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!