I woke up to nearly 2 feet of fresh, white snow on the ground and more still falling. It was still early and the snow plows, shovelers, and snow blowers still hadn’t bothered with our small side street, giving priority to main roads and parking lots. I bundled myself up with boots, coat, and hood to take my puppy, Joy, outside for her morning walk. I soon learned that I couldn’t walk far though. With the snow nearly up to my knees and not wanting to soak myself at 7 in the morning, I let Joy off her leash and watched as she enjoyed the deep snow. She went nuts. Desperately wanting to run through the yard as if it were normal grass, she pushed and jumped with all her might but barely covered any ground at all. She buried her head under the snow and when she popped back out, she curiously stared at me with her big black eyes and ears straight up, face completely covered in snow. Soon she learned how to maneuver. She looked like a fish in a sea of snow, hopping in and out of the water a...

I felt a little out of my element as I traveled through yet another snowstorm to a gig in the city. I responded to the ad about a week ago with a new and fresh perspective, keeping in mind my epiphany moment from a week or so ago (magic moment 16). I responded with a positive attitude as if I were perfectly suited for the job and I felt confident that I could perform well. Performing was not why I was feeling out of my element however, just being out of my element was! I was to perform for a cocktail party in a Park Avenue penthouse. Now, the fanciest thing I’ve ever been to was my own wedding. And we ate at a place called Lee’s Chicken afterwards (where I used to play the piano in college). Just to give you an idea of the level of my naiveness, I had to google cocktail party and then google cocktail dress. After careful research of how I should dress and act, and carefully selecting a set list of all the staples for a New York City crowd (Billy Joel, Elton John, and Broadway), I go...

It’s been raining for 3 days now. Not the pretty kind of rain when the sun shines illuminating rays through holes in the dark clouds. Not even the exciting kind of rain when thunder and lightning fill the sky and make you feel all cozy and safe inside your house. Just typical gloomy, gray, muddy, and constant rain. I put off running necessary errands, hoping the rain would eventually let up but it never did and now I had to drive all over town completing my procrastinated tasks in the rain. First was VA stuff (some left over eye problems from the Army), always a lengthy headache and usually accomplishing very little. And then another government agency interaction; trying to get my 5 month old paycheck for government contracted music I did last year and after five months, still not receiving it. Grocery shopping, the laundry mat (what kind of apartment doesn’t have a washer/dryer hookup?!), first of course I need to go to the ATM for cash and then change it into quarters, and more d...

"A Builder" is a song I wrote for my dad a few years ago. If you know me, then you know my dad is a large source of my strength. He built a contracting business from the ground up and I couldn't be more proud of all he's done. I inherited several things from him; my eyes (green with a brown spot in the right one), my view on work ethic, the curse of incessantly stubbing my toes, my passion, my height, my pride causing me to burn an occasional bridge, and a little bit of never knowing when to rest. You can hear the recording of this song at http://www.myspace.com/maryelizabethgrimes   Click on "A Builder" in the right hand box (you may have to scroll up or down) and then click play. I hope you enjoy it. "A Builder" Words and Music by Elizabeth Grimes Copyright 2009 He gave me a piece of Ireland I wear it in my eyes. It’s a treasure I keep within. He gave me strength to fulfill my dreams When I’m weary he said, “Try again.” A dreamer whose dream...

Last night, I had a dream. I pulled a bright red, dusty old car into a gravel driveway next to a tiny white house in the middle of miles and miles of long, blowing grass. I got out and looked around. The sun had cast an orange, hazy light on each green blade. Every speck of dust was illuminated as they lazily floated in and out of the streams of sunlight. I started walking down a hill. It was the same hill that my friends and I played on years ago at reccess. We would roll down it and make our secret hide-outs. We played t-ball in that grass on Wednesday nights and ate popsicles. Then, in my dream, I started to run. When I got to the bottom, Duchess ran up and and jumped on me. She was on a leash, and my grandpa was holding the other end of it. He was wearing his work uniform even though he had been retired for years. It was a blue, button-up collared shirt with matching slacks. The same one he wore when he was an extra in the movie "Terms of Endearment." I was always so pr...

I prefer wide grassland with subtle rolling hills stretched out to the horizon over the beautiful slopes and cliffs of a mountain. I would rather hear a melody from the beautiful, clear tone of a piano than the orchestrated genius of a symphony. I favor a night in with a rented movie, delivered pizza, and loved ones over a night out, dressed up in a crowd. I wish I had the money to see my sisters for a week more than I want to vacation in the Bahamas. I would choose my ipod full of treasured music over a big screen with HBO. I want to meet my great-grandparents more than I want to meet a celebrity. I hope I keep the things of true value a priority in my heart rather than making it a priority to get valued things.

I strained my brain for something to do on my husband’s birthday. While Franklin, NC is a beautiful town (where he’s attending a 3 month course), it’s not a very busy town. We had done just about everything in the area; dinner, movie, tree aboretum, folk art museum, even karaoke where Eddie sang his favorite of all time hit, “North to Alaska” by Johnny Horton. I sang Patsy Cline and we even went for a Loretta and Conway duet, which I think somehow I ended up singing Conway’s part and Eddie ended up singing Loretta’s. Anyway. The one thing left to do was horse back riding. We loaded ourselves in the car with our flannel, plaid shirts and worst pair of shoes and drove to the Nantahala National Forest. You may think that a Nebraska girl would be a little more outdoor savvy. I’m not. The last time I was on a horse was probably 20 years ago at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. I made sure our guide gave a very specific lesson of the most basic how to’s – go, stop, and turn. I carefully mounted ...