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...