Dare You To Try This At Home

Once a PB&J lover but tired of the same ole thing? Try a twist to not only a PB&J but also on breakfast! Try toast. You can choose whichever brands of ingredients you personally prefer, but these are the ones that I recommend.

1 slice of Captain John Derst's Old Fashioned Bread

Smart Choice Butter Spread

Smuckers Concord Grape Jelly

JIF Creamy Peanut Butter

First thing first, butter your bread- make toast. Immediately after removing it from your toaster oven (or just your toaster... whichever) spread your peanut butter all over. Afterwards, spread some jelly on top. So simple. Just from reading this, I know it sounds like the only thing different from a PB&J sandwich is that it's toasted- with butter- and missing one piece of bread, but wait. Just taste it. Your peanut butter has melted in your mouth creating a richer taste than ever before. Hope you enjoy!

Long Overdue

Let me start by apologizing (I may be talking to myself here more so than you) for not blogging frequently over the past few months. I never try to PUSH blogs because my forced writing just doesn't read as nicely. Anyway, I definitely have to blog about my Carrie Underwood experience that took place way back on July 25th.

In the earlier part of June, Madison found out that Carrie was scheduled to perform at the Opry on July 25 and he immediately began to search for backstage passes. He knows how much I love her! So he gets the passes and makes the plans to go. Keep in mind that Carrie was on my must-list (or don't they call it a "bucket-list"?) so the idea of meeting her seemed way to good to be true. It actually didn't really sink in until we began walking from the Opry Mills parking lot over the the Opry. She's so new and so popular that she actually had a dressing room in the private wings backstage. (Backstage is already considered private, right? So imagine the private wings of backstage. No one but her and her band allowed, which was completely understandable). It came time for her first show and then she walked past- from her wing to the stage. Let me add- she had some KILLER shoes on! Wish I had a picture of those to share with you, but unfortunately I don't. When she came off stage the WHOLE backstage of the Opry was FULL of fans waiting to meet her. I mean the walls were lined and she could only walk about 2 inches at a time when making her way back to her dressing room. She was so considerate of her fans though, and made sure everyone's pictures turned out good. Luckily after that show, the crowd cleared. In fact, 90 % of the crowd left. Madison and I stayed behind to watch her last set and were able to talk to her a few minutes afterwards. We took a picture with her and the guy taking it said that it wasn't showing up on my screen. Anyway, she offered to wait for us and take another if it didn't work. She is SO nice, so cheery, and actually shorter than I expected. Beside the point...

That was an experience I will never forget and that was the short story of it. Now I just need for this to happen with Celine and Martina. =)

Side note: Happy 9/9/9. Did you know that over 10,000 couples in China rushed to get married today because they believe that the number 9 means "life"? Ponder this too- anything mutilplied by 9 results in numbers that can be added to = 9. Example, 9 x 8=72 and 7+2=9.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I'm pretty sure it isn't a common movie (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), but if by chance you have seen it, you may be interested in reading this article. My professor assigned it my psychology class, and I just found it very interesting. It is a little bit long, but hang in there. The best part is at the end!

http://bit.ly/zX5QR

P.S. I promise, either tonight or tomorrow I will post the Carrie Underwood and Alaskan Cruise blog. Just trying to muster up the time needed to write them.

A Necessary Replay.

Lately, I've had no inspiration in my blogging life but over the past week, a certain blog that I posted on April 5, 2008 (on myspace) has been on my mind. It's based on Issiah 55:9, a verse that brings so much peace and comfort to me. I figured it wouldn't hurt to share it again.

April 5, 2008

There are some days we all wonder what is to come in life. Today just happened to be one of those days for me- Who will I be? Can I make an impact in other lives? Where will I be 5 or even 10 years from now? – all various questions we all fill our minds with at times. Then I picked up my daily devotion that I started only 3 days ago.

My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Issiah 55:9

"Christ claims ultimate clout. Unshared supremacy. When he darts his eyes, oceans swell. He is to history what a weaver is to a tapestry. I once watched a weaver work at a downtown San Antonio market. She selected threads from her bag and arranged them first on the frame, then on the shuttle. She next worked the shuttle back and forth over the threads, intertwining colors, overlapping textures. In a matter of moments a design appeared.
Christ, in like manner, weaves his story. Every person is a thread, every moment a color, every era a pass of the shuttle. Jesus steadily interweaves the embroidery of humankind. "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the LORD, ’and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine’" (Isa 55:8 NLT). God says, "My artistry is far beyond anything you could imagine."

Reading this message- that our lives are the art of God- really got me. It is a simple concept that has so much more color to me now! How ironic that I picked up a devotion that spoke to me about exactly what was on my mind! I love it! There’s no telling what can happen in the future. It’s all in a plan set and designed specifically for each of us! I know this- I am blessed… I have so much to be thankful for. The rest is a mystery and that is the beauty of it.

Here You Go!

To begin this blog, if you don't already know this about me, I like to share things with people that make me feel good- especially good music! So there really isn't much for me to say here. The following is a link to Jeff & Sheri's page where you can hear clips from the new CD to be released SOON! I'm so excited about it and I think this will be their best one yet. Hope you enjoy!

Click Here

Simple Pleasures

I am a firm believer in penciling in time for yourself. It's what keeps us sane in the busy lives we all lead and to take it a step further, it's what keeps us happy. If you were to ask me what exactly it is that I do for my "me" time, you may be surprised to find that the things that make me the happiest are rather simple.

My personal time is often my daily shower. It allows me a good 10-15 minutes of guiet accompanied by the relaxing sound of water flowing. It's a good time to clear my mind and just "exist". Afterwards, I turn my iPod on shuffle and style my hair. Sounds like nothing special, I know... but it's me doing something for myself and it goes a long way.

This month, I've found a few boosters to my normal routine that have made me more delighted than before.

Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Shampoo/Conditioner: I don't mean to sound boastful at all... it's the shampoo, trust me! After the first time I used this, I kept smelling my hair all day and each time I'd smell it, I'd feel good about myself (and we all know that feeling good about yourself is a whole different ballpark of personal happiness!). This makes my personal time last even throughout day while I assist others because each time I smell my hair, it's simply refreshing!

Dial Antioxident Cranberry Body Wash: Kind of the same effect as the shampoo really! Plus, it makes your shower smell delicious and heightens your senses on top of making you feel super dooper clean!

Turning it down a notch: Because I have naturally thick curly hair, I usually turn my straightener on- wide open, as hot as it'll go! Lately I've discovered that by turning it down to 370, my hair has been left shinier and softer than ever before. Again, feeling good about yourself goes further than anything else!

Sooner rather than later: Normally, I hear of night showers and baths for relaxation methods, and for some people, this may be the better option in order to optimize good sleep. I used to live by this theory. Now, however, I've started with my daily routine in the AM- first thing in the AM. This way, I approach my day already with a good attitude, and I put myself first. (Please note: I don't mean that selfishly at all. It just works better for me that way.) On occasion, I will still resort to a night time soak accompanied by Diana Krall... just to wash away my extra sorrows.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub: The last product I'm going to brag about today, I promise! This invigorating scrub wakes my skin and makes for a better complexion. Hey, it makes me look awake and leaves a smoother surface to apply make-up. Why not?

I hope you all make time for yourselves and if you don't, I hope you take my words to heart. This is just one step I've found that's brought more happiness and less stress to my life.

ZZ Top and Aerosmith!

This past Wednesday had been long in waiting. The day that tickets went on sale, Madison and I jumped at the opportunity to go see ZZ Top and Aerosmith live in ATL, Ga! We've both been long fans of Aerosmith, and they were on our list of "must sees". I knew who ZZ Top was, but I couldn't name you a song before this show. Once they began performing, I realized I knew several of the songs: I just didn't know they were by ZZ Top. I was pleasantly surprised with their performance! These are the coolest old guys around! I now have their Greatest Hits CD, and am so thankful that I was able to see them live!

AEROSMITH-- Prior to the show, we were able to see the set list which contained SO many of our favorites: Eat The Rich, Jaded, Cryin', Angel, Dude Looks Like A Lady, Sweet Emotion, Dream On, Come Together... and those are only a few! So the time came... We waited and waited for that curtain to fall and boy when it did, the crowd went crazy! I was absolutely stunned that Steven Tyler was not only standing in front of me in his true rock star fashion (flashy scarves on his mic), but singing "Eat The Rich"... and he.. sounded.. awesome! As the show progressed, we noticed that he had been struggling with his leg... Story behind that: On June 28th, he pulled his quad and had to postpone 7 shows. Our Atlanta show was his first since the incident. I expected him to be limited in his actions, yes. An hour into the show, he apologizes and says that he's going to have to cut it short but follows his announcement with, "Don't hate me Atlanta!". Out of the 30 songs we were supposed to get, we only got 15... and our tickets weren't cheap. I was SO disappointed. Mad almost... why couldn't he just sit on his stool and sing the rest? He had complained a time or two with vocal problems... but the next show got the full 30 songs. Please don't get me wrong... I definitely do NOT regret going; I've ALWAYS wanted to see Aerosmith. I'm just disappointed that some vocals were cut and replaced with Joe Perry's guitar solos... which were nice... but not in place of vocals. And I feel like he didn't even try to give us what we came to see. HALF OF THE SHOW WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET IS WHAT WE GOT. Song highlights of the night for me were "Eat The Rich" (opening song... always a memory), "Janie's Got A Gun", "Rag Doll", and "Love In An Elevator" (pictured above- awesome light show, btw!).

I'm just so mixed about it. Glad I went; ticked I didn't get more.