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Taurus James Ministries: Taurus M. James Ministries - Taurus M. James aka TaurusBeats aka Coach T

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image for Country Music Guitar Sample Flip Remix

Country Music Guitar Sample Flip Remix

I love to make beats with Propellerhead Reason 6. I also enjoy making videos that show how I make beats and Moody instruMental Music. The videos are my way of sharing my experiences and discoveries in my music-making journey.

Country Music Guitar Sample Flip Remix Video by TaurusBeats

image for SAHD Life: My First Daddy-Daughter Dance Sweetheart Ball

SAHD Life: My First Daddy-Daughter Dance Sweetheart Ball

The YMCA Adventure Guides Father-Daughter Sweetheart Ball was not on my radar until a good friend of mine told me how he takes his daughters each year. I thought, "Cool! You and your girls are really excited about this thing, huh?" When my wife started getting emails about the event, there was no controlling her excitement. She was even talking about renting a car for the night!

Yeah...

In case you didn't know (like me), a dadddy-daughter dance allows dad an opportunity to set an example and standard for how his daughter should be treated on a date. It is also an opportunity for dad to build that special bond with his daughter and make special memories.

Okay, based on the description above, I tossed the whole daddy-daughter dance thing out the window because my daughter and dating don't even go together in a sentence. And I can build that special bond with my daughter at the creek - FISHING!

But I thought about the whole thing (I do a lot of thinking) and with my "try-almost-anything-once" attitude, I went all in.

That's right! I went to my first daddy-daughter dance AND I LOVED IT!

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Now That I'm a SAHD (Stay-At-Home-Dad)...The Power of Being Present

Judging from a lot of online discussions that I have read, it appears that there is still a novelty effect when it comes to dads staying home and being the primary caregiver for the kid(s) and taking care of the house. At the same time, I am seeing more Stay-At-Home-Dads (like myself) becoming more of a presence online.

I've been a SAHD for just over a year now and I have learned a lot about the role, but mostly, I've learned alot about myself. Before choosing to be a SAHD last year, I never really gave the topic any thought. Since then, I think about being a SAHD everyday.

The greatest challenges I encounter are internal. I'm talking about the unexpected feelings and thoughts that pop up in certain situations when I'm interacting with my daughter. It's learning that I'm not exactly who I thought I was that has given me the biggest "WOW" moments.

Overall, this opportunity to be so actively involved in my daughter's life has been great! I think about the fact that I get to actively, intentionally, purposefully guide my daughter on a day-to-day basis and I'm grateful. At the same time, I pray that I am demonstrating some qualities that positively impact her character development.

Now, I find myself thinking about my childhood often, especially the interaction I had with my dad, who was a SAHD before the acronym and all this hooplah. My opinions regarding SAHDs is heavily influenced by my experiences with my dad. My choice to stay at home was pretty easy because my dad was a model for me in this role. But it is the power of my dad's presence that makes me say that this is what I must do for my daughter.

image for Days End - Original Moody Instrumental Music

Days End - Original Moody Instrumental Music

Days End - Original Moody Instrumental Music by Taurus M. James (TauurusBeats) Piano Freestyle

Slideshow/Video of our vacation trip to Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah (just before we moved to Alexandria, VA). Featuring "Days End" - Moody instruMental Music created with Propellerhead's Reason 4 software, Akai MPD32 and M-Audio Oxygen8 v2.

Days End Music Download Available

image for NEW Propellerhead Reason Video Tutorial Session Available at TaurusBeats.com

NEW Propellerhead Reason Video Tutorial Session Available at TaurusBeats.com

I just finished posting the first Propellerhead Reason video tutorial session - "VIP Session 1: Chop and Flip Samples" - on TAURUSBEATS.COM! This is my first attempt at providing detailed video tutorials about how to produce music using Propellerhead's Reason software and hardware control devices like the Akai MPD32 and M-Audio Oxygen25.