Patrick Stewart on Violence Against Women/Children

The Piano Guys

I've mentioned Jon Schmidt and Steve Nelson before, but I wanted to do it again. Because this is my blog, I can! :)

I knew both back in my high school days, as Jon was my Sunday School teacher, mentor and friend, while Steve was in my Orchestra class (can you guess what he played?). I don't know exactly when the two of them got together and began creating beautiful music, but the combination of two such fun, talented, inspiring musicians has truly been a gift from our Heavenly Father above.

They are now a part of The Piano Guys, though I think they may actually have formed it. I can't be certain. In any case, they have brought many fantastic videos of Jon and Steve, both separately and together. Their latest video on YouTube features Alex Boye, a brilliant artist.

I admire those who can create beautiful music. I envy them as well. Music has always been a major part of my life, though I'm not proficient in any instrument, nor even in singing. Fortunately for me, that doesn't hinder my ability to enjoy, be inspired by, and feel thrilled when a brilliant piece of music comes my way. This is one of those pieces.

Thank you Jon, Steve, and Alex, for sharing this incredible talent of yours.

Coldplay - Paradise (Peponi) African Style (Piano/Cello) Cover - The Piano Guys ft. Alex Boye

If you'd like to see more, click on The Piano Guys on YouTube for their YouTube page where you can access all their videos. If you like what you see, please pass this along. You can also visit their homepage at ThePianoGuys.com.

More from Jon Schmidt
More from Steven Sharp Nelson
More from Alex Boye

World's Strongest Kid

First, I promise Halloween pics will be arriving soon.

I wanted to post this YouTube video. It's something my boys came across, and it blows my mind!!! I can't decide if I'm more fascinated, or disturbed, by what this kid can do at just four years old!

Once again, I can't seem to upload YouTube videos to the blog, so I'll just be sending you on over.

I Am In the World Strong Kid! Italia 1

You GOTTA go take a look and tell me what you think.

Team StreetStunts

A friend of mine posted a video to these guys - one of whom is in her karate class. They are AMAZING!!! The sheer talent, guts, and muscle needed to do what they do is beyond my imagination. So sit back and marvel at what you're about to see!

Team StreetStunts in California

Sorry for putting it up in a link...no matter how hard others try to help me, I can't seem to grasp the posting of a YouTube video on blogs (*shrugs*).

"Love Story" Meets "Viva La Vida"

Once again I want to share with you something from UTube, but have to post the link as I'm not yet Internet savvy enough to figure out how to post the actual video.


I first met Jon Schmidt years ago when he and his wife moved into my neighborhood. He was my Sunday School teacher for a few years and his wife was my youth leader. The two of them loved and supported an insecure, awkward teenager and gave me more than they can possibly know.

Jon has been building a remarkable piano career. I own most of his cd's. His brilliance on the piano is loved not only by me, but by my children as well. I've had many an extraordinary experience happen while listening to his musical creations.

Paired with him is Steve Nelson, another long-ago friend of mine. We were both in high school orchestra together, where I listened to him make magic with his cello. Recently he's come out with two cd's of his own, and has made quite a fantastic name for himself in the musical world as well.

Listening to the two of them play, I find myself both humbled and grateful to be able to claim I knew them when. I hope you enjoy their creation as much as I do.

LOVE STORY (Taylor Swift) meets VIVA LA VIDA (Coldplay) - piano cello - by Jon Schmidt

I Don't Know What to Title This Post

I've had loads of ideas for a title popping into my mind, and none of them do this woman justice. I'm sure most of you have heard all about her. I'm just putting out the word in my own little way, because I truly believe in promoting beautiful things.

As in intro, I want to take a moment and talk about YouTube. We're not exactly friends. I think we could be friends if I wasn't crawling along with dial-up speeds of around 26 Kbps. Snail speeds, you know? Because of this, when people send me links to videos on YouTube I typically skip them by. A 3-4 minute video has been known to take up to 2 hours to load. Crazy, I know.

My husband came home from work tonight raving about a video I just had to see. A woman by the name of Susan Boyle was making quite the sensation on England's version of "American Idol", called "Britian's Got Talent." From the moment you see her, you're convinced she's one of those people they let through for pure comedy. She's a 47-year old single woman who lives with her cat Pebbles. She's never been married - never even been kissed as she teasingly tells us.

The video clip is just over 7 minutes. I couldn't for a moment imagine waiting around for however long it would take to load that sucker up, but I was humoring my husband so I waited...and waited...and cleaned the living room...while waiting. Finally about the first two minutes of the clip loaded and I sat down to see what all the fuss was about.

Let me just say, I continued waiting just so I could see the entire clip! The voice that came out of such a seemingly plain woman was extraordinary. Where has she been hiding for so many years!?! I watched the stunned faces of the judges. I cried as this woman received well-deserved praise. I saw the effect she had on the entire audience. Even in this little living room here in an innocuous town in Utah, there were lives changed.

I hope you take the time to watch this clip, even if it means waiting an hour or two. I'm posting the link as I'm horrible at trying to figure out how to post videos. As you watch, keep in mind you never know what beautiful treasures are encased in what might seem a plain package.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PPlkOyaqaQ