Here is another belated update. What can I say....life is full! My last update was January 1st and when I wrote that news update, I had no idea of the changes in store....where to begin.

Well, we were freezing to death in Vermont. The old house we lived in was not suitable for habitation. At least not in a record breaking cold winter. We were hitting temps of 40 below zero outside. Inside the old house the fish tank froze, milk froze on the kitchen table even with both of our wood stoves cranking full blast. The pipes froze in the majority of the house, but we managed to keep the water running in the bathroom off of my recording studio/office. So, for the months of January and most of February, we bathed, washed dishes and pretty much lived in my office. The kids (all 6 of them at home) were living in their snow suits to stay sort of warm. This was ridiculous and I was ready for a change. That's when I got a job offer in Philadelphia.

This "job offer" came from some friends whom I had met through a business transaction 6 years earlier. I did thier original website. We had maintained contact and became friends. When they heard how I was living with all those kids they said "Val, you have got to move to Philly". So they put up the moving money and gave me a job. We left Vermont behind on Feb 25th. I miss Vermont. I miss the trees, the mountains and the music scene. However..I don't miss the cold house, the broken heater, the frozen pipes or the financial troubles. There is alot to be said for getting a paycheck every two weeks (wow, what a concept). We now have a cool dial on the wall that makes the house warm. No splitting wood, no water holding tanks and pumps to break. Small magical elves pick up our trash at curb side. Its amazing. Keep in mind that we lived in rural Iowa from 95-99 (very rural), and then moved to Vermont in October of 99. My kids know nothing but country life so they are jamming on being in the city.

Now, about my music. I just got hooked up with Dean Sciarra at http://www.itsaboutmusic.com. Great guy with alot of knowledge and energy to promote singer/songwriter types like me. I am preparing to sign a publishing deal and am starting to work on booking myself more. Check out the Shows page for upcoming shows.

I am going to be starting on my second album soon. I will post the new songs to this site as they are ready. Stay tuned!