Laura Goes to Michigan!

May 4th I flew out to Detroit, and came back to L.A. on May 10th. Lucky me, I got to stay with Ben and Megan and Aspen as I attended a music therapy continuing education credit seminar. (I have to have 100 CMTEs [Continuing Music Therapy Education credits] every 5 years, and this seminar got me 50 in one weekend!) It was Saturday-Monday 8am-7pm and Tuesday 8am-5pm learning about using music therapy in end-of-life care, and about how to start a music therapy position in a hospice company. So I learned some clinical stuff, and some business stuff too! It was great!

One of the attendees brought her iPad, and recorded some songs for music therapists to use in their work during our role-plays one morning. I shared one, and another lady shared hers. Neither of us had them written down.  We're continuing the oral tradition. =)

This song I learned in Jamaica, it's called, "Buddhist Blessing".

   

This is Taryn Thomas, she's a music therapist working on a cancer unit in a hospital in NY.

The best part of the trip, though, was time well spent with these folks:

What a cute family!

We went to go feed some ducks and geese. Aspen wasn't too sure about the whole thing once we got out of the car.

 

She felt much better once safely off the ground up in mommy's arms.

 

Daddy took her exploring on some benches that were sitting in the lake.

Yes, they were IN the lake.

Another day we went to a state park. Aspen using Ben's shoulders as her carriage and Ben's hair as her reins.

With some coaxing, Aspen was able to pet one of the goats at the petting zoo.

What a little cutie! Megan says Aspen loves to "read".

Auntie and niece cheesing it up.

Grand Prix-ing it Up!

We could hear the cars racing all weekend from our apt. After it stopped raining Friday morning (April 13), we walked the 6 blocks to see what was up, with our free tickets, to see all the practice runs.

Laura had to pretend to be a racing fan to get in.

Some of the stands people sat in.

                      Team Raptor in the crowd.





Laura quickly lost interest in watching the cars, and turned her attention to the audience.

 What happened to the rest of his dreads???

A fisherman showed up.






The look is popular, apparently.

Yes, this kid bleached the end of his rat tail and then dyed it. 

 

This kid couldn't put his 3DS down.        Every crowd has at least one ear plugger!

 If you look closely, you can see the second braid flow down his back.

                                   Tobias would be proud.

 Also something most audiences have at least one of: the crowd creepster.

There was actual (practice) racing going on, too. 

 The water got the best of Takuma Sato.

Practice run for the celebrity race. Adam Carolla in the silver car. Can't remember/couldn't find who was in the black and green car.

                                   Whoo!