Sheila Greenland

She sleeps...

2012-01-24T11:06:00.000-06:00

Well, Charlize is asleep so I thought I might blog a bit. :) I think my last blog was Halloween so I'm behind...again. You catch tid bits on facebook so you probably know where we have been playing and have seen pics so I haven't totally spaced. The biggest news...WE ARE FINALLY MOVING HOME! I have lived in Lincoln most of my adult life and have really loved it but I think it's time to go home. I can't count how many times I had debated moving to Nashville and Andy and I (after we got married) debated Nashville and Austin. I am turning the big 3 0 in a couple weeks and have absolutely no geographical regrets. No regrets! That's what everyone would chant at me when trying to convince me that moving was my only option if I wanted to succeed. Nashvilles' the place to be, Sheila...No regrets! Just do it! Something always held me back. It wasn't fear. I love to travel and feel comfortable when I do. But I knew my sisters would have babies. Do I want to miss out on that? I had younger cousins that I love dearly. I am close to my parents and sisters. Is it worth leaving them to wear the Nashville badge? I have a music career that I have busted my butt for. What does geography have to do w/that? When I'm in Nashville it is rare to meet people in working bands. And the people who are come to NE to play! I am sitting here completely drawing a blank over what I am "missing out on." Twelve hours travel to gigs? Money? I mean, the dream is to sing, right? Or is it to perform? I have both of these. To play w/a live band? Check. It is amazing to me that anyone would say leaving all of this to go wait tables full time and maybe, maybe get the opportunity to sing at an open mic night, perform on stage w/a group gracious enough to let me get up and sing a song or two, work w/great musicians (all of these I do) and on the off chance, "make it." What does make it mean? All I can really think of right now is money and fame. What drives us? Fame or the love of music? I have always had a love of music. More than a love I guess. It is just part of me. When I'm not doing it I feel like something is missing. It's who I am. Would I like a boat load of money? A tour bus? Somebody to handle all of the b.s. involved w/running the business end? Of coarse. But not in exchange for my family. Not even close. I still have dreams of "making it big" someday and I still chase them. I still plan on going to Nashville to work but not to live. Not unless I could afford a second home. (or convince all of my family to go too:) Who can possibly place the value of "making it" over the value of family? I don't understand it...but that's b/c that's not me. I know several musicians would look at this and be completely baffled by what I am saying, but that's them. I guess it all boils down to who we are. It's also who we choose to surround ourselves with. I made a decision a long time ago that being a good musician wasn't enough. I choose to surround myself w/people I am happy to have my daughter grow up around. People who have my best interest in mind as well. People who care about each other. People who do not think my job is to keep them happy at all cost. People who make themselves happy. After making this choice, I have been happy. That' doesn't mean every day/gig is perfect and that we all get along 100 % of the time. That would almost be boring. ;) Whenever there is a change up it is almost impossible to find someone that matches the description. And when you find someone halfway there it is incredibly hard not to give into temptation to just compromise a little and let is slide. But not doing that has bought us to date. It wasn't the most enjoyable ride all the time but for the most part, life is good.

Boooo!

2011-10-31T10:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! I figured out a way to make a Dorthy costume cover up my bumps! The guys looked awesome! Brian was the scarecrow, Travis was the tin man, Brad was the cowardly lion, Andy was Oz and his sister Jenna came as the wicked witch and I was obviously Dorthy. Check the pictures out on my facebook! Mike and Becky Grant (the hosts) had a great turn out again. Judging the costume competition was harder this year than the previous years. There were some awesome costumes! My favorite, and the overall winner, was Michael Jackson. The woman looked and moved just like him all night. There was a "gentleman" with a gift wrapped box stuck to his pants (use your imagination) and he was awarded worst costume. Brian did a great job mc'ing again. He cracked me up at least! We have this next weekend off and then we are finally back in Omaha at Bushwackers! It's been over a year I think. We'll be there Nov 11 and 12 and Friday is ladies night so come out and support so we can come back soon!
Fall is my favorite season so we have been busy w/Charlize. We went to Vala's pumpkin patch. That was completely overwhelming. I had no idea it was so big! We got there and didn't even know where to begin. Charlize had fun though. Luckily she is not to the, "I want" stage yet so we got out of there w/out wallets in tact. (well, that suggests we arrived w/them in tact...that would be silly) She's getting so big! Everyone always asks me if it makes me sad that she's growing so fast and I have to laugh. She gets more fun every day! She thinks she is pretty scary now too. Her new favorite thing to do is creep up on us and say, "Boo!" I can only jump w/surprise so many times until I try to turn it around and say boo to her. She always shakes her head no and goes back to scaring me. She's a total ham ball. She is going to be a pirate tonight. I thought I was thrifty when I found the costume on sale online but then my sister called me and said she found the same one for her daughter at Walmart for $14! My niece and nephew are both going to be pirates as well. Totally bums me out that they cant all trick or treat together. Jackson could show both the girls the ropes...and maybe we could pawn all the leftover candy off on him too! (I just can't resist the chocolaty goodness!) We live too far from them. Her cousins are her favorite people, hands down. It cracks me up that she sees so many kids around here so much more often and is always happy to see them but when she sees Jackson and Savannah (who she only sees once a month at most) she is ecstatic. Shes been that way for months. Pretty cool that they know their family so young. Maybe someday....
Anyway, I hope you can all make it out to Bushwackers. We haven't played in Omaha regularly in so long and would love to be close to home. See ya soon!

2011-10-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

I had the weirdest dream the other night and cannot seem to get it out of my head. We were playing a show somewhere really weird and I had to leave stage for something and realized that I had had my skirt (like I ever wear skirts on stage anyway) tucked into my underwear the whole time. I was wearing a thong so it was worse. I asked the guys why they didn't say anything and Travis responded, "Because you didn't ask." I was so mad! For some reason it was on TV even. (must have been an awesome, weird show) I'm putting careful thought into what I wear this weekend. Something butt cheek free. I probably dreamed it b/c I am finding it impossible to find a Dorthy costume that covers my tush. (well, that and it has totally happened to me before. Red Raider speech meet in high school. Walked all the way across the gym w/my skirt tucked into my panty hoes. And yes...I'm old enough to have worn panty hoes) Either it reveals my rear or or covers my toes. So odd. I finally found something on middle ground...hopefully. It should arrive in the mail any day. Anyway, if it does show my butt I'm really hoping that Travis will give me the heads up this time. Do that for me and we'll just wrap up November's employee of the month for ya. ;)

Oh yeah...three in one month

2011-10-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

We made the trip to Red Oak, IA last night. It was Brian, Andy and I. Hope (Hope's is the bar we played) fed us a prime rib dinner, served us drinks and they requested my originals all night. Took turns singing and playing with Brian...pretty much an awesome night. She had us come to town for Tom's birthday (I didn't know who Tom was but she said he loves my music and wanted me there for his birthday so Tom is alright w/me:) so we played as many requests as we could for him. Luckily Andy had many of them on the ipod so we got off easy for not knowing some of them.
I decided to get festive this year and decorate my house. I got it all done, think it looks fabulous and then realized, no one ever comes to my house. I feel a little silly but I really like looking at it. The bad thing about decorating is that you always seem to want to do more. Now I want to get a corn stalk bundle, a hay bail and some pumpkins for the outdoors. What's annoying is that I grew up around hay bails and they are charging seven freaking dollars for them in town. $9.50 for a corn stalk. I find it annoying...so I will only buy one of each. ;)
Well, I think we are going to venture out to Vala's today. Let Charlize pick out a pumpkin and get dirty. Only after she naps. She has discovered yet another horrifying scream. It reminds me of the death eaters on Lord of the Rings. She's doing it now. I can't hear myself think.

So soon???

2011-10-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

We made it through PlaMor...even w/Brad's gimp finger. See, he was attacked by a wild animal but they reattached his finger in time for the show. (ok, so it wasn't that bad but he did get bit) He did wonderfully and gets employee of October. :) See Brad? It's official.
We thought we had most of last weekend off but then Sidetracks asked us to play Friday and Saturday. Friday wasn't booming so we just went w/that and laid off Saturday but I got to go the Husker volleyball game and Andy went to the football game so it all worked out for us. PlaMor was the usual. Lots of dancers and a lot of fun. It's always nice to play a club where you know you have a big crowd. Easy to look forward to.
So I'm wondering what to get my daughter for Christmas. She will be 16 months by then and has too many toys...any wonderful ideas? She loves books but has a ton of those too. I guess the whole reading thing is paying off though. Today she told me what a duck, cow, cat, dog, bear, sheep and horsey say. She did not know what a pig said so she went w/roar. Close enough. She can tell me where her fingers, toes, eyes, nose, ears, hair and belly are. She has no idea where her butt is but always points to my boobs...not sure what went wrong there. You never want to discourage your child from reading but she is a little obsessed. Last night she woke up at 4 w/ a tummy ache or something and once she started to calm down she asked for a book. 4 a.m. is where I hit my reading limit. I paid for it today though. She walked around w/a book all day shoving it at me. I get sick of reading the same books over and over but I'm so proud of my little nerd! :)
I think I am going to venture out and go for black Friday shopping this year. Maybe I will find some jewel of a gift then. I'm a virgin so it will be exciting...and a little scary.

2011-10-02T21:08:00.000-05:00

As Travis pointed out, March 8th was my last post. I wouldn't even know where to begin to cover what's gone on since then! Same band members and that strikes me as a high point. I realized again how lucky I am when I was joking w/someone at dietz that my guitar player was yelling at me about my guitar. The guy just stared at me and I had to laugh b/c Brad has never even raised his voice at any of us. I think he mentioned the electronics in my guitar maybe being bad so I was looking into something new. An odd thing to reflect on but it only seems significant b/c for years I endured yelling matches and name calling...that seems so far away now. Just lucky I guess. Good guys I work with. :)
Anyway, what have we been up to???? It's been pretty crazy since the last post. Weekends off were rare and most times nonexistent. That's normal for the season but it has stretched well into October now. Even w/7 cancellations this Fall we are still keeping busy. (I know, awesome, right? Love when people cancel. Sweethearts.) Gosh, since March 8 Brad had a baby girl! Brian's lil gal turned one and so did mine. Travis got a cat! Big steps for all.
I haven't done much...scratch that...any writing in over a year. Sounds pathetic when I say it out loud. I laid off b/c of the baby and now that she's 13 months old I hardly have an excuse. Guess I just didn't get the ball rolling again. Got a couple things lined up now though so hopefully we will be making sweet music again soon...or total crap...depending on what you thought of the last stuff. :) Oh, speaking of sweet music, I LOVE the new Randy Travis song, Everything and All That, and it is getting zero radio play so check that one out. Charlize and I have jammed out to it over breakfast recently.
We also landed the Sidetrack gig for all home games...then we didn't. Then we had a few home games...then we only had two...but now we are adding a few back. In fact, we will be there this Friday night at 6...and maybe Saturday night as well...we're not sure yet. So I'm aware that my calendar may be a tad confusing if you aren't checking it every day but webmaster Jim is the real victim here. He just updated it yesterday again and then last night we changed things around yet again and I feel like it's too soon to write and bug him w/this craziness! Sooo...sorry about that Jim. All this confusion coupled w/my incredible organizational skills, I'm sure has been a real joy for you.
I'm feeling totally blank right now. I had so many things in my head to write about that I can't put any of them into a coherent thought. I guess randomness should be the name of this blog.

2011-03-08T23:55:00.000-06:00

So I'm a little slow getting here but we all know this. Andy and Charlize have been asleep since 9:30 and I should be sleeping but the idea of a bath w/out anyone needing me and a bottle of wine Andy picked up for me were far too tempting. My apologies for the spelling. I really like wine.
I was just reading through my last blog. How arrogant I sounded at the end! Like I was through the hard part! Good grief. I'm scared to death to say the last month has been getting easier...it's like a curse! The dairy and soy elimination did work wonders but then things always tend to regress. We finally started baby food and the girl loves it! She prefers it to breast milk! (I'm trying hard not to be offended) So all day long she is offended at the very idea of my breast but then is up 5 times a night getting all that she missed during the day. Yes. It's a beautiful thing. I believe that in heaven, men will lactate. So at her six month visit the doc tells me to make her breast feed during the day and she won't need to at night. What a novel idea. Why didn't I think of that? I bought the book, "The Baby Whisperer," and am pinning my hopes on Ms Tracy Hogg. She would define Charlize as a "spirited baby." I would have to agree. :) I am only 50 pages in but have decided that this woman is amazing. The reccomendation is that Daddy feeds the baby w/a bottle @ night and then she will want the breast more during the day and less at night. Hence the bubble bath and red wine. I am too excited about all the sleep I could be getting to actually go to sleep! Another amazing thing I have discovered over the last few months (An anonymous comment below was kind enough to share...thank you! It can feel lonely!) is that sooo many other parents go through this! What in the word is in all the crap that we eat and put on our bodies that so many babies suffer from dairy intolerance?! Or just acid reflux? One of the Drs we saw said the biggest change she has seen in her 20 years of dr'in (is that a word?) is the food sesitivities and/or intolerances. Never heard of it when she started and now it's everywhere. It amazes me how quiet people are about it. My cousin was kind enough to call me and share her similar experiences w/me. She pointed out, and I believe she is 100% correct, that parents have selective memories about it. I remember my sister's first child. He was a "spirited baby" as well. Then she had what we like to refer to as "magic baby," and couldn't wait to have her third..until she met Charlize. Ah the memories began to flood back to her. She decided to give it a little more time. ;) Don't get me wrong, it sounds like I'm dogging on Charlize but I'm not. She is the coolest little person I've ever been around but I think she would have to agree that she has had a rough start. That call from my cousin saved me from a lot of shame and embarrassment I was feeling. I hadn't heard this from any family member of mine. It all seemed to come so natural to them! I think the biggest favor I have done for Charlize has been cutting myself some slack. I absolutely hate when people are chronically late so that fact that I can not get out the door on time...ever...stressed me out to no end. I try to move a little faster and plan to be early bc who knows when she will finally decide my breasts are acceptable or that the prune food/baby juice we pumped in her for her constipation will kick in. (never an opportune time for a diaper blow out I realize but it really does seem to happen in her car seat every time!) So I'm late once in a while. I have been waiting on other people my whole life...they can wait a little for me. :) I'm trying really hard to give myself time to get a body I recognize instead of looking down at the battle scars and depressing. Being on stage certainly doesn't make it easy but it's only been six months. (I'm saying this for my benefit...)   I also have stopped apologizing to people when they ask me when I'm going to Nashville next. No I have not "given up," but damn it, I have a lot going on. Bigger things than Nashville. (I can just see the appalled look on every single person from Nashville's face..."Bigger than Nashville? How dare!" Puke...yes. There is life East of you) Pretty much the same week I quit worrying about it a trip fell in my lap. My amazing mother is going to go w/me and watch Charlize while I write. (btw...thank God for spell check! I have only had to glasses but I haven't had a night off in a while!)
On a diffent, it's not all about me note...Brian had to have a triple bypass done on Wed! Scared us all to death! I am so glad everything went well for him. He has such a great little family. I think Allison is great and little Willow needs her daddy around! I mean, the whole thing had been a little inconvenient for me...sub bass players and all but like I said...not all about me. ;) When I called to express my concern the first thing he talked about was which shows he could make. I wanted him to make it prefectly clear to Allison that I had not asked nor did I plan to. We're all just glad everything went well.   We're missing you Brian!
Brad's baby is on her way as well! Haha, don't let Jen read my blogs...she may change her mind. ;)
Travis is still rockin on as well.   Haha...I was told that taking him back (or him taking me back...whichever way you want to look at it) would turn out the same way it did last time and we would both regret it...well eat it! We're just a happy little family! teehee...That felt good. ;) (Travis, if you leave me now I will find your new apartment. Then I can say...I know where you live and I've seen where you sleep and I swear to God your mother will cry when she's seen what I've done to you! [Tommy Boy, anyone????] Mom, that's a movie quote...I'm not quite that visious)
Ok, so now it's almost midnight. It snuck up on me. I must sleep.

Baby, baby

2011-01-03T14:53:00.000-06:00

Charlize Aleta was born ad 8:00am on Aug 20. Andy and I closed on our first home Aug 18. We never claimed it was a great idea but then we've never done things the conventional way. When they say your whole world will be turned up-side-down with a baby I don't think they even considered doing such crazy things at the same time. Our first week home with Charlize was so easy. She only fussed when she was wet or hungry. When she was tired, she simply passed out. So when the dr asked me if I had any questions at our one week appointment I couldn't think of a thing! We loaded her back in the car feeling very proud of ourselves when it stared. She was crying for no reason, something we hadn't dealt with yet. The crying persisted. Then came the vomit. And if you're one of those people thinking, "Oh, I'm sure it's just spit up. It really looks like more than it is." I wish she would have vomited on you. We're talking projectile, clearing five to six feet, vomit. I knew babies went through a lot of clothes but me? I barely had a wardrobe for my post baby body, let alone for three to four changes a day! I planned on re-gifting a few of the thousand blankets we got for gifts but am so glad I hadn't had the chance. We use about four a day. Puke, puke and more puke. Needless to say on day 8 we were back in the dr's office wondering who this baby was and where they had put ours. Acid reflux was the answer! Meds at 8 days old was not something I was interested in. We visited chiropractors, tried massages and basically never slept. (Yeah, Yeah, sleep when the baby sleeps...she honestly lived on 5 minute cat naps!) After another 2 weeks of watching our baby scream we gave into the drug that would take another week or two to kick in. They did help temporarily but soon we were back to the dr. and they tell me that these drugs usually only work temporarily but they have to prescribe them first for insurance reasons and didn't they tell me to come back when this happened? No. They did not. She's really lucky I didn't have the strength punch her...and that I was so sleep deprived I didn't really register anything she said until later anyway...maybe she did tell me to come back...) So we switched meds. Much the same result. Effective for a couple months (longer this time) and then back to square one. The next diagnosis was lactose intolerance. Formula was the golden answer this time. Not that breast feeding had been the beautiful bonding experience I have read so much about (picture vomit and more vomit, lots of choking and screaming...and a lot of tugging and pulling on sensitive areas! I have checked for teeth many a time. Really? These are the moments mothers hold so dear? I was sure my child was trying to tear me apart from the nipple out!) but I was not accepting this as a reasonable answer. Thank the Lord for MilkWorks. I called the ladies there and made an appointment. The pediatricians advice matched exactly what my gut had been telling me all along, (some simple diet changes) so naturally I loved her. ;) I had suggested this to Charlize's dr several times and they explained why it wouldn't be effective (long story about hidden ingredients in foods...too much to remember, let alone type!) and that the only reasonable answer was formula. Anyway, long story short...or I guess really long story still kinda long...cutting basic dairy has worked wonders. My daughter laughs and smiles all the time now. She did these things before, just not often and usually followed by more screaming...or vomiting. She's a little over four months old and it makes me sick to think of how long she was hurting, not to mention all the people I want to smack for telling me that nothing was wrong and that babies cry. Really wish she would have vomited on some of those people. Maybe when she's older we can work out some sort of a code so she will know.We'll just carry ipecac (sp???) with us. ;) So yes, up-side-down is the best description of how things have been but in the strangest way, better than ever. Today she grabbed her binky from me and studied it for quite a while before chucking it back at my face. Shortly after she reached out and grabbed my bowl of soup off of the table. Then she sneezed and peed on me and shot snot out of her nose. All of these things would tick me off if anyone else did them (especially peeing on me) but I find them all hilarious and adorable when she does them. She's a pretty cool little gal. And for almost a week now she has been taking an hour morning nap and a two to three hour afternoon nap so I am rediscovering a lot of things. Like make-up, showers and tooth paste. I may even shower and put on make-up today! Yes, Andy's a lucky, lucky man. :)
Shows have changed too. I can't use my breaks as carelessly as I once did. Now my breasts determine how my break time is spent. In the parking lot pumping usually and yes...it's been very cold. It's a good thing though. If it was warm out I may have just passed out in the car from exhaustion.
Well she's waking up so I don't have time to end this gracefully (not that there's any saving this one...) so until next time!
Sheila

Time to reflect...

2010-08-05T17:30:00.001-05:00

So yesterday morning Andy and I were in the hospital while they pumped me full of stuff to stop contractions and one of the nurses who knew what I did asked how the summer went. I still can't believe it's over. It was long, hot and a lot of fun. I already miss the guys. They were pretty cool all summer...well all the time but I felt especially taxed this summer and they were great. It gets exhausting hearing people tell you how loyal they are all the time. Funny how many people I've heard it from that ran at the first sign of trouble. I've never heard it from any of these guys. They just are. My grandmother always said that if you are good at something there is no reason you should have to talk about it. People just know. If you're not, you spend a lot of time convincing people you are. Same goes here I guess. Anyway, since I last blogged we played the Winside street dance, the Pender Q125, did not play the GI ethnic festival, opened for Montgomery Gentry at Divots, the Arcadia Legion, the Dorchester street dance, Ron's, Shooters, PlaMor and Shadow Lake's summer concert series and recorded our first couple of songs as a group w/Tony Hillhouse. They will be up on the site soon! So...we had a bit of a crazy couple months and now we are looking at the rest of August and September off. We are going to be working on a lot of new stuff before you see us and getting to know our families again. I'm doing a lot of waiting these days. I am retaining more water than I thought possible, contracting almost every day, and trying to recognize what body part is cramming into my ribs. Andy and I bought our first house this month too so in the middle of all this baby madness we are trying to pack. Thank goodness we have generous family who is willing to help b/c I'm really not a lot of good these days. So, I will go back to the waiting game and will let you know when our baby girl arrives! I wanna thank the guys again for being so awesome and we'll see you all again in October!

A few days in Nashville

2010-06-17T23:04:00.002-05:00

I spent a few days in Nashville w/my mother-in-law Lorie and sister-in-law Jenna. A lot different than traveling w/men! Potty breaks were welcome and they enjoy good food as much as I do! I was all set to be there DD for the week but my other sister-in-law's husband hooked us up w/an amazing rate at the Marriott right down town! Didn't need a car there. I was disappointed that I didn't get to finish a song I've been excited about but wrote and finished a new one w/Rick Tiger and Danny Archer. I can't wait to get a demo on it!

I have been determined to not let being pregnant be a handicap but between my feet and my back...I was more than ready to get home...only to leave the same day for a street dance in Scribner. It was a crazy week but we had a lot of fun there too. We played opposite the band "Third Freight" and loved their set list! They joked about being the kings of random but they weren't random to us. I guess if they are the kings then we must be there subjects b/c most of their set list is on my i-pod. I felt like running! (until I tried walking and realized it is more like a waddle at this point...dang I look good...but enough about my fabulous physique...)

We had a couple days off and Wed night we headed west to the Lexington Plum Creek Days. We did a 90 minute concert in their state of the art auditorium. They had a killer light show and even ran it for us! Clyde and Kerstin (no, that's probably not the proper spelling) were a ton of help! Thanks guys! I love them for their air conditioning as well. I am not really sure what I was thinking but now I am thinking that we shall practice abstinence from August until the spring. NO MORE SUMMER BABIES! People comment on the pregnant glow...it's sweat! And a lot of it! I'm sure the make-up streaming down my face and the hair matted to my head really adds to the marketability of the show as well. I do what I can. I also loved them for their advertisement! They know how to push a show! I did a radio interview and then we were on the 10:00 news. Kinda fun. :)

So Wed, Thur...Friday! We headed to Valentine for the weekend. I always love going out there. We even managed to leave on Sunday w/out killing each other. Always a plus. ;) So we had the rest of the week off and now we are packing for the Winside Street Dance. (who am I kidding...Andy is packing and I will think about it when it's time to leave in the morning) I know there has been a lot of flooding up there but the party is still a go! We're not even sure how we are getting there tomorrow but we're getting there! 8-12:00. Then Sunday night we are in Pender for the kick off of their 125th anniversary party! That is in the park from 6-10:00...and yes, I have given thought to what I will do if the heat sends me into labor. I haven't come up w/anything, but thought has been given. Maybe the guys can just handle the gig until the sun goes down...maybe. ;)

Brian is making people!

2010-05-04T23:42:00.000-05:00

At 4:30 Sunday morning I got a text from Brian..."Water broke, need a sub!" 7:44 that night they had a little girl! We are so excited for them! Willow May. :) Evan Lee allowed us to be excited for them w/out freaking out about the fact that we were short a bass player! Evan filled in for us last year and was good enough to do it again for us very last minute on Sunday for PlaMor. He will be covering for us again this Saturday night as well. Thanks so much, Evan!
I'm not terribly exciting tonight so I'll bid you good night!

I should be cleaning but...

2010-04-28T16:02:00.002-05:00

So I should be cleaning my house before my next vocal lesson but that doesn’t sound like any fun at all...so I'm watching Ellen and blogging. Did you know that Ellen has her own floss? I didn't. If I was Ellen I would have the flat floss and put jokes on it. The more you floss the more you laugh!

So the other day I was watching my neighbor paint his house. (the helpful gal that I am) He was painting the top level so he was way up there on his ladder. When he needed to move the ladder he didn't get down and move it, he hopped. As in, hopped the ladder. I was telling Andy about this and he was like, "oh yeah, I do it all the time." I told him how brilliant he was and that I hope he breaks his leg. (Andy, not my neighbor. I would never speak that way about my neighbor...only my husband) Today I'm looking out my window (I'm really not a creeper...there's just a lot going on over there right now!) and my poor neighbor is walking on crutches w/a cast on his leg. So...take that Andy. You could be next.

Anyway, we were in Syracuse last weekend and they moved the ball over to Kimmel Hall. I loved it at the other place too but the other place didn't have air conditioning. Kimmel does. It was wonderful. The manager actually told me if it gets too warm on stage to let him know and he would turn it down. I think that all club owners should let me control the thermostat. Maybe I could get a dr's note. I would either be freezing everyone at the club out or not playing very often. I'm guessing the latter.

So there was a good crowd and we even got the firemen up singing again this year. (youtube Sheila Greenland, Syracuse Fireman's Ball) It's too bad the firemen don't see a chunk of the change the bar makes! Getting through the line to get a drink was a challenge. We always have a lot of fun in Syracuse and are so grateful they have us back every year. Jim told me we would be back next year again so thanks so much guys! We love being a part of your event!

(Oh! Shakira's on Ellen...I'll be back!)

I've decided that after this baby I'm going to look like Shakira. (donations for my operation...scratch that...operations will be accepted everywhere you see me!)

This weekend we will be playing PlaMor (May 2) from 8-12:00. We missed the prom last week but we're bringing the party this weekend so come on out! We won't be back in Lincoln until July so come see us!

Ok, I really have to clean now...how does it get this messy? Two people live here and we are rarely home!

While I wait for the guys

2010-04-13T18:06:00.001-05:00

While I wait for the guys (rehearsal) I’ll try to update a little…

So we’ve been playing and playing and everything is going great! I was perusing through my last blog and I was complaining about my poor puppy Oscar. I must have been fairly moody! I’m such a jerk. Or it could be that lately he has taken to sleeping on Andy’s side of the bed. Hehe. I missed sleeping. :) We were at Ron’s last weekend and again it was a good time! I’m so glad everyone still made it out w/the holiday! (See, it’s a good thing I wished you a happy Easter…I totally missed it!) There were so many people out to Ron’s that I have seen at shows for years but never really had much of a conversation w/until last weekend. It’s so nice to officially meet some of you! I think the conversation starter is my growing belly. Yep…soon we will have to hire a couple muscle men to roll me onto the stage. (It’s the baby, not the donuts…although I’m sure those don’t help at all) Some fairs expressed concerns that I won’t be as mobile. I figure I’m kind of like a top. The guys will take turns giving me a spin and I’ll just roll around the stage until someone is kind enough to give me another twirl. I think that people will actually offer to pay more at the door. I know I would! My only fear is that people will see the posters, arrive and think, “Damn! How long ago were those photos taken?!” It’s amazing what can happen in a few months.

This weekend we are heading back to North Platte to play Shooters. My sister works for Sysco and the only plans she has expressed to me have to do w/feeding me at all the restaurants she sells to. So we might need those muscle men a little sooner than later. But anyway, NP…Erickons! Will we be seeing you out?! It will be fun! I hope so!

Ok, Jade beat the guys here so I am going to go greet her. Take care all and I hope to see you out soon!

Sheila

I'm late...

2010-02-24T21:10:00.000-06:00

I can’t sleep at night b/c I find myself not wanting to move my feet ‘cause it could wake my dog. I mean, he does have a pressing day ahead of him and all but I can’t figure out why I do this every night. In the morning I think to myself, “What is wrong with me? Why don’t I just move him? Or better yet, kick him out of bed entirely!” But in the half awake, half dream state, it always seems like an insensitive thing to do. So I spend the day wrapped in a fog that I don’t snap out of until it’s time to go to bed again. While Oscar, on the other hand is bright-eyed and bushy tailed all day long. And that’s important, b/c if he wasn’t he could miss someone walking by and lose his chance to bark out the window. Hmmm…what a little creep.

So anyway, Travis is back. We are working as a four piece now. A little different, but hey, we are survivors. What’s one more curve ball? We had a great weekend at Uncle Ron’s last week. Great crowd all three nights. Thanks so much for coming out everyone! I know a lot of you made it out all three nights… I barely pulled that off! We’ll be back there the first weekend in April. As promised, I’ll save you all seats again. I cannot promise that you will be sitting next to someone you know if I save it so maybe you should come out early just in case. ;) We were planning on playing Bushwackers last weekend but due to some confusion between Dave and me, it didn’t happen. I am so sorry to those of you who didn’t get the last minute update! I got your emails that you were there and I wasn’t so I apologize! Don’t give up on us, we’ll be back!

What else is new??? Oh! I am giving vocal lessons at Blue Raven Studio here in Lincoln. Shoot me a line if you or anyone you know is interested please. Brian teaches there as well. He will teach you all you need to know about the guitar and bass. So other than that, I will try to keep you a little more updated. I ruined Jim’s (webmaster Jim) Valentine’s Day spirits so I will do my best to wish you all well for the holidays in a timely fashion from here on out. But just in case…Happy Easter! ;)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-15T23:21:00.000-06:00

Well, my husband is snoring away and b/c I don't wake up with him at 5 in the morning, here I am again. I hadn't blogged in, well, forever b/c I have been on facebook and twitter but then my brilliant husband pointed out that not everybody is into that. So for those of you who follow, my apologies. In other words, sorry Mom.

Corey Wallroff joined the band recently. He is a young talented musician who started drumming with us a couple weekends ago at Uncle Ron's. You can listen to his music on myspace. Good stuff!

Thursday and Friday went well at Ron's but it was a little sad getting on stage after the heart breaking Husker loss. I'm still a little miffed about that game, but hey, our job is to make you all forget, so moving on...We have thrown in a bunch of new tunes so if you haven't seen the show in a while it's full of surprises! Including what key we will do songs in. We started a tuffy a little higher than usual that night. The whole time we're doing the song I'm thinking, "These guys are going to kill me when I ask them to lower this song again!" I'm a littler slower than the rest of them and didn't figure it out until the end that it was a bit high. Don't think that I lowered it b/c I can't sing that high, b/c I can! BonJovi, BonSchmovi! I would have done it higher but Cori didn't want to play his drums in that key so I said, okay, okay...but only for you. I'm really easy to work with that way. ;)

During the holidays everyone is here, there and everywhere so we have some time off this month. Kind of nice to spend some time at home or with the family. Brian and I have also been playing acoustic shows to keep busy. We play wing night in Dewitt on a semi-regular basis and are starting up at Outlaw's in Garland as well. Anything else we can fill in the gaps with, we play.

So much has happened since the last time I wrote I'm a little blank on what to write! We are playing the Broken Bow Fireman's Ball this coming Friday at Huckelberry's Hideout. The cool thing about this new blogger site is that you can ask me about the things I am missing! So, ask away if there is anything you'd like to know! Otherwise, I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Everybody always seems to be so stressed out over the holiday so this year, try to remember what it's all about. It's my favorite holiday b/c I get to see and spend time with all of the family I love and miss being around. Take care everyone and Merry Christmas!

Sheila

How far back can I remember???

2009-10-23T10:13:00.000-05:00

I have to write this down before I forget! I always forget. Anyway, the main bullet point I can remember from Bushwackers is that Miley Cirus...Cyrus...Sy...hmmm...really am not sure about that one...Surley it's not spelled like virus...although...;) Anyway, you know who I mean. So Miley's crew came out both nights. Really nice people! Some of the roadies told me if I make it famous they would love to work for me! Wouldn't that be swell. The famous part I mean. It would be pretty grand to have roadies too...Andy will only get me so many green M&M's before telling me where to go. ;) Other than that, my friend Jill came out again. It's always good to play in Omaha so I can see her. And it gives Bob a dance partner!
The next week we ventured to North Platte. Seventeen inches of snow! Little crazy. Then Saturday night towards the end of second set I was struck by the swine flu. I remember the exact moment. Luckily I have an awesome band who followed me through all of my botched song structures. I was pretty "creative" with the lyrics I think. It was a little hard to concentrate with my body flashing from freezing to boiling. My friend Erin Erickson came all the way from Denver to see us! I hope I didn't infect her. Hopefully we'll see them again at the big wedding in Feb. Thanks for coming!
Then...let me think...the wedding! That's what was next. Brian couldn't be there and we missed him but Evan Lee was awesome enough to step in and learn all the music for the night. He did a great job and we all had a lot of fun with him. Thanks so much Evan!
So this weekend we are at Uncle Ron's. Tonight we're opening for Joe Diffie. I love a ton of his songs so it will be a fun concert. I hope you can all make it out to hang tonight or tomorrow! It's been a while since we've played in Lincoln and we won't be back until December so puuullleeease come out and say hi! We miss you!

The Sheila Greenland Band

2009-09-17T23:48:00.000-05:00

The Sheila Greenland Band. I want to introduce everyone again. If you've been to the shows you know most of us but just in case...

Shane Mason. Our newest member. He has been playing the scene for years. I send the guy five songs for an audition and he comes with 90% of my set list learned. Can't beat that.

Sherry Starnes. Fantastic keyboards and fanominal vocals. (I spell it with an "f" because I like it better that way. It is more definite than the stupid "ph";) She is definitely one of the best I have ever worked with. Personally and professionally.

Brian "Pickle" Gerkensmeyer. I had never heard this dude play before he jammed with us. I used the word "jammed" because he didn't know it was an audition. After hearing him play I understand that it's because he is too damn good for an audition. He rocks the bass.

Brad Kulwicki. I remember watching him play in the past and wishing I was good enough to share a stage with him. Every so often I have to pinch myself on stage...

These people are awesome. So awesome that I often feel really strange about using the name the Sheila Greenland Band...until I remember, it was their idea. I've never worked with people who are so hell bent on promoting me. I am a lucky, lucky person. I don't take any of them for granted. At the end of shows there always seems to be one person determined to let me know that their cousin/sister/daughter/sister's, boyfriend's niece...whatever...would be a better fit in my band than I am. That their...whoever it is...is the missing link to take this group to the top. I'm finally to a point where I can say, "No." They may be better at a lot of things but this is my family and nobody fits better than me. I have had a great line up for years. People have given a lot for me and I remember them all. LaMont is the most recent. He busted his butt to cover ours this fair season. We thank you so much LaMont!

That's it for now. I was just laying in bed thinking about it and wanted to share.

Birthday party was a blast!

2009-07-12T22:30:00.001-05:00

We had so much fun! Krystal and Laura's birthday party was a blast. We were going to stop around 12 but played on until 3:00a.m. Lot's of fun people, great food, drinks and...well, it was great. I am super glad Brad could play w/me. He had Laura come up and sing for a while and covered a ton of songs that they loved. They spoke of having us back and I hope they do. You guys were great and I hope you had a happy 30th birthday!!!!

-Sheila & Brad

Throw me the money!

2009-07-07T15:41:00.004-05:00

Well, as they say, "The show must go on." Travis left the band a couple weeks ago and LaMont Foster stepped in and filled our crazy schedule. I really need to start looking at maps when I'm booking. LaMont's first date with us was the Winside Street Dance a few weeks ago. (BTW...you rocked man. 60 tunes in two days is pretty impressive) We had a bit of a late start b/c once again...rain. It really does follow us everywhere. Our old friend Ryan proposed to his long time girlfriend Jess right before the show started so that was the buzz most of the night. Congrats you two!

The reason I need a map is b/c after loading out we hit the road by 4:30a.m. and had time for a two hour nap in Fremont before running to Kendra and Dallas's wedding south of Hastings. We were all dragging pretty hard but we kept on playing late into the night. When people throw money at you it kind of wakes you up enough for a few more tunes. ;)

The following Friday we hit the Grand Island Ethnic Festival. The rain left us alone that day. Hot, hot, hot...The show went great and we even made the 10:00 news! We're movie stars now. ;) We took Saturday off and saw some old friends (we had a blast Erin and Eric, miss you!) and hung out w/the family before the 4th weekend hit us. Like a bowling ball it seemed.

We played Uncle Ron's Thurs-Sat and on Sat. Pickle and I played at RJ's in Dewitt. We play there about once a month on Tuesdays. You really should come out. It's layed back, cold beer (love the frosty mugs) and awesome wings. I hear the entertainment is pretty killer too. Ron's turned out great too. Holiday weekends are always a little scary but you came anyway! There were so many of you that I saw on the dance floor and then didn't find you on break. Thanks for coming and grab me next time so we can catch up! Now we have a couple weeks off. Brad and I are playing a private party this Saturday but other than that, we're on a break. I think everyone's families miss them. A couple weeks off and back to Valentine! We're hitting the river. Make sure and check out the schedule, we are a little bit of everywhere coming up and I'm sure we'll be close to all of you at some point. We'll even have t-shirts to sell! Anybody thinking early Christmas gifts???? :)

Sheila Greenland and the Rain Makers

2009-06-17T23:03:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night was a slow start but after 10:00 I couldn’t even make my way to the bathroom. They must have heard that it was Sherry’s birthday! We really need to work out a better birthday song…sorry Sherry. ;) But happy birthday just the same! My mom’s cousin Brenda (my second cousin I guess) surprised me by making it out w/her husband Bruce. The next night my cousin Jason came out too. I hadn’t seen him for at least 5 or 6 years. I almost didn’t recognize him! He was always the acrobat on the horses. He moved on to bulls long ago and is still at it. It was good to see them both.

Saturday Andy, Brad and Travis went golfing w/the Shooters crew. I wasn’t there but 9 holes took them 5 ½ hours and Stacy even got ran over by a golf cart…I would have liked to be there for that. ;) No worries, she’s okay. My sister Jade just moved to North Platte and then my dad made it to town last minute as well so I spent the day w/them and Brian. Guess he’s not much of a golfer either. More in to the Chinese buffets. Saturday night was even more packed than Friday and the crowd was great. We always love hanging out w/the Shooters crew and Kevin made it out too so we had a great time and can’t wait to make it back!

Going back a little farther, we once again got rained out in Dewitt. As a group I think we are rain makers…or maybe it’s just Brad. We played until 12:00 and that’s about when the lightening was just a little too much for playing outdoors. We’ll try it again soon. We’re outdoors again this Friday for the Winside street dance so we’ll test the rainmaking powers once again. However, we were outside last Saturday and made it through w/out a drop. We were playing at Yaney Park for Heritage Days in Kearney. It was also my Grandpa Marvin’s 91’s birthday party. The bigger part of the crowd was my family! Outdoors, no rain and my family again. Good show. :)

We have another big weekend coming again and will see a lot of our friends out. The Scheels crowd is even making an appearance! That always promises a wild party. I was warned by many that the Winside Firemen are going to be wild so I hope you can make it out for a great party!

Jim Rice Band puts out fire

2009-06-05T00:23:00.000-05:00

I have to write all this down before we play this weekend and I forget everything! We had an awesome Memorial Day weekend. Friday night in Arcadia was a small crowd but hey, it's a really small town! They gave us supper and drinks and everybody partied until closing time. It was a lot of fun to play back home to all familiar faces. In fact, here's a few of them!

We were a little worried about our street dance in Sutton. It was a cloudy day. When it started to rain we really got concerned. LaMont had most of his rig set up and seemed a little stressed watching it set in the rain for a couple hours. At 8:30 it showed no signs of letting up so he started the tear down and luckily Andy had his rig there and we started setting up in the bar. There was a lot more set-up/tear-down than actual playing at this one but once we got started we had a blast. The place was packed all night and the crowd was ready to party. Bring on the rain!

(Pics from Sutton...)

We came back to Lincoln the next day and started getting ready for PlaMor. We were playing opposite Jim Rice and his crew and I thought it worked out great. They have always been one of my favorite bands and it turns out that most of our regular crowd loves 'em too. Almost everyone I talked to said that we are their two favorites. That's a huge compliment to me. On a weirder note, he sang the Fireman song so a couple nights later I dreamed that I was at a fire (not really sure where) and it was the Jim Rice Band to the rescue. Really weird. I wish you could snap pictures of your dreams b/c it was pretty, well, it was pretty weird. Jim was yelling at me about fire safety and Larry and Jeff were running the hose. I have some of the strangest dreams. Hmmm...anyway...the whole band is in Dewitt tonight at RJ's. It's worth the drive!

(Pics from Pla Mor...)