Another Year Down...

Well, good-bye to age 32 and hello to age 33. Thanks to all my friends and family for helping me usher in the next year in style this weekend. My wife was not afraid to hook me up the entire weekend. Homemade coffee cake, BBQ steaks, sushi date night, Summerland Beach Cafe, and a Woody's party with all my pals! She's too kind. (I also think she's worried about me being underweight!)

We hosted homegroup last week and observed some pretty cute "Abby-Vera" moments. Julie & Scott teamed up to capture this picture. Thanks guys!

More Magic

Here's a few more pictures from Walt's World. We forgot about doing a family group shot til it was parade time. The troops look a bit frazzled at this point but we were glad we stuck it out!


Abby said this kiddy coaster in toon town made her top 4!


Aaron acted like Small World was in his top 4!


Toon Town bliss.


Hanging in a honey pot on the Pooh Bear ride.

Princesses & Rollercoasters

Today was a pretty amazing day. Took an impromptu trip to the House of Mouse with both kiddos. It was easily the best day of Abby's life--no shocker there! Surprisingly, Aaron had way more fun than we thought possible. He was so into all the "eye candy" throughout the day. Plus, who knew you could take a baby on several of the rides!?! Aaron was particulary fond of Pirates of the Carribean.

The biggest surprise was I found a deeper love for my children than I thought I had. I knew they meant the world to me but something about the thrill of Abby's day allowed me to feel something deeper in my affection for her. No Matterhorn. No Space Mountain. No Star Tours. We stuck with the "under 36 inches" categories. Somehow, it didn't bother me at all. I was 100% focused on lighting up my child's day--and it was a complete joy. I didn't feel it a sacrifice, but more of a way to experience joy for myself even deeper. I was reminded in a new way of how my parents, and ultimately, my Heavenly Father feels for me.

It was a good day. Video is coming soon....

Abby's still smiling at the end of the day!

Spring Time Fun

I took a walk to the beach with both kids last weekend. Here's some highlights.


Aaron's looking cool in his hat.


Even though we weren't there to swim, Abby had a great time with the rocks.


She's a cutie.


By the time we reached the beach, Aaron feel asleep in his carrier. (which made him heavier!)

Finally, the 2006 Christmas Tree Hunt Movie

I usually make this movie every December. I guess I was too busy not sleeping. Truth is, Aaron still wakes me up for a bottle most nights, but I did find some time to finally put this movie together. Hey, March is only a few months after December, right?!

Aaron Beautiful

I almost finished this video a couple weeks after Aaron was born. Oh well, better late than never.

Check out the kids!

Abby loved her first Shirley Temple. I took her to Longboard's before going to the school date night. She was so excited to be going out with Daddy and to be going to school at night. Sorry about the lack of updates lately. I'll pick it up!

Here's a bunch of pictures for ya...

Abby loves her little bro!


Jammie snuggles are fun!


Aaron & Mommy awake during the day time!


Three going on seventeen!


MORE PICTURES HERE.

Aaron Giggles

If this doesn't make you smile, you need serious help. Enjoy!

soundtrack song

a friend of mine has a friend who is making a film of some sort. since i'm a friend of my friend, i decided the friendly thing to do would be to offer a soundtrack song for my friend's friend's movie. plus, i was asked. so i dug up the archives and found a half baked song that was kinda cool. and dark. i'm told the movie is pretty dark so hopefully my song, "WHY DON'T YOU COME HERE", will fit the bill. i took the main vocal out because the friends said it was best to just have an "instrumental" type of song.

anyhow, you can check it out HERE on my myspace. this one will probably also have a short shelf life. i have 3 new songs that are finished but are yet to be recorded properly--so look for those on the horizon. one of them, "HOLDING ON", was introduced at SBCC on Sunday.

Widescreen Reason in the Independent

Be sure to check out p. 49 of the Santa Barbara Independent today....both Matt and Widescreen Reason are featured.

Also, Brent Nims has successfully updated our site, widescreenreason.com. Check out some updates on the home page and the “memoir” page from Brad, Gabe & I right here.

The 5-song dream-rock EP is now available for download on iTunes RIGHT HERE.

Grandmother Parrott

My Grandmother Parrott went to heaven yesterday. She was an amazing woman. I'm thankful for the many good times we shared. I remember the time when she came to stay with us for 6 weeks. I believe I was about 10 at the time. It was awesome. She made amazing breadsticks, cinnamon rolls and lovely dinners. Her food was tough to beat. She was also very talented with all things sewing. My sister and I received many custom made blankets and quilts over the years. They were incredible. Her stiching earned her many awards. Probably the most amazing thing about Grandmother was her faith. It was deep, unyielding and extremely well researched. Every time we talked, we'd end up discussing some Biblical history or theology. It was a thrill because she always challenged me to think about my faith. I think I was most impressed by how she kept searching and asking more questions. What a day yesterday must have been for her as she was finally in the presence of her LORD that she so dearly loved and served. Getting to see her son and her husband again must have also been pretty amazing. I'm very happy for her.

One more item of thanks. I'm grateful for our family trip to Florida last year when we all got to be with her.

New Year's Goal

Well, 2006 is over. Phew. It certainly was eventful. One event that did not happen--our yearly Christmas e-card. Sorry. I hope we do a belated one soon. If so, it will likely appear on this blog. Keep your eyes peeled.

On to 2007...thanks to my inspirational brother-in-law, Matt Lundgaard, I'm going to try to go through the entire Bible this year. He did it last year, and it had a pretty profound effect on him. So, thanks bro!

Knowing that this could be a difficult task to actually follow through on for 365 days, I've decided to make it a bit easier on myself by using a Bible Podcast. I knew I'd need a consistent time each day to make this happen. I got to thinking about the 25 minutes I spend driving to work each morning (commuting from Carp--traffic stinks!) This is my new designated Bible time which is pretty exciting. I wonder what kind of effect this will have on my life as the days and months and chapters go by.

OK, so this Bible Podcast that I'm going with is a bit quirky. The dude adds tons of reverb and low-end EQ to his voice so it might take some getting used to. (Implying that I'm challenging you to join me this year!) He also has music and nature sounds in the background which might drive you or me crazy. Lastly, he uses a new translation each week. I really wanted a daily NIV podcast but didn't find one. There are some other Bible Podcasts that might suit you better or maybe you want to actually read!

So who else is joining me in going through the Bible this year?

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