Coachella

  If when you hear the word Coachella and if you immediately think of the city of Indio, CA rather than the word music then you need to be cultured and turn your crappy radio stations off.  Coachella is a once a year arts and music festival.  I have wanted to go for years but haven't due to either tickets being out of my budget, tickets being sold out (2 weekends were sold out in one day) and refuse to pay scalper prices, and/or wanting a friend who can stand me and I them for 32 straight hours as well, not to mention finding a woman in her later 30's such as myself who are into this kind of music are hard to find. So let me first address this later 30's and still attending concerts topic.  I know some look at it as immature or think that I immediately submerse myself in a mosh pit or am wanting to get a contact high. That's simply not it at all.  For me, it's 100 percent about the live music experience.  In my opinion, the quality of a band is based on their live performance.  Anyone can go into a recording studio and make themselves sound halfway decent. In a live experience, what you hear is what you get. It will either make or break it for me.  I've bought albums based on if a band played an amazing set.  I've also stopped listening to a band if their live music was unimpressive.   Another reason I'm passionate about music is for whatever reason, my brain and body function better with it.  I get inspired, I am more productive, and I also associate memories with songs.  There will be things from childhood I forget, but a particular song will play and soon floods of memories come back. SO, Coachella 2013 I had the pleasure of going with an equal music enthusiast, my brother.   Our parents would be thrilled knowing we spent that much time together and managed not to fight or tattle on each other.    Top reasons I enjoyed Coachella: 1.  The bands.  There were only a few that were disappointing, but that was more to do with our purpose wasn't to see or listen to them, we were there to sit under the shade and listen to some music while we waited for our specific bands we wanted to see.  The bands we purposely saw were:  Metric, Modest Mouse, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Blur, Band of Horses, Local Natives, Of Monsters and Men, Beardyman, FOALS, Alt-J, Phoenix, the Postal Service, Hot Chip, Violent Femmes, Two Door Cinema Club, Grizzly Bear, Franz Ferdinand, Moby, Vampire Weekend, Tame Impala, Dinosaur Jr., and The Oh Sees.  We wish we could have done some of our other favorites, but when a several were playing the same time on different stages, we had to pick and choose.

2.  The people.  This was a people watcher's heaven.  I've never seen so many in random costume outfits, very little outfits, and props.  I was in a t-shirt and shorts and was severely overdressed. By the end of day 2 I actually caught myself realizing I wasn't noticing the clothing so much. There was so much (or little) displayed by so many that I had completely desensitized to the abnormality of it all. I was curious as to the behavior of people there.  So many thousands compiled in an area could lead to many contentious situations, but if there were I didn't know it. We did notice a few spats between immature young couples which entertained us but most everyone was completely cordial and we ended up having conversations with individuals randomly. Others outstretched their hands as we talked music, where we were from, our regular daily life.  I was worried about having my stuff stolen therefore I was always conscience of where my phone and satchel were and even wore a substitute wedding ring for fear of it being ripped off my finger in the masses.  Obviously I was a first-timer and a bit over the top.  I was pleasantly surprised when I'd see others purposely track strangers down to give them their items they accidentally left behind. On the other hand,  I'm sure  if weed would've been left, others would gladly have confiscated it for their own benefit.

 

3.  The security.  It was unnerving in the week prior to Coachella the bombing at the Boston Marathon occurred.  Soon I realized being in a place with a big group of people may not be the safest.  I've seen security checks at sporting events and came away thinking how I could have easily gotten something through because the security seemed not thrilled at the fact they were working and it showed in their lack of quality checks. At Coachella, we waited in a sizable line and once through I had no issues and felt completely confident in my safety.  All items from my purse were removed, I was patted down, and even a search of my hair took place. They even used my brothers sunscreen to ensure it was in fact sunscreen. Security made themselves known around the event and were good about upon spotting questionable items, those items were confiscated.  Even the lots were secure, don't even think about stopping or parking your car without a wristband.

4.  The food.  I was expecting only extremely over-priced crappy food, but there were great selections with big portions at a decent price.  They had the usual Mexican, Italian, and American but also had fruit only vendors, Vegetarian, Greek, and Asian BBQ vendors.  We ate a couple meals but mostly survived on flavored Icees during the day to keep us hydrated and cool.

5. The signings.  I respect bands that take time to do signings.  I bought the new Phoenix album and therefore wanted them to sign.  The record store workers wanted people moving as quickly as possible but the band did great with taking time to talk and shake hands.  So my big introduction went like this:  Me (lamely):  Hi, Phoenix, I'm from Phoenix.  Thomas Mars (shaking my hand):  Well hello Phoenix, we were just in Phoenix a couple weeks ago.  Me (completely clueless):  Seriously? Where?  Deck D'Arcy:  At the Marquee theatre. Me:  I had no idea.   Yeah, I'm sure I came across as a true fan. Let's just say bookmarking the Marquee events website was added to my to do list.  Phoenix was probably the best in my eyes of bands I saw.  They put on a great show.

Now that I am home and go to bed before 3:30 a.m. and wake up before 9, I am feeling halfway human again yet the let down was a little tough.  The stimulus of three days of events makes it difficult to sit on the couch and quietly read a book.  Overall, it was a great experience. Would I do it again?   After going for our first time, we learned some tricks of the trade and what we would do differently.  Hopefully, we will get to put that knowledge to use in the future.  Yes I'd do it again, after my year of recovery.

Epiphanies and Miracles

One of my dear friends, Tonya, read my previous post about Brynna and had asked  if I'd be willing to help her with a section of her church Christmas program she was in charge of.  She was reciting 'The Living Christ' and was going to discuss in greater depth the paragraphs within it.  She had asked if I would be willing to type up and share my experience with Brynna and how miracles are still present today just as they were back in the time of Jesus Christ.  I accepted and went to work finding old journals I had written during Brynna's first few months of life.  
I have to admit, I wasn't real excited about the task mostly because when I begin to read or think back to those experiences I am left emotionally drained.  Re-living those experiences are both painful and joyful.  This time was no different, yet I still had an epiphany in the process that left me extremely grateful for being asked and accepting the responsibility to fulfill this for Tonya.
As I read the journal from 15 years ago, I read the thoughts of a scared, naive, hopeful, and very young woman trying to make sense of a significant trial in her life.  There were several times I even questioned if it had been me who had written it.  Who was this person?  I hardly recognized her and almost felt as if I was invading someone else's privacy of their deepest most inner thoughts.  As I read on and memories began to flood my mind, for once I became extremely grateful I was aging.  With time gone by, I have gained wisdom and a perspective that led me to write in an entirely new point of view 15 years later.  If you've ever written in a journal years ago about a specific experience where emotions were high, I'm telling you to get it out and re-write about it.  It is an amazing and almost sacred and self-discovering experience.
Here is my extremely condensed version of my 15 year later journal entry in how miracles are present today through Jesus Christ:
  Brynna came to us at 25 weeks only weighing 1 pound 12 ounces.  From day one, her life was a battle.  It seemed unfair to me that a small helpless baby had to endure such a consistent uphill journey all on her own.  Meanwhile, as her mother, I felt it was unfair that I was completely helpless to aide in her fight while I could only send positive thoughts through a plastic incubator and hope somehow she could feel my love and support.

Even though during this trial we lived in great times of medical advancement, on numerous occasions I remembered wishing we didn’t. Of all generations of time, I desperately wanted to live in the Savior’s time.  I wanted to be the mother searching for Jesus Christ on the dusty roads and upon finding him, begging through tears for Him to come heal my child.  Somehow knowing if I’d find Him, He would have mercy on me and come to her, and all would be well.

As I tried to patiently endure this trial, slowly over time my eyes became opened.  I realized how the scriptures of old became my scriptures of today.  As a desperate mother, I searched.  Not on dusty roads of a foreign land, but I searched while my knees were knelt in dust on my living room floor.  Through prayer, I did find Him.  It was exactly how I envisioned it in my mind as if I had found Him amongst His apostles. I literally felt Him acknowledge me, felt His love and compassion for me and give me the confirmation that all would be well.

When I went back to the hospital that night, the Savior didn’t accompany me. But as I witnessed Priesthood holders in their suits and ties with hands placed upon Brynna’s head as she received a blessing, I knew the healing powers of the Savior were in that room and He indeed was there. Miracles were performed, and today I have a strong-willed healthy 15 year old as walking proof.

I’m grateful no matter how small we are, how helpless we may feel, or how hard our fight may be; we are never alone. We don’t have to see Jesus Christ to know He is there. We know He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, as He taught truths of eternity.  These healings and truths and miracles are eternal, which means they continue.  Miracles happen in our day, and will happen in days to come because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  As we go in search of Him, we don’t have to search far, only through our hearts and on our knees.