Protected

I have no doubt that my life was saved by angels from Heaven just the other night.

On Friday night I was riding in a car back from Grassroots' A Midsummer Night's Dream. We had stopped at a 4 way stop and when we began to go again, and a car came flying out of NO WHERE.

We almost got hit.

We all could have seriously been hurt.

But we didn't.

I know that I am alive because of my Heavenly Father's protection. There is no doubt in my mind.

"N" is for Night

I don't like the dark.

In fact, given the choice between darkness and light I would chose the light.

But I love to sleep. And I love to sleep in the DARK. Seriously, I'm such a picky sleeper. It has to be cold and dark. That's when I sleep my best.

I am grateful fro night because at night, you can fully enjoy fireworks, you can see the stars. You can sleep...in the dark. Things are just plain slower at night. You don't have to answer the phone, you don't have to go grocery shopping-partly because most grocery stores worth going to are closed-you don't have to do laundry etc. There is so much that you do during the day that the night is so much of a relief.

So, I'm grateful for nighttime. I love it. Darkness and all.

Close your eyes...

Close your eyes, just for a moment and I'll take you somewhere special.
There is a place I know where you can sit in the big white rocking chair on the front porch, listening to the sound of the trees rustling in the wind made by the oncoming storm.
There are moments when the smell of Honeysuckle completely takes over your senses and then t in a split second the smell of rain takes charge.
The rocking chair you're sitting in makes a creaking noise as you rock back and forth and you can faintly hear the undertones of voices having a conversation just inside the house.
The wind catches on your neighbor's wooden wind chime and the hollow clacking of the wood adds to the excitement of the storm.

The warm air almost hugs you as you sit in that old rocking chair and you can't help but notice the beauty of the strikingly green grass that surrounds your house and stretches up and over the hills surrounding it.

You lean back soaking it all in.

This is Home.

My Old Kentucky Home.

We Are Family

I've had this song stuck in my head for awhile now.
Probably because the fact that last week my entire family was together under one roof.
The last time that happened was 3 years ago.
It's interesting, you know?
The oldest, Michelle, was there with her husband and 2 children.
The second, Kimberly, had a lot of insight into the world of education, both for becoming educated and being an educator.
The third, Julie, was just as wonderful as she ever is and definitely did everything in her power to have fun with her niece and nephew. "You'll never look more ridiculous than when you're trying to get a baby to laugh."-Julie
Then there's me.
Lauren just graduated high school and works two part time jobs. She works at Tinseltown, a great thing for her family (yay free movies!) and nannies for a family of our church.
Elyse, the youngest, is going to be a senior in HS this next year.

It's weird because we're all growing up and yet when we get together it's just like old times. We're all so different. We're all very much the same, too. And even though we fight and disagree (often times) I still love my sisters. We are family, after all. :)

You NEED to KNOW!

So there is this FABULOUS lady.

Her name is Jenni James.

She has re-written the Jane Austen series for young adults and not only has she kept the classic, beloved, well-known stories ALIVE, she has added twists and turns to make them her own.

I'll tell you this:
I LOVED LOVED LOVED them!
(Well, I've only read Pride & Popularity but I just KNOW they are all going to be superb.)

So you should get the book. It's available for Kindle, etc.

If you like letting go for awhile and indulging in a fabulous retelling of a classic novel, this is the book for you!

I laughed, cried, gushed, giggled, got mad and then happy again. This book is a treasure and you'll love it!!

So, now you know! But don't just take my word for it! GO! GO! Go get the book, you silly!

Enjoy!

"M" is for Music

Let's face it folks, I eat, breathe, sleep and dream the stuff.

Almost all kinds too!

Country, Pop, Oldies, Techno, Rock, (a little bit of) Punk....the list and variations go on forever.

I could sing, sing, SING all day if you'd let me!

I almost always have to have music playing or singing...lol.

I hate the question, "What is your favorite song?" Because, seriously? How do you answer that?

Which genre? What are we talking here? Love? Break-up? Pining? Happy-go-lucky? I-hate-the-world? Don't-mess-with-me-or-I'll-tear-you-to-shreds?

...WHAT?!?!

There are a few songs that I want to share with you today though. These songs in particular have pulled me out of some of my darkest days and thoughts. Or they've made me feel A BAJILLION happier than just plain ol' happy. I hope you like them to.

1. Here Comes The Sun, The Beatles

2. Big Girl (You are Beautiful), Mika

3. Hoppipolla, Sigur Ros

4. Vanilla Twilight, Owl City

5. Unforgettable & Smile, Nat King Cole

6. Enough Love, Duffy

7. Everybody's Changing, Keane

8. Faithfully & Don't Stop Believeing, Journey

9.Good Mornin' Life, Dean Martin

10. You Are Loved, Josh Groban

11. Firework, Katy Perry

12. Fallin' For You, Colbie Caillat

....haha, and that's just to name A FEW!

"L" is for Love, Laughter and Life

Have you ever had a day that was just plain miserable? Like nothing would go right no matter how much you tried or how long you kept your chin up? Yeah, ME TOO!

The good thing about those crappy days is that there is always a remedy.
Laughter & Love.

You can never have too much laughter fill your soul and love surround and envelope you. It makes living life worth it. I for one am grateful that I have a roommate who can make me laugh so hard that I almost "pee my pants". Just yesterday a picture make me laugh so hard I cried! And lately I've been watching a show called Dr. Who and I'll tell you this, it is pure and genuine humor! I just love it.

As for "Love". Well, let's face it. I LOVE TO LOVE! I know some people believe that the more you say "I love you" the less it means. I am NOT one of those people. I believe that if you say it and you mean it, those words can change a person. Physically change them. It's like a band-aid to the scraped up soul. When someone tells me that they love me, and they mean it, I know that life is better just because I am loved. I never want anyone to ever question if I care about them or love them so I will always, ALWAYS, say it.

One of my favorite songs is "You Are Loved" by Josh Groban which you can listen to here.

Now for "Life"
Life is beautiful. It really truly is. I LOVE LIFE! Even the bumpy, scary, unhappy, painful parts. There is so much worth living for and there is so much to be seen!