Shake It Like A Polaroid Picture

On a plane somewhere between Nashville, TN & Chicago, IL: As the end of the year draws near, I find myself needing to post some sort of recap of the year's happenings in order to bring 2010 to a full circle. Considering this is my blog of random musings that hardly anyone reads (and if they do, I doubt they really care), the point seems moote, but it is interesting to take a look back through my iCal and see just where I went, who I spent time with (for better or for worse), what I did and where I drank in the past 12 months.

I've also realized that (mostly) intentionally, I've titled a lot of my blog posts with song titles. I figure that's a nice way to tie in the musical side of my life on the interweb, plus I heart music, so why not? So, as the last post of 2010, I will title this blog with a song lyric, shake it like a polaroid picture, from the danceable OutKast hit, Hey Ya! (which, if you listen right now, you, too, will be forced to move to as well. Don't believe me? Jut try it.). However, I do want to point out that technically, you really aren't supposed to shake polaroid pictures as they are developing... just a little something I picked up when hocking the Polaroid iZone Convertible Camera with Changeable Faceplates for the BSB Tour. (not boy band name dropping or anything....)

And now! A look into some highlights of the my 12 months via Polaroid pictures...

January

Went on the "Find Your Way Home Prison Tour" and (hopefully) shared some hope to women behind bars.

February

Had the world's best Valentine's Day ever, complete with a photo shoot with my sweet.

March

Celebrated the life of Aunt Wonnie, in Dallas, TX.

April

Went to Maui, Hawaii for a work trip (really... it was for work....)

May

Captured the creation of "Holly Happy Days" by the Indigo Girls.

June

Photo shoot with Goddaughter #2, Lennox, and her family of Meet The Wilsons fame

July

Completed first (super pimped out) van tour with Dar Williams and Sara Watkins

August

Successfully introduced Thistle Farms into the bridal market and made new friends in this amazingly specialized niche!

September

3rd time wedding photographer

October

One-off fill-in for boss' label-mate, Jewel.

November

Celebrated the release of the boss' new album with a string of press, beginning in New York City.

December

Spent Christmas day (and a few other days) in Mexico with the boy... and a lot of guacamole y cervezas.

Seems to have been a pretty damn good year.... shaken or otherwise.

To Make You Feel My Love

Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo (Mexico): This morning I woke up before 6am to watch the sunrise on the eastern most point in Mexico. Being that I was in flip flops and a light sweatshirt over my tank and shorts, I was worried that perhaps the Christmas Spirit wouldn't find me here. As a child wonders if Santa will remember her as he passes over each house with toys, I wondered if God would know I was here, still grateful for His gift to me, even though I was not in His house last night or my parents' house this morning.

I studied the sky, turning light grey to a bright pink in the blink of an eye and watched the waves as they covered the rocks below me, then just as quickly recede back into their home base of the sea. I was about to give up -- maybe the clouds were going to block this morning's art piece and maybe this was God's way of saying "I told you so...."

But then, the top half a small orangish-pink ball appeared on the water's edge. My heart leapt and the excitement was that of finding wrapped gifts under the tree that weren't there the night before. I said inward prayers for the ones I love the most -- for Mom and Dad, for my best friend, for my Goddaughters, for my Grandparents, for my family and friends and coworkers and for the sweet boy who made this trip possible.

Then a song popped in my head and I knew it had to be from above or within because it just fit. (and, thank goodness it wasn't some random techno song.)

There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy, make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love

I thanked Him for making me feel His love with this sunrise, in this moment and by, on this day, giving the greatest gift ever.

Shades of Grey

Nashville, TN: The sky is grey, the air is cold and even the lunar eclipse coinciding with the winter solstice was too cloudy to see.

In short, bah humbug.

I'm not feeling any holiday cheer whatsoever this year. I decided to boycott putting up Christmas decorations and am literally dragging myself out of the house to at least make it to the gym for some endorphin-stimulation. I'm hoping that a little Vitamin D will do me good in the next few days.

In the meantime, I've been relying on internet videos to bring me some much needed spirit. Here are just a few that have brought me a smile or a laugh or a tear.

From the funny:

To the catchy:

To the inspirational:

To the (digitally) sentimental:

So, the sky is still grey, but at least it's a little warmer on the inside.

What's Going On

Nashville, TN: I got an email from a friend the other day that said, "I hope you're enjoying your break!" Luckily I wasn't drinking something because if I had been, I would have definitely spit it out on my computer... which I was working on... because I am FAR from being on a break. I am not currently traveling, however, I feel like I am a hamster in a wheel. Wrapping up this year's paperwork, prepping next year's travel, trying to do marketing stuff for Thistle Farms, go to the gym, spend time with the boy, get Christmas presents, not lose my mind... the last one I'm just BARELY able to do. And I'm not making any promises that it's not going to happen.

However, in between the madness that this time of year seems to provide, there have been a few fun goings on in my world that I want to take a few minutes out of my day to share. Because they are awesome. And even though I swear I am NEVER going to get ahead in this game of life, hopefully I'll be able to look back at this time someday and remember there was some shining sparkles of light...

starting with -

Lisa Loeb Eyeglasses! It seemed that it took forever, but finally the singer-songwriter with the signature cat-eye glasses (hey! wait a minute...) released her own line so people would stop asking her where she got hers. My favorite part is that they are named after her songs, though it was actually hard because I'm a big fan of "Snow Day," the song, but not as much in the frame. However, when I went to Specs (the BEST eye boutique in Nashville!), I knew immediately I would be next seen in "All The Stars" -- in cookies & creme.

They finally arrived a week later, complete with a Lisa Loeb custom case...

and now, pair #8 seems to be a perfect fit.

And next, a Christmas day date with little Lennox. Goddaughter #2 is now almost 2, so I thought it was time to do our first Auntie outing. I had a gift certificate to Build-A-Bear and considering I doubt I would use that myself, I thought this would be the perfect treat for this sweet (but very energetic) little one.

Building the bear (which is actually a bunny)

The finished product (meet BunnyBear)

A ride on the ferris wheel (guess I should have done that before lunch?)

A little note from mom, just in case she took off somewhere else when I was looking at shoes...

Two girls having so much fun!

A quiet car ride home. (I'm exhausted! How do parents actually do this every day!?)

And finally, the beloved Santa Rampage, where people dress up and dreams come true. This year, it was pouring rain and the boy and I were on the fence about going. It has special meaning to us, but do we really have to prove it by schlepping in the rain? After hemming & hawing about it for a good part of the evening, I decided to put on my big girl panties (under my Mrs. Santa suit), add a new santa hat/scarf combo (made me look a little Russian, but I was warm!) and made our way downtown. We were wet, but damn, we made the right decision.

The Clauses

A sea of Santas

A think this is a one horse open sleigh, but I'm not 100% sure.

JRob making another year even more fun!

Santa down.

So there you have it -- a quick summary to what's going on in my world. And now, back to the wheel.

What Hurts The Most

Nashville, TN:

unconditional love.

Facebook Ramblings

Nashville, TN:

A holiday gift from Facebook:

a pretty way to look at a summed up version

of your status updates from 2010.

Kinda fun to remember where I've been.

Kinda sad to think about how much time I spent on Facebook.

Really!?!

Nashville, TN: There's a skit on SNL called Really!?! with Seth & Amy which happens during the Weekend Update news potion of the show. In short, they point out very obvious things happening in the world which some people are either trying to get around, ignore or are just plain too stupid to see themselves.

Here's a clip of the bit (once you get through the 20 sec commercial from Hulu):

Get it?

Ok, so I had a Really!?! moment about the recent going-ons at Belmont University here in Nashville. Seems as though a women's soccer coach was fired because of her sexual orientation, which happens to be gay. Because I'm out of the college scene now, I don't pay much attention to news that pertains to that, but there was enough activity on my friends' Facebook pages about the matter that I wanted to investigate it myself.

First, I read an article on Sports Illustrated. Not being a sports aficionado myself, I figure I'd go to the cream of the crop for sports information (that's SI, right? Minus the swimsuit calendar, that is). The author quoted Marty Dickens, the chairman of Belmont University's board of trustees, as saying:

"We expect people to commit themselves to high moral and ethical standards within a Christian context. That includes members of the board, faculty and administration."

Let me just say that I HATE when people try to equate being a Christian with being anti-gay. Honestly, do you really think Jesus Christ, Himself, would hate gay people? He was the guy that hung out with the not-so-popular people: the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the outcasts. Do you really think He'd say: "oh yeah, um, I'm cool with all ya'll.... except for those people that happen to love others that happen to be the same sex as they are."

Really!?!

If you claim to be a true Christian, try to live your life in a Christ-like fashion, I would hope to think that you would try to love your neighbor as yourself. And by neighbor, I mean EVERYONE. And yeah, I just quoted the bible. Really.

Next, I read a blog from my friend Christy. She's a really smart and interesting gal who is fairly introverted in person, though started Nashvillest, which is a pretty high-profile site. What I love about Christy's blog is that she is very honest ("I spent at least 18 years of my life believing firmly that homosexuality is a sin, and that it’s a byproduct of a corrupt society. It’s taken a while to lose that.") and also very open minded ("What Belmont did to Coach Howe disturbed me enough that I was finally able to shake that last bit of homophobia out of my heart and recognize that treating a human being that poorly because of her sexual orientation is completely and utterly wrong.")

Thank you, Christy, for really speaking your truth.

Which leads me to my last point: do you think anyone would actively CHOOSE to be gay? Really!?! I mean, a life full of being judged, being taunted and possibly harmed, not given equal or legal rights... why would one ever go out of their way to pick that lifestyle? So, it simply amazes me that others would jump to such ridiculous decisions (such as firing them from their job) because they happen to be born differently. And if you can't quite wrap your head around the idea of someone being "born that way," check out the following video and ask yourself, when did you choose be straight?"

REALLY.

Profound Whatever

Nashville, TN: I remember walking into the living room, Christmas tree blinking, TV flashing and Mom wrapping (gifts, that is). Dad was lying on the couch, walking football, but now the channel was a news show and the anchor made Mom cry. I was confused by the personal effect of this newscast and she tried to explain to me that her favorite Beatle had been killed.

Even at 5, I had heard the Beatles when Mom played their albums. I remember studying their eyes on their A Hard Day's Night cover, trying to distinguish which one was which. On this night, I ran over to the entertainment center, which housed the record player and albums, and grabbed the LP, wondering which one of those eyes it was. It saddens me to think that Sean was also 5 years old at the time as well, but knew those eyes completely.

Thanks to my blogging sister, Kristi, she posted a link to this amazing interview with John Lennon, which morphed into an art project and short film. What a lovely way to commemorate this 30th anniversary.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Dallas, TX:

One last time to de-shoe and de-belt for security,

One last time to avoid full body scan,

One last time to get much needed Starbucks,

One last time to board in the priority lane,

One last time to avoid baby heading thanks to bendable head rest

One last time to build miles,

One last time to fly!

at least for a couple of weeks, that is.....

Two Words

Las Vegas, NV:

head pounding
dogs barking

bells ringing
clock watching
eyes closing
boy missing

been there

done that

(and again)

now ready

to leave

Las Vegas.

Thanks Sheryl.

Been Around The World

Thackerville, OK: I was looking forward to flying to DFW today. And only DFW. Usually, I only see the inside of the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport for a layover to whatever city I'm flying to next. But today, it was a nonstop flight to our final destination.

And then I remembered we still had to drive another 70 miles to Oklahoma. So much for the nonstop part.

After sitting in extra traffic due to interstate traffic, learning a bunch of random facts about the towns we passed through thanks to an informative driver and hoping my phone wouldn't die before we got to our true final destination, I was all ready to get up to my freshly made bed and see if I could catch up on some much needed rest.

Before sending the band to their rooms, I checked with the front desk on where, exactly, our office would be tomorrow night. "Just walk through the casino," (of course) "then once you pass London and Madrid, you'll see the Events Center on your left, in the middle of Paris."

Um.... excuse me?

Turns out the casino is separated into multiple "cities" that each have their own slots / tables / bars. It's just a fancy way to entice people to check the entire place out. And, damnit, it worked. Though now officially exhausted, I knew I wouldn't have time tomorrow to stroll through the smoking-still-cough-allowed-cough-inside casino, so it was no or never. And who knows when I'll be back in Thackerville again?

So, I made my way down... and around the world in just about 30 minutes. Check out the fantastic cities I visited (and some interesting city-like decor)... while in Oklahoma.

Unfortunately for the Winstar, these visuals don't make me want to gamble, they make me want to travel!