hope.

My friend Amy let her world know about Eva a week or so ago on Facebook. I want to let my world know about this beautiful person too.

My last job was working for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (with Amy). We planned and managed special events to raise money for the Foundation. We also were blessed to get to know the amazing souls with CF and the strong friends and family behind them.

Eva's words and story pull at the bottom of my heart.
Eva posted this video on February 11
She has been in my thoughts each day since I watched that video with Andrew, tears streaming down both our faces.

Eva makes me want to be a better person and to wake up each day in full appreciation of life and love. Eva is teaching me so many things. I hope somehow she knows that.

CF'rs, as we called them in the office, are angels on earth. Please read Eva's words and pass along the hope.

love.
.

oh sunny day!

OH you beautiful sun you.

It was gorgeous today. Sunny, almost 50 degrees & clear skies.

We HAD to get out to the mountains.

Since going on a hike was out of the question we stopped by one of our favorite back roads and took a little walk.

(before all this we had to make a pit stop at the Dollar Tree and buy some sunglasses. Some really cool sunglasses that you can only find at the Dollar Tree.)

Try not to be intimidated.

I needed this walk and this sun so very bad (see above).

And we took some pretty pictures.

here you go:

Hope you enjoyed your Sunday Funday.

:)

happy as a clam

Last night was amazing.

I feel like I just found a secret music society in Staunton.

EVERYONE was so talented. I have never enjoyed myself so much at an open mic.

So excited about what's next. (what is next? i don't know.)

thank you

laura

mickey

andrew

cody

liz

angie

emmy

you being there meant the world to me.

mic check, one two one two

I'm going to sing at the Open Mic Night here tomorrow night.

:) woo hoo! I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Valentine's Day

"If you're really listening--if you're awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break, it's purpose is to burst open again and again so that it can hold evermore wonder." ~Andrew Harvey

Quote and many other blessings found here.

This is what dropping off a demo CD makes me feel like:

My stomach flips.

I sweat.

I tell myself how silly this is.

I sweat.

I scrunch my face up.

I sweat.

I recite "what other people think of me is none of my business" 1000 times in my head.

I sweat.

I go through every horrible bad scenario possible.

I sweat.

I walk into the resturaunt, find the bartendar, say my schpeal, drop off the CD and take a HUGE sigh of relief. It's over. Until next time....

I went out last week and dropped off a few CD's in my new town. I'm trying to get out there. I'm trying to push myself. It's not going to happen by sitting on a farm (although, I have to say, the horses love it when I sing to them. I think they would book me.)

Baby steps.

(ps. I've got some music up here if you wanna take a listen)

this song heals me.

i'm happy it popped onto my computer tonight.

"Take a look, it's in a book.."

It's...

I loved that show. I loved the song more. I could get down singing that song.

I like to know what other people are reading.

So I'm gonna tell you what I am reading.

And maybe when we are at a cocktail party we can chat about it and sound all smart and intellectual because this is a smart persons book.

(I only say that because I had to put down my Young Adult book I got from the library to read this one...and who am I kidding? When is my next cocktail party here on the farm?)

I was a Sociology major in college and was first introduced to Malcolm Gladwell in one of my Soc. classes. I love the way he looks at the world and sees things from different view points.

"The Outliers" is rocking my socks. It's all about how we view successful people in the world and how the whole "rag to riches" story really isn't true. It all depends on what's going on in the world and the opportunities that you are given or not given.

It's the kinda book that makes my head spin and gets the inner sociologists in me revved up.

So, if you are into that sort of thing..figuring out people and societies and why they are the way they are.....you would really like this book.

How's that for a book review? I hear the New York Times calling.....

And so it goes..

Another 6-10 inches.

Today and tomorrow.

This winter will teach me patience.

Lot's of patience.

It's not like we are waiting for the snow to melt off of the ground to do something pretty important or anything like that.

;)

Become a fan.

It's what all the cool kids are doing.

Heck yes, sign me up! I want to be a fan of Cool Breeze Stables.

XO

oh the snow!

Have a good weekend!

We're snowed in!

and I'm feeling like the grandparents from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. How many hours of the day can you spend in bed reading?

(Okay...I lied. I'm not reading. Andrew is but he's starting to feel uncomfortable next to me as I microsoft paint our heads onto other peoples bodies)

la deeee da. have a good one! ;)

My evening-- yesterday.

"the old barn"

Car is in the shop. Andrew picks me up from work. I skip to the car and we pretend like I am hitchhiking and need a ride.

We drive around and looked at the sky turn dark. The mountains turn black and the grey clouds seem to hug us just a little tighter. The air smells like snow.

I can smell something baking in the oven as I walk to into the house. Dogs and kids run to the door. Two blonde headed little people hug and kiss and ask a million questions.

Little people and dog leave.

Andrew's mom, Debbie, stands in front of the wood stove telling a story about a cow farmer she bumped into at Food Lion. Debbie tells stories slow and thoughtfully.

Cow farmers aren't paid enough.

I look outside of the window and see Andrew stacking wood. He's been working outside in the cold all day. Stacking wood and haying the front fields are the last chores of the evening.

Debbie cooks over the stove and tells stories about growing up in Orange, VA. Andrew and I share a beer and listen. Her stories make my mind wander to my summers spent in Norton, VA as a child. And then to Mamaw.

We finish dinner and it's time for the big dogs to come in. Hunter and Lily come inside and plop near the wood stove to warm themselves. I can still smell a little skunk on Lily. She had a run in last week with a very unhappy little skunk.

We talk about the weather.
We plan for the weather.
We talk about the weather some more.

Bed time comes early on the farm tonight. We have to prepare for the weather, of course.

Today we went to the Health Department...

And we got an application to dig a well and septic tank.

Yes sir, we're a buildin' a cabin!

Andrew's parents are giving us a few acres behind the farm. It is the most peaceful, wonderful piece of land. I am pinching myself because I can't believe it is really going to happen.

Okay. SO....this is step 1 in about a million step process. It will be a few years before we will be in the cabin but in the meantime we are going to put in the well and septic and bring in a mobile home.

Who am I kidding here? We're gettin' a trailer!!!!!

I never thought I would be so happy in all my life to say, "Baby, can I be the queen of your double wide trailer?" But I am. SO excited.

Here are some pics that we took today just as the snow began to fall.

(you have to use your imagination here.....we have a loooong way to go)

One of my favorite things about this spot are the red barns that you can see in the distance (that and the mountains, of course). You can barely see them through the snow!



So. Guess what we have to wait for before we can start anything. Oh you know, we just have to wait for the snow to melt off of the ground.

Ay, yi yi.

We just need a window of opportunity to clear the land and dig. Too bad mother nature has other plans for us.

It has to melt soon, right?

February 1st

"I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and start our new life"

That's what Andrew said to me last night and it made me laugh because I just think he is so darn cute and his big blue eyes were so serious and excited. (swoon)

We had just had a big conversation about the future, moving on from the past, goals & projects to come. February 1st starts our new, fresh start. Move out of our way, January.
Good thing, considering I was microsoft painting my head in a noose on Saturday. We had a doozy (do people still use that word?) of a month in January and it all seemed to creep up on us this past weekend.

I think we will finally have some concrete news about our living situation today--which I will happily update you all on as soon as I know.

But for now, once again, I give you one of my masterpieces, "Homeless Lovers"

Happy Monday!