A New Year

I have heard the lists starting around me
the 'I will lose weight, stop smoking, learn french
run a marathon, start obeying speed limits'
(ok. I've never heard someone say they want to
drive slower except my dad, but you get the point)

I found myself a few nights ago sleepless
and filled with a sense of anxiety over how this
new year is going to look. How is the birth of my new
baby going to go? How much time should I take off?
How will June do with another little person taking
all my time? Will my music career sink into the depths of despair?
How am I going to pay off loans? What if I died tomorrow?
I need to be writing more songs. How should I fund my next
album? How can I be a better mother or friend or wife....
Pretty much a non-stop mental chatter of concerns
that I could hardly control or figure out at 2am.

When I was pregnant with June I went to a birthing
class led by a wonderful mid-wife from South Africa.
She introduced the idea of creating a 'birth plan' that consisted
of what I wanted the birth to look like and a set of
instructions or intentions for those around me to help
me meet that ideal. Now, she also said that no matter what, it is most
important to be flexible with your ideas of birth because most
likely it will not all go as planned. That was true. My experience
birthing June was nothing like I planned or wanted.
But as I have been thinking on how I would
like this next birth to go, my previous lengthy list has distilled
to one thing:
I want to be present.

Forgive my pregnancy analogies, but when I could not sleep
the other night due to mounting anxieties, I had the thought
come to me that I just needed to 'be still, be present' this year and it would
all be ok. My birthing intention could extend for the whole year.
It won't look exactly how I plan or want all the time, but if I am
present in the moment and open to the beauty around me it will
be more than alright. I spent my New Years Eve in Zion. It was quiet
and beautiful and still. So I think I am on the right track, at least
2 days into 2012.

Anyone who knows me, knows that one of my favorite
songwriters is Patty Griffin. Her song "Nobody's
Crying" seems to have hit a chord in my heart thinking of
all these things... Enjoy. Happy New Year Friends, know
that I wish you well....

xo
sarah


"...But darling, I wish you well
On your way to the wishing well
Swinging off those gates of hell
And I can tell how hard you're trying
And just have our secret hope
Sometimes all we do is cope
Somewhere on the steepest slope
There'll be an endless rope
And nobody's crying

May you dream you are sleepin', in a warm soft bed
And may the voices inside you that fill you with dread
Turn the sound of thousands of angels instead
Tonight where you might be laying your head"

Holiday CD Special!

Hey Everyone...

My husband asked me for my Christmas Wish List last night...
That means that some people are together enough to be
buying or planning what they will give to their loved ones.

If you love music, especially if you love MY music I will make this easy.


All 4 of my records are now ON SALE. Like a real sale.
All albums are only $10 each and I will give you FREE Shipping.
I will even tie a bow and sign them to anyone you like...
Also remember if you buy the physical copy, you get a free download
version right away.


And if you prefer downloading, all my records are only $5!

Click here to start filling your stockings....

http://sarahsample.bandcamp.com/

I have boxes of albums, and my husband would like more garage space....
So, order away.

xoxo
s

Big. Big. Getting bigger news!

My big news is growing into larger news by the day.
Yep, I'm gonna have a baby, and we are delighted!
I am due the first week of April, and I think I am finally
breaking through the "feel like I am going to vomit 20x a day" phase.
If you have seen me at a show and wondered 'why the weight gain?'
or 'why is rubberband is holding her jeans together?' now you know.

I will find out boy or girl in the next few weeks, and I feel
excited at the prospect of either. I think it's a girl, but that
probably is based on June's psychic powers.
Yes, you read that right. June is actually the one
who told me I was pregnant before even I knew.
She walked up to me one day, put her hand on
my stomach and said...
J- Mom, you have a baby in your tummy.
Me- Sweetie, there isn't a baby in my tummy.
J- No, there is. (said totally matter of fact, and then she trotted off)

I brushed off this encounter until the same conversation happened
the next day with this variation:
J- Mom, you have a baby in your tummy.
Me- Oh really, is it a baby boy or girl?
J- It's a girl.
Then 20 minutes later one of my dearest friends, Sarah Powers, called me.
She told me that she had the strongest feeling that
I was pregnant. Sarah and I grew up together in Santa Barbara,
and when I found out I was pregnant with June, she found out she
was pregnant with her daughter Allegra. Our girls were born a
week apart and I feel like she has been essential in my journey
through parenthood. So when your best friend since you were 10 years
old/parenting mentor backs up what your three year old
has been telling you for two days....it is time to get a pregnancy
test. Or two.

On that note, I've canceled all my tours from January on that required
traveling far. I am looking to fill some of those dates with house concerts or
holiday house concerts in the states of Utah/Idaho. If you are interested in
having me come sing to you and yours just email me at sarah@sarahsample.com
and I will guide you through each step.

So, thanks for your support on this journey of being a mom and a musician
and making it work.

xo
sarah + 1

The Wind Rivers

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir, 1913

Every summer for the last nine years my husband James has taken me on
at least one backpacking adventure.

This year we choose to return to one of my favorite places;
the Green River Lakes in the upper Wind River Range in Wyoming.

We came to the Green River Lakes a few years ago, and
I told James that I wanted to return with my family. All my siblings
have real jobs or are in school and I think our last family 'camping' experience
involved a rainbow gathering when we were in grade school, no backpacks,
and a 50 lb canvas tent we only managed to drag to the trailhead. They all
have a love of being outside and hiking however, and I knew that if I could
get them to come, James could outfit them and be a great backcountry guide.
My stud of a brother, John, was on board from the beginning and he brought
his wonderful girlfriend Kelley. My Dad even came last minute despite having
foot surgery a few weeks before.

The leaves were changing to brilliant patches of gold and orange on the mountain side and seemed to be our companions on every step of the hike. The nights were cold but the daytime felt perfect. We fished, we ate good food, we told hilarious stories around a campfire, and my Dad brought his big medium format cameras to capture it all. I don't have those photos yet, but here are a few that we took...

It felt wonderful to get away from our busy lives. To have time to read a chapter in a book or sit under the aspens with a crisp apple for lunch. I loved watching James on this trip, he was in his true element and was always concerned to make everyone comfortable. The sounds of whistling leaves, waves lapping the lake shore, birds singing, and the fire cracking. Like John Muir said, I felt my hike outside was really a walk going in.

James & I at the Trailhead

My Dad, John, Kelley, and me

19 in Lake Trout. woot woot.

Upper Green River Lake, and our campsite

Hike in at lower lake, Square Top Peak is in the middle

Our dog Noodle during a cold morning, I gave her a shirt. ha.

yellow aspens on the drive out

Where is your favorite place to backpack or hike?

xo
s

Song School

My daughter started preschool a few weeks ago. Backpack and all. Show and tell. Art projects everyday. The first few classes passed without incident. Then trouble came in the form of a restless 3 year old boy. Said boy pushed her in line and kicked her twice while sitting on the mat. This has led to very turbulent meltdowns on the days when it's time to load up for preschool. Somehow we make it to school and when I pick her up she has had a brilliant day and wants to show me all her works of art. Never-the-less the break down comes again the next time we have to go. Any advice ????

Today on the way to school I pointed out that everyone goes to School. Big kids and little kids. Even mommy goes to school.

My school happens for a brief week in August every year, tucked in by the St. Vrain river in Colorado. I've been attending The Rocky Mountain Song School for 9 years. I pulled into the campground the first year at 2am with my sister and cousin. It was dark, we didn't know where to park, where to camp, or if anyone would want us around. Within a day we were making friends and finding out how hard it sounded to actually make music a successful career. At night there were song circles, and we would stay up late inching our way closer to the inner circle begging the stars for chance to sing a song. Some circles were so big it would take hours to go around one time. We didn't care. We could feel the energy of something wonderful happening and wanted to be part of it.
Every year I go I learn something new about the craft of songwriting and about myself. My friend Christopher Smith (who is a brilliant songwriter) once told me that he never goes into the week with an expectation, because the right thing always shows up. I would have to agree with him. Many songs that have found a home on my records were started or finished at song school including: Noah, Never Close Enough, Mercy Me, & Every Time I Go. The place is swarming with nice people who would drop everything to give you a hug or a moment of their time to hear about your break through in Mary Gauthier's class (note: everyone has a break through moment in Mary's class).
I have sat at the feet of songwriting giants like Darrell Scott, Josh Ritter, Mary Gauthier, and Over The Rhine. And I have stayed up to watch the sunrise sharing songs with dear friends in a circle or silo. In a way, I've grown into being a songwriter by attending this school. I treasure it with all my heart. I love the staff at Planet Bluegrass, I love the priority they give to the development of the artist. Every one is welcome and I always feel like I am coming home.

(Playing the Wildflower in 2010)

I have made some pretty amazing friends over the last decade at song school...They are my biggest treasure of all.

xo
s

musical family

I am often asked if I grew up in a musical family.

I found this photo yesterday in an old banana box
full of photos that belonged to my grandma.

I think it you have your answer.

I am in the case. Kate is the big sis by the piano.
I want that piano again.

xo
s

ps: Did you grow up in a musical family? If so, what was it like? Early piano lessons? Did your mom make you learn a harmony part for a christmas song? Did you have a family band, please tell me you had a family band! Were you encouraged to write songs? Fill me in.

summer festivals!

This may have been one of the craziest weeks of my life.

The last seven days have included:
(june decorating the uhaul)

-MOVING to Salt Lake City, and all the
packing-cleaning-heavy lifting-and sticker
removal that goes with it. We will be here for
three years for my husband's job.

-DRIVING from:
Boise ---->SLC (unpack truck)
SLC--->Boise (Play Alive After 5)
Boise--->SLC (back to house o boxes)
SLC--->Cedar City (rocking Groovefest)
Cedar City---> SLC (back to house o boxes)


-MUSIC MAKING
The best part of the week was making music.
I got to play the Alive After 5 summer concert series in
Boise with The Brothers Comotose. Thank you GO*LISTEN*BOISE

(photo by Jess Haskell Norton)
Next was the Utah Arts Fest with the full band. I have wanted to play
the Arts Fest for years and it was so lovely. We had a full crowd,
and playing music with Dylan, Ryan, & Pat always
boosts my happiness level to new heights. Thank you
Arts Fest for having us, and thanks to
Dan Nailen at City Weekly for the including us in your write up!

I saw my friend Paul Jacobsen open for Sheryl Crow
at Red Butte Gardens. He killed and the scenery up there is stunning.

(photo by James McDonald)
And I got to finish my weekend off by playing Groovefest down in Cedar City.
What a cool festival, the feeling there is really welcoming and relaxed. Big Thanks to Tim and Lisa for having me. I loved it!

NEXT UP:
ROOFTOP CONCERT SERIES ON FRIDAY JULY 1ST at 8pm!
FREE IN PROVO! An incredible band has been pieced together to faithfully re-create the Beatles "Abbey Road" album. I will be starting the night off.

My inspiration tip this week: Listen to Tift Merritt interview Josh Ritter on The Spark.

xo
sarah