What I'm Thankful for in 2014 and Battle of the Bands ~ White Winter Hymnal

Happy New Year blog friends!

Yesterday I posted what I intend to be the first of a series. I'm not sure how many posts it will take. If I were Stephen T. McCarthy, I would have all the posts written and appropriately numbered. Well, I'm not and they aren't. I guess I'm more of a roll with it sort of blogger.

Anyway, before we launch into Battle of the Bands, I do want to take a moment and not complain about events of the past year, but to point out some truly amazing things that 2014 brought.

• I experienced several No Migraine Days. 
• To help you understand how MONUMENTAL this was, let's put it in perspective. From January 2002-July2014 I had yet to see even ONE day that didn't include at least a low-grade migraine. Not a knock your head off sort of migraine, but just that nagging migraine. I was functional, but really tired in an emotional and physical way. I think only someone who lives with chronic pain will fully understand how it wears you down.
• So, experiencing ENTIRE DAYS without any migraine at all. Woohoo. I can't tell you how joyous it felt to wake up and it not be there. 
• I even had several blocks of two or three days in a row without a migraine. This tells me it's possible. I'm doing the right things to get healthier and well. I hope that next year I report I'm able to work (or have gone back to work) because I reached a point of going several weeks migraine-free.
• I finished a rough draft on my novel. Yep, it has a beginning, middle, and end.
• I revised and revised and revised that rough draft to the point that I read it and think, "This is really pretty good."

That is good stuff folks. For everything that went wrong in 2014 two HUGE things went really right for me. I am thankful. I feel blessed. I hope that we all see even more good things in 2015.

Now, let's get down to Battle of the Bands.

I'm not going to yammer on about the song for today... mostly because I don't know that much about it. I discovered it while jogging around on YouTube listening to Christmas music. No, it's not a Christmas song, but people who sing Christmas songs sing other songs and they show up in the sidebar. That can lead to a lot of clicking and random listening.

The song is White Winter Hymnal, which I think is an appropriate title for a January song. The band who recorded it first was Fleet Foxes. If you've never heard of them, take a number. They're new to me, too. I'm going to warn you that the video is strange. You can choose to watch it, but don't allow it to distract you from the song. If you are one of those who will try to find meaning in the video as it relates to the song, this will only boggle your mind (trust me). You've been given fair warning. You might want to close your eyes. The challenger is Pentatonix. In order to fully appreciate what they've done with the song, I think you need to watch the video. Yep. Life is full of contradictions. Don't snap at me. It's LIFE.

Here is Fleet Foxes with their version:




Here is Pentatonix with their version:



For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected 
• This Belle Rocks
• Mike's Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• Book Lover
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands
• Alex J. Cavanaugh (sometimes)

If you are participating in Battle of the Bands, and you are not listed here, leave me a note in the comments. Thanks!

Now, is the critical moment. It is time to vote for your favorite version of this song. I even encourage you to leave me long comment explaining all the ins and outs of why you voted as you did!