If My Life Had an MP3 Player

I've been playing around with Emma's mp3 player she got for Christmas.  She wanted a bunch of different songs uploaded on it.  It's gotten me thinking about the music in my life.

If I were to set my day to music it would go something like this:

Yesterday I woke up in a quirky and somewhat weird mood.

(Until I found this video online I had no idea what all the lyrics of this song were.  But it's the music that matters.  [Btw, the dude in this reminds me of my brother when he and I were in Dead Man together and he played the murderer -- weird].)  This song accompanied me as I got the kids ready for school and off to the bus.

As the events began to unfold for the day, things changed a bit.  You see, I'm currently homeschooling Abby (yep, heading down that adventurous road again) and she's still learning that there's a bit of independence in home school, just not as much as she wants.  So my playlist shuffled and we got this gem:




And as the day continued, more kids came home.  And suddenly the house was full of kids that didn't want to do homework or chores.  They wanted to watch TV or play outside or do nothing at all.

I've never done drugs of any kind, but I can't help but think that four children who are all crying, whining, complaining, yelling, and fighting bring about the same chaos into your mind that the acid which inspired most 1960s music must have.

Hence, my next music choice.




Yeah, this one is nearly 18 minutes long.  Of course, it takes a lot less than 18 minutes for the house to go from quiet to uncontrolled upheaval.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted.  I just wanted peace and quiet.  So after the kids cleaned up their messes from the day, they finally fell asleep and I did too so I plugged in my inner-mp3 player and let it charge for the night.

I haven't yet decided what today's music was.  But I'm pretty sure I know how tomorrow's music will begin.

Running the Extra Mile

I've had a rough few days.  So to find some humor in my frustrations is a good sign, I think.  Maybe I'm not as stressed out today, which is a good thing.

I began running again last week.  It was good to do.  I've run with Millie a few times and by myself a few times.  I love how good I feel afterward.  In fact, I've been feeling so good afterward that I went for more of a challenge today.

I've been running two miles over the last week and a half.  But it hasn't been quite enough to really push me.  Plus, I don't have music on my mp-3 that coordinates with a 23 minute run.  It's all on there from the end of my Couch to 5k program and set up for 35 to 45 minute runs.  Problem is, my favorite songs are the last songs on my playlists and I keep missing them because I finish my run before I reach that point in my playlist.

Today I thought I'd challenge myself with running 3 miles and playing my 5k playlist.  I knew my favorite song would be the last song I'd hear while running and then some of my other favorite songs as I walked the remainder of the way home.

I was nearly done with my running and the song before my favorite came on.  I was so excited because it's been so long since I've run to my favorite song.  The last chord played and I prepared myself to straighten my shoulders as my favorite gave me that last bit of umph I needed to finish my 3 miles....... Silence.

I haven't charged my mp-3 player since before Thanksgiving.  And it died. 

I still haven't run to my favorite song.  Despite my literal extra mile, I didn't get to hear my song. 

My mp-3 player is currently charging.

Holiday Concert

The girls had their holiday concert the other night.  I tried to upload the videos I took so anyone not on facebook could see them, but Blogger is not working right.  So if you want to see them, and we are friends on facebook, check them out.  If we are not friends on facebook but you still want to see the videos, I'll upload them as soon as I can.

Emma and her band.  There are a total of seven members.  One flute, one sax, one trumpet, one percussionist, and three clarinets.

The band played very well, especially for being several brand new members.  They played mostly Christmas songs and it was very fun to watch.  Emma did great and we are very proud of her!

Abby is in the choir, which is much bigger than the band.  Where the band was available only for the fourth and fifth graders, the choir was open to kindergartners through fifth graders.

The choir was very good.  One of the final songs featured a few soloists, including Abby.  She did so well!  It nearly made me cry with pride.  Literally. 

It was a great night!

Merry Creepy Christmas

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year.  I love the actual meaning, first off.  The birth of our Savior is the greatest gift of all.

But I also love the other aspects of the year: the lights, the tree, the stockings, the movies, the music, the TV specials, the gifts, Santa, the goodies.  All of it. 

Well, most of it.

I really don't enjoy the song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside."  Have you ever heard the lyrics?  Let me enlighten you.  It's a duet between a man and woman.  Basically, she says she has to go.  He says the storm is too awful to be in so she should just stay.  Sounds cute, maybe a little flirty.

No.

It starts out all nice:

I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice
My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry
My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry
Well Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour

Then she starts to question what's in her drink.  Um, did he slip her a mickey?  He's definitely moving in on her....

The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there
.....
I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move a little closer
At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out

Then comes the definitive line.  No means NO, Buddy.  But it sure doesn't stop him.  If nothing else, this dude needs to be cited for sexual harassment.....

I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside
The answer is no - Ooh baby, it's cold outside
This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in
So nice and warm -- Look out the window at that storm
My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look so delicious
My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips look delicious
Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before

There's more to the song.  I've heard it beautifully sung.  The melody is great, I love the harmonies, but the lyrics are a bit creepy.  I'd think the ideal guy to sing this song is the guy in this commercial:
 



I couldn't remember which jeweler did this commercial so I went to YouTube and looked for "creepy diamond commercial."  Yep.  Found it. 

Creepy, creepy, creepy.

"God Is Not Dead; Nor Doth He Sleep"

Last night my sister took me out for a date.  We went to listen to the Christmas concert for the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization. 

It was beautiful.  Music is truly the universal language.  I loved the whole thing. 

The program ended with the director challenging the audience to discover the heartaches that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow experienced as he penned the words to "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

I accept your challenge, sir.

According to Tom Stewart, Longfellow and his wife, Fanny, were married for nearly 20 years and had five children.  In 1861, the Civil War broke out.  That June, Fanny cut their seven-year-old daughter's hair and decided to save the cut hair in an envelope sealed with wax.  The wax from the candle dripped onto her dress.  Her dress caught fire.  Fanny tried to save the two little girls who were in the room with her.  She carefully ran with them to Henry's office and he tried to extinguish the flames with a rug.  When that didn't work he threw himself on her, burning himself in the process.  She died the next morning.  Between grief and his severe burns, he couldn't attend her funeral.

Two years later his son was shot while in battle.  The bullet entered under his shoulder blade and injured his spine, however, the wound did not kill him. 

Holidays were the hardest for Longfellow to endure.  Life was difficult to survive without his wife.  And the injury of his son seemed to haunt him as well. 

Yet, somehow, Longfellow found some hope:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

This story touched my heart.  The choir's performance was beautiful.  I wish I had a recording of it. 

Longfellow must have been a strong man to have endured so much trial and pain and yet still write one of the greatest carols of hope for the Christmas season. 

I've been a little afraid of Christmas this year.  I had some weeks of envisioning the mini-stocking we'd use this year for our unborn baby, the one we used for the other kids when we were pregnant with them.  That stocking is back in the box with other unused decorations for the season. 

But this carol is a wonderful reminder.  God has not left us in our sorrows.  He loves us, despite the trials and heartaches we experience.

#13 I'm Thankful For.....

Tonight as we drove home we began a bit of a family sing-along.  It started out with Primary songs: I Am a Child of God, Follow the Prophet, etc.  Then Josh asked the kids what their favorite Christmas songs are.  It may seem a little early for Christmas but I love it and I learned last year to begin celebrating Christmas as soon as I could because the weather throws me off and I need all the time I can find to get ready for it.  (That sentence was a little Faulkner-ish, I think.) 

Anyway, we began singing a few different carols: Up On the Housetop, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, and so on.  But my favorite part was when each kid sang their own solo.  Abby sang a song she's practicing for the school choir concert next month.  Emma sang some cute little song that she made up the words for since she couldn't remember them.  And even Matt, who rarely sings out loud, sang a bit of O Christmas Tree for us.  Millie joined in on a few of the songs too. 

I love that my family loves to sing together.  Actually, I just love that they love to sing at all.  Singing is one of my favorite things to do.  And singing Christmas songs is a double whammy of greatness.

I'm so thankful for music and the power it has to bring people together. 

Music To My Ears

The kids are attending a Traditional Academy, which focuses a lot on work in the classroom. So, when we found out about the extra music classes offered after school, I got so excited! These are band, choir, and orchestra in addition to the regular music class offered once a week during school hours.

Emma has opted to play the clarinet in band. We put out feelers over Facebook and found out that one of Josh's cousins had an old clarinet that she was willing to give to Emma in exchange for videos of her concerts. A HUGE thank you to Sara!!!

Emma and her new clarinet the day it came in the mail.

Abby, although not in a grade where band or orchestra is offered, has decided to join the school choir. She's excited to sing her guts out, and I have the feeling she's going to be great at it!


I remember joining school choirs and bands. The excitement of learning and, sometimes, excelling.


My choir and band careers began in third grade. I sang with the choir, which met in the mornings before school a few days a week and played flute in the school band.


It was amazing to discover that I had some talents. Two major events remain in my memory. First, the choir teacher came into our classroom and invited anyone who wanted to audition for the choir to come sing "America the Beautiful" in the hallway. We all lined up and she went from person to person listening to us sing the line, "For purple mountain majesties/Above the fruited plain." I remember listening to the other kids as they sang. There were some things that I learned: I wanted to be loud and I wanted to be on key. The teacher came to me and I belted it. I mean, we're talking LOUD AND PROUD! Heads turned to look at me. The teacher smiled. I knew I was in.


The second major thing I remember is the day I learned I was "different." The teacher asked for any kids that wanted to sing a descant in one of our songs. Of course, I raised my hand. I went and, once again, auditioned for the part. The teacher heard me sing and looked at me. I'll forever remember her words: "You are a good alto." I was so flattered that I went home and told my mom right away. She kind of stopped for a minute, surprised by my news. "An alto, huh?" she asked me. "Yeah," I told her. "What's an alto?"

I loved band too, but I got bored easily so I often tried to shake things up. I taught myself how to play "Jingle Bells" while the rest of the class was still learning to read the notes. In junior high I tried a few new instruments. In high school, I abandoned my flute for the trumpet and joined the Jazz Band. That one sounds more impressive than it was. I was a horrible trumpet player.

I named my trumpet Louie after the great Louis Armstrong.

Point is, I pray my children enjoy their music as much as I did. It gave me a place to be and a talent to develop. I loved doing it. And I truly believe that I needed it.


If you're ever in the neighborhood come December or May, you are officially invited to their concerts!

Music To My Ears

It's the last week of school. So, there are lots of end-of-year events. Tonight was my nephew Cody's band concert.

We got to go to Cody's concert back in December and their band has made some great improvements. It's really very fun to be able to go and watch my nephew's events. We've been to his football games, saw his US state display at school, and his band concerts. I love that we are here and can do that.

So please understand that the rest of this post is written in love.

I think it's impossible to listen to beginning musicians and not smile. They try so hard and come a long way in a short period of time. But they are still beginners. Of course, Cody rocks. He's related to me, so he has musical talent out the wazoo.

I never really knew that listening to beginning musicians could be so.... interesting. I began my musical endeavors in third grade. I played flute and joined the school choir. I loved it all. My band class was too slow for me, so I went ahead in the band book and taught myself. My choir teacher discovered that I was a decent alto. I thought I was pretty hot stuff.

Then, about six years later I was watching an episode of The Carol Burnett Show with my parents. There was a sketch showing a close up of a few parents in the audience of their children's band concert. The lights dim and the band begins. Listen with me: the flat notes, the off rhythm instruments, the squeaking clarinets. All the camera shows throughout the entire sketch are the faces of the parents with their plastered-on smiles and shudders as the music plays. Hilarious!! However, I was crushed when my parents revealed to me the truth that the sketch was actually very, very real. And here I'd thought I was an incredible musician.

As I listened to the concert tonight, I really loved being able to see the improvement from the band. They obviously worked hard and did a great job.

And in the back of my mind, I tried to suppress the thought of Carol Burnett.

The Real Love Story

If you remember, a little while ago I posted my complaints of the literary license taken by Taylor Swift in her song "Love Story." Today, on Facebook, my friend Maggie posted this video.



It's still a bit of a literary faux pas, but the song is pretty darn realistic. I just had to share.

You Are LITERALLY Killing Me

Let me just begin this rant with this disclaimer:

I love Taylor Swift. I think she is an incredibly talented person. She sings beautifully, she writes her own music, she's beautiful, she accompanies herself on the guitar. All things I wish I could do. Which may be why one of her songs just bugs me. It may just be because I'm a jealous person that wishes I had half of her talents. Maybe it's because of my study and love of Shakespeare. Or because of my other literary studies on college. But the song "Love Story" has made a resurgence on the radio lately and it just makes me crazy.

In case you don't know, the song is about a girl who loves a boy and her father doesn't approve, so she compares them to Romeo and Juliet. Ever read that story? It's not a happy one. It's not a love story, it's a tragedy. I guess you can argue that in the song their story begins like Romeo and Juliet's but it has a very different ending.

Spoiler Alert:

Romeo and Juliet DIE!! They kill themselves. They are spoiled, selfish idiots that kill themselves because their spoiled, selfish parents can't get along. Okay, that may be a little harsh, but the song ends too happily to use Romeo and Juliet as such a central role.

In a not-so-central role is the reference to The Scarlet Letter. Hello? Ever read that one? The song says she's a scarlet letter. I think she means it as something that is taboo or forbidden. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, the scarlet letter is the red letter A that is found on a cloth on Hester Prynne's breast to mark her as an adulterer. I don't think I'd want to be referred to as a scarlet letter, even if I was trying to make some vague reference to a classical novel.

Now, please, don't get me wrong. I really do like Taylor Swift. But this song is proof that I'm a very literal person and things easily bug me.

I'm just saying.

I Enjoy Being A Girl

This weekend we had a little extra testosterone in our house. I had three of our nephews over Friday and Saturday. It was a definite reminder that our house is usually very female-dominated. The kids had fun and I had to pull the big gate out to keep babies out of certain areas, so it was a pretty successful weekend.

I've realized how comfortable I am with my feminine atmosphere. I've never been a girlie-girl, in fact Josh proudly refers to me as "not high maintenance." But I have been trying to do more girl things with my girls. Lately, we've been playing with hair more. I heard about this website "Girls Hairdos & Ideas" from someone (I can't remember who--if it was you, sorry I don't remember) and began following it.

The hairstyles are so cute and I've had a lot of fun remembering how to inside out braid and Abby loves having her hair done. It's been fun to do.

But as much as I've begun playing with the girls' hair, I have also stayed true to my feminist convictions. I don't go burning my bra, but I do like the stories of strong women. Lately I've been watching Ever After, with Drew Barrymore and Angelica Houston. I love that movie, even though Drew's performance isn't her best--she's a bit stilted and I'm not sure if it's because she struggles with the accent or it's just her characterization. Anyway, it's a new spin on the Cinderella story. My favorite part is when the prince comes to save her. I won't say any more in case you haven't seen it yet.

I also love the story The Paper Bag Princess. It's a must-read.

Although I dread what our house may be like in about five years, I do love my girls and I think they are fun. Of course, I love my son too and hope someday he can have that elusive brother he keeps talking about.

In case you've never heard the song "I Enjoy Being a Girl," check it out here.

Read

I Enjoy Being A Girl Lyrics

here.

The Talented Mrs Johnson

During this Christmas season, I discovered a talent of mine. I knew that I recognized voices fairly well. When I was about ten I'd freak out the missionaries that would call our house asking for my dad (he was the ward mission leader). I'd call them by name just to hear them mumble, "How'd she know it was me?" It's the little things that bring me joy.

This year, however, Josh and I played a little game with the radio. In our car, the radio has the really cool "Info" button that tells you who is singing. It's amazing! No more cursing at the DJ's for neglecting to announce song artists. So as we were listening to the cheery Christmas music, we'd make guesses as to who was singing the familiar carols. 8 times out of 10, I was right. It was amazing! Bing Crosby. Harry Connick, Jr. Vanessa Williams. Carrie Underwood. Andy Williams. I was like a cornucopia of frivolous music trivia! But when Josh got one right it was a big deal too. :)

It got me thinking--which talents are cool and which ones are nerdy? I was beginning to consider this one nerdy. Kind of like someone who can count cards. Really cool at first, but then you wonder what kind of freaky mind powers they must possess. Okay, not really, but it was a bit freaky. More like my obsession with movies and tv. Cool or nerdy?

Never mind. I don't think I really want to know.

Gorilla Brazil

The other day, Matt was singing a song I didn't quite recognize. Josh listened to him and was able to do some translation for me. Matt was singing, "Gorilla, Gorilla Brazil!" Now, you may be just as confused as I was. The tune of this song is from a little movie about 101 dalmatians. The tune, therefore, is "Cruella DeVil." Yes, the mean lady in the movie 101 Dalmatians, according to Matt, is actually Gorilla Brazil.

Matt is not the only one to get confused by the lyrics of songs...

We have a cd of the LDS speaker John Bytheway talking about his confusion with the Primary song "In The Leafy Treetops." The second verse goes, "In my pretty garden the flowers are nodding." He didn't get the word nodding. He thought the song was saying the flowers are naughty.

Josh told me about his confusion with the Primary song "I Am a Child of God." The second verse goes, "I am a child of God. And so my needs are great." Josh always thought is was, "I am a child of God. And so my knees are gray." For the longest time he was afraid praying too much would turn his knees gray.

My Primary song confusion came with the song "Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked." The line that got me was, "They washed in streams and worked and played. Sundays they camped and read and prayed." I always sang it as, "They washed in streams and worked and played. Somedays they danced and read and prayed." Made sense to me. They needed a little stress relief sometimes, so why wouldn't they dance? I had forgotten about my childhood faux pas until this summer as I sang loud and proud with my Primary class. Yep, the pioneers I sang about danced.

I also had some issues with the Phil Collins song "Invisible Touch." The chorus goes, "She seems to have an invisible touch, yeah." I swore the song actually said, "She seems to have an invisible Tuff Shed." I didn't know why. Was she a witch? Wonder Woman? She needed something invisible to hide her invisible jet? So didn't get it.

Primary Kids and Their Program

Today was the Primary program. Because of the way the LDS church is set up, all the programs are uniform throughout the world. This month the Primary children (ages 3 - 11) sang songs and gave short talks for the Sacrament Meeting. Because we just joined this new ward, the kids didn't get to have any individual parts. But several kids didn't get their own speaking parts. Evidently, our three Primary aged kids put this Primary group over 170 kids. Can we say Holy Cow? The ward we attended when we first moved to Montana had a total of 15 kids in their entire Primary program. And that included our kids.

The program was very nice. I realized that I actually miss my Primary calling. I thought I'd be happy to return to Relief Society after spending nine months with the 3 and 4 year olds in the Sunbeam class and six months with the 10 year olds. But I miss them. I miss Sharing Time. And I especially miss Singing Time. I love the Primary songs. Of course, one of my favorite songs is I Am A Child of God. But one of my other favorites is I Wonder When He Comes Again. The kids sang that one today.

I loved watching my children sing today. They made me happy and tearful all at the same time. The girls happily sang along to the songs and Matt proudly sported his new splint on his broken arm. That story will be up after I get a few pics. He's fine, but he's milking this for all he can.

What's your favorite Primary song?

Song Stuck in my Head

I must be on a music kick right now. I'm blogging more than I expected to have time to, but everything I feel like writing about is about music. Go figure. I love music. I sometimes sing it. I've even been known to pick up an instrument a few times in my life. Emma cracks me up because she thinks I'm the greatest singer in the world. There's nothing much better than the adoration of your eldest child.

Anyway, the other day as I was walking around the grocery store a song popped into my head. I don't know where it came from. It's not like the lyrics are inspirational, or I saw a sign that reminded me of the song, or any other logical explanation. I just suddenly began singing to myself, "Da da da." Now, you may be sitting there wondering how in the world that particular melody would go. Well, wonder no more. Watch this video and it'll all come screaming back to you.



My favorite part is the little figurine-puppet-thing. What the heck is that? And I swear I totally get this commercial, like it's pretty dang close to real life or something.

Alright

I love that Darius Rucker (formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish) is doing country songs. For the longest time, I hated country. I hated everything about it. I hated the lyrics, the music, the artists, the fact that my parents listened to it. And there we find the root of my hatred. I didn't rebel much as a teenager. I wasn't home on time very often and I had an attitude with the best of them, but overall I really wasn't a bad kid. My only true form of rebellion was to hate my parents' music, therefore always wearing my headphones in the car to tune out their music and blast my own. I think it bugged my parents enough, so my somewhat harmless form of independence was sufficient.

It's funny how things change. And it's funny how boys make them change. As I dated a couple different guys, their interest in country music sparked mine. They pretty much paved the way for me to be even more compatible for Josh. I listened to country, but I also listened to my pop station--which regularly played Hootie. Now, I get to have some of both. I love Darius' songs (yes, I'm on a first name basis with him. I call him Darius and he calls me Stranger) and I just thought I'd share my newfound enjoyment.

Learning Lessons From the Sons of Lehi

There is a series of live-action musical adaptations of the scriptures that are designed to help us liken the scriptures unto ourselves. It's called Liken. (As Matt would say, "Do you get it?") Anyway, Mom and Dad just added to their DVD collection by purchasing a few of these videos. We've had Nephi & Laban for a couple years now. I love it. The best thing about it is that it's not just a serious scripture story. They use humor and catchy tunes to tell the story. This one is the story from the Book of Mormon about Nephi and his brothers and their attempts to collect the Brass Plates from Laban.

This clip is from the brothers (Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi) trying to decide who will approach Laban to ask him for the Plates. It's my favorite song from the movie.

I LOVE the boy band approach to this song (the group name is Sons of Lehi). It's no secret that I've loved boy bands since New Kids on the Block. (Yes, I was a Blockhead and I proudly wore their buttons to school--never said I wasn't a nerd!) And, I love to think that Nephi and his brothers may have worn Hammer Pants. Hilarious!

Anyway, my point (you knew I had to have one, right?). There's one song that has really sprung to mind quite a bit lately. Things have been really tough with Josh gone and our family being uprooted. I just have to remember t0 have a sunnier outlook like Nephi did. In the song Life Could Not Be Better he talks about how great things are since his family left the city of Jerusalem since it was about to be destroyed. They wandered in the wilderness for several years, but Nephi's faith never wavered.

Life Could Not Be Better

Hello my name is Nephi
I was born of goodly parents
Who taught me just to do what’s right.
See, my father has these visions
Where he knows just what to do
And I hear he had another one last night,
Ain’t that right?
My brothers Laman and Lemuel and Sam
Well, they’re the best
They always try so hard to make things fun.
(Laman) I hate you.
(Nephi) I love that one!
The older ones play games that I don’t always like to play.
(Lemuel) Let’s beat Nephi with a rod!
(Nephi) But I know that I’m the lucky one.
‘Cause life could not be better
I choose the right down to the letter
I guess this wilderness could be much wetter
But life could not be better.
Now since we left Jerusalem our lives have just improved
We got rid of all those non-necessities.
(Sister) Where’s the soap?
(Other sister) We don’t have any!
(Nephi) And of course some people mind
The kind of life we left behind.
(Laman) That’s me!
(All) This desert sun’s the only life for me.
Yes, life could not be better
Cause I choose the right down to the letter.
(Nephi) Hey, look, my mom made me a sweater!
(All) Oh, life could not be better.
(Laman) Hey, Lemuel, it’s sad to say that Dad just isn’t well
I think it’s safe to say he’s gone insane.
(Lemuel) I wish we were at home
We could die out here alone.
(Sisters) At least the world is gonna know your names!
(All) Oh, life could not be better
Cause I choose the right down to the letter.
(Nephi) At least, we’re all in this together.
(All) Oh, life could not be better.
Oh, life could not be better
Cause I choose the right down to the letter.
(Nephi) I like this wilderness. Let’s stay forever!
(Silence)
(All) Oh, life could not be better!

So, I'm likening the scriptures to my life. And totally rocking out to Nephi's boy band.

An Evening With Joshes and Shaws

My cousin Jon and his wife Pam came to visit us as we were in the middle of our homespun version of "Designed To Sell." It was the week of the Montana State Fair and they had purchased tickets to the same Josh Turner concert Josh and I had been planning to attend. We had so much fun with our kids playing together and just hanging out and the concert was the definite icing on the cake. It was the cherry on top. It was milk chocolate of the M&M.

The concert was the final date Josh and I got to go on before he headed to Arizona. We adults splurged by getting a couple of babysitters (a brother/sister team watched the 7 oldest kids while my folks took Millie) and then Josh and I went to sit in our 9th row seats. That's right. I said "9th row." We could read the Wrangler tag on Josh Turner's jeans! Okay, he wasn't wearing Wranglers, but we were close enough that I could tell that. Really, we had amazing seats. Once again, I had no camera. Josh T sang our favorite songs and a guy even proposed to his girlfriend in the aisle right next to us. It was so sweet it made me cry. Oh, I loved it. Nothing better than good music and my big, handsome man to hold onto. Ah. It was a great night.

The next day Jon and Pam totally hooked us up with some much-needed help on the house. It was pretty cool to watch my husband and cousin work together. And they were both competent! Really, they helped us a lot and we really, really appreciate it! Thanks, guys! Let's do that again. Jon, you up for Keith Urban in Phoenix? (Inside joke, but it's funny, really.)

The Best Things in Life Are Free...

...But you can give them to the birds and bees.

I want MONEY!!

Yes, besides being a song covered by nearly every band ever formed, this statement rings true. Life is getting tougher trying to remain on one income. This is one reason for my recent blog-absence. It's hard to get on and blog about the goings on of life when you're stressed to the gills over money.

We've been looking at our options of what to do. We have no interest in paying for childcare (and I can't make much money right now since school is out and the only way I can really make money is as a teacher), so it's on Josh's shoulders to find a second job. Unfortunately, he works at the only hospital in town and the clinic, which is the next largest medical facility, is not an ideal second job. Although, it would work easier as a first job. This is the junky stuff I've been trying to avoid blabbing about online. So, I'll just get to the point. Josh is considering becoming a travel nurse. He's looking at going to Arizona so he can make lots more money and we could eventually move there and buy the RIDICULOUSLY cheap houses and he can get the degree he's always wanted for the job he's always wanted.

We love being in Great Falls and even thinking about leaving is tough. So instead, I'm going to focus on some other random part of this whole ordeal. Nurses must be too sensible to be superstitious. One of the travel places contracts travel nurses for 13 weeks. That just seems like an odd number to me. Why not 12? I don't get it. When I worked at a hotel I learned that most hotels do not use the number 13 in room numbers or floors. Since then, I've noticed it all over the place.

The theatre is very superstitious. You use a Green Room for performers to use backstage, but you NEVER paint it green. That creates bad luck. And the whole thing about "Break a leg" was because people were afraid bad spirits would hound a person who was told to have "good luck," so in an effort to trick those bad spirits, performers were told to Break a Leg.

So, now I've been trying to figure out...am I superstitious? I was raised by a nurse, I married a nurse, but I'm a thespian at heart. I don't walk under ladders--that's just dangerous. I don't break mirrors--that, too, is dangerous. I look closely for white patches on black cats that cross my path--that's because I'm weird. And I tell people to Break a Leg. And I will never walk into a green Green Room. And I make wishes in fountains. That's not superstition, though. That's delusionally wishing I were a princess. And that brings me full circle. If I were a princess I'd have a castle and very few cares in the world (in theory).

How superstitious are you?

I Want My MTV!

Today as I was running some errands, I stopped in the UPS Store and on the radio came the song "Cherry Pie"by the 80s-90s rock band Warrant. It reminded me of life once upon a time.

While I lived in Idaho I watched MTV every time I went to my friend Amy's house. This was for a couple reasons. Number 1: My parents would never let me watch MTV at our house. Number 2: The radio stations around there were all either country or light rock, neither of those genres I'd willingly listen to. The one station that claimed to be a rock station mostly played light rock (Richard Marks, Bryan Adams) or Def Leppard. Why they played Def Leppard, I don't know. It's not that they have bad music, I often find myself singing along when I hear them, but DL was a bit harder than what the station usually played. They didn't play anything else, though, so to listen to the rock music that was popular, we had to watch MTV to listen to what we liked.

Of course, this was YEARS ago, when MTV played music videos. So long ago.

We watched all of our favorite bands: Warrant, Poison, Mr Big, Winger, Nelson, just about any band with shirtless men whose hair is longer than most women's.

We never watched VH-1, though. VH-1 only showed videos that old people liked. Now if I want to see any of the videos we used to watch, the only place to find them is VH-1! I'm old! I can still find Bret Michaels on MTV, but as an old guy looking for a questionable woman to date. What happened, MTV? Where did it all go wrong? I miss Kurt Loder.