13 Photos from My Family's Past

My son recently scanned some old family photos for me, so I thought I would share them. Thanks for indulging me as I take a walk down Memory Lane. Here we go:

1. My beautiful mother at the age of 9

2. My dad as a high school football player in the late 40's

3. I'm the baby being held by my dad. To the left of my mom in the picture is my great-aunt Cynthia, for whom my mother was named, then I was named for my mother. Taken at Doling Park in Springfield, Missouri.

4. I'm the little one with the manic smile. With my sister Bev and our family of dolls

5. As a missionary family in the Middle East, circa 1966. With the Dome of the Rock in the background, Jerusalem.

6. On a camel in the Holy Land, July 1966. Behind me is my friend Cindy Aynes...she is now married and a missionary in New Zealand.

7. Me as a very serious Bible college student, circa 1975.

8. The blushing bride! August 19, 1978

9. Me and Doug after tying the knot! Wow, we look so young...we were so young.

10. With my darling sisters, Lisa and Beverly, on the Big Day.

11. My little scamps, Jonathan and Justin, circa 1986. Can't you just see the mischief in their eyes? Were they ever that little?

12. Me and Elizabeth, Mother-Daughter Banquet, 1988. I was so excited to have a daughter to bring!

13. Mother-Daughter Banquet, 1989. Obviously I liked dressing us alike!

Word Out Wednesday!

I review Lisa Samson's Embrace Me

Welcome to those of you who are visiting as part of the Ultimate Blog Party! If you're new here, please scroll down and read my party post and get to know me a little better.

I've visited so many fantastic blogs through this event...the only sad thing is that there's just not enough time to read them ALL on a regular basis. I've definitely enjoyed finding out about some incredibly interesting women.

One of the blogs I discovered through the Party is The Adventures of Wondermommy, and she has a meme I can really get on board with. It's called...ta da...Word Out Wednesday!

As I commented to Wondermommy, I've taken part in a similar meme--"Works for Me Wednesday"--but eventually faded out because I had trouble coming up with ideas. But it seems like I always have something I want to get the word out about!

As Wondermommy says, "Word Out Wednesday is where I get the 'word out' about something. It usually comes in the form of a product recommendation."

In my case, it won't always be a product--sometimes it might be a book or a link.

If you'd like to take part, just do a Word Out Wednesday post and then go here to link back to it.

I guess I'm really participating just by getting the word out about "Word Out Wednesday," but I actually do have a few things I want to let you know about.

Embrace Me, by Lisa Samson

Although I've always been a Lisa Samson fan, I have to admit I balked at reading this book! The story of a disfigured girl who travels with a freak show as "Lizard Girl"? It sounded just a little too weird to me. I wondered if Lisa had jumped the shark with this one. (I know that phrase usually applies to TV shows, but you know what I mean.)

Well, I should have known that Lisa Samson could take a premise even that strange and spin it into an immensely readable tale of forgiveness, redemption, and even joy.

The story really focuses on two people: former pastor Drew Parrish, and the girl with the disfigured face, Valentine--whose best friend is her fellow "freak," a beautiful girl without arms and legs named Lella. (Samson admits in a note at the end of the book that there are so many options now for disabled people, you wouldn't be finding them in a traveling sideshow--but she says she bent reality somewhat to make the book's point.)

The friendship between Valentine and Lella is so sweet and tender, and their lives are so full of small happinesses and infused with such gentle humor and quiet grace, you somehow fail to get really depressed about their plight.

While Valentine and Lella are taking a break from the road in a town called Mount Oak, another story unfolds that actually takes place several years earlier--that of the wildly successful preacher, Drew Parrish, who somehow finds himself completely down and out. How Drew rises to prosperity and then loses it all is a fascinating tale.

And how Drew's story intersects with that of Valentine makes for extremely compelling reading. In fact, despite my initial skepticism, I ended up reading the entire book in one evening, completely unable to put it down. While drawing me in with very special and utterly believable characters, it opened my eyes to so many lessons about Christ and about the things that are really, truly important.

I highly recommend Embrace Me. It's a book you won't soon forget.

And now for something completely different...

It's been a while since Weird Al Yankovic did his "White and Nerdy" parody, but I was just tipped off to this video in which Donny Osmond rehearses wildly geeky dance moves for the video. I dare you not to love Donny after watching this!

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party!!!

Hello, and welcome!

If you're visiting my blog for the first time as part of the Ultimate Blog Party, I thought I'd take a moment to introduce you to myself and to Notes in the Key of Life. Most of the links in the following paragraphs will take you to a post about that particular thing. Also, be sure and listen to my audio blog intro, which is to your right on my sidebar.

My name is Cindy Swanson. I am a wife, mom to Jonathan, Justin and Elizabeth, (three wonderful twenty-somethings), mother-in-law to Daylyn and for the first time, a grandma--to beautiful Payton, born 1/31/07. I am a radio personality at 101QFL and Radio 91, and a voice-over artist as well.

My faith in Christ defines me; I couldn't live a day without Him. I also love music , reading, and writing, and dream of visiting Ireland, Scotland and England.

I often blog about interviews I've done, often including transcripted excerpts and/or soundclips. Some of my interviews are linked on my sidebar.

Feel free to take a look around, and enjoy this slide show!

13 places I would rather be than here....

OK, I'll admit, I lifted this idea from another blogger, and as soon as I can figure out who it was, I'll link to them! Great idea, though, especially when I'm dealing with temps in the 20's here (although not all of the places on my list are necessarily warm.) Here we go:

1. In Austin, Texas, visiting my sons and daughter-in-law and grandson and mom and sister and brother. And maybe going to eat at County Line BBQ (below).



2. In Casper, Wyoming, visiting my sister Beverly.



3. At a hotel in downtown Chicago with my husband. (Below is a pic of the view from our room during a weekend visit last year.)



4. At the Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego. (I was there once in the early 90's, and it was amazing.)



5. In Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I passed through there with my family once in the 70's, and I've always wanted to go back!



6. Ireland. I've ALWAYS wanted to go there. (In fact, author and blogger Angela Hunt has been there all week, and I've been--pardoned the pun--green with envy.)



7. Scotland. I've wanted to go there for quite some time.




8. Branson, Missouri. I had my honeymoon there, and have been back several times, and I've always had a wonderful time there.



9. Maui. Or any place that looks like the picture of Maui below.



10. Savannah, Georgia. Another place I've always wanted to go, especially after all those Eugenia Price novels I read growing up.



11. New York City. (Except not this morning when there was an explosion in Times Square.)



12. Shopping at The Domain in Austin, Texas...but only if I had plenty of money.



13. At home, tonight, in my jammies and drinking hot blueberry-and-pomegranate tea, watching "Lost."



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Happy Birthday to one of my favorite cities in the world!

Yes, today is the 171st birthday of Chicago! And in honor of that, I'm posting pictures of some of my favorite Chicago memories.




My sister Beverly in front of the painting of Mike Ditka at Ditka's restaurant




My daughter Elizabeth, my mom and sisters in front of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, where "My Best Friend's Wedding" was filmed




A picture I took of Chicago's lakefront from the air



My husband Doug and me at Mamma Mia on our 25th wedding anniversary




View from our hotel window on a weekend trip my husband and I took to Chicago last April




My sister Lisa and me at "Wicked" in Chicago last summer





And finally, a true Chicago moment: my kids singing "Hit the Road Jack" along with musicians at a train station last summer. The voice singing really loudly at the end is my son Justin!

Monday Melange

Main Entry: mé·lange
Pronunciation: \mā-ˈläⁿzh, -ˈlänj\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from mesler, meler to mix — more at meddle
Date: 1653
: a mixture often of incongruous elements

What? It's Monday again?

Stuff to tell you:

Staying up way too late to read: The Restorer's Son, by Sharon Hinck. It's the second in the Sword of Lyric series--the first was The Restorer, which was the first book since The Chronicles of Narnia to make me realize I could really enjoy the fantasy genre. (You can hear soundclips from my interview with Sharon Hinck here.)

I honestly think this book is even better than the first one. It's set in an alternate reality that's something like the-children-of-Israel-meet-13th-century- Scottish-clans, with technology like transport vehicles, venblades, light walls and syncbeams thrown in.

I'm loving Kieran, the main character of this book (I picture him as looking kind of like Eric Bana.) He's an initially unwilling Restorer (a person similar to the Old Testament judges, but with cool powers). Sound a little farfetched? Of course it does, it's fantasy. But somehow reading it makes you love The One (their name for God) even more than you did before.

Haven't finished it yet, but hope to sometime today.

Fit Friday, a few days late--Sorry for not posting a "Fit Friday" update on, of course, Friday. Here's my report: after the abrupt closing of my other gym due to bankruptcy, I have found a new one that I really like. It's called "Cardinal Fitness."

I'm paying less for both me and my daughter, per month, than I was for just myself at the other place. It's clean and nice, and has all the same weight machines I was using at TruEssence. It also has an amazing elliptical that mimics climbing, and burns off calories like there's no tomorrow.

The downside: yes, there are guys there, and I prefer a women-only place. However, no one seems to pay a lot of attention to anyone else. It's not like there are Arnold Schwarnegger types running around hitting on girls who look like Jamie Lee Curtis did in that movie where she was an aerobics chick. In fact, a lot of the people are old and/or out of shape, so I feel right at home. :)

Also, the really heavy, dude-type weights are in the very back, and I don't even have to go there.

So I'm excited. I went there three times last week, but I normally go 4 to 5 times.

--Exercises You Can Do At Your Desk--hat tip to Mel at the Diet Naked Blog.

--Won't you wear a sweater?--March 20th is Sweater Day in honor of Mr. Rogers. I don't know about you, but when my kids were little, I loved that his show was so relaxed and quiet. And how kids were able to use their imaginations and pretend that King Friday the Thirteenth and Queen Sarah Saturday were real, even though they were puppets whose mouths didn't even move.

--An interesting article about Anita Renfroe, the Christian comedienne responsible for the very funny Momsense video.

“It was easier for me to submit myself to him [her husband] when I was younger and thinner. . . . But then I got older and gained weight, and it’s harder for me to submit to him. Because basically I think I can take him.”

13 Bits of "Lost" Trivia

This is a Thursday Thirteen "re-run," but I think it's worth re-visiting!

Trivia courtesy of imdb.com., tv.com,

1. Jorge Garcia (Hurley) was the first person cast for the series.

2. In the original description for Kate (Evangeline Lilly), she was a slightly older woman separated from her husband, who went to the bathroom in the tail-section of the plane. However, that idea ended up being used for the character Rose.

3. Josh Holloway was trying to cover up his Southern accent while he was shooting several of his first scenes in the first season. It wasn't until director J.J. Abrams told him that the reason they cast him was BECAUSE of his accent that Holloway changed it. There are still some scenes left in the pilot where Holloway doesn't use his Southern accent.

4. Jorge Garcia, Matthew Fox, and Dominic Monaghan all auditioned originally for the part of Sawyer as the other characters had not been developed at the time.

5. Michael Keaton was considered for the part of Jack, but turned it down. Had he accepted, he would have been killed off in the pilot episode.

6. Charlie (who sadly died in last season's finale) was in a band called Drive Shaft. Their only hit was called "You All Everybody". That song can be heard in the background of an episode of Alias, another show created by JJ Abrams.

7. During Charlie's heroin scenes, Dominic Monaghan is actually snorting brown sugar.

8. According to several Official Lost websites, the plane crashed on September 22, 2004. The journey was supposed to be 13 hours and 52 minutes long, leaving Sydney at 08:04 and arriving at LAX at 18:16.

9. There is a common misconception that since Claire (Emilie de Ravin) is eight months pregnant and in her third trimester, the airlines wouldn't have allowed her to fly. While airlines may not necessarily recommend flying when eight months pregnant, they cannot and will not prohibit a pregnant woman from taking a flight if she really wants or needs to.

10. Evangeline Lilly (who plays Kate) and Dominic Monaghan (who plays Charlie) were engaged to be married to each other in real life until just recently.

11. Naveen Andrews' character, Sayid, is Iraqi; but in real life Andrews is of British and Indian origin.

12. A goof in last season's Desmond-centric "time-travel" episode: When Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick)passes an army careers office he stops to look at a poster for 'The Royal Scots' which has some inaccuracies proving it is not a poster that would be found in Britain. Firstly the word 'honor' is spelt 'honour' in Britain. Secondly the small print refers to 'boot camp', which is not a phrase used in the British military.

13. Go here for some fun "Lost" quizzes.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Heads up about the Ultimate Blog Party...and a Musical Meme

So you say you want to promote your blog? Want to introduce some new readers to it? Then you need to make plans to participate in the Ultimate Blog Party, coming up March 7th through the 14th.

Click on the graphic above to find out how you can get involved.

I participated in last year's blog party, and it was great. I found some blogs that have become favorites of mine, and hopefully I gained some new readers as well. It's also a chance to win some great prizes!

And now for something completely different...

Because my mind is somewhat blank right now, I thought it would be a good time for a meme! (meme: "A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another." In blogs, it's usually a fun, lighthearted quiz.)

So here we go...

A Musical Meme



Senior Class Song: "We May Never Pass This Way Again," by Seals and Croft. It's still a great song, by the way:



Song That Makes You Think of College: Bear in mind, I went to a Christian college. But I can never hear any Andrae Crouch song without thinking of college. For example, here's a great one:



Favorite pop song: Way, way too many to list here

Favorite Country Western Song:: "God Blessed the Broken Road," by Rascal Flatts

Favorite All Time Love Song: "Night and Day"

Song That Reminds You Of Your Husband: "What a Man" by Salt 'n Pepa

Favorite Broadway Song: "On My Own," from Les Miserables:



Song That Always Makes You Cry: "Somewhere Out There," by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram. It always makes me think of my mom and how much I wish I could be with her.

Also, I've been known to get emotional while singing hymns--just when the reality of Christ's love for me really hits me, his sacrifice on the Cross, it's a powerful and overwhelming thing. "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" is one of those.

Favorite Christmas Song:

--Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (traditional)

--Strange Way to Save the World (modern)

Favorite Hymn: "And Can it Be That I Should Gain," words by Charles Wesley. The picture painted by the following verse is incredibly powerful:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

"I woke, the dungeon flamed with light..." Wow.

Monday Melange

Main Entry: mé·lange
Pronunciation: \mā-ˈläⁿzh, -ˈlänj\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from mesler, meler to mix — more at meddle
Date: 1653
: a mixture often of incongruous elements

Some widely varied things to tell you about today:

--Did you watch the Oscars? I didn't...there wasn't any movie or performance I felt strongly enough about to root for.

But here's a note: Amazing Grace was named Best Spiritual Movie of 2008 by Beliefnet. (You can read my interviews with Chip Flaherty of Walden Media about "Amazing Grace" here and here.)


--Audrey Hepburn's black sheath dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's (seen here) was voted the classiest classic cinema gown by voters in a USA Today online poll:

The classiest classic cinema gown is Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy sheath dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's, more than 3,800 USA TODAY readers decided in an online vote. In second place: Marilyn Monroe's white halter dress from The Seven Year Itch. No. 3 was Julia Roberts' red velvet dress from Pretty Woman.

Well, I think when you think "Audrey Hepburn," you pretty much think "class." But I've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's. Have you? Should I see it?

--Linda of 2nd Cup of Coffee is as hooked on "Lost" as I am...and she's written a very cool newspaper article about it, which you can read here.

--I love discovering a "new" author! Actually, Mindy Starns Clark has been around quite a while, but a friend just loaned me the first in her "Million Dollar Mystery" series--A Penny For Your Thoughts. I stayed up waaaay too late last night reading it, and now I can't wait to read everything I can get my hands on by Clark!

--Remember the ordeal of missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham? They were held hostage in the Phillipines, and Martin was killed. Well, now their son Jeff is following in his father's footsteps.

--Pioneering Christian music artist Larry Norman ("Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?") passed away yesterday at the age of 60. Rodney Olsen of The Journey blogs about Norman's passing.

13 things to tell you about

Lots of stuff to tell you today...if you're busily cruising Thursday Thirteens, bookmark this page and come back when you have time to check out some of these links!


1. Looking for some great new recipes? My blogging friend Ashley Todd, who has always posted the most mouth-watering recipes and is a Pampered Chef representative, is debuting her new recipe blog, Ashley's Cafe. Looks great!

2. The 10 biggest differences between Christian schools and public schools (according to DiscoverChristianSchools.com

3. If you love horses--or just heart-touching videos-- you'll want to check this one out.--(Hat tip to Angela Hunt.

4. If you're scared of snakes, this article might give you the heebie-jeebies.

5. The last book that kept me up reading way too late? The Innocent Man, by John Grisham. A true story that made me think about how I would handle being falsely imprisoned. Not well, I assure you.

6. Yes, I'm enjoying American Idol! My faves so far? On the guy's side: David Hernandez, David Archuleta and Jason Castro. On the girls' side: Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson and Brooke White.

7. Here's a chance to win a free book by Christian fiction writer Rebecca Seitz.

8. Mrs. Fussypants--the dynamo who's responsible for Fight the Frump Friday--is launching a new online magazine called Blissfully Domestic, and along with that, a new online network, Blissfully Domestic Living. She's billing it "Everything you need to make family life easier."

9. It was on the Blissfully Domestic site that I found this old video predicting what fashion would be like in the year 2000. Pretty funny--but they were right about at least one thing: a lot of men are wearing phones!

10. My son Justin gave my daughter Elizabeth a CD recently: Colm Wilkinson's Stage Heroes, and I've been loving it. Wilkinson is best known for playing Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, and he has an amazing voice.

11. From Evangelical Outpost: a post and a video about how Barack Obama seems to make women faint a lot. Kinda strange.

12. If this isn't enough to put you off plastic surgery, I don't know what is. Yikes...I'm beginning to think we're better off taking our chances with natural aging...

13. If, like me, you're a "Lost" fan, here's something to help you warm up for tonight's episode.

I'm hanging out at the Internet Cafe!

I'm blogging here today. Join me!

Discerning truth from error

Book by blogger Tim Challies stresses the importance of discernment

Discernment is the skill of understanding and applying God's Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong.--Tim Challies, author of The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment

If you're a Christian blogger, you've heard of Tim Challies. Tim's blog is one of the most widely-known and read in the Christian blogosphere.

Frankly, I've always been a little in awe of his blog. I don't know what I was expecting when I called him up to interview him about his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, but it probably wasn't the soft-spoken, gracious and humble young man I spoke with. Apparently you can be an uber-blogger and still be nice and approachable. I genuinely enjoyed interviewing Tim, and I can recommend the book to anyone who wants to know more about this vital topic.

Sound clips from the interview

--Tim is the first to admit that his blog helped pave the way for this, his first book. He explains in this sound clip from our interview.

--The book is clear, practical and reader-friendly. Well-placed anecdotes and relatable illustrations keep the attention, and Challies generally avoids obscure theological verbiage in favor of more accessible layman's language. That was intentional, as Challies explains in this sound clip.

--Why is it important that Christians discern truth from error? Tim explains with a fitting analogy in this sound clip...and talks about why a belief in the inerrancy of God's Word is central to discernment.

A skill we need to develop

Tim Challies says discernment is a skill that Christians need to develop,not a trait with which we're automatically gifted-- and his book gives you practical advice on how to go about developing that skill.

Happy Birthday, Justin and Elizabeth!

My daughter Elizabeth turned 21 on February 16th, and my son Justin turns 25 today. Happy birthday to my precious children! I love you more than words can say.

Tragedy at Northern Illinois University

My 101QFL co-host, Darren Marlar, and I pretty much ditched our regular generally humorous and upbeat show today to respond to the tragedy at NIU. We opened up the phone lines and just let our listeners call with their stories, their condolences, their prayers and support for the victims and their families. It ended up being an enormous outpouring of love and concern.

Danielle is an NIU employee who called us and asked for prayer:



Besides the phone calls that lit up our board, we got an outpouring of e-mails as well. Here's a sampling:

--"I wanted to email you and share with you that my oldest daughter, Angela, who is a senior student at NIU, was just a few buildings away (in Stevenson Towers). She was working at the food service area in that residence hall at the time of the shootings. For quite some time we couldn't reach her or her fiance, but thankfully she called and said that they were all right.
The time we spent not knowing of their safety was the hardest thing to go through.... Hopefully, they will be safe and sound and home with us today for the weekend."

--"It is such a blessing to wake up to a positive radio station that is giving support to the community *I* grew up in. I attended NIU several years ago, and I did have classes in that specific buidling where the shooting occured, and I cannot even fathom how those students felt, nor how they were able to react and get out. It is an old-style auditorium, with uncomfortable seats, the aisles are so close together, and it is not easy to manuver on a normal day... it is a blessing that more people were not injured or killed. I have been praying and crying for those injured, killed and involved since yesterday afternoon. Since graduating from there with my degree in education nine years ago, I have had many former students attend NIU. None of them were involved in this tragedy, but still, I was scared for their lives as well.

After the Columbine incident, Michael W. Smith wrote 'This is Your Time', for one of the students who died in THAT tragedy. I'm not sure if you can play that, but it is certainly fitting for those who have lived and those who are with Jesus at this moment. For the survivors, this is their time to live, those who have come to Jesus and also those who haven't, may they find solace finally in His words.

I have found that Psalm 27 may be a comfort to some. It answers the question, whom then shall I fear? (Included in the song you just played, Never Let Go.)"

--"No doubt my heart and prayers go out to all of the students at NIU affected by this terrible thing at NIU. As you know my son Justin is going to NIU and I am praising God so much this morning for his safety. Justin was in the class next door in that same building as the shooting. He was in a hurry to get out of class early yesterday because he had an important church event that he was preparing for this weekend. He left that class around 2:45 only minutes before the shooting. We felt that God had called him out of there, he is really shook up but doing fine since he has a lot of friends that were there. We can't stop hugging him. PRAISE GOD!"

--"Marlar and Cindy, thank you. Thank you for being there for us. I went to NIU, I graduated, and I still live and work in Dekalb.

A friend of mine works across the street from the student center/cole hall area, and the moment shots were heard, a woman came in panicking into my friend's front office and told him what was going on. Here's the thing... if my friend's boss hadn't gone out to valentine's day lunch, she wouldn't have been feeling so sluggish, she would have gotten her paperwork done faster, and my friend would have been cutting through cole hall to deliver said paperwork just as the shooter was going in.

Incidentally, I was at a prayer vigil last night... I don't know if there was more than one, I certainly hope so... we were outside right in between the two largest dorms, singing and praying, and I hope we were a comfort to all the people on the other side of the open windows. (Open windows in February because the dorms are usually overheated.)

What doesn't make sense to me though, through all of this, is why a Sociology graduate student would have a motivation to shoot in an Oceanography freshman/sophomore 100 level classroom. Was it just because it was a lecture hall? I don't like not having information, but I don't suppose I have a choice in the matter.

One of the blessings in this is the social networking sites. Within an hour or two I was able to go online and see everyone's status messages on facebook and myspace, townies saying 'I am safe' and out of towners saying 'I am praying for NIU.'

I hope I made some sense in this email. As you can imagine, I feel rather confused and shaken about this whole thing... but through it all, God is my rock. Thank you again for shining his light."

--"Dear Cindy and Darren:
Thank you for your show this morning.
I can't imagine being anywhere else.
I was thinking of an old Billy Sprague song, 'Blessing of the Fleet'.
I keep hearing,
'Sometimes the pilot of a ship can make head way in a raging storm!'
I had a hard time sleeping Wednesday night. It was after 2 AM before I got to sleep.
And I had a good day (including bell practice) and it was not clear why I was called to prayer.
Now I know!
I'm also praying now for the parents and family of the shooter. How dreadful to know your son is dead. And then need to process what he did.
Keep up the good work!
God's Peace!"

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims and their families.

If you would like to express your thoughts and condolences, you can do so here.

13 Great Love Songs

There are so many great ones--these are just a few! Click on the title to hear the song. Happy Valentine's Day to all!

It Had to Be You--Frank Sinatra and others

At Last--Etta James



Suddenly--Olivia Newton John and Cliff Richard

Unchained Melody--Righteous Brothers

In Your Eyes--Peter Gabriel

Night and Day--Frank Sinatra and others

Eileen's Song--Burlap to Cashmere (not that well-known, but lovely)

Beautiful in My Eyes--Joshua Kadison

Endless Love--Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

All I Ask of You--from "Phantom of the Opera"


For All We Know--The Carpenters

Unforgettable--Nat King Cole

And last, but not least--I dedicate this one to my husband today--Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here":



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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Slugs, Bugs and Lullabies

While I was in Texas, I got to hear several songs off of Andrew Peterson's "Slugs, Bugs and Lullabies." I would sit on the back seat with 1-year-old Payton in his car seat, as he would vocalize along with the charming songs.

The CD has actually been out for quite some time, but this was the first chance I've had to really listen to some of the songs.

As one reviewer writes:

For those that are searching for music that can be enjoyed by parents and children alike, the search is over. Slugs, Bugs, and Lullabies is here to the delight of children and their parents everywhere. This is a collaborative effort between two very talented musicians, Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame.

I found this extensive review, by Gabrielle, from which I quote:

The album starts out very silly. They sing about postmen, tractors, bears, playing ball inside, and piggy toes. They sing about bizarre parenting tasks like burping and making a child eat beans. The songs are goofy and clever and very singable. Andrew and Randy are obviously having a good time together. Their fun spills out in their songs and is infectious.

She goes on to write about the lovely lullabies on the CD, including my favorite, "You Can Always Come Home to Me," which includes the lyrics:

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

Gabrielle writes:

I think what is charming about this album is that it is explicitly Christian while still being silly. Too often Christians assume that the only reason for media is to instruct and so often you have music or books or movies that are doctrinally sound, but overly serious and boring. Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame made an album of songs that are enjoyable, are fun, but never escape being Christian. Because they set out to make, first and foremost, fun music when the songs do get profound I am more likely to sit up and take notice.

I just hope little ones get the humor in the lyrics of the impossible-to-get-out-of-your-head "Bears" *smile*:

Bears, bears, they got no cares
Bears don’t drink from a cup
Sharp teeth and claws and furry paws
To catch you and eat you up
No, grizzly bears don’t wear underwear
Socks, or jammies, or gloves
No baby bears, don’t wear diapers
No Pampers, no Huggies, no Luvs

You can hear "You Can Always Come Home to Me" on this video:

Payton's First Birthday

...and, my little injury

OK, you didn't think I was NOT going to post pictures of my only grandchild's first birthday, did you? :)

It's taken me a while to get my pictures in order even though I actually got home from Texas Thursday night...partly because of an incident that took place Sunday morning. More about that in a moment.

Here's Payton enjoying his first cake and ice cream.

Any trip to Texas is made more wonderful by getting to spend time with my precious mother.

This is actually the first time that the two grandma's have been together with baby Payton! My daughter-in-law Daylyn's mother, Debbie, lives in Boise, Idaho. We were delighted to share this special milestone in Payton's life.

And my injury ordeal...

I am typing this post very carefully, because I have a bandage and splint around the middle finger of my right hand.

It happened Sunday morning, just as my husband was about to begin teaching his adult Sunday school class. The class meets in the school cafeteria, and there area several pop and snack machines that make a lot of noise. I had just gotten a snack and was trying to lower a garage-type door that covers the machines and blocks the noise. Well, I got my finger stuck in one of the divisions of the door!

About three emergency-room hours later, I ended up with five stitches and the knowledge that the tip of the bone in my finger had been broken. I'm not sure how long they want me to use this splint (they do let me remove it at night), but I will say it's interesting how awkward it makes doing a lot of things when you don't have the use of that one finger! My hat's off to people who live with far worse disabilities every day.

By the way, thanks to all who comisserated with me about the closing of my gym! I still haven't decided on a new one, although I want to do that soon...I don't want to lose any ground I've gained with my weight-training. I did manage to ride my stationary bike last night...the hurt finger didn't matter with that. We'll see what happens!

Back from Texas...and a sad note for my Fit Friday report

Well, my visit to Texas was wonderful. Payton's first birthday party was a fantastic experience. I was so happy to even get some one-on-one time with my adorable little grandson, and of course, I took tons of pictures! It was so awesome to spend time with all my loved ones there...and the weather...gorgeous. I'm a little bummed to come back to a foot of snow on the ground!

While in Texas, I was able to take advantage of the beautiful weather by going on walks almost every day I was there, so I kept up with my fitness regime while on vacation.

However...

I was all set to go to the TruEssence today (the gym where my daughter and I are members), and I got a surprising bit of news this morning. The gym is closed...for good! The owners are looking into filing bankrupty.

I am EXTREMELY disappointed. For the past five months, I have been a very faithful member of this gym...going there 4 to 6 times a week. I love this place...the atmosphere, the facility, the staff, the machines and weights have just been awesome. Not only have I lost money (I paid for a three month membership for my daughter, and she's only used about a month of it), but I'm going to have to find another gym...and I'm not at all sure I'll find one I like as much. For one thing, TruEssence is women only...I think there's only one other women-only faciliy here, and I think it's pretty pricey.

I guess I'll be doing the stationary bike and Pilates videos at home until I figure out what to do. What a bummer.

Well, this will test my resolve, but I'm not going to let it steer me off course!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Happy Birthday, Payton!

My adorable grandson, Payton, is one year old today! It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we got the joyful news of his birth. I'm flying down tomorrow to Texas to celebrate this milestone. As a proud grandma, I hope you'll indulge me as I show off this slide show of Payton's first year.

13 Reasons Why I Love "Lost"

"Lost" returns tonight! To celebrate, I'm repeating a previous "Thursday Thirteen" in which I listed 13 reasons why I love the show:

1) It keeps you guessing.--If you saw this season's finale, you know what I mean. What could POSSIBLY be going on? (I guess I'll find out--at least partially!--tonight!)

2) Those jaw-dropping moments. --Remember when you first saw John Locke's circumstances before crashing on the island? Remember the first time we "saw" Jacob? Remember, again, the very end of this season's finale? Those "whoaaa" moments remind you of what a terrific show this really is.

3) Matthew Fox as Jack--I personally believe Fox should have been nominated in the best actor in a drama category (in last year's Emmys). There were so many instances this season of great acting on the part of Fox. Remember the look on his face when he saw Kate and Sawyer through the video monitor? That moment alone was worth an Emmy nomination.

4) Michael Emerson as Ben--Yeah, we can't stand Ben, but don't we love to hate him? Emerson has to be one of the best actors on television. His Emmy nomination was well-deserved.

5) Josh Holloway as Sawyer--How many times have you gotten a good chuckle out of Sawyer's nicknames and pop culture references?

6) Terry O'Quinn as John Locke--Yes, John Locke is often strange and his actions inexplicable--take his behavior in the finale. What's up with that? Still, he's one of my favorite characters...and I also believe his (2007) Emmy award is well-deserved.

7) Naveen Andrews as Sayid--The character of Sayid has probably done more good for Iraqi PR than anything the UN could come up with. Face it, there are many, many wonderful Iraqi people, and the character of Sayid is very appealing.

8) Dominic Monaghan as Charlie--I am so, so sorry that the character of Charlie is dead. Some people would like to believe that's not true, but I have a hard time seeing him survive his fate in the season finale. Even though he started out as a drugged-out loser, Charlie was sweet and appealing.

9) Evangeline Lilly as Kate--She annoys a lot of my friends and family, but I do still like the character of Kate, and I think she's central to the show.

10) Jorge Garcia as Hurley--Hurley is absolutely vital to the show. For a while, I was watching "24" fairly regularly, and it's excellent--but there is almost no comic relief, if any. The intensity blasts you nonstop. But the great thing about "Lost" is that just when everything gets a little too spooky, scary or strange, there's Hurley saying, "Dude..." and bringing everything back down to earth. I totally love Hurley.

11) Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond.--Desmond has been a great addition to the show. I think we've yet to find out just how essential his story is. And as I've mentioned before, I could listen to that Scottish accent all day.

12) The soundtrack.-- Composer Michael Giacchino does a beautiful job scoring the show. Listen to his haunting "Life and Death" in the video below.

13) The characters and the writing.-- I've mentioned some of them already, but the characters are what keeping bringing me back, even when the show sometimes strains credulity. And the writing--the storytelling, the dialogue, the plotting--is just terrific.

Bottom line, "Lost" is my favorite TV show, and one of the only TV shows I ever watch.

If you haven't watched it, I suggest you start with the first season DVD set and then go on to the second and third. If you can watch the first two or three episodes without getting hooked, I'll be extremely surprised.

And now, the video: