Free Piano Song! (Kinda)

So the college group from River Valley is going on a missions trip to South Africa in a few weeks.

They need money to go.

This is a good cause, so let's help them out.

If you donate $1 or more towards their trip, I'll email you a brand new .mp3 of piano music called 'Just a Little Piano Music'. This may help you study or relax or daydream or worship.

Listen to it on Soundclick here. It won't be online forever so you might want to give a dollar or two to get the .mp3.

If you've already donated, let me know and it's yours.

How do I donate?

IN PERSON: Find Janelle Pauls or myself and give us cash or a check made out to River Valley.
BY PAYPAL: Forward your donation to todd_mclaughlin_jr@hotmail.com.
AT THE COFFEE SHOP BENEFIT: A bunch of us will be at Sufficient Grounds in Mishawaka on Thursday, April 30 from 9pm to 10:30 playing music and raising support. Drop on by for some coffee/music/conversation. Guaranteed to be a good time.

Any questions, email me at mclaugt@gmail.com or Janelle Pauls at paulsj@bethelcollege.edu.

Weekend of Friends and Fun

Well, a wonderful weekend just past. In list format:

1. Played piano (w/ Deanna on violin) for Bremen Community Hospital Banquet. 300 people wearing pink. Yeah.

2. Sand Volleyball multiple times.

3. Fabrica Navii and Stones Donuts.

5. A free piano for Travis and my new house.

6. Baseball cookout with friends.

7. Game night.

8. 'Taken' in the dollar theatre. Intense, but enjoyable.

Unfortunately, our internet at the new house won't get turned on until Wednesday (though we're gonna try to get that sooner). I'm currently at Sufficient bumming some internet and finishing up some homework for tomorrow.

Tonight, the Chapel Band is going to a steakhouse and saying goodbye to Courtney and Schaef. It's been a good year.

I really want to hit up some garage sales soon. We're gonna keep hoping.

Summer! Except for Finals and May Term.

Well, classes are officially done for the year and it's 83 degrees and sunny. Good day, I'm going outside. Midnight breakfast tonight...and I need a costume idea. Shanon said I should go as Jesse McCartney. That would be uncomfortable for many. Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes was also suggested, but I don't know where to get a tiger. Any ideas, let me know.

todd

Scientists think...

So here I am studying correlation coefficients for my math test tonight and I stumble across this sweet little bit of information. Slightly blurry but it reads:

Scientists think that a person is never more than 3 feet away from a spider at any given time!

Terrifying thought? Yeah. This helpful little fact should not be in my math book. Come on!

Just Like Dumb and Dumber

"Wait a minute. Maybe she meant to meet her at ten o'clock at night."
"Ya think?"
"Yeah, why would she have you meet her in a bar at ten o'clock in the morning?"
"I don't know, I just figured she was a raging alcoholic."

-Dumb and Dumber

So that was Terry Zeitlow and I this morning, except bar = Student Council meeting and the time = 9:15. The meeting ended up being tonight at 9:15 where our proposal to start a Rotaract Club on campus was approved. Good night for sure. Plus, the chapel band auditioned six acoustic guitar players this afternoon. All did really well!

Prob and Stats test tomorrow evening, and lots of work during the day tomorrow. School is picking up before winding down. Summer will be here so soon.

Many blessings...

todd

Original Songs Coming

Good times. Todd Lemons and I did some recording yesterday and this evening (well, last night as it's past midnight. You know, Sunday night). The tracks are really sounding sweet. I have an early mix of Fight for You minus the drums and guitar. Pro Tools 8 is an amazing thing.

Anyway, the early mix was more than enough for me to enjoy -- I put my iPod in a ziploc bag and went for a walk in the rain. The headphones (and me) were soaked but it was alot of fun. I love a good rain, and certainly an evening walk, too, so together they worked out really well. Given it was really cold tonight, but that only ensured that I could sing to it as loud as I wanted with no fear of scaring people with some acapella shouting.

Anyway, hopefully by the end of the week most of the tracks will be finished or close to it. This should be a fairly long week, with things winding down toward the end. God is so good.

I have a morning presentation with the student council to propose the new Rotaract club on campus, so to bed I go. Much love

todd

Nice Weather Makes Hippies

Ok, so very beautiful day today. At least 70 and sunny. I think the change in weather helps to lessen inhibitions, or as Tony put it, makes people start acting like hippies.

While doing some World Civ homework by the pond, a couple of girls decided to go for a swim. If you can't picture it, the camera pic should make that easier. It was slightly awkward when people from the community were walking by, some with strollers and dogs, with confused looks on their faces undoubtedly wondering why people were swimming in the pond. I'm pretty sure there's a no swimming rule, but campus safety never came by.

So the jazz band is performing tonight at 7:30 here on campus. I don't think it'll be a terribly long concert so if you really have nothing to do, come show some love. I'll even wink at you after a solo. Not even kidding, I will. Just tell me you want me to. Either way, enjoy the evening and soak up the sun!

Love,

todd

Strawberry Chapstick Value Pack?

So, we're in Walmart the other night looking at Chapstick -- you know, the usual -- and something doesn't sit well with me as I see the Strawberry Classic Chapstick. Maybe it was some form of scam-seeking spidey sense or something, but I had to snap a quick pic of this. I'll let you do the math here:

Don't get me wrong. The $.04 isn't the point. The point is "Value Pack" makes me think I'm getting, oh, I don't know, some kind of value for buying in bulk. No, Wal-Mart, I'm losing if I buy your value pack. And I only need one chapstick, thank you.

Easter Rundown

Well, Easter weekend was really good with the family but now life is crazy busy back here at Bethel for two more weeks.

Friday night we all went to Logan's Roadhouse up by Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne. The food was really good as usual (with the exception to my dad who, unbeknownst to him, was consuming fish which would food poison him all day Saturday and Sunday...). After food and a food-fight of peanuts at the restaurant, we hopped over to the dollar theater and checked out Bedtime Stories. Surprisingly a solid movie.

Saturday, Mom, Daniel, and I hit up the garage sales for the first time this year. We had a ton of fun and lots of laughs, but came away with only a few things. Mom got some lifejackets and I got a sweet blazer at a thrift store. It's not the kind of blazer you can wear anywhere, but it will work well for a performance opportunity (like in a coffee shop or something). We'll see.

Ok, tiredness just hit me and bed is sounding pretty sweet. Tomorrow is another busy day. Many blessings, friends.

todd

"Amazed"? Oh Yes.

Ah, home sweet home. Bethel is officially on Easter break through the weekend and life really couldn't be better. I'm currently sitting on the couch watching HGTV, catching up on emails, and listening to random artists on PureVolume. The life, right?

We had some good family time tonight at Pizza Hut buffet and then good talks back home eating brownies (good work, mom) and drinking coffee. Adam comes home from Huntington tomorrow afternoon and then Friday everyone is off work and school. I'm sure we'll do something sweet. And then Saturday we're hitting up garage sales (at least some of us). YES! It's about time the weather get nice. Travis and I have already golfed twice this year and then it got freezing on us again. I'm so ready for spring to come and stay. Heck, just bring summer :)

Last night we had a release party for the new BCCB album "Amazed" at Sufficient Grounds in Mishawaka. Thanks to everyone who came and showed support. I really wanted to play musical chairs to the album, but that idea died with how crowded it was and because kid-games apparently make people "uncomfortable". If you're interested in the album, it's available on iTunes or let me know and I'll get you a copy. It's $10.


Well, I'm gonna cash in for the night. I'll post later this weekend and update on the start of 2009 Garage Sale Season and probably random family stuff. Just living the life :)

Choir

So, tomorrow night the Bethel choir will be singing with the South Bend Symphony at the Morris in South Bend. The pieces are the Faure Requiem and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. It's been a long (and not especially fun) time learning the music, but tomorrow should be really sweet. Of course, we have a rehearsal tonight and tomorrow morning/afternoon so the weekend's about shot. It's give and take though.

On a side note, there was an accompanist mix up at the choir's rehearsal at Notre Dame the other night so I had to accompany. It was straight from a movie, because I was hiding behind some kid in front of me somehow knowing that Bob was going to ask me to accompany. I could only see his feet and when they turned toward the choir and he asked "where's Todd?" my heart sank and I'm sure I lost all color. Long story short, it went ok.

Labor for Your Neighbor is going on tomorrow morning at 9am (I think) if anyone wants to show Jesus' love by serving our Bethel neighbors. As for me, I'll be with the choir.

love you all,

todd