These Are a-Two of my Favorite Things

I recently bought some new cd's. Two in fact. Here's the first one.


(Sorry you're sooo tiny, Billy Joel. It was the first picture I found.)

I was looking up Mr. Joel on iTunes the other day, because I checked out his book New York State of Mind from my school library. (Actually I stole it, because I always forget how to check out my own books. But my guilt got the best of me and I told the librarian. Luckily, he's very forgiving.) It has a cd with it, and I love children's books that come with cd's. I also love New York. I am kind of obsessed, but that's for another blog.

Anyway, I was perusing his songs on iTunes, and I was just blown away by how many amazing hit songs he has. Seeing as how I didn't own any of Billy Joel's music, I decided to make this purchase with my wee bit of leftover Christmas money.

And, it did not disappoint. The song that I can't stop listening to, though, is "She's Always a Woman". I just play it over and over again. The other tracks are barely getting a chance. It is favoritism in the worst way. I can't help myself.

I usually go for songs about the "perfect" woman, though. I have always loved "She's Every Woman" by Garth Brooks, and "She's Everything" by Brad Paisley. There's just something about a man singing about the woman who, I guess isn't really "perfect", but she's HIS idea of perfect.

Doesn't every girl dream about a boy thinking this way about her? I always have. Even in the midst of many relationships, I have longed for someone to see me not just as one of many, but as THE ONE...cosmically destined and designed for him. And he knows it. He is without a doubt, completely wrapped up in this woman who is everything he has ever dreamed of. And she feels the same way about him.

It's like going to the movies and watching an incredibly romantic love story. I used to go to these kinds of movies and think, "Wow...I hope I get to experience that kind of love someday." And now I go and see these movies and think, "Ben, Ben, Ben, I love Ben. Laaaa la la laaaa"....you get the idea.

It is possible that I deserve such a blessing? It must be so. :-) Don't we all???

Here's purchase number two:



How is it that I am just now discovering how #*$&ing AMAZING this girl is? I am frantically playing track after track, trying to memorize each rise and fall of her voice and the cleverness of her lyricism. In the midst of this winter (which isn't very wintery), it is the perfect companion. Rich, cold, dark, and exuding emotion. Listening to it is like curling up under a blanket and voyeuristically reading her diary while eating a quart of chocolate ice cream. I am forever hooked. Rumor has it that she was just as good at 19...I can't wait to find out.

:-)

HOLLA -

Need Your Prayers

There is a family at my school. A wonderful family of five, with a lovely mother who just gave birth to a new baby, her third child, a week and a half ago.

A few days after they got home, she got sick and they took her to the hospital. It turned out that she had a pre-existing condition that they didn't know about. And she has a terrible infection.

She is now in a medically-induced coma. Her illnesses are life-threatening. They have no idea when and if she'll get better. Her kids can't even visit her. She cannot hold her brand-new baby.

As a mother, there is no scarier situation.



I think about the first few weeks home with Millie. Holding her, feeding her, rocking her, breathing her in, getting to know her. Each day, becoming closer and closer as mother and child.



I can't imagine being away from my child during this precious time.



Please pray for this momma and her two older kids, and her husband, and the brand-new baby that hasn't even gotten to know his momma.



My heart is breaking.

Joel Osteen

Do you ever watch this guy?



Sometimes, when we don't go to church on Sunday mornings and go to "Bedside Baptist" instead, I turn on the tube and watch Joel Osteen. He's the pastor of Lakewood Church, one of the fastest-growing churches in the country. His congregants join together in a massive arena...just thinking about organizing and facilitating weekly services there makes my head explode.

I like Joel. He is cheerful and positive, even though he has a mullet. He usually speaks on how people can live their best life and enjoy God's blessings and, subsequently, be a blessing to others.

I once heard my pastor speak about how pastors like Joel Osteen (he didn't name him specifically) bother him. He said that they just talk about people being happy, not about serving others or suffering for Christ. After that, I started feeling uneasy about liking Joel.

But then I saw Oprah interview him on her show last week. I watched as Oprah cornered him about his preaching style, and how he gets criticized for it. And he said that he is just preaching what God tells him to. And it's working. His church is growing and many people are coming to Christ.

So, I am giving him a break. Ben says he gets tired of all of the "gloom and doom" of church sometimes, and likes how Joel always puts a positive spin on things. Of course, we aren't regular "viewers", so there's probably a lot of material we're missing out on. Even so, his sermons are uplifting and make me think about God's grace, which is what it all boils down to anyway.

If you ever end up at Bedside Baptist, try Joel on for size, and let me know what you think. Maybe you already have an opinion about him...I'd be interested to hear that, too.

HOLLA -

Mother Blog

The title of this blog has two meanings:

1. I am indeed a mother. (Sometimes I still don't believe it!)
2. I haven't blogged in so long that this (and subsequent blogs) are going to be a mother. You know what I'm saying.

I hate not blogging. I LOVE to blog. I always have about ten ideas swirling around in my head about potential blogs. But here's the cold, hard truth, folks - I am a mother freaking mother. And that means little time during the day for the computer, and not much more time at night. I am still suffering from the "OH HOLY NIGHT WHEN AM I EVER GOING TO GET CAUGHT UP ON SLEEP!?!?!?!?" thing, even though I need to let it go. The thing is, I will never be one of those people who can function really well on little sleep. That is just not how I was made, and I'll never be that way. And that means that, instead of staying up past Amelia's bedtime to share my daily ramblings, I am more than likely going to choose pj's and warm covers over my head.

It's frustrating having to pass over things like blogging (and reading books, and watching movies, and hanging out with my husband, and catching up with friends on the phone) for sleep, but I know what happens when I do choose the "stuff" - the monster comes out.

It's not good.

So what would I like to share with you today?

HER.





And her beautiful eyes and her expressive brows and they way she jabbers and waves and laughs and her two little teeth and the way that she hugs and the way that she plays and her cute little nose and her soft little feet and her fat little legs and how she is growing up way too fast and the way that she looks at me when I sing to her and how her head turns when she hears her daddy walk through the front door and the sound of her breath when she sleeps in her crib and how my heart melts when she smiles at her mom....

And just how good it all feels inside.

HOLLA -

2012 Anthem

New obsession - and perfect companion to 2012 post.



HOLLA -

2012

Happy New Year!

I'm sorry to tell you that Ben and I did not go to a fancy party on New Year's Eve. We did not dress up in our finest duds and drink champagne and throw confetti at midnight. We spent the day at my parents' house, celebrating our fifth (and LAST!) Christmas. I hate to be biased, but my immediate family's Christmas is my FAV-OR-ITE. Being with my parents and my brother and his family is as good as it gets, and good food, good laughs, hilarious games, and lots of presents don't hurt, either.

After the big celebration, we went home, put Millie to bed, and then I sacked out about 10:30. Yes, I left my husband alone in front of the t.v. to celebrate. I know! I am a terrible wife. I didn't even care about staying up until midnight - I must have had some intuition that I would be up bright and early with a certain someone the next morning. :-)

Tonight, on our way to dinner, Ben asked me if I had made any resolutions. After rambling on for a few minutes, I finally spit out the two things I want to work on in 2012. They go hand in hand, really - the first is change. This morning, our pastor preached on change, and how it's never too late to move from point A to point B. Just because you've "always been" a certain way doesn't mean you "always will be" or "have to be" a certain way. The Holy Spirit is constantly moving us to change for the better. There's always room to grow. (Except on the waistline of my pants. There is no more room to grow. Especially after eating at Red Robin tonight. Steak fries dipped in ranch dressing=no more room.) I'd love for you to hear the sermon because it was so good - if they post it online, I will add a link here.

Secondly, I told Ben that I wanted to be less selfish. I readily admit that, 9 times out of 10, I think of myself and my needs before others. The last thing I want is to be inconvenienced by someone else. Becoming a mom has given this mindset an eternal shift, or more appropriately, a seismic rupture. But, in relation to the preceeding resolution, I need a LOT more work in this area. I want God to shift my focus from my own needs to those of others. Carrying a load for someone else certainly feels better than carrying my own, or at least, helps me to forget it.

So, there it is. I am looking for growth and change in myself, as I always hope to. I welcome any of you to keep me on the path, and help remind me of my goals. And as much as I am moved to change, I want to encourage others to change and grow as well, always for the better.

Speaking of change, I leave you with a photo of my new haircut. As I have experienced here, change is startling, shocking, messy, uneasy, hard to manage, hard to get used to, unpredictable, moves me to curse, and requires a lot of work.

And BED HEAD.




HAPPY NEW YEAR HOLLA -