My special 50th birthday gift….

    

So last week I turned 50! So strange….I still feel 25 on the inside. Of course I don’t know what fifty is supposed to feel like but right now it is feeling pretty good. My husband surprised me with the most thoughtful gift, Fifty conversations. Now before you men start hyperventilating and you ladies start salivating that my husband is a talker just breathe. HE didn’t plan on having 50 conversations with me …LOL! He’s too smart for that. He organized 50 people to call me, catch up and wish me a Happy Birthday for fifty days leading up to my 50th birthday. What an undertaking! And what a thoughtful gift….for me; His very relational wife, who loves to connect with people. 50 cards would have been cool but 50 conversations? I spoke to jr high, high school & college friends, my high school choir director, my elementary church choir director, my 4th grade teacher, far away family & friends I seldom see…it was lovely.

It was the most amazing gift I’ve ever received!

It got me thinking too about being a half a century old. All the things I have experienced, the people I have known, the cities where I’ve lived….I am so rich with friendships and memories, love and laughter. For this I am so very thankful! I am looking forward to the next fifty years; the people I will meet and the new friendships that will grow and the exciting adventures yet to be had! I mean Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until her 70’s! I have new experiences awaiting me and so do you! Next on the agenda is finishing my CD but after that who knows? And you? what new adventures are you dreaming of? Do tell….

Besides…there are perks to turning 50….like Not worrying what people think as you wear your birthday sash and embracing the gluten free French Silk Pie! Just sayin’…… 🙂

 

 

 

Carnegie Hall

  

As I sit here writing this post I am in the non-equity waiting room at the Actor’s  equity Building in New York City. I am here supporting a dear friend as she auditions. She is equity, so she is somewhere else. Ahh… The hierarchy of the biz. 🙂  I am also here working with a vocal coach. Training should never stop as we continue in our craft. Last month, when I posted, I was on my way to NYC to sing at Carnegie Hall! What an amazing experience it was to stand on that stage with my son ( and 100 other people) and sing Handel’s Messiah with the New York Chamber Orchestra. It truly was a moment I’ll never forget. The hall itself, beside being such an icon, is exquisite in design. The sound? You can hear a whispered note all the way to the balcony. Stunning!  We were fortunate enough to sit there and listen to another performance.

Definitely a bucket list experience!

Summer is…..

For me, the word SUMMER brings with it a host of descriptive words! Hot,sunny,fun,beach,friends, outdoors,BBQ….not getting up at 5:30 am. Most especially it equals MORE FAMILY TIME!  I absolutely love and value the time I have with my husband and kids. The older the kids get the less it seems we are together because they are creating lives of their own. So I’ll take what I can get. It’s nice to relax a bit in summer too. My kids love the ARTS as much as my husband and I do. Recently, we took a family vacation and ended it by seeing the show, NEWSIES at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. It was fun to attend as a family and discuss what we enjoyed about the show. Amazing cast that jumps, flips and taps their way through the entire night! We have a busy summer ahead but we will grab the fun & make memories together even if it is just family game night and homemade pizza. Sometimes you just have to seize the moment today because we don’t know how many moments we have.

What are you doing for YOUR Summer fun??? Comment below to share and you never know…just maybe you might inspire someone else to seize the moment! #HappySummer!!

What yoga taught me about life

A few months ago I started taking a Yoga class at our local recreation center. I’ve always avoided yoga. Just thought it wasn’t for me. As I am aging, however, I’ve noticed my joints are stiffer and I’m just not as flexible as I used to be. Thus the need for much more stretching. Several of my friends have started yoga and they found great health benefits from it.

The other reason….

For several years now I’ve tried with doctors and nutritionists to lose weight. It has been a frustrating process. The verdict? I’m way overstressed. Really? What do I have to be stressed about. I’m happily married, 2 great kids. I think just the balance of life, raising kids, working, building a career as an artist, running my own entertainment company oh and…cooking, cleaning, laundry, volunteering at school & church. I guess I do have a lot on my plate! Taking Yoga has been  great exercise for me but also a great opportunity for me to be mindful of self-care. Something we women seem to forget about too easily. Between working,caring for our families and our homes, volunteering, we can be overloaded on a daily basis. Taking the time to be in class was a huge shift for me to slow down for my health’s sake. Our instructor is a lovely, gentle woman who  reminds us to take things slowly and listen to our bodies via what hurts and what does not. We will make progress as we continue. Hurting ourselves to prove something doesn’t accomplish anything. First class, I  was reminded of this all important lesson though, not just in yoga but in life. It’s this: “IT’S OKAY TO BE WHERE YOU ARE. Be gentle with yourself, not allowing your ego or judgement to come in play. There are no Yoga police.”  Hmm…although I’ve heard that in a million ways over the years, I’ve never adopted it for myself. Learning to stop judging myself, especially as I am aging has been an eye opener.  Life changes and we change. Life gets crazy sometimes and everything we always did may not get done this week, month or even this year. Focus on what is important.

LIFE can be challenging…..give yourself a break. Done is better than perfect. Mistakes are okay. It means you are trying. Give your best to everything you do and forget about comparison. Truly, it just delays progress. You have to start from somewhere and where you currently are… is just fine.    🙂

 

 

Unexpected Holiday

  HAPPY WINTER!  So sometimes life…er…nature gives you an unexpected holiday. I am writing from day 3 of a mandatory standstill if you will. 2 inches of Ice covered by 1 inch of snow makes for treacherous roads here in the south. Especially because we don’t have the kind of snow removal that northern states have. So no school this week and many businesses closed. The kids are just slightly excited in my neighborhood as they laugh and frolic in the snow. You don’t have to tell them to seize the day! My 16 yr old went sledding one day. He’s just glad to be able to sleep in for a change! I know it’s probably stressful for some of the moms who have kids bouncing off the walls. I have adult friends who are bouncing off the walls too. They are used to a fast pace…running and doing. Me too, but I LIKE the slow down. I am seeking to not run so fast through each day and be more present with those around me. Now that I’m fast approaching an empty nest…at least it feels that way when your baby is driving and is never home…. I am learning to appreciate these moments just a wee bit more. They fly by so quickly. So if you get an unexpected slow down sometime soon, take a breath, forget the housework for a few and play with those kids of yours, have a snowball fight, or a pool /beach day (depending where you live!) or watch a funny movie with your spouse. Life is too short to ignore these moments. We have to stop living to work,work work. If we don’t, we will miss these precious people in our lives. So if life gives you an  unexpected holiday, you should take it....when you’re 80 you’ll be glad you did!

 

CD SALE & Chocolate Fondue Recipe for Valentine’s Day!

It’s February my friends….

And what do we think of in February? Valentine’s Day! Romantic music, food, flowers, chocolates! So I thought I’d give you a great recipe for the Chocolate part of the evening below but what about that music ?

Ok for romantic music  you can go to debbiecunninghamjazz.com and click FREE SONGS button and get 3 tunes from my CD- The Rest of Your Life for your romantic evening.

Need a gift  or want the whole Romantic Jazz CD? ( think ex: Diana Krall/Michael Buble)

then go here  to buy. Reg $15 it’s on Sale for $10! for the next week!

Now for that Chocolate Fondue Recipe!

EASY CHOCOLATE FONDUE

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
Assorted poundcake, plain cookies and fruit of your choice: strawberries, bananas, kiwi, pineapple- all cut into bite sized chunks

1.Place Chocolate in a glass bowl and put aside.

2.Heat Cream on medium heat in saucepan until hot but not boiling. Stir continually.    (*If using microwave: Heat cream in glass bowl for 30-40 seconds on high)

3. Pour hot cream over Chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth

Place cake and fruit pieces on a serving dish and  Chocolate Fondue in a beautiful serving bowl.  Ladle the fondue onto individual serving plates for your guests. Yummy!

Lastly, you’ll have to supply the last ingredient….LOVE! Happy Valentine’s  my friends!

XO

Debbie

 

 

Happy 2015!!

Happy New Year! 

        Lots of exciting things happening in 2015 here at Debbie Cunningham Jazz. How about you? Check back each month for updates to shows, travel, photos from the road and an occasional recipe from my gluten free findings!   My schedule is filling up with interviews, performing at private events, teaching/speaking engagements and of course songwriting and recording. To keep updated  and to get the INSIDERS SCOOP, please join my newsletter sent out twice monthly…. and it will include free song downloads and lots of personal behind the music updates which I don’t share on my blog! Join here

 

Last Chance tickets for Christmas show in Franklin this Friday!

Last chance to save $$ on Christmas show tickets. $15 through Thursday 12/18 after that $20 at door!
BUY HERE: http://debbiecunninghamjazzxmas.brownpapertickets.com

Friday Dec 19th, 7 pm

Franklin Brentwood Arts Performance Hall

210 Gothic Ct

Franklin,TN 37067

Reflections on Mid-Life

Mid-Life….I have been avoiding that term for a long time but truth is at 49 years of age, I’m probably more than mid-life! Although my plan is to be around a LONG time heheheh! 🙂 My kids are growing older…I have a sophomore in high school and a sophomore in college. My nest is emptying….my husband and I are looking at empty nest cars (ya know..thinking about the day when I’ll be trading in the mom-van but not quite there yet) and dreaming about traveling. Of course, that will be AFTER all those college bills are paid! Never-the-less….we are looking forward to new adventures in the next few years. It’s bittersweet though. We love family life and traveling with our kids and having their friends in & out of our house. Albeit, I’ll have to do a post on budget mindedly feeding all those friends this past summer… Especially those growing teenage boys, YIKES!

But I digress….I find mid-life interesting to say the least! Growing older in my physical body, while my mind feels so young. I know my 60 year old friends are rolling their eyes about now but truly in the 40’s wow…things start to not work like they used to! I used to see everything near and far. Now I can’t see in front of my nose without readers (sigh)… Cue “We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenter’s. I recently heard someone say that in your 40’s you long for the body from your 30’s that you loathed in your 20’s! After childbirth….yeah I’m right there with them! Crazy how time changes our perspective, does it not?

The “working” title of my upcoming CD is called Love and Life but I’m thinking it’s time to add “mid” to that title. Really changes the whole perspective….what do you think?

Speaking of perspective……Wherever you are now, how has your perspective changed? What are you appreciating now that you once took for granted, perhaps? Would love to hear from you. Leave your comments below…..

Join me in Cookeville,TN Concerts in the park!

Concert news: So excited to be performing in Cookeville,TN tonight! Grab your friends,a picnic and a blanket or chairs and head over to Dogwood Pavilion…CONCERTS IN THE PARK series. Show is Free and starts at 7:30.  Get an early start to your weekend with some jazz, swing & blues!! A song or 2 from my upcoming CD perhaps? Can’t wait to see you there!

http://www.cookeville-tn.org/cpac/dogwood-performance-pavilion