Piano

The ability that every human has to CREATE astounds me.
The fact that with our words, or melodies, with our hands,
or instruments, or imaginations
we can create something that did not exist before.
That just blows my mind.

I love a project. I love to make something beautiful.
I love the idea of learning a new skill.
If you ever were fooled into believing that I was
somewhat hip--this lie would be dispersed immediately
by learning that one of my favorite gifts this Christmas was
Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts.

I have already spent time pouring over new ideas and made
the mental checklists of what I am going to create next.
Guilding looked cool. I want to make candles. I want to buy yards
of pretty velvet and silk ribbon.I want to learn the art of Calligraphy
just so I could write you a letter, and when you opened it,
you would feel treasured just from the script covering the page.
I feel a real thrill about the newness surrounding a new year.
2011 will be lovely I think.

My grandma has inspired my latest ambition.
She is near the end of her life. She is completely
bed-ridden at this point and although she is unfailingly
positive and sweet, I hate to see her day in and out..unable to walk
or move, unable to sew her baby quilts or play Reader's
Digest Christmas Hymns.
She said she learned to play the piano as child.
Her mother would allow her to skip washing
dishes at night if she practiced. And so she did.
I am pretty sure she played the piano at her stone church
every sunday for 20 years.
There is an ache threatening to spread at the
thought of her leaving this life.

Because of her. Sweet Carol Price. I have decided to take
Piano Lessons this year.
My goal being that someday I will be able to sit
at a piano with my family circled round
and they will be able to pick any Christmas
song of their liking, and we will be able to sing
together and think of grandma.
How long do you think it will take me to
learn to sight-read? 2 years? 20 years?

My first lesson is in an hour. Wish me luck!

have yourself a merry little christmas...

happy christmas.

today james was on call so we

woke up way too early to open presents

with the little bug before he had to go into work.

she loved her art easel, but more

she loved that Santa had eaten

the cookies she left out for him.

there is something very magical

about watching a child, especially

on christmas morning.

tonight we drove to the hospital to

bring James dinner. as we traveled home we

drove down Harrison Ave. which is a lovely

street with old historical homes

that all sport the most beautiful

christmas lights.

I nearly cried as I drove past

window after window of

people gathering around a table

or tree...sharing laughter, stories,

and good food.

I know that not everyone has a loving family

that enjoys board games and cider...

but my wish for all that I know

is that they spent this evening with

someone they love...

someone who loves them.

my sister flew in from Seattle

this afternoon. I love her

and I am fairly certain she loves me too.

and my little one today said over and over

"Merry Christmas! I love you mommy"

I loved it. even the 20th time.

xo

s

time to be still

I've been thinking about the concept of slowing down and being still lately.

After a few months on the road singing songs off the new album,

I am home for a WHOLE MONTH! I know that doesn't sound like

much, but it feels like a huge amount of time to me.

While I was touring through California a few weeks ago

I played a show in the town I grew up in---Santa Barbara.

When you are driving from LA, right after you pass Ventura,

the 101 starts to follow the curve of shoreline

till you glide through Carpenteria, Montecito, then into Santa Barbara.

Every time I think--"I can't believe I grew up here."

I made an effort to go to Butterfly Beach 3 different times.

Each time I collected sea glass and pieces of pottery that the

ocean had rolled over and over till it they were sanded and smooth and wonderful.

I walked for hours and I have no idea what I thought about,

all I know is that I felt happy and everything around me seemed very simple.

Sky and sand and a setting sun and me.

I had a funny moment in CA where I realized that I was spending

a stupid amount of time trying to come up with a good 'tweet' or

update to my facebook. It is really lame. No one really needs to know

what kind of sandwich I am eating for lunch. Unless it is unforgettable.

So now that I am home I am trying to detach a little from that frantic energy

of feeling like I need to do and be a million things all in one moment.

I am trying to be a really present mother and make this holiday season as

memorable and meaningful as I can. It takes a conscious effort to not be

'plugged in' at every moment, but I am really loving reconnecting to simple things

like the sound of my daughter laughing and smell of cookies baking

and lights twinkling on my christmas tree.

I wish you a very happy holiday season.

xo

s

ps: what are ways that you make the most of the holiday season? any great traditions my family should adopt?

My Oh-So-Grateful List

There really is something special
during this part of the year.
I love the track of the calendar from
Thanksgiving through Christmas. It is
a good time to take inventory on my life--
to see what I can do better, and ask myself
-Am I Happy?-
-Am I living authentically?-
-And what am I grateful for?-

My friend
Dainon created his list last week
and I felt inspired to do the same. Thanks Dainon.

Here we go. Sarah Sample's List of Great Things to be Grateful for in the last year in no particular order:

1. I created a new album "Someday, Someday"

1a. Jed Wells' video documenting that journey. watch here.

2. James graduated medical school at UW
3. Playing the Cayamo Cruise with a few of my heros. Mai singing and playing Cello with me. Such an amazing week. Thanks CIYH.
4. Getting to Sing 'Mercy Me' with Darrell Scott singing and playing along. wow.
5. Meeting Marketa Irglova, and hearing her say my name out loud during The Swell Season set at Folks Fest. I was crying my eyes out. don't worry.
6. Broiled Grapefruit and apple cobbler in Imperial, NE
7. a thanksgiving feast in Texas
8. making time to write everyday for a new album
9. fake uggs from costco
10. In & Out arrives in Utah
11. Edie Carey and Mai Bloomfield singing with me in Chicago
12. song school and all the wonderful people who come year after year
13. buying my gibson hummingbird
14. recording my 3rd album with Scott Wiley
15. looking around the room while recording live "staying behind" and seeing the faces of all my friends helping me creating something wonderful. paul, ryan, mai, scott, brian, dylan, pat, tilby, dustin,& george...I thank you all.
16. the BEST indian food I will ever taste in Vancouver. Thank you Vij's. And thank you James for a delightful birthday overnight.
17. backpacking in the white clouds
18. singing with the lower lights
19. seeing john prine and guy clark
20. spending another year in beautiful seattle
21. my beautiful women friends
22. staying with katie herzig in nashville
23. such wonderful house concerts this year--thank you all who have hosted--above- one of my favorites with Cjane.
24. singing songs with my grandma. she still sings the harmony.
25. eating a wonderful homemade meal in brooklyn with my friends Max & Day 26. spending a few days with Marketa in NY...writing, singing, and drinking cup after cup of tea.
27. touring WY/NE with Ryan and Paul. I've never laughed so much on stage. 28. Junie the elephant. Come on---that is amazing!

29. our new house in Boise
29a. My sweet older neighbors Ruth and Speed who pass out full size candybars for halloween.
30. fresh basil from my garden
31. touring through Scotland and the Lake District with my dad and james.
32. The most incredible cheese and apple sandwich in Boot, England 33. Melrose Abby
34. playing freight and salvage with Melissa Ferrick
35. finding a free velvet green chair, meant for my living room
36. singing with my friend Beth Wood.


37. eating at my favorite restaurants with my sister in Seattle--Pair, Franks, Volterra, and Via Tribunali
38. every time I get to spend a night sleeping in my own bed next to my husband 39. singing back up on Edie Carey's new amazing album.
40. my 10-min a day writing group
41. my wildflower stage set at Folks Fest this year
42. watching my friend Paul Jacobsen sing his heart out on the Folks Fest Stage
43. taking a quilting class
44. nauvoo
45. meeting new people everywhere I go--Iowa, Chicago, Washington, California, Nebraska, New York, Boston, Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Nashville, Montana, on and on.
46. my mom...she is the greatest
47. my daughter still sleeping a 12 hour night
48. June turned two! And says funny phrases like "Here I Are"
49. Driving into several sunsets on tour.
50. talking on the phone several times a week to a friend I've had since I was 10.
51. the listening rooms of Nebraska. and mccook's apple fritters
52. the world of americana in nashville
53. hot baths
54. ryan tanner's amazing ability with a camera and my album photo shoot
55. answered prayers
56. the office, modern family, watching LOST from beginning to end, project runway and top chef
57. the movie theater, frozen junior mints in popcorn
56. wonderful dinners out and in
57. good books on tape
59. eating dinner with my brothers and dad in austin
60. Fran's salted carmels
61. thanksgiving in wyoming and my McDonald family
60. my two favorite people in the world I could go on, but there are dishes to do :)
(anna, i made your butternut squash soup, yum yum)

xo s

What are some of your gratefuls?

Bieroc and Rehmsworld and New York

In 2007 I won a songwriting competition at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest. That day I also won the attention of my now friend-- Dale Dueland who runs The Bieroc Listening Room along with Matt Sehnert. They invited me to come play their series in McCook Nebraska. At the time I remember wanting to check it out, but as soon as I got home from that festival I found out that was pregnant and stayed pretty close to home those months before and after June was born.
The next summer I got to play the main stage at the folks fest in Lyons, and the whole family came, including pudgy 4 month old Juniper.
Dale found me again and re-invited me to come play his venue. Wow, thank you Dale for your persistence. The Bieroc will always be one of my all time favorite shows to play. The show is held at Matt's bakery, and the whole evening is an event to remember. I played my first show at the Bieroc almost 2 years ago, and I was so thrilled to come back with my fellow birds Paul Jacobsen and Ryan Tanner. Paul opened the show and played 3 killer songs. The audience was just fantastic and their attention made us play and sing better. Dale and Matt have also reached out to their surrounding communities and helped them start their own listening room series. To be able to cross a state and have several amazing listening rooms waiting for you is such a great gift. Thank you Dale, Matt, Tor, and your families for treating us as family.

Last night we played a wonderful listening room called Rehmsworld concerts, hosted by Tim Rehm. I played Rehmsworld on my first tour through Nebraska as well, so I knew we were in for such a great night. The audience was as awesome as I had hoped. One aspect that was especially touching was talking to folks who had been at the first concert and come back for more, several even drove hours to be there. It is so wonderful. We even were blessed to have part of our Song School family come out for the evening and join us on stage for our encore. Thanks Andy, Hope, and Emily!

We played our last show in Alliance Nebraksa tonight...
It is sad to see this tour end. We have been treated so kindly by so many that it is hard to leave. I know that great shows lay ahead, but thank you from the depths of my heart to the kind and gracious communities of Nebraksa who allowed us to sing to you. I hope that you felt there was something for your in our songs.

My last big thank you is to Paul and Ryan. You both are so dear to my heart. Thank you for bringing your songs and sharing them night after night. I think your songs are some of the best and deserved to be heard.

I am off on a red-eye flight to New York tomorrow night. (where can I take a nap?) I just added a show to the calendar where I will be supporting Marketa Irglova of The Swell Season at a small show in Brooklyn.
The information is here if you live in NY and want to come support us!
Tuesday Nov. 16--8pm
Zora Space

love and corn fields...

sarah

Smokin in Imperial

Birds of a Feather Tour---- Day 2.
I-M-P-E-R-I-A-L

There is something about the corn fields that stretch on forever that
warms my heart. Passing through small town after small town,
each with it's own grainery feels romantic to me.
Maybe it is my farmer roots reminding me to remember
sleeping 7 people in my Grandparents 2 room blue tin trailer,
or summers spent riding wheel lines at sunset and chasing
cows with the four wheeler...
plain and simple, i love it.

We played a place tonight called "Smokin Leroy's"
I mean, you know it is going to be a great night with
that kind of name right?
It was. The room was full and the crowd was just
so great. They actually thought we were funny, or at
least Ryan and Paul were funny. The boys were
laying it down tonight..
I was laughing half the show.
Also, holy cow, amazing dinner....
carrots with ginger that would melt your heart
and homemade apple cobbler for dessert.
plus we get to stay at a sweet bed and breakfast called
The Imperial Inn--i get the sunflower suite all to myself.
wow.

Favorite Songs of the Night:
Paul--You're the Song (note- he played this gem on banjo
tonight and it changed the dynamic in such a great way, plus
he intro'd the song with a story about his kids and then said
"I wrote this for their mom" um. yeah, I did tear up on stage--
holly, you would have loved it!)

Ryan--"I Never Did My Best" I got the chills as soon as ryan started
this song. This song just won 1st place in American Songwriter Magazine's
lyric contest...see for yourself here.
Also, his version of "Highway Patrol man" by Springsteen
hit the air ringing.

Me--"Mercy Me" this felt raw and good tonight. Paul told me after
the show that he saw me really trying to look at each person, like
I was reaching for connection during the songs. This was true,
I did feel like I was reaching out more than usual tonight.

What a great series. Great Town. Great Food and on and on.

Thanks Imperial. Tomorrow night---McCook's Bieroc Cafe (one of my
favorite places to play music ever!) Tune in every day this week for
updates from Nebraska!

laramie. laramie.

So almost 4 years ago James and I
lived in a little town called Laramie.
I worked as a waitress every night.
He went to his first year of medical school.
We met great people but our hearts almost
stopped beating from cold icy wind
that greeted us most days.
It did not help that the first winter
we lived there I heard many a folk
say something like "man, laramie
hasn't had a winter this awful in
two decades.."

Oh, maybe I haven't told you that
I hear that everywhere I move.
Not kidding, if I come visit your town
watch out. Bad weather is coming.
Happened when I moved to Seattle,
the first winter---record snow levels shut
down the city. Typical Trash.

And then tonight. The first day of our
Birds of a Feather Tour.
GUESS WHAT!???
Yep, first big snow storm of the year.
Cars sliding around. Ryan and Paul
told me only 20 times their feet were
frozen. Welcome birds...

BUT..the good folks of Laramie
thawed our hearts tonight at the show!
Thank you Kelli for hosting us and everyone
who came...we loved singing for you tonight.

Favorite songs of the night:
-Ryan's "peaceful mind"
and
-Paul's "two-headed heart"

Tomorrow: Imperial Nebraska

tales of tornadoes and ice storms to be continued.