The first time I saw the lights of Times Square in the heart of Manhattan, my jaw dropped in disbelief. My eyes wandered to the sky as I searched for the top of buildings that seemed to go on and on forever. I was surrounded by theaters, restaurants, music, cars, and people. There is almost no use in attempting to describe what I saw, because there is nothing I could say that would do it justice. I felt like an insignificant ant, swarming in the midst of hundreds of other ants, with skyscrapers for blades of grass that sprang up from the ground, and pavement for dirt. I was so pleased to see that 2 pianos had been placed in Times Square for the Play Me, I'm Yours project. As I sat down to play, I remember thinking how absolutely surreal it was that I was there. In the Big Apple. Doing what I love. I hope in my future, there are many more moments of that feeling. To see more photos from Play Me, I'm Yours, click here . To see more videos, click here .

Today I woke up at 4 am, walked for blocks, and stood in line for 5 hours to watch a concert in the pouring rain. My little sister, Erica, and I were squished like sardines in a crowd of over 18,000 hoping to catch a glimpse of the fabulous Lady Gaga. And on top of everything, we wore blue and purple wigs all over Manhattan just for the occasion. I told Erica months ago that Lady Gaga would be playing Rockefeller Center the Friday she was in town and to my surprise, she was hell bent on going. When all was said and done, we ended up behind the stage, across the street, and around the corner for the duration of the performance. I snapped one very fuzzy picture of the entertainer from a half-mile away. And even the enormous Today Show sound system and speakers didn’t have enough juice to pump adequate volume as far back as we were. Yet, we stayed for hours. And when it rained, no, down poured, we still stayed. Through pushy rude crowds, cranky children, and stuffy humid weather, we ...

There were so many wonderful moments during the " Play Me, I'm Yours " project throughout New York City. I just have to post a few of my favorites. This was in Queens at the Jackson Heights Post Office. The song, "You Want Me," is not one of my favorite songs that I've written, yet I always get positive feedback and I do love to play it. I only got the courage to sing at the pianos a few times and this was one of them. Enjoy the video. To see more photos from Play Me, I'm Yours, click here . To see more videos, click here .

Today, two things happened to me that never before, and probably never will happen again. First, I hand fed a group of baby swans, and second, I was kissed on the cheek by a sea lion. As my family and I drove through Long Island, we decided to stop at a beautiful, old cemetery to read some of the dates on the tombstones, which went all the way back to the 1600s. As we took in the history and scenery, I noticed a small, picturesque pond with a mother swan and her 6 babies swimming peacefully through the reflective water. I immediately reached for the Ritz crackers that were shoved in the back of the car and raced to the pond in hopes that a few crumbs would reach the babies. I tossed a few handfuls out and soon their interest sparked. Before I knew it, the small, fuzzy birds inched closer and closer to me. Soon they were on the grass a few feet in front of me. I decided to see just how brave they would get and lured them in close enough to take a cracker from my hand. I was thrilled to...

Sing for Hope's ' Play Me, I'm Yours ' project is officially over. I watched the movers roll away a brown, upright piano from Stone Street and thought about the 2 weeks it had spent outdoors in the elements with only a plastic tarp for shelter. I thought about the endless hours we spent walking through the 5 boroughs, searching for each of the 60 pianos as we baked in the heat, yet the pianos never got relief from the sun. One thing I know for certain as I tend to my sunburn and wipe the dripping sweat from my forehead, it is summertime! And this was a great way to kick off the season. Enjoy this clip, "Summertime," from one of the Central Park pianos. To see my photos from our piano hunt, click here . To see more videos, click here .

Some of the best moments are the ones accidentally seen. I was the only person in the world to witness this one. A mother was trying desperately to entertain her young toddler and distract him from the heat as they waited outside for the fireworks show to begin. She sang to him, played games, and did everything in her power to get him to interact with her, and distract him from the excruciating boredom and fatigue. The little boy was only about a year old, with wide, brown eyes, and black eyelashes that reached up to his thick eyebrows. He didn’t speak. He only stared at his mother with a questioning look on his small, round face. “Donde esta Ricardo?” His mother asked in a high pitched, playful voice. “Where is he? Donde esta Ricardo?” Still, the boy showed no sign of interest in the game. She persisted however, coaxing him to play along. “Donde esta Ricardo?” Eventually, the mother gave up on the one-sided game and with a shrug of her shoulders, she turned around to tend to her ol...

Today we plan to fight the crowds, the heat, and the traffic, all to catch an unobstructed view of the magnificent fireworks show put on by Macy’s Department Store over the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. This is our first 4th of July in this area and will be vastly different than the home town parades and celebrations that I'm used to in Nebraska. I wouldn't miss fireworks for the world though. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been fascinated with them, and thought, "This must be what real magic looks like." After doing our research on the subject, we learned that in order to have a fighting chance at claiming a good piece of ground, we should arrive no later than 4 pm for the 9 pm show. There will be no funnel cake stands, ferris wheels, or arts and crafts booths to entertain us while we wait in the stifling heat and humidity. Instead we’ve packed a cooler full of picnic food, a blanket, a radio, and board games. Eddie and I went through a si...