think you can't change the world?

Too late, you already have! It was changed for the better the minute you were born. There are more people than you can imagine who will never be the same because they came in contact with you, even if only for a fleeing moment. -Gail Purcell Elliott

This past Saturday, "The Taste Tester" and I attended the 2012 Ottawa Folk Festival.

Even though Environment Canada called for "unstable weather conditions" and a "severe storm alert", the music played on.

Miraculously, the storm warning was lifted at 3pm, just in time for us to see our star...

The lovely miss Kina Grannis. She is just the sweetest thing ever with an undeniable passion for music. Guitar in hand, with her curly brown hair, and a warm gentle smile, Kina certainly captured our hearts.

I've loved Kina's music ever since I discovered her on YouTube in 2009, two years after she first joined YouTube. In 2007, Kina made a music video and entered herself into the Doritos Crash The Super Bowl contest. Kina's video “Message From Your Heart” aired during the Super Bowl and because people loved her so much, she had a YouTube following, a Twitter following, a #1 video on Digg.com, a street team and, for a short time, a record deal. Kina forfeited her record label, determined to record and release the songs she’d been writing for years. Kina self-funded and independently-released Stairwells in early 2010.

We got to meet Kina, give hugs, and chat for a few moments. My camera battery died just as we were getting a picture together, but luckily, Kina's friend Tim snapped a photo with his iPhone that I pulled off Kina's site. Ahhhh!

This was "The Taste Tester's" first music show EVER...and his first time meeting someone famous!

This is how happy he was...

Happy enough to do a little *happy dance* after the show! ☼

That's Alberta-born honky-tonker Corb Lund playing in the background.  His album, Cabin Fever is the #1 album in Canada. He's so fun and energetic. A real cowboy!

Here are a few of my favorite Kina Grannis songs:





Continue to do what you do and inspire others. Stay true! The world needs more people like you!