Clark Christmas Song for Matt

Gabe and Dana came over to my home studio yesterday to begin work on the next CLARK album. Gabe had been working up a new spin on "Drummer Boy" that I was particulary fond of. I urged him to track it. (We have hopes to record one or two Christmas songs every December until we have enough for an entire album someday.)

In addition to beginning work on the new album, we were able to finish the "Drummer Boy" song in one day. It seemed appropriate to dedicate this year's Christmas song to our friend, Matt Steele. After recording, we went to dinner and talked about how much we miss him.

If you'd like to listen or download a free copy of the mp3, click RIGHT HERE.

Christmas Vacation

Since last Friday, I have been on Christmas vacation. Vacation used to mean lots of rest and couch time. With two kids, vacation means a change of pace--I'm having to move faster to keep up with Angela's daily routine. To be honest, I don't know how she does it all by herself everyday. It's a tricky artform to keep both kids happy, entertained, fed, well rested, etc. etc. At any given moment, they could both have pressing "needs" that might cause the world to stop if they're not ably addressed ASAP. Ofcourse, adding Christmas shopping to the scenario adds a whole new challenge to the endeavor. The most common part of my wardrobe these days is the "Borg" baby carrier.



Obviously, outtings and disctractions are pretty key. We were pretty thrilled to get the "park invite" from Steph and Sydney today. These two girls have been buddies their whole life. There's some more cute pix from the play date and other Christmas activty on my FLIKR page.



I have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season. Despite the adjustments and changes that I've encountered in 2006, I know that I am one of the most blessed men in the world. Looking into the earnest eyes of my little baby boy as he ou's and ah's, trying to connect with me, reminds me of the fact that God loves me--so much so that he sent a little baby boy to earth to connect with me. Twice now.

New Album from Good Times Studio!

This summer, I was able to work with Dan Hislop to record a full length album of his original, well crafted rock/pop/folk tunes. When we first started out at the humble quarters of Good Times Studio, I had no idea he had so many great songs and ambitions to make a completely produced album. It was fun to see him come out of his shell and push the songs and his performances to their full potential. I especially appreciated both the specific references he hoped to draw from, and the creative freedom he gave me as the producer. The results are an album that is easily accessible to those who enjoy the "adult album alternative" genre. Big Empty House is loaded with solid pop tunes and acoustic ballads. If you're into James Taylor, Tom Petty or the Barenaked Ladies, this album will probably treat ya right.

You can head on over to the official Dan Hislop website, and get all the info on the album and ordering options. Heck, you can even check it out on iTunes right here.

A Christmas Note from Mr. White

(This is an excerpt from the note I sent home to the parents of my third graders.)

This Fall, grappling with both the loss of my friend, and the birth of my son, has given the story of Christmas a whole new meaning. The love I have for my blessed family and dearest friends is unparalleled. As I’m sure you can understand, I would do anything to keep them away from harm. How could I entertain any thoughts beyond complete love and protection for those I love? The last thing I would ever do is deliberately put them in a dangerous situation. Yet God sent his son, Jesus, to earth, knowing full well that he would be mocked, beaten and put to death. The sacrifice of His only Son for our sins is outside my comprehension. That is the last thing I’d ever do to my loved ones—yet for us, he did. Despite the difficulty of losing my friend, it brings me tremendous peace to know he is with the Jesus of Christmas now.

This sacrifice is truly a gift for the generations. Despite the difficulty of comprehending such a generous gift, I hope to appreciate it in a deeper fashion this year. I don’t doubt that you have gained perspective on God’s love from your precious children. Thank you for giving me the privilege of being their teacher. I pray you enjoy a wonderful Christmas season with your family.

Drummer Belly

I was honorably asked by chuckle buddy, Chris Mundell, to record some music to accompany his belly slappin' video version of "The Drummer Boy."

I did not have much time, but thanks to his hilarious footage, it's good for a laugh. Head on over to ChrisMundell.com to watch the video!

It's Tree Time!

Bro & Sis
Originally uploaded by andy white.

We made a trip to the Santa Paula Christmas Tree Farm on Saturday. I think this is our 4th or 5th annual trip to this plantation. It's like the Disneyland of tree farms. Seriously, this place has it all. Nature plus a train, bounce house, snack bar, climbing wall....you get the idea!



One addition to their features this year was some gnarly wind gusts! I was not a huge fan of that. We happened to show up right when about 2 million people got off the train and also wanted to pay for their tree so it was a good lesson in patience. I felt a bit like the Jewish waiting on their Messiah--so it was a good Christmas lesson! I'm not joking--there was a zillion people there spreading yuletide cheer all over the place! They were also snaggin' all the twine so I had to pull a McGuyver to get our tower of pine power home! I noticed there were decorative hay bales all over the place so i "borrowed" some yellow twine from a hay bale. I asked for twine like 100 times but they kept forgetting to help me. (probably due to the zillion other people in search of wonderous branches). So, you might be disapointed in me, but I just want to say that Angela was very proud of me for being so patient and creative. I did not lose it. I was calm, wind-blown and collected.



Well, in case you haven't noticed, Abby & Aaron are getting bigger and cuter. The proof is in the pictures RIGHT HERE on my FLIKR page.

Photo Sharing

Whitegaards
Originally uploaded by andy white.

I just put up a bunch of pix from the Thanksgiving slideshow RIGHT HERE on my FLIKR page. Feel free to grab your own copies. :)

If you didn't see the slideshow, scroll down a couple days...

Clark Gig in Ventura on Saturday

Hope to see some of you at the CLARK gig on Saturday in Ventura. Check out THIS recent article about us in the Ventura Star! (photo by Greg Lawler)

Zoey's in Ventura

9:00 p.m.

451 E. Main St.

zoeyscafe.com

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving in Templeton last week! Check out the slideshow below. Also, be sure to check out the Alpaca update on Angela's Blog.

Daddy Days

I'm in the middle of nine straight "Daddy Days" as Abby calls 'em. These are days that I don't go to work. Abby & I both really love these days because we get to catch up on lost time together.

Since the "Daddy Days" are so much fun, I decided to raise the stakes by offering her a post nap "Daddy Date" to the local school playground. Abby was pumped. She went right to sleep without one ounce of retaliation. We cut our park time short due to wild natives at the school and an urgent bathroom situation. Obviously, Abby was not ready to go home. She thought Tyler's Donuts would be a good place to use the restroom. That's "morning sugar"...we can't go there now.

What do I do? It sure would be fun to do something extra special on this rare, oh-so-special Daddy Date. How about a trip to that new place I've been itching to try: Buddy's Pretzel's. Despite the high prices, she loved it. She even talked me into the deluxe cinnamon & frosting pretzel. I would have preferred the old school salt version, but I suppose when you're 3, we went for the Cadillac. Abby was stoked as was I to be with her. Good times.

New Holga Toy Camera

I've been wanting a Holga camera for quite some time. Many of my talented photographer friends like Lawler and Tbone have taken gobs of beautiful shots with these $20 wonders. Ofcourse, my good buddy Gabe took to them very quickly and knew of my affection for one, so he bought me one on Aaron's birthday! What a friend, eh? Well, they're really fun. I haven't used film in quite some time and I found myself really enjoying the excitement, fore-thought and anticipation. Of course, my first few rolls didn't have tons of beauties, but here's a peek at a couple I liked.

The Saints are Coming

Since we're on the topic of U2, I've posted a video of "The Saints are Coming" down below. Also, just want to clear up that U218 is not a full length studio release. It is, ala the Beatles "1" album , their "singles" album which happens to include two new tunes. (Window in the Skies & The Saints are Coming). There's not much motivation to buy it if you already have all the albums. I guess they do include a DVD with some live stuff to sweeten the package a bit. Enjoy the vid...and leave a comment about what ya think.

Hey U2 Fans

Wanna preview of a new tune? Check out THIS LINK to hear "Window in the Skies" off the forthcoming U218 album. It'd be fun to know what you all think about it...so feel free to post a comment after listening. :)




U218

Back in the Saddle

Abby's last 10 points earned her a trip to the carousel. I think she's beautiful, don't you? She's been a bit more combative lately. We think she recalibrates every 6 months or so. She goes through a phase where she decides to test her independence and assertiveness again. Anyway...not too big a deal. We love her to pieces and she's so cute and very sweet MOST of the time.

Today marks Aaron's one month birthday...



We celebrated the big day with a trip to Costco so we could spend over $100 on peanut butter, batteries and granola bars. How does this happen?!? I always go intending to spend VERY LITTLE MONEY but the place just sucks cash outta you...all in the name of "saving money". Bummer for Aaron was no pizza or hotdogs. (just milk...someday buddy!) Abby, however, was very excited about her rather large slice of cheese pizza.



Here's a fun picture of "The Ron's" (Papa RON & AaRON). Can you tell they're related?!?



There's been lots going on. Even though Angela and I don't get a ton of sleep, it's been nice to be out and about lately. Check out all the latest pictures RIGHT HERE on my FLIKR page.

Goodbye October

October sure was eventful. Let's pray that November is a bit more chill. Here's a few pix from the week...

There's some more pix RIGHT HERE on my FLIKR page.

New Mommy

New Mommy
Originally uploaded by andy white.

It pays to marry up. I'm no dummy. I knew a keeper when I saw one and I did all I could to keep her. Somehow, Angela agreed to keep me. She has been a continually growing blessing in my life.

For us, having Abby has been the best thing we've ever experienced. It has added ginormous depth to our marriage, and has given us a deeper understanding of the Father's love for us. Today, we took our first outing as a foursome.

Aaron slept through his first shopping trip. Since this was our first family outing (since having Aaron), Abby was sure to do a great job of keeping her eye out for him. We made a "run for the border" before shopping. Yeah, we know....strong move!

You might wanna make a run for my FLIKR FOTOS to see some more pix from our family outing!

Aaron's all smiles!

What do you do when you come home from the doc after he's told ya "your perfect"? You smile! Well, Aaron had his 1-week check-up and "perfection" was his assessment.

Today, we saw Aaron start to REALLY smile. Was he listening during his medical exam? Well, probably not. Most likely, his grins are from gas bubbles, but that's fine with us because his little smiles are cuter than a truckload of puppies. Don't believe me? I have plenty of new pix SO JUST CLICK HERE.

Abby continues to be a saint of a big sister. Today, she even helped with a diaper change. We're praying that she'll one day help Aaron with his homework, give him poignant dating advice and unlock deep spiritual truths. For now, we could not be more overwhelmed by the blessing of two perfectly created children.

In this time of blessing, we continue to ache and pray for the Steele family. Not a moment goes by where we don't wish Matt was with us. It does help to know we have such a close friend watching over our family. Thanks man.

Lastly, thanks SOOOOO much to Gramma Rachel for all her help this week. We love you! Ok, one more thing...new pix RIGHT HERE.

We are Family

Abby has been having a grand old time with her baby brother. Everyone always tells the nightmare stories of how having a second child turns your first little angel into a walking train wreck. So far, that has not been the case. Actually, Abby is adoring her little brother, Aaron Matthew, quite a bit. Whenever he cries, she assumes the tender, mothering voice and says, "Oh honey, oh honey, you'll be ok," and then proceeds to kiss him on the forehead.

Well, I've made a vow to TRY to keep stuffing pix HERE on my FLIKR page. Hopefully THESE PIX will give you a glimpse of our family life as of late.

Aaron is home!

We brought Aaron Matthew and Angela home yesterday. Abby is already a great big sister. She is talking to her little brother and comforting him whenever he gets a bit fussy. It's really pretty cute. Angela and I were stoked last night during dinner when his plugger (pacifier) popped out and Abby ran to stick it back in for him. We realized that we might have 3 parents and one baby! I've put some more pix of Aaron Matthew on my FLIKR page RIGHT HERE .

I'll try to keep the blog and the FLIKR page updated often. However, no guarentees. Last night, Aaron thought that 10pm-4am were the best hours to be awake! Seriously though, we count ourselves phenomenally blessed.

Aaron Matthew White

We humbly thank God for the healthy delivery of Aaron Matthew White.

8 lbs, 11 oz.
20 in.
11:45 pm.


Angela is doing well. She did a great job.

We're very tired and excited all at once. Abby gets to meet her new baby brother in the morning!

Induction Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big day! We'll be going in to the hospital at 6:00 a.m. to induce this young lad. Any and all prayers are greatly appreciated. If you'd like to post your "pre-birth" guesses just head on over to Angela's Blog. I plan to post pictures and info on this blog tomorrow so stay tuned!

Joyful

Matt's memorial on Friday was beautiful. It was a time filled with weeping and laughing. Worship and reflection. Sorrow and joy. I'm quite certain that it was the most moving service of worship that I've ever been to. My soul has never ached so deeply, yet at the same time, I left feeling inspired. How is that possible? A loving husband and father gone at age 34?!?

Well, from the people that got up and shared about Matt's life. Reed, Douglas, Mundell, Steph. They all gave testimony to Matt's unending faith in His God, even when the trials were far beyond what most of us have faced in this world...Matt remained steadfast. He loved to serve others and he never stopped, even when he feel ill. He deeply shared God's love with his family, his friends, his church, and even the poorest of the poor at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission. I feel so honored to have been Matt's friend....and inspired to carry on his legacy of hope, faith and love.

Matt and Steph often READ THIS to inspire them when times were really tough. Without hope, what do we have? I am thankful for this reminder. This joyful hope was most evident in Syd's dancing during the worship. I was about to fall apart while trying to play, and then I noticed the unabashed joy from Sydney in the front row. She was so overtaken by the music that she couldn't help but get her groove on. A 3 year old gave me a glimpse of joy and hope.

You can visit THIS NEW BLOG to share memories of Matt.

Transition

"I think I will be a wreck for a while." - Chris Mundell

I hear ya Chris. Letting go is very tough. I've been in a fog the past few days. The reality of what has happened is slowly sinking in. I'm constantly seeing Matt in my mind's slideshow. (or I'm actually looking at Greg Lawler's amazing slideshow of Matt photos which you can see HERE). What I'm finding, the deeper I dig, is a boatload of great memories with Matt. If only they could have continued for about 50 more years...

The good news is, I actually feel very close to Matt's spirit. I know where he is, and the joy he is experiencing. I wonder what he's up to?

We found out today that if Angela doesn't go into labor naturally by next Thursday, we'll probably induce first thing that morning. Transitions are happening so fast right now. Matt's memorial is Friday. I'm honored to be asked to play. We're praying the baby stays put until then...

I've heard so many people mentioning Matt's infectious laugh...here's an old photo of it in full effect.

Matt Steele

My friend's suffering is over now. I feel relieved in the midst of my sadness. He's probably listening to some really good music right now. I miss Matt and I'm glad he was my friend.

Somehow, today was a great day. It started with a phone call from Dan Hislop, breaking the news. He and his family we're planning to come over so he could record the last bit of his album. We decided to not cancel, so that we could be together. It was a good call. I called my Mom and had an amazing talk about Matt. Dawn and her family also came over to comfort us. Soon thereafter, Scott Anderson showed up for some hugs.

I was supposed to play guitar today at church. Should I still do it? I decided it was best to still play. Playing music soothes my soul, and was one of the things that Matt & I shared so closely. Plus, I knew I had something to offer a mourning body. Brad McCarter called me and said that he had been looking for something to do "to help" for two years....playing in today's service was finally something tangible we could do. I'm so glad that we did. It was an annoited time of reflection, mourning and hope.

We needed some more time to gather as friends, and thankfully, many friends were up for spending more time together. I'm going to need a lot more times like that with friends. There are many I still need to catch up with. I had comforting talks with my Dad and sister when I got home. Chris Mundell and Greg Lawler had amazing posts about Matt. Gabe and I caught up on the phone and shared sorrow and encouragments. Each of today's events were significant to me. I'm very thankful I had this day to process a tremendous loss. Angela will be going into labor any day now, but God knew we needed this day.

Memory

I'm thankful for memories and images that jar my memory of all the good times I shared with my good friend, Matt Steele. He's about to lose a valliant battle with cancer. As I wrestle with sadness, I'm trying to embrace the happy memories we shared. No one has ever made me laugh the way Matt has. His talent with goofiness and critical commentary often caused me to bust more guts than I knew I had. I will miss laughing with Matt. He wasn't all fluff and fun though. Matt is one of the deepest, most honest people I've ever met. He challenged me to become better--at music and at life. He called a spade a spade. I really appreciated that about him. He's very cautious with his compliments, so when he did, they became priceless treasures. I agree with what Chris Mundell said in his most recent post to his website....we got more time with him than we expected. I'm thankful for all the time we had with him. Since his diagnosis, I was blessed with the opportunity to record two albums with him, go on a week long camping trip with him and his family, and just plain hang out. As Matt prepares to stand in amazement before his loving creator, I will be left with these unforgettably good memories.

Abby's Book Nook

"Yeah for a new book nook!"


Abby's "Bopo" (loosely based on abuelito, Spanish for Grandpa), made her a "book nook" under our stairway. She absolutely loves having her own personal little play area that's just her size. She likes me to come pay her visits there too! Thanks Bopo for making this awesome space for Abby. It'll be a good place for her to retreat when her baby brother is crying too much!


Good times with a good book....



"Check out my fancy furniture!"

Nolan is Four!

Today is Nolan's 4th birthday! We went to San Jose over the weekend to help him celebrate! My parents and I chipped in to get him a drum set! He has been really wanting one for the longest time. You can watch his first concert by clicking RIGHT HERE .

Also, I just uploaded my favorite pictures from the weekend to my family flikr album which you can check out RIGHT HERE.

Summer's Almost Over (sniff)

Been working pretty steady on finishing up the Hislop album. We set out to finish the 10 song LP before school started. The tracking is finished (well, I think, there might still be a track on 2 we forgot about). but for the most part, we're in the mixing stage now. I have been trying to get mixes close as we've been going, so hopefully it won't take too long. (yeah, I always say that and then proceed to nit-pick over every element of every song...so we'll see!) In the meantime, please enjoy some really beautiful photos that Tad Wagner took at our house yesterday (while he was laying down some gorgeous layers of vocals, I might add!)







Photos by Tad Wagner.

Seven Years

Happy Anniversary Angela! I'm glad you said yes to this Velveeta classic! I found the original lyrics in an old journal. You can hear this deep cut right here.