Mathis & Bublé

     With my love of crooners, predictably comes my love for none-other than Michael Bublé & Johnny Mathis. Leave it to me to be drawn to the genre that would appeal to most senior citizens. I’m not sorry. In December, I ventured up to Grand Rapids to visit my friend Laura, and see Michael in concert. I was anything but disappointed. Not only can he sing with the best of 'em, he's wittingly funny. The best part of the show, during the finale, was when he stopped in the middle of his last song, stood alone in the front of the stage with no band, no music, put down the microphone, and ... swoon... belted out the rest, serenading an audience of 12,000+, making the entirety chillingly quiet. FAN-TAS-TIC 

Michael Bublé

Laura & I out to dinner

Why, hello handsome.

Now Johnny Mathis, who is definitely getting up there in years, is another artist that has held rank on my bucket list (if I actually had one) for quite some time. For the past couple of years, I had tried searching for tickets to some type of show like this to surprise my mom for her birthday. Then, which I feel was a God thing, I got a random email (spam?) telling me Mathis was going to be in concert April 30^th, 2011 at 8:00PM in Chicago. Done and done. Her birthday was back in October, so we’ve gone through a few rounds of finding and then losing those tickets over the months in waiting, but we did in fact make it, and oh my word… I was in heaven.

I’m not even ashamed to say that I was literally the only person there, among 4,000 or so, who was under the age of 40. Standing in the entryway, watching cane after cane and then numerous wheelchairs stroll by, I knew that it would all make for an interesting evening I was likely never to forget. I didn’t care that the guy seated next to me looked unlikely to have made it through the entire concert, let alone the next 5 minutes. When Johnny did his encore, it took him so long to exit the stage, that once he got there, he just sort-of slowly pivoted, and went right back to center. I also couldn’t help but wonder if the women in that theater had all had serious crushes on Johnny when they were teenagers. At least you would think so, watching them carry on, yell, throw cards and flowers, and beg for him to touch their hands as they did. I didn’t care. I was so happy to hear the audience sigh, clap and sing along like they were 15 again. I even started to tear up when he broke into a few classics, because it brought me right back to being a little girl, sitting in my room coloring and listening to Mathis on my tiny, black, tape deck, when my mom would come back there and surprise me with a piece of cookie-cake. Beaver-Cleaver-ish as it might sound, I cherish those memories. I even kept that stupid Chihuahua from Taco Bell (way back when) that, when you pressed the button on the back of his collar, sang, “Chances are, cause I wear a silly grin...”

      I finally tossed it last summer. But let me just say, Johnny hasn’t missed a beat. He still sounds exactly like he did on his old records.

 Marvelous food, company, and entertainment all made for some incredible nights that I hope to turn into traditions.

My mother and I, ready for our date night out. Isn't her dress fabulous?

Happy [belated] birthday mom!

This dress was my Easter present this year. ;) 

At the Theater

Second outfit of choice. This was also one of my bridal shower ensembles.

Mr. Johnny Mathis himself.

behance.net

These spring months appear to be getting off to a beautiful start.