Musical musings for May

There will be no musical tardiness for the month of May as I make an effort to inspire and recommit wherever I possibly can. So really is there any doubt that once more the songs I purchased and have been listening to this month are of a country nature. Although, I occasionally find a new artist I like, I mostly gravitate back to existing artists and snap up either their new stuff or some of their old. Buying new music doesn't mean I don't have some existing favourites on replay too. Before I unveil the latest, I want to mention how excited I am that Nashville has been renewed for a third season. However, way more exciting than this is the fact that we bought tickets to the 2015 CMA Music Festival being held in the home of country, Nashville. Sometimes I feel like I live a charmed life that affords me the ability to do so many of the things I love with some amazing people. That being said, May's musical musings came in the form of:

1. It Ain't Yours To Throw Away (feat. Sam Palladio) - Nashville Cast
2. Bartender - Lady Antebellum
3. She Get Me High - Luke Bryan
4. Believing (feat. Charles Esten & Lennon & Maisy) - Nashville Cast
5. Rewind - Rascal Flatts

May's musical musings can be found on these albums (images courtesy of iTunes)

Seattle in May

The Canada/USA border isn't that far from Vancouver, yet I don't find myself crossing it too often. This past long weekend, in part, reminded me why it isn't always best to do via sea or land. Two friends and I decided to do a one-night relocation cruise down to Seattle, which was an exciting prospect. The cruise ship experience didn't quite live up to our expectations mostly due to the length of time it took us to get on and off of it. There were definitely elements of the cruise that were pretty cool like watching the sunset from one the top decks, enjoying a delicious dinner and yummy cocktails as well as the enormity of the ship itself. I am just not sure if I could do a real cruise, but I still might consider an Alaskan one. 

Seattle was enjoyable as always, especially considering it was supposed to rain all weekend. We enjoyed some shopping, The Cheesecake Factory and the duck tour. 

Our trek home via bus was full of more waiting at the border and cemented two thoughts for me - that the May long weekend could be better spent in Vancouver instead of being a part of the mass exodus and also that the best ways to travel are via planes, trains and automobiles.

All moved in

Now that the dust has settled, I wanted to properly acknowledge the fact that I moved at the beginning of the month. The act of moving itself is never fun, I mean who wants to pack up their worldly possessions, clean like you have never cleaned before then navigate the actual moving itself. The lead up was a tad bit stressful, but thankfully moving day went quite smoothly even though it did involve me driving around a minivan as part of it. Deliveries were received, cable was set-up, boxes were unpacked and furniture assembled. Whilst everything may be unpacked, our kitchen is currently being invaded by all of the cardboard that carefully held the sparkling new furniture we now own. For further motivation, I thought it would be nice to give updates as the new apartment slowly evolves into the lovely home I know it will become. The foundations have been laid with each room in a state of half-completion. I am so excited that my housemate and I get to add our personal touches throughout the apartment. For now, I will share part of our living room view, which is somewhat zoom assisted.

One new thing

This blog has been a labour of love since I started it almost three years ago and as such I don't want it to fall by the wayside. That being said, I don't want to create moments just for blogging, instead I want to remind myself about what inspires me to write. One of the things I realised this past weekend is that I am too often letting life just pass me by, sometimes filling it with mundane daily routine. So I resolved to try to do one new thing or visit one new place each week. There is a chance that I have previously made this vow to myself, possibly on this space, as I often feel that I so easily allow routine and the norm to become my way of life. Therefore, as often as I find myself in a rut, I hope to be able to recognise this and do a reset because life is too short to not enjoy as many minutes of it as you can. Vancouver is full of hidden gems and so it is my mission to find as many of them as possible!

Lighthouse Park

Participating in physical activity never came naturally to me and I am pretty sure I don't have the ability to run to save my life if I was being chased by a bear or something similar. However, I love to walk and from this I am able to partake in the somewhat easier, less hilly hikes around Vancouver. With this in mind, I thought it was about time I took advantage of the glorious, yet spotty weather we have been having of late and went for a hike this past Sunday with a friend. The destination of choice was Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver, located a short bus ride from downtown. The weather didn't disappoint and neither did the gorgeous views at the many vantage points along the trail. We stopped a few times to snack, admire the scenery and soak up some rays. I really loved the tranquility of it all, amplified by the fact that we were so close yet far enough away from downtown. The hike inspired me to make this a regular outing and maybe one day I will work my way back up to the likes of the Grouse Grind again.

Belated musical musings for April

The end of April came and went too quickly for me to find the opportunity to muse about music, especially because I moved. However, I had to still write this post, if only to rave about country music some more. I added a handful of songs to my music library last month whilst also listening to Luke Bryan a lot in preparation for his concert this past weekend, which was amazing by the way. Nashville, one of my favourite TV shows, continues to provide musical inspiration for me. I also found a couple of artists that I hadn't heard before. The songs I included in my packing soundtrack were:

1. Whatever She's Got - David Nail
2. 19 You + Me - Dan + Shay
3. Black Roses (feat. Clare Bowen) - Nashville Cast
4. Joy Parade (feat. Lennon & Maisy) - Nashville Cast
5. I Ain't Leavin' Without Your Love (feat. Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Chaley Rose & Striking Matches) - Nashville Cast

April's musical musings can be found on these albums (images courtesy of iTunes)