Cold in a summer breeze

yeah you're shivering

on your bended knee

still when your heart is sore 

and the heavens pour

like a willow bending with the storm, you'll make it

running against the wind 

playing the cards you get

something is bound to give

hope for the hopeless- A Fine Frenzy

great artists and amazing lyrics

sweetest sound.

Movies this weekend...

Baby Mama

The Reaping

Eagle vs Shark

Baby Mama was good... Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were hilarious together. Not as balls out as I was intending and kind of took a bit of a chick flick role... but all together I give it four stars. The Reaping with Hilary Swank and Anna Sophia Robb owned face and blew me away. I about jumped out of my skin twice and thats saying something. I haven't seen a good thriller flick in awhile... you know the kind that take you back to your childhood where you have to turn the lights on in a room before you enter... this movie did just that. I was impressed with Hilary Swank yet again... her role was meaningful and good and she kicked butt as usual. Anytime, in my opinion, when you use kids in a thriller/horror flick it steps up to being a great movie. The Eagle vs. Shark, on the other hand, was a huge terd bomb. I thought it was funny in some areas and it had a huge Napoleon Dynamite feel to it. But if you don't want to listen to bad New Zealand accents and aweful acting don't waste the brain cells. Seriously my head hurt after watching. All together the two amazing movies voided the one terd movie... not too shabby.

My weekend was amazing... very busy but amazing. My parents were out of town and despite the many phone calls from my sisters I got through all of the weekend tasks without much drama... Sunday was the breakdown day and I had to pull some major things out of my butt to make everything ok at the house... My sisters were beginning to drive me insane. I bought some Taco Bell and played the loving and caring sister card... When I really wanted to beat the hell out of them. I played some softball and hung around the house to smooth everything over... The joys of being a sister and being left responsible. Friday was great.. Saturday was bittersweet. All together a good weekend.

thought today: 

Im tired of playing mommy to kids who aren't mine

Its getting a bit old... 

Monday was a laid back day

Wal-mart is my personal hell

Smoothie Joe's = my new addiction

:)

grace and peace 

merl

yesterday seems so far from me now...

gotta close me eyes to see

I swear to God it seems I've been here before

Why I'm back again

It seems out of fashion to be right 

So I guess that I'll be wrong

And wear it like a badge across my chest

Let it bleed from my arm

When everything's for granted 

Nothing is for sure

Let's take the metro south of here

Search for something more

Well mom, I only wanted to be like Jesus

but it seems that I keep fucking up

And dad, don't write me off just yet

I think I might be onto something here

Like Jesus- The Cobalt Season

I did it... talk about making a statement

So I am super excited to get One Vision rolling... The myspace and website is up and running. May 3rd 6:00 -9:00 pm we are having our first meeting... I am hoping and praying for a good turn out. Major Props to Jen and Nick for getting the idea and following through with it...and having a heart willing to serve. You guys are such a blessing and I am proud to be apart of your team. 

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile.. I have been busy with work.. My dad is out of town again and I have been busy transferring all my info to this bad boy...

Macbook Pro 200 GB Duo core... I "flove" it as Chris would say. Seriously not too bad for a first computer. [Thanks daddy] Apple transferred all of my pictures and music.. All I had to do was work on some documents and spreadsheets. Whoo Whoo. 

thoughts today:

afternoon softball with the sisters is not to bad

I actually enjoyed myself... and laughed geez did I laugh

tonight I get to be the merch wench

Strike Zone hits Rainbow city

sometime this weekend Im going to see Baby Mama

should be the greatest film ever... or at least the funniest

grace and peace 

merl

Im learning to fly but I aint got wings

Comin down is the hardest thing

Well the good old days may not return
And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn

I'm learning to fly but I ain't got wings
Comin down is the hardest thing

Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I started out for God knows where
But I guess Ill know when I get there

Learning to Fly- Tom Petty
seems fitting after the past couple of days
we have baby birds in the shop beside my office
chirping non-stop... not singing
but this song is pretty rad
and on the new album I bought
it's a mixture of old school stuff I didn't have

Speaking of youngins this is my youngest sister, Layne. I took this picture while playing Phase 10. Great game face isn't it... she is the one who makes me question reproducing. If my kid comes out of the womb acting a fool like this one I might end up in an institution. But on a serious note I have been struggling with her... trying to find balance and even ground with her is beginning to be as bad as trying to find a flippin Wii. She is a challenger and as much as I like a good challenge every once in a while... I'm close to holding up the white flag. Preteens are hell. I'm fixing to start spending a bit more time with her and digging into her crazy thoughts. Time well spent. Speaking of time... I have way too much free time on my hands. Which I'm trying to decide if its a bad thing... I'm quite enjoying myself but at the same time I feel this pull to do something... hand my time over to God... really. So I'm helping Jenny with this new thing and I'm pretty stoked to get started and getting this thing rolling. Not just doing something but doing it with purpose and passion and drive. And helping someone other than myself... pouring funds and tithe into something I believe in... I'm also pretty excited about visiting Downtown church again... This will be the second time. Connection is good. I feel disconnected from a few people that I wish I didn't... Summer is one. I miss our late night discussions and deep thoughtful conversations and even the odd chatter and laughter... and of course I miss getting to see her. Face to face is always better than the phone... its just not the same thing. Connection is needed at times.

thoughts today:
baby birds chirping is not my favorite

tonight will be refreshing
I miss Joey

4 o'clock is taking forever to get here

And when you're out there

Without care,
Yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much

Does that make me crazy

Crazy- Gnarls Barkley
crazy song but fun

So I have been wanting a Wii for a while now... really wanting my dad to pull the trigger and get the girls one so I could play whenever. Since he is so hard to persuade I decided to purchase one and give it my sisters for an early birthday.. early summer present. So yesterday I start my hunt going to the typical Game Stop... but no luck. So I go to another... no luck. I go to a few more surrounding major companies [Target, Walmart, etc..] still no luck. I go the Best Buy on 280 after going to Target where a lovely man made me feel like an idiot for even walking in a store looking for a console. So I kindly gave him my thoughts on keeping product in stock that people actually buy... and how they might make a bit more profit, not that they are struggling or anything, then walked out frustrated. So Taylor, one of the twins, and I are walking out and I spot a hidden Game Stop. As a last effort before finishing our errands we decide to go in... and the lady there, I kid you not, knew exactly what I was looking for and had just received a shipment of 9 consoles that morning. Glory... Seriously and she said 9 was the most they had ever sent her. She gave me a kick butt discount and hooked me up with some games and accessories. When we got home I set them up and taught them how to play and of course beat there tails at some Wii. I did my Wii fitness and my age is now 38 which is loads better than the 88 I received when I first started playing a Joey's house... Ok so you cant judge me or anything but I bought the Harry Potter OOTP game... and yes it for me and not my sisters. I was playing last night and decided I have reached a new level in my nerdom.. Anywhos today is a good day just figured I would share with everyone. Oh and I found these pictures surfing for the one at the top and thought they were super cute...
Todays thoughts:
My dad is out of town for the week
My stress level is on high

Thank goodness Tax season is over
my accountant was driving me bonkers

Alabama weather is a mess.

My trip to Boston and New York is payed for
and my savings has never been better

Maybe today I can leave the office earlier than 6
BTW truck drivers drive me up the wall


grace and peace to you today
merl

"Never take your loved ones for granted: they could be gone tomorrow"

all of my dreams seem to fall by the side like a discarded thought or the day's fading light
but I know that if I could just see you tonight forever at times we may fall,
like we all tend to do but I'll reach out and find that I've run into you
your strength is the power that carried me through forever

Your kindness for weakness I never mistook I worried you often,
yet you understood that life is so fleeting,
these troubles won't last forever inspired me truly you did from the start to not be afraid
and to follow my heart there's a piece of you with me they can't tear apart forever

Forever I'll find you, forever we'll be
Forever your power and strength stays with me

Forever- Dropkick Murphys
I posted the whole song because its short
the lyrics are amazing.

Old picture from a beach trip.. I love this picture figured I would share. My mom left out this morning headed for the beach. I'm somewhat jealous but alas I will get over it she deserves the time away. Scares me though when my parents go out of town.. to much responsibility is put on me and its the kind that isn't mine if that makes since, like caring for kids I didn't have and watching over a business I don't own or run.. but I always walk away learning from the situations put in front of me.. It always works out. I appreciate my parents challenging me and really giving me the responsibility.. its the reason why I make good choices and began growing up early on. They always let me make calls and let me figure out my path... but guided me at the same time. life lesson. I want the same for my kids one day. To be able to trust and stand back and let them live.. ya know. But also have that relationship where they respect and come to me for help and guidance... anyways just so you know I love my parents. Through the good and the bad we always realize who is truly in control and its not us. So I have been jamming on some good music this week... Joey came to the house Wednesday and dumped some tunes on my laptop. So I am well versed in all things hardcore/metal/old/and the Police which I have found I am a big fan of.. Roxanne is my favorite. Dillinger Escape Plan is becoming my new addiction along with Jimi Hendrix interesting mix.. I know. Thanks babe :) Not too long ago my ankle started acting up and giving me a hard time.. Old injuries coming back to bite me in the butt. If you didn't know I played Basketball [2 and half years] and Volleyball [4 years] during high school. Every so often my ankles give me issues or my knees start to stiff up and hurt. It doesn't help that I didn't handle my injuries when they happened. Hardheaded I know it comes from my dad's side of the family. Last night I curled up in bed and attempted to finish my last season of Gilmore Girls I got to the last 7 episodes... I'm pretty pumped to finish it. I like getting tangled in others life on TV it's kind of sickening how they capture us and suck us in... I'm really sad its over.. 7 seasons of two crazy girls full of witty pop culture comebacks and crazy love lives. I dug it. Today I'm wearing a pair of jeans I haven't wore in 10 months maybe... You ever had a piece of clothing that told a story. These are mine. They have been through many nights of questioning and hair coloring and comments and late night discussions and cigarette burns and alcohol spills and tears and sandy pockets. I had them folded and placed in the back of my closet.. this morning I had no clean clothes, really no clean jeans, and these were my go to pants. So I'm remembering the reason why I put them away. At one time they were my favorite jeans now just an article of clothing I should through away. disposable. Kind of like every thing Americans value these days... We kind of live for the disposable, feed off it and warp the things that should truly be valued into something disposable. life lesson.

I have had this scripture stuck in my head for a while now....
Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.

Ephesians 2: 16-18

the beginning of Ephesians 2 is what got me back to my first love so I had been reading it not too long ago and stumbled upon this piece that I love so much... figured I would share.

todays thoughts:
Tomorrow marks 6 months of my life spent
with my best friend and greatest love
pretty freakin sweet

I have been cigarette free for 148 days
not too shabby

tonight I am getting Iguana Grill
and Im super pumped


grace and peace
merl

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...

that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found,
was blind but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to feel
'Twas grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed

Amazing Grace- Dropkick Murphys
The song is powerful alone
but having these guys do it
its some serious power
and pretty much boss

Old shot from last week... just felt like showing some love. Last week my dad was out of town and I was running the show so this week is down time. I was stressed with doing the accountants job, which I still don't understand how I got dooped into doing it, and I had to work on my personal tax stuff. On top of running and watching over the business and house stuff. Fun times. Thank the dear Lord Jesus he is back. My weekend was stupendous... full of laughs and sweet moments and games and family time. I really really enjoy my time spent with Joey and his family.. I feel so comfortable. They are real and that means a whole lot in a world full of fake.
We played Apples to Apples [joey won] which was really cool because its all about opinion and then followed it up with some Pictionary where it was looking like his parents were gonna dominate the board with no mercy whatsoever... when finally the game took a huge turn where Joey and I defeated them all.. It was amazing and definitely one for the books. We pretty much rule when playing together but against each other.. not so much. Lets just say Phase 10 and Uno need to be put away for a while. But Xbox that's whole new story... He has introduced to me a world I stayed away from for a while and now its on. Halo 3 is my new addiction... and that's not a good thing because my gaming attitude stinks and I have a potty mouth. Thank goodness I don't have a little headset and they can hear what I say about them... because it would be on. Bought a new Dropkick Murphys shirt Sunday and it is the new hotness... really it would be on someone else but on me its.. well lets not go there. If I haven't informed you by now or you don't know me, I'm what some would call a fatty. I need desperately to lose some poundage... its cute when its a kid with baby fat but I'm twenty and its not cute. Really looking forward to bible study tonight and new ministries forming.. Speaking of ministries I have been researching this church in Birmingham called The Downtown Church I feel like the Lord has placed them in front of me for a reason.. So I think I'm gonna go visit them Sunday and check out whats going on with them in the Ham... Don't know much about them other than what I have read but It sounds pretty cool.

so interesting sites to look at..
woot.com
simple and complex all at the same time

shirt.woot.com
my absolute new favorite

threadless.com
my new reasoning behind going to Chicago
they opened a store and its pretty rad


grace an peace
merl

And I know I'm dead on the surface..

But I am screaming underneath

And time is on your side
Its on your side now
Not pushing you down
And all around, no
It's no cause for concern

Stuck on the end of this ball and chain
And I'm on my way back down again
Stood on a bridge, tied to the noose
Sick to the stomach
You can say what you mean
But it won't change a thing
I'm sick of the secrets
Stood on the edge, tied to a noose
You came along and you cut me loose

Amsterdam- Coldplay
I played this song last year on this day
It was a bad day and everything that happened
sticks out like a sore thumb...
other than the bad memories this song is amazing

took this photo over the weekend... Which was incredible as always. We are in Bailey Brothers on 280, one of the last stops on our journey, and Joey was playing around on the acoustics. good stuff. Wrestlemania 08 was fun and interesting.. meet some pretty cool guys. Had Iguana grill ..and yes take out is just as good as being there. fun times. I worked on a painting for Mollie and Jarrod this past week. Really just for Jarrod it was his birthday present from Mollie. I ended up really liking it... Here's some shots of the finished productI wrote inside Africa the lyrics of One by U2.. amazing song. Go read them and enjoy. Or listen the song speaks volumes. Today I realized just how stupid and forgetful I can be... A year ago yesterday I heard about this website Future Me so I checked it out and decided to vent on it. Its this website that is setup where you write emails to your future self or to a friend and it holds them and sends them on the day you pick... So I did 2 and had them set to send a year from that day. which was yesterday.. I didn't get my email until today but the other was sent to a very close friend yesterday. I am praying I don't upset her... because I went back to read it and it was brutal but honest and with love. Interesting concept just very taboo. Mine was very dark.. thank goodness I'm out of my deep hole. I really can't believe I forgot all about them.


grace and peace
merl