Here's to Weekends!

It's been one of those weekends that you wish you just had one more day before going back to work!! One of those weekends when I walk around asking God why do I deserve this:

• My week ended with a round table meeting of colleagues from around the state - it was great being with like-minded and purpose driven people. I was inspired!
• Lunch with my mom, grandmother, nephew, and brother - good food and good to catch up.
• Guitar shopping with my super-talented, big brother (I didn't play much because I really suck compared to him!!)
• I love long drives alone - sometime you just need to go 75 mph, listening to Ani Difranco, and figure things out, or think about absolutely nothing.
• Back home Friday for date night!! Out to eat, pick up my very long awaited 10 year anniversary ring.
• Being reminded again, I am married to the most incredable man in the world and he just gets better with age!
• Small outrage about work stuff (won't go there because I didn't think about work again...until now)!
• Saturday...Marcus and I made a trip to Greenville - Atlanta Bread Co. (mmm...cheesecake!!) and to the Guitar Center!!! Hee, Hee...I bought a Taylor T5! :^)
• Played music ALL DAY!! No house cleaning, no yard work, and forgot all adult responsibilities. Lots of dishes in the sink, and it was all good.
• A great service at Capstone.
• Good times spent with new friends and their awesome new baby!
• Ended the day with more music, time with the pets, and cuddling while channel surfing!

What more could you ask for!...one more day off???

Looking out for each other!

Meet George! We literally walked up on him this weekend in Nantahala. Walking back to our cabin Saturday morning Marcus pushes me over as the bottom of my foot rolls over on to this incredible little turtle. I almost crushed him; he totally blended in with the walkway! I would have be one miserable woman...turtles are one of my favorites of God's creation. But no harm was done to this little guy. So spending a little time with George was the highlight of my weekend.

But I could imagine for many people they would have kept on going about their vacation, missing the point. This is what taking a break is all about. Actually noticing the stuff around you...humm...that's an unique idea! Humans just don't do that kind of stuff anymore. We are so wrapped up in ourselves and our stuff- the fact some turtle is just looking for a place to warm up and dry out after inches of rain the night before doesn't matter to me as long as he doesn't get in my way. The sad thing is we do that kind of stuff to each other all the time. We don't really think about why someone is sitting alone, seems distracted, or is looking down all the time. We just say, "what's wrong with them today" or "they are a piece of work." I've done it and shame on me for not asking if everything is OK or not wanting to intrude on them. Sometimes we need to intrude, we need to ask, we need to actually send a card - the paper kind, or God forbid...pick up the phone.

Who knew that an encounter with such a little turtle could remind me that we need to look out for each other. Sometimes we need to look down to find where to go. People need to know we care, people need to know we respect them. So check out Philippians 2:3-4 and pay attention to others today.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Noticing Changes.

Marcus and I have had this long running outrage, that we've recently tested again. Anytime I have the itch to buy a new guitar, we go to this one particular store in Anderson (I'll refrain from using the store name here, but feel free to ask if you are interested!!) It started while we were dating and we have been married now for 10 wonderful years of complete bliss!! ;^) OK so the point is this hasn't changed for 12 years.

This is how it happens...we walk in look around sometime together, other times we go our separate ways. I am usually the one who picks up a guitar first and starts to play. And here comes the salesman...straight to Marcus!!! I am strumming, picking, examining, comparing and NOTHING, no one comes to ask if I need help or if I am interested. After this had happened a few times, I mention it to Marcus. Being the positive guy he is, he says no way and agrees to play along the next time we go in. So here we go again, together looking and now he is obviously showing me and handing me guitars. Enter Mr. Salesman...again NOTHING. All questions directed to Marcus and enters into conversation about how long Marcus has played guitar????

Sexism?!?! Well, walk into a music store and there are pictures of guitar legends past and present and maybe one women is represented, usually Bonnie Raitt or Heart. (Not to say those aren't great female guitarist, they definitely are...next time you are in a music store just look around.)

So we went in again last week just for fun. (This time I am looking for an electric - Fender or Gibson. Any sellers??) And yep, it happened again. But this time something different happened. I LAUGHED...all the way to the car. Though it still bothered me, it just didn't seem like a big deal. After all we have been through in the past few months, outrages seem different now. I am not saying that sexism in the community isn't important (0f course you know I will speak against it in every opportunity). We laugh harder at blatant ignorance's like that now. Before I would have seen that as an attack almost, now I walk out the store and think I still have a couple of hundred dollars in the bank and they don't.

Silence

No real outrages since Friday. It's a good thing...because elevated blood pressure and increased heart rate daily could be a bad thing! But here's a great quote to think about...

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."
- Martin Luther King

What matters? What's relevant?

• God, spiritual matters
• family
• friends, acquaintances
• co-workers
• beliefs, values
• respect
• equality
• self-worth
• compassion
• integrity
• calling

I could go on and I am sure you have your own list. But don't become silent - don't let the opinions, the stares, or status of someone else stop you from being who you were created to be. Silence is an awful, lonely place. When we allow someone to take our voice, we allow them to take part of our soul with them. That's not grabbing the abundant life God has for us either. So stay strong, speak up for what matters to you, and defend those you love.

'till next time...

Tired!

Ladies and Gentlemen...I am tired...

Tired of living in a society that cares more about how many kids Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have than the images we allow to invade our minds, souls, homes, and our children. Images like the one posted below. This sign was placed on Clemson Blvd. today (past the interstate and several other sights around town). Hundreds of people drove by but didn't pay attention. (If you did you should have been outraged!!) I wanted to scream, "Wake up people and start giving a damn!"

The sign shows an image of a woman being grabbed by a motorcycle (or a masculine image), in a bikini and heals (2 items I always wear together), and her underwear being pulled off. And most people just drove by...people with daughters, wives, girlfriends, sisters, mothers. OK so the point isn't that you may have missed this small sign on your way to wherever, but that we dismiss a lot more. Why do we accept women's butt to sell a car? Why do we need women's breast to sell alcohol? Or a woman's body to sell cologne?

objectify: to present something as an object

demean: to lower in character, status, or reputation

Get what I am saying?? So what's the problem? We have become too passive in our society. Do we even give a second glance to what things are really saying? We are accepting messages that aren't our own - Power and Dominance = Masculinity; Girls have to smile and act nice; only sissies cry; get it when you can get it. Sexual assault is too pervasive in our society to think our norms have nothing to do with it! Sex is NOT an entitlement!

I'm tired and fed up!

Who Knew??

Ha, Ha! I am blogging. Pretty ironic...the girl who thinks "Oh God, when I die please don't let anyone find my first drafts or my post-its with random thoughts that I've tried to keep hidden away!" 8 months into the year, my new year's resolution is ... so I've backspaced 3 times, I guess I'm still working on it - I'll get back to you on that.

So here's to random thoughts! And oh yeah, my site is pink because those of you reading think that it should be something else....

There's enough wrong in the world to make me write!