We’re entering the Home S-t-r-e-t-c-h! David Archuleta’s “Christmas from the Heart” album will be released October 13. The holidays will be stretched out well before Halloween, and for the first time, I don’t mind! Gosh, I’ll probably be listening to “What Child is This?” in February.

David Archuleta’s Stretchy Cheeks

David recently tweeted that his dental hygienist said he has “nice, stretchy cheeks”. His cheeks probably got that way from all the vocal exercises he has been doing since around age 6. Later in the same week David tweeted about more stretches—this time the P90X X Stretch. P90X is a 90-day exercise program developed by Tony Horton. It includes 12 DVDs, the seventh of which is the X Stretch. The extensive full-body stretches that make up this routine use disciplines from Kenpo karate, hatha yoga, and various sports to ensure that the body is fully prepared to meet all P90X challenges and to avoid burn-out.

This guy makes it look so easy and the music made me want to take a nap…or my pulse!

Here’s a 7 minute video demonstrating more stretches.

Here are the 12 P90X exercises, or, as I refer to them, “How I plan to spend the 12 Days of Christmas.”

• 01 Chest & back * I have both, one concave, the other convex.
• 02 Plyometrics * You’ve got a lot of nerve!
• 03 Shoulders & Arms * I use them every day.
• 04 Yoga X * I use the “Crescent Lunge” when I walk to the grocery store. Learned that from John Cleese.
• 05 Legs & Back * “I’m squatting and I can’t get up!”
• 06 Kenpo X * Self-defense with “empty hands”: to neither defend nor attack.
• 07 X Stretch * Open wide and say “ah.” Now s-t-r-e-t-c-h again!
• 08 Core Synergistics * Alert! Muscle failure! Muscle failure!
• 09 Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps * I don’t have any triceps
• 10 Back & Biceps * Back aches, biceps burn.
• 11 Cardio X * ‘Muscle Confusion’ is a good thing.
• 12 Ab Ripper X * Anything with the word ‘rip’ scares me.

David Archuleta S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s Arms like Wings, Ford commercial, Photo by American Idol

DA Postcard Blitz: D-DAY October 13

October 13, D-Day, is one week away! We’re entering the home stretch!! Do you have your “Thumbs Up” postcard? Review the plan of action and get all the details, including the mailing address for David Archuleta. If you need help or have questions, please contact me soon. I hope everyone can participate!

Christmas album in 7 days!

Order yours today on Amazon.com!

Buzz-word

stretch
Main Entry: 1stretch
Pronunciation: \ˈstrech\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English strecchen,; akin to Old High German strecchan to stretch, Old English stræc firm, severe
Date: before 12th century

transitive verb 1 : to extend (as one’s limbs or body) in a reclining position
5 : to cause the limbs of (a person) to be pulled especially in torture

Let’s make a sentence: “P90X is an exercise program designed to stretch the human body beyond the stretching point.” Wow, I used the word as a verb and an adjective.

Now make a beeline to last week’s “Type Bee”. Catch you next week! Now one final thought…

Buzz-phrase

There’s music in the sighing of a reed;
There’s music in the gushing of a rill;
There’s music in all things, if men had ears:
Their earth is but an echo of the spheres.
~ ~ George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron, 1788-1824

Creating Sweet Buzz for David Archuleta

SongsAutumn has arrived with its cool crisp air and colorful leaves falling, slowly and gently from the trees. Time to get the rake and pile up those leaves! I watch as the grass stops growing so quickly and the perennials die back, while they get ready to ‘sleep’ for the approaching winter. All that springtime brought is slowly going away or becoming dormant until next spring’s warmth brings them back to life. It is a time for things to end. A time for life to die, as the days grow shorter and the air grows colder.

All of this has made me think of one of David Archuleta’s songs. It is a song he wrote when he was only 14. A very deep song filled with a lot of emotion. It is about possible endings and feelings of despair, as things in life feel as if they have become dull and dormant. But at the end, there is a line of hope in this song! Just as the spring brings forth new life, David ends his song with the feeling that there are possibilities. The last line of the song expresses a feeling of hope. Perhaps this hope will come from the love of family or a close friend. For those of us who believe, maybe there is a hope that God will hear the prayer we send out because we are lost and searching for something to bring us back to life. Wherever the hope may come from, David wants to end the song on that note of hope. Now if you have not already guessed,

The Song of the Week is….

“Falling”

“Falling” was written by David Archuleta when he was just 14 years old. It has been reported that David was inspired to write it after learning about a relative’s emotional struggle with life, which led to her eventual suicide. “Falling” was released by JIVE records for David’s self-titled debut album, but it can only be heard on the Deluxe album version. It is a haunting song that is very deep and emotional. The lyrics speak of so much pain. However, as I said before, David does end the song with feelings of hope. As the song goes “…I’ll move from where I began, keep on pressing through to the end!”

Here are the poignant lyrics to “Falling”.

“Falling”
by David Archuleta

Feels like my life’s been passing by
With happiness just bein’ a lie
How did I get here, where am I going?
One more day without knowing
Struggling for one more breath
As I’m drowning in a painful death
Can someone reach out for me?
In this dark and dreary sea

‘Cause it seems like no one can
Hear the voice that’s calling
Try to take the most I can stand
But I keep falling

I try to chase the memories away
But they haunt me everyday
I hope I get over this phase
‘Cause I’m stuck inside this haze
All I need is a simple lift
Such a sweet and precious gift
So I don’t lose it all before
What I have left is nothing more

In my isolating misery
I feel like the epitome
Of darkness and despair
Just leading onto nowhere
Will I be able to win this race?
I’m runnin’ at a slow pace
Trying hard to press on
But the motivation’s gone

‘Cause it seems like no one can
Hear the voice that’s calling
Try to take the most I can stand
But I keep falling

Oh

I try to chase the memories away
But they haunt me everyday
I hope I get over this phase
‘Cause I’m stuck inside this haze
All I need is a simple lift
Such a sweet and precious gift
So I don’t lose it all before
What I have left is nothing more

It may not have to be this way
Waiting for me they could be a new day
Maybe I can revise
And escape from the lies

I try to chase the memories away
But they haunt me everyday
I hope I get over this phase
‘Cause I’m stuck inside this haze
All I need is a simple lift
Such a sweet and precious gift
So I don’t lose it all before
What I have left is nothing more

There could be something more
To what my life may have in store
I’ll move from where I began
Keep on pressing through to the end

Here is the recorded song “Falling” from David’s self-titled Debut Album, the Deluxe version:

Wishing everyone a happy Monday. And may you all find hope in David’s music. I know I have! 😉

Take care,
Katie

Listen to Song of Last Week.

David Archuleta, the Voice