NaBloPoMo--Day 10, 11, and 12

Do you live close to your family?

I grew up in Michigan, living with my parents and my sister.  My whole life all our relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) lived in the south and we only saw them once, maybe twice, a year.  When my parents split up in 1985, my dad moved down to Tennessee to be near his family.  I moved down in 1991 to pursue a singing career (that's a long story) and to be close to my dad.  My mom and my sister remained in Michigan until my mom decided to move down when my second son was born.  She was tired of working retail and the job market up there was not good so she knew there were better opportunities in Tennessee, plus she could be close to her new grandsons (my sister's kids were already almost grown, or close to it).  So now I have my beloved mom here with me and I'm close to my dad, my grandparents (which is good because they are getting up there in age.  My grandfather is close to 90), my aunts and uncle, and my cousins.  The hard part is that my sis and her kids still live up north and we don't get to see them as often as we would like.  I guess it's a trade off, but it sucks!

For day 11 and 12....

I was saddened yesterday when I heard that Whitney Houston died.  I can't really say that I was surprised though.  She had really let her life go and it's yet another sad example of a person who lets a man and a substance(s) ruin her life.  Let me explain.  I do mean to say that Bobby Brown contributed to her downfall, but it was her responsibility to walk away from a debilitating relationship.    When she finally did, it was too late.  When she made her comeback...what was it, two/three years ago...she just did not have it anymore.  That kind of failure can be devastating to a person who once had so much talent.  And substance abuse only exacerbates a person's ability to stay strong, to overcome, and come back from a set back like that.  I pray that she did not kill herself, but ultimately, if she was still using drugs, she most definitely contributed to her own death.  Rest in peace, dear Whitney.  May you find the peace that you could not seem to find in life.

The Grammy awards! What a great show this year.  Not a boring moment, in my opinion.  Of course, Adele was the highlight for me.  I just love that woman! She has such a terrific voice and she seems like a humble and grounded person.  It was obvious that she was a bit nervous to sing after having just recuperated from major vocal cord surgery, but she really pulled it out.  Such an awesome voice.  I truly believe that she deserved every last one of the six Grammys she won tonight.  So looking forward to her future records.  Other highlights of the night for me were The Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl...be still my heart), Rihanna and Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, and the Paul McCartney performance at the end.  Also, liked the Glen Campbell tribute because of Blake Shelton (lurve him!).  I did not enjoy Nikki Minaj (ugh! So overrated) at all, but really that was the only performance that I could have done without.  Well, Sir Paul's first 'standard' performance left a lot to be desired.  Sorry....  In all, an excellent show.  I have the Grammy 2012 nominees CD on the way and I can't wait to play it and relive the moments again. =O)