Category Archives: Hannah Hylen

Concert 23-St. Louis, Missouri: A Hummingbird Day

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Thanks to Christine Hammond for sponsoring the blog today. (Love ya!)

For more information on sponsoring a blog, go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

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Concert 23-St. Louis, Missouri
A Hummingbird Day

I began the day yesterday with reflections about the anniversary of the death of my husband, Hurley Cox. All of the beautiful blessings from friends and family yesterday, and the desire to focus on the hummingbirds, created the most magical day of the entire tour.

As you know, Hannah and I are going to 45 Jonas Brothers concerts this summer. Yesterday was the middle, number 23. Like climbing a hill, reaching the pinnacle point and now it is all downhill from here. Each concert takes us closer to our goal. We are savoring every moment knowing that it will be over in the blink of an eye.

Yesterday was like having a fairy godmother wave her magic wand over us. Or was it a loved one in Spirit, Hurley, guiding the way?

We spent the morning taking care of a variety of details and then hopped in the car to find our way to the Honor Society in-store Verizon Wireless event. When we arrived, we got our wrist bands that guaranteed a place in line for a poster signing with the Honor Society band, Michael, Andrew, Alexander and Jason. I scooted off to Target to refill the car with snacks and bottled water.

I received a mildly frantic call from Hannah to come back to the store. There was a contest for free tickets. This was a contest that required us to work as a team. To get the tickets, you had to have the most people there in a group with you supporting you to get the tickets. Hannah sent messages on twitter. I worked the crowd to tell them our story and ask them to support us. We eventually gathered about twenty-five people and won two tickets for the show last night!

In the process of winning the tickets, we met a variety of people. We met Kelsey who is the head of the Honor Society street team in Missouri. She is a natural networker, promoter and journalist at the age of 15. She connected me with Taylor J from Z107.7, a radio station personality in St Louis. I did a 30 second audio promo about our blog and then Taylor recorded me for a vlog. It is on her site.

http://www.z1077.com/pages/taylorj.html

We met another girl Hannah who had extra meet and greet passes for the Honor Society and she gave them to us. She was so sweet and smart. She is a perfect example of what I am seeing with the young women we are meeting. She knew that we would need to connect to get the passes. She took our phone numbers, sent Hannah a text message, found us at the venue with the passes, made sure that we had the meeting time and the code for the pictures. Smart, efficient, caring, open hearted young woman.

The Honor Society guys know my daughter, Hannah and me. We first met them in Denver when there was a small gathering of people. We told them our story and Alex, in particular, has been so enthusiastic about this journey. As they were signing my poster yesterday, I was telling them about the Oprah e-mail campaign. It is a long story and I am going to do my first Vlog about it very soon! Alex wanted to know if I had talked to Ned about it. Yes, and it is a silly story.

After more dancing and talking with people, Hannah and I found our way to the Scottrade Center for the concert. The weather had changed from hot, sunny to a windy, cool, thunderstorm.

In one of my blogs I wrote about the community that is formed around the venue with the staff from each of the sponsors. Everyone supports each other. We were huddled under the Mike and Ike’s canopy and I was talking with one of the Mike and Ike guys, James. He is a great guy, a college student who is working an amazing job for the summer. He is traveling around the United States, eating meals with all of the musicians, meeting sports figures who stop by the venues (he is a huge sports fan!) and occasionally, meeting a famous musician like Bono. It is fun to hear the stories and share in his excitement.

Well, last night, there were extra Jordin Sparks meet and greet passes. He knew how much we love Jordin and he gave us two tickets. This doesn’t happen often but tonight was our lucky night.

When the rain slowed down, he took down the canopy and we wandered over to the Verizon Recording Studio Bus. There were only a few people in line, so we climbed aboard for the tour. Michael and Mikie were giving the tour that day with Jesse hanging out in the front. It started pouring again so we hung out there for about 45 minutes. The bus travels with a variety of musicians who can use the bus to record songs while they are on tour. Instead of just a 5 minute tour, last night they were showing us how they mix the songs and demonstrated the instruments and played a wide variety of music for us.

Hannah and I split up and talked to different people until the doors opened and we found our way to our FREE front row seats. All of a sudden, I look up and I see two people I met in DC. This is one of those weird moments in life. In the parking garage after the concert in DC, I talked with 2 people who were parked next to me. Tonight they were in St. Louis, bought tickets and the tickets were right next to Hannah and me. Hannah is going to connect with one of the guys on Facebook. Nice people. Okay, Universe, what was that all about?

We knew so many people there last night. From other concerts, from the Verizon Wireless event earlier in the day and from the Jonas community.

We watched the Honor Society set, went backstage to have pictures and get hugs. We met two members from the band Since Forever. I am going to check them out on myspace and write a review.

Back to our seats for the end of Jordin’s set, then backstage to talk with her. She has been sick and was not allowed to speak, but I told her how I am having so much fun watching her grow as an artist this summer. She smiled, clapped her hands and hugged me. She is so nice.

Back to our seats for another great Jonas Brothers concerts. I danced and danced and went crazy with the band. I was so into it I kept bumping into Hannah and even scratching her with my nails. Sorry! I need more space to dance!

All in all, it was a Hummingbird Day.

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Hannah Hylen, Honor Society, Hurley Cox, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, Live A Life Worth Celebrating, St. Louis, Z107.7

Concert 21: Uniondale, New York

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Thanks to MaryAnn McNeely for sponsoring the blog this week.
She makes beautiful jewelry and is a life coach.

Check out her website:

http://www.maryannmcneely.com/

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Concert 21: Uniondale, New York
July 21, 2009

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. – Carl Jung

It was the first really rainy day of the concert tour. The vendor buses and trucks were there with one lonely Burger King Apple Fries cart. People were crowding into the ticket box area or they were huddled together looking for shelter.

Hannah and I did not have tickets and we were both sort of freaking out. This was the day I had agreed to help Jesse, my daughter Mary’s fiancé, return stage lights and a ladder. It involved a variety of stops. First we drove from W. 140th Street and Broadway to the Richmond Shepard Theatre at 309 E. 26th Street (@ 2nd Ave.) where ACTion Ecuador, a Dramatic Adventure Theatre production, had performed for four days. (The performances were phenomenal, by the way.) We loaded the huge spotlights after shuffling suitcases and the ladder to fit everything into the car. The drop-off spot was Hell’s Kitchen around 9th and 40th. It was a really cool building. I could imagine the 1920’s and The Silent Film era when Broadway was booming.

All of this was in Manhattan… in the rain.

With all of that handled, we drove to Queens to the home of the lighting designer. We were returning the ladder. As I drove through the tunnel and paid the toll, we realized the computer directions were missing one key element. The only way to reach the exit before crossing the bridge was to be all the way to the right at the toll booth. There was a barrier and we couldn’t get over to the exit. It took us another 45 minutes to get back to Queens. All of this was in crazy rush hour traffic and did I say…in the rain.

When I am in NYC, I usually park the car and we take public transportation or an occasional cab everywhere. But, the estimated public transportation time to Long Island was 3 ½ hours. The original plan according to the computer was that the errands and the drive to the concert location would take 90 minutes. Driving to Queens was on the way to the concert in Uniondale on Long Island. It took 3 hours, it was raining, we didn’t have concert tickets and we were freaking out.

At 6pm, we stood in line and saw the people in front of us buying the newly released, precious front row seats. We were really stressing on each other. The weather, the lateness, and the disruption of our routine and shortage of money had us stressed and taking it out on each other. (These are not my proudest moments, but I want to be honest with you. We were not very nice to each other today.)

We had to pay more than we wanted to for my ticket. The only tickets available were the top price. Hannah got a front row corner seat. I was on the 200 level, but still the same price.
After we got our tickets, I decided to walk outside in the rain. An unexpected gift appeared. Jen, the woman who works at some of the venues with Burger King was here. We met in the Midwest and now she had been here for the three shows on Long Island. I was shocked, excited, and thrilled. The last time I saw her was in Chicago where she lives and works.

She had been at the tour at these really pivotal moments. After hugging her and hearing a few of her life details, I talked with her about the stress and the frustration and my desire to open to the next steps. As usual she gave me hugs and encouragement.

I don’t know what is going to happen. We are going to the Full Moon Crazy Show tomorrow night for Honor Society and then back to Baltimore. We are at the end of our money. Is this the end?

I have found that when I am frustrated and stressed, I attract more frustration and more things that require patience. Long lines at the women’s bathroom, people arguing around me, and rainy, damp days. When I can see my life as a spiritual practice and switch my focus to curiosity and wonderment, everything shifts.

I decided to enjoy myself. I was in the building now with a ticket. If this was the last show, I wanted to be awake and alive in this moment. I walked around the concourse and looked at the food. (Maybe I will publish this someday. A list of different food at the booths at the arenas around the country)

I looked for the sponsor booths to see if there was anything new. I saw Jen and she waved to me. She had called me on my cell phone but I hadn’t heard it ring with all the noise from the crowd. She called her husband Antonio, the guy who runs the Burger King events at all of the concerts this summer. He asked about my tickets and presented me with upgraded tickets.

Something shifted. Or had I already shifted my attitude and that opened me to this moment? Hannah had a front row seat so I only needed the one ticket. Antonio and Jen sat by me that night. It was the first time they had seen the show. They took pictures at the concert and watched with wide open amazement.

I watched the concert as if it were my last. Savoring the atmosphere. Dancing every song. Feeling the gratitude of this moment. Not knowing what is next.

Every day there has been something pulling me into the dream of this adventure. Is it time to turn back or move forward?

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Dramatic Adventure Theater, Hannah Hylen, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, New York City

Concert 18- Boston, Massachusetts Chance Encounters

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Thank you to Second Look Books our blog sponsor today:

Second Look Books
168 South Street
Plainville, MA. 02762
slbooks@email.msn.com

For more information on sponsoring go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

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July 17, 2009

Concert 18- Boston, Massachusetts

Synchronicity

This morning I drove to Plainsville, Massachusetts to meet a woman named Sue, the owner of a bookstore called Second Look Books. Sue is a friend of one of my Facebook friends, Christina Labonte Groves.

I met Christina on Facebook this past winter. I think a Course in Miracles brought us together. We were both in a Facebook group that shared inspirational messages. She uploaded a picture of herself in the snow. It was such a beautiful angelic picture, I wrote a comment and we began communicating more on Facebook. She is one of my group Favorites.

When Christina saw that I was traveling all around the United States going to Jonas Brothers concerts, she looked up the schedule, saw when they would be in Boston and sent me a message on Facebook. She offered me a place to stay.

I had a place to stay already, but I was in the process of looking for a bookstore to have a discussion with my book Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman’s Guide to Life. I thanked her for the invitation and then I asked if she knew of a bookstore or coffee shop where I could offer a book discussion. Within 24 hours, she had several ideas and talked with Sue and it was scheduled.

I drove to the store today to meet Sue in person, bring a few books and talk about the book group on Saturday. I was sad that Christina was working and unable to attend the book group. She was also working today. It was an amazing surprise when I arrived at the store and Christina was there. Her 11am appt was cancelled! We met and hugged and felt the connection that was started on Facebook.

The next “chance encounter” happened in Rosemont, Illinois last week. I was standing in line at the ticket booth waiting to pick up tickets and still looking for one ticket for the show that night. I was talking with a woman who was in line behind me. When I mentioned the goal of going to 45 concerts this summer, her daughter told me she had watched some of my daughter’s videos.
The conversation continued. They were from Boston. Susan has a travel business and had flown in with one daughter for the show. Her other daughter had broken her ankle in a freak softball accident at home plate and was not able to make the flight. We were talking about the Boston concerts. I told her that yes, we were coming and no, we did not have tickets yet. She had a friend who had two tickets to sell! She made a phone call and voila! the tickets were mine.

I met up with Susan and her daughters, Haleigh and Emilie in the train station below the Garden. I waited with them to take the handicapped elevator upstairs to the garden. Emilie is in a wheelchair while her ankle mends. Hannah received an unexpected meet and greet with the Jonas Brothers so she got her ticket and was off to stand in line.

I know that Susan could have handled the wheelchair and all of the details on her own. I also know that having an extra set of hands from me was good for her. We ended up on the third floor in a handicapped section with a huge dance floor area.

Isn’t it fascinating that we were in line in Chicago, she became my connection for tickets, her daughter was in a wheelchair and I was able to help her? Pretty cool, huh?

Susan and I danced and had so much fun together at the concert. One of the best concerts.

I love these synchronistic connections. Have you had any lately?

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman's Guide to Life, Hannah Hylen, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, Massachusetts, music, Plainville, Second Look Books

Concert 17-East Rutherford, New Jersey- Community and Family

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How perfect that Kathryn Yarborough is the sponsor for today. Check out her youtube about reducing stress and her website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htUcHvw9xqo

http://www.relaxed-and-at-ease.com

And let people know about her site. It is truly a gift.

For more information about becoming a sponsor go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

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Concert 17-East Rutherford, New Jersey

Community and Family

Wyckoff, New Jersey is listed as the hometown of the Jonas Brothers. The boys were born in New Jersey, Texas and Arizona. Currently they reside in Dallas and Los Angeles. Each location has a specialness for them, but New Jersey is home. And with Kevin’s recent engagement to a young woman named Danielle, it is even more evident. (Congratulations to them!)

I sat in section 108 last night. It is the center of the stage, I was in the 7th row, eye level with the band, and the seat was next to the underground tunnel where the band emerges to go to the stage. These were definitely the best seats I ever had at any show in my entire life.

Every evening the show is great and I have seen some that are phenomenal. But, this was like being in someone’s home. It felt like the arena was filled with only the people who have watched and supported the Jonas Brothers for a long time. And yes, Danielle was there with her family and bodyguards for both nights of the show. She sat a few rows away from me for the last two nights.

After the song, Live to Party, they leaned back on each other and breathed for awhile. It was an example of how much energy they were putting into each of the shows last night. This is the song from their hit Disney show, JONAS. Nick plays the drums the whole time and does some amazing solos. Joe and Kevin get into a mechanical arm contraption and spray foam on half of the audience. Fun and energetic!

It was a privilege to be there last night. To see and feel the warmth of a community of friends and family. To watch the boys give their all and share themselves so beautifully and personally with this group of people.

I have been taking notes and observing the idea of community for the past few weeks.

When you follow a band for the summer, you feel like you know the band, and the people who work the sponsor booths. If you were a dead head who followed the Grateful Dead, like my friend, Kater or if you have ever followed a band, you know what I mean about the community that is formed. (my sister-in-law, Patty has seen many, many Tom Petty shows and would love a summer like this to follow him around the country. Go for it, Patty!!)

In the community this summer, there is Jeff who drives the Burger King – Apple Fries truck. As we were leaving DC on Monday at 11:45pm, I saw him and beeped. Yesterday, I asked if he heard me beep at him and I asked him why he went towards Annapolis to drive to New Jersey. Yes, he heard me beep and he had to go a different way because of the restrictions for trucks on 295 North, the direct path I was taking towards Baltimore. He let me know that the air conditionning was on in the truck, if I got too hot today.

Jason another BK guy gave me two Jonas Brothers gift cards yesterday to help us with food. I met him a few nights ago and he took a picture of us at my 40th concert.

Owen, Seth and Warren work for Verizon Wireless and have a band of their own called Raised by Radio. When I saw Owen at the start of the summer, his eyes lit up and he said, “Are you traveling across the country again?” He very excitedly gave me an update on the band and told me they were cutting a CD this summer. If you want to check them out go to www.myspace.com/raisedbyradio.

Michael from Verizon is also a musician. There is a recording studio bus sponsored by Verizon Wireless and they travel with musicians ten months out of the year. He has traveled with Green Day, Black eyed Peas, and Rhianna to name a few.

Things happen during the summer in this community. This summer we have celebrated Nick’s trip to DC to talk to the Senate about continuing the funding for diabetes research. We celebrated the CD reaching #1, the second time on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.

Jordin Sparks has a CD release on July 21. Honor Society has a CD release on Sept 15 with pre-sales already. We celebrate their music and their success. It is an exciting time for them and for the community that loves them all.

The Wonder Girls now have their song Nobody available on CD and they were there yesterday with a brief introduction. (They were not at the concerts here, but will be on stage in Boston) They saw Hannah and invited her up to the stage for a picture. A bit later, Hannah pointed to me and asked them, if I could have a picture, too. They motioned for me to come up. We cheer them on and they embrace us, too, this summer.

Last summer we were in Irvine, CA for the birthday of Denise Jonas, in Atlanta for Demi Lovato’s birthday and Joe’s graduation celebration. We were in Anaheim for two days of filming the 3-D Jonas Brothers movie, in NYC for the CD release and in the DC area when the CD reached number one on the charts.

These are the public moments and there are many small moments in the concert. Celebrating the birthdays of two ten year olds at their first concert. Celebrating a graduation from high school. Celebrating and sharing our lives, as we wait for the concert to begin.

I am in awe of the beautiful communities all over this country. Women, men and children gathered and supporting each other. I am aware during this time in the world how we all need each other more than ever.

In Vancouver, on a wonderful afternoon spent on a boat called Loveable with my friend, Laura Mack and her husband, Andrew a few weeks ago (actually, it was Canada Day-July 1), I watched a boating community greet and support each other. When the boat docks, people on shore step forward to guide you in safely. Yes, part of it is self-preservation. The boaters want their own boats to be safe. , But as we docked on the island, three boaters appeared and their boats were safely on the other side of the dock. They assisted us and it made for smooth docking.

There were picnics and barbecues. People greeted each other and the children and dogs that accompanied many of them on their journey. A community of love and support and connection.

When I went home to Baltimore last week, I got up early one morning to get a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich at a local Zi Pani. I was excited to give a BK Jonas Brothers lanyard to one of the women who works there. Her daughter is crazy for the Jonas Brothers. The lanyards are only handed out at certain concerts and I had been saving this for her.

I drove up to the parking lot and it was so empty. I looked and the store had closed. After a moment of shock, I got back in my car, put my head on the steering wheel and cried. I felt the loss of this corner of the community. The place I shared my journey, picked up breakfast for the road, listened to the passions of the workers, heard the stories of their children, their health issues, their ups and downs. In the month Hannah and I have been on the road, the store closed with no warning. I had no chance to say goodbye. It really hit me hard.

We need each other. We need support for our dreams, our hopes, our wishes. We need each other to hold during the times of loss and sadness, during the times of joy and celebration.

Yes, the concert last night was a magnificent example of a community that has held the dreams with a family of musicians with great, big hearts.

Find ways today to support someone and to ask and receive support yourself. There is a flow to this giving and receiving and we are all in this together.

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Baltimore, coffeeshop, Dallas, Hannah Hylen, homeschooling, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, music, New Jersey, wonder girls

How I lost 7 lbs in three weeks

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How I lost 7 lbs in three weeks!

We arrived in Baltimore for 24 hours and I weighed myself on the scale. I had lost 7 lbs. No real change in diet, just dancing at 15 concerts in less than a month. I call it the Jonas Brothers concert exercise program. Dancing to all of the songs at every concert is required, including learning the Honor Roll for the song, “See you in the dark” and the Wonder Girls dance to “Nobody.” (I will see if I can find links to those.)

For those of you who want to exercise to Jonas Brothers music, I created two videos last fall to stay in shape.

Here are the links:

Yoga to Hello Beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnDHPF_qIgU

Dances from the 60’s to That’s Just the Way You Roll: http://blip.tv/file/1456548

Enjoy!

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Baltimore, dances from the 60's, exercise, Hannah Hylen, homeschooling, Honor Society, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, wonder girls, yoga

I AM the MOM

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Today’s Blog is sponsored by Evolutionary Women
www.evolutionarywomen.org

For more information on becoming a sponsor go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com.

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I am the mother. At night, I dance and sing and clap and cheer at the concerts. I talk with people and I have a good time.

During the day I plan out the next day’s drive. I look a week or so in advance and arrange places to stay.

I make phone calls back to Baltimore. Checking with my friend, Karen who is handling details at my house. A radiator pipe started to drip. A contract on the house not working out. I look at the bank account and calculate how many concerts we can plan in advance. I arrange the food, fill the gas tank, anticipate the next oil change, review the weather.

It is an honor to be of service. And at the same time, I am walking a new path for myself. I am sending e-mails to authors from our book Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman’s Guide to Life. I e-mail around the authors around country while I support my daughter in her dream. She is amazing! I watch her determination with the blogs and answering e-mails. It is my joy.

And everyday I ask myself, what is my purpose? Am I here only to support her dream or am I also laying a foundation for me?

There is a balancing act for most mothers. The question I have asked myself many times, “When am I me and when am I a part of “she.” When am I the mother and when am I a separate person, named Andrea.

The first time I fully realized this loss of identity was when my oldest daughter was about two years old. I was sitting in the baby pool at a public pool and the mothers and fathers began to introduce themselves, sort of. The questions focused on the children. Words like, “ahhhh, she is so cute. How old is she? What’s her name?” No one asked about my life, my interests, even my name!

It was okay at first. I adored her, my daughter, Mary and then Liz, Cooper and Hannah. I loved to talk about them, my bundles of joy. I still love to talk to them and about them. They are all amazing individuals. (Cooper died in 1993. A story for another day.)

As the mother, I was identified as Mary’s Mom, Liz’s Mom and now Hannah’s Mom. No one knew my name. A N D R E A …

So, what does this have to do with the concerts? Hannah and I lead separate but intertwined lives this summer. I am known as Hannah’s Mom at the concert venue or as the mother who is traveling to 45 concerts with her daughter.

I am thrilled to support her and I am aware of the things I put aside every day. The book draft from last summer that is waiting for the submission paperwork to an editor, the six blogs in draft form that I haven’t had time to finish because I am running the errands, doing the driving, coordinating the next places to stay. Paying the bills, finding the food, cleaning the car. And as thrilled as I am to support her and watch her and love her, I have moments of asking, what’s in it for me? Like Kevin Costner in the Field of Dreams, I am brought to the edge every day financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually.

I am not complaining. I am bringing into awareness the needs that must be met in some way or I will become resentful. I am aware that I love the concerts, the Jonas Brothers, Honor Society, the Wonder Girls and Jordin Sparks. I am aware that I love the journey with my daughter. I love the driving, the traveling, the listening and something is stirring in me. Words that must be written. A path that is opening for me.

In this awareness, I am sitting in a Panera Bread location in Baltimore this morning. With all of the errands that still need my attention and getting Hannah to the Honor Society Verizon event early, I am taking 30 minutes to drink a cup of coffee and write a blog for me.

I must have my own individualized expression. Sometimes the only way to get it is to decide and to commit to a time for me. I am letting go once again to trust that everything will happen today in the perfect timing.

All is well.

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Baltimore, coffeeshop, Hannah Hylen, homeschooling, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, Panera Bread, parenting

Concert 11- Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Thanks to the Tucker Family: Shelly, Pete, Gaby, Ethan and Sammy for sponsoring the blog today.

For more information on sponsoring a blog go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com.

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July 8, 2009

Concert 11- Minneapolis, Minnesota

A comedy of errors. Today started out the opposite of yesterday, as far as being in the stream of life and yet, I am focused on the comedy and irony of so many of the details. I went from stress to adrenalin flow to laughing. Sounds like a crazy woman, eh?

We were driving from Omaha, Nebraska to Minneapolis, Minnesota. We left an hour later than we had planned. There was one area of construction after another so it took us two hours longer than the google map estimate. We found the Quality Inn hotel in Bloomington and in record speed, we changed our clothes and freshened up.

Heading into Minneapolis, I missed the exit. Trying to weave my way back to the correct location, we found a huge crowd and a big stadium-type place.

Two clues should have told me that this was the wrong venue. One was the signs pointing to something called the Metronome. The venue was at the Target Center. And many people were wearing Minnesota Twins shirts. I laugh again, as I think about this. I can remember thinking that this must be something people do in Minneapolis. They wear baseball shirts where ever they go. I am still chuckling about this!

A word of wisdom, if you go to a concert and the crowd is wearing shirts with a baseball team and you don’t see anyone wearing a band T-shirt, you are at a baseball game NOT a concert!!

By the time we discovered this, I had paid $20 for parking and Hannah had tried to get into the stadium with her Jonas Brothers ticket. I was already walking towards the stadium. Oh, and my phone died. Totally, it will-not-start-ever-again!

The parking attendant refunded the parking fee with no problems and gave us directions to the Target Center which I kept calling the Staples Center (I had LA on the mind.)

When I dropped Hannah off at the front of the venue, she said something to me about focusing on the positive and I made the decision to look at everything that had gone right that day.

The scenery was beautiful all day.
Fresh cup of coffee from Starbucks mid-afternoon.
Beautiful hotel for a reasonable price.
Hotel check-in was done in record time
Refund from parking at the baseball game.

Found the Target Center easily with the new directions.
Followed two cars to a parking lot which was had easy entry
Parking cost was $9.00 instead of $20.
Followed the signs to the Center that took me on a skywalk.
Saw the Honor Society manager and met some of his family friends and had a nice conversation.
Great seats. Center of the stage, 11th row.
Arrived five minutes before the Honor Society started. Didn’t miss a thing.
Sat next to a lovely woman. Her husband is a Minneapolis police officer. They have a connection to Jordin Sparks manager, I think a cousin. And she was there with her daughter and two friends and she danced the whole time!
On my other side, were two teenagers. One of them watches Hannah’s youtube videos and reads her blog. She was excited to meet me and here our story.

As I said earlier, I dropped Hannah off while I looked for parking. We had agreed to meet at the Starbucks across the street because I didn’t have a phone! to let her know where I would be parking.

I had about 15 minutes to sit and watch the crowd. There were other parents waiting for their teens. When they connected, the girls had bright, glowing, tear stained faces. The parents faces brightened as they watched and listened to the joy of the girls. Lots of nodding and smiling from the parents. The girls were so happy and talkative.

There were groups of teens and young 20’s with arms interlocked and still singing a Jonas song as they walked down the street. There were mothers holding the hands of their 7 and 8 year old daughters, as tightly as possible, so as not to lose them. An occasional chain of young girls and a mother or two with arms tightly linked to form an invincible chain of protection. And of course, in the background, there were waves of screams as the possibility of a view of a Jonas Brother happened.

The concert was great. I was tired. And this moment of sitting and watching the crowd was a beautiful way to end a day that was pretty good after all.

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Hannah Hylen, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Concert 9-Provo Utah STADIUM OF FIRE!

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Tricia Kramer, L.Ac.
Acupuncture Body+Mind+Spirit
National Board Certified
Baltimore, MD 21208
and
Media, PA 19063
by appointment
410-484-2020
www.acufinder.com

Thank you to Tricia Kramer for sponsoring the blog today

For more information on sponsoring the blog, go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

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Concert 9- Provo, Utah, Stadium of Fire!

Happy 4th of July 2009!

Here is the story of The Stadium of Fire, the Jonas Brothers and the Fourth of July 2009!

The tickets went on sale in March 2009. These were the first tickets announced for the summer Jonas Brothers concert tour. The announcement caught my eye for several reasons:

1. The Jonas Brothers
2. 4th of July
3. Utah (we are planning on moving from Baltimore to California.)

With all of the real estate traffic through the house, I thought it would sell quickly and we would be moving to the west coast. Even without going on a Jonas tour, it felt like it would make sense to plan a west coast 4th of July. Hannah was hesitant to purchase the tickets because we couldn’t find any good seats. We went back and forth talking about this for months.

A few days ago, we finally decided to go to Utah, skip the Edmonton concert on July 2 and Winnipeg on July 5 and take our chances with tickets.

We found tickets the day before the concert and both of us love, love, loved our locations in the stadium. Hannah was a couple of rows from the edge of the catwalk. I had a front row seat to all of the festivities on the field, section 34B. If I was watching a football game, it was probably the 50 yard line, first row, behind the coach. It was great to see all of the pageantry. People dressed in time period costumes that coordinated with a flag from that era, like the Civil War. A variety of kids with flags and fire batons entertained with enthusiasm and smiles.

I was reading the event program before everything started and I saw that the event was going to be broadcast via satellite to thousands of military bases around the world. Tears sprang to my eyes. I felt the magnitude of this all evening. With each wave of entertainment, music, prayers and finally the fireworks, I could feel the power of this. A stadium filled with people who were sharing the evening with military personnel all over the planet. We are all One.

I sat with two teenage girls who are cousins and on the other side, a mother with a pre-teen and a toddler. Each of us with our own story of how we arrived here. One of the cousins decided to attend this event at the last minute. She had the better seat and the two girls were trying to figure out how to sit together during the evening. Our seating was benches with backs and I told them that we could all squish in together. They giggled and made fun of things throughout the evening. Only once, as we practiced the Star Spangled Banner with one of the Osmond sons leading us, did I say anything “parental” to the girls. They made up words and were laughing throughout the whole song. I gently shared with them that the reason we were practicing was because this would be transmitted to military locations all over the world. We would be sharing the evening with people who are fighting for and protecting our freedom. I could see that they felt the impact of that and I also felt their respect for the military during the singing later that evening. They were really nice girls and I knew that they weren’t meaning to be disrespectful.

Our host for the evening was Glenn Beck, a radio show host on the FOX network. I really appreciated how he created an atmosphere for everyone, including me, a tree hugging, liberal. He talked about how it was time for each of us to focus on our similarities and to come together as a country. Amen, brother. I believe that when each of us finds peace inside, it will create peace on the outside.

SheDaisy was the opening band. I had never heard of them. I enjoyed the music but I am not sure which songs they sang. I searched for them on YouTube today and found a variety of songs, included, “What This Woman Needs.” I really like this song.

Then, the Jonas Brothers came on the stage. Woo Hoo! I missed these guys. It had been four days since I had been at a concert and I was ready. I danced and sang and jumped up and down for the all of the songs, as usual. I had fun with the pre-teen, Mom and toddler on the other side of my seat. The toddler kept holding her arms up to me. When the boys sang Play My Music from Camp Rock, I picked her up, sang to her, danced and twirled and dipped her. It was a blast!

As soon as the set was over, the Fireworks began! Whoa, baby! Last year, I was on a hilltop with all of the fireworks far away. This year, I was right under the fireworks. They were ca-razy close. The woman next to me got a hot ember in her ear and there was a glowing chunk that landed at my feet. I loved it and it was a little freaky at the same time. I was careful to guard my eyes. We all had pieces of fireworks on our body.

I have to say this was the coolest fireworks I have ever been to for several reasons:

1. The satellite and feeling the connection to people all over the world.
2. The Jonas Brothers
3. Long, amazing show
4. A choir that sang patriotic songs during the fireworks.

Next to the Jonas Brothers, my favorite songs to sing in a crowd are songs about loving this country. I always feel a connection to the whole world when I sing these songs. I have to do a separate blog on the patriotic music because this is getting so long and I have much more to share!

After the Jonas Brothers the sequence of events were fireworks and a few recorded songs, “Don’t Stop Believing” and “Defying Gravity” were two.

Next came a Flag Retirement Ceremony. I wish I had the specifics but it was something like this. The flag had been used for 7 or 8 years. It was torn and needed to be retired. There were about twenty to thirty people who carried the flag onto the field and it was placed in a huge incinerator and burned. When the burning began, a huge blast of fire shot up a wire framed torch. It took my breath away, it was so powerful.

And then, a Patriotic Pyrotechnic finale with amazing patriotic songs.

These are my favorite moments in the concerts. It is when I feel the connection to everyone. Imagine being in a stadium where the majority of the people are sending love, commitment, honoring and respect throughout the world. Imagine how we could shift things on the planet if we all joined together and sent forth this kind of love. How would things change?

Posted in 4th of July, Andrea Hylen, fireworks, Hannah Hylen, homeschooling, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, military, Provo, Utah

When was the last time you took a leap in your life? Happy Independence Day!

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Tricia Kramer, L.Ac.
Acupuncture Body+Mind+Spirit
National Board Certified
Baltimore, MD 21208
and
Media, PA 19063
by appointment
410-484-2020
www.acufinder.com

Thank you to Tricia Kramer for sponsoring the blog today

For more information on sponsoring the blog, go to www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

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Letter sent to Family and Friends on July 4, 2009

Hello everyone!

Hannah, my 16 year old daughter, and I are on a journey. Some of you know last summer, we traveled to 15 Jonas Brothers’ concerts and drove 10,000 miles. For both of us, it was a journey of healing and reconnecting to the world. Since my husband/her father died, we had both been isolating in many ways and this brought us into the world again. Both of us remembered things about ourselves that had been forgotten in the grief.

I discovered a passion for writing and am continuing to express myself in this medium. In Hannah, I began to see her ability to self-organize and respond to questions on her blog from girls all over the world. I also saw the talent she has with photography, film and editing.

When we returned home, more ideas continued to bubble until I realized that it was time to sell the house. In the journey of selling the house, Hannah and I decided to travel this summer and follow the Jonas Brothers and have an even deeper experience before moving to California for the next life adventure.

There was one hitch in the giddy-up, the contract on the house fell through right before the trip. The question was, “Do we go or do we stay?” It would have been easy to stay and to wait for a buyer. To stay in our comfort zone and feel safe in Baltimore. It would have been easy to see this as a “sign” to give up on our dream.

But, for anyone who knows me well, playing it safe would never have been an option. It was time to do the trust walk out in the world, especially when all of the doors had been opening for us in that direction for months.

I asked myself, “Do I stop trusting now because I don’t have all of the answers and because I don’t see all of the steps in front of me?” Or do I climb to the top of my three-story house and leap?

We decided to leap and go on this journey, opening to how far we could get.

I made a commitment to the first three Jonas Brothers concerts. Dallas, Tulsa and Denver. As soon as I made the commitment, I received an invitation to stay with two friends along the journey. A potluck/book discussion was created for me to speak in Arkansas about Creativity and the book Conscious Choices. In Tulsa, a reporter found us through his daughter and we were featured on the front page and the music section of Tulsa World, the city’s newspaper.

In three weeks, I have seen three stopping points and then something shifted with a place to stay, an unexpected check, the sale of some books. It looked like we were out of money in Denver, in Tacoma and in Vancouver. And here we are in Salt Lake City with enough funds for the next week that will bring us back to Baltimore before heading north to NYC and Boston.

The idea of asking for sponsors came to me when we were on the road about ten days ago. I created some website pages, sent an e-mail to a small group of women and then wasn’t sure how to proceed until yesterday.

It came to me to ask. Write this letter and send it to every person in my life who I have touched or who has touched me. The next idea was to create a family and friends special and ask for sponsors, support and adventurers to come along with me and sponsor the blog with money and resources.

My victory is your victory. My YES! to the Universe, is your YES! to the Universe. My adventure leads you to your adventure.

It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and risk everything. I am learning to relax more on this evolutionary edge and follow the ideas and the guidance. Every step leads me to the next step.

(This is funny. The ad on my Facebook page in this moment reads, “Be more than a Leader. Be an influential leader. Learn how to create solutions that make a difference!”)

This is what my daily life is right now. More than having fun at a concert, I am talking with people and encouraging them to reach farther for their dreams. I have made a big leap and I can see that it is in the small moments of this leap that I am having impact on the individuals I meet, my daughter and myself.

You can support this adventure in several ways:

1. Sponsor a blog. (Look at the note titled Sponsor Categories for Friends and Family)

a. List your family- The DaGrava family

b. List your business with .jpg logo and website

c. List a favorite charity- It could read something like, The Gardener-Rosemary family encourages you to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation www.komen.org

d. Congratulate a family member: The Brown family congratulates Luke on graduating from middle school!

e. Gather money with a group- sponsored by the soulvoyagers or volleyball team 22.

f. If you are an author, advertise your book or advertise a tele-class, workshop or retreat.

2. Buy some copies of Conscious Choices- the link is on my website-www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

3. Connect us with an agent to help us find a publisher and for an advance on our books. (Two about the Jonas Brothers concerts from a Mom’s and a daughter’s perspective and one is about the spiritual quest that happened for me last year, as I learned to open to inspiration.)

4. Connect us with gas cards, meal cards, free hotels and tickets to Jonas Brothers concerts. And other sponsors.

Our largest population is teenagers and their Moms. From our experience last summer, we have large numbers of teens during the summer and then there is an increase of Moms when I write articles in the fall and winter. The Moms read the blog from now until next summer.

The blogs and sponsors will be on-line until June 1, 2010.

Here are some of our numbers since June 22, 2009 (except for Hannah’s Youtube account which has been growing over the last year.)

Hannah’s blog- www.hannahhylen.blogspot.com 2-3,000 hits per day

Her Youtube ranking one day was 6 (June 23, I think) and one day was 16 (June 21)- This is videos viewed in a single account in one day of ALL videos viewed on YouTube.

Hannah’s YouTube account- 5,529 subscribers and 128,067 channel views. One of her videos has 266,000 + hits from a week ago!

Jonas Watch Fans on Facebook 600+

www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com- 1,500 hits per week

www.andreahylen.blogspot.com – 1800 hits in the first two weeks of the blog.

If you feel a connection with this, read over the sponsor details in the next note, sign up and spread the word.

We are contacting media ourselves now and following the inspiration of how to live a life worth celebrating and share the adventure with you, too!

In gratitude,

Andrea

Posted in 4th of July, Andrea Hylen, Hannah Hylen, homeschooling, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, Utah

Concert 8-Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Thank you to my sponsor for today’s blog.
www.evolutionarywomen.org

Authors’s Note. I added a description of the Passport journey and a few things about worrying vs trusting life to this blog. As we finish packing up and cleaning our house, I am tweaking some of the drafts that were never published. We go to settlement on our house on Nov 16th and then hopefully a week in Europe before heading to California in the middle of Dec. When we know the details we will share the specifics.

This was the 8th concert of the summer and the second concert in beautiful Vancouver. The day after this concert was Canada Day.

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Concert 8- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
June 30, 2009

Vancouver is beautiful. Everyone who has visited here or seen pictures says how beautiful Vancouver is and it is true! Lush green forests. Mountains that rise from deep blue bodies of water. Nature is woven into the tapestry of the community.

Hannah and I are staying with one of the Conscious Choices authors, Laura Mack and her husband Andrew. Laura wrote a story in the CC book called, “Finding my voice and finding my community.” Laura is the embodiment of community. (I first met her when she was in Baltimore for a convention and stayed an extra four days to attend the first east coast Evolutionary Women Retreat.)

Laura and I started the day with coffee and then an hour walk from her home to the village of Deep Cove. She told me that the weather we were having was the perfect summer weather in Vancouver. Sun, light breeze, low 80’s. We walked through neighborhoods that led us to a dense forest with a paved path. The sunlight occasionally peaked through the trees to warm our faces. At the bottom of the hill, we found the cove. A brief hello to their boat, The Lovable, stopping to breathe in the beauty and then back up the hill. It was a walk that made me think I would have a very tight gluteous maximus if I could do this hour long walk everyday.

When Laura and I arrived back at the house, Hannah and I tried to connect to the wireless system. They had just switched to a new internet provider and for some reason, neither Hannah nor I could connect. Our plan B gave us an opportunity to drive into the little village in the opposite direction of the cove. We spent an hour at a lovely coffee shop called Bean Around the World. Good coffee. Delicious apple, poppy seed muffins. Big, round, wooden tables.

We drove to General Motors Place, the Vancouver arena and walked around talking with people. It was another quiet day. It felt like a weekend even though it was Tuesday. The next day was Canada Day, a day of independence and a big holiday, like our 4th of July. Across the street from the arena, I found a bench to sit on and I reflected on the challenges we had overcome to be here in Canada.

One of the things was the expired passport. Here is the story of the passport. As you know, the month before leaving on this trip, we cleared our entire home. On our third day on the road and the day before our first concert of the summer in Dallas. I woke up early to organize the blog, update my website, start a fan page and respond to a long list of phone calls and e-mails to people in Baltimore. I checked our next few stops and looked at the passports.

Long pause… Mouth open… Eyes wide… Breathing stopped…

In one hand is my passport. All is well.

In my other hand is Hannah’s passport with bold, red letters CANCELLED.

We brought the wrong passport. We were scheduled to cross the border to Vancouver, on June 29, ten days from then. No one else had a key to the storage unit at home in Baltimore. And even if they did, where would I tell them to begin to look for it? The storage unit was packed to the ceiling. For all I knew, it was recycled with the trash.

This summer I was planning on weaving book talks with authors from a book I co-authored called, “Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman’s Guide to Life.” Even if we skipped the Jonas Brothers concerts, I wanted to visit and spend time with Laura.

After a trip to a local passport center in Dallas, a phone call to the US Government and a series of pushing buttons on the automated reservation line, Hannah and I had an appt in Aurora, CO on June 23 10:30am. This required leaving the Jonas concert in Tulsa, OK about 15 minutes early and driving through the night to arrive in Denver by 10:15 am to check in.

Hannah and I drove through the night to get the passport. We arrived 30 minutes early. Everything went smoothly at the office. It was challenging to drive, yes. But, Hannah stepped up to the plate and drove for 2 hours following the directions I had for her. I had an opportunity to let go and trust her. Early in the morning, when I had taken the wheel and had been driving for hours, I listened to my body and pulled over to sleep for 45 minutes in the parking lot of a Comfort Inn. I saw an amazing pale pink and blue sunrise through the rear view mirror. I heard birds chirping as I sped along the highway. I saw the mountains coming into full view in Denver. I had these experiences because of the missing passport.

The woman who helped us at the passport office was nice and friendly and supportive. Everything happened with ease and grace. I had more than enough information to support the processing of the passport.

As we climbed into the car to drive to Longmont, Colorado, I thought about how much time I had spent worrying about this. I had two nights when I woke up in the middle of the night. I began to think about the worrying. Had the worrying supported this process at all? Did the worrying get us to the passport office on time or did I waste precious time on something I had no control over? All I really could do was show up with the requested paperwork and be in the moment of the Yes or No.

I asked myself, why can’t I just trust life to bring me my highest good?

Yes, I have experienced loss of loved ones and some of my dreams have not come true. I have had my share of disappointments. But, I also have had a pretty amazing, magical life. I have received some strong intuitive thoughts that have led me to jobs, friends, homeschooling my kids, and of course, to the jonas brothers concerts with my daughter.

I ask myself, “Why can’t I trust life to support me? Why must I worry and fear that things will not work out?” None of the worry or fear actually brings me good stuff and it actually takes me out of enjoying the present moment.

I arrived in Longmont, Colorado and realized that I had my friend’s UPS address and not her home address. She is in Hawaii. I called her. She answered her phone and gave me her home address and directions. I easily found the key, entered her lovely home and had a comfortable bed to sleep on for an afternoon nap.

Why am I holding so tightly onto the details of life when I have so much proof that I am supported?

And here I am in Vancouver. A beautiful city. A guest in a home filled with love. Sitting on a bench enjoying the people and the city. Ready to see what will be another amazing, heart centered Jonas Brothers concert.

Today I have money in my pocket. Food in my belly. Time to watch, listen and dance and sing. A place to sleep. Gas in the car. a healthy body. A smart mind.

I ask myself this question:

Do I want to know all of the answers so I can watch the movie of my life or am I here for the ride?

I choose the ride.

Posted in Andrea Hylen, Bean Around the World, coffeeshop, Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman's Guide to Life, Hannah Hylen, homeschooling, Jonas Brothers, jonas watch, Vancouver
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