Three Things + 1 : Inspirations for storytelling

What a magnificent musical composition!
And Ali, I just had to tell you that I was fortunate enough to inherit letters between my grandfather and my grandmother, written before and after their wedding in 1914. While there aren't many photos saved from those early days, the letters provide amazing insights into the lives of people I spent time with but didn't really know.

Wow - that Love Story meets Viva la Vida arrangement was really AWESOME! Moved me to tears, really.

Love the music arrangement - it's awesome and I can't stop listening to it!!! Hoping that maybe I can find it on itunes sometime for my ipod!!! Thanks so much for sharing. Off to check out the other links. Have a great day!

thanks for the video! my ds (4 1/2) is a HUGE taylor swift fan :) in fact he sang this song at their school's kakeoke yesterday! i would have loved to have been a fly on the wall!

Hi Ali :o) I recently went to Jon Schmidt's summer concert here in Utah...if you ever get a chance to see one of his concerts, don't miss it! He is phenomenal! Thanks for the link and for everything you post - your blog is one of my favorites!

Ali, Thank you for the inspiration. All of it.

Oh how I love this song! Such a great interpretation of Lovestory and Viva la Vida! Hear it all the time!

I love the old family photos your cousin shared with you. I have been going through an old trunk filled with wonderful photographic treasures - 4 & 5 generations ago. I so encourage all of your followers to take a moment NOW to go through any photos they have like this. If they don't know who people in the photos are for sure and if they still have older relatives living who might, make time to sit down with them and get them labeled. Time goes by so quickly. There are so many photos in my collection that I can't identify. Fun to look at it but such a mystery. I so wish someone had marked them years ago or that I had done it before my beloved grandmother passed away. I missed such an important opportunity. Don't always think you have more time for this task. You'll be grateful to have knowledge of who is looking out at you from these photographs.

Oh, Ali. Days with my Father has me in tears. It is beautifully heart wrenching.

So inspirational. Wish I could ditch work for the next two days and just create. I will have to keep notes while these ideas keep bubbling up. Love the old photo. I have one similar standing in front of the house. The folks in your photo are dressed so nicely, but back in those days to leave the house was to get dressed up, to travel was to get dressed up, much different nowadays. Thank you so much for sharing all this inspiration. Keep on Rockin'

Just read Days With My Father. Amazing. Thanks for sharing.

That song gave me chills....so pretty! Tfs with us!!

Ali I love the song!!! Music can really set the mood when I scrapbook. A song can transport me back to a moment much like looking at pictures or a scent. Amazing how much art surrounds and influences our life everyday through different mediums. Thanks for sharing it.

If you liked that music, also try Vitamin String Quartet. They do lots of rock songs as classical/string pieces.

Ali-- Check out "Julie-O" on youtube or itunes (Mark Summer). Awesome cello piece. I just saw a music teacher play it the other night.

WOW - that Days with My Father is amazing and touching.

Thanks for sharing this beautiful and inspirational song video. I used to play piano too, but I left my piano at my parents' place since I moved to another country after got married. Love piano anyways!

I just have to comment again....I just had enough time to enjoy the 'Days with My Father' piece. SO moving & beautiful. Thank you for posting it again since I didn't see the first one.

Anna's a cutie!

Justed loved Phillip Toledano's work - i had not seen it before. So grateful to be inspired by this type of thing now while i still have my parents. Thanks Ali for the constant inspiration, I so appreciate it. For all the negatives about the internet it is also a wonderful resource, if you know where to look.