and I wake up everyday ready for a new adventure, experience and opportunities to learn, serve and meet people everywhere we go!!! </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/54370382018-09-20T14:27:47-07:002018-09-26T16:29:50-07:00DREAMS Coming True!!!<p>I am not sure where to begin...there have been so many incredible changes and wonderful things happening just the past couple of weeks!!! We have been on this journey for almost 2 years January 1, 2019. When we started this new chapter in our lives we had no idea what we were doing lol. All we knew is that we were not happy where we were in our lives, we knew we wanted to do more, travel, make a difference in the world on a big scale, do what we loved to do (sing and perform) together! Through our personal development training we learned to find the thing that we would love so much that we would do it for free, then find a need and fill it. The belief is that when you find and fill the need, everything else will fall into place. However, fears step into the picture like not enough finances, limited time, becoming homeless, starving or whatever the fear, these are all the things people worry about and use as excuses/reasons not to follow their dreams. Believe me we experienced most of these same fears ourselves in a big way. A few months after we were approved for the bus loan, we found out that we had a very significant fuel tank leak and not enough finances to repair the fix AND make the necessary renovations needed to leave on our January 1 deadline. But wait there's more, we were already committed to appearing for 8 shows past the January 1 date in 3 different states!!! We were closing a very successful business due to an injury, going through bankruptcy which we never thought we would ever do and unbelievably we were approved for financing a Greyhound bus to follow a dream that neither one of us knew the first thing about doing....YIKES! We had family, friends and business associates thinking (and telling us) that we were crazy LOL and yet here we were so excited to start living our lives the way we wanted to...so ready or not we kept pushing forward through the fears!!! </p>
<p>I am so excited to report believing works!!! We started our journey with basically just enough fuel to get us to our next destination, money for groceries for a few weeks, a financed bus that we renovated in 8 days with $2,500 and only 8 concerts booked!!! A TRUE LEAP of FAITH!!! I kept believing that we would attract a sponsor that saw our potential, believed in us, our mission and would choose to want to be a part of it too. Joshua and I kept telling each other as long as we are committed to doing what it is that we love...no matter what... that all the other pieces would fall into place. I am thrilled, excited and happy to report...it has not always been easy and it is true!!! We keep booking shows, they are becoming more profitable which is allowing us to do more contribution shows in the areas we get booked, we are writing our own music, we keep growing, shifting and changing our next steps based on "what is working and what do we get to do different?" Each of these steps that we keep taking forward toward our dream keeps providing more opportunities.!</p>
<p>While we were in Cheyenne, Wyoming we had just started to look at performing in venues other than churches, RV Resorts and private events. We were hired to do a couple of local bars and we had the best time. About a week and a half ago we were contacted by a gentleman that we met while we were playing in one of those bars in Kimball, Nebraska. He has a transport company, he had been thinking about us, believed in us, our dream and has the resources we need...he reached out to help us. I was absolutely shocked, blown away, I really couldn't believe what I was hearing!!! We had been praying for this man for almost 2 years and here he is....an answer to our prayers! Is this real?!?! We talked over the phone for about an hour and a half so I could ask him all kinds of questions lol just to be clear that this was for real and I wasn't dreaming. Last night we drove 5 hours back to the site where we were staying when Zack contacted us. With all the bus maintenance, fuel, tire replacements, even a new generator...all the things we have been praying about now complete. I can not begin to express the peace of mind that our new sponsor - Zack Porter of Triple 7 Transport - has provided for us (and others) by stepping in to fill a need where he saw it <3 We will be forever grateful for him!!! While thanking Zack for everything, he told me "Someone believed in me once, I am doing really well, have everything I need and I want to pay it forward" this is the kind of guy he is....the world is full of GREAT people sharing their GREATNESS and we are GRATEFUL!!! Keep going after your dreams and know....DREAMS really do come true!! </p>
<p>Watch our LIVE Facebook posts for details about the bus and repairs and the full interview with Colton from Sapp Brothers who performed the work at www.facebook.com/thebandwanted </p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/53946632018-08-20T13:24:11-07:002022-04-25T09:09:50-07:00Changes happening sooooo fast!!!<p>The past few weeks have been a blur of crazy activity and LOTS of changes! After leaving Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne, we performed at The Knotty Pine in Pine Bluffs, the senior center there and Beer and Loathing in Kimball Nebraska. We continue to learn more about our market, who "Wants" what we have and being open to opportunities as they arrive. Sometimes we never know what that is going to look like. We started this journey with a goal to bring music to communities that LOVED the music we love and who couldn't get to it easily (like senior care, assisted living, Alzheimer/Dementia). Since then we have found there are other markets who love what we do and want to support us in making a living at what we do. We have expanded into festivals, saloons, bars, private events, house parties, you name it, if there is a need, we will do our best to fill it! These new opportunities and venues allow us to keep funding our original mission!!! </p>
<p>As we continue to learn, shift and grow into new markets we are always open to learning more and reach more communities around the country and beyond. We are so grateful for the fans and friends we get to meet, catch up with and spend time with as we travel. This journey would be very boring without all of you in it!! </p>
<p>Just this last week we took a tour of our friends embroidery shop ACED Embroidery of Newcastle, WY (watch the live video on our Facebook page). Earl and Demah Beldon opened their business about the same time we were starting our journey just a bit over a year and a half ago. While we were there they created new merchandise products for our website!! We got to be a part of the process, watch each step as they took our logo and transformed it into a masterpiece. Our logo is now available on Men's and Women's Ball Caps!! They are very comfortable and definitely something I know we will get LOTS of use out of. Check them out on our web store. That brings me to more exciting changes!!! This week I created from ground up our brand new website!!! Our business is growing so fast and with so many changes happening so quickly we were really in need of having a web site platform that we could easily add to or change on a moments notice. Thanks to a community I joined a few months ago (Female Musician Academy/Female Indie Musician Community) I was introduced to a platform that is exactly what we needed. The platform is called Bandzoogle. This has given me an idea! Over the past 2 years I have become very good at social media growth and realizing that I have a skill in building content. So, I am now offering business/social media/website coaching to other business owners. Several people have shared with me recently that they would love to learn to do what I do :) Who knows where this will take you in your business?!?! Contact me for more information and until next time...take care of each other and let the adventures continue <3</p>The Band Wanted tag:bandwanted.us,2005:Post/53890382018-08-15T15:00:47-07:002022-02-01T23:16:24-07:00On the road again...<p>Here is our latest update! After leaving Grand Junction, CO about a month ago now we made it to a place called Terry Bison Ranch just south of Cheyenne, WY just over a week ago. We do our best to book our tour dates (and stays) months in advance. However, there are those times that we fly by the seat of our pants and just trust that everything is going to work out just the way it is supposed to (it just may not look the way you think it will lol)!!!</p>
<p>Although I had been working very closely with the powers that be for our stay and nailing down a date for a performance; with Cheyenne Frontier Days being their busiest time of season, our answer was very delayed. So here we are arriving on location without a confirmation that we will be staying, playing or moving down the road and we don't need to be at our next location for about two more weeks!!! There are times like these that we get a bit nervous of the unknown; will we have running water, power to cook, bathroom facilities a ton of questions start to create some fear and stress. Joshua asked me to keep trying to contact and negotiate a solution that would work for us, as well as for the Ranch. Thanks to Joshua's persistence I was able to connect with powers that be to solidify our stay and our show dates. This was a very successful experience in the Cheyenne area, we planted lots of seeds in the surrounding areas and look forward to returning next year (working on booking those dates now)! </p>
<p>Watch our live interviews with the staff and videos about our experiences at The Terry Bison Ranch on our Facebook page and be sure to tell their amazing staff hello from the The Band Wanted when you visit :) </p>The Band Wanted