Music Moment Monday

photo by SMW

Here are the pictures from the Hey Gracie gig.  It was a post Valentines Dance.  The music was great.  Wish you were there!

We would love to see you out at the next gig.

Music Moment Monday

photo by simplymusicwise

 Did you come?  I hope you made it to the Arlington Nativity Festival.  It was GRAND this year!  Here is Reagan and I after the concert.  She and I were in it again.  We missed having Madison sing with us too and play her violin.  But she's doing other good things in Peru (she said someone has loaned her a violin to play in church!)

A beautiful view of the nativity displays.  Makes me want to start collecting nativities- but then I'm not a collector of things, so I'll just enjoy seeing all 500 nativity sets at the Festival each year.

Here's to a great Christmas season! In harmony,

Leslie

Africa and Reagan part 2

excited to be on the way to Kenya- LONNNG plane ride

Reagan flew from Seattle to Washington, D.C. to Zurich, Switzerland then to Mombasa, Kenya.  It took almost 2 days to get there.  The expedition group arrived around midnight so they had to figure out quick whether to sleep or stay awake- oooh, can we say jet lag????!!!!

This is the compound where they stayed.  Very nice!

Here is the sleeping area for the compound.  Those lovely nets aren't interior design luxuries;  oh, no- they are a must to keep away bugs and nasty diseases that foreigners don't want to get.

This is the kitchen in the compound.  Very simple?  Yes, because they eat almost the same foods every day.  

Here is a village.  Reagan is wearing what is called a Kanga.  It's a long piece of cloth that women wrap around their legs.  Kenya is very traditional- men wear pants and women wear skirts or dresses.

Africa and Reagan

Drill in the Village, July 2013

Reagan has been back for a month now, but we've been busy reconnecting, saying goodbye to Eden for 6 months, and playing as a family.  We still haven't heard all of her Africa stories- there is SO MUCh to tell.  Let's start at the beginning.  You might remember the fundraiser that started it all, way back in April.  That feels LONG AGO.  Thank you again for everyone that helped, participate, and donated for the drill!  

Reagan getting Drill ready

expedition group getting drill ready to transport

Reagan with the finished drill

villagers happy to enjoy clean, easy to access water right at home

Wholives.org drill helps lives change

Reagan participates in the drilling

villagers help with the drill

As you can see, the WhoLives village drill changes lives for the better!  Reagan loved helping the people of the village get a dream come true- clean and accessible water!  Can you imagine, not understanding 'water from the tap'?  We are blessed.

Come back in a few days to see how American kids tried hauling 40-50lbs of water.  No small feat?
Does clean water seem like an important issue to you?  Tell me your thought.

The Concert- success!

 

 

Reagan, and the whole Hey, Gracie band rocked!  They have never sounded better.  I'm so proud of the entire band- thank you guys for your efforts, time, travel, and just 'being' you!

 

John Renouard gave a wonderful, uplifting, and inspiring talk about his organization, his dream and how Wholives.org all started. Here he and Reagan have a moment to thank everyone who supported the evening.

 

Nicci Renouard and I have a moment together.  She and John work so hard to make real change for the people in Africa.  I am so happy to be their friends.

 

The lobby before the event.  People were lined up early.  We had people from Seattle to Bellingham come see the event.

 

We had the Haller Middle School Marimba band and Keynote choir perform.  They rocked it on "Wakawaka"!  I was so tickled with their performances!  Manigua, the latin rock band from Seattle, brought the house down- people got out of their seats to dance!  Above is the last performance by Arlington High School students- a quartet- that sang the beautiful and poignant- "Prayer of the Children".  They brought tears to my eyes.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who was a part of this evening.  We won't forget it!

 

In harmony,

Leslie



Everett Herald Newspaper- WhoLives for Water Benefit Concert

photo credit

I really have learned a lesson- call your newspaper and do it often.  They really want to know what is going on in your community.  They are so willing to help and so easy to work with.

This is a well-done article about WhoLives, Reagan's efforts for the benefit, and the many, many other people involved to bring about this fundraiser!  I want to thank them all.

Legacy- one way to do it!

Isn't this the coolest poster for the Wholives.org benefit concert this week.  Our goal is to raise enough money to build a well in Kenya.  That means we need to raise around $10,000, which is very doable.  If everyone that comes give $10-15, we can do it!  If you'd like to donate, but can't come, please consider donating through the website.  All donations are tax free!  Donating is fun, and knowing you are helping those who can't get help anywhere else than from US that have MORE, really makes happiness a reality!  This is what a legacy is all about.... Teaching your children to give more than is required of them.

Another Legacy is to teach your child a skill- listen here to Reagan's original song.  This is a sample of what you'll witness on Friday night!

Wholives.org Benefit Concert- please come or donate

Hi Friends

 

 

             

My daughter Reagan is doing a benefit concert for www.Wholives.org  , a charity organization that has an amazing and inspirational story.  WhoLives provides water to remote villages in Africa.  It’s not through just any well, but a newly engineered well that is accessible to everyone.  Reagan’s hope is to bring in enough money to build a well  in Africa this summer.

 

Please help her by attending the concert Friday, April 12th at 7pm, at the Arlington High School Byrnes Performing Arts Center.

 

The line up is Haller Marimba Band, Haller Keynotes Choir, former AHS Jazzmine members in a quartet,  Manigua (a top Seattle Latin Band), and Hey Gracie- a local Arlington cover band, which features my husband, Reagan herself, and my daughter Madison, plus many other locals from Marysville and Arlington.  Also, we are pleased to bring John Renouard, the founder of WhoLives.org, to tell us how he started the organization and how we can help the people in Africa.

 

It will be an evening you won’t forget- foot stomping music (you might even want to get out of your seats!) and a motivating speaker!

 

Admission is free (but we do suggest a donation at the door- all donations are tax deductible).

 

Please bring your friends.  You’ll be talking about this night for a long time.

 

Thanks for taking the time to help a great cause, we hope to see you there.

 

Your friend

Leslie Moss

 

p.s. Here is a little teaser about John Renouard and how WhoLives started, watch the video here

 

 

 

 

 

Reagan composes!