Well, it is safe to say that it has been long enough between postings....I am guessing six months between posts is not over-blogging. I had to blog today because I have new music to share! I just added Strong Against The Wind to my Music page. If you haven't already checked it out, I hope you will. Strong Against the Wind is a song that is near and dear to me because it is a song written to honor my Pioneer heritage. Growing up in a small farming community with deep pioneer roots, I have always had a strong sense of who I am and where I came from. I have always loved that my ancestors on both sides of my family came from Pioneer stock and the hallmarks of hard work, courage, persistence, and true grit are still alive and well in my family. The song is based on the history of Jonathan and Olive Hale and their children, whose descendants were some of the first settlers in my home town of Oakley, Idaho. Their history is incredible and I count it a blessing that I had the opportunity to study it as I prepared to write this song. It is their story, but it is also every Pioneer's story. Jonathan and Olive are ancestors on my maternal side of the family, but the story of the ancestors on my Father's side are no less inspiring. My husband is also an immigrant and there are elements that also apply to his own "Pioneer" story. My life has indeed been blessed as I have explored my heritage in the creation of this song. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I have enjoyed creating it. A big thanks to my friend Nancy DeMello who did such a beautiful job on the vocals, to Mike Dowdle for his amazing (as always) arrangement, and to Steve Lerud for his studio magic. Enjoy!