Kathleen Gibson: Chit Chat

Ok, I just realized that I haven't updated this page in WAY too long, but such is life when one is fully engaged in LIVING every wonderous moment.

Here's the big news folks. I just got back from a trip to Colorado, and one of the heartfelt dreams of my life is soon to come true. My family is now planning to relocate to the Boulder area in the summer of 2010. So, if you'd like to me perform for your school, library, park district, birthday party or other event, let's do it soon, so you don't end up having to buy me a plane ticket to come back to the Chicago area!

So somehow it's already freezing cold winter, and I haven't written here much. HOWEVER, I have made a face page. I hope you go add yourself to my friend list! It's a really fun way to stay in touch, I think. If you want to see and little bit of the page without joining facebook, you can use this link.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kathleen_Gibson/660776966

Hi there,

Well, I can't believe it. Fall is here, and the grass is still green! I've already begun scheduling lots of Artist In Residencies on all sorts of fun topics including song writing, character traits, and even the Ravinia One Score, One Chicago material, which focuses on lots of Water Music. All of these are created with the Illinois Educational Goals in mind and FUN LEARNING in the forefront. What could I do for your school??? Assembly? In school field trips? Family Night? Make PTA a BLAST? Create a spectacular and unforgettable residency?
Let me know...

If you haven't downloaded August's Song Of The Month, check it out. It's "Why Can't I Be Normal??" on the cd of that name, in honor of my son, who just today started college at Illinois State University in NORMAL, Illinois. It's a very fun, partly true, definitely corny song, but I think you'll love it!

I hope you find joy in whatever you do today!

The song of the month is "I Will Never Leave You" which I recorded with my precious daughter Natasha for the album Why Can't I Be Normal?? You can listen or download it for free at www.kathleengibson.com/music.html! This song literally came to me in a dream, about 3 am one morning. I heard the whole thing, arrangements, vocals, harmonies, everything, in a dream, so I suppose Jitterbug was helping me write this one! I picked up my guitar and started playing along with this incredibly beautiful melody, then realized very quickly that even if I had been fully awake, there were several chords that I did not know. Fortunately, in my half conscious state, my fingers found their ways to the right places, and I jotted down the tablature. The chorus of this song is a heart touching round of a quatrain that every parent lives every moment

I will never leave you,
My heart rests in your hand.
Through the years and for all time,
Love is all that lasts.

This song, which I dedicated to and recorded with my daughter, offers unconditional loving reassurance from mother to child, heart to heart, that I will be there for her, for all ways and always. I'm sure it will touch your heart too. So, in honor Natasha's 17th birthday and of our 9th year anniversary of Natasha's adoption, the year in which she is now longer a daughter than she was an orphan, we share our love, our voices, and this song with your families. You can read more about our journey together at www.adoptionmidwife.com, on the Our Story page.

Driving to Orion for their family concert in the park last night, the car got "rather" hard to handle. Being a seasoned "Road Warrior" I thought the lashing rains, howling winds, semi trucks and water standing on the pavement were probably collectively to blame. So, I wrestled the car on down the highway, another 70 miles or so, to the prettiest little bandshell I ever saw. As I was preparing to go onstage, I saw what looked like chewing gum wrapping ALL the way around my driver's side front tire. I reached to pull the unsightly mess off, only to start shredding my poor thumb on little steel spikes, sticking out from the tire, where it had SPLIT! YIKES!

Quickly I told my wonderful hostess Teresa Pierce of the Western District Public Library of my problem, hoping she could help me locate some road service place that would change the tire after the concert. She turned to her husband John with a glowing smile. He asked me to move my car to a nice, flat spot, and set about to change that nasty tire for the little spare, but there was this problem with the lug nuts... Friend after friend came to help John, and in the end, after an hour of hard work and an endless array of tools, these wonderful men changed that sad, broken tire, rescued this damsel in distress and sent me safely homeward bound.

My HEARTFELT THANKS to John Pierce, Robert "Yogi" McHugh, Paul Lange, Rob Manning, Sandy Crayne, and Henry Murphy for their hard work, good tools, fine spirits, and true chivalry!

By the time I got home, I discovered that a second tire had split in exacty the same way, so grateful thanks to the Good Lord kept me safe!

I now have four brand new tires and a smile in my heart for the good hearted folks in Orion, Illinois...and for the guardian angel who keeps watch over me.

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Coming soon...I'm working on TWO new albums for you! Watch this space for more details.

Also, if you know of any wonderful artists out there, young or more experienced, I'm looking for cover art for one of these albums. Songs include:
My Doggies Do The Dishes,
Pajama Samba (the never before recorded story!!)
Zoe The Zebra (black'n'white blues), and others.
Email me if you have ideas for the great cover for this super silly album!

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How about it? Let me hear what you think of the new site, and what sorts of things you'd like me to add?

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