With the new furnace and hot water heater installed at home, we said goodbye to the hotel room and picked up the dogs from the kennel.
Like Zachary says: "Keep it moving."
Russ joined in on the action.
I'm reminded of how quickly life keeps on chugging along. In the blink of an eye, years seem to pass. One of the secrets is probably to enjoy it and make the most of every step in the process. Every moment is an opportunity to choose optimism, happiness, and gratitude - or their opposites. With the power of our mind, we can make change be something to fear or something to look forward to. So I'm saying, "Onward! Good things are on the way!"
It's like a rite of passage to get to the point where you get your bike seat raised up.
It doesn't look like time is going to slow down. So here's wishing we all spend it wisely. Let's go!
I had been cleaning all day and preparing for a gig. The babysitter was coming at 6pm. It was probably 3:30-ish when I was starting to wrap things up and go pick up Zach. The house had a kind of sulphur smell that I thought was from me cleaning out the drains. I had windows open to vent and it was cold outside, so the heat was probably kicking in more than usual.
Then there was a beeping sound. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from at first. Russ was on the phone. When I said I thought it was coming from the basement, he said it could be the carbon monoxide detector. I went down to find what seemed like smoke. I couldn't see any source.
I hung up and called 911. ("The whole house smells like sulphur and the carbon monoxide alarm is going off.")
First they asked who was in the house (just me and the dogs), then they said to get the dogs and get out of the house. The Fire Department was on the way. I gazed up at the dining room as I opened the door. There was an eerie haze covering the lower half of the room. I didn't even take the time to grab my purse.
After they arrived, the captain confirmed dangerous levels of CO in the house. It was traced to a malfunctioning furnace. It was not safe to go inside. They cleared out the house and shut off the furnace and hot water heater.
There was no time to waste. I had to pick up Zach, get the dogs to a kennel, collect overnight clothes for me and Zach and get to the gig. The babysitter would have to come to the gig and stay at the hotel with Zach (hotel gig). The neighbors would keep an eye on things until the fire people managed to get the garage doors shut again, and they would also keep the babysitter warm at their house in the event she got there before I was back. Russ was calling family, the kennel, and furnace repair people from Abbey Road Studios in London. It was complete chaos - and way more than usual.
Even now, as I write this late Monday night, we are in a second hotel, the dogs still at the kennel. The new furnace comes tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, I can feel like I have some semblance of normalcy this coming week.
The gig was great. I made it on stage in the nick of time without nails or lipstick. Zachary and the babysitter were right behind me and they stayed for a few songs before he went up to bed. Everyone was very kind and I am especially grateful for the help and support of friends, neighbors and even complete strangers who went above and beyond to make our lives easier this week.
With Charlie, Gregory, Kristina #DancinMachine
Zach is having a fine adventure...
I asked for a sign and saw this.
Here's the thing. If the timing had been different... if that alarm would've gone off in the middle of the night, I would never have heard it. As crazy and as stressful as this has all been, I'm reminded that we are incredibly Blessed in ways we don't always even comprehend.
Grateful for that. Yes.
Also, for the record, we should all have carbon monoxide detectors on every level of our home. I'd like a system where they are all connected, so if one goes off they all will sound.
Did I have the game on? Yes. Did I catch every play? Hardly.
I was also busy playing "Pete the Cat - The Wheels On the Bus Game" during the Super Bowl.
Looking back on the pictures from this week, I realize there was a lot of balancing involved.
At one point I was even trying to explain to Zachary how to balance work and play. I hope I know what I'm talking about. I'm about to do a show Monday (yes, a MONDAY show), then fly off to Vegas for (ahem) business.
It was a celebration in honor of Rick James' birthday. Rick's brother Carmen threw a great event with three outstanding bands! I sang a Teena Marie tribute with the All Star Band alongside Kenny, Jerry, Wade, Flute, Russ, Joey, and Paul Anthony. Megan and Shelby (from Buffalo's "Confidance") joined us to dance on Behind the Groove.
Megan, T, Shelby
We prepared, traveled, rehearsed, dressed up, danced, sang and got down with our funky selves. I had the chance to hug people I haven't seen in years and made some wonderful new friends. It was beautiful!
Eric Jensen left me some PHENOMENAL photos that he took from the last Buffalo performance with the Original Stone City Band!
Ty (The Left Handed Bandit) presented his AWESOME sketch to Paul Anthony.
I managed to create some new promotional postcards and T-shirts (with help from New York Marketing and Artden) and launched my NEW WEBSITE!
Blog days are tough when it's a travel day too. I had two days of car travel with a napping toddler. The main thing to do was listen to the material for this week's rehearsals. Then this morning, this article found its way to me over breakfast:
