The Power of Prayer...
Special prayers go out to a beautiful baby girl in Florida this morning, to those affected by the Colorado flooding, and to the families and friends who lost their loved ones at the Navy Yard yesterday. May the Lord comfort them and help them in their time of need. Lord hear our prayers.THE WORLD IS HERS!
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." St. Augustine
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| The world is hers... |
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| One of many flights |
A RANDOM thought about my Little Love...
During
the past week, Little Love and I have been exploring the world (through a map on mommy's Iphone). I
showed her where we are in this big world of ours. We let our
imaginations run wild of where Tinkerbell might live. Where is Cinderella and
her castle? Where is Merida and her Scottish family?
This got me thinking...
This got me thinking...
Little
Love has been on 12 or more flights at the young age of 4. She loves hotels
and experiencing new places...just like her parents and Godmother. As I observe these things about her, I am glad that her Father and I are on the same page. We want her to SEE the
country... even more...the WORLD!
If she wants to travel in high school, after high school, or while in college to Europe or anywhere else oversees, that thought does NOT scare
us. In fact, we WELCOME it!
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| Ready for the open roads! |
I know many parents wish for their child to stay close to
home or to maybe even stay with them as long as they can; I admit we are the
opposite. While I don't think there is anything wrong with it, it's just a
different point of view. As far as I am concerned, LIFE IS SHORT, THE WORLD IS BIG! I think it would be
terrible to not experience the beauty of God's work! There is so much
to see during our time on earth. Through travel (among other things) I know Little Love can create MEMORIES OF A LIFETIME!My siblings and I were BLESSED with the amazing experience of living oversees as children. Through
work, I have had the opportunity to explore many cities throughout the United States. My
husband got the fun trip to Europe after high school. Gabriella's Godmother
has traveled to several countries since I have known her and I love hearing
about her experiences. Last year, my cousin who is still in college, traveled from country to country all throughout Europe and we were excited to follow his adventures on facebook. THAT is what I WANT for Little Love.
My hopes are for her to be EXPOSED to different cultures, in their true form. Not the local
Chinese and French restaurant! I mean to go and TRULY EXPERIENCE it. And
at this rate, if my Little Love is anything like her mommy and daddy, I know
she will experience great things and I certainly will spend the next many years
ENCOURAGING her...because she deserves it!
For those of you who know my Little Love, you know her IMAGINATION has no boundaries. I wonder what goes through her mind as we talk about taking flights over the great big oceans...to her future destinations.
My Little Love...my EVERYTHING!
My addiction...MUSIC!
"Music gives a soul to the universe,
Wings to the mind,
Flight to the imagination,
and life to everything."
OK, so I actually had to temporarily change my blog name to incorporate one of my great loves...MUSIC!
Research shows that "listening to music can lift your mood and ultimately lead to a greater quality of life...it can be an integral part of our health and that people can boost their mood simply by listening to upbeat music."
Well then, this is one GREAT addiction!
As soon as I wake up, I CRAVE MUSIC! I listen to it while I read the morning news, scriptures & reflections. I listen to it as I get ready for work and while I am at work. I seem to have a Pandora station for almost every mood. I don't like being in the car without it. In fact, it was driving down the road listening to a classic rock station that inspired this blog! There I was, after a long work day, listening to Roxanne by Sting followed by a Journey song (wow I am DATING myself!)... and me singing at the top of my lungs (NOT a good sound)! MUSIC CHANGES EVERYTHING!
Music makes me:
Happy Sad
Reminisce
Make me want to be a better person
Smile
Smile
Take a step back from busy days and appreciate all the things in life.
I actually love ALMOST all kinds of music... from rock to pop, from jazz to alternative, from blues to classical...But I must admit, as much as I have tried to like country...I am simply not there yet...But classic country western as in Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline, oh yeah!
I LOVE jazz & big band music when I just want to clean the house, cook, play with Little Love, & weekend coffee time. Nothing beats Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday or some good ole' big band music featuring Frank Sinatra. For more modern jazz, well I might have a little bit of a love affair with Harry Connick Jr.
Music speaks to my soul...some days more than others...
You see, for a music lover like me, I associate many songs with MOMENTS in my LIFE. They say "one song can bring back a 1000 memories." Well, that just might be true in my case. There are certainly too many count, but here are a few...some are enough to embarass the heck out of me!
Call Me and The Tide is High by Blondie: I was in the first grade (she was the coolest thing around!), yup first grade, I obviously didn't really understand the songs, but I remember having a bit of an obsession with her (slight) and standing on my bed dancing around without a care in the world. There are very few moments from that age that I actually remember and that is one of them...
Roxette & Bryan Adams...(Really??? I did say embarrassing right) But it was the 8th grade and I THOUGHT I was in love & the world had ended ...how ridiculous...but I find this ABSOLUTELY hilarious as an adult! Confessions from a teenage dreamer...
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| Strange combo, but college fav's...Beastie Boys and Oasis |
Anything by Oasis, Beastie Boys (LOVE), Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Sublime, Blues Travelers take me back to those awesome freshman & sophomore years in college with friends that are still very much a part of my life. I will call these the Tyler Hall years. Too many other songs to list.
Edwin McCain...East Carolina University.
Third Eye Blind, my very first apartment with the girls.
Dave Matthews & Counting Crows...all throughout college.
Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, and Ben Harper...the beginning stages of my relationship with my future husband. My other love affair begins...with Eddie Vedder & Ben Harper lyrics.
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| Husband's influence! |
Willie Nelson...He reminds me of the most awesome hole in the wall bar in the world...Mr. Jim's Saloon. Who knew that work could be so much fun!
Anything Mariah Carey...my dear friend Miguel! College and the NC Outer Banks trips my sweet friend.
Lit- Please Tell Me Why?...My dear friend G/Tracy. Too many fun nights to count!
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| Wedding cd my husband created. |
Beatles & Nat King Cole...my simple, beautiful wedding in the park.
Bob Marley, you NEVER EVER get old to me. NEVER!
Jimmy Buffett...my Florida ladies...did we drive across the Howard Frankland Bridge with a GIANT shark fin? Jimmy Buffett tailgating...Seriously, I did not even know people tailgated for his concerts until you Eileen! Fin's up! Although I own no Buffett cd's, he is very much a part of my Florida life now!
Katy Perry...she just makes me want to sing and dance around!
80's Big Hair Bands...It was the year 2006 (not 80's), and my dear dear friend A.M. was still obsessed! I picture her in my backyard, listening to a one man band (Bradley), holding a candle, eyes closed and Poison...yes...Poison.
Now I am bit obsessed with The Lumineers, Of Monster and Men, Lana Del Rey, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Mumford & Sons... But the music of Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, Chris Cornell and others will never get old.
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| Little Love with her music! |
I think I will always have a passion for music and I will continue to create new memories ...with my music addiction.
Farmers' Market with my Little Love and Grilled Eggplant!
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| Greenville, SC Sat. Morning Market |
"What makes the Farmer's Market a special place is that you're actually creating community around food." -Bryant Terry
This weekend, I went
to the local farmers' market with my Little Love and father. It’s true; I LOVE everything
about the market. The local produce, the meats, the coffee, the crowd, the
music, local restaurant food, the plants, and so on. Not even the rain could keep us away yesterday!
Things
I enjoy about taking Little Love to the Farmer’s Market:
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| My Father and Little Love |
-
Bonding time!
- She can learn more about farmers.
- Learn about nutrition and real food (Teaching her how to eat and pick healthy foods).
- Introduce her to new foods.
- Seeing us cook what we bring home.
- Teaching her the benefits of patronizing local farms.
- Getting her interested in the process of growing foods.
This weekend’s purchases
were blue berries and eggplant. These eggplants were so beautiful I absolutely couldn’t
resist. So tonight my husband and I made grilled
eggplants with parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
-
Salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion Powder
- Eggplants
- Olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
Preparation:- In a large Tupperware dissolve 2
Tbsp. of salt in 1 cup hot water. Add about 3 quarts of cold water. Set aside.
- Trim eggplant and cut into ¾-inch
thick slices. Put slices in salt water, weigh down with the lid
and let sit 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a charcoal or gas
grill to medium-high heat.
- Drain eggplant and pat dry with
paper towels. Lay them on a large baking sheet or
tray. Brush one side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, garlic and
onion power. (Feel free to use other spices you may like. Many people like
to add balsamic vinegar as well). Lay
oiled-side-down on the grill. Close lid if using a gas grill and cook
until grill marks appear, about 5 minutes.
- Brush top sides with oil and sprinkle with salt. Turn slices over, close lid on a gas grill and cook until grill marks appear on the other side and eggplant is very tender, about 5 minutes. Place the eggplant on top rack of the grill (if it has one) and leave on low heat for about 15 minutes to soften them. Sprinkle parmesan cheese. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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