Happy New Year Glitter Pictures

Manifesto. What a fabulous, encompassing, passionate word. I actually didn’t know the proper definition which is “public declaration” (thank you, Thesarus.com, once again).  A perfect word for New Year’s Resolutions and also a way to keep yourself on track.  It has been a tough couple years financially and personally with my weight and health giving me issues and my career not on the track I want it to be.  

So, without further ado, here are my 2011 goals, dreams, desires, affirmations and resolutions! 

I meditate or pray, give thanks and do my journaling, about and for, all my blessings daily.

I practice my music 30 minutes a day, with extra time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This includes working on my patter and taking Lina’s cabaret class.

I network and write a newsletter about my music (my show, my band, my vocal trio). I am brave and self-confident and it gets me a ton of work!

I work on my alternate streams of income. My chicksinger t-shirts, my CD, my social media work and my studies as a sommelier. 

I make $X amount every month (some things are just private).

I power walk to my new program 4X a week.

I juice and green smoothie it 5X or more a week.

By year’s end, I weigh X amount. (private as well)

I am a loving, positive, happy wife to my husband and a loving, patient, positive, energy-filled Mom to my son.

I am careful to only use words that are positive and loving to myself and those around me. I stand up for myself and believe in myself and the gifts God has loaned to me while I am here on Earth.

Many of these I do already, but not with any sort of regularity and consistency, which is clearly the reason I am not succeeding the way I want to be succeeding! Feel free to comment, ask questions and check in on me!  It will quickly become obvious if I am working my resolutions, which is why I have decided to share with you. 

It is hard to believe that this is the last post of 2010! Where has this year gone?! It has most definitely been filled with some exciting moments both professionally and personally. My husband and son bring me so much happiness and love and they teach me to be a better human being daily. My vocal trio, Dangerous Curves, did some fantastic work this year (a festival, produced a Christmas show, etc.) and next year we will be debuting our second CD and debuting our cabaret show. My work as a solo artist is becoming quite exciting (ok, yesterday, I had a meeting on material that was absolutely inspiring!) and I have lots planned to share with you.  As always, it my honor and absolute joy to share my music with you. May 2011, bring us all we dream of and desire. Let’s work hard and enjoy the ride together! 

Like quick updates from your Chicksinger, Karen Michaels? Follow me on Twitter, “like” me on Facebook and book me on Gig Salad and  Gigmasters!

A Jazzy Christmas Cast Photo 2010

It is only the 2nd week of December and so much has already been accomplished!  The biggest news is that my vocal trio, Dangerous Curves produced the Christmas show for the Flamingo LibraryTheatre, “A Jazzy Christmas” and it was an absolute success! We had special guest stars, we had surprise guests, we had a gorgeous set, we sang the Hallelujah chorus!  Yes! Its true! Three girls in Las Vegas sang the Hallelujah chorus and rocked the house!  

We were so very fortunate to have the Swing City Dolls as one of our guests.  They are 3, absolutely adorable girls who do the “vintage” thing in a contemporary way.  They sang “Hitch A Ride With Santa” and then we did a fantastic “Santa Medley” featuring each Doll on a favorite song-of-the-season with the Curves on back ups.  

We also had the pleasure of having the  popular jazz quartet, Fifth Ave sing their amazing versions of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Carol of the Bells/My Favorite Things.  If you have never heard these men sing, PUT IT ON THE TOP OF YOUR  LIST! Their arrangements (Rob Hyatt) are truly magical and the Curves counted ourselves as lucky that they were available to share the stage with us.

Probably, the best moments for me were sharing the stage with our husbands! Yes, its true, all our husbands are awesome singers and truly brought the house down! Michael (Gret’s hubby) sang  “Rudy” a jazzy version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” with all of us on back up duty, Ron (Lisa’s hubby) sang “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and my hubby sang “O Holy Night” with all of us on back up as well.  The audience couldn’t get enough of our boys and we just loved it!

We made appearances this month at Sam’s Town and Nellis Airforce Base and several private parties and now, I must admit its time for a bit of a break.  

Dangerous Curves with Genevieve and Mark at Sam's Town

This is the first year that my Little Man really understands Christmas and it has been such a joy doing all the fun things in town. We have decorated the abode,  visited with Santa, we have played in the snow at Town Square and sung for the fabulous folks of Las Vegas.  Now its family time for this chicksinger to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year with those I love the most.  I sincerely hope your holiday season is filled with joy and love and Christmas cheer! 

Like quick updates from your Chicksinger, Karen Michaels? Follow me on Twitter, “like” me on Facebook and book me on Gig Salad or  Gigmasters!

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Getting ready for my interview with Will & trying to be "myself"! WT...!!!

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I am so very grateful & thankful to my Curvy girls, talented friends & mostly my amazing husband who did so much & is so very wonderful. I am truly a lucky girl.

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OMG just watched the multi-media for our show that Lisa did & it's STUNNING! I'm crying! Wow, we are lucky to have her amazing computer skills!

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Rehearsing with my oh-so-talented hubby & he sounds amazing!

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Sound checking at Sam's Town. Dangerous Curves is the spotlight entertainment today! :-)

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It has been quite a big month in Chicksinger land!  I was fortunate enough to book a wedding reception for the sweetest people that took place this last weekend.  Thanks to Gigmasters, once again! 

Kevin and his lovely bride, Jennifer had their reception at Roy’s Restaurant in a private room and it was awesome!  Moises Sol and I sang some of their favorite love songs and we had a ball!  It’s a real pleasure to sing when you have a fabulous piano player.  Lucky me!

The staff of Roy’s was very attentive and wonderful to the newlyweds and their family and friends, under the watchful eye of Group Sales Manager, Jeff and General Manager, Rodney.  The bride and groom treated us to dinner and we enjoyed some of the most delicious food in Vegas! Check out my Yelp review here.

The rest of the week has been filled with rehearsals for the big show the Curvy girls and I are producing and starring in, 

A Jazzy Christmas!   We have special guest stars, 

Swing City Dolls,  Fifth Ave and even a few surprise guests! 

This is an exciting time personally and professionally.  My Little Man really understands Christmas quite well this year and we have had a wonderful time driving around looking at Christmas lights and holiday decorations and of course, we had our yearly meeting with Mr. C!  

As this most wonderful time of the year begins, may I be the first to wish you and yours and joyous and blessed holiday season!

Like quick updates from your Chicksinger, Karen Michaels? Follow me on Twitter, “like” me on Facebook and book me on Gigmasters!

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Just got to hang with the cutest girls in town the Swing City Dolls! We sound awesome on our group song! Hope to see you there December 5th 2pm Flamingo Library Theatre!

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Rehearsing for our show "A Jazzy Christmas" & singing lyrics made famous by Mel Torme.

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Had a fab rehearsal with my Curvy girls & now Xmas dreaming at Nordstrom's. A girl's gotta dream big, right?!

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Packing the car with mic & gown to sing for the wedding reception for the lovely Jennifer & Kevin! All love songs, how fun!

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"A Jazzy Christmas" with @dclasvegas check it out! http://tinyurl.com/239yqqx so grateful and thankful for this! :-)

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Made homemade stuffing for the Little Man's Thanksgiving party at school & then another full day of rehearsal with the Curvy girls!

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Having an all day rehearsal with the Curvy girls & husbands! We sound fab! Hope you can come join us December 5th for A Jazzy Christmas!

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Had a fab rehearsal with the Curvy girls! Got lots to do still but feeling so much better! Our show is gonna be fantastic especially if U are there!

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Rehearsal with a new pianist this morning. Looking forward to meeting him! Then a fun Mommy day with the Little Man & rehearsal tonite with the Curvy girls! A blessed day for sure!

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rehearsal can be fun...

Unexpected night off from the straight gig so I'm locked in my office plunking every note & singing every song I have to know by 12/5! fun!

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A short Article About Kickstarter!

A great article about Kickstarter! http://ping.fm/AlKgT

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A quickie post!

Enjoying some sweet time with the Little Man before it's time to run errands and rehearse.

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Octoberfest of Music!

It was an amazing month of music with the Curvy girls of Dangerous Curves! We sang our curvy tushes off!  

Our first jaunt of the month was all the way in China Lake for the ladies of WACOM, an wonderful organization that raises money for those in need in their area. We had to meet up at 5am (thank you Starbucks!) to be on the road to make it in time for our sound check and show.  It was a total blast, with Lisa’s Dad, Wayne Rogers taking good care of our sound and getting us safely there and back.  Thanks, Wayne!

Next we had a gig at the Flamingo for the ladies of JAG.  What a sweet group of ladies!  We had a blast and they even shared their coffee with us after the show.  

Maybe the most exciting for us was the debut of an acoustic version of our show.  We were proud to be a part of the Green Girl Arts and Jazz Festival this year.  Green Girl empowers and celebrates female artists from spoken word to artist to musician.  They also are dedicated to highlighting awareness to the carbon footprint and supporting The Shade Tree Shelter for women and children in need.  Tony Bronco, our MD and all around fabulous pianist and person, played for us and it was totally dreamy!  We were at The Resort at Mt. Charleston, surrounded by mountains and trees and creatures and singing our show in an MTV unplugged style and it was pure bliss!  We felt so open and free and creative and we are ready to do it again!  

Now, its Christmas time for the Curves as we prepare for our show  on December 5th at the Flamingo Library Theatre.  We are writing, producing and performing,  and we even have some special guests planned.  When all is confirmed, I’ll let you know!

Like quick updates from your Chicksinger, Karen Michaels? Follow me on Twitter, “like” me on Facebook and book me on Gigmasters!

The Great American Songbook

Last Wednesday, Dennis, Tony and I had the opportunity to perform our Great American Songbook show for a group of fantastic people.  This group was actually all World War II officers of the United States Navy and this was their annual meeting.  We did a few tweeks to our regular show to accommodate what they wanted and voila!  Custom show for our clients!  It is always my goal to customize each and every event to give the highest degree of satisfaction possible.  

We had a spectacular time!  The Burkes invited us to dinner with them and we had the unusual opportunity to really meet our audience.  What a wonderful group of people!  Interesting and sweet and we were so very fortunate to perform for them.  Our show included such great songs like “Come Rain or Come Shine”, “Blue Skies”, “Sentimental Journey”,  “Old Cape Cod”, “Where or When” and so many more.  There really is nothing better than singing these great songs...except perhaps singing them with your fave pianist and your husband!  Lucky me! 

Like quick updates from your Chicksinger, Karen Michaels? Follow me on Twitter, “like” me on Facebook and book me on Gigmasters!

Muse of the month...Rosemary Clooney

It has been an inspiring week of music for Dennis and I. We have been rewriting one of our shows for a private event we are doing at the end of the month.  They would like all  of the songs to be from the Great American Songbook, the 20’s through the 40’s.  Honestly, I really had no idea the amount of material and actually what songs are on that list!  Many of these songs are already favorites of mine, but some new gems are “Blame It On My Youth”, “Fly Me To The Moom” and probably my newest fave song, “White Cliffs of Dover”.  It is one of those rare songs that as soon as you hear it, you are immediately brought to the emotional place for which it was written.  Add to that, Rosemary Clooney’s rendition and it truly becomes magical.  

We have our work cut out for us to capture the true essence of the Great American Songbook.  It will definitely be a labor of love....

Like quick updates from your Chicksinger, Karen Michaels? Follow me on Twitter, “like” me on Facebook and book me on Gigmasters!

Summer of 2010...It's Over?!

Stella & Dot Launch Trunk Show!

after the show!

Honestly, it is astounding that Labor Day is NEXT weekend.  Equally astounding is the fact that we went back-to-school shopping this week because the Little Man is starting preschool next week.  What?!  Time is flying by and I am trying to be present and in the moment, everyday of my life.  I am striving to be a shining example of living my dreams so that the Little Man knows that he can do and be,  whatever he wants to be.

This summer I decided to become a Stella & Dot stylist!  It is fun and stylish and is allowing me to have more time to concentrate on what’s important, my family and my music.  If you would like to be even more stylish than you already are ( and I know ALL my friends are super stylish!) click here to see this gorgeous and affordable line. You can shop online!  How fun is that?!

The Little Man asked if he could go to preschool (we are guessing Caillou was instrumental in that), so not only did he have to become potty trained, he had to count to 5 and know some colors and shapes.  I am the luckiest Mommy in the world because this child pretty much became potty trained overnight!  He is so excited to meet new friends and go to school.  Please God, let that sentiment continue. 

It was the summer of creativity with many of my oh-so-talented friends putting on some fantastic shows.  Fifth Ave (Rob Hyatt, Jerry Jones, Bryce Robinson and Jeff Celentano) was the headliner at the SunCoast in June and they were nothing less than spectacular!  The arrangements these boys sing (thank you, Rob Hyatt) are both musically complex and sound gorgeous.  With Bill Fayne as the musical director,  fab musicians from the acclaimed Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns, Jamie Hosmer (keys), and Lenny Lopez (percussion), with Jozef Bobula (bass), John Wedemeyer (guitar) and Mike Mechem (drums), how could you go wrong!?  

One of the Curves and one of my dearest, Lisa and her hubby Ron, wrote produced and performed an original broadway revue, “Back to Broadway”.  The stage setting looked awesome and two show highlights for me were, “The Song That Goes Like This”  from Spamalot (who knew Ron could “throw” his hair!) and “Therapy”  from Tick, Tick Boom.  Well sung and well performed.  It was absolutely fantastic and we are so proud of them!

Dangerous Curves is moving towards entering the cabaret world and we couldn’t be more excited!  We are looking at original songs, songs from Glee, we interviewed a perspective MD and more.  I predict an amazing 2011 for the Curves!

My show, (working title, “Walkin’ Thru Life in My Jimmy Choos) is actually (and finally!) coming together.  The hubs and I are writing this show together and I am so excited because not only is Den a fabulous performer, he has some unbelievable ideas for me!  Look for this debut in early 2011.

Friends, it is good to have you in my life and I look forward to a fall and holiday season filled with love and laughter and beautiful music.

Like quick updates from your Chicksinger, Karen Michaels? Follow me on Twitter, “like” me on Facebook and book me on Gigmasters!

Linda Eder and the Beach!

Just reading the title of my blog this week makes me happy!  What a fantastic July we are having!  When I found out that one of our very favorite singers was performing  at a theatre run by Stargazer Productions, that was all it took to make vacation plans!

Linda Eder was performing  at the Center Stage in Fontana, California a fabulous little gem of a theatre that hosts not only only a Broadway/Cabaret series, but regularly hosts a dinner theatre with fabulous food and an extremely talented wait staff that also performs the show! They also have a location at the Queen Mary.

We have seen Linda perform several times before but this time was completely magical.  Her instrumentation was piano by Billy Stein and guitar by Peter Calo and both of these musicians were absolutely amazing.  Generally speaking, I enjoy a full band.  However, the amount of music these 3 performers made was ridiculous!  Linda’s stunning voice, her performance, her patter were all spot on.  Billy and Peter lent their support not only on their instruments, but with their voices.  The talent on that stage was truly breathtaking.  My fave moments of the show were the duet between Linda and Peter “Falling Slowly” (2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song from the movie, “Once”), “If I Could” (Den and I and Jen cried like babies!) and her encore, “Vienna”.  

My personal highlight was actually meeting Linda and having the chance to chat with her.  She is lovely, gracious and a woman and mom to be admired.  I am challenged to work harder to be an artist of note and a mom full of love and inspiration.

The other side of this fabulous vacation was the Little Man’s first visit to the beach and spending time with family and friends.  We stayed with our cousins and their 2 sweet babies our first night and my girlfriend’s home the second.  I am usually a hotel kind of girl, but it was really wonderful to enjoy morning coffee with my cousins and friends and watch the kids play together.  So much love and thanks to Angela and Jamie and Jen and Todd and their lovely families and warm and cozy homes! Without a doubt you helped to make this an unforgettable vacation for us.  

Do you need some fantastic music for your next party or event?  I’ve got what you need!  Simply click here for your choices.  Find me on Twitter, Gigmasters  and Reverbnation!

Rebecca Spencer and Philip Fortenberry

So today was a great day on SO many levels!  First of all, its Father’s Day and we are so happy to be Mommy and Daddy!  But today, Gramma and Poppa took the Little Man for the afternoon and we got to have an adult afternoon of conversation and fabulous performing!

Rebecca Spencer, (on the roster of KMP Artists) formerly of “Phantom, the Las Vegas Spectacular” and quite frankly, formerly a plethora of other cool things, performed her new cabaret show “Waitin’” at one of my fave places in town to perform, the Flamingo Library Theatre.  

It was so completely thrilling and inspiring to have what I would call “straight ahead New York style cabaret” right here in our little town of Vegas!  The stage was set beautifully with flowers and candles and decor.  Rebecca opened with the title of the show, “Waitin’”, a song I didn’t know but now love!  Rebecca is a beautiful singer, which I fully expected, but I was also hoping to see how she handled the “cabaret” experience.  The cabaret experience for me is one that does several things.  First it lets the audience in on some intimate moments of the performer’s life. Secondly, makes them feel something that relates to their life and finally gorgeous singing and music, which, of course, makes you feel something inside, as well.  

Well, feel something, we did!  Rebecca is a masterful storyteller.  There were times when I felt like we were having our own conversation and I was learning more about her life, as if we were new friends having a conversation about the past.  I just loved how the songs were interwoven into her patter.  It was a seamless transition from spoken word to sung.  Of course, this was due in part to her BEYOND fabulous collaborator and pianist, Philip Fortenberry.  The way her followed her and wove his own musical story around hers tells me that theirs is a relationship of some depth.  He even took a couple of moments in the show to new heights with his spectacular playing, my favorite being when he put the Mozart Piano Sonata No. 16 in C right in the middle of the Ragtime Medley!  Clever!  For her, my favorite musical moments were “The Wildhorn Years”, the original song by Nicole Pryor (wow, I have talented friends!) ”The Mirror Holds the Key” and the original song by Keith Thompson (just the director and conductor of Jersey Boys!) “Eat, Drink and Be Mary!”  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Bruce Ewing ( a local amazing talent) who sang “Sarah” during “The Wildhorn Years”.  I haven’t had the opportunity to hear him recently and it was a real treat.

After the show, Rebecca was gracious and warm with her group of fans and friends alike. Many of Vegas’ supporters and performers of live music were there including Susan Haller, Tina Walsh, KMP Artists and the super sweet and sassy Esther Lynn of the Claire Voyant column.  

I think cabaret is the perfect way to spend an afternoon or evening.  And, Rebecca Spencer and Philip Fortenberry certainly did give us a perfect afternoon!

Do you need fabulous entertainment for your next event, wedding or party?  Let me help you make your next event unforgettable!  You can find me at Gigmasters, LinkedIn and Twitter and of course, at karenmerstikmichaels.com!

"Girl Talk" and Courage

Its funny when things are really in sync.  The last 2 weeks have been absolutely brimming with activity for my vocal trio, Dangerous Curves, which means I have been one busy Chicksinger.  

Last night we performed to a nearly full house at the Starbright Theatre in Las Vegas.  It was a completely self-written, self-produced and self-promoted show.  Now, this is not to say we didn’t have help.  Of course, we did!  The theatre has a number of regulars, so they sent out a press release, our families and friends who ran errands or helped that day with backstage or filming, a few of our super talented friends wrote arrangements for us, things like that.  But for the last 4 months, the girls and I have met 2-3 times a week, rehearsing songs, working on new ideas, staging, doing all the social media marketing, etc.  Then, in the last 2 weeks, in addition to rehearsals which now included our musical director and band, we did 2 live performances to promote ourselves as well.  Holy Moly!  What a huge amount of work and sacrifice, time and money.   It also took a great deal of courage, which happens to be the Sunday Scribblings writing prompt for the weekend!  Synchronicity!  You gotta love it.

Funny thing is, now that this project is over, we (the girls)are taking 2 weeks off to catch up on our personal lives and bask in the glow of our awesome endeavor. I am so happy with the work we did (I even did a comedy song!) and very proud of the girls as they were absolutely fantastic!  

I have several pet projects waiting in the wings and now that I will have the time, I am wondering,  will I have the courage to pursue these personal and oh-so-important dreams and goals?  

I would have to say, based on the accomplishment just realized, all I need to do, is jump in with both feet and all my curves and success will be inevitable!  Here’s to a rockin’ summer! 

Do you need fabulous entertainment for your next event, wedding or party?  Let me help you make your next event unforgettable!  You can find me atGigmasters, LinkedIn and Twitter!

Menopause the Musical, Dangerous Curves and more!

It was my distinct pleasure along with Dangerous Curves to perform as the spotlight guest on Thursday afternoon with some of the ladies from Menopause The Musical (currently playing at the Luxor Hotel) at the lovely Suncoast Hotel and Casino.  The Curves love performing there as the audience is welcoming and fun and the stage is beautiful.  

There was certainly a lot of chicksingers present as the hostess for the afternoon was Ms. Skye Miles and the featured performers were some of the ladies from her cast of Menopause.  Laura Lee O’Connell, Annette Verdelino and Lori Legacy rounded out the talent filled afternoon.  These girls are not only great singers, but also fabulous actresses and awesome girls and loads of fun backstage.  And, let me tell you, Ms. Skye Miles is one helluva singer and did a wonderful job hosting. 

On Saturday, we had a great rehearsal with one of our special guest stars, 5th Ave.  Rob Hyatt has arranged an absolutely killer version of God Bless America for us and them to perform at our show on Saturday, May 8th.  Yes! It’s 6 parts!!! OMG, people, it is gorgeous.  Rob is like arranger extraordinaire and I am so excited to have him around us!

It’s now just 6 days until our show at the Starbright and I can’t wait!  Next post, I’ll fill you in on all the happenings!

Check me out on Twitter, karenmerstikmichaels.com and my vocal trio at dangerouscurveslasvegas.com.

Gigmasters!

I am thrilled to write a quick word on the fact that I have joined the ranks of performers at the online booking site called Gigmasters!  Click to see my fabulous new profile and all the shows I offer.  I am really excited!

They are organized by type of entertainment, type of event, place of origin, etc.  I am listed primarily as a “jazz singer” with sub-categories like, “big band singer”, “40’s singer”, “cabaret singer”, you get the picture.  You may upload video and audio and of course, a bio about the type of entertainment you offer.  I have been working on it all afternoon.  I have a lot done, but my husband is going to help me with video clips this week, so they’ll be up later.  They have a huge database that comes up quickly and easily in Google, so people can find you to entertain for their event!  

I am really put things to the Universe that I am ready, willing and able to do what I was put here on Earth to do. Perform, of course!  Gotta go!  I’ve got to get my new gig book put together!  

I must give a big huge shout out to Lisa Smith, who has been MOST encouraging and most helpful and all around the kind of friend you would be lucky to have.  Not to mention, talent-Full!!!  :-)

Check me out at karenmerstikmichaels.com and Twitter too!  

Deadlines.......

I was surfing the web this weekend and actually putting off my writing (my goal is to post 3-5 times a month) when I came across this fabulous website called Sunday Scribblings.

Every Saturday, they post a “word prompt” to help those with their writing.  The word that day was deadline.  Mmmm-how apropos is that?!  I have so many deadlines at the moment, it is actually causing me to have stress!  The funny thing is, obviously, most of these are self-imposed in order to accomplish the things in my life that are important to me.  Clearly, when you have too many, they all seem to fall to the wayside as you don’t know where to begin.  So, I decided to just start anywhere and see what would happen.  Honestly, the Universe opened up so many windows of opportunity that day!  The little man TOLD me he wanted to take a nap and poof!  He was on the couch and asleep before the episode of Caillou was over!  I grabbed my IPhone and headphones (multi-tasking girl that I am) ran upstairs and headed straight for my closet.  An hour later, things were put away and set aside for cleaners, shoe repair etc.  Plus, I rehearsed all the songs I needed to 3 times each!  Seriously?!  I did that in 1 hour?!  OK!  What’s next?!  I finished a few emails, did a couple of yoga poses (learning a sequence for weight loss, more on that later) and even relaxed and read more of my current book, The Writer’s Diet (see previous post).  Sang thru songs a few more times and then poof!  Little Man was up and ready to go have fun!

When I set too many deadlines for myself, none of them get done.  Plus, flexibility is the key.  What really needs to be done?  We have a friend whose 3 day hospital stay has turned into 8 days!  What should I do?  Tell him, sorry, I have a blog to write and a show to rehearse and dishes to put away so I can’t come visit you?  Maybe the Little Man needs extra love and attention, so what do I tell him?  Sorry, honey-too busy for you.  Of course, not!   Better planning, flexibility and knowledge of what’s really important is the key to making my deadlines!  Thanks to Sunday Scribblings for the inspiration!  Do you need some fabulous music for your next event/party/wedding reception?  Check me out at Twitter and karenmerstikmichaels.com for lots of entertainment choices!  Enjoy your week, work those deadlines and live your life to the fullest! 

A Salute to Bill Fayne!

It was great fun last weekend to be a part of honoring and performing in a benefit for a man, not only filled with huge talent, but obviously so beloved by the performing community of Las Vegas and beyond.  Bill Fayne, who is probably best known as Clint Holmes musical director and founding member of the Las Vegas Tenors, had some serious medical issues recently.  You can read more about his story here.

Clint Holmes & Kelly Clinton not only hosted the show, but performed as well, along with the likes of; Terry Fator, Louis Anderson, Rick Faugno(Jersey Boys), Jerry Lopez (Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns), Pete Barbutti, Robin Leach, Lance Burton, Mark Giovi (Bite at Stratosphere),Michelle Johnson, Domenick Allen (former lead singer of Foreigner) and his daughter Cayleigh Capaldi, Susan Anton, Cast members fromMenopause the Musical (Skye Dee Miles, Sandra Benton, Vida Corimbi),Lena Prima, Voce Vegas, Frankie Scinta, Las Vegas Tenors, Tina Walsh(Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular), Gayle Steele, Vinnie Falcone, and so many more! It was absolutely crazy to be surrounded by the talent of Las Vegas!  My vocal group, Dangerous Curves, my sister, Lori and Michelle sang back up for the one and only Mark Giovi.  The song was called “Young Angels” and was written by Mark and Bob Grimes.  It kinda felt like we were in a rock concert!   

Now, this weekend is filled with building blocks and cooking and farmers market and cleaning and well, you know, Mommyland!  Maybe even a bit of rehearsing-the perfect weekend!  The sun stayed out until 647pm today, it was awesome! Have a fabulous week, friends!  Check me out at twitter and karenmerstikmichaels.com and dangerouscurveslasvegas.com!  

Spring cleaning-in my head, heart and home!

It’s been a rough couple of weeks in Karenland.  Which, of course, means I did learn a few things.  There has been quite a bit of pressure at the straight gig, and although I do sing there, its not like a regular gig.  Very corporate is the best explanation I can give without going into what’s happening to me there.  Everyone has tough weeks at their straight job, I know.  But , it doesn’t make it any easier to get through.  And, I have decided to use what’s going on as impetus to get my booty in high gear!  

Now, the good news is that all of this is my choice!  I can choose to stay unhappy in this or I can take all the steps I need to take to get out and move on and still take care of my family!  Obviously, that doesn’t mean all these choices are easy.  I can already think of a few that are tough.  Perhaps its those tough choices and challenges that will make the winning so very sweet.  

One of the best things I heard this week was from a friend who, while we were enjoying a glass of one of our favorite Chardonnay said, “You are the average sum of the 5 people you hang around the most”.  Her boyfriend heard this quote at a seminar he was attending.  Wow.  We sat there determining who we spent the most time with and we had to account for the people we work with and ugh!  Not really spending time with loving, caring and uplifting people as much as we thought!  Back to those hard choices!  

Tomorrow is the first of March and the signs of Spring are everywhere here in Las Vegas.  Time to make great choices, do some Spring cleaning in the head and heart and home and spend time with those who lift us up!  

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