Give Us a High Five!

Our family entered a video contest for the Food Network and Welch's, and in order to win, we need your votes! Click the link below to watch the video and rate us sky high so we can be the champions! To vote for us, click "Rate This" below the video. Thanks for your help!

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The End of an Era

I keep using that (the above) phrase to mean my last night at Kimonos (which was tonight), but given that Webster's defines the ultimate word in that phrase as the following:

era: a stage in development (as of a person or thing), or a memorable or important date or event; especially one that begins a new period in the history of a person or thing

the term seems appropriate for this situation (and, yes, I did just use a dictionary definition to open my "five-paragraph essay" like a sixth grader).

The past year-and-eight months at Kimonos have been an amazing time of growth for my voice and performing skills. As a result of having this opportunity to choose whatever songs I want and performing them for an audience two or three nights per week, my repertoire, confidence, presence, and improvisational skills have grown immensely. Just last week, I got two--count 'em, two!--call backs from Disney, strictly by auditioning with songs I would never have in my bag o' tricks if it weren't for this job.

Although I am wistful for what I am being forced to leave behind, I am appreciative of what this opportunity has given me. I have a (precious) few prospects on the horizon, so who knows what's in store for me next? Hopefully, what's in store are bigger and better things which have even more valuable experiences and lessons to offer. But for now I am grateful for:

• the managers (especially Doug, Carson, and Andy) for being awesome at their jobs and considering helping and protecting we emcees a part of their jobs
• the venue - who could ask for anything more? An upscale, family-friendly venue in the heart of Walt Disney World, with an excellent sound system, 1000s of quality tracks, and pretty much the best guests we could ask for...
• the girls (our fearless leader, Madell, and all my other fellow emcees) who are handling this (decidedly crappy) situation with dignity. Here's hoping the economy gets better before it gets worse. Best wishes!

Christmas in January

I've been clearing out space on our hard drive, so I finally got around to editing and uploading some video footage I've been avoiding. Here are three early (or late) holiday treats from the Pinders and Browns.

Above, a taste of our annual Christmas caroling tradition. Directly below, links to the outtakes of our attempts to recording the caroling tradition, and finally, our performance for the Christmas Eve service at FBC Waycross.

Christmas Caroling Bloopers

Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy

Annie's Senior Recital

The hero of the day!

Last weekend, Eric and I drove/rode (respectively) to Rome, Georgia, for Annie's senior voice recital at Berry College. She'll be graduating in May with a degree in music education. It makes me feel so old (!!), but her instrument has grown by leaps and bounds, and we were all blown away by her performance.

The amazing recital was followed by a beautiful reception, and we had some much needed time together as a family. And we also took some cheesily cute photos of Eric outside in the cold. :)

More photos from the holiday weekend can be seen here, and below are links to the videos from the recital:

Danza, danza fanciulla gentile

Caro mio ben

Awake, sweet love, thou art return'd

Heidenroslein

Fur Musik

Thy Beaming Eyes

The sleep that flits on baby's eyes

Zion's Walls

J'en prendrai un, deux, trois

American Idol Experience Slideshow

Here are a few more photos from the American Idol Experience. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, so these are of the exterior only. But there are some PhotoPass pictures from the performance, behind this link for thirty days.

American Idol Experience

As many of you know, a few weeks ago I was asked--along with a few other entertainment industry professionals--to help with rehearsals by auditioning as a contestant at the new American Idol Experience attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The whole day ended up being an awesome "experience" (pun intended)!

We arrived that morning, and in the Coca-Cola lounge, I was given a video iPod loaded with karaoke tracks of American Idol arrangements of about 50 songs, and I could choose my first and second choices for the audition. I chose Bohemian Rhapsody and I Will Survive, respectively.

I went into my audition for the producers and sang my first choice. They gave me a few pointers and then showed a video of Ryan Seacrest telling me something to the effect of: "I know you're hoping I'm going to tell you you're going to Hollywood. Well, I can't tell you that...but I can tell you that you've been chosen to perform in the show today!" Trickery :)

As I came out of the audition room, a video crew filmed my reaction and a short interview. Then I went backstage to get ready for the 11am show. Two other contestants and an alternate (shout-out to Lowell!) were also chosen. In the Green Room, there were more iPods to help us rehearse our songs. Then I was "touched up" in the hair and make-up room, and I rehearsed with a vocal coach who helped me with staging, riffs, etc. Then the staging specialist showed us all where to stand throughout the show, and we all got to rehearse our songs onstage. Then it was time for the show!

This was during exclusive cast member previews of the attraction, so there were about 350 audience members. Actors warmed up the audience, got them excited, and tested their voting buttons. Then the host introduced herself, the three judges (Randy, Paula, and Simon types), and the three contestants--me, Luerne Herrera, and Rachel Moulton (sp?). Luerne began the show with an amazing rendition of Heart's "Alone" and got a "personalized" good luck message from recent AI winner David Cook.

I was to perform second, and they aired footage from my interview, my reaction, my audition, and my touch-up in the hair and make-up room. Then I rocked out on my Queen song! The judges said that I had a very "marketable, wholesome image." The Simon-type guy said I seemed a little self-conscious, like a karaoke performance! (I found the actor later to thank him for the critique, and he said he always feels the need to apologize to the contestants because they [the actors] are encouraged to nitpick. He felt that I was more "self-possessed" than he indicated, and when I told him that I worked at a karaoke bar, he thought that was very funny.)

Rachel rounded out the show with her awesome version of "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King, and they showed video of people in the queue cheering, "Rachel is our American Idol!" Then, the audience voted using the voting buttons on their armrests, and we were all treated to a Jordin Sparks music video. Afterward, the host recapped the judges' comments and sufficiently kept us all in suspense.

The whole day was especially cool because, when the attraction opens, Disney cast members will not be allowed to compete to win the daily prize--a ticket to the front of the line at the real American Idol auditions--so it was neat to be one of the very few cast members able to experience the behind-the-scenes aspects of the attraction. Although I wasn't chosen as the winner (Luerne is the champion!), I had an awesome time and made some good contacts. (I even ran into the casting director for Disney backstage, and he said I was great!) I was also sent home with a few cool souvenirs.

My number, stage door appointment, and "Vote for Me!" lanyard, meant to be worn around the park to encourage guests to come watch.

Click here to view more pictures--there's even a holiday card!

Look who made the papers...again!

This article detailing our wedding, impeccably written by my mom, was published in my hometown paper, the Waycross Journal-Herald, this week. Three cheers!

Click the image below for a larger view.

Germy Lemons

I knew there was a reason to order my ice waters with no lemon.

Germs!

Birth Order Traits

I heard a blurb about birth order on the John Tesh Radio Show (don't make fun!). According to Dr. Kevin Leman, author of The Birth Order Connection, birth order and behavior are linked. His findings definitely relate to our personalities!

FIRST BORNS (Katie) are natural leaders and high achievers, traits which stem from a sense of entitlement and superiority. They pay attention to detail and are organized. But they can be moody and insensitive to others’ feelings. They’re also bad at delegating, because they don’t trust others as much as they trust themselves. That’s why they’re often stressed out--in control, but stressed out.

MIDDLE CHILDREN (Eric) are people pleasers who hate confrontation. They’re usually calm, down to earth and great listeners, and they make excellent negotiators. Middle kids are usually less driven firstborns, but more eager to be liked--that’s why they have trouble setting limits.

Sound familiar?

Intriguing Revelations about Karaoke

First, thanks to BestWeekEver.tv and ListoftheDay.blogspot.com, we have a list of 10 karaoke songs to avoid. Everyone on earth needs to read this because you'd be surprised how many times I hear about 80% of the songs on this list! Then, a repost from the updates section of my website, a May 2 MSNBC article about the effects of American Idol on the karaoke scene. Also, it includes a list of tips by which every karaoke singer should live!

We have sexy jobs

MSN Careers recently released a list of 10 jobs with under-the-radar sex appeal. Not only was photographer included on the list (go, me), my dad's profession of mail carrier made the cut also!

6. Mail carriers spend their days walking from house to house to deliver letters and packages, guaranteeing their legs look nice in those signature navy blue shorts. You know carriers are determined and trustworthy, seeing as they come to your house regardless of the weather and (hopefully) none of your letters are ever opened. Wouldn't most of us rather stay home on cold days and read personal letters and magazines from their bags?

8. Artsy types get a boost in the sexy department for having a strong sense of style and a unique perspective on the world. Even among artists, photographers stand out because they stay behind the camera, finding beauty in unconventional and overlooked places. Their willingness to stay out of the spotlight and focus their attention on someone else is endearing.