On Tour With ShaeLaurel

This, that, and what's next!

2011-03-03T16:35:00.001-08:00

As we ramble down the road into 2011 we take some time to look back on all the changes, exciting adventures and unexpected turns this past year has brought to our family.

In January we performed from Florida...

all the way up to Oswego New York....

February found us back in Florida performing.

We popped a tire

Christian picked up the Zen drum!

In March we celebrated Saint Patty’s Day

We had a great time doing a fiddle workshop with Florida fiddlers!

In April we auditioned for America's Got Talent

We performed at the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. on a stage and for the televised parade.

We traveled to Georgia and worked with the nonprofit Amigos for Christ to raise money for feeding centers in Nicaragua

Kathryn and Christian went to prom (with friends)

CNN traveled with us and put together an article

In May we went to Las Vegas and spent a week with America's Got Talent and met some amazingly talented people. We jammed with musicians, stretched with acrobats, learned to throw cards, do magic tricks and survive in a pressure cooker.

Then we were back up in New York!

June we traveled to Alaska, saw some of the most beautiful vistas, rode horses at midnight, danced until we dropped and hiked until we couldn’t walk. Performed all over the state. Performed our first show in Fairbanks.

Performed 4^th of July on Beaver Island. If you’ve never heard the star spangled banner on the bagpipes you haven’t heard the star spangled banner….on the bagpipes.

Then a cousin's wedding in Minnesota

Performed from Michigan to North Carolina

August we had another cousin's wedding in Massachusetts

Said goodbye to Andy :(

September we performed in Michigan and Pittsburgh and visited family

October we bounced down to Georgia and back up to New York

November back down to Florida...

...and back up to New York

and all over!

This January we opened our brand new show at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay and Christian, Mom, and Dad also debuted their first Trio performance!

Total miles traveled this year: 27,591

Total Shows performed: over 2,000

Total Fun had from 1 to 10: 11

Plans for the year to come:

This coming year we’ll going back up to Alaska, Andy will be going back to school and in the Fall Kathryn and I will be leaving for college; Kathryn to study Foreign Relations and I will be studying Musical Theater.

What will happen to the group? We’ll continue to perform together as a family during our breaks. It’s been great to have Andy back with us and in the show during his time off. He’s also been performing solo while in college. None of us want to stop performing together as a family. It’s just too much fun! Meanwhile Mom, Dad and Christian are going to perform as a trio-"ShaeLaurel, Party of Three" There have been some rumors about a Frank Sinatra Tribute show but you didn’t hear it from me :)

While our group performance schedule will be limited to our school breaks we plan to jam pack as many shows as possible into those few months to make up for all the time we’ve missed.

That’s our year in review, we’d love to hear what you’ve been up to too! Use the comment box or send us a private message to share your story.

We hope to meet up with you out on the road. If you get a chance to talk with us one-on-one ask someone to tell you the full Alaska story, and what really happened when we tried our hand at yard work. Wishing you all the best in the New Year!

ShaeLaurel

The Next Big Adventure!

2010-09-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

We’ve been together as a band for nearly 10 years now, traveling the world. It’s been an amazing adventure and our adventure has just gotten a little bigger. Christian just turned 17 and Andy is taking some time off from touring to go to college. We are so happy and excited for him on his new adventure! We miss him a LOT but we know he’s having a great time and learning some pretty incredible stuff (he’s double majoring in Physics and Mathematics.) As for the rest of the family, we are still on tour and having a blast. We’re in the process of putting together a new show and we’re all really excited to see where the music takes us next! Meanwhile we’ll look forward to having Andy back to perform with us during his summer breaks.

Our tour starts up again this week in New York. We look forward to seeing you there!

Where in the world is ShaeLaurel?

2010-04-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We’re back into the swing of things now. We’ve gotten a lot of wonderful emails from people curious about what’s been going on in our tour so we’re here to fill you in. Apparently there have been some ShaeLaurel “rumors” flying around and we’re here to set the record straight.

Rumor #1: “Dad can do a back flip.”

False. Although Dad has been working on gymnastics he has yet to achieve that true state of airborne magnificence.

Rumor #2: “ShaeLaurel is preparing a new show.”

True. We are preparing a new show, which should debut this fall. There are a lot of big changes coming for our group not all of which we are at liberty to speak of. More on that soon!

Rumor #3: “Jessica can’t walk.”

True and False. In between rehearsals Jessica stepped on a rusty nail, which knocked her off of her feet for the past week. Now, however, she is back on her feet and dancing up a storm. Want proof? Turn on your TV and check out the televised ABC Cherry Blossom Parade where the family will be performing singing and dancing on April 10th! Woot!

Rumor #4: “Andy is going to college.”

True. This Fall Andy will be heading off to College to study Mechanical Engineering/Physics. We will miss him like crazy! The band will still continue minus one (thus our new show) and we’ll look forward to having him back with us during his breaks!

Rumor #5: “Mom can do a back flip.”

False. Seriously I don’t know where all these back flip rumors are coming from!

Rumor #6: “ShaeLaurel doesn’t write their own blogs.”

False. We write our own blogs, tweets, status updates, and respond to every one of our fan letters, emails, calls, and comments personally. We’re just that cool!

Rumor #7: “Jessica is turning 20!”

True. 9 more days! And if you haven’t figured out who’s writing these updates right now read rumor #7 again…

Write!

2010-01-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

When we’re not cleaning we’re playing music and doing other crazy things like starting companies and writing books J Now we’ve found a way to do both at the same time! Kathryn and I have hopped on board an amazing e-writing project called The Novel Factory that’s opening up January 4^th. Here’s a little info:

“Based on the Serial Novel style that launched such greats as Dickens and Tolstoy into international fame, The Novel Factory is an online-based serial publication that is taking a whole new look at the way we read and write books. Readers interact directly with the novel as they choose what happens next in the story. Every Monday our writers publish a new installment and our readers join in the adventure and vote on the direction the story should take...”

We’d love to have your votes on the site! You can get more detailed information at http://thenovelfactory.com. The first installment of the first book goes up tomorrow, Monday, January 4. We’ll look for you there. Happy New Year everyone!

Cleaning-in the New Year

2010-01-02T13:24:00.001-08:00

We spent New Year's Eve playing in Delray Beach, FL for Atlantic Avenue's own First Night Celebration. Now with a whole new year ahead of us we started off the new decade with a family project ... you guessed it, cleaning. It's time to lose those extra couple of pounds of stuff weighing down our tour bus as we travel the country. Every year we get a little better at the whole 'letting go' process. This year we somehow managed to find bags and bags of hidden treasures in our 40-foot RV that we hadn't seen for a long time and would never really use. All of these things tucked safely in secret corners of the RV finally saw the light of day today and they're moving out for good. As usual our family approached the project with considerable zeal but even the most stalwart cleaner will find that, after a while, the things that they were supposed to be getting rid of, things that they'd forgotten they'd even owned, start to take on a new magical quality and inseparable sentimental value. Even something small can become a huge internal debate. I suffer from acute butitsbeenhereallthistimeitspracticallypartofthefamily syndrome and my internal cleaning conversations begin to look something like this:

"Jessica, it's a rock. You don't need it."

"But it's been traveling around the country with us for a long time! This is more than an average rock! You know, I think this rock is from Ireland! Look at the markings."

"Ohhhhh. Wow. But what's the point in keeping a rock?"

"It's a priceless piece of family history!"

"But it's a rock!"

"Can I keep it! Please! It's just one little rock! You got rid of that magazine already and everything."

"Oh, all right."

Needless to say I wasn't much help in this process, but it was a really cool rock.

Although everyone's brains are not quite as vocal, you've probably had a similar conversation with yourself around cleaning time. It happens to the best of us. What kind of things did you find hard to part with? What oddities did you find in the cleaning process?

Happy New Year!

The Fashion Statement

2009-10-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

My dad has always had his own unique style. It’s the way he casually tucks in his shirt with no belt, the way he wears plaid and paisley together, the way he wears white socks and flip flops with the air of a man who will continue to dress that way until there is a no-clothes option.

For years my sister and I have struggled to find clothes that he was willing to wear on a daily basis that didn’t offend the fashion sense of almost everyone else on the planet and weren’t 3 sizes too big for him. We usually failed. But as the years have gone by and he’s moved across that invisible line that marks the place between ‘young and clueless’ and ‘old and eccentric’, we’ve begun to see the wisdom in his clothing choices. What once just seemed like an excuse to be asked where he was from has turned into a heightened sense of the practical. No matter where we are he is always comfortable, if not a little underdressed. He’ll repeat the same outfit for days on end but carry it with such a different style that you fail to notice. His baggy jeans never seem to wear out and his flip-flops are never really out of style. He also provides endless amusement for our family.

Shopping with my dad is a trip. He enters a store with the confidence of a man who knows what everyone needs and isn’t afraid to ask whoever is nearest for their opinion of your outfit. He also has that grim determined look that let’s you know he’s resisting all natural urges to run out the door and kiss the first patch of natural ground.

You always know when it’s time to go by the way he swoons on the waiting couches with an ill look and the struggling smile of a martyr. He always stays though, until the call is given to leave.

There has only ever been one item of clothing that my dad has actually asked for in his life, and that’s a kilt. For years we’ve searched in vain for a reasonably priced piece of tartan for him but we’ve always been unsuccessful. Even when we considered sewing our own, the cost of the fabric has always been astronomical. Even though the image of Dad wearing his Hawaiian tourist shirt with a kilt, white socks up to his knees and flip flops will forever remain one of our fondest ‘not-memories’ of Dad we’ll keep searching.

My dad has always had his own unique style. It’s part of what I love about him. It reflects his own beliefs and life choices. He understands the importance of wearing clothes and at the same time as he understands the importance of being a free spirit. Each neatly-gelled curl and rakishly tilted sock is a life-fashioning statement that will live on long after his clothes are gone.

It was the best of times, it was… nah, it was just the best of times :)

2009-10-11T10:47:00.001-07:00

On our way back from Alaska there was one Canadian stop that couldn’t be missed. It wasn’t the hot springs or the cities, it wasn’t even the biggest mall in North America. It was better than that, the icing on the cake of our Alaskan adventure: the St. Cyr cabin.

When you’ve been on the road as long as we have, it’s easy to think that you’ve seen it all, but we haven’t even come close yet and the cottage is a perfect case in point.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, that’s okay. We didn’t even know the place existed until last year.

We found out about the St. Cyr cabin, and more importantly, the St. Cyr’s, in the way these things usually happen… in the way you least expect it:

“When are we going to play?” It was the question that was running through all of our minds last year in Calgary. It was a raining hard, freezing drops mixed with a sprinkling of hail. We were downtown, set to perform at a Stampede party that was quickly turning into an icy version of a Wet N’ Wild. The rain was relentless and our speakers were softly soaking up the moisture, but the idea of not playing was too much to bear so we unpacked our instruments under the safety of a tent.

It was cold and our fingers were frosty on the strings but we played away, dancing on the tables and weaving in among the crowd. That’s where we met the first St. Cyr: Annette. She saw us perform and invited us to come and visit her at her cottage on our way to Alaska. That’s how we learned about the St. Cyr cabin, nestled in among rolling fields of canola (who knew canola was a plant?) by beautiful Gull Lake.

The St. Cyr cabin is an artfully designed work of handcrafted wood that the St. Cyr family built by hand as a party and retreat for their friends and family. We’ve learned a lot of things there over the past 2 years, vacationing with Annette and her family. Things like how to wakeboard, play beersbee, make a garbage-can turkey and party like a Canadian. We even got a chance to sit in on a permaculture course that Annette’s daughter and son-in-law taught. But most importantly, we learned that we have a Canadian family we never knew existed.

You may never make it to the St. Cyr cabin, but here are some pictures from our trip that can take you there, if only for a little while:

What to do with a 16 year old?

2009-09-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe that it was only 16 years ago that Christian was born, a bouncing baby boy with lungs that made themselves known in an unforgettable, yet somehow tuneful way. It’s hard to believe that it was only last month that we were singing Christian a birthday song at the top of our lungs, purposefully out of tune in the joking way that made us all cringe. It is also hard to believe that the ‘baby’ of the family now needs to be addressed as sir because he is taller than all of us.

We celebrated Christian’s birthday on the road. He doesn’t eat any sweets so we made him an apple and grape cake with a few candles.

We all sprayed our hair with white streaks to sympathize with his advanced age and decked the bus with streamers and balloons. We blared music from the party bus and played games as we traveled.

When we got to the Canadian border the guards weren’t impressed but eventually they let us pass and we continued our journey to Alaska and beyond!

An Afternoon Stroll...

2009-08-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Our family’s idea of an afternoon stroll is a little different than most peoples. For most of my life I had no idea. I figured that it was normal to travel miles on a short walk or climb for hours on a short hike. I guess I assumed everyone did it that way. It was especially easy to believe when my 22 aunts and uncles and 46 cousins on my Dad’s side all shared the same understated measurement of distance. Of all this I remained blissfully ignorant, until recently.

I came to my awakening in Colorado Springs. When we saw the mountain they call Pikes Peak there was no question about whether or not we were going to climb it.

The city sits high up at 6000 feet where the air is clear, but rather thin. Pike’s Peak and our ‘little’ hike would take us up 13 miles with an altitude gain of an additional 7,400 feet.

It takes the average hiker at least 8-10 hours to make the assent. At the summit, legend had it, surprised and admiring tourists who had paid to take the train up would greet you with awe and listen to every step of your perilous journey with wide eyes and slack jaws. The hike could be dangerous and required waking up at the ungodly hour of 4 in the morning. But even that couldn’t stop us.

We took mostly water and waterproof gear with us. The mountain had the nasty habit of turning out hail and thunderstorms at random and a number of hikers had been struck by lightening or perished of hypothermia on the mountaintop. These thoughts were enough to keep us cheerfully engaged as we climbed.

The first few miles were a breeze. Two of my leg muscles had the indecency to get themselves pulled within the first few miles but with the help of Ibuprofen and the sacrifice of a few days walking afterward we pressed forward.

We made good time. At base camp we took an hour break and refilled our water bottles and ate our carefully prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But this was merely the breath before the storm, in more ways than one.

Our troubles didn’t start until we hit 10,000 feet. We had heard the rumors that severe thunderstorms were due to strike the mountain earlier than usual, but it had been raining every day since we had arrived in Colorado Springs and weather is a finicky thing, so we weren’t too worried. We split up for the hike, the boys taking the accelerated climbing track and the rest of us following somewhere behind.

The altitude struck first. As we approached 11,000 feet our heads started to pound and our stomachs protested. We all started to feel like Johnny Depp as he staggered around the deck of the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean. It took all of our remaining brainpower to remember to put one foot in front of the other. It was worst for Dad. Altitude sickness hit him hard and fast and disagreed with his lunch. Let’s just say there was only room for one of them and his lunch didn’t win.

When we started to hear the thunder just a few short miles from the top we decided that it would be safer to try for the top than turn back. It snowed, rained and hailed alternately as we climbed, forcing us to seek shelter in a crevice a few feet wide and only a little deeper. The temperature dropped and the thunder crashed. We were all soaked and freezing and our muscles were starting to forget the meaning of simple words like ‘hike’ and even ‘move’.

When we got to the top people looked at us like we were insane and suddenly the words, ‘dry’, ‘chair’ and ‘furnace’ all took on wonderful new meanings. None of us could walk very well the next couple of days but by then we were already on the road, on our way to another adventure.

Here is photographic evidence of our trip:

From the Road...

2009-08-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

Our family would, among other things, make a great internet access commercial. We are the people you see on the sidewalk, carrying our laptops high above our heads, praying for a glimpse of a signal so that we can get our mail or load a single web page.

I thought that all of our internet troubles were gone once we got the iPhone, but international borders have separated us from the thin web that connects us to the world. Granted we are more productive when the internet is absent, but not so much that we feel it truly justifies it's distance.

As of today we are in the middle of Canada, on our way up to Alaska once again. To make this particular journey more intriguing, we found two people to travel with us! Our Grandparents!

8 people + 1 RV = The Adventure of a Lifetime!

It’s the little people in life :)

2009-06-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

We were waiting in Middlebury, Indiana. Our RV was in the repair center again and so our family set up camp in the cool internet-filled space of the library. Being an autodidact and an avid reader at the same time, this was a difficult space to be in, but I was resigned to my fate. I was staring blankly at my computer screen trying to come up with a good enough excuse to stop working and start reading when a little girl came up to me with her eyes wide and her mouth open. It took me an embarrassingly long moment to realize that she wasn’t staring at me, but at the computer next to me.

“Is that a compooter?” She asked in breathless amazement. Oh, if only the written word could truly portray the shocked expression on her face, the cuteness of her lisp, the way her jaw looked like it was about to fall off.

“Yes, it is.”

Silence.

“What’s your name?”

“Deanna. I’m 5.”

She was so small, her vibrant dress and long dirty-blond hair making her look even smaller.

There was proper etiquette here and so I aptly obliged.

“I like your dress. It’s very pretty.”

She didn’t even look down.

“It is. I picked it.”

She walked over and sat next to me as if we’d known each other since she was born. Obviously anyone who could tell that her dress was pretty was all right by her. She asked me if she could use my computer. Together we typed out our names on the keyboard, our ages, her mother’s name, my mom’s name with the random age assignment of 87. My mom watched us and laughed. She didn’t see the 19-year-old woman seated next to a little girl; she saw two very small, very alike little girls poking away at a computer. When Deanna found out that there was a camera on the computer it was all over. We started to take pictures making funny faces and laughing. Deanna’s mom had a hard time convincing both of us it was time for her to go.

When Deanna left I sat and stared at my computer. The computer was exactly the same as when Deanna had first seen it, wide-eyed and excited, but for me it had changed. It had become a magical thing; a place where flying arrows lead you where you want to go and with a single click you can reach out and touch the world. Deanna may have learned to spell such important words as ‘Mom’ and ‘Decorate’ but I had been given a gift even more precious. Deanna gave me the opportunity, just for a moment, to really see the world with new eyes, to look at an everyday tool as an exciting opportunity, an out of this world adventure.

Some people believe that it’s the little things in life that bring you joy and they may be right, but Deanna has convinced me that it’s the little people.

Day number….the next one!

2009-06-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Clue # 11 How to tell when you are out in the wilderness:

You have to put nails in your restricted access signs so the bears will stop chewing on it. True story.

We went to Anchorage and did a show. As usual we took everything very seriously

(Your seat is third row second from the left)

Moose!

We headed back into Anchorage where we met with some awesome organizers from ACYC. We worked with a whole bunch of teens to make great music for the services and had a blast.

We took time to play too, climbing up Flat top.

When an Alaskan tells you it’s a hike, they’re not kidding!

We had many more amazing adventures but only a few pictures so take a moment, close your eyes…no peeking! ….and use your imagination…good. Wasn’t that awesome!?

And now another brief Moose break:

As many of you may know, we are serious hikers.

I mean, really serious.

So before we head back to the lower 48 we make a few stops down state.

Fr. Tero showed us around Seward, Dad ran up Mount Marathon and we went hiking at Exit Glacier!

It was amazing! The glacier was so strong it could even hold up Andy!

Later, Fr. Tero and Brother Craig took us out on a float trip on the Kenai River

And then it was time to hit the skies

Christian called shotgun

Travis and Brother Craig took us up in the air

And I got to fly!

My mom was terrified as soon as I took over but she held it together admirably. We didn’t hit any mountains so I’ll take that as a good sign.

All too soon it was time to drive back to Anchorage and fly home.

One thing we learned on this trip?

We love Alaska!

2 Day tripper...

2009-06-19T12:30:00.001-07:00

To survive in Alaska you need to be:

Determined,

Smart (No media personification available),

Strong,

And have ability to blend in seamlessly into your environment.

It took all of these important techniques to survive the long and treacherous journey across the state.

We traveled to Healy where we did our first show. We met a lot of great people, got a tour of the Usabelli Coal mine:

Underage Miners.

We also went 4-wheeling. At 1 in the morning. In the snow. It was amazing! This is the only proof of what happened that fateful night:

You can imagine what we must have looked like J

A few hours after that crazy adventure we went to Denali State Park:

And took the bus into the wilderness!

We hiked a mountain or two,

Saw some wildlife,

I mean wildlife,

Then we got back on the bus

And headed back to Healy

We had many more adventures including but not limited to a trip down some white water rapids. (On purpose, we swear.) And an Alaskan dinner theater!

Then we hopped back in our trusty car:

And with only a few sanity breaks

Headed to Anchorage!

Tripping to Alaska

2009-06-18T17:54:00.001-07:00

To prepare for a trip of this magnitude you must do a few things:

Put everything you own onto someone else’s lawn and assess,

Test your packing abilities,

And lastly make it there with everything you need and most of the members,

We boarded the plane

And 6 hours later we arrived in Portland!

We met with our Portland Family,

Had an amazing meal (picture omitted to protect computer from drool.)

Went hiking,

And loitered in caves with our Cousin!

Then Back on the Plane

To head to Alaska!

By the way, this was only Day 1 :)

Isn't Monday when things usually slow down?

2009-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

We're on our final days of our Alaskan tour :(

Instead of slowing down as tour tour comes to an end we're actually speeding up.

Sleep in a place where the sun's always shining is optional. (A song comes to mind :) ) We'll just have to catch up on our sleep another time.

Today we're going White Water Rafting on the Kenai river and possibly taking a Plane tour of the surrounding area! After that? Who knows! Maybe we'll see you!

Due to the number of worried phone calls from family members because of the lack of activity on our blog I will be redoubling my efforts :) There will also be a complete account of our entire trip coming soon where you will see pictures of our amazing adventures and energetic endeavors. If you're too anxious to wait for an in-depth account check out our Twitter (run by dad):

http://twitter.com/shaelaurel

I.I.U. Yesterday: Learned about coal mining, concert in Healy AK, met great people, 4 wheeled till 1am in the snow. Awesome! 6 am call for Denali!

2009-05-31T01:18:00.000-07:00

Instant iPhone update: It's almost midnight here and it's still light out! Fabulous breakfast in Palmer, drove to Healy and went whitewater rafting!

2009-05-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

Instant iphone update: We have now officially been awake for 23 hours! We just arrived in Alaska. Our beds are calling. Tomorrow? A new adventure!

2009-05-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

Early... :)

2009-05-27T01:53:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of the earliest days in my life. Alright, maybe not that early, but 4:30 still is pushing the limit! This insane hour is all due to our new tour starting today in Alaska just 12 short hours away! The plane is ready, the people are pumped and it's wheels off and we're ready for take off. If anyone is feeling spontaneous and wants to join us check our tour schedule http://shaelaurel.com/ShaeLaurel/ShaeLaurel-Tour.html and we'll see you there! Just, don't wake up too early :)

TV shoot Day 2!

2009-05-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

We “Break Free” and do some fancy shooting!

Andy riding in our producers Maserati!

Kat dolls up for a fashion shoot!

TV Shoot Day 1!

2009-04-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

We met with the crew at our campsite in the afternoon. It was a great chance to get to know everyone especially because we will all be traveling together for the next week or so!

We made some major changes to our Tour Bus to prepare it for the show (besides cleaning :). One such change was the huge ShaeLaurel sign installed on the side of our RV!

Before:

After:

Isn’t it lovely!

We did some sample shooting with our amazing director Scott and expert camera genius Randy.

Christian Rocking Out!

Me doing schoolwork. Why they thought this was interesting I will never know!

Twirling in a field…

Camera Term of the day:

Two eyes: A ‘non-profile’ shot. You always want a full face or both of a person's eyes in a shot.

Schedule Update

2009-04-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

From the thick of it…

There has been a change in plans and the date for the shoot has been moved. The live show filming is now SUNDAY rather than tomorrow (Saturday). We’re sorry for the short notice, we just found out ourselves. The reasons for the shoot changes are all good; they liked the work that we did today so much that they are planning to do some more similar filming again tomorrow! We’ll keep you posted. We should have some pictures of our latest shoot up soon on the blog!

Again that’s Sunday, April 26^th, at the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando, FL. The official time is 6 pm but the time is subject to random acts of production far outside our lowly understanding. Thank you for sticking with us. The overwhelming responses we’ve received mean the world to us. We couldn’t do it without all of you! Hope to see you there on Sunday!

More...:)

2009-04-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

The latest on that TV update: We are in between test shots right now! Our RV now bears the ShaeLaurel logo on both sides. The crew is amazing and very talented we can't wait to start filming tomorrow!

TV and our latest adventure!

2009-04-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here's the skinny...

We just got a call from A network! We've been talking to them for a while
about doing a Reality TV show on our family and our travels and
they've responded with a resounding yes! This means that we'll be
moving onto the next step: a pilot! We will be spending the next
couple of weeks before our show in New York filming with the amazing
team from Lightship Entertainment to present to MTV in June!
Our first day of filming will take place at the Central Florida Fair
near Orlando on the 25th where we will be putting on a live show. The
show will take place just before dusk so probably about 6 PM in front
of the ferris wheel. The show will not be in any kind of brochure or
announced at the fair so we need your help! We need a screaming crowd
at the shoot so that the network can see what kind of a band we are! If you
are in the area please come down and show your support! Admission is
$8 for the whole fair so we'll be giving out a Free SHINE CD
to every screaming audience member who comes up to us and let's us
know they've read this e-mail. Plus you'll have the chance to be in
the film! Once again it's going to be on the 25th around 6 PM at the
Central Florida Fair in front of the ferris wheel! Thanks for making
this show a reality! Hope to see you all there!

Our new CD Shine has finally arrived! I am writing this on Dad's iPhone so it won't let me post in the text section :) More exciting news to come!

2009-04-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

New CD Update...

2009-04-15T06:49:00.001-07:00

There was a mistake at the mastering house and our new CD
Shine was not be ready when we had originally planned. The CD is in a holding pattern right
now while we work things out. This
will probably mean that the release date will be closer to my birthday, which
means twice the party! Who doesn’t
want a ShaeLaurel CD for their birthday?
I’ll be sure to post up the new release date as soon as we find out when
that will be.

New Website!

2009-03-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

We just uploaded our new Website! We're so excited. Andy has been working on it for a while now and it's so cool to see it working live. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Our official CD release date is one week from today!

My official Birthday countdown: 21 days! All I have to do is say 19 and Mom and Dad start freaking out! It's the little things in life :)

The rest was almost written...

2009-03-11T13:30:00.001-07:00

Have you ever stared at the clock and known that the time you have left and the time it would take you to get to your goal don't add up? I thought I had had those moments but I didn't realize how wrong I was until I stared at the clock on February 5th. We hadn't had internet in a week and I was drowning in mail. I almost didn't notice the notification about the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest at all, but there it was, in all its shining glory. The Deal? Submit an entire novel for review and hope that they like it. The prize? Besides glory and eternal bragging rights, a $25,000 contract with one of the biggest publishers in the country. Penguin.

We’ve established the fact that I am crazy. Those who know me know that I often go out on a creative limb at least once during all my projects. It’s a constant battle against the clock and I’ve cultivated a taste for victory.

The Contest was open, the submission process had already started and thousands of authors had already submitted their novels for review. They had heard about it months, even years in advance and had carefully prepared their novels for submission.

I looked at my book; partially edited, slightly dusty and definitely unfinished and compared my time frame. 3 days to finish the book, write a pitch, edit and submit. Not so hard right?

If there were any doubts in my family’s mind, there aren’t any now. I am definitely crazy.

I spent every second between recording sessions in my little corner writing. What started as a 10,00 word ending soon turned into a 24,000-word 2-day marathon. I had an amazing editing team; my family and our friends from Alaska and somehow we managed to pull the whole thing together.

I finished the novel at 10:30 the final night for submissions. The closing was at midnight and so, right on cue I entered my book at 11:59:55. With only 5 seconds to spare I was shaking so hard I almost missed the submit button! I had to wait for an excruciating minute before I got my final confirmation.

Since that time I have spent all of my free time sitting and staring at the clock. On March 16^th I will find out if my book will make it to the next round. Keep your fingers crossed! The results will be posted up on the Amazon Website. Whatever the results we’re going to have a party. Thank you for your support! I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything!

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award website:

http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Novel-Award-Books/b/ref=amb_link_83562311_3?ie=UTF8&node=332264011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1VCK6A889K7K33B0TD4M&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=468873791&pf_rd_i=1000336691

Update!!!

2009-03-09T19:45:00.001-07:00

From Pics

We’ve been working like crazy. Our new show is so close to finished that we’re all going crazy! We got the final artwork on our new cd and it should be out in time for the Miami Dade Fair on the 26^th! We’re going to be performing our new show on stage officially for the first time then, so if you’re in the area be sure to stop by and see it.

It felt so good to finally perform again after rehearsing for so long. Our audience at Lakeland was wonderful and we got to catch up with some old friends. Also our producer and choreographer’s daughter (they’re married, we like to keep it in the family) came with us for a day. She was awesome and a great help. We performed A Second of This, a song off our new CD for the first time on stage. We got a great response and had a blast.

From Pics

To answer your questions we did get to meet and talk to Switchfoot at the South Florida Fair. We were also right up front during their concert thanks to Lisa Dudding and our security guard friend. All and all it was an amazing experience. We can’t wait to go back next year!

From Pics

South Florida Fair (Posted late because of lack of internet)

2009-02-19T21:25:00.001-08:00

Whoo hoo! We’re at the Fair! It’s so fun to be out in the sun playing music together as a family! We’re on the Dodge Stage right across from the main stage, which holds such acts as The Marshal Tucker Band, Lady Antebellum and Switchfoot! Maybe we’ll get to meet them. We have back stage passes…

Studio, studio, studio.

2009-02-18T12:52:00.001-08:00

We have been holed up in the studio for the past few days recording our new CD. It has been an amazing process and we’re all excited about the originals and brand new music that we are adding to the mix! We have also been putting together a new show. We’ve been in rehearsals for it all week, and it’s been a blast. I can’t tell you too much because that would ruin the surprise but I can tell you that there will be some new styles of dance involved. Can anyone say “Swing”? Uh, oh! I’ve said too much! Let’s just hope that our choreographer doesn’t get wind! I’ll sneak in some more as soon as I get the chance.

Brand New ShaeLaurel Update!!!

2009-01-26T18:35:00.001-08:00

Kathryn Adopted a Plant! We are still searching for a suitable name. He is a sensitive basil who likes traveling to exotic places and sitting in the rain. If you can think of a name please write!

Andy has taken his casual sewing practice to the next level and now has become a proficient self-tailor and pincushion!

Mom has been very busy cooking up a storm! Her culinary experiments have soared to such heights as Chicken Parmesan and homemade Pizza bagels!
Dad has been writing music so often that his fingers are practically glued to his keys. He’s costing us a fortune in goo-be-gone!

Christian has been editing the latest ShaeLaurel movies as well as our own adventures into movie land like our own production of Wonder Woman played by Kate.

And me? Well, I’ve been doing research for a book! The challenging kind, you know; the kind that requires you to watch movies that you never really had time for and hold small cute fury animals with big eyes and yoda-esk ears.
This Sugar glider (Tucker) has been filling me in on its life and likings for my latest book Another Place to Fall.

Segway Madness!

2009-01-21T16:07:00.000-08:00

Want to see more? Go to: http://www.choosesarasota.com/Shae_Laurel_at_SunNFun-a-961.html

On Tour!

2009-01-20T13:42:00.001-08:00

We kicked off our new tour this week, traveling all over
Florida in our big green tour bus:

No matter how many years you spend performing there are
always new things to experience, new surprises that make life interesting and
this new tour has been no different.

The first surprise came when we were performing at The
Gardens where the stage is entirely unique

Then there was North Port Performing Arts Center with its
absolutely gorgeous theater Lovely back stage area, great food, fun lighting, and a full
house

Not to mention a hydraulic stage that transported us from
below the stage!

At our performance at Sun N Fun we met Craig Shipp who let
us try out his Segway!
Of course just riding the Segway wasn’t enough and so Kat
decided to try playing the violin and riding at the same time:

It’s been a great tour so far and we can’t wait to see what happens
next!

The New Year...

2009-01-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

I hadn't realized until I posted, but that was the first blog of the new year!!!! That makes this the second...

Charging...

2009-01-13T09:14:00.001-08:00

This is now my favorite word. Charging. It implies an onward rush of motion, speed, and intensity and also the availability of power. Ahhh, power! That elusive three-pronged wonder that is wired to our lives. Power has become all the more special in mine because of it’s painfully-apparent absence. My computer was once equipped with the amazing ability to charge at will and hold on to every hurt with all it’s heart. Now it has abandoned all such dreams forever. This stark and glaring realization forced me to drastic measures. And so it was with a heavy heart my brother Andy my sister Kat and I took my poor ailing Macbook to the genius bar where I was given the heart-wrenching news that my battery was 'consumed'.

If anyone has ever been told that their computer battery has been 'consumed' then you will know how it feels. For those of you who haven't, it's something like hacking your guts out with an ice pick, tossing them into a blender coated with the sour sting of lemon and turned on high while being pulverized by all the spare change you've ever had in your life, served with a twist of costumer service.

There was only one good thing that came out of the whole experience and no it was not the fact that they cleaned my computer screen, although that was a nice bonus. The only redeeming factor was while they couldn't fix my battery (because they couldn't), they could repair the small crack on my computer top caused by over-exuberant slamming and weak plastic. This whole procedure would replace the top of my computer including keys and be absolutely free because Apple is just cool that way. The only down side was that they would need to keep my computer for....3 DAYS!!!! If anyone has ever met me outside the show, you'll know that my computer is usually glued to my side and is the only thing besides my iPod that I always pack with me. My computer is like an extra arm and the decision to leave it behind, alone in a strange mac store all by itself was excruciatingly painful. What if they forgot to leave the night light on and it got scared?

Alright, so maybe I exaggerate, but can you blame me? Wait, that question was rhetorical.

Well, to make a long story longer, I got my computer back yesterday all shiny and happy (with a clean screen too!) and I expect to receive my mail-order battery in...well, the mail, today or tomorrow! Because of this whole dilemma I now know more about batteries and how to make them last than I ever wanted to. Things like each macbook battery only has 400 charge cycles (as a minimum) and then it is classified 'consumed'. Even partial charges count as partial charges, so the best thing you can do is leave it plugged in but give it some exercise (leave it shut down for 2 hours fully charged then run it to the ground and charge it back up) every month. As if I needed to know all that! If anyone else has experienced this problem and wants to commiserate I will be on blogger and available for whining between takes in the studio. Ahhhh, the studio...now that's a whole different story...

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Short Night! Florida For the Holidays:

2008-12-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

You were beginning to think I had forgotten you, weren't you!

Come on!

There's no need to pretend!

Okay, so I've been a little busy... but it's all GOOD busy. For one thing we started recording a new CD! Psyched? I knew you would be! Also, we spent another day filming for the reality pilot! Keep your fingers crossed! If everything goes according to plan we should start really filming in February! Can you believe it?! And as if that wasn't enough of a Christmas present this year, we also got to spend time with our family here in Florida. We decked the halls (a.k.a. Grandma and Grandpa's house), made homemade Norwegian cookies that have been in our family for generations (my Grandmother's Norwegian. If you can snag one for a grandparent you are lucky! ...or maybe it's just my Grandma...) The cookies are made from a Top Secret ancient family recipe that uses butter, sugar, almond, eggs, and flour! ...ooops! There goes that family secret!

We sang Christmas carols accompanied by bagpipes (a cacophonous combo) to any innocent bystanders who didn't run away. We even got my dad to wear a Christmas hat, and from a distance the pipes almost looked like a sack of toys... unfortunately no one was fooled.

My blog has become sort of infamous around our family and my Aunts and Uncles have taken to saying things like...

"Don't put that in the Blog now!"

and

"You're not going to write about me are you?"

With their best interest at heart I have therefore decided to leave their names out entirely.

So you will not hear me mention my Uncle Tom or my Uncle Leo and Aunt Jeannie (also musicians, you can find out more about them at: http://www.sleepindogz.com/ )

Consider them never mentioned ;)

We still wake up insanely early every Christmas morning. We still jump on mom and dad's bed and drag them to where the presents wait. We still spend every second before they come jumping in our seats until they roll into the living room and give us the go ahead. Some things never change :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Some New Changes!

2008-12-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Check out the Slideshow for some pictures of our tour in Ireland!

An intro to our 2008 season of the Turkey: Being Thankful

2008-12-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, when we go out into the streets in our autumn regalia, raid the grocery stores and invite family members we only vaguely remember we had into our homes.

Our family skipped out on most of the Thanksgiving festivities this year. It's not because we have anything against Thanksgiving or being thankful in general. In fact my family loves Thanksgiving. We look forward to this holiday every year, an entire day that is devoted to family, being thankful and the opportunity to eat copious amounts of food to prove a point! No, we missed some of the on-the-day Thanksgiving activities because we were doing a 2 1/2-minute spot on ABC for the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. That's right, I'm talking the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. Macy's move aside because ShaeLaurel is going to rock your socks. Sure the Philly Parade may not have as many floats or attractions, but they have us! If you don't believe me, check out the video of our performance on youtube:

The Parade was awesome and we met so many amazing people! I had the opportunity to show exactly how little I know about modern pop culture by asking Mario (the solo R&B artist, actor and recently the dancer on 'Dancing With the Stars') what group he was backing up. Ouch!

We also got to meet the descendants of the Von Trapp family. They are so close to our carbon copies that it was almost scary. We shared stories and talked for as long as time would allow. We are all roughly the same age, we have all been performing for the same amount of time (7 years) and are all homeschooled. We also both did tours in Europe and Asia. How strange is that?

We celebrated a little in Philly with our good friends/family from Boston, then drove down south into the warmer weather where my Aunt and Uncle had postponed their own Thanksgiving celebrations to wait for us.

There was turkey and stuffing, and mashed potatoes and gravy, and even this really cool pear dish whose name escapes me. It was a blast. I even learned how to cook a turkey....

Surprisingly, as the only vegetarian in our family, I have very few problems with the Thanksgiving holiday. Besides the fact that this is another in a long line of holidays centered around a fictitious event whose primary purpose is to slaughter an animal that was almost our National Emblem, I'm down with the whole turkey thing. (Although I'm more of a mashed potato person myself.)

Back to Thanksgiving, we played Bananagrams (see The Games We Play) until our eyes hurt and the levels of our amazing word creations made our heads explode. We even had time to do some family projects....More about that later :)

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is over! Does this mean that I'm back mentally....? Ummmm...Can you repeat the question?

2008-12-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

I did it, I made it out alive! If you missed the last few posts here's a brief recap. My sister Kathryn and I joined 120,000 novelists with the crazy intention of writing 50,000 words in one month. We completed our goal: Kathryn's novel The Immortal Forest, weighing in at 54,250 words and my novel, Another Place to Fall, weighing in at 108,000 words. (Apparently, I have a lot to say. Who knew?)

All right, so that's the recap. Now here's what you missed:

As Promised, Bella's Lullaby!

2008-11-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

When it came down to brass tacks the song was recorded in 2 minutes. Dad sat down at the piano and played and that was it. And here it is, finally, as requested, my version of Bella's Lullaby!

Ladies and Gentlemen: November is National Novel Writing Month

2008-11-16T21:23:00.001-08:00

So, Here's the Skinny:

If you have noticed a distinct lack of updates on our Blog it is not because of your eyes, you can trust your sanity and my perserverance in laying down the fantastically true tales of our family's travels, it's just that...well...we've been kind of busy. Alright, I take that back, I've been kind of busy. In the interest of your sanity and the danger of repetitive key clicking syndrom, there will be very few posts this month. Sorry.
It's not your fault, it's not the world's fault, and most importantly it's not my fault. It's the fault of National Novel Writing Month and my 8th novel which is peeking its pasty, wrinkly newborn face out at the world and trying to make sense of what it sees. To be honest, it's pretty ugly at this point; it's also very time consuming. For the last 16 days my family has watched me retreat into the dark reaches of the RV, shutting out the world and all it's people, so full of enticing distractions, sparkling conversation and tantalizing opportunities for wrist massages. I have become a hermit in my own home, glowing in the eerie blue light of my computer, the only sound the fruitless slamming of fingers on computer keys...okay, it's not quite that dramatic but you get the point.

An "I Love this Blog" Moment:

Okay, so maybe I'm procrastinating at this point, but it's for a good cause! You deserve to hear what's going on out here in the wide world of musical entertainment and travel. My novel can wait 10 minutes while I type this, and even the couple of hours it will take to find reliable internet to post it, then it's only a matter of copying it word for word onto the Blogger web site (why I can't just paste it, I'll never know.) chasing down a reliable parental unit, running it through the mom spell checker and presto! All my writing time has suddenly evaporated into thin air. Yes! I love this Blog!

Back to the Original Point at Last:

Anyway, the chronicles of our adventures will return with shiny new pictures, lot's of new words (thanks to Kat's SAT Preparation, can anyone say "celerity"?) and tidbits of information you never wanted to know about our family. Time stands still for no man, and the road calls us onward. We are still bouncing all over the country meeting new people, playing new shows and generally whooping it up, it just hasn't been written yet...heh, Oh dear. Let's just say I'll have a lot to write this December.

It's a bird? It's a plane? No, it's a family of musicians rocking the Emerald Isle!

2008-10-25T08:15:00.001-07:00

I've been slacking. I'll take all the blame. It's been a while since our last installment but don't judge me just yet. Wait until you hear what has been keeping me busy and then you can decide. But first a moment of awe:

Ireland. All I can say is wow. We are definitely coming back. No questions. Wow. Oh, and in case you didn't hear it, WOW.

Travel tip #27
(Because writing travel tip #1 isn't quite as impressive.)

The best way to cure jet lag has been found! Find a place where a lot of people are gathering, grab your instruments and start to play! Just hours after arriving on solid ground, ShaeLaurel hit the streets determined to rock the Island and defeat the miserable drag of jet lag (rhyme unintentional, but it might have potential). All I can say is: Mission Accomplished!

Travel tip #28

Guinness. If you've had it in the states, whether you've liked it or not, it is entirely different in Ireland and it's amazing. It will also make you an instant favorite at the bar. The Irish like nothing more than to see a customer order and enjoy a good Guinness!

Travel tip #29

With every closed door there is another open window.
Due to the language barrier (English and huh?) our show in Tullamore fell through. Undaunted Dad walked into the nearest pub and asked if they wanted music tonight. The owner welcomed us in, set us up with a couple of pints, and led us to the stage. It was a Monday night and the pub was particularly empty, after a few songs though that quickly changed. People who were enjoying the music called their friends and some even went from pub to pub throughout Tullamore to bring in more people. A group of recent hurling champions whooped it up to the music (and gave us a very educational view of every level of drunk) while they passed around their huge champion cup filled with whiskey water to everyone. Which leads us to our next travel tip:

Travel tip #30

Never try to out-drink the Irish.

Travel tip #31

The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland are a famous landmark that you must see. If you find yourself there after it 'closes' (aka the visitor center is closed.) don't panic and definitely don't pay for parking. Just pull up to the entrance and park there. After 6 you can watch the beautiful sunset from the cliffs. If you have the chance, wait until sunset. It's a magical experience.

Travel tip #32

There are 4 pubs in Doolin. One of these is O'Conner's pub. With amazing traditional music in a nice cozy setting (fire place included) it's definitely a must see!

Travel tip # 33

Dublin city wall = great place for a photo shoot. Point, click timer button and run like mad. The result? See for yourself!

Travel tip #34

Traveling on your way from Doolin to Galway along the coast road make sure you take the opportunity to pull over near the smaller cliffs on the way out of town. The raw power of the ocean is a sight to behold!

Travel tip #35

Americans are very good at the 'tourist experience', the Irish on the other hand are very good at pubs. There are several interesting sights to see in Ireland but the real charm of the Island lives in the people that live there. In your travels, take an opportunity to walk around the town or village you're staying in, talk to people, hang out at the local pubs and listen to the music alive in every beating heart. The hills and valleys may be as green as emeralds, but the real gems are the people that make the Emerald Isle their home.

Sláinte!

In the airport and we're flying to Ireland. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?

2008-10-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

As I type, the entire ShaeLaurel family is sitting in the airport in Orlando, FL about to embark on one of their most ambitions endeavors yet. That's right, we are heading to Ireland for 11 days of musical madness! Are you ready to ride?

As the official ShaeLaurel loud mouth, I will be filling you in on all the adventures so you can join us in Ireland from the comfort of your very own home...er...computer chair...wherever.

On this trip we will attempt to answer some age old questions:

Can ShaeLaurel really survive with 3 small bags and their instruments?

Is the emerald Isle really made of Emeralds?

And is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or is it just golden mashed potatoes?

These and other questions will be answered!

1 mission, 2 stops, 3 bags, 4 teenagers, 5 instruments, and 6 overly excited musicians!

What does that spell...? (I'm not thinking disaster. Really.)

Operation Ireland!

The Lower 48

2008-10-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

It was hard to leave Alaska. We had a long hard trek across Canada pulling several all night drives because we lingered too long in the beautiful mountains of Alaska. Our first adventure hit us at the border: we were pulling our RV into customs and the border guard mentioned some form number when he examined our file.

"What does that mean?" My mom pressed, worried. She always feels uncomfortable crossing borders.

"Oh, it's not bad." He assured her, picking up on her worried tone. "It just means that you've been crossing the border a lot."

And it was true. Coming in and out of Alaska through the southeastern islands that we had been back and forth nearly 8 times in the last month and to the border guards this means business.

We were waved unceremoniously to the side where we were greeted by 6 big tall guards with their hands on their batons.

"Step out of the vehicle!" The biggest one called, eyeing us skeptically.

We trouped out of the bus one by one all wishing we had thought to clean.

"How many people do you have in there?" The guard barked, peering at the door.

"Only 6." Mom assured him. The man's look told us that 'only' had been a bad choice in words.

"Do you have any firearms or weapons of any kind on board?"

"No." We all said in unison in that creepy way that only a family who lives on top of each other can.

The statement was true, unless you counted the bagpipes as a weapon. Personally I had my doubts.

"Anything sharp? Knives and the like?"

"No." Dad said.

"But watch out for your hands on the siding." Mom warned. I could have sworn that one of the guards rolled his eyes.

They made us leave while they searched every inch of our RV. When they were satisfied that we weren't smuggling any Canadians into the country, we were allowed on our way and back on the road...

Our Great Alaskan Adventure!

2008-10-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Alaska is an adventure waiting to happen, there's never enough time to see it all! We had 4 days to explore Alaska before we had to return to the lower 48 states and the rest of our tour. Tons of Alaskans invited us to visit their homes and ranches and experience Alaska first hand. Our first visit took us to the Kenai River Front where the Salmon run and where the Nelson Family lives.

They taught us how to fish.

Hunt.

And Eat Alaskan Style.

There was music,

and games,

and an adventure our family would never forget.

We stayed as long as we could but time is running short. Now we'll have a long drive to the lower 48...

Things we lost on the Alaska Highway...

2008-10-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Our front bumper's paint job:

Our tow hitch trying to save our front bumper:

Our bikes, trying to leave the place where our front bumper and tow hitch were mutilated:

Our Sanity:

(Picture omitted to protect what's left of our pride.)

Judging Your Skillz

2008-09-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

When you see our family perform for the first time your immediate response might be surprise, joy or even a little confusion. (Who are these people and what are they doing to those fiddles?) Probably the last thing going through your mind is: "Wow, these kids would be great for...let's say, judging a hip-hop competition on the fly, the winner of which will recieve $600 and open for a Sean Kingston performance."

But that was exactly what was going through the special events coordinator's mind when she slipped backstage during our show.

Christian was the first to hear the news. In a fair so bursting with activity, time is of the essence and it was a simple matter of getting our drummer's attention in the middle of 'Rocky Top' to share this good news. Because the drums were pounding around their ears, she simplified the message. "I need a judge for a skills contest. Find me after the show."

Never missing a beat, Christian finished out the rest of the performance while we danced, oblivious on stage. As we retreated backstage after the show, in the time honored rock star fashion, with much backslapping and high-fiving, Christian told us the news. Then he and Kathryn wandered off to find the coordinator.

They were both immediately drafted to judge the competition, giving us a ShaeLaurel majority of 2 to 1! (Yes, there was only one other judge.) Apparently all of the original judges knew most of the people in the competition so they needed an outsider's eye.

The competition took up an entire break between shows. 4 contestants entered and a 5th was picked at random from the audience (There were too many prizes for too few contestants!)

In a bizarre twist of events, 2 different bands won the competition and did a free style joint song in celebration. The crowd was enthusiastic and approved of the choice. Kathryn and Christian were both interviewed for a local television station and became an integral part in all the ceremonies. Now that's something to put on your resume:

Internationally renowned veteran musician and performer...oh and a good judge of your skillz.

See kids, rehearsal can be fun!

2008-09-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

ShaeLaurel vocal experiment with helium.

The way we entertain ourselves...

What it takes to be in my band

2008-09-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Performing, in my not-so-humble opinion, is the greatest job on earth. (It is also the only job I've ever had.) The highs are high, the lows can get pretty far down there.

A lot of people don't know what it takes to put on a show like ours so we thought we'd let you slip backstage with us and get a little tour.

Several things are required to get ready for a show. One of these is stretching. Kathryn and Dad are our top stretchers and they will lead us in a muscle loosener before a show.

Then there is vocal warm-ups, we all warm up together and concentrate on tight harmonies and singing together as a group.

Now it's time for Kathryn to work her magic. She chooses our costumes for the show, then we dispute them, come up with different arrangements, argue over the changes, and eventually put on the clothes she originally chose for us.

Then there is makeup. We've learned over the years that stage makeup is best applied with a trowel (or a paint roller). Unless strictly necessary we don't put on tons of makeup, but for every stage it's different. Some have more lighting, some have no lights at all, and some are so blinding that you'd rather wear sunglasses during the show. Over all though, makeup can take a long time.

Now that we are all dressed and ready for the show it's time to tune and warm up our instruments. We have 69 strings to tune before each show. We split them up fairly evenly between the group... sometimes (Kat and Andy have the most I think.). Then there are 12 drum heads to tune and some more stretching :)

Next it's time to 'pack up'. We each have 3 wireless packs (in-ear monitors, an instrument pack and a vocal pack) that project our sound to the world. These are strapped to our bodies on super sturdy, fail-safe... plastic cell phone holders. Hey, they get the job done.

Once the show gets underway we do a lot of dancing, I mean a lot of dancing. But dancing isn't the only physically challenging activity on stage. Extensive testing in our top secret ShaeLaurel lab revealed that Christian's right foot, the one that plays his bass drum, traverses the equivalent of more than five miles during a single half hour show. Five miles. As a band we perform anywhere from 1-6 shows a day. That's 30 miles, more than a marathon. And that's not even dancing.

After the show is over and the lights dim, it's time to say goodbye. If performing is the fun part (and believe me, it is) than the tear-down is the work. Because we do it so often though, we are very good at it. In a rush, we can pack onto a stage in less than 5 minutes with all our instruments and stand equipment. (The State Fair was great practice. We got to pack on and off between each show! We are a well-oiled machine.)

Now that the show is over, it's time to celebrate. Our family has a motto: "Work Hard, Play Harder." And we stick by it no matter what. ShaeLaurel parties can be crazy and a lot of fun and you can be sure there's a lot of homemade popcorn involved.

Performing, in my not-so-humble opinion, is the greatest job on earth. If you have any questions about performing or being unbearably close to your family members, drop us a line!

Christian’s 15th Birthday Celebration in Alaska!

2008-09-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Christian celebrates his 15th birthday at the Alaska State Fair. We even commandeered some fireworks for the occasion :)

VIP passes for all!

2008-09-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a tour of our top secret dressing room at the Alaska State Fair!

The Alaska State Fair

2008-09-15T13:39:00.001-07:00

We can boast of a perfect attendance here at the state fair. 36 out of 36 shows. Not bad! Playing at the state fair has been an amazing experience for our family. We have seen wonders, met fabulous people and generally whooped it up.
We shared our stage with hudreds of students of the arts, amazing musicians and talented dancers - all Alaskan, born and raised.
The fair itself was overloaded with a plethora of fun activites, shows and amazing sights. Charlie Danieles, Sean Kingston, and other big name bands rocked the night away. We saw 60-lb cabages, dared the incredible bungee of terror and even test drove some cars (Andy's favorite part).
We played 3 45-minute shows a day and explored the fair by night.
In short...We are definitely going to need a vacation from our vacation.

More From Alaska!

2008-09-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture from Juneau. ShaeLaurel hanging out with the bears.

I love my brother. End of story.

Glacial Magnificence!

Photo shoot!

Posers.

Alaska Rocks!

Our RV in the belly of the ferry.

Just out for a float.

Alaskan Beauty.

More Beauty.

Show off!

Our new backyard.

Boat wake...(It was a big boat)

Surveying our kingdom. (And talking in plurals)

Christian captures the beauty.

Soaking up the rays.

So beautiful you could puke.

Blah.

Whale!!!!

(This isn't our picture, we didn't see a whale jump quite that high, but this whale could be related to the ones that we saw... :)

The Games We Play

2008-08-29T22:29:00.001-07:00

Careening down the road in our tour bus for an indeterminate amount of hours is a dangerous game. We experience extreme highs and lows and our sanity levels fluctuate to disjointed extremes. One of the first things you have to learn traveling is how to survive. There are several ways to effectively stave off impending doom, which we have become quite adept at over the years. One of these is Schoolwork, but even the draw to attain a greater understanding of the world around us gets old eventually and then...there are games.

We've picked up hundreds of games from around the world, some more complex than others but we'd like to share a few of our favorites with you. Most of these games require no more than a deck of cards and a small square of space. These could save your life on your next road trip.
In the great time-honored tradition of melodrama we will do a top 10 count down. (For people who don't watch much TV this is quite a leap!)

In 10th place is Canasta! Taught to us by our friend Carmen from Spain and then re-taught by our cousins in Nebraska, Canasta is a fun and highly complicated game. Best played after a cup of coffee.

9th is Cribbage! Although it requires a board it is a great game for the road because most of the cards stay in your hand and the board won't lose it's pieces. Taught to us by our good friend Shawn in Indiana.

8th is Rummy 500. We played this game almost every day on the Euro rail during our tour of Europe. Best if you have a table :)

7th is, aptly, 7-up! This is one of Dad's favorite games because of its simplicity and easy teardown-ability. It's a great game to play at a restaurant when you're waiting for your food. It is easiest to play on a stationary surface.

6th is Euchre. A Michigan favorite it could easily be qualified as the 'state game'. We grew up playing this game because my dad is from Michigan!

5th is Norwegian. This game was taught to us by our Norwegian relatives, they called it American because the point of the game is to take all the points for yourself, but they were so good at it that we changed the name in their honor :)

4th is Dummy Rummy! We learned to play this game recently from our new friends/adopted family Gilles and Annette in Canada. It's a great game and easy to play on the road.

3rd is President. Known by more unsavory names this game is a blast and best played with no mercy. Taught to us by a waitress in Canada, it requires you to change seats every round in order of winner to loser and is sure to confuse your wait staff.

In 2nd place is Hand and Foot! Taught to us in Nebraska by a Chemistry teacher from Florida, it requires 4 decks of cards and a lot of space. It is a blast to play and was a close contestant for first in our countdown.

And finally, the game that has won our hearts and taken up all of our free time, taught to us in Wyoming by our good friend/family Carole. THE top game is...

Banana-grams!

Similiar to scrabble this game comes in a cute 'banana peel' case and is as addictive as it is vocabulary building.
(All of these games and their orders were decided by loud popular vote.)

If you have any questions about any of the games we've mentioned or other creative ways to survive a long trip, drop us a comment!

Juneau; The Capital of Alaska

2008-08-25T21:49:00.001-07:00

There are very few ways to get to Juneau. The high mointains flanking the city make it impossible to drive in from the outside. That leaves only three options.

1. Hike thourgh the wilderness and hope the bears don't mind.

2. Leave all or most of your belongings behind and fly in. Or
3. Pull your large green tour bus and everything you own onto a ferry and float it down to Juneau from a highway-connected port.
(This is not a multiple-choice question.)So on a rainy day we did just that.
(If you haven't figured out which one we used yet please read through the options and consult your physician.)

It is a strange sensation, floating your house down river. Technically, we were living in Alaska, right next to the whales.

It's been an amazing journey. When we pulled into Juneau it was raining, not a rare occurrence in a city that gets rain 260 days of the year! It has to be the greenest place we've ever visited. The trees are massive and ancient, towering over the roads and the rivers are so full of salmon that there's hardly any room for water.   In our infinite wisdom we decided to take a leisurely bike ride into town from the port. Secure in our muscle-inity we road up and down the steep hills bravely. 3 hours later, we were still riding, sill not in Juneau, and exhausted.   For those of you who have never been to Juneau, the distance from the bay to the city is 27 miles...27 miles! Our whole 'save the planet', 'save gas', 'we can handle it' plan crumbled to dust at our feet (actually, in our thighs).   We stumbled into Juneau trying to keep our eyes open long enough to take in all the beauty. It is an amazing city, where the huge cruise ships can pull right up to the sidwalks. We had some authentic Alaskan Halibut and enjoyed some brief sunshine.
   Now we were faced with a very real dilemma. We had 6 bikes and 27 miles between us and out Tour Bus. That, and it started to rain...again.
   We found 2 buses that were willing to take two bikes each and Dad and Christian headed out through the freezing rain on the last two bikes.   All in all quite an adventure in the elusive capital of Alaska. We all have to agree that, despite the rain, Juneau is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. Surrounded by a beautiful fjord and towering mountains, bursting with wildlife and tucked into a valley, Juneau was definitely worth the ride, even in the rain.

On the Road

2008-08-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

Just outside of Scobey, Montana...

An hour outside of Scobey, Montana...

2 hours outside of Scobey, Montana...

Scobey: A small town with a big heart

2008-08-14T22:56:00.001-07:00

Scobey is a small town, no doubt about it. The local fair parade had to go up and down Main Street for length. We were invited to join in the parade as well so we hung our signs on the bus and waved like crazy out the windows. Scobey, Montana boasts a population of 1,082 and thousands of acres of farm land. It hovers just 16 miles from the Canadian border. The town of Scobey is like one big family and after they welcomed us into it, we felt right at home. The local swim team was on the float in front of us. They were well-armed with water guns and large buckets of water. Our RV has never been so clean. The swimteam used their new-found powers well and jumped off their float to soak the police officers as well.

At the fair we saw our first Wild Horse race and learned more about Rodeo traditions. Everyone was patient enough to anwser our uneducated farming questions (What is the difference between straw and hay? What exactly does 'combining' entail? And what do cows eat?) The rodeo arena was packed for the show. We pulled our tour bus right up back stage and gave a couple of tours :) After the show we got a chance to meet a lot of great people and we even stuck around for the 4-H dance. There we learned how to line dance, and a twelve-year-old named Jacob taught me how to slow dance.
We played basketball with Debra and Mike and some other kids from Scobey while Mom and Dad chatted with Phyllis and her husband, the local judge. It was a lot of fun and we were sad to leave but the road was calling us onward. Alaska was in our sights now and we had thousands of miles (and even more kilometers) to go before we could sleep.

Caught without a bookstore (Written on the day of the disaster, posted when internet became available)

2008-08-03T18:22:00.001-07:00

I had to ask the question one more time. "You're telling me that there are no bookstores, in a 200 mile radius of Glendive, Montana?" The grocery clerk frowned. "No...I mean yes." Her frown deepened. She had obviously never thought of this as a problem before. "I think there was a bookstore in Sydney at one point, but it's long gone now. Where are you heading?"
   I flinched, knowing immediately what her reaction would be when I told her the anwser. It would be the same reaction that everyone gave when they heard about our destination. But I had to tell her. How else would I find a bookstore? "Umm...Scobey?"
   Even though I knew it was coming, her laughter grated uncomfortably against my ear drums. "Scobey?" She balked, shaking her head. "Honey, there isn't nothing in Scobey."

   My fate had been sealed.

Normally being caught without a bookstore was not a life or death expereience. Normally I could go for days, weeks, without needing a bookstore. But today was different, incomprehensibly, irrevocably different. Today was the day that Stephanie Meyer's new book Breaking Dawn came out.

I know what you're thinking. Big deal. It's just a vampire book. But for me it's always been different. I was captivated the moment I started reading Twilight and I have been addicted ever since. I locked myself away for days when I received the first book for my birthday. I cried like a baby through most of the second book and anytime anyone mentioned it for a week afterward I would start crying all over again. I even composed a song about it (the lullaby that the vampire Edward wrote for Bella).

And so now, I find myself at my wit's end and without a bookstore. "In 5 days we'll be in Great Falls, MT." Dad assured me. "You can wait for 5 days."

Honestly, I have my doubts.

Query Letter Madness

2008-08-01T20:07:00.001-07:00

Over the past few days I have managed to drive my entire family crazy. The reason? Query letters. In order to get a novel published on an outrageous, or even rather mediocre scale, you need to find an agent who is willing to relentlessly push you and your book upon every unsuspecting Publisher who moves within grabbing range.
To catch said agent, you must in turn, relentlessly push yourself and your book on any unsuspecting agent who moves within grabbing range. This process creates a vicious, wordy cycle that can potentially alter your sanity levels and rocket your book to unprecedented heights or sink it to the bottom of the sea. (Hopefully the former.) This means that my entire family has to soothe/cajole/coax me into a mental state that resembles sanity, and hold my hand every time I attempt to push the SEND button on another letter. It was, amazingly, a relief to receive my first rejection. I jumped around our house (RV if you want to be picky,) giving everyone high fives with a rather idiotic grin on my face.
(Picture omitted to protect the mentally impared.)
On the plus side, after only a week I have also received a request for the first five pages of my book. (Another few days of madness ensuing.) It has been a Jessi-imposed emotional rollercoaster for the entire family. Just wait until someone asks for the entire manuscript...

Jackson, Wyoming

2008-08-01T17:02:00.001-07:00

Jackson is just as beautiful as everyone says. The fair is situated just outside of downtown surrounded by the beautiful Teton mountains. Our RV is nestled in among the horses who seem to be in an endless state of motion as they prepare for competitions and showings. Surprisingly though, they are the quietest of all the livestock on the grounds. A single disembodied moo holds the title for loudest farm animal. We have yet to find the cow attached to it. Jackson boasts of several key tourist spots besides its annual fair and inbetween shows we sneak out of our green room (aka Our Bus) and explore the city on bike-back. The giant arch of elk horns is a must see...This strange and highly hazardous piece of wood sculpture is perfect for picture posing...The big challenge came in the form of "The Alpine slide." Rivaling the death-defying and winding turns of the slide down from the Great Wall in China:This slide has left its mark on the Jackson population. Literally. Everywhere you go you can see the burn marks of overly ambitious slide riders who have taken a tumble during flight. My dad was one of these victums. Apparently trying to operate a camera while riding down a slide on a tiny plastic sled with a limited ability to stop is a bad idea. He lost a couple of IQ points on this one. Luckily a little video survived of Andy's descent down the dangerous drop of doom. (These alliterations are thanks to an unhealthy dose of ancient british literature.) On the musical side of things it was absolutely amazing to have both our choreographer and our producer with us for our shows. Besides the fact that we would mess up anytime we thought they might be analyzing our choreography or musical execution (aka every second of every song), I think over all, our show benefitted. We had the chance to meet some amazing people: Jim our soundman who crawled under our stage to fix the speakers :) Marcus the funny man who does tricks (his full title). He gave us some great tips for contact juggling! Yonder Mountain String Band's sound techs - quick-change teardown masters. The Sticky Fingers stand owners - the best lemonade ever! And some wonderful fair board members. We also got to hook up with some old friends. Liberty, Vic, and Joan Wagner, who took us in, fed us, gave us access to their amazing library, and introduced us to some wonderful music at the Bar J. It's definitely a must-see! We saw our first demolition derby as well. Andy and Christian thought it was the coolest thing since the toaster, and mom was so worried about everyone involved that she couldn't watch. She is convinced that their mothers must be worried sick!

Adventures in Jackson, Wyoming

2008-07-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

Nestled among the Teton Mountains, roughly 1 mile above sea level is the town of Jackson. Legendary for it's ski slopes and tourist attractions, the small town of Jackson is surrounded in beauty. It's also surrounded in a National Park and full of prime hiking territory. After our 15 mile hike last week we decided that we had conquered the elements. And so, despite storm warnings, we set out on a hike around Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls. Our producer Keith, his mom Carol and his wife and our choreographer, Cindy came with us. It was their first time to Jackson and we were eager to show off its wonders. About one and a half miles into our hike it started to rain. It was a hot day so no one was too concerned. After a few minutes though, some golf-ball sized chunks of hail started to fall. It was neat to watch, even comical. Then the hail got thicker. We hurried to find shelter from the painful downpour but we were in a relatively open part of the trail. With our backpacks over our heads we huddled beneath some skinny trees and prayed. As anyone who has seen a hail storm knows, they don't last very long, but they can be quite painful. It was the longest 10 minutes of my life. When it finally ended we decided we had had enough of hiking and headed back to the car. A thick blanket of hail covered everything so that it looked like a fresh snowfall. The path turned into a river and the entire forest steamed. After the shock of the storm subsided we all had a great hike. We compared hail bruises and survival tactics and got a great story out of it. All together a very satisfying adventure. Still we don't plan to go hiking anytime soon.

Other Wyoming adventures await us, but that's for another post...

On the road again!

2008-07-23T14:31:00.001-07:00

The roads are treacherous coming from the north to Jackson, Wyoming. Even with a speed limit of 75 mph the going was slow. Our faithful tour bus took us the distance but with difficulty. It overheated at every hill until a friendly truck driver took pity on us. Apparently you have to power spray your radiator and switch to a low gear and run the RPMs as high as you can to weather the hills. His advice was good, and it helped us a lot. But when you get to a 10% grade, it's every man for himself. Our brakes started smoking halfway down the mountain and it was an hour before we could risk the downhil climb once more.

To it's credit, the road was beautiful...well not the road exactly, the scenery around us was, and it made the trip quite enjoyable, despite our frequent stops.

The Capital of Big Sky

2008-07-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

One day, one night. That's all the time we planned to stay in the capital of Montana. After a trip to the local brewery however, our plans changed drastically, and it wasn't just because of the beer. The small city of Helena had decided to put out its finest entertainment for our surprise visit, including a FREE symphony concert under the stars. How could we refuse?

Our 'one day' turned into two, and then three as the date of the concert was confirmed. Meanwhile we kept busy, mostly avoiding an imminent band rehearsal. Luckily for our fans, we failed.

We explored Helena's running possibilities (we are all long distance runners) and took a bike ride downtown, which didn't look far away but Montanan plains can be deceptive and you don't notice the uphill slope until it's too late. All in all it was a delightfully

grueling ride and we got to see a lot of Helena in the process. We took a riverboat tour as well, following a section of the Lewis and Clark trail. We were a little disappointed that we had missed the original journey of Lewis and Clark by 203 years but we managed to cope.

The Helena Symphony Orchestra was accompanied by a narration performed by the astronaut Buzz Aldrin, which fit in nicely with the starry theme.

What it truly lacked though, was movement. So my sister Kathryn and I took it upon ourselves to produce and perform impromptu dance moves to each musical piece. We soon had several blankets full of kids playing different parts (they especially liked the Star Wars theme) and got several standing ovations from our loved ones. Everybody else was more interested in the music. We could only feel sorry for them.

Tomorrow we leave for new and as of yet, unknown destinations in a south-ish direction. Who can tell what other exciting adventures this Montanan "Big Sky Country" can churn out for us!

Where have all the pictures gone?

2008-07-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or are all the pictures missing?

From the City Streets to the Forest Paths

2008-07-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Every time we tour the west coast we pass close to Glacier National Park. And every time we do, there is always something to keep us from visiting: sleet, snow, or a show deadline. This trip though, Dad put his foot down and we pulled over and surrounded ourselves in the wilderness. We have seen more wildlife in this trip than at almost any other National park; the exception being Yellowstone.

One of the most interesting things about traveling is learning to live in all kinds of environments. The park is gorgeous, but what it makes up for in beauty it loses in modern comforts, such as water, electricity, and cell phone service. We learn to take freezing 'teaspoon' showers and laugh about 'generator running hours', which we always seem to miss. We race to find rangers so we can report bear sightings (we've had 3!) and take in the incredible beauty that surrounds us. Two 7-mile hikes and a 7 hour 15-mile hike later, we are looking forward to joining civilization. We all need a shower...

The first post, the only post, and therefore the only one that counts!

2008-07-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Our summer tour started with a bang. We drove over 3,000 miles (5,000 km) to Alberta Canada, and the city of Calgary. Our RV, a trusty and usually mostly faithful vehicle, was on the verge of collapse by the time we reached Tennessee. Despite it's best efforts it didn't get much of a rest, we didn't either. We were never really sure it would make it up the road another mile, let alone all the way up into Canada and so we drove long hours at minimum highway speeds. Somehow we managed to make it in record time.

Calgary is an adventure in itself. During the Calgary Stampede (week or so), the entire city shuts down. All work stops and the city turns into one huge party. Everyone is dressed in Cowboy worthy costuming and blasting their favorite country music with pride. We spent our days performing all over the city and our nights downtown bicycling through the mayhem. We had the pleasure of performing with some of Canada's best: The Calgary Fiddlers,

Tom Jackson,

and The Good Brothers.

We reconnected with our friends in Barrage, saw Natasha Bedingfield live and even had some time to hike the Canadian Rockies!