familybeyond

Just recently Elijah and Ella demonstrated their music prowess once again.  They both performed in their respective bands with the school TESLA and their most outstanding music teacher, Randy Hollinger!  Thanks Randy and Amy!

Elijah plays guitar in his band, Humongous Fungus, and they played Olde Time Pumpit and TNT.  Check it out…..

Ella plays guitar in her band, Hay in the Needlestack, and they played Rattlesnake Valley and Georgia Mail.   Check Check Check…..

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcALXjosryo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krk0X8EXzJg

 

 

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A couple of weeks ago, we were lucky enough to enjoy Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure with my parents.  The main purpose was to celebrate Noah’s Birthday and to check out the new World of Harry Potter.  We spent two days in the parks and had a Blast!!  Check out some of the action we endured…..

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In mid December Elijah and Ella had their first concert with their respective bands.  They started taking music lessons at Tesla with Randy Hollinger.  They have both been practicing now for a few months.  Ella is in a bluegrass band, Needle In A Haystack, she plays guitar and sings.  In this performance she is singing, In the Pines.  Elijah is in a rock band and plays guitar.  His bands name is Four Beats In A Row and they are playing Sweet Home Alabama.

Enjoy!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3wjsyMp9hE&feature=g-upl&context=G2bddd93AUAAAAAAAAAA

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpuhUv7tXUQ&feature=g-upl&context=G2da3ab7AUAAAAAAABAA

 

 

Just some different holidays jumbled into one for our Holiday issue!

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On Sunday, October 16th, the twins and I and our very good friend, Consthan Divine, took a drive to the sleepy town of Bonifay, Fl. to tour Twin Oaks Farm.  Twin Oaks is owned by Renee Savary and was started 3 years ago.  It is a 94 acre organic farm.  Currently only about 3-5 acres are being used.  The farm raises ducks and chicken for their eggs and meat.  Renee also grows fruits and vegetables seasonally and turns them into delicious organic preserves.

There were 3 different tour times and we descended upon the first go round.  We were shown the duck and chicken houses.  She explained to the impressive turnout of folks the different methods she uses for raising these animals.  A system of moving the houses around daily in order to provide fresh grass for bedding while also supplying the grounds with an organic fertilizer from the animals waste.  There were also booths set up to explain solar cooking, micro greens and handmade soap.  A delicious lunch menu was available with fresh organic ingredients.  The always charismatic and knowledgeable Jen Kuntz had a Raw & Juicy booth set up as well.  Offering raw food demonstrations and tips on dehydrating, Jen and Cd kept the crowd informed and wanting to change their lifestyle.

A very fun and informative day as well.  Both Ashler and Elijah want a pet duck or chicken because of it.  We all had a great time and thank Ms Renee for her hospitality.  It is so very refreshing to see this type of movement taking hold all over our county.  Support Local!!

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On Friday, September 23, we descended upon Rosemary Beach at Amavida Coffee for the Moore families art show.  The Moores are a family of seven based in Florida.  The father, Alan, and his two oldest daughters, Isabella and Emma, sell their work in art galleries.  Most of their pieces are colorful and playful art using recycled or salvaged materials.  They try to promote family-based creativity and environmental awareness through their art projects and events.

The night was a lovely one as the turnout for this family art show was exciting.  Mike Witty and Arix Zalace were playing for the impressive crowd.  Rosemary Beach is a small beach community on 30A and to have the turnout they had was impressive.  Families and friends attended as it was a celebration of the creativity that is inside us all.  As a father myself, this family has it right on.  Encouraging the youth to create and innovate and turn them into pieces of beauty.  We forget sometimes the importance of using our minds to push ourselves and our family to step away from the television or the internet and just let our bodies flow with the creative side of our mind.

All in all, i give much love to this family as what they our doing is so positive and important to the family values that we try to instill upon our children.  Next time my family and I our sitting in front of the television or the kids say they our bored.  They will be reminded of the Moores and the artistic fun we had that night.

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The O’Brien posse rolled up in Seaside a few days ago.  We decided to explore and dig a little bit deeper into the foundation of this little beach town.  As we strolled about the main center of town, we stopped in all the art galleries and became a tourist for a day.  Each gallery is unique and charming as if each were scripted out of a movie.  Ironic indeed as The Truman Show was filmed in this idyllic beach community.  A charming 80 acre tract town nestled next to one of the most pristine shorelines we have been to.  The twins skateboarded around as Ella and I explored the nooks and crannies to find the hidden gems.

Robert Davis inherited the acreage in 1979.  His grandfather had bought the property in 1946.  They had vacationed here as a family for years and Robert decided to create a charming seaside town as soon as he inherited it.  Himself and the architectural firm, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co., toured the south to create this old fashioned beach town.  It is set up to accomodate full time residents and visitors.  Also to create a social atmosphere that people enjoyed being in.  Complete with a market, various ampitheaters, home of the Seaside Rep and other shops and restaurants.  It is a colorful place as all the houses are different and very colorful.  Each house has a unique name too.  The architectural styles range from Victorian, Neoclassical, Modern, Postmodern and Deconstructivism.  Many of the houses were built by acclaimed architects.

The community has its own school, Seaside Neighborhood School.  It also has many festivals and activities year round.  Seaside also is home to its own farmers market.  We will be doing a piece on this market coming soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qba9JeLce90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWVjI4QIeeo

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On Tuesday, the kids and I decided to explore a community in our own backyard.  We skateboarded down to Alys Beach to see what it was all about.  Unbeknownst to us, Aly had some pretty cool things going on.

The first interesting thing about Alys is the land was bought by a family, the Stephens, they won the land in an auction in 1979.  As time passed by, they saw 30a developing these beach communities and kind of sat back and waited.  Seaside was created and then Rosemary Beach, they watched the growing pains and what worked and what didnt.  In the early 2000’s, they decided to break ground using the same architectural firm, Duany, Plater-Zyberk and Co., that Seaside had used.  They followed the New Urbanism movement as they created a green community.  The influences came from Bermuda, Antigua and Guatemala.  The community focuses on building durable structures, energy conservation, native plant material and efficient use of natural lighting.  Alys Beach was named after Alys, the mother of the Stephens family.

Alys Beach is marked at each entrance by two large white spires.  These are based on butteries which are structures designed to make, store and preserve butter, milk and other perishable items.  This is a concept that was used in the Bahamas before refrigeration.  In each butterie there are four murals.  Each mural depicts a scene from South Waltons history.  The murals were created by Concetta Rothwell Morales.

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