Happy Birthday, Dolly!

She's the little woman with the big voice and one of the best singer/songwriters to ever live. Dolly has literally written thousands of songs. She's sold a few records.

I guess you could say she works a lot more than just a 9 to 5 job. She's honest, refreshing and funny. I've always found it ironic that she could be so authentic while so much of her physical appearance is fake. She's just a Backwoods Barbie, after all and has never strayed too far from the roots of her Tennessee Mountain Home. But she's no Dumb Blonde and her mistakes are no worse than yours Just Because [She's] a Woman.

Dolly you are one of my heroes (heroines?) and still kickin' as a consummate performer. I will always love you, Dolly.

I know there's "More Where that Came From!"

What are some of your favorite Dolly songs?

Oh, and it's peaches and cream again for me today.

Thanks to Kate the Great Baker for the photo.

MLK, Jr.

So, I have a confession. Dr. King's general reverence bothers me. I think it's mostly because all the U.S. Presidents share one day now because he has his own holiday. It could also be because every city in the U.S. (it feels like) has a street named after him. There are lots of examples of over-idolization.

Having said that, I actually believe he was a very respectable guy. Bloodless revolutions are definitely my preference. He certainly put his life on the line for what he believed in a way that most won't.

Last January, Matthew Paul Turner, one of my favorite bloggers wrote a good and thought-provoking piece about MLK, Jr. on http://www.jesusneedsnewpr.net/. It can be found here.

Here are my favorite thoughts from that post (this actually hangs on the wall in my office as a reminder):

This document is reprinted in a book called The Words of Martin Luther King, and I thought I’d share the content of the pledge King wrote…

• MEDITATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus
• REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation—not victory
• WALK and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.
• PRAY daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
• SACRIFICE personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
• OBSERVE with both friend and foe alike the ordinary rules of courtesy
• SEEK to perform regular service for others and for the world
• REFRAIN from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart
• STRIVE to be in good spiritual and bodily health

Today's oatmeal was my favorite, peaches and cream.

On My Mind

I don't know about you, but more often than I should, I wonder if what I do or think is "normal." To some extent, I think we grow out of this, but every once in a while I feel the need to gauge my level of crazy.

On my mind in particular is, well, what's on my mind. And that is... anything and everything. I'm ALWAYS thinking about what seems like a thousand different things, solving problems, and just organizing clutter in my mind. The heaviest "traffic" times are when I'm in the shower, in the car by myself, and of course, when I try to go to sleep at night.

It then occurs to me that I have a lot on my mind and so follows my quest to solve the problem of trying to solve so many problems with my mind. So, friends, is this "normal"? Is it a woman thing? It always seems women do have lots of problems to solve. Is it compounded with a husband, kids, pets, mortgage, etc? How do you combat the cacophony?

One thing in particular that works for me is music. I am enjoying Joey + Rory lots right now, so I will share a song from them. I'm new at this, but you should hear a song from them by clicking this link.

Today's oatmeal: not oatmeal, but Honey Nut Cheerios, but I'm still fighting cholesterol, right?

I Wanted to Write About Ethan

...but I'm not sure how to do his life and service justice.

A family of friends of mine lost their son, brother and uncle, Ethan Hardin, in Afghanistan on Friday. I didn't know him as well as other members of his family, but I'd interacted with him on several occasions. He always seemed quiet to me, especially compared to other members of his family. He was extremely kind. I know that sounds like a small word, and it seems like it right now as I use it to describe him, but it's not a word I throw around. Trust me, kindness is not overrated.

What struck me about Ethan in life was the respect he garnered from his group of friends. He attended a small Christian school and was part of a small, but very close-knit graduating class. They were just kids when I met most of them... 14 years old or a little younger, but they were a great group of kids to know. I even substituted for their classes from time to time and may have coached some of the girls in softball. His reputation with that group spoke for itself. And that reputation was sterling. I moved away not long after that group graduated from high school, but have kept tabs on them through older siblings and facebook.

I work in politics and opinions about the war(s) and the military run the gamut. It's easy to forget that real people are involved, not just policy. I don't mind saying publicly that I have the highest level of respect for those who volunteer to serve in the U.S. military. They are braver than I will ever be and I applaud them for their service. And that's not enough.

Like I said, I really can't write anything that would do his life and service justice. I'm proud, grieved and angry all at the same time and I know his family is feeling those things on an even deeper level than I can imagine.

Ethan gave his "last full measure of devotion" for a country and people he believed in and for that I will forever be grateful on a level I can't find the words to describe. I'm also comforted to know he's now in a place where there is no war or pain and look forward to the time when I can thank him myself.

My prayers are with his family right now and with the families of those I will never meet.

Photo swiped from Olivia Yates' facebook.

I Said There'd Be Posts about Turning 30

It's been said that 30 is the new 20, but my suspicion is that it's probably not. Frankly, I hope not. I'm actually looking forward to 30 a lot more than 20. Unless I could go with Doc Brown in a DeLorean and a Flux Capacitor, I wouldn't re-do my 20s for anything.

Of course there are things to dislike about aging, but I'd rather focus on what I love about this age. One of my favorite things is figuring out who I am and who I want to be. It seems like a simple and cliche statement, but true nonetheless. Some folks call it being comfortable in your own skin. That part I'm still working towards.

Here are some things I've learned about myself:

Recently I came to terms with the fact that I'm actually an introvert. It came as a surprise to me too. I think I let other people affect how I view myself way too much (another getting older lesson). Some people I've known for a long time may argue. That's okay. It's true I can be talkative and make friends easily, but while I love relationships with people, they wear me out. I also don't share my business with people too often.

I have found I love to be on a schedule. The more I eat and sleep at regular times, the happier I am. Like a baby. This makes me believe, though, that people of all ages need that. This is another concept that seems simple.

I hope in 30 more years to have simplified even more of my life.

Another thing I've learned is the power of being someone who is comfortable making decisions. It seems so many people aren't. While I still have trouble choosing a restaurant when going to dinner with a friend, I believe I am good at making decisions. Sometimes the process is stressful, but I love it. It's so rewarding to know something is decided. This has the potential to drive me crazy of course. I'm okay that some things I don't get to decide. This falls under the category of learning to trust the Lord in my life.

That's another dichotomy of being Christian and a single person. I have to learn self-reliance and reliance on the Lord at the same time. This balance will take me a while. I'm okay with that, too. That's another advantage of this age--finally figuring out how to be an adult without having to be old yet. In any case, thankfully I still have a few months to prepare for the big 3-0.

Have any of you had any surprising revelations about yourself as you've gotten older?

Oh, P.S.--today's oatmeal is peaches and cream, which IS my favorite of the fruit and cream types so far.

Picture swiped from http://www.technovelgy.com.

My Life is Different

As I considered starting a blog, I kept thinking, "everybody blogs." And it seems like everyone does. But as I do with many decisions, I do a cost-benefit analysis. Most people do this I'm sure, but it's only the truly nerdy that name it. Go nerds!

One particular reason kept jumping out at me as the reason to go ahead and write (type?). My life is different.

A lot of my friends discuss children and/or pets on their blog. I have neither. Some folks blog about the beautiful and delicious food that they make. I don't have a real kitchen.

So, this should be interesting.

Today the 112th Congress swears in and that's what's affecting my schedule today. For those who don't know, I work in politics--well, quasi-politics. So, rather than a school schedule or potty training, my life tends to revolve around election and legislative cycles. Although, I could make the argument that dealing with the legislature is not unlike dealing with children. Was it Mark Twain that said diapers and politicians should be changed often and for the same reason?

My life is different because I'm single and nearing 30. (Turning 30 is definitely a topic that will come up again). I like to say doing things oneself is not for the faint of heart and every day is an adventure.

For those who are already bored, thank you for reading this far. I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing.

I'm still not sure what will be of interest to readers of this blog (if there are any readers), but I can say for sure the goings-on in my life will not be the same as my peers.

Oh, today's oatmeal is bananas and cream. It's my least favorite of the fruit and cream variety of instant oatmeal, but it does the job. I think I will celebrate with a second cup of coffee.

Photo credit: Ashley Gravitt

Why Oatmeal?

It would be nice if I were clever here and had some big, exciting, cosmic reason for oatmeal... but I don't. I've started eating oatmeal every day to get my cholesterol down. Because of the risk (I perceived) of getting bored with eating the same thing every day, I'm making a concerted effort to try different flavors. The more I thought about the specific decision to do the right thing for my health, the more my mind associated it with making choices for personal growth. So, oatmeal it is.

There are many choices I need to make choosing the good and/or rejecting the bad in the area of eating, but like any other life changes, it gets overwhelming to take on everything we dislike about ourselves at once. So, again, oatmeal it is.

I'm a believer in setting some short-term, attainable goals. I'm also a believer in finding reasons to celebrate.

I also was trying Kashi cereal, but that is a discussion for another day.

Today's flavor of choice is maple and brown sugar. Thankfully the maple is very mild (sorry, Canadians, bleh). This flavor has sort of become the staple in between other choices.

Of course, coffee goes best with any flavor.

What are your short-term, attainable goals?