What moves your soul?

I've been thinking about this question all week. For me it's music. For me music can completely transform an attitude, a situation, a place. Music can take me back to a place and time within just the first few measures of a song. Roxette's Joyride always takes me back to Republic, Wa in the beginnings of Larry and I's relationship. That song starts playing and I'm right back in that town. Shania Twain's Come On album puts me in Elko.

I have known people who aren't really "music people". The prefer silence or talk radio to hearing songs play. And while I understand completely that everyone has different like and dislikes, it's a bit strange to me.

Music has always been a big part of my world. As a kid my mom had hundreds of albums, back in the days of vinyl. She had them all organized alphbetically by artist and then each artist by release date (oddly enough I do the same thing). But she would start at the beginning of the alphabet and play them all the way through till she got to the last album and then would start over. We got to hear weeks of Elvis. Well I'm sure it probably wasn't weeks but she had a lot of them. One of my favorites as a kid was a Moody Blues album she had. I honestly couldn't tell you what was on that album I just like it because the vynil was blue. It was really pretty cool. I would sing at the top of my lungs to singers like Reba, Sylvia, Tammy Wynett. There was a lot of country in our house.

Over the years my likes have changed a bit. But I can always go back to something I liked years ago and listened to a lot of and still enjoy it. Even if it's not my favorite pick for that day. I still sing at the top of my lungs. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts. Working in the garden with my Ipod on and singing so loud the world have hear me. If you look at my cd and Itunes collections today you'll find everything from Classical to ACDC to Jesus Culture. There are some things that I just can't listen to. I find that some things, especially at a certain volume, instantly make me angry so I don't listen to that stuff ever. I prefer to feel other emotions when I listen to music. I love a good song that just makes you want to get up and move. My Kimmie is a dancer too (of course now if she thinks you are looking she won't move a muscle but deep down I know she wants to shake her booty). There are even days when I can sit on the floor and play a song over and over and just get out a good cry. Someday I just need to do that.

Lately you will find me listening to more praise and worship songs then anything else. I can be having the worst day and put on my Ipod and start singing for God and it totally changes my mindset and my attitude. I've even written a couple of songs in the past few months and had the priviledge of sharing one of them at church this past Sunday. That was quite a leap for me I think. Sharing them with Pastor Carey but my confidence level isn't such that I would have just shared them with everyone else had she not said "I think we need to sing this one". I hope everyone enjoyed it but at the same time it really doesn't matter because the song wasn't about me or what everyone else thought of it. It was about Him and that what's really the most important.

Where have I been?

Wow it's been forever since I got over here. It's been a busy couple of weeks since school ended. Working the out in the yard and in the garden, birthday parties and fundraising. Work, work work. Can I relax now?

Last weekend was especially overwhelmingly busy. Saturday afternoon we had my neice's birthday party, then that night Relay Idol and Sunday afternoon my Grandma's 85th birthday party.

Relay Idol was a great success. This being our first year and we had to compete with two weddings that day but we still had a great turn out. We had 6 singers who all did awesome and we raised $440 for Relay and the American Cancer Society. We are looking forward to doing it again next year.

Sunday I threw my Grandma an 85th birthday party. I think that 85 is a big deal plus it had been far to long since the last time our family got together. Almost all of us were there and she really had a great time. We made her a t-shirt with all of her Great Grandkids' (who were there) hand prints. Leaving room for the ones that weren't able to come so she can add them when she see them.

We should be able to slow down a little bit now. Well I hope anyway. I know that I do tend to take on more then I need to. But that's something that I need to work on too.

Catching Up

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a Worship Seminar in Missoula. It was a long day but so worth it. I learned a lot and had a really great time. Came home with some new books that now I really need to find some time and read them. If you ever have an opportunity to go to one of these I highly recommend it.

Monday was Kimmie's first official day of Summer Vacation. She's loving it. Sleeping in and spending the day at the sitter's playing with the other kids. Thursday she had to take donuts with her to share with everyone. Right now she gets to spend Tuesdays at home with me and Fridays at home with Daddy. That is as long as we have our days off during the week. Friday they surprised me by showing up to my work just as I was getting ready to leave for lunch. They took me to lunch with them. It was such a nice surprise to be able to spend some time with them like that.

Wednesday I had a flat tire on my way to work. A nice guy stopped (not sure where he came from though as he wasn't behind me and didn't pass me) but anyway he stopped and changed my tire for me. I was very thankful to him for that help. The tire was completely shot so I had to buy a new one. New tires are on my list for this summer so I guess now I have 1 down and only 3 more to go.

This weekend is going to be spent relaxing a bit. I need to do some house cleaning and weeding in the garden. I'm going to enjoy it though because next weekend will be crazy busy.

Kindergarten

I registered my Kimmie for Kindergarten last week. They have 2 classes and after talking to quite a few parents and teachers who have had interactions with both teachers I decided it best to try and request one of the teachers and not the other one. Reports of things that have gone on in the one class room with how the teacher talks to the kids and handles behaviors in her class are really not where I want Kimmie to be. It seems there is a lot of yelling and screaming from the teacher to the kids. Well I found out yesterday that even after my request she was placed in that class. Now I'm having really mixed feelings about the whole thing. Do I call the school and be one of those demanding moms and throw a fit (if needed) and have her moved to the other class? Or do I sit back and see what happens? Do I wait and see how Kimmie responds to this teacher? Do I just wait and see if maybe there is an opportunity to share with this teacher how we hold the preciousness of others to heart and how we speak to each other? And how we don't allow Kimmie to speak to others? And how by her speaking to her class in that manner she's diminishing how valuable God sees each and every one of those children? I can't imagine it would go over very well to have Kimmie stand up in class and inform her teacher that saying something like "Shut Up" are stinky words and we don't speak to people that way. And maybe having a harsher teacher will be good for Kimmie. She does seem to do better when there are stronger boundaries (give this kid an inch and she'll run over you to get the whole mile).

This is definitely going to be something to pray about a lot. What do you think? What would you do?

Memorial Day Weekend and Kindergarten

Tuesday we registered Kimmie for Kindergarten. She's so excited about going to the new school. All she's been talking about is going to her "high school" and riding the bus. I really hope the actually school year meets her excitement and expectations and more.

We had a wonderful weekend here. 3 wonderful days of warmth and sunshine. It was a great kick off to summer for us. We had some nice relaxation and still got a lot accomplished.

I worked my rear end off and got the garden completely planted. Now I just have weeding and watering and eventually harvesting to do. We planted lettuce, spinach, turnips, carrots, peas, beans, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and corn. I think that's everything. I did end up with a bit of sunburn on my lower back from being bent over but it'll be OK.

Kimmie and I were able to get in a couple of good bike rides too. She's doing so good and is such a trooper. Saturday we road 6 miles to my sister's house and back. Then today we did 8 miles. We road to Grandma's, went to lunch and then back home again. On our bike ride today we got to see a couple of quail and a snake on the trail. The snake kind of startled me a little bit but we stopped to check him out. Kimmie wanted to stomp on him because as she put it "he was like Satan". I think she has taken the story of Adam and Eve very much to heart. But of course I wouldn't let her and we nudge him on his way across the trail and back in to the protection of the bushes.

It's a short week for us here. We only have 3 more days of school/work. Then Friday we have her bike-a-thon and school picnic. Then summer will officially be here.

Relay Idol

I know that some are saddened that American Idol is over. I can't say that I'm really one of them. I only really watched it this year during the auditions. I really didn't follow the rest of the competition. However, for those who live in the Silver Valley we have the excitement of extending our Idol "fixes". I guess we'll put it that way.





I'm planning a fundraising event for my Relay team, Relay Idol. I'm really excited about it. It's always so wonderfully amazing to see how our community comes together to support a good cause. I have a wonderful friend who has a karaoke/Dj business. He does the best job and really is quite spendy for his services. But he has been so generous and offered to donate his services for the evening.





We will have 15 singers, who will each sing their choice of song. After all the contestants have finished singing then the voting will begin. Each singer will have a sack to collect their votes (1 vote for each dollar collected). The singer with the most votes (money) will win the competition.

This evening should be tons of fun. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see how it goes. So if you think you are going to go through withdrawls due to missing American Idol come see the show. And help us support Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society.

Needing to Decompress

I've been looking at my schedule for the next couple of weeks and feeling so overwhelmingly busy. Thankfully school will be out next week so that will make our morning rush a little less rushed. But there is still so much to be done.

• Relay for Life meetings
• a Bike-a-thon with Kimmie's school
• a Fundraising event for Relay that I'm putting together
• a birthday party for my Grandmother
• finish planting the garden (must get that done this weekend)
• on top of many other standing weekly appointments and meetings

Today when I met with my Pastor to put together our Sunday Worship Song Set I was really feeling the need to slow down, decompress and just try to put myself in a better position to really be able to focus on what's most important. HIM.