Jingle Ball 2012, 10 Christmas Wishes and the First Day of Winter

 

Jingle Ball 2012 – in one word:  Awesome.   And, ME  at Jingle Ball 2012 – how did that happen?  I still can’t believe it.  I was invited as a guest of my ex-brother-in-law’s wife (it’s complicated).  My ex-brother-in-law, Joel, is Tiffany’s father.  More than 20 years ago he married Patti, Tiffany’s step-mother, and we have been one happy family ever since.

Tiffany’s father, Joel, is a professional photographer.  Some of the most beautiful pictures on our blog have been taken by Joel, who is a talented, incredible photographer.  Here are links to a few of them:

• A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (taken with an iPhone)
• Who We Are
• Favorite Picture of the Week – September 6, 2012
• Favorite Picture of the Week – September 13, 2012
• First Day of Autumn – 2012
• Never Too Late
• Each Other

You can visit his website and his blogs (he has two blogs – one that is dedicated to the iPhone) here and here and here.

I like to occasionally remind Joel that the reason he became a photographer was because of me.  Yep.  Because.Of.Me.  The brief back story:  we (me and my boyfriend at the time because I wasn’t yet married to Charlie) went to Disneyland with Joel and Gail (my sister and his girlfriend at the time).  We were all in our twenties, so I hate to admit this was 35+ years ago, but it was.  I had a relatively fancy, dancy camera at the time (nothing like Joel has today!) and had it hanging around my neck.  I liked to think that I was a good photographer (I wasn’t – just had the fancy, dancy camera) and took it most places with me.  At one point, Joel asked if he could see it.  So, I took it off my neck, handed it to him, told him a little bit about how it worked and he kept it the rest of the day.  Yep.  The rest of the Disneyland day!

And, the rest is history.  So, while I like to claim  that Joel is a great photographer because of me, it’s not true.  Because after that Disneyland day, he went out and got his own camera, enrolled in classes, studied hard, worked hard, took thousands of photos creating fantastic photographs resulting in jobs and then he turned professional.

So, back to the Jingle Ball 2012 story.  He’s the official photographer for the San Diego Jingle Ball 2012 sponsored by radio station Star 94.1 and he has been for several years.  So, while he works Jingle Ball, they comp him a couple of tickets and his wife Patti goes usually along with one of their 3 kids (either Tiffany, Rhianna or Joe).  Well, a funny thing has happened to all three kids – they grew up and they aren’t kids!  In fact, they have their own kids!  So, going to Jingle Ball for them involves finding babysitters and dealing with spouses who get left behind because there’s only ONE additional ticket!

That’s how I got lucky!

I have only been to Jingle Ball one other time.  My sister Gail (Tiffany’s mother and Joel’s ex-wife) and I went in 2001.  And it was fabulous!  FAB.U.LOUS!  I don’t remember exactly where it was (a large amphitheater) because it was in 2001, eleven years ago!  But, the line-up included Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette, Blondie, Sugar Ray with Mark McGrath, and the undeniably fabulous, Stevie Nicks.  A very memorable evening.

December 9, 2012 was also one of those memorable evenings and while Jingle Ball has scaled down in recent years (is it the economy?), and plays in a smaller venue (Anthology), and is now an acoustical show instead of performers with full band backup, it is no less awesome.  This year’s performers were Hedley and Lifehouse.

Hedley is a pop punk band from Canada.  I’ve provided a link to their site.  Their newest release is “Kiss You Inside Out” and there’s a video on the link provided.  While they’ve been around since 2004, they are better known in Canada.  Here’s a picture of me and Patti with Hedley:

 

 

As if the show wasn’t already fabulous with Hedley’s performance, then Lifehouse came on stage.  Incredible.  Did I mention that both acts do this pro bono?  For the charity Becky’s House?

Here’s me and Patti with Lifehouse:

 

They are well known and have sold 15,000,000 records.    Some of their well known songs include “You and Me”, “Hanging by a Moment”, “First Time”, “Whatever It Takes,” and “Halfway Gone.”

Oh, did I mention we got to meet the bands backstage and got signed posters?

Here’s Jason Wade singing – yum!

 

Anyway, one of the most memorable moments for me was when Jason Wade did a cover of the John Lennon song, “So This Is Christmas”.  He was fabulous and I know it is probably sacrilege for someone my age and my generation (John Lennon’s generation) to say this, but he was as good as John Lennon and did the cover justice.

Here’s a link  to the photos of the performances, here’s a link  to the photos from the Meet & Greet with Lifehouse and here’s a link  to the photos of the Meet & Greet with Hedley, all taken by Joel and on Star 94.1’s website.

A few words about Becky’s House:  domestic violence is a serious problem in our society.  The numbers are staggering (I believe Heather Finlay, the CEO of the YWCA and present at Jingle Ball 2012, stated 300,000 in San Diego County alone!) and places of refuge, like Becky’s House, are a much needed resource in our communities.   Not many people know this (I guess they will now), but I was the victim of domestic violence.  Charlie is my 2nd husband.  My first husband, who will remain nameless, abused and terrorized me.  I don’t remember much about this time in my life (I was 19) and have blocked most of it from my memory.  One of the things I do remember is that my 1st husband’s father begged me not to marry him on our wedding day.  I didn’t listen.

I didn’t seek help from a resource such as Becky’s House.  I didn’t seek help at all.  I was too ashamed.  A friend called my parents (who had moved to California) and told them.  My father drove across country to get me without telling me ahead of time.  He showed up on my doorstep in tears and begged me to come with him.  I did.  He hired an attorney in the state where I was living and started divorce proceedings.  I moved to California and have never looked back.

If you haven’t yet figured it out by all the posts about eldercare on this blog, my parents are my heroes and every day of my life is a tribute to them:  to their love, their strength, their guidance.  When I was 31 or 32, I moved back home again because of another bad situation happening in my life (maybe I’ll talk about it in the future).  One day, I was having a particularly bad day.  I was in the shower and started crying.  I thought I was crying relatively softly, but what I didn’t know is that the plumbing pipes in my parents’ old house were connected and the sound of me crying carried into the other bathroom.  My mother heard me.  She came into my bathroom and climbed into the shower with me, fully clothed, held me tight and cried with me.  As I’ve said, my parents are my heroes.

If you are a victim and someone reaches out to you, to help you, take the help and don’t look back.  Accept help whether is it from family, friends, social service organizations such as Becky’s House or whatever.  Help is out there…you just have to accept it.   If giving to charity at Christmas time (or any other time) is on your list, Becky’s House is a worthy cause.

Here are 10 Christmas Wishes from me to you:

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Hope
4. Peace
5. Friendship
6. Serenity
7. Security
8. Happiness
9. Faith
10. Charity

On a lighter note, today is the First Day of Winter.  Per my earlier post, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, I have a few things I need to do, so I’d better go do them!

Tootles,