He's getting so big!

My little nephew, JR (or James depending on what we're calling him that day) is getting so big! He's four months old now and absolutely adorable. He's the happiest baby I've ever seen. My mom and dad watched him last weekend while my sister and Mark were at a concert and my mom sent me this cute picture on Monday morning. It's so much fun having a baby in the family!

Oh iTunes I've missed you!

Last night after work (when I should have been at the gym) I went home and FINALLY got a chance to sit down and take a listen to some new songs on iTunes. It was blissful! I think I downloaded seven or eight new songs. I spend most of my music listening time in my car, so I'll have to put them on a CD so I can really spend some time with them. That's funny, I make them sound like friends or pets. Nope... just songs. Well, not just songs. I love music because people have a way of singing about ideas or thoughts that run through my head all the time. I just can never find the right way to explain what I'm thinking or what I'm going through. Music does such a better job of explaining things. There are probably a thousand songs that I can name a place, time, event, feeling, or some reference to my life in relation to. I will throw a few out there for you...

Celebrate - Kool and the Gang

This is the strangest thing. I can remember spinning on my Sit-And-Spin in my dining room when I was six or seven and listening to this song on the radio. I'm not kidding.

Roll on - Alabama

I can remember riding in the car with my family singing this song when I was a kid. Takes me back every time I hear it.

Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Last summer, Joe and I went boating with Kyra and Shawn and we stayed on the water until after 11pm and we were just cruising around listening to music, swimming, talking, dancing, being dumb. It was one of those nights when you feel like you were meant to be exactly where you are and you were 100% in the moment. It was so much fun and I remember these two songs specifically.

When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne
Faith in Love - Rascall Flatts/Reba McEntire
My iconic breakup songs from last summer.

Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Every time Amanda, Jill, Janelle, and I would walk into Generations when we were 21/22, they would play this song for us. Everyone would sing. It was awesome! And we still request it everywhere we go.

Float On - Modest Mouse
One of the first times that Matt and I hung out we went to Old Cab. I was picking songs on the jukebox and he was talking to Janelle. I picked this song and when it played he got this shocked look on his face because he didn't think anyone else knew this song and couldn't believe I picked it. Love that song!

Today's Song of the Day

I Go Back - Kenny Chesney

The whole subject of this song is exactly what I'm saying in this blog. He talks about certain songs that take him back to different times and different people.

I'm back...

OK, I took a little blogging hiatus (mainly because my computer at home was on the fritz), but now I'm back. In addition to getting back to my blog, I can't wait to get on iTunes and start finding some more good music. It's been forever since I've been able to download any new songs. Oh the possibilities! I'm sure there are hundreds of new songs out there just waiting to be heard.

Today's Song of the Day

Split Screen Sadness
John Mayer

I Am Officially Independent

I am officially an independent woman and I'm so proud of myself! Yesterday for the first time in my 28 years of life, I mowed my yard ALL BY MYSELF (with a push mower no less)! Now I know that for lots of people this may seem like no big deal, but if you know me... you know this was a major accomplishment. Yes, I'm kind of girly, but I hope not in an annoying way. My hangup with mowing the lawn really had nothing to do with my ability to do it or not wanting to get sweaty or dirty or any of those kinds of reasons. It was much more of a hangup in admitting that I am officially a single girl living by myself in the suburbs and I need to be completely self sufficient. While I obviously am aware that I've been living by myself for almost a whole year, yesterday I finally decided that I can survive and thrive as a single girl for however long that might be.

I remember Joe and I having an argument before we got married about mowing the lawn and shoveling the snow. He was saying that if it snowed less than two or three inches he would not shovel the driveway and more then likely he would never shovel it before I went to work. And anytime he could hire a kid to mow the lawn, he would. I don't mean to be high maintenance or anything, but that completely offended me. How could he not want to go out of his way to make sure that his wife did not have to wade through feet (or inches) of snow? To me, this was a scenario about a man not stepping up to take care of his wife and it was kind of an emotional safety thing. I think a lot of women just want to feel safe and taken care of in some ways and the snow and the lawn have always been those triggers for me. That would be like me saying I would never work or cook dinner or clean the house to help take care of him. Admitting that I need to do these outdoor things for myself has meant admitting that I officially have no one to take care of me and I'm on my own. It might sound dumb, but it's been a tough one to get through. Last summer I was able to get my neighbors to help with the lawn thank goodness. Everytime I tried to go out there and mow, I just couldn't do it.

So yesterday was a day for the history books... It's OFFICIAL. I can do anything.

Today's Song of the Day... (I thought about "I'm Every Woman", but I couldn't be that cheesy.)

Shake It
Metro Station

Shine On

Today's Song of the Day

Shine On
Needtobreathe

I think I might have chosen this song as the Song of the Day before, but I love it! The lyrics are so inspiring. I'm posting them for you. The same song can mean a hundred different things to a hundred different people. For me, this song is a great reminder that when you start to feel like you're losing your passion or your way, you have to keep going and "Shine On". My favorite line is "I was with you in the Valley and up upon that hill. So take just one more step in front of you, for I am with you still." It's just a great reminder that you're never alone because Jesus is always right there a step ahead of you, you just have to keep taking that next step and have faith. I can promise you that it's true because there's no way that I could have made it through last summer if it wasn't. It would be so easy so many times to explain away the help and comfort that God gives us and take the credit ourselves. If you'll give God some credit for things in your life, I promise you will notice so many more blessings in your life and you'll really notice how much you have to be thankful for. Enjoy!

Somewhere between the end
And the point where we begin
There's a fire burning brightly
That's found it's way to dim

When the feeling's gone... Shine on Shine on
and onto something new
its long and overdue
I will remember you
Shine on shine on
And let the other's see you've got your victory
Will you remember me

I was with you in the valley
And up upon that hill
So take just one more step in front of you
For I am with you still you still

And you're not alone, Shine on Shine on
And onto something new its long and overdue
I will remember you
Shine on shine on
And let the other's see you've got your victory
Will you remember me

Can you see my hands are open
I am waiting just ahead
And you think you need it all now
But you needed me instead

Shine on shine on shine on shine on
won't you won't you shine Shine on Shine on
And onto something new its long and overdue
I will remember you

Shine on shine on
And let the other's see you've got your victory
Will you remember me
Somewhere between the end and the point where we began

Random Acts of Kindness

I've been hearing about random acts of kindness from every direction lately. I'm doing a "Live Like You Were Dying" bible study at the YMCA right now and last week we talked about "loving deeper". We discussed different ways we could all go out of our way to help someone and what types of extravegant love people had shown us throughout our lives. At work, the newsroom is working on a story called "Making a Difference" with a local radio station (107.1). The goal is to spread goodwill throughout Central Iowa by asking people to pay for the person behind them at the drive through. Anyway, the point of my post is not that I've done anything, but that last night someone did something for me.

I turned on to my street last night on my way back from my picnic and I heard a noise that sounded like someone's smoke alarms were going off. When I pulled into my garage I figured out that they were mine. I had been gone for about four hours and I'm still not sure how long they were going off, but I hope it wasn't all afternoon. I had my windows open so the whole neighborhood could hear them, oops! Thankfully, my house was not on fire. The problem was just a low battery in the one in the living room. I was almost in tears because I went through the entire house taking out all the batteries (and they were still blaring) when a neighbor I hadn't met yet came walking up my driveway. Brian is a voluteer fireman and he came to see if he could help me. How nice is that!!! He helped me haul in my enormous ladder to change the battery in the living room and finally they stopped. As if that wasn't nice enough, he came back an hour or so later to make sure that I got all the batteries back in and got them all hooked up again correctly. I'm so thankful to live in such a great neighborhood with so many nice people!

Now... I've been blessed with a random act of kindness and I plan to pay it forward soon. How about you?

What a great weekend!

What a gorgeous weekend! Finally we got a full weekend with beautiful weather and I for one, took full advantage of it.

Saturday morning I hosted a brunch slash Pampered Chef party for about ten of my friends and it turned about great! We had personal mini breakfast pizzas, black bean and corn salad, shrimp, and fresh fruit with a yogurt/orange marmalade dipping sauce. We (and by we, I mean Deanna) also made two desserts for everyone to take home... Mini cherry chocolate cheesecakes and Apple Bundles. I served two cocktails, Bellini's and Blood Mary's. Bellini's might be my new favorite breakfast cocktail. They were made with frozen peaches, peach nectar, orange liquer, and sparkling wine. Yum! After the brunch, a couple of friends stayed for an afternoon of cocktails and conversation on the patio. The weather was perfect and I even managed to get a little sunburned. Guess it's time to get out the sunscreen!

Yesterday, after church I watched my friend Angela's 3 year old play Bam-Bam ball in Altoona. If you ever get a chance to catch one of those games, you should. It's hysterical! Basically one team lines up on the pitching mound and the other comes out of their "pen" one at a time to bat. After the kid bats he runs to first base and the other team sends the first kid in line at the pitchers mound to put the ball back on the tee. Then the next kid bats and so on and so on. They play three innings which I think takes 30 minutes total and is just about the max amount of time you can keep them all interested. Hilarious! They are so cute I can't even tell you. My favorite part is that the last kid who bats is the one who gets to hit the "homerun" and they get so excited. It's absolutely adorable. After the game I went to Grandview Park and had a picnic. It was a great day for a picnic; not too hot, not too windy, just perfect. I kept the top down on my convertible from Friday night all the way through last night. It was awesome!

Today's Song of the Day... my new favorite 80's song.

Causing a Commotion
Madonna